Hansbrough due in Monday
The Jazz announced Friday afternoon that Tyler Hansbrough will headline a group of 12 draft prospects they will be bringing in Monday for a split session of workouts.
Hansbrough needs little introduction as a three-time All-American at North Carolina, who helped lead the Tar Heels to the 2009 NCAA championship after bypassing the NBA to return to Chapel Hill. He also is the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time leading scorer.
There have been questions about Hansbrough's pro potential, but he averaged 20.7 points and 8.1 rebounds last season and has climbed in recent mock drafts, some of which now have him as a lottery pick.
That would be out of reach for the Jazz, who will pick No. 20, but this is projected as a volatile draft in which players could rise or fall in some cases by 20 picks or so.
Hansbrough will be joined in the morning session by Villanova forward Dante Cunningham, Pittsburgh guard LeVance Fields, Southern California forward Taj Gibson, Arizona State forward Jeff Pendergraph and Boston College guard Tyrese Rice.
The noon session will include Wisconsin forward Marcus Landry, Georgia Tech forward Gani Lawal, Washington State guard Taylor Rochestie, Baylor forward Kevin Rogers, Utah State forward Gary Wilkinson and North Dakota State guard Ben Woodside.
For all the attention that will be focused on Hansbrough, Gibson, Lawal and Pendergraph all are potential late-first-round picks who likely will be available for the Jazz.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford projects Lawal to go to Memphis with the No. 27 pick. He describes Lawal as having NBA size, athleticism and rebounding ability, but an offensive game that is still raw.
Pendergraph is Ford's No. 33-rated prospect whose stock apparently is on the rise since the Chicago combine. Pendergraph was a double-figure scorer all four years at ASU, averaging 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds as a senior.
Gibson is rated No. 49 by Ford and could still return to USC despite being a 23-year-old junior. Ford reports that Gibson measured out impressive in Chicago at 6-foot-10 in shoes with a 7-4 wingspan and 9-1 standing reach.
Cunningham (No. 59) and Rice (No. 76) are both second-round hopefuls. You might remember Woodside from the NCAA Tournament - - he scored 37 points against Kansas in the first round.
I continue to root for the Jazz to bring in Augusta State center Garrett Siler, who apparently played well at the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational but has what Ford describes as "major conditioning issues." Have to say, they run in the family.
--Ross Siler
Hansbrough needs little introduction as a three-time All-American at North Carolina, who helped lead the Tar Heels to the 2009 NCAA championship after bypassing the NBA to return to Chapel Hill. He also is the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time leading scorer.
There have been questions about Hansbrough's pro potential, but he averaged 20.7 points and 8.1 rebounds last season and has climbed in recent mock drafts, some of which now have him as a lottery pick.
That would be out of reach for the Jazz, who will pick No. 20, but this is projected as a volatile draft in which players could rise or fall in some cases by 20 picks or so.
Hansbrough will be joined in the morning session by Villanova forward Dante Cunningham, Pittsburgh guard LeVance Fields, Southern California forward Taj Gibson, Arizona State forward Jeff Pendergraph and Boston College guard Tyrese Rice.
The noon session will include Wisconsin forward Marcus Landry, Georgia Tech forward Gani Lawal, Washington State guard Taylor Rochestie, Baylor forward Kevin Rogers, Utah State forward Gary Wilkinson and North Dakota State guard Ben Woodside.
For all the attention that will be focused on Hansbrough, Gibson, Lawal and Pendergraph all are potential late-first-round picks who likely will be available for the Jazz.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford projects Lawal to go to Memphis with the No. 27 pick. He describes Lawal as having NBA size, athleticism and rebounding ability, but an offensive game that is still raw.
Pendergraph is Ford's No. 33-rated prospect whose stock apparently is on the rise since the Chicago combine. Pendergraph was a double-figure scorer all four years at ASU, averaging 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds as a senior.
Gibson is rated No. 49 by Ford and could still return to USC despite being a 23-year-old junior. Ford reports that Gibson measured out impressive in Chicago at 6-foot-10 in shoes with a 7-4 wingspan and 9-1 standing reach.
Cunningham (No. 59) and Rice (No. 76) are both second-round hopefuls. You might remember Woodside from the NCAA Tournament - - he scored 37 points against Kansas in the first round.
I continue to root for the Jazz to bring in Augusta State center Garrett Siler, who apparently played well at the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational but has what Ford describes as "major conditioning issues." Have to say, they run in the family.
--Ross Siler
6:50 PM
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1 Comments:
Tyrese Rice! Someone "up above" is listening to me. I'm telling you... R2 special!
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