<%=siteName%>

Thursday June 19 2008 - 5:30pm Eastern

As I reported earlier, Nicolas Batum did not workout for the Raptors today … after falling ill while he was in T.O.

However, he may still get a chance to showcase his skills for the Raps.  With one week to go until the NBA Draft (June 26), Toronto is hoping to get Batum back in town for another workout.  However, all of that will depend on Batum more than anything else.  He may have other commitments with other teams around the league, so we’ll have to wait and see if the Raps can figure out another visit for the Frenchman.

Jim Kelly, Toronto’s Director of Player Personnel, said he still feels comfortable in Toronto’s knowledge of what kind of player Batum is.  He said the Raptors were in California last week - with a number of other clubs - watching Batum and 20+ other prospects go through a workout and scrimmage.  And, of course, Toronto has been scouting Batum for a couple of years so it’s not like they’re going into the Draft blindly … with no insight or opinion of the youngster.

Clearly the Raptors would like to get Batum in for a private workout, but if it can’t be done, rest assured that the Raps won’t hesitate to select Batum (if he’s “their guy”) if he’s on the board at #17.

HIBBERT AND GREENE

Two players that were in town on Thursday … Roy Hibbert (Georgetown) and Donte Greene (Syracuse).

Both players could have a future in Toronto.  Hibbert has the size that Toronto needs - a legit 7′2 frame that would give the Raptors a true big man in the middle.  Hibbert believes he could be a good fit for the Raptors as well … even in their (at times) run-and-gun offense, because he’s been doing a ton of running and working on his speed and conditioning.

Hibbert was great with the media, not shying away from any questions, especially when folks began to press him about why he stayed in school - and possibly hurt his standing in the Draft - and whether or not he pays any attention to websites and prognosticators that have him going anywhere from 10TH to 20TH next week.  He said - and I’m paraphrasing - that a career in the NBA is a marathon, not a sprint, so he doesn’t care if he goes 1oTH, 30TH, or in the second round … he’ll continue to work hard and guarantee that folks are talking about him - and his solid career - down the road.

I’m a big Hibbert fan.

Donte Greene was pretty intriguing as well.  Unlike previous sessions, we (the media) weren’t let in early … so I wasn’t able to actually see any of the workout.  But by all indications, mostly from Kelly, Greene and Hibbert both put in a good showing.

Greene said this may have been his best workout - along with solid performances in New York and Milwaukee as well.

The most interesting part of my chat with Greene was when he talked about how “hated” he is in Syracuse right now.  Fans of the Orange are beyond peeved at Greene … for walking away from the ‘Cuse early.  He said he knows that he’s probably public enemy number one right now but he hopes he can show his face on campus some time soon.  Greene stated that his decision to come out early was not only based on his skills - and the fact that he’s pretty confident he’ll go in the first round - but it was also based on his humble upbringing in Baltimore.  He knows he has a chance to make very good money and take care of his family … and if he blew out his knee (for example) while playing another year at Syracuse could shatter his dreams.

Greene’s only miscue today was when he used the word “retarded” when referring to some players that have - in the past - received “guarantees” from various NBA teams.  He said he knows of at least a couple of players that got guarantees, only to end up sitting in the green room at MSG, not selected, looking “retarded”.

It was an honest statement/answer but obviously not the most politically correct.  I certainly wouldn’t judge the young man on one ill-advised comment though.  He came across as a very knowledgeable, approachable, and down to earth guy.

A DAY LATE 

As a guy that grew up as a big fan of the Los Angeles Lakers (MAGIC JOHNSON!) … I had to take a day to gather my thoughts on the Finals and specifically, Game 6.

That was a total embarrassment.

To lose by 39 points with the series on the line … is completely inexcusable.

Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom - AGAIN - were no-shows.  Gasol, in my eyes, was the worse of the two.  Odom may have struggled, but I still felt that he was playing hard at times.  He was abysmal, but I’m putting more heat on Gasol.  Not only did Gasol struggle overall, but he got out-worked, out-hustled, and bullied under the hoop.  He was a non-factor at both ends of the floor … with the defining play coming in the 3RD quarter when Kevin Garnett forced a jump-ball with Gasol after wrapping up the Spanish big man with just one hand (his LEFT hand!)

Finally, Kobe Bryant doesn’t escape the criticism.  He’s the MVP.  He’s the league’s best player.  He looked “average” at best for 5 of the 6 games in this series and he was nowhere near the top of his game for the clincher on Tuesday night.  With the world watching, Kobe laid an egg.

E. Smith

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 5:29 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.