New Workout updates:

Live from New York: Chris Taft workout

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">NEW YORK -- I'm in NYC today to catch a few NBA workouts. Tonight I'll head over to the NBA draft lottery.
First up this morning: Pittsburgh's Chris Taft.

Taft began the season as a potential No. 1 pick in the draft. However, his stock has been sliding ever since thanks to a lackluster sophmore season at Pitt. While everyone loves Taft's size (6-10), his body and his athleticism, teams have really questioned his conditioning and his motor.

He worked out today in front of the Bobcats, Jazz and Sonics. Did he do anything to change their minds?

Not really.

But it wasn't really Taft's fault. It's tough to judge a guy like Taft in a gym by himself shooting hook shots.

He showed off his athleticism and looked to be in decent shape. He showed off a nice 10-foot jumper that he consistently drained off the pick and pop.

As the workout went on, he started to tire and a lot of his post shots were coming up short. His energy level was OK, but you would have liked to see him rev the motor a bit more.

I don't think he did much to hurt or help himself there. I still think he goes between 8 and 10 on draft night.

I'm now off to watch Julius Hodge and Marko Lekic work out on the east side of Manhattan.</div>

Danny Granger/Britton Johnsen Private Workout

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May 24, 2005

by Jason Klein

Danny Granger and Britton Johnsen worked out at Pauley Pavilion at UCLA on Thursday, May 19. UCLA legend Don MacLean is working with both players to get them ready for the NBA. Granger is jockeying for position in the draft, establishing himself as a firm lottery pick while Johnson is looking to catch on for good with a team for his third stint in the league following tours in Orlando and Indiana.

A little background on Don MacLean ? he holds some career records at UCLA including field goals made, which he shares with Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and points. He spent 9 years in the NBA and won the Most Improved Player award in 1994.

Because this was nearing the end of a grueling week that marked Granger?s return after a 2 week layoff due to a hamstring injury and with workouts with NBA teams starting the next day, I was informed that they were going to take it a little easy today, which meant no full court or half court two on two or one on one play.

MacLean has Granger and Johnson going 6 days a week. 8:30-10:00 at Athletes performance is strength training, 11:00-1:00 is on the court with McLean, and then 3:00-5:00 again at Athletes performance back in the gym. There?s no doubt that Granger is in the best shape in his life and is about to peak at just the right time for private workouts.

The workout started with dribbling drills at a standstill. First hand to hand, then left hand, then right hand, then low figure 8?s between the legs all with their heads up and eyes facing forward followed by hand to hand behind the back. All of these were done with their heads up and eyes facing forward. This was followed by full court dribbling drills with a ball in each hand. The first laps were done dribbling the balls simultaneously baseline to baseline, followed by dribbling the balls alternately. In both cases the first lap was done straight through and the second consisted of stopping every 5 feet or so, backing up, then moving forward again. The final dribbling drills were done with one ball, zig-zagging across the court, turning their backs and switching hands.






According to scouts who saw him in college, Granger's biggest weakness is the fact that he spent his first three years in the NCAA almost strictly in the post, but is now projected as a small forward at the next level. Therefore, his ball-handling suffered in college because of a lack of opportunities to work on it in real time game situations. There are questions regarding how long it will be before he will become adequate at using his athleticism to create his own shot at the next level. The scouting report says that his left hand is particularly weak, almost always favoring his right hand to take his man off the dribble and get to the basket.

Granger's ball-handling looked surprisingly fluid during these drills and his left hand looks competent. This is huge for him, as making that much progress in such a short amount of time only makes you wonder how good of a ball-handler he will become in 2-3 years down the road. This goes well with the notion around the league that despite his age, Granger still has a big upside to improve, thanks to his physical attributes and work ethic. He appears to be working hard on this weakness and he will most definitely benefit from continuing with these drills.

