Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Hoops: Chicago Pre-Draft Camp

Is Jarrett Jack "too good" for the draft? This article seems to suggest that he might think so:

How's this for a paradox?


On the one hand, junior point guard Jarrett Jack isn't sure he's ready for the NBA. He's hedging his bet by not signing with an agent, retaining the option to return to Georgia Tech.


On the other hand, Jack thinks he's too good to play in the games at this week's Chicago pre-draft camp. He said Thursday he'd participate only in the physical and measurements portion of the camp.


Jack's position would seem ridiculous, except it's commonplace. With each passing year, it's harder to find a first-round prospect willing to play at the NBA's version of the NFL scouting combine.


Note that the story also provides this cautionary tale for those skipping the camp:

If you're looking for a cautionary tale, consider former Georgia Tech center Alvin Jones, who turned down an invitation to play Chicago in 2001. The NBA responded by declining to include Jones in the physicals and measurements.


The 7-footer fell off the NBA's radar, lasting until the second-to-last selection (57th overall), and playing one season in Philadelphia before dropping out of the league entirely.


Ok, this is just nuts. I'll tell you exactly why this is happening - the NBA pattern on draft day. As long as teams prove that they value potential more than actual on-the-court performance, this is what you are going to get. Why does a guy like Sebastian Telfair have more value than Jameer Nelson? Because they've seen what Nelson can do. He's a known quantity. Telfair, on the other hand, dominated a bunch of other high school kids. Sure would hate to miss out on the next John Stockton....... So you know what - if Jarrett Jack has played well in the private workouts then he probably would do nothing to help himself. If there's mainly a downside, why do it? You think one camp is going to vault him up ahead of C.Paul, D.Williams or R.Felton? No. He's going to get picked between #12 and #20. That's my take.