Just a few second rounders/undrafted. Dominic McGuire looks like a solid player to try at 43 if he's there, and I wouldn't mind the Hornets picking up Trey Johnson in free agency if he is undrafted. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Hornets Draft Workouts: June 7By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.comJune 7, 2007To understand the potential value of a second-round pick in the NBA Draft, look no further than the 2007 NBA Finals. While many basketball fans have been focused on the outcome of the May 22 draft lottery and the projected destinations of NCAA superstars Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, former second-round picks Manu Ginobili (San Antonio) and Daniel Gibson (Cleveland) were making huge impacts on the outcome of both conference finals series.A third conference finalist, Utah, landed one of the premier rookies from the 2006 draft class in last June?s second round, power forward Paul Millsap, a relatively unknown player from Louisiana Tech.When Hornets draft workouts commenced Thursday in Edmond, Okla., the focus was on trying to find a Millsap-like diamond in the rough. None of the four invitees ? Brandon Heath of San Diego State, Trey Johnson of Jackson State, Dominic McGuire of Fresno State and Sammy Mejia of DePaul ? are surefire first-round picks, meaning they each may be available when the Hornets? second-round pick comes up at the 43rd overall choice.?What we tried to do is target a group of players who are realistic for our range, both in the first and second round,? Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said of the process that determined which players to invite to work out for the team. ?We?ve been able to get just about everyone scheduled that we wanted to see work out.?Hornets.com caught up with each of the four prospects following Thursday?s workout. Here are their comments:Brandon HeathBrandon Heath, San Diego State guardNBADraft.net projection: UndraftedQ: Which players do you compare yourself to in the NBA in terms of your style of play?A: I?ve heard Chauncey Billups, Bobby Jackson, Baron Davis and Eddie House, mostly because of my size and strength and ability to shoot the ball. I like to watch tape of guys like Billups and Baron Davis. Baron is a close friend of mine, and he?s kind of like a big brother to me. I?ve seen him play quite a bit and I try to take pieces of his game and put them into mine. Those guys are all a threat to do a lot of different things and they keep the defense honest.Q: What do you know about the Hornets?A: I don?t know a lot about them, but I know it?s a team with a lot of great young talent, led by Chris Paul, a great up-and-coming point guard. He?s a guy I would love to play with and pick his brain a little bit. I definitely think he?s ahead of his time as a player. He seems like a mature guy on and off the floor. He could teach me the ropes and the ins and outs of the NBA.Q: What areas of your game are you trying to improve or prove to scouts that they aren?t weaknesses?A: A lot of scouts know I can score the basketball. My question mark is whether I can play point guard. I didn?t get to play it in college because our point guard was a small guy. I had to score for our team to win, and I?m all about doing whatever it takes to win.Q: Everyone is saying Greg Oden and Kevin Durant will go 1-2 in the draft. Which player would you take with the No. 3 pick?A: I would say me. [laughs] Realistically, I don?t know. It would depend on your team?s needs. It seems like everyone is saying (Ohio State?s) Mike Conley is the best point guard in the draft, but you also have a guy like (Texas A&M?s) Acie Law, who is proven and has done it for four years in college. But I?m not a general manager, so I?m not sure.Q: Who is your draft sleeper, a guy who is not getting much publicity right now but has a chance to be a very solid player in the NBA?A: Nick Fazekas of Nevada.Trey JohnsonTrey Johnson, Jackson State guardNBADraft.net projection: UndraftedQ: Which players do you compare yourself to in the NBA in terms of your style of play?A: Brandon Roy and Chauncey Billups. I?m a big guard who can score in multiple ways. I can dribble, spot-up shoot, create for myself or score off screens, post up. All of those things come into play for me.Q: What do you know about the Hornets?A: A lot. I know they won 39 games and were real close to making the playoffs. They have a real solid team all-around, with Chris Paul, David West, Jannero Pargo, Tyson Chandler ? the list goes on. They played without Peja Stojakovic for most of the year. With Peja added to the lineup, that?s a playoff team.