[r377Participant]

No shock here to me or JoeWolf….

 

Several internet reports have poor workouts and a weak motor causing UConn center Andre Drummond’s stock to fall in pre-draft workouts.

Sam Amick wrote on Twitter Wednesday night, "In the continuing draft circuit, I’m told Kansas F Thomas Robinson had his way w/ UConn C Andre Drummond in a Cleveland workout today (No.2)." This is not the first report we’ve heard of Drummond’s stock dropping rapidly, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him fall next Thursday, although he still looks like a first-round pick.

[hoodwinkParticipant]

Still looks like a first-round pick? I can PROMISE you that.

I’m not Drummond’s biggest fan, by any means, but there’s also no chance he’s even out of the lottery. His combination of size, athleticism and potential is FAR too great to drop that far. In fact, I’d be utterly shocked if Drummond falls past the Pistons at pick 9. Some team out there will start offering a lot to trade up and nab him if he starts to get skipped after #6 or so.

[AKOOParticipant]

 I will believe Drummond is dropping when I see it for myself Thursday night. The people publishing these reports will just say it only takes one team to fall in love with you when he gets drafted top 6.

[NashyMingParticipant]

I would be very happy to see him slip to #8 and being drafted by the Raptors.

Bargnani and one of Ed Davis, Amir should be traded after that…

[dfk512Participant]

Blazers wont pass on him….They’re not taking him at 1 so I’m not worried about him losing both his knee caps and thumbs while riding a bike

[Stinky34Participant]

He wont fall out of the lottery… Id love for him to fall to the Bucks at 12 but hes still going to be selectrd in the top 9… He reminds me of Bynum and when healthy Bynum is pretty darn good… I can see the Bucks and a handful of other teams that could trade up to 6 to take him or Its been reported Toronto wouldnt mind trading back for a PG or SF…

[orangeshadow83Participant]

I can definitely seeing him falling but there is no way he slips past 9 for Detroit. They are going to be looking for a defensive big man to pair with Monroe and unless Davis falls this far (not going to happen), I think Drummond would be their second choice in their entire draft because he can play C moving Monroe to PF, which I believe he is more suited for.

[mosdefParticipant]

if Portland takes Drummond, and its a possibility, but Drummond fails and Lillard becomes the next Isiah Thomas then Portland will never ever draft a Center in the lottery every again

[TyroberParticipant]

 I’v had Drummond going at #6 for awhile. It’s obvious Robinson is more NBA ready than him so it’s not really a surprise that Robinson dominated him in a workout. 

[JoeWolf1]

There probably isn’t a guy in this draft, not named Anthony Davis, that can top Robinson in a post workout.  That being said, I think it’s just another indicator of his low motor and lack of fire.  Robinson is 3” shorter and 25 lbs lighter, even if Drummond isn’t that NBA ready, his size should have allowed him to hold his own a little better.

I’ve had him at 6 for a while too, and I agree with those who think 9 is his floor. 

[r377Participant]

^

Exactly what I was thinking JoeWolf.  Drummond has a couple of inches and quite a few pounds on T-Rob so Drummond the apparent "athletic super freak" should of at least played him to a draw….

[lalailaParticipant]

 while im a big time believer in Andre(and even it is true i still believe we will be hearing the other story three years from now) but it interested me..i could have been the best chance to prove something to outplay better ranked but one-on-one pretty beattable guy..i would like to see more links explaining more about what happened there..

 

on the other hand last year at adidas nations we where already hearing THomas beating even Sully on that camp while he wasn’t ranked even as a lottery pick..he is just a beast..nba ready for sure

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Drummond’s size is intriguing down the road, but the kid is still a project. Am not surprised that Robinson looks better right now, plus we have no idea what really happened. They are both athletic super freaks with their bodies, that is for sure. Drummond just is much more raw and definitely has not shown the ability to go as hard as Robinson right now.

CBSSports latest Mock had Drummond going 10 to New Orleans and I feel like 9-10 is his floor. He definitely has been red flagged for a few reasons. While I love the concept of a center with the size and athleticism of Drummond, plus feel that he has a few underrated qualities, he is looking less and less likely to be a top 5 pick.

My feeling is the top 5 right now will be Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson, Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes and Mike Kidd-Gilchrist. Also, my Tristan Thompson shocker entry might be John Henson at 5. I am hearing he has impressed teams a great deal and see #9 to Detroit being his likely floor.

Drummond is definitely a slightly scary prospect with the things I have been hearing. His focus definitely seems to be questionable and while I still absolutely believe he is worth a top 10 gamble, it might be justifiable to have him outside the top 5. His size will only get him so far and while he still has major untapped potential, work ethic will be the key for him to get to the point people might expect. With a questionable work ethic, it is not unforeseeable that he does not reach that point.