After that, it was catch and shoot drills with Johnson on one end of the court and Granger at the other moving from the left side of the court to the right. These started inside the NCAA 3 point line at first, then moved to the NCAA 3 point line, followed by moving out to what would be NBA 3 point range.

Granger did well within the NCAA arc and at the NCAA arc. He has a textbook release on his shot and got some good lift on his jumpers. When he moved out to the NBA 3, his shot became more inconsistent. His shots were either all net or hitting the front of the rim. That can be attributed to the adjustment required for the added distance, as well as the fact that he just hadn?t been on the court in a while. With his form, feel for the game and work ethic, the adjustment should come fairly quickly.

Then came pick and roll drills, all of which were confined to from just above the top of the key in, first on one side of the court, then the other. If the ball crossed over to the wrong side of the key, the play was stopped.

The first of these drills consisted of one person with the ball, and the other setting the pick against no opponent. After the pick, the person with the ball would make a move to the hoop while the person setting the pick would move to the baseline and receive a second ball, so both were constantly working.






This was followed by two on two pick and roll games with Granger and Johnson both teamed with a guard, local players from the area. On pick and rolls, Granger was setting some solid picks, but most of his shots after receiving the ball were rimming out. He looked comfortable in both situations, but was more successful with the ball in his hands as opposed to receiving it. Based on the frustration he expressed with each miss, it could have been an off shooting day due to the fatigue of a hard week after a long layoff. It would not surprise me since these were shots he was making with ease during the catch and shoot drills.

Granger stands 6?8? with a 7?2? wingspan and a 36 inch vertical leap. He?s a lean, but very solid 220 pounds, and his frame can handle more muscle if needed. As he is now, he has a prototypical small forward body and is athletic with very good lateral quickness and quick jumping ability. His low post experience at New Mexico will help him in the pros, but defensively he will benefit from the additional strength, bulk and experience that will come as he continues to mature. Once this happens, him and his team will really be exploit that part of his game, even against the elite players like the McGrady?s and Marion?s of the league. There are some edges that need to be polished, mainly the experience that comes from guarding the perimeter night in night out, but he has the potential to be an excellent defender with his length, wingspan and lateral quickness. This is one of the things that NBA teams seem to be most excited about and will really be looking hard at.

His jumper has a textbook high release and he shows the potential to be a powerful dunker, although he was overly enthusiastic about it on a few occasions which led him to hitting the back of the rim. His ball handling abilities have improved thanks to his work with MacLean, and they should improve more with continued practice.

He is a very intelligent person (he turned down a scholarship to Yale) and his adjustment to the NBA game should be a fairly short one if he continues on his current training regimen.

He will be working out for the Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers and Lakers next week.

Johnsen stands 6?9? and looks to be around 220-225 as well (he put on 10 pounds during his time off). What really surprised me about Britton was his deceptive speed. I did not expect him to move as quickly as he did, especially with those toothpick legs of his. When it came to side to side sprints, MacLean threw down the gauntlet, saying that $50 was Britton?s if he completed 17 sides in less than 56 seconds. Johnsen made it in 55 and happily handed the money to his wife who was courtside with their infant son.






He was a McDonald's All-American out of high school, and played under the conservative Rick Majerus at Utah, where he played a very limited role offensive, mostly as a post player who was not allowed to play too much on the perimeter and create his own shot. His pro potential therefore suffered, as he's clearly as perimeter oriented SF for the next level, but lacked the shooting or ball-handling skills out of college to get drafted. He also went on a two year mission (he's Mormon) so he was much older than everyone else in that draft. Regardless, he made the Orlando Magic thanks to an excellent summer league campaign, and then made the league once again last summer after another excellent summer league campaign. This year, he started off with Idaho in the CBA before being signed by the Pacers and even starting a few games for them before being cut.

Johnsen did well on the catch and shoot drills, showing a solid shot out to the NCAA 3 point line. Beyond that, he was inconsistent. During the pick and roll drills, he hit around half of his shots when setting the pick. He looked to be able to hold his own defensively against Granger and the guards, using his long arms to get a couple of blocks and steals during the drills.

