Did Orlando really matter?

As day 4 of the Pre-Draft camp in Orlando came to a close, one must wonder if any one player actually made a solidified mark in the minds of the scouts.

After all, Darrell Arthur, Michael Beasley Joe Alexander, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, Donte Greene, Anthony Randolph, JaVale McGee, D.J. Augustin, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, Jerryd Bayless, and DeAndre Jordan did not participate in the actual games. These guys were defined as “physical only players” during the duration of the camp.

Fatigue began to set in for many of the prospects and scouts in attendance here in day four, causing much of the attention to turn to the 15 physical-only players, who were here to participate in the combine and conduct light drills and skills-based workouts that drew quite a crowd of high-level NBA executives.

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So the players in attendance were not exactly playing against the best the draft has to offer.

Of the 62 names on the participant list, only a handful – namely North Carolina’s Ty Lawson and Cal’s DeVon Hardin – are receiving significant mention as potential first-rounders.

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So was the camp just a big waste of time and money? Should the NBA entice the more intriguing pro prospects to come and play instead of allowing them to sit back and be “physical only players?” Part of the dilemma is the uneasiness of guys like Beasley, Rose and Mayo to participate and take the chance of getting injured or playing poorly during the games. They would just assume lay low and let their past playing days speak for themselves, which if fine and dandy if they’re guaranteed to be a lottery pick, but overall it really waters down the competition at the camp.

A scout present at the camp had this to add

“In the past you’d have guys here trying to move up in the first round of the draft or trying to jump from the second round to the first,” one general manager said. “But now the kids don’t want to come any more. Some of them are so scared of hurting their stock that they end up not doing anything to help it.”

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Even worse, many players who are supposed first rounder’s — yet aren’t exactly guaranteed anything — declined invitations to the camp.

Some of them included Mario Chalmers, Bill Walker, D.J. White, Ryan Anderson, Roy Hibbert, Chris Douglas- Roberts and Jason Thompson.

If I were a scout or GM, I would feel better about seeing more of Tywon Lawson, DeVon Hardin or Joey Dorsey than seeing nothing of a Bill Walker or Roy Hibbert kind of prospect. I think deciding to play in this camp, and basically showcasing your skills for all 30 teams to ponder, shows more about a guy’s character than a guy deciding to decline, therefore avoiding taking a chance either way.

Now for guys like Rose or Mayo, or basically all of the 15 players I mentioned at the beginning save McGee, Greene and Randolph, I can understand them not wanting to participate considering there’s not much else to prove. But for the other guys, shoot, take advantage of the situation, improve your stock and ensure that you actually get chosen in the area you want.

Take D.J. White for example…

He’s currently on that 1st round bubble. A couple good showings during the camp could have essentially put him comfortably into the 1st round. If at all else, teams will become more familiar with you and are much more likely to choose you instead of someone they’re less familiarized with.

Be sure to check out Day 4’s strong performances here.

Comments, questions and suggestions are always appreciated.