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No workouts scheduled for Martin
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Here are the latest rumors and happenings surrounding the 2000 NBA draft (through June 20):
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KATZ'S FORECAST |
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|  | | Kenyon Martin is high on everyone's draft list. |
Projected top 10:
1. Nets: Kenyon Martin
2. Grizzlies: Stromile Swift
3. Clippers: Marcus Fizer
4. Bulls: Chris Mihm
5. Magic: Darius Miles
6. Hawks: Mike Miller
7. Bulls: Courtney Alexander
8. Cavaliers: Joel Przybilla
9. Rockets: DerMarr Johnson
10. Magic: Quentin Richardson
For Katz's complete mock draft, click here.
Workout buzz:
Sources say Orlando would like to get Oklahoma State senior forward Desmond Mason in for a third workout. Mason, Duke senior Chris Carrawell and St. John's senior Lavor Postell are vying for the likely two spots in the first round for the 'tweener "athletic" positions.
Michigan freshman point Jamal Crawford is expected to get a workout in Chicago. Saint Louis senior guard Justin Love has workouts scheduled with Phoenix and the Lakers. But Indiana and Utah are also viable candidates to draft him in the first round.
SMU junior point guard Jeryl Sasser, who has worked out for the Lakers and is debating whether or not to work out for the Kings on Wednesday, is still trying to decide whether to pull out the draft. The deadline is 5 p.m. ET Wednesday. Sasser suddenly has become a prospect on the rise, vaulting into the bottom of the first round.
On the rise:
The buzz on the hot new name in the draft is Kentucky senior center Jamaal Magloire. His stock is rising with exceptional workouts and could go late lottery or mid-teens if the schools who need a big body (see above) are impressed this week.
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1. Martin might not work out for any teams: Cincinnati senior Kenyon Martin will visit with the New Jersey Nets this week but won't work out. Martin just had the pin removed from his broken leg (suffered during the Conference USA tournament in March) and the main reason for the visit is to ensure that he's healthy rather than see if he can hit a few jumpers.
"They just want to see that his leg is OK," said Martin's agent Dan Fagan.
Martin said he didn't expect that he would work out for any teams prior to the draft. Fagan said there's a chance Martin could next week.
The Nets are expected to pick Martin with the No. 1 pick. But New Jersey is open to a trade for either the No. 4 and 7 picks from Chicago or the No. 5 and 10 from Orlando.
Orlando would be a better fit for Martin, and is likely his No. 1 choice. Chicago already has Elton Brand playing power forward. But the Nets are leaning toward keeping Martin.
"Everybody talks about New Jersey needing a center depending on what Jayson Williams does, but no matter where I go, I know I can contribute," Martin said. "It would be nice to play in Orlando but I'll go and play for anybody. I can't be
picky. I came back from this injury. The man upstairs blessed me to come back."
Martin has no plans for a workout with Vancouver, which owns the No. 2 pick. He has been hanging out in Orlando and is coveted by the Magic.
2. What it means to be No. 1: The best players in each draft aren't always the top picks. But there's still something to be said for being No. 1. The top candidates this year -- Martin and Texas junior center Chris Mihm -- are well aware of the honor of being tabbed first on draft day.
"If you look down the list of No.1 players, it's quite a list," Martin said. "But Jordan wasn't the first pick in the draft. Neither was Kobe Bryant."
Mihm said being the No. 1 pick is the goal of every player.
"It's something very few people have done," Mihm said. "But a lot of different things could shake down. I see myself anywhere from No. 1 to 4. It'll be an exciting draft and there might be some stuff people don't foresee."
3. Changing games: Mihm said he feels like there is more room in the NBA than in college because of the elimination of the zone defense. In response, Mihm can diversify his game. He's not the only one feeling like he has been given more freedom.
Iowa State junior forward Marcus Fizer said teams have been pleasantly surprised by his ability to shoot the perimeter jumper and handle the basketball. Fizer was strictly an inside force in college.
"I proved I could shoot the ball and handle it real well," Fizer said. "These were things I didn't do at Iowa State. How impressed are they? I can't tell."
4. Richardson knows he's one of the hardest to figure: DePaul sophomore swing guard Quentin Richardson could go anywhere from 10 to 18 in the draft. He has heard the rumors that he was promised a top-10 position by his agents but said there is no truth to the report. Instead, Richardson contests that he's actually a tough player to place in the draft.
"No one came in and told me that I would be a lottery pick," Richardson said. "I knew better than that. I knew I was anywhere from 20 to 10."
Richardson has worked out for Dallas, Cleveland, Boston, Detroit, New Jersey, Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta and Houston.
"You can go in and a team will love you, but if they have the opportunity to get Tracy McGrady or Grant Hill, you know it's going to change the situation," Richardson said. "I've done well in workouts but someone could slip and change everything."
Richardson's agents, part of the David Falk-Arn Tellem conglomerate, also represent McGrady.
5. Fresno's day in Atlanta: Fresno State senior guard Courtney Alexander and Fresno Washington High guard DeShawn Stevenson weren't fans of each other during pickup games in Fresno. But they are tentatively scheduled to go against each other in a workout in Atlanta on Friday.
Alexander could go as high as No. 3 to the Clippers but is a more likely pick for either Atlanta at No. 6, Chicago at No. 7 or Cleveland at No. 8. Stevenson has worked out for Sacramento, Boston, Phoenix, Chicago, Indiana, the Clippers and Seattle. The Lakers, Utah and New York watched him work out in Los Angeles.
Stevenson is expected to work out for Orlando on Tuesday. Seattle and Boston are clamoring for a second look. Stevenson could go anywhere from Orlando's No. 10 pick to the top of the second round.
6. Could Cleaves get burned? There is some concern at Michigan State that senior point guard Mateen Cleaves isn't working out for enough teams. Cleaves has worked out for Detroit, Chicago, Orlando and Toronto. But he could slip in the draft and a team that isn't familiar with him could pass on Cleaves.
The Michigan State coaching staff is struggling with how to advise Cleaves in the final 10 days before the draft. Cleaves is one of the top five point guards in the draft, but is probably behind Michigan freshman Jamal Crawford, Missouri sophomore Keyon Dooling, and maybe, St. John's sophomore Erick Barkley and Hofstra senior Speedy Claxton.
Cleaves would clearly like to be in Detroit, if possible.
"It would be a great situation for me with Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse," said Cleaves of the Pistons, who own the No. 14 pick. "A guy like Joe Dumars, who is the team president, would be a great mentor for me."
Cleaves believes he's an impact player -- sort of.
"I can go in and help a team," Cleaves said. "I'm not a guy who will go in and take shots. I'll go in and distribute the ball and play defense."
7. European camp set for next year: Dejan Vidicki is helping to coordinate the second annual pre-draft camp in Europe in May 2001. Vidicki said the camp would be in Budapest, Hungary, for European, Asian and African players.
"A lot of players couldn't get a visa in time for the draft camp in Chicago," Vidicki said. "Our camp will have drills and games like Chicago."
8. Tough talk from Tsakalidis camp: Iakovos Tsakalidis doesn't say much but the people around the 7-2 Greek center are touting him as the best player in the draft. They think he would dismantle Mihm and Minnesota's Joel Przybilla if given the chance. Tsakalidis is trying to get out of the final year of his contract. He could go anywhere from No. 4 to 17, with Chicago, Orlando, Cleveland, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Milwaukee and Seattle all in search of size.
ESPN.com's Andy Katz will be checking in every day with the latest draft news leading up to the June 28 event.
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