Britton seems to have improved in most aspects as a small forward. His ball handling was decent and he had a very smooth shot from outside. As of right now, he is not starting material, but it would not be surprising to see him as an energy guy off the bench considering his speed, motor and defensive abilities. He needs to get a little more consistent from behind the NBA 3 point line to improve his chances, as he wavers from either not being able to miss or not hitting anything.






Both Johnsen and Granger did a good job of talking to their partners in the pick and roll exercises, letting their guards know when to go over or fight through the picks. This is the type of thing that will endear these guys to an NBA team behind the scenes in practice. Defensively, both had some breakdowns, but overall showed the effort and ability to be effective using their length to bother their opponent. It?s a small thing, but both really cared about their shooting even in an empty gym and expressed frustration whenever they missed a shot that should have been an easy make. You could tell they are constantly pushing themselves and won?t settle for anything less than the absolute best.

Unfortunately, even though Danny looked very impressive in the workout, we weren?t able to see some of his biggest strengths, like his basketball IQ within the team structure, his ability to be creative and improvise, his leadership skills, and just his overall feel for the game, which is excellent. These are the type of things that come out in games, but not so much in workouts.

Britton?s best aspects of his game are his motor, constant energy, and his uncanny ability to get from one end of the floor to other. Again, this is something that you can get a better feel for when watching him play five on five. He seems to be the type of player that will excel in an up-tempo team that likes to get up and down the floor, as he has good speed in transition. Guarding him is an exhausting task, since he?s always moving.

Overall, it?s not easy to judge either based on the competitive drills that were run, and that?s why this is just another tool that NBA teams use to evaluate prospects, along with footage from their career up to this point. There was no wide open two on two scrimmaging and when you confine any player to just a sliver of the court, you really can?t see what they really can or cannot do. I can say that both guys put forth maximum effort and would have been ripped by MacLean had they not.

Without seeing them in an open court game, it?s hard to get a feel for their decision making on either end of the floor, and that?s a shame because this is an area that they both excel at, especially Granger. MacLean?s drills will definitely prepare them for what?s ahead, but watching them here is not enough to get a feel for how what they have learned will translate to live situations. We?ll just have to wait for next year when we see them in real NBA games to decide.

 

Warrick's turn

ABC 7 reported we worked out Warrick today. He said all the right things like he would be excited to play here, he'd be a great fit etc. He has the same agent as Biedrins, Bill Duffy. Bill Duffy hooked us up with Biedrins so he could do the same with Warrick if we wanted him.

 

Wow, I'm pumped! Thanks USDS.

Granger stands 6?8? with a 7?2? wingspan

That's some crazy length going on there.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting upsidedownside7:</div><div class="quote_post">ABC 7 reported we worked out Warrick today. He said all the right things like he would be excited to play here, he'd be a great fit etc. He has the same agent as Biedrins, Bill Duffy. Bill Duffy hooked us up with Biedrins so he could do the same with Warrick if we wanted him.</div>
I guess if you want to be picked #9 instead of #18, you'd say the right things too

 

First CohanHater gets his dream of Baron Davis as a Warrior (he liked BDiddy way before there was any talk of him going to the Warriors). He may get a second wish in one of his Pacific Tigers as a Warrior. Guillaume Yango.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=knig...night&type=lgns
Down at the bottom.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><font face="arial"><font size="2">A terrific inside presence ... Has a muscular build ... Extremely athletic, a quick jumper ... Possess great boy control ... Doesn't have the most polish but his toughness and natural talent are enough to make his productive ... Draws fouls ... Plays within himself ... Needs to improve his ball-handling ... Is improving constantly ... Averaged 10.2 points and 5.8 rebounds as a junior ... Had the fifth best single season field goal percentage (.580) in Pacific history ... Over the last seven games of the season, averaged 17.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game ... A transfer from JUCO powerhouse College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, Idaho ... Posted 17.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game on a 24-6 team as a sophomore ... Attended Les Arcades High School in Dijon, France ... Les Arcades went 24-6 overall during his senior season ... Scored a career high 38 points and hauled in 16 rebounds against Besangon in 1999 ... Helped Les Arcades win the French Championship in 1998.</font></font> http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=15246</div> I hope we can find the next talent like Ben Wallace or Brad Miller as an undrafted pick. But Yango doesn't even look as good as any of those other players.

