Monday's Workout - A Love Affair

Today's workout had a lot of big men with big names but it was obvious very early that there was only one player worthy of the Grizzlies first draft pick this year.

Kevin Love matched up with DeAndre Jordan, Javale McGee and Joey Dorsey with Jeremy Pargo and Kyle Weaver around to make the drills play like game situations. All of the big men had moments of excellence. DeAndre Jordan looked like a promising player with trememdous talent. His skills weren't off the chart but his raw ability would immediately put him ahead of any true center the Grizzlies have ever suited up. Of course when that list includes such non-luminaries as Darko Milicic, Lorenzen Wright and Jake Tsakalidis that isn't saying a lot. DeAndre Jordan fans are probably going to be disappointed on draft night. He has a big hitch in his shot, was easily pushed around in the paint by Love and really didn't appear to have a good feel for the game.

Javale McGee showed his speed and surprising strength at times but he didn't seem to have the same athleticism nor skills that the other players showed. If I was going to rank the players strictly on what we saw today he would have finished fourth among the big men. Joey Dorsey gave the most shocking performance of the day. Despite looking barely as tall as Kyle Weaver, Joey hit 8 consecutive free throws and that was broken up over 4 different exercises. Everyone was flabbergasted watching Joey hit one after another. He also showed his strength and defensive ability but in the end he just looked too short to be anything more than a bench player in the NBA and while he shot the ball well Memphis knows he is not a threat at all on the offensive end of the court.

Then there was Love. Love showed his skills by draining 7 of 10 three point shots, hit a high percentage of his free throw attempts, made some incredibly nice passes and even showed some better than expected defensive ability. His basketball IQ seemed very sharp as well as he consistently caught on to what the drills called for and what he needed to do to impress. On one timed drill however the athleticism question mark raised its head. The players had 60 seconds to run back and forth to hit shots from the free throw elbow. Hitting 7 of 9 shots was impressive (and the most that any of the big men hit). However he took one fewer attempt than DeAndre Jordan got off and a lot fewer than Jeremy Pargo. The full court drills gave Love the opportunity to show his intelligence making great passes but he usually trailed the plays and never beat anyone down the court.

I came away from the workout with the impression that Love was the best player at the workout by a wide margin but I question his value at #5. Will he be fast enough to play an uptempo style of game? Love made an interesting comment that confirmed that feeling to me. He said "I would love to play here in Memphis and my ability to make the outlet pass should give me a lot of opportunities to watch Rudy Gay finish with a dunk." Watch was the key word for me. He is going to watch those from the other end of the court because I honestly doubt if he will pass the halfcourt line in time.

So from what I have seen Love is an incredible talent and in the right situation will be a very solid player at the worst but in the wrong situation may struggle to keep pace. Assuming that Rose, Beasley, Mayo and Bayless are off the board when the 5th pick comes up I would have no problem taking Kevin Love 5th but I think it would be disappointing for those expecting a major impact player from that pick.

Love mentioned that he worked out yesterday for Miami in case the Heat trade down in the draft. If the rumor about Miami trading their pick is true I hope Memphis steps up to grab it. Love will be a very solid player but I doubt he will be a the type who can really change the fortune of this franchise.

I recommend our readers check out Beyond the Arc, Chris Herrington's excellent blog today to see his comments as well.

MemphisX's Fave Five at Five

Well, luckily for me I distanced myself a bit from the Rose vs. Beasley debate because I did not want to feel the great disappointment that I felt last year after the NBA Draft Lottery. Although I was still disappointed, it was nothing like last year's groin kick. So like Chris Wallace and the rest of the Grizzlies staff, it is time to work without being given the easy road to talent and ticket sales. Fortunately for Grizz fans, this is not the 2007 NBA Draft. The talent gap between the top 2 and the field in 2007 was much wider than the talent gap of the top 2 and the field in the 2008 NBA Draft. I am positive that a future All Star will be available when it is the Memphis Grizzlies time to select a player. Now it is no coincidence that T-Mobile picked two of the best number 5 picks in NBA history, Charles Barkley and Dwayne Wade, to represent them in their ad campaign. I am hoping that the Grizzlies selection in the 2008 NBA Draft enjoys similar success, both on and off the court, as Barkley and Wade.