I have an article coming out today about draft pick expectations and it is because of this that I still feel Andre is worth a gamble in the 6-10 range. He definitely seems like a player the Blazers, Warriors, Pistons or Hornets try to shoot for the moon with. Truly, it is difficult for me to see him being any worse than DeAndre Jordan, just feel he is a flat out better player and much better prospect at the same stage. Still, it is a question as to how much better, which leads to a limit of the pick you are willing to gamble on the man child that is Andre Drummond.

Also, Thomas Robinson got a lot of attention at LeBron James camp, not Adidas Nations. LeBron James gave him a lot of props and told people to watch out for him. Looks like he was right, as Robinson killed it this season and now is in position to be a top 2-5 pick.

[JoeWolf1]

 ^I read yesterday that the Bucks came away thrilled with John Henson’s performance during his workout, but were unsure if he’d be available at #12.  They must be unhappy with Larry Sanders’ development or want to bring someone in as insurance.

I think you’re right about him being a late riser.

[HeelsGuy25Participant]

I could see Detroit having an issue at 9 if Drummond falls there. I know they have been stuck on my guy Henson but would they go with Drummond instead? If they went Drummond I could see Henson falling to Milwaukee at 12 who wsa impressed with him at their workout. I have also heard Zeller at 7 or 10 are real possibilities.

Good insight mikey. You seem like a pretty smart guy on here. Nice to meet you.

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

I’d love Drummond in Detroit.  There’s no better fit in the draft save for #1.  I doubt he falls past Portland, but that’s the next obvious home for him.  I like Henson in GS a lot.  With them his lack of shooting isn’t a huge issue and they need a versatile defender to pair with Bogut since everyone else is pretty bad.

[WizardofOzParticipant]

Drummond still won’t drop past #6 IMO, and I still hope my Wizards surprise me and take him @ #3. His physical tools are superior to everyone else.

[WizardofOzParticipant]

And have there been actual reports about his stock falling? It just sounds like speculation at this point.

[TyroberParticipant]

 Wizards definitely won’t take Drummond now. They have a huge hole at the 2 spot and now have Nene and Okafor. Beal is now a lock for the #3

[r377Participant]

Just another article I found. Take it or leave it, at this stage its all just rumours…….

 

In Tom Ziller’s latest 2012 NBA Mock Draft, the Detroit Pistons once again go with for the ‘Pistons going to grab size’ meme that has been filling mock drafts for quite a while now. This time it’s in a bit more of a high-risk form as they grab 7’0” center Andre Drummond out of the University of Connecticut.

As I remain convinced that Lillard and Marshall will go inside the top 10, I’m pretty confident that Drummond will drop. "Unskilled with an embattled reputation as a hard worker" isn’t a red flag. It’s a poison label. But at some point in the first round, the potential reward outweighs the risk. I think it’s right around here. (And I think Ben Wallace gets hired as a big man coach specifically to work with Drummond on everything but free throws.)

Drummond has been projected to go all over the place since he’s been tagged with the ‘high risk but potential high reward’ tag. Kind of the new, slightly lesser Hasheem Thabeet, if you will. Lots of size, lots of potential but a lot of ability that is usually described as ‘raw’ more than anything.

Pick No. 9 might actually be a bit too high for Drummond in the eyes of some scouts and analysts but at some point higher up in the draft, a seven footer out of a school like UCONN is going to go and ninth overall is as good a time as any for a team like the Pistons looking for big guys.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

That is usually why I am kind of partial to players like Andre (who do not come around very often). The last center I was this high on was Greg Oden, who was much more skilled and we all know what has happened to him. Still, no injury concerns for Andre, just other concerns. I found this video of him kicking it back in Connecticut, also showing him with his family:

He seems like a pretty down to earth kid, definitely seems pretty outgoing. Hard for me not to root for someone like that. The thing I do not think people realize is that even NBA "scrubs" spend countless hours playing basketball and training. If they do not improve, it may be due to them working less hard than others. They are still working, though.

That is why I always think people that say "if I were him, I would not take it for granted" might be lying to themselves. You may feel you are better than Andre skill wise and it would all just transfer over, just don’t be sure. These guys can dribble and more often than not, if left wide open, can stroke. I’ve seen Dwight Howard draining triples before games. The game situation is much different, especially when you bring in real time game speed.

Andre is talented, that is for sure. Some may feel his basketball IQ is low and he definitely needs to improve his positioning on the court at times. Still feel he has some definite feel to basketball, has potential as a post passer and fantastic defensive potential. Offensively he needs a great deal of work, though his movement for his size is incredibly rare.

As his former coach Jere Quinn says in the video, he is almost too unselfish. You wonder if he really wants to be the best, if he has that competitive fire. That is what might keep him from being a top 5 pick. The thing is, with lowered expectations, that might be the best case scenario for him. Would definitely make it much easier for him to live up to or surpass what might be expected from him. He may not become a star one might hope a player his size could become, but that still does not necessarily mean he cannot make an impact.

[WizardofOzParticipant]

His absolute floor is 9th to Detroit.

[Author]

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