Redick Rising like a Rocket <Chad Ford ESPN blog>

Matt78777 · Jun 8, 2006

No one posted this so I thought I would

Redick rising like a Rocketposted: Wednesday, June 7, 2006 | Feedback

• For Chad Ford's preview of the Top 10 players to watch at the Orlando pre-draft camp, click here.

From the NBA's perspective, one of the biggest questions of the college basketball season was this: Will J.J. Redick be a good pro?

Can college basketball's Player of the Year become an elite NBA player? Or is he little more than a sharp-shooting role player, like Kyle Korver and Steve Kerr?

Scouts have leaned toward the latter all year. Their concerns? His size for a shooting guard, his lack of athleticism, his defensive inadequacies and the one-dimensional nature of his game.

But is there a point when you overthink a guy? His success at Duke was so dominant that the question must be asked, if he can do it against the best players in college basketball every night, why can't he do it in the pros?

The early word back from workouts in places like Houston, Utah and Boston has been surprisingly positive.

Sources with all three teams have said the same thing to me. Redick is better than they thought he would be. He's tested well in the athletic drills teams take him through. His defense has been aggressive in one-on-one sessions. He's shown the ability to create and make his own shot against some of the best college players in the draft.

Even a guy who's been scouted and scouted and scouted can surprise folks.

"I'm actually not a huge believer in individual workouts," one NBA executive said. "However, I think we learned a lot about that kid and it was all good. In almost every area, including shooting, he was better than we thought. You can watch him in games and see that he can really play. But it wasn't until the workouts that you could really see that he may be able to do some of those same things against NBA athletes. He's not going to be the MVP of the league or anything. But he's going to be a good player in the league."

How good? Good enough that Redick appears to be in the conversation with the Celtics at No. 7 and in serious consideration by the Rockets at No. 8.

In my first mock draft, I put Redick at No. 8, because he appeared to be a good fit for the Rockets. With Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady getting double-teamed on a nightly basis, Redick should have plenty of wide open jumpers. No one in the draft would be better at hitting them.

But after Redick's workout, I think the Rockets see him as a kid who could eventually become the third best player on their team and as a gritty competitor who should be able to step right in and contribute. There's no question the Rockets want to be back in the playoff hunt next season. Besides Redick, Brandon Roy, who's unlikely to slip to No. 8, is probably the only guy in the draft who could play for the Rockets right now.

If the Rockets don't take Redick at No. 8, he'll likely go to either the Magic at No. 11 or the Jazz at No. 14. But until I hear differently, I think that 8 might be Redick's magic number.

• Adam Morrison had his first workout for an NBA team over the weekend. He flew to Charlotte and worked out against Memphis' Rodney Carney. A source in Charlotte said both worked out well but that it was Morrison who shined.

Why? The Bobcats wanted to see him play against a long, athletic player. The question on everyone's mind, much as with Redick, is whether he can continue to get and make his shot at the next level.

Morrison scored time and time again against Carney, prompting Carney to say after the workout, "A lot of people say, 'Oh, Adam can't go one-on-one.' Adam can go one-on-one. He is a very fierce competitor. He will make shots and is a very offensive-minded guy and will get down and score on you. I have nothing but good things to say about Adam."

From everything I'm hearing, the Bobcats were leaning toward Rudy Gay over Morrison before the workout. Do they still feel the same way now?

• The hot rumor here at the pre-draft camp is that UConn's Josh Boone decided to keep his name in the draft after receiving a promise from the New York Knicks that they'd draft him in the first round if he were still on the board.

Boone announced on Monday that he was hiring an agent and ending his college eligibility.

Remember, Knicks president Isiah Thomas gave a promise to a somewhat similar player, Arizona's Channing Frye, last season.

The Knicks have two first-round picks this year, No. 20 and No. 29.

• In our ongoing Marcus Williams weight watch, IMG trainer Joe Abunassar told us that Williams is now down to 212 and will be 210 when he weighs in at the physicals on Saturday.

Abunassar has been flying to L.A. to help train Williams and said that he's now in the best shape of his life.

"Is he the most athletic kid in the draft? No." Abunassar asked. "But he's quicker than people think. Marcus has lots of speeds and he knows when to use them. Watch him at UConn. People had trouble staying in front of him on the defensive end. He really knows how to play and when you know how to play, your game becomes more efficient and you find ways to take advantage of the defense."
Click to expand...

Two Sandwiches · Jun 8, 2006

I would love to see Redick on the Rockets. I believe he could eventually average AT LEAST 15 points a game.

DaDakota · Jun 8, 2006

Page 8 of the Reddick thread, I believe has it posted already.

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