1. Ovinton J'Anthony "O.J." Mayo - 6'5 PG/SG University of Southern California (USC)


O.J Mayo is probably one of the most polarizing figures in this draft. Much like Kobe Bryant, fans either love him to death or do not want him anywhere near their team's roster. I am of the former group. I think the biggest knock on O.J. Mayo has been that after all the hype, casual fans expected to see some Micheal Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant hybrid player that was going to revolutionize NBA basketball. Mayo is not that player. Add to that the fact that Mayo was played out of position by Tim Floyd at USC and taken off the ball for the first time in his career and the results were mixed. Mayo started off the college season very slow but had turned himself into the best shooting guard in college basketball by the end of the season. I don't think people have grasped the difficulty of this feat.

Why the Grizzlies should draft Mayo: Mayo is a big point guard that comes into the league with an advanced three point stroke and an ability to either score at will or get his teammates involved. Even at his size, Mayo has shown the capabilities to play shut down defense at both guard positions. Mayo also would bring a swagger to the Memphis Grizzlies that has not been here in the entire history of the organization. On the court confidence has been a big problem for the Grizzlies. Drafting Mayo also increases the value of one of our other assets: Juan Carlos Navarro. It is a struggle to play Navarro next to the smaller Conley or Lowry but next to the 6'5 Mayo, Navarro would be able to see more court time without being such a liability on defense. Mayo also allows the Grizzlies to keep Mike Miller and deal Conley for some much needed help on the inside.

Why the Grizzlies should NOT draft Mayo: Mayo's best NBA position is point guard and this would mark the 3rd year in a row that the Grizzlies will have drafted a point guard. Although Mayo is capable of playing the two, I think his best and most effective position will be at the point with the ball in his hands causing mismatch problems off the pick and roll. Drafting Mayo probably means trading both Conley and Lowry. I think one has to be traded anyway this summer so I guess it is not that big of an issue. Another issue is Mayo's image. Initially some of our fans will be turned off by the image of Mayo: selfish, arrogant, me-first player. I think this is all hype backlash. One thing I know about perceived bad guys, when you win the fans come out in droves...but if you are losing, he will get the brunt of the blame.

Draft Express O.J. Mayo Workout report

Draft Express O.J. Mayo Interview

ESPN's Chad Ford O.J. Mayo Interview

2. Anthony Randolph - 6'11 SF/PF Louisiana State University (LSU)


Anthony Randolph is probably the one player that is flying to low under the radar. Due to how bad the LSU Tigers were this season and their lack of TV games, most people have not seen him play in games. I did catch a few of his games this season because DraftExpress had him coming out early in the college season before it was known to most. So it really was not a shock to me when he declared. He had to deal with his coach getting fired mid season and a team that just seemed to be out there "balling" for most of the season.

Why the Grizzlies should draft Randolph: Randolph is going to be a nightmare for opposing power forwards on both ends of the court. Although he is very skinny, his length and athleticism will allow him to compete with bigger players until his strength catches up. He has a very long wing span with great ball anticipation and good lateral quickness that should make him able to guard every position except center. His ball hawking allows him to be a great off the ball shot blocker in the mode of Andrei Kerilenko of the Utah Jazz. On offense his ball handling ability and lethal first step will allow him to get to the rack against most power forwards while his length and mid-range jumper will keep him effective even against other hybrid forwards like Josh Smith and Lamar Odom. For a team that wants to run, having a power forward that can grab a rebound or blocked shot and lead the break himself is invaluable. Most power forwards simply wont be able to run with him and the quicker players won't be long enough to stop him from finishing. Did I mention he won't turn 19 until a month after the draft?

