Whats' Next For Boozer?: The Utah Jazz held their end-of-season exit meetings yesterday as Jazz players' cleaned out their lockers.
As if getting swept by the Lakers wasn't bad enough, Jazz forward Carlos Boozer got his Escalade smashed by a bus full of Lakers' media members after the game, so not only did Boozer have to clean out his locker he had some insurance claims to file too.
Boozer met with Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan and Jazz President Kevin O'Connor yesterday and both sides have agreed to talk more this summer.
"Obviously, keep your cards close to your chest, one," Boozer said to Yahoo's Marc J. Spears. "Two, the unfortunate thing about basketball is it turns into a business sometimes. It takes some of the fun away from it. Unfortunately, that's part of it."
Jerry Sloan was pretty clear he'd like to have Carlos Boozer back next season, and given how many times Jerry has had to answer Boozer-related questions this year especially after his off-season trade demands, that says a lot.
"He's been terrific to work with," explained Sloan to Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune. "I don't know where all the stuff has come from. He may have said some things over the summer, but he's been terrific to coach and he's been great for us to have a chance to win."
Jazz President Kevin O'Connor has been around the NBA for a long time and he understands the situation Boozer faces this summer and while he was non-committal about the team's stance, he understands Carlos is due to be paid again.
"Carlos has certainly done a good job this year and has been a great teammate," O'Connor said. "He has certainly solidified his position as one of the better power forwards in our league. Now it's his turn to reap the rewards."
Sources close to Boozer said last night that the prevailing belief was Boozer would entertain a new contract in Utah and his public pledge to stay with the Jazz is real. However, Carlos is not taking a pay cut or giving a home team discount.
The scenario described yesterday was Carlos would give the Jazz a chance to make an offer before he talked with other teams. Sources said after the Jazz make an offer he'd shop the market and see if there is a better deal to be had. If he finds it, sources say he'll give Utah a chance to match it. Sources were clear Carlos would like to get his business done early in the process so he can focus on his off-season.
So again it seems Carlos Boozer is Utah's player to lose.
Day 1 At Impact Basketball: For years Joe Abunassar's Impact Basketball has had a gym full of NBA prospects, but this year's draft class in Las Vegas is impressive. Not impressive in terms of top level prospects, but in the sheer volume of quality guys training there this season. Impact may not have a player drafted in the top 15, but they could arguable have a lock on the next 25 picks in the 2010 NBA Draft Class.
Here are some notes on the guys that worked out yesterday, with more work set for later today.
James Anderson: Anderson was everything advertised. He's clearly the best of the bunch in terms of pro appeal. James can shoot the ball incredibly well; he fits the prototype two-guard spot at the NBA level and has the physical tools to play in the NBA for a long time. James does not leap off the page as a stellar athlete, but he has the total package to be drafted in the first round, likely in the early to mid-teens. Very good "team" guy, he is an includer that brings his team together. He cheers for the other guys in the gym. He hangs out to watch them work, which in NBA training is somewhat unusual. James Anderson is a no-brainer pick in the middle of the first, the question is can he get a team with a two-guard need with a pick a little higher to fall in love?
Devin Ebanks: Devin is a freak-type athlete. He is explosive, he plays above the rim but also has nice touch out to about 18-19 feet. He has a shocking similarity to Houston's Trevor Ariza. He is arguable more polished than Trevor was coming in, but he moves like Trevor moves, and he is long and aggressive. Ebanks is more explosive than Trevor and there is a lot more passion in his game. Ebanks is a first rounder for sure, the question is can he be the beast in workouts that he was yesterday? If he is then he could go a lot higher than some are projecting him because he fits a real need at the NBA level and could be a surprise guy on draft night.
Sharron Collins: Admittedly, the expectations on Sharron Collins were low coming in. However after spending a day with him in the gym, he's one of the guys I am eager to see today. Sharron has a shocking resemblance to Orlando's Jameer Nelson, not only in physical size but in how he plays. Sharron makes a lot of the same mistakes Nelson made as a rookie, but you can see he has that "it" teams look for. He is a leader. Guys like playing with him and he sees the floor well. He is extremely smart and he has an impressive pull-up mid-range game. Collins was a bit quicker than I expected, and he looks "fluffy" from a far, however when the shirt comes off, he is far from fluffy. He has a good build. Sharron is big and strong and he's clearly has been working hard on his body. At Kansas, Sharron was the guy with the ball in his hands to win games, and after spending the day with him there are a few playoff teams this year that could use Sharron. Workouts are going to play a big role in where Sharron ends up. He could easily go in the bottom of the first – like a Darren Collision - or he could slide into the top of the second round. Either way there is little doubt Sharron Collins is playing in the NBA next year, he has too many tools.
Craig Brackins: Every NBA teams needs a Craig Brackins. He is long and can shoot the hell out of the basketball. He plays at the rim effectively and is a great personality guy. The problem for Craig is he does not leap off the page at you. A good NBA comparison would be Chicago's Taj Gibson. While Taj is a better all-around player, they share a lot of the same attributes. If a team is holding a pick in the late first round or early second round, Craig Brackins is going to be a hard guy to pass up, especially after teams sit with him and see how much of a good influence he could be especially on a young team. He'd be a perfect fit in Sacramento or Memphis and both teams have picks that could fall in the range were Craig should go.
