By all accounts this morning on twitter, Jimmer Fredette put up a good workout this morning at the combine. Kyrie Irving and Brandon Knight skipped the workout drills.
Fredette of course has a lot more to prove than the others. Irving is a lock for #1 while Knight and Kemba Walker should be going in the top 7.
Before you get your hopes up on Jimmer though, Jason Shepherd tweeted that Chad Ford stated that the Jazz are leaning towards Brandon Knight. That would effectively end Jimmer's chances of putting on a Jazz uniform.
However, if the Jazz get swayed to take Enes Kanter or have Derrick Williams Kahned to them, then Jimmer's chances jump.
Little news on the CBA front. Steve Kaufman, agent for Tyrone Corbin, remains convinced that a lockout will happen. It's just a matter of how long it will last.
A couple of days ago, the right-hand man to Billy Hunter, Gary Hall passed away. For both sides, he was an integral part of the discussions, often breaking the ice and asking the hard questions according to Chris Sheridan. It could be though that his passing give both sides some perspective on things and leads to an amicable deal getting done,
I think the loss of Gary gives us all a sense of perspective, as well, in these negotiations, and I think it will cause us to redouble our efforts in terms of trying to get a deal done by the deadline" Adam Silver said.
If you're interested in the draft, make sure you're reading Ridiculous Upside for some good coverage. He has some notes on today's combine.
Biyombo working out
Sebastian Pruititakes a look at Brandon Knight
Brandon Knight capped off his up and down freshman season with a pair of game winners and a 30 point explosion during Kentucky's run to the Final Four, despite shooting just under 33% from the field in the tournament while committing nearly 3.4 turnovers per game, showing the quandary he places NBA decision makers in.
Those numbers may hide some of the progress Knight was making as the year went on. Knight averaged an astounding 4.7 turnovers per game over his first seven games, struggling both with his ball handling and decision making as he was playing a largely isolation game trying to make the major transition from high school to college. Knight played for a small, academic oriented high school in Florida where he was asked to play a be-all, end-all role in every moment on the court, and adjusting to the rigors of a new system on a team playing an incredibly challenging schedule almost immediately was a major learning experience for the young point guard.
As the year went on Calipari put Knight in more and more in pick and roll and dribble hand off situations, allowing the guard to take advantage of the attention he receives in these situations and generate offense for his teammates, while limiting some of the turnover problems and over dribbling that plagued Knight earlier in the season. Well known as a very intelligent player and person both on and off the court, Knight's basketball IQ improved visibly from game to game and week to week, culminating in his very impressive SEC and NCAA Tournament performances in March.