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Wednesday, June 20
Draft working out nicely for White
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Rodney White can feel his momentum picking up in the draft with each workout. He doesn't have the pulse on every team in the top 10, but he knows. He just knows.
How? Because he doesn't feel like anyone can stop him in two-on-two, or one-on-one drills. He's confident no one compares to him with his ability to be a power forward who can post up one trip down the court, and then handle the ball and look like a big guard on the next.
His trail is so hot on the workout circuit that he conceivably could go as high as No. 1 overall to Washington. Chicago would be hard-pressed to pass on him at No. 4. And even in an absolute worst-case scenario, he shouldn't fall any lower than No. 9 to Detroit during next Wednesday's NBA draft.
"After each workout, I feel like I got that one, every single one," White said. "And after every workout, they know, too."
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Michael Jordan saw me in a California workout and in the Wizards workout and he called me the future big guard in the NBA. ... I studied it and physically I'm ready to play in the NBA. ” |
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— Rodney White |
The 6-foot-9, 238-pound White isn't an average freshman. He bounced around five high schools and didn't play his senior season while trying to get eligible for college. He starred at Charlotte for one season -- earning ESPN.com's honor as the national freshman of the year -- and averaged 18.7 points, shot 34.7 percent on 3s and led the 49ers to an NCAA Tournament berth after an upset run to the title of the Conference USA tournament.
But, for some reason, White is still flying somewhere below the national radar. Even though he's a lock for the top 10, he wasn't invited to participate in the media interviews at the Chicago pre-draft camp. He did get his invitation to New York and will be in the Green Room.
"I always believed I would be where I am in my own mind," White said. "I knew I could be the best. We just didn't get the TV time at Charlotte, but everything is going the way it should. But I'll believe everything when I see it on June 27."
What may separate White from most of the potential lottery picks he'll sit next to in the MSG's Green Room is his maturity. While only a freshman, White is 20 and used to the attention on him, at least from the NBA scouts.
"There were literally 10 NBA guys from his first game to his last with us," Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said. "It took a while for them to believe he was as good as he is."
Lutz said he knew White wouldn't be at Charlotte for a full tour of duty, not with the NBA beckoning. Lutz originally thought he would have the dynamic forward for two seasons, but knocked it down to one by December. White suffered a midseason bone bruise to his knee, which kept him out of five games, but it didn't deter his plan to play professionally next season.
Yet, when the draft process started last month, White was projected to go somewhere in the middle of the first round.
"But I knew that once he went to the individual workouts that they would love him," Lutz said.
"He's got the combination of size, strength and skills. Not many people in the draft have that combination of skill, size and strength. He plays with great poise and he's extremely confident. He can hurt you off the dribble and shoot well enough to go over you as well as his post moves."
Teams played White one-on-one early in the season, allowing the 49ers to feed him in the post. That's when teams started to double-team him, which simply allowed White to venture out to the perimeter and drain 3s over smaller players. The different defenses thrown at White gave scouts plenty of opportunities to watch White's ability to post up smaller defenders and take a bigger player outside.
"Michael Jordan saw me in a California workout and in the Wizards workout and he called me the future big guard in the NBA," White said. "He liked my mid-range game, how I can create off the dribble and liked my shot. I know the game well. I studied it and physically I'm ready to play in the NBA. I'm a three-man who can post up and be a four-man."
White said his latest workout in Chicago -- when he said he beat Kwame Brown, Michael Wright and Brandon Armstrong in two-on-two and one-on-one drills -- was another reason why he feels he'll go higher than anyone expected a month ago.
"The Bulls got a chance to see me live and that's what is changing minds," White said. "The workouts are very important because it gets a chance for the teams to see me up close. They can watch tape a million times, but when they see you in person and put you up against other people that's all good for me. The biggest thing was when Jerry West said I was the best player in the draft. Michael Jordan liking me has helped out a lot, too."
White has worked out for Washington, Chicago, Houston, Golden State, Detroit and Vancouver. He still has workouts in Atlanta and New Jersey to squeeze in before the draft. The Wizards are entertaining trades from several teams, but also looking at either taking White with the top pick or trading down with Vancouver to get Mike Bibby and hope that White's available at No. 6.
But the Bulls and Jerry Krause could block Jordan's potential plan by taking White at No. 4.
"I don't care if I go No. 1 or No. 13, even though money is a factor with those picks," White said. "I'd rather go to a team where I can play right away and be happy. I'm not caught up in the hype of what number I'm drafted. If the situation isn't right, then it's not a good fit and it wouldn't make sense. In the long run, I'll make more money after playing for a while."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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