Why the Grizzlies should NOT draft Randolph: He is scrawny. Looking at his pictures, you can see he needs a lot of work in the weight room and the dining table. He will never be the bruiser that most Grizzlies fans are wanting after Pau Gasol's departure. However, he is very tenacious and competes on the inside. Randolph has not developed a 3pt shot. In fact, he was horrible in college from long range and probably is 3 years from being effective as a 3pt threat. Might struggle to play power forwards in the league on defense due to lack of strength.

3. Eric Gordon - 6'4 SG Indiana University


Eric Gordon was probably a lock for the #3 pick in January. He was simply sensational coming out of the gate for Indiana. However, he injured his wrist at the end of January and his shot left him. Shortly thereafter, his head coach Kelvin Sampson was dismissed and his fall was complete. For people who did not evaluate Gordon before the injury, it is understandable that they are not high on the kid. However, he was dominant prior to being injured and the two events (wrist injury/shooting slump) were to close not to be related. So I will believe what I saw early in the season and give him the benefit of the doubt.

Why the Grizzlies should draft Gordon: Coach Iavaroni has harped on our need for more shooting and Gordon is the best shooter in the draft. He has range out past the NBA three point line and shoots without effort. Gordon is not one dimensional. He was able to get to the free throw line at a very high clip do to his physical nature and his willingness to drive into contact. He shot 83% from the line. Gordon also has the athleticism to make up for his lack of true SG height. He is 6'3ish with very long arms. Gordon also was an AAU teammate of Conley.

Why the Grizzlies should NOT draft Gordon: He is not the prototypical size for an NBA shooting guard. Even with his athleticism, he might struggle to translate his game from college to the pros. The Grizzlies have a plethora of small guards and the need for another, despite his great stroke, is not that great. Is he that much of an upgrade over Navarro to warrant passing on some interior help?

4. Danilo Gallinari - 6'9 SF Armani Jeans Milano


Danilo Gallinari plays the same position as our best player Rudy Gay but at #5 you take best player available and it could be this Italian import. Unlike other young European players, he comes into the NBA after being the #1 option on his team at the tender age of 19. He is a capable ball handler and scorer that thrives off the pick and roll. More scorer than shooter, he has some point forward capabilities.

Why the Grizzlies should draft Gallinari: Gallinari has a history of being the big dog on his team and should not shrink from big moments. His ability to handle the rock from the wing would be very valuable. I like his fire and his will to compete. Measuring at a length to play power forward would be a plus.

Why the Grizzlies should NOT draft Gallinari: He plays the same position as Rudy which means it will be a struggle getting him minutes. He does not have a lethal shot from long range nor does he have a great rebounding ability. Would thrive in our system but likely only at SF and even then it is a question if he will have the athleticism to defend. Can the Grizzlies sell another Euro at a high pick to the Memphis fans?

5. Jerryd Bayless - 6'3 PG/SG University of Arizona

Originally I had DeAndre Jordan in this spot but I decided to switch because there is a chance that Jerryd Bayless will be available at five and I prefer him over Jordan despite our need for a center. Jerryd Bayless is very similar to OJ Mayo but unlike their reputation, Bayless has more of a scorers mentality. Bayless has the same explosive athleticism of Monta Ellis but he has legit NBA 3 point range to go with his stellar mid-range shot. I think he is more shooting guard than point guard but he has a lot of NBA in his game already. Very adept at getting his defender off balance with freezes and hesitation dribbles. Attacks relentlessly. Has star presence.

Why the Grizzlies should draft Bayless: Bayless would be a better alternative to over paying Monta Ellis in free agency. He is undersized as a shooting guard but in the right system, he could be very effective. He is a big time scorer and his ability to get to the free throw line will help his game translate to the NBA. Turmoil at Arizona hurt his college season but he was still the best player on that team easily. Has the aggressive mentality that the Grizzlies lack on the offensive end and should be able to close games out.

Why the Grizzlies should NOT draft Bayless: Just like Eric Gordon, at the end of the day, Bayless is still just 6'3. Even with his athleticism, he will have a transition period for being an effective scorer. Not particularly bulky nor is he a great defender. However, for anyone wanting to sign Monta Ellis in free agency, he is a lower risk proposition and should be just as effective. Bad fit with our point guards.