 

He'd get along great with Pietrus

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Wow, I'm pumped! Thanks USDS.

Granger stands 6?8? with a 7?2? wingspan

That's some crazy length going on there.
</div>

Yeah, I saw that. That is Tashaun Prince like right there! I think I am getting excited about Granger. The problem is I do not see him going past #5...

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Warriorfansnc93:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, I saw that. That is Tashaun Prince like right there! I think I am getting excited about Granger. The problem is I do not see him going past #5...</div>
LOL

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">LOL</div>

Are you laughing because of my excitement or because I dont think he will be available when we pick at 9????

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Warriorfansnc93:</div><div class="quote_post">Are you laughing because of my excitement or because I dont think he will be available when we pick at 9????</div> Sorry, I'm glad you're excited and I wasn't trying to be mean but when you said:

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The problem is I do not see him going past #5...</div> You made it sound like Danny Granger was a top 5 guy and just haven't seen anybody project he'd be top 5. Granger's a good player, but at the NBA level he could be just another player. I thought you were trying to exaggerate a little on purpose so I laughed. Sorry.

Will Granger be available at #9? I think there's a good chance that's a yes. But if not there's some good small forwards that are hardworkers and have skills. I like Joey Graham, Martell Webster, and Antoine Wright. The last two are more like guards but they have some really strong points to their game like ability to drive, shoot, and Wright/Graham can play a decent defensive game. I'm not saying any of these guys could handle the nba in terms of defense, but they have the potential to because they're long and have pretty solid quickness in all directions.

 

I agree, I definitely see Granger being available even after 5, mostly because the top teams aren't looking for small forwards but rather for point guards or big men, except for the team that'll take Marvin Williams. It could all change if one team falls in love with him, but the odds on him are being taken in the later lottery.

 

Some of the draft Mocks have us taking Fran Vasquez. I guess some teams think we need shotblock presence and strong finishers at the rim in the worst way. Do we do that when we already have Andris Biedrins who could play power forward and center? It would seem like getting two of the same player sort of, but Biedrins has way more potential and more size. I think we need skill inside or team oriented and defensive toughness.

I don't see New York taking Taft after the bad workout, but Mullin may take him under his wing, so he could also fall to us.

The good Taft is really the only guy that does what we need, but he just doesn't go out and get things done. Blame the selfish guard play or pf Troutman doing all the things while he takes a seat? While I don't think he'll be as bad as Chris Washburn, he'll definitely have question marks about his character and his desire.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><font size="2">
Though Higgins gave no detailed insights into what the Warriors were seeking, he acknowledged that the team was most successful this past season when playing an up-tempo style similar to that of Phoenix, Seattle and Dallas. </font> <font size="2">From that list, the Suns are the lone survivors in the playoffs, which Higgins has been closely watching. He saw the Sonics struggle against San Antonio in the second round and the Mavericks fluctuate between being a half- court and run-and-gun team. </font>

<font size="2">Said Higgins, when asked about drafting a player to fit a fast-paced offense: "You have to first of all determine what's best in terms of the athlete -- who is the player, who is the basketball guy that you want. </font>

<font size="2">"The athleticism part is second. The best basketball player is obviously what we're going to be looking at." </font>

<font size="2">Workout whirl: Two draft prospects with local ties are among the quartet working out for the Warriors this morning. Stanford point guard Chris Hernandez will be paired with Washington junior Nate Robinson as the team continues its look at potential picks. </font>

