In preparation for the NBA Draft, teams began in earnest this week to hold player workouts.
The value of workouts is much debated. Some teams use the workout as a piece of the puzzle, believing that what happens in one 24-hour period isn't usually enough to trump a season's worth of scouting. Other teams rely on the workouts move heavily in judging prospects.
Usually players are matched up against other prospects at the same position. They usually go through a series of drills and end up playing against each other, while a few of the elite players in the draft work out alone.
After the workout the players are measured, often given psychological evaluations and interviewed with the coach and general manager. Dinner is usually involved as well.
You can't read too much into the first few workouts, but it is interesting to see which players teams bring in on the first day they can work guys out. Sometimes scheduling takes precedence over everything else, but other times it's an agent and a GM seeing if there's a quick fit.
Here's a look at who's been working out where over the past few days:
Lopez
Stanford's Brook Lopez was in Minnesota on the first day of workouts. While I think Minnesota's No. 3 pick is too high for Lopez, there's no question he fits a need and is in the equation.
The Knicks, who desperately need a point guard for the future, brought in UCLA's Russell Westbrook. O.J. Mayo was supposed to be in New York on the first day as well, but postponed the workout until later in the month. Two other great athletes, Joe Alexander and JaVale McGee, were also in New York.
The Pacers brought in Texas' D.J. Augustin and North Carolina's Ty Lawson. There's no question the team is on the hunt for a point guard, and our first two mock drafts had Augustin as the Pacers' choice.
Arthur
Kansas' Darrell Arthur and Indiana's D.J. White were in New Jersey. The Nets are looking for a power forward, and I think they have Arthur very high on their list. White might be a possibility with the No. 21 or No. 40 pick. McGee and Robin Lopez followed them on Thursday.
The Suns brought in two players who look like great fits in their system -- LSU's Anthony Randolph and Syracuse's Donte Greene.
Georgetown's Roy Hibbert was in Utah on the first day of workouts. We've had Hibbert going to the Jazz at No. 23 in all three of our mock drafts.
Brandon Rush, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Courtney Lee were all in Orlando on Wednesday. The Magic remain desperate for an athletic 2-guard after blowing their chance to get Ronnie Brewer in the 2006 NBA Draft.
The Raptors have been busy, too. On Wednesday, Stanford's Robin Lopez and Ohio State's Kosta Koufos were in Toronto. It's no secret that the Raptors are looking for a center to pair with Chris Bosh. On Thursday, they brought in swingmen Rush, Bill Walker and Douglas-Roberts to work out together.
Detroit, always looking for a tough guy, brought in Israel's Omri Casspi. He definitely has the blue collar approach the Pistons love.
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I continue to get a lot of e-mail from my recent columns on the official measurements and combine results from the Orlando pre-draft camp.
I spoke to a number of NBA executives about the results to get their views.
The overwhelming majority disregard height (with or without shoes). They now focus on how far a player can extend: standing reach (vertical) and wingspan (horizontal).
Augustin
So while some fans are worried that Augustin is only 5-foot-10 in socks, that's not the key for NBA front offices. They want more info. What is his wingspan? What is his standing reach? How explosive is he athletically? All of those variables factor into the equation.
In Augustin's case, he measures out as a legitimate point guard prospect with a standing reach that exceeds Chris Paul's by an inch and a half and matches Mike Conley's and Jordan Farmar's. I did speak with one executive who thought Augustin would fall because of his measurements. Remember, both Paul and Conley went No. 4 in the draft.
The same logic holds true for players like Michael Beasley as well. Beasley's standing reach was longer than Joakim Noah's and Drew Gooden's, and the same as Al Horford's. I couldn't find an executive who thought Beasley's measurements would hurt his draft stock enough to dent his top-two status.
Gordon
Indiana's Eric Gordon was the only player at the top of the draft who fell significantly short in one of these measurements for his position -- in particular, his standing reach was short for a 2-guard. But his athletic explosiveness, long wingspan and nice shooting touch should protect him from slipping much in the draft.
The players that get hurt in the measurements are the ones with short arms and long necks (meaning their standing reach and wingspan is less than expected). For instance, Trent Plaisted stands 6-foot-10 but has the wingspan and standing reach of a 6-foot-7 guy in the NBA.
As for the combine scores, teams take these less seriously. In 2007 the draft's top-ranked athlete was D.J. Strawberry. Only two lottery picks landed in the top 10 -- Mike Conley (ranked No. 4 at the combine) and Thaddeus Young (No. 7). Kevin Durant ranked 78 out of 80.
In 2006, it wasn't any different. The draft's top athlete was David Noel. Only two lottery picks were in the top 10 at the combine -- Ronnie Brewer (ranked No. 2) and Randy Foye (No. 7). One of the best players in the draft, LaMarcus Aldridge, ranked No. 68 out of 81.
In 2005, Joey Graham ranked as the draft's top athlete. Again, only two players in the lottery ranked in the top 10 at the combine -- Rashad McCants (ranked No. 3) and Deron Williams (No. 10). Andrew Bogut, who went No. 1 overall, ranked 60th. Monta Ellis ranked 70th.
I could go on. But I don't want to totally dismiss the testing results. When I talked to NBA executives, some things did stick out.
There's no question that Brook Lopez, for instance, is going to get a more skeptical look because of his poor results. And at the other end of the scale, Alexander, Gordon and Mayo created some buzz by their strong performances.
The player who will likely benefit the most from the combine is Kevin Love. While his measurements weren't great, his solid testing results from the combine can help a GM justify taking Love high in the draft.
Everyone knows Love has skills. The question has always been about his size and athleticism.
Since the camp, I have had several executives tell me that the combine allowed them to evaluate Love's upside anew. Said one GM, "Love looked as trim and lean and agile as I've ever seen him. And he could still lose more [weight]. I don't know how you don't consider him at the top of the draft. He's so talented and so competitive, you have to give him another look."
Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.