Stanley Robinson: Stanley is not going to blow you away with his offensive shooting, but he is an absolute beast around the basket. When you consider how many teams need a big strong center capable of running the floor and playing above the rim, there is little doubt Stanley gets drafted. The problem is Stanley isn't ready for prime time, but a team with some vision would be smart to gobble up Stanley. He has a lot of bounce. He can rattle the rim and is long. He is a decent rebounder and shot blocker. Some teams may scoff at his offensive game, but Stanley looks like a bigger stronger DeJuan Summers and DeJuan was drafted last year.
Avery Bradley: Most scouts and pundits are not very high on Avery Bradley, however when you watch him shoot the ball and see how explosive he can be off the drive, there is no doubt he is a draft pick and almost no doubt he goes in the 20 to 40 range in the draft. Mechanically Avery is decent. He is shooting the three-ball very well and he is a competitor. In a league that covets big guards, Bradley at 6'2-6'3 has decent size and he can score.
Armon Johnson: Armon Johnson was an afterthought on the Impact roster coming in; I couldn't have been more wrong. He leaps off the page. He is the fastest guy in the gym. I'd take him in a foot race against Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook, and I think he'd give Leandro Barbosa a run for his money. Armon has tight ball control and is a very good shooter. Johnson made almost no mistakes yesterday and I am eager to see how he looks in the three-on-three drills today. If there was one player I openly said "Wow" about it was Armon Johnson.
Lance Stevenson: I think too many people have decided what Lance Stevenson is and if they reached the same conclusions I had reached coming in yesterday, we're all wrong. Lance's off-the-court issues have been well documented, and he is clearly a case of too much exposure and attention that went terribly wrong. But to spend any time with him, he is the furthest thing from what you'd expect. Lance has dropped 20 pounds this summer and pulled off an impressive 3% decrease in body fat. He looked amazing yesterday and when you recall back to his Lincoln High days when he was considered one of the best prospects in the nation, he looks like one in Vegas. NBA teams have proven they will overlook a checkered past and Stevenson has as checkered a past as they come, but when you remove all that and just focus on his basketball skills, he is clearly a first-round talent. The question is will a team in the first round fall in love with the player enough to overlook the past? If Stevenson slides to the second round, he could be a steal
Dwayne Collins: No player surprised and amazed as much as Dwayne Collins. His senior year at Miami was terrible, but Dwyane is a classic case of a kid playing the role his coaches defined for him and that role never reflected his game. Dwayne is a MONSTER around the basket. His outside touch is a little suspect, but when you have a power game like Collins has, there is no need for an outside jumper – although it wasn't terrible by any stretch. The best NBA comparison would be DeJuan Blair meets Dwight Howard. Collins is a legit 6'8 and has a monstrous 7'5 wingspan and a standing reach of 9'5-9'6. Some players look small when they play and then some guys look bigger. When you see DeJuan Blair play there is no way you buy that he's 6'6. Dwayne Collins plays like a 6'10 front court player. Physically he is a beast. Personally, he is an extremely smart, low-key guy. Collins is a steal-type pick. He is headed to San Antonio today, who had him in last year when he tested the waters. Don't be surprised if they try and bait Dwayne into shutting down workouts with a second round promise because he's the kind of athlete the Spurs desperately need. The problem for San Antonio is teams like Oklahoma City and Sacramento that also desperately need front court power may have to enter the bidding and Dwyane's stock could be primed to take off. He was by far the most physically impressive player of the day.
Also in attendance were Manny Harris from Michigan and Dee Bost from Mississippi State, we'll see more of them today.
Look for video on each of these guys over the next few days.
The next stop is back down to IMG on Friday to check the progress of Larry Sanders, Mikhail Torrance and Derrick Caracter and then the NBA Pre-Draft Combine in Chicago next week.
LeBron Meet Tracy: Sometimes players have a chance to define themselves and their place in NBA history.
Cleveland's LeBron James had that chance last night, and when the basketball world expected to see a superstar performance, we were instead given a big fat egg for our troubles.
Am I the only one that's starting to see Tracy McGrady all over again?
You know, put up huge, gaudy regular season stats, with amazing physical gifts but never has enough focus or intensity to make anything out of it in the post-season.
LeBron is a better player in every aspect of the game than Tracy, there is no questioning that. But the fact that James can't seem to close out when things get tough has to trigger some level of concern for the LeBron bandwagon.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is concerned, not because his club lost games, but it's how they lost games, with a vacant and disconnected James.
"The last two home playoff losses and the manner in which we lost these games does not come close to being anywhere near the high expectations all of us have of our organization. Our fans and supporters deserve more," Gilbert said to Brian Windhorst of the Plain-Dealer.
"We have to ask ourselves two questions," he said. "Will we remember who we are and choose to impose our will on our opponent for the remainder of this series and beyond? And how much do we want it?"
While that question is clearly a good team question, I think the more accurate way to put it is "How bad does LeBron James want it?". Lately, LeBron looks like a guy who's packed for life elsewhere or worse yet has checked out already like Tracy McGrady was prone to doing in Houston and Orlando when things got tough.
Game 6 of the series gets underway in Boston on Thursday and we'll see if LeBron can return to superhuman status.
NBA Chats: HOOPSWORLD has three NBA chat today starting with my weekly NBA Rumors chat at 10am EST. Get your questions in early and I'll try and get as many answered as possible. Coach Mike Moreau is back in action this week with his weekly NBA chat at 12pm EST. Coach Mike has a gym full of NBA draft picks, so get your questions in for Mike. Senior NBA writer Tommy Beer will host the late day chat at 8pm EST. Tommy covers all things basketball, but is based in New York with the Knicks and Nets. Everything is fair game with Tommy so get your questions in now. You can always find the next chat here: Upcoming NBA Chats.
