More info from sportstalk.com: Is Vladimir Radmanovic the Next Dirk Nowitzki? More than 100 scouts and GMs packed into Hoops gym in downtown Chicago yesterday afternoon to see the private workouts of Alabama freshman Gerald Wallace and Stanford sophomore Jason Collins. However it was the third wheel, Vladimir Radmanovic who stole the show. The 6-10 Yugoslavian put on a dazzling show of shooting and ball handling that had teams buzzing by the end of the 60 minute workout. Radmanovic is the latest "hot prospect" in the draft. He has the size and body to play power forward and the shooting range and ball handling skills to play shooting guard. We know what you are thinking and scouts were saying it by the end of the workout -- could Radmanovic be the next Dirk Nowitzki? Radmanovic's Nike Hoop Summit coach, Marin Sedlacek, seems to think so. Sedlacek is probably the only person on the planet to have coached Nowitzki, Radmanovic and the other hot European prospect Pau Gasol. Sedlacek told sportsTALK that Radmonovic is the best of the three at this stage. "He's more ready for the NBA than Nowitzki or Gasol. He's stronger than Dirk was when he entered the NBA. He can be just as special." Sedlacek told sportsTALK that Radmonovic has already had strong workouts in Houston and Seattle and has workouts scheduled with Boston, Cleveland and New Jersey after the camp. His workout was so strong in Seattle, the Sonics invited him back for another right before the draft. Sedlacek said Radmanovic decided not to play in the pre-draft camp after strong feedback from Houston and Seattle. Unlike Gasol, and Greek big man Jake Tsakalidis last year, Radmonovic does not have a huge buyout on his contract. According to his agent, David Bauman of SFX, teams will only need to pony up $300,000 to get Radmonovic out of his contract. Given his strong workout yesterday, expect teams to be knocking on his door by the end of the week. ------------------ President of the Mo Taylor and Jason Collier fan club! Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more!
If this guy is as good as advertised, then if teams select him in the lottery that means another player gets pushed down to us at #13 and #18 that would probably have been selected ahead of those spots. ------------------ take it one day at a time
Cat left off an interesting quote about Gasol from his former coach: "Sedlacek also had a few words of caution for teams on the Pau Gasol bandwagon. "Gasol will be a good player, but he's not physically ready to play in the NBA. In Spain he was a five, but in the NBA he'll have to make a transition to the three or four. He could use some more time in Europe" ------------------
Gasol might be riding a wave of hype into the top 5 so that he can afford to play his first year here (buy-out clause). Nbatalk also mentions the Rox still trying to move into the top 5 for him but I wonder what's true and what's smokescreen. ------------------
Has anybody not had a good workout with the Rockets this year? ------------------ "Light travels faster than sound, so some people appear to be bright until you hear them speak." -- Brian Williams (now Bison Dele) commenting on Isiah Thomas.
Radmanovic worked out with Joe Johnson, Jarron Collins, and Brian Scalabrine last week at Westside. I heard from Jonathon Feigan that the Rockets were VERY high on both Radmanovic and Joe Johnson. And the Rockets have said that this was the best workout they had seen this year, by all four. ------------------
has anybody not had a good workout with the Rockets this year? Yes, Kelvin Cato. ------------------ [This message has been edited by aelliott (edited June 08, 2001).]
I heard the Feigan show, too. If this guy is as good as advertised, we better damn sure leap-frog Seattle to get him. Good thing Seattle has Rashard Lewis, but Boston still has me worried by wanting a tall SF. Sounds like Radman might have better handles than Lewis, with all the range and athleticism. With 5 solid SFs now and Richardson, someone has to fall to us. Who is Seattle going to take?
This draft just keeps getting more and more intriguing. The way things are going, the Rockets should definitely get 2-3 really solid players. It would be nice to leapfrog Seattle, but I wonder exactly how we will pull this off. Boston at 10 and 11 looks like they want to trade up instead of down, Detroit at 9 appears not interested so our targets would have to be Cleveland and New Jersey. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
yeah, I'm thinking with Lewis and Patterson, they can't be thinking SF. But, maybe they are thinking with Payton, they can play Radman, Lewis and Patterson together against zones. I'm just trying to figure out why Seattle is mentioned prominently in this article.
