[paradigmnParticipant]

I haven’t listened to it yet…but….I listened to some of the podcasts with Chad Ford and Bill Simmons last year and it was pretty informative…plus…Bill Simmons can be a funny and clever person at times.  

I may not always agree with what Chad Ford has to say, but he certainly talks to more NBA gm’s than any of us, so he has that inside info I guess.

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=7985312

Also…here’s a decent article Chad Ford just wrote about the dilemma with DRUMMOND

 

NEW YORK — At around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, some lucky team is going to win the first pick in the NBA draft and land Kentucky big man Anthony Davis.

 

The other 13 teams that don’t land Davis have a major conundrum.

 

If Anthony Davis is the No. 1 pick, who is No. 2?

 

I’m pacing up and down 42nd Street on a sweltering Manhattan morning. Less than an hour ago I was in a private gym in Manhattan watching UConn big man Andre Drummondwork out with trainer Idan Ravin.

 

 

Drummond currently sits at No. 5 on our Big Board. However, a number of lottery teams are seriously considering him with the No. 2 pick in the draft.

 

 

I take out my iPhone and make a call to get some help processing what I saw. ESPN high school scouting guru Dave Telep answers.

 

 

"I just got out of a workout with Andre Drummond."

 

 

Telep chuckles. "Can I guess what you saw?" he asks.

 

 

"Go ahead."

 

 

"You saw a huge man with incredible athletic ability who can go really hard, elevate above the rim and can handle and shoot the ball like a player much smaller than the guy you saw. And you’re thinking this kid could be a superstar. Right?" Telep says.

 

 

"Ummmm … exactly."

The workout itself was truncated. Drummond is recovering from a weekend bout of food poisoning, and Ravin didn’t want to over push on Drummond’s first day back in the gym. Doesn’t really matter.

 

 

It’s not every day you walk into a gym and see a 6-foot-11, 270-pound big man with a 7-foot-5 wingspan do the things Drummond can do. In my 15 years of covering the NBA draft, you come across athletes like Drummond only once or twice a decade — strong, huge, explosive and unusually quick for someone his size.

 

 

Why didn’t Drummond dominate every game at UConn? I ask myself that over and over again. I watched Drummond at least 10 times this year. He exploded for a huge dunk here and there. Occasionally took over the game for a few minutes. He could be special, like he was against Syracuse in the Big East tournament. Or he could disappear like he did against Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Usually I left a little disappointed every time I saw him play. There’s so much there to work with and so little production.

 

 

Telep is sympathetic. Between high school games, AAU tournaments and camps, he watched Drummond play more than 25 times before he played a game for the Huskies.

 

 

"The questions you’re asking yourself right now I’ve been asking for four years. I’ve seen Drummond dominate a game, especially when he was matched up against another top prospect like Ike Austin or Mitch McGary. He wanted to prove he’s the best player in the building. But I’ve never seen it consistently. He’s never brought it from game to game. Sometimes it’s there. Most of the time it wasn’t. If he has a killer instinct, he doesn’t turn it on very often."

 

 

The asterisk.

 

 

There’s always one with players like Drummond. Elite size? Poor athlete. Elite athlete? Bad motor. Great motor? Can’t shoot. Great shooter? Undersized. I could keep going on and on.

 

 

Drummond’s dilemma is the same one we discussed last week with Perry Jones. Great athlete. Great size. Questionable motor/passion for the game.

 

 

Ravin, whose clients include Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and a number of other NBA All-Stars, has been dubbed the Hoops Whisperer. He is known for getting into the heads of talented and sometimes troubled players and getting them to believe in themselves. He’s also known for helping players add more versatility to their game.

 

 

"Idan knows skills work," Stoudemire told the Times. "He knows how to get you versatile."

 

 

It sounds like Ravin might already be in Drummond’s head. Drummond has lost 22 pounds since starting his workouts. He’s also sped up, and now Drummond isn’t so sure he should be forced to live in the paint in the NBA either. He says his favorite player is Kevin Durant, not Dwight Howard or Shaquille O’Neal. Like Durant and Jones, he isn’t afraid to take jumpers instead of hook shots in the paint.

Being big always is a premium commodity for NBA scouts come draft time. But not always for the players.

 

 

"The game isn’t as fun for big men," one ex-NBA player turned front office executive told ESPN.com. "You run up and down the floor and depend on your guards to get you the ball. Lots of times you leave empty-handed. Every big guy dreams of handling the ball and taking 20 to 30 shots a night."

 

 

The difference between Durant and Drummond, however, is enormous. Both players were used very differently by their college coaches and had very different results.

 

 

Drummond averaged 10 ppg as a freshman and didn’t make a 3-pointer all year. Durant averaged nearly 26 ppg and made 82 3s. But the bigger issue is that killer instinct. The eye of the tiger. Durant was skinny and not very explosive, but everyone who saw him play knew he had "it." Durant wanted to win at all costs and had had ice running through his veins with the game hanging in the balance. Drummond has yet to show us the "it."

 

 

Thus, the questions. And unfortunately, not enough answers.

 

 

Some team is going to fall in love with Drummond during workouts. Others will be scared to death.

 

 

At 18 years old, he’s the second-youngest player in this year’s draft class. He has a lot of time and space to grow his game. With age, maturity and being nurtured in the right system, he might be the next Dwight Howard, the next Andrew Bynum or if you want to lower your sights a little — the next DeAndre Jordan.

 

 

Or he might not be. Kwame Brown and Darko Milicic proved that size and athletic ability alone don’t guarantee NBA success.

 

 

Drummond is the next test case. Dwight or Kwame? Bynum or Darko? Someone in between? Tyson Chandler or DeAndre Jordan perhaps?

 

With Davis a lock to go No. 1, some poor GM with the No. 2 pick will effectively be on the clock around 8:30 p.m. I have Telep’s phone number if they need it.

 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Great article.  Hey, if you are picking at 2 he is worth a shot.  If he doesn’ turn into an absolute bust his floor basically is DeAndre Jordan which isn’t bad.  After Davis (A.D.) there really aren’t any surefire stars.  At worst he should be a servicable center.  One thing about Darko and Kwame Brown.  They were really put into bad situations.  Larry Brown benched and yelled at Darko.  Kwame Brown got yelled at by Jordan.  Maybe if those guys get drafted somewhere else they turn out better.

I think I would take Drummond’s upside over Thomas Robinson at 2.  Davis, Drummond, and Perry Jones have the most upside out of anyone in this draft.  MKG has upside too.  As does Jeremy Lamb and Harrison Barnes.  I think T Rob has upside as well but he is a power forward (perhaps even undersized) while Andre Drummond is a legit center.  There are fewer legit centers out there today.  T Rob is a great athlete which is one of his best attributes but Drummond is a good athlete too.

I think that the 2nd pick is Drummond’s to lose.

[AKOOParticipant]

I would take him #2 and deal with the outcome. Bigger upside then anyone you can take at 2

[Author]

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