<font size="2">Hernandez has one year of collegiate eligibility left and has not signed with an agent, leaving open a possible return to the Cardinal next season. Robinson is also an early-entry candidate, but has exhausted his eligibility by declaring for the draft a second time. </font>

<font size="2">Reached by phone on Tuesday, Robinson said "it'd be sweet" to play for the Warriors, especially with the entire side of his father's family living in Oakland. </font>

<font size="2">The Warriors brought in Robinson's Huskies teammate Tre Simmons and Florida State sophomore Von Wafer on Tuesday, as well as power forwards Wayne Simien of Kansas and David Lee of Florida.


Source</font></div>
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I saw on ESPN that Granger is listed at #7 for BAP so it is possible he wont last to us. I am not saying he is a top 5 pick, but more that he wont be available when we pick at #9 because his stock is on the rise. He was projected at 15 a few weeks ago and now he is anywhere between 6-9...

 

More frontcourt D is a Warrior need and the available Centers are elsewhere in this draft. Dwayne Jones is the C with the D,though the scoring part of his game will be the project part. Granger has good skills overall...scholarship to Yale? maybe he can figure out the CAP!
I always considered Granger one of the best of this draft,like him more than Marvin and about as much as Diogu. Granger is so versatile that whatever the team needs,he can step up. When you inspect Grangers stats on CBS Sportsline,you see several games of 5+ assists or several steals or 3-4 blocks,all with a good 3pt %,good rebounds,scoring...everything.
While getting stronger is always good,I don't see adding a lot of bulk,if you want 245 take Diogu,if you want 225 take Granger.

 

Do you guys have anything else?

 

Since this thread began,my boys,Granger and Diogu have move up,without playing in some post season league,and Taft has worked his way out of the lottery,but seems to have noticed the sudden impact as he hit the early 20's,as the Net's sounded more pleased than his earlier hosts.

Kicksdaddy went to Chicago,and got back,posted the best mock so far...IMO...in the main NBA Draft thread-we get IKE

In a way I am glad Granger,Diogu And Hodge are finally getting some love and justice,yet,it mucks up my secret plans to draft a super bunch of underrated future stars. Someone claimed Bynum measured 7-0,without shoes and a 7-6 wingspan,but gave no source of that info-so?
Green's agent screwed the pooch,ticked off Portland and may have cost GG a top 5 spot,Webster's showing in Chicago could have been better. J Graham came off as Mr Athletic,Webster benched several reps less than J Hodge who also has a wingspan of about a kilometer. Blatche is keeping too low of a profile for his good,but I have yet to hear the W's had a Blatche or Bynum Workout. We have seen Ike,Danny,Hakim and Chris (wake-me-when-its-over)Taft. As I recall,Salim also was here,showed he can hit a 3 from Treasure Island-but can he play real PG like our guy Fish? okay,maybe not where to set the bar....

 

REREM, I'm sure Granger and Ike are worth moving up based on their workouts and their play in college, but one would have wondered what the mock drafts would be like if Splitter stayed in, Marty stayed in, or that Turkish small forward, or any other euro/international power forward/small forward kept themselves in the draft. They would definitely nudge the more proven college guys out of the way in a trade for size and potential.

I seriously hope we look at Granger even though we don't need a small forward/guard, especially an injury prone forward/guard. I think that Granger can probably bring Joe Johnson type impact with better D and I was high on Joe Johnson when he was a celtic as the perfect scoring/glue guy with the potential to be a good defensive player with that bulk and athleticism. It did take him a while to find his team before he started going but I think he does a lot of good things, plays unselfish, and fills up a stat sheet.