HP, I think what it could be is that they are planning on eventually dealing Patterson or letting him go in free agency if he opts out. Apparently, they are not too happy about his rape charges etc. Also, they could be viewing Radman as a combo forward so they can play Lewis and him together like the Mavs do with Nowitzki and Howard. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
MManal, I agree, we can't move up anymore unless we can make a deal for a Boston pick. Just because Boston wants to move up deosn't mean they will succeed. If Boston fails to trade, we have a chance. Also, just because Boston uses 10 and 11 to move up 3-4 spots doesn't mean that team won't then trade the 11 for 13 and 23, or something. Especially if they don't want a SF. I'm thinking that if someone trades with Boston, it is because they think moving down a few spots will still land them what they want...ie, they don't want to risk everything on a HSer big man, or they don't need a SF, so they want more picks. btw: make that 6 SFs now. I keep forgetting Battier...lol! Griffin Battier Johnson White Gasol Radman [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited June 08, 2001).]
If the Rockets top priority is getting a lottery small forward, they should put all their effort into acquiring Rodney White or Joe Johnson in that order. ------------------
Heypeanut, I didn't relize the bet game was started that long ago. I don't think Shannon fits well as a third guard/SF, so I won't be shedding any tears. I hope Langhi will pass Walt on the depth chart this year. Where would you value Langhi if he was in this draft? ------------------
Do you guys really think Walt will be on the team next year? I'm hoping he is involved in some type of deal. Would anyone mind seeing Joe Johnson and Dan Langhi split time at the 3? ------------------
hehe, thx RR, I just feel some weird achebe inspiration today. 007, There really is no reason to try to force a trade with Walt, since he is in the last yr of his contract. Keeping him allows us to been under the cap again next summer. Don't sweat getting rid of vets in last yrs of contracts. He's fine. He can actually win some games for us and doesn't mind being benched in December and being limited to 15mpg. hehe!
Achebe, Its tough to gauge this teams priority at an exact pick, but I think a player like Radmanovic would fit the type of forward they are looking for. My guess on Steven Hunter is that the Rockets would pass on him. Its just the maddening way the Rockets pick players, they almost never look at a 19 yr old like Hunter with upside. My experience in observing them has been that they only look at 18 and 19 yr olds like Darius Miles and DerMarr Johnson who they feel can be absolute studs one day. The player I would like a flyer taken on is Cisse, but I doubt that will happen also. Something to note, Radmanovic is also very young at 19 or 20, so if the Rockets are willing to take a flyer on him, he must definitely be the real deal. As far as my evaluation of Hunter... I got to see him play at DePaul and felt he had a very nice upside if he worked at his game. When I saw him, he was very frail (around 200) but had very long arms and ran the court like a gazelle. Hunter was very athletic, and I felt he would be a very good weakside shotblocker one day. He had good touch on his shot but definitely needed to develop post moves; I felt his offensive game was pretty raw but could be developed. The biggest issue with Hunter I felt was adding more mass/strength to his frame which he has apparently done. I'd like to see what he looks like after putting on the 20 pounds with Tim Grover and supposedly improving his game. As far as the Rockets priorities. I still think for big men it will come down to Ken Johnson and Loren Woods. Also, I wouldnt rule out Troy Murphy since this team has 3 picks. Murph could be a really good backup at the C and PF positions and fits this system like a glove. People complain that Murphy isnt athletic enough, but I could care less. Murph plays the game so hard and is a tough physical presence inside, he is very strong on the glass, plays well both inside and outside, is a good pick setter and is 6-11. As much as we may want Hunter and Cisse, I dont think either will be wearing a Rockets uni. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net [This message has been edited by MManal (edited June 08, 2001).]
Murphy is definitely a strong player. I only saw him play twice, but in those two games he was probably one of the most physical collegiate players that I have ever seen. ------------------ girl you looks good won't you mock that draft up?!
MM, I agree that it is vexing as hell to try to figure how the Rockets will draft. However, I think they can be swayed. Reports are that great workouts are the reason they picked Mirsad Turkcan. Hopefully, if they are high on a guy like Ken Johnson, and a guy like Hunter schools him, they will take note and act accordingly. I still think you have to throw Bradley into that mix at 13. Oh, yes. I do agree with you about Cisse. ------------------
