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Monday, May 7
Senior scouting reports
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
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TEMPE, Ariz. – NBA scouts weren't too thrilled with the quality of play at the Nike Desert Classic. But they had to watch and will likely need to take a few of the players in the first round, definitely a bunch in the second round.
Here's who a number of NBA scouts thought helped themselves over the course of the week:
Brian Scalabrine, USC: Showed he could play the game at a high level, make shots and continued to play hard every possession.
Charlie Bell, Michigan State: Shot the ball well, still played more like a shooting guard than a point but still had a presence on the court, especially defensively.
Sean Lampley, Cal: Scouts loved his body and one even compared him to Michael Finley. Lampley proved he could handle the ball, but his shooting was still off and his range was questionable.
Ken Johnson, Ohio State: Blocked shots and that will get him drafted, possibly in the first round. But failed to be an offensive threat and stand out enough during the games.
Rashad Phillips, Detroit: His father was the No. 1 fan in attendance and Phillips proved he's a scoring point. Still needs to be a better distributor but he's on track to be this year's Speedy Claxton and earn a late first-round spot.
Damone Brown, Syracuse: Showed he has good basketball instincts and can play facing the basket. Still needs to get stronger but was one of the players scouts loved for his "upside."
Earl Watson, UCLA: There were questions going in as to whether or not he was an NBA point, but he left as a legit backup. He defended, stayed under control and showed he could hang with a taller point when he picked Jeryl Sasser a few times.
Casey Calvary, Gonzaga: His athleticism was a plus, proving that he can hang with the better athletes. But he wasn't able to score at will like he could in college. He'll likely be in the second round or in Europe.
Eric Chenowith, Kansas: The best thing about Chenowith was his size. He's big and the NBA loves big. Teams like Seattle could like him in the second round and his body was enough to convince those in person that he'll get picked.
Jeff Trepagnier, USC: Raised his stock more than any other player. Trepagnier entered the camp as just an athlete. But he left as a shooter, defender and an all-out exciting player. Trepagnier was all over the place and enough so where he could get taken late in the first and for sure in the second round.
Kimani Ffriend, Nebraska: He showed he's active around the basket, a live body that can get to the line a lot. He still needs to improve his free-throw shooting but has enough potential that someone will likely take him in the second round.
Andre Hutson, Michigan State: He rebounded for the Spartans and he rebounded for the Midwest team in Tempe. He also showed he could score in the lane and in the middle of the paint. He's a winner and scouts definitely take that into consideration.
Anthony Evans, Georgia: He was productive and effective during his time in the lane. He's a player that seemed to help his team do well and could sneak into the second round.
Calvin Bowman, West Virginia: He shot the ball well, faced the basket and was around the action. He seems like a lock for the second round after his draft camp performance.
Martin Rancik, Iowa State: He proved to be a versatile swing player who could play either small or power forward. He was a bruiser inside and his aggressiveness and strong play to the basket helped his cause.
Jarron Collins, Stanford: He didn't raise his stock necessarily but he solidified himself as a second-round pick. He scored when he needed to, rebounded when he had to and defended in the lane.
Meanwhile, the seniors and underclassmen can't be too excited that a few foreigners are locks for the draft.
NBA scouts are expecting 6-11 Lazarus Papadopoulos (Greece), a potential second-round or late first-round pick; 6-9 Antonis Fotsis (Greece), a possible first-round pick; 7-1 Pau Gasol (Barcelona, Spain), a lock for the first round; 6-9 Vladimir Radmanovic (FNP Zeleznik Club), a possible first-round pick; and 6-2 Tony Parker (France) to enter the draft by the May 13 deadline.
In fact, a number of NBA teams are sending scouts to Parker's game Wednesday in Paris to see if he's a first or second-round pick.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com
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