(New Orleans) is a great city and they?re looking forward to going back and helping rebuild, and giving (fans) something to look forward to.Q: What areas of your game are you trying to improve or prove to scouts that they aren?t weaknesses?A: Defending. A lot of people kind of question my defense, but I feel like I?m a great defender. When it comes down to it, I think defense is all about wanting to do it. It?s not really a skill. It?s about heart and determination. Scoring has gotten me to this point, but at the same time I want to defend.Q: Everyone is saying Greg Oden and Kevin Durant will go 1-2 in the draft. Which player would you take with the No. 3 pick?A: That?s tough to say. It depends on what you need as a team or organization. There are a lot of great prospects out there.Q: Who is your draft sleeper, a guy who is not getting much publicity right now but has a chance to be a very solid player in the NBA?A: I want to say me, [laughs] but there are a lot of guys. I could go on all day about guys at the pre-draft camp in Orlando who are great ballplayers and will be great in the NBA, but it?s all about getting into the right situation and fit with a ballclub. I?m a big fan of basketball, so I?ve seen a lot of these guys play already.Q: Do you feel you have more to prove, coming from the Southwestern Athletic Conference?A: Coming from a small school, your competition is not as strong night in and night out. You do, in a sense, have to work harder than the next guy to prove yourself all over again, as you did during the season.Q: You were actually drafted as a pitcher by the Kansas City Royals out of high school. How does your baseball background help you in basketball?A: It helps a lot, because baseball is a very mental game. It?s more difficult mentally than physically. Slumps are a big part of baseball, and even the great players go through them. Baseball is a tough sport, and the people who excel at it are very tough mentally.Dominic McGuireDominic McGuire, Fresno State forwardNBADraft.net projection: No. 45 pick to Los Angeles ClippersQ: Which players do you compare yourself to in the NBA in terms of your style of play?A: Well, he?s retired, but I would say Scottie Pippen. He played defense, is long and athletic, can bring the ball up the court, rebounds. He did everything and was very versatile.Q: What do you know about the Hornets?A: They have a great point guard in Chris Paul. They have great chemistry and are up and coming, and building their franchise. It would be a great place for me to play.Q: What areas of your game are you trying to improve or prove to scouts that they aren?t weaknesses?A: My shooting. But coming in, I?m not really trying to prove anything. They?ve seen us play already (in college games). I?m trying to do what got me here. But when we shoot during workouts, I want to show them that I have made improvements on my jump shot.Q: Everyone is saying Greg Oden and Kevin Durant will go 1-2 in the draft. Which player would you take with the No. 3 pick?A: That?s a tough one. It depends on what a team needs. I can?t really call it. I?m glad I?m not the GM who has to make that decision.Q: Who is your draft sleeper, a guy who is not getting much publicity right now but has a chance to be a very solid player in the NBA?A: Ramon Sessions of Nevada and Coleman Collins of Virginia Tech. I had never heard of (Collins) before the Orlando pre-draft camp, so he really surprised me.Sammy MejiaSammy Mejia, DePaul guardNBADraft.net projection: UndraftedQ: Which players do you compare yourself to in the NBA in terms of your style of play?A: Guys like Larry Hughes and Leandro Barbosa. But with Barbosa, obviously not in foot speed, because he?s like a deer out there. [grins] Guys who do multiple things and aren?t locked into one position. I think I do a lot of things to help a team win, including assists and defense.Q: What do you know about the Hornets?A: I know that New Orleans is a great city and that Byron Scott is a great coach. His history speaks for itself. He made us feel very comfortable working out for him today, and he does a very good job of connecting with the players.Q: What areas of your game are you trying to improve or prove to scouts that they aren?t weaknesses?A: I need to show them my athleticism and ability to do a lot of different things. I think I need to show improvement in a lot of different areas of my game and get better.Q: Everyone is saying Greg Oden and Kevin Durant will go 1-2 in the draft. Which player would you take with the No. 3 pick?A: Probably the kid from China (Yi Jianlian). I?ve seen him on ESPN and he looks like a pretty solid player. He moves pretty well and I think he?ll be an impact player.Q: Who is your draft sleeper, a guy who is not getting much publicity right now but has a chance to be a very solid player in the NBA?A: Jared Jordan of Marist. He was on my team in Orlando pre-draft camp and did a great job of setting guys up and getting guys easy baskets. He averaged about six assists a game. Guys are starting to talk about him a little bit, but I don?t think enough.</div>