Ike Diogu I like, (a lock for double doubles) but one might wonder how well he can finish inside even with the wingspan and much more efficiently can he score than Troy Murphy on different places of the court and how well can he defend? I think
Diogu is a lock for an upgrade over Troy Murphy based on the defensive capabilities alone. What's even better about Diogu is he's well rounded and can draw fouls, pass out of double teams, rebound, block shots, and do the little things. It kind of sucks when initially 3rd overall pick Mike Dunleavy Jr. got the hype with his smartness and all around skill in 2002, but isn't Diogu the same kind of smart/all around player, but with more heart, intensity, and bulk? One can only wonder if it was the depth of the draft in 2002 to blame or if it's the conference you play in (Pac-10 vs. ACC).

I hope we look at Granger as the guy that can fall to us and Ike Diogu. If we're lucky enough to get Fran Vasquez or Raymond Felton, I hope we get the BAP of those guys as well. The reason I say Felton is because if the key turn around for our franchise was having the right point guard to run the offense and get everyone involved, I would like to use the #9 on a rare player which has the natural playmaking point guard abilities and can score from anywhere like a two guard. This way if Baron Davis goes down, we're not ruined as badly. I'm still adamant that if Speedy Claxton had stayed healthy for at least 90% of the games, that we had a decent starting center, the Warriors could have contended for that 8th seed in the playoffs. We had Utah Jazz syndrome this year where the year before we fell short of making the playoffs and the following year, which is this year, we did even poorly because of injuries, no playmaking point guard once we ditched Van Exel, and we got our version of Mehmet Okur back in the lineups with Troy Murphy. I'd rather have Damp/Cliff Robinson as the PF/C duo with a natural point guard that can shoot/penetrate, but nothing we can help

Also, Vasquez is growing on me because the guy is just so aggressive and is everywhere it seems like. Very athletic and not by just European standards.

 

Biedrens and Zarko were touted as being unusually tough paint players--for Euroball,and while Andy has been physical,Zarko is hardly a banger,kind of fearless,but not a power guy. Vasquez could be much less physical than Diogu,Simien,Brandon Bass,or even Frye and still be an enforcer type in that style where Shika is the typical big guy.

Martynas,Ilyasova -the Turkish dude,Splitter,are still in-but have dropped enough they are expected to pull out. I always doubted any of the Euros were top 10,and currently only Vasquez has good odds of top 15-and due to his age,I don't see him as the "upside" guy. There's a Russian kid getting some notice,a SF type,tall but thin. He seems to have impressed some teams that went abroad,but that's vague...it could mean impressed enough for rd 1, for top 20.

NBA $$$ for the top 15 are so tempting for a guy who is 18-23 yr old that there are very few players who COULD have gone top 15 and are not in this draft. Sheldon Williams,Josh Boone,Rudy Gay,Josh McRoberts,Marcus Williams,all had some hope of top 15,or a solid top 10 next year. Marko Tomas has a huge contract problem,and he could stay in-but whoever takes him waits 2 years before a buyout is possible.

Over in the main NBA Draft thread,Kicksdaddy was talking about Frye. Kicksdaddy was in Chicago + NY trying to get himself on a minor league team--and to follow the draft camp + workouts. He says Frye has really had an intense post season training program and he thought Frye was up to near 270,without noticable loss of speed but a lot more muscle.That cuts 2 ways. Just ahead of us,Toronto and the Knicks need a C. Frye showing first rate work habits,as well as new power,makes him a for real C candidate who is still a "Safe" pick,but has raised the bar as far as potential.

Granger can go top 5. Marvin gets a free ticket to top 3,even if he's slacked as far as some parts of his game. Green and Webster are also trying to get tagged "next big thing" but have to earn it. There are 3 good PG's,only one scored over 14 ppg,and he's pretty small. All 3 will be good,but I don't see a Jason Kidd or even a Steve Francis.
Granger has more well rounded skills than a lot of veterans. A team can put him on the floor and not have to consider the weak part of his game,since there isn't a weak part. It's kind of like drafting Scotty Pippen,he may not be a league leader in anything,but is quite good at everything. That Granger is so sure to play well,is very low risk,is a big plus considering the value of a top 10 pick.