6/17 ESPN Insider - Draft drop outs

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Draft Rumors: More expected to withdraw
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Tuesday, June 17
Updated: June 17
10:59 AM ET


The deadline for college underclassmen and international players under the age of 22 to withdraw from the draft is just two days away.


Notre Dame's Chris Thomas joined Washington State's Marcus Moore on the return-to-school tour on Monday.

They're expected to be joined by Alabama's Maurice Williams, Texas Tech's Andre Emmett, and possibly St. Joseph's Jameer Nelson as early as today.

Several high school players, including Ndudi Ebi, Travis Outlaw and Kendrick Perkins, will show off for a collection of NBA teams one more time in Houston before making the final decision whether to stay in the draft. Another one of them, Charlie Villanueva, is already reportedly trying to get into UConn.

A mass exodus of international players was also expected, but now it looks like it won't be as many as you think.

Right now it appears that most of the top international prospects are sticking to their guns and leaning toward keeping their names in the draft.

The two most important players, Maciej Lampe and Pavel Podkolzine, are playing to pretty strong reviews wherever they go. Lampe is coming off a strong workout in Memphis and Podkolzine just finished up working out for the Clippers.

Over the past few weeks, their stock has continued to rise. The word out of Miami is that Lampe and Podkolzine are both in the mix at No. 5. The Bulls, Bucks, Knicks and Grizzlies have all taken a look and have walked away impressed. Lampe, who turned 18 four months ago, has impressed teams with his shooting, ball handling and 7-foot, 265 pound frame. One NBA scout said Lampe may be more ready to play than people are giving him credit for.

"I keep reading reports knocking the kid for playing in Division 2. Playing Division 2 in Spain isn't the best competition in the world, but it's a hell of a lot better than high school ball. It's probably the equivalent of playing for a mid-major in college. . . I just keep asking myself, if this kid was in high school right now, how crazy would we all be going?"

According to another source, Lampe bench pressed the 185-pound bar 13 times at a recent workout. That outpaces the other top players in the draft who are his size -- Chris Bosh, Mike Sweetney, Brian Cook, David West and Nick Collison. "He's got a pretty nice body. He needs to tone it up a bit, but it's not like we have to bulk him up. When you can shoot it like that, you have a chance to contribute."

While teams believe that Pavel is further away from contributing, they still like what they see. "He just needs a lot of coaching and game experience," the same scout told Insider. "He's smart enough, but you're not going to know with him for sure until he gets out on the court." It appears that both players are close to the lottery guarantees they're looking for.

Agent Marc Cornstein told Insider that Zoran Planinic will definitely keep his name in the draft.

Agent Marc Fleisher told Insider that Zaur Pachulia was definitely in the draft and that he was "90 percent sure" that Greece's Sofaklis Schortsanitis will keep his name in.

Several other prospects who were on the fence also appear to be leaning toward keeping their names in the draft. Russia's Viktor Khryapa, France's Boris Diaw, Argentina's Carlos Delfino and Poland's Szymon Szewczyk all appear to be in.

The only prominent international player leaning toward pulling out is Brazil's Anderson Varejao. Varejao's inability to come over to the U.S. for workouts really hurt his stock. If Varejao pulls out this year, next year he's in the draft for sure.

Workout News

Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony went through a 30-minute workout for the Nuggets on Monday. "He came in and shot the ball really well," GM Kiki Vandeweghe told the Rocky Mountain News. "He's got a great base, great legs and a great touch and feel - kind of like Alex English."

For those of you looking for signs on Denver's decision, Anthony's agent, Bill Duffy, found one. "They have his name on the locker already," Duffy said. "That's a strong indication."

Coach Jeff Bzdelik was also impressed. "I tell you what, we need him, we really do," Bzdelik said. "We need a player who can create plays, who can score in a variety of ways, who can run the floor, who can put it on the floor, take it to the basket to create a shot for himself or for someone else. He's proven. We've all seen what he can do."

Knicks: KU's Kirk Hinrich, Weber State's Jermaine Boyette, Florida's Justin Hamilton and Yugoslavia's Slavko Vranes worked out for the Knicks on Monday. KU's Nick Collison, Mississippi State's Mario Austin, San Diego's Jason Keep and high school big man James Lang are in today.

Heat: Georgia Tech's Chris Bosh and Kentucky's Marquis Estill worked out in Miami on Monday.

Grizzlies: KU's Nick Collison, Poland's Maciej Lampe, Senegal's Malick Badiane and North Dakota's Jerome Beasley worked out in Memphis on Monday.

Celtics: Wake Forest's Josh Howard, BYU's Travis Hansen and Xavier's David West worked out on Monday.

Clippers: Russian big man Pavel Podkolzine and Greece's Sofaklis Schortsanitis did their thing for the Clips.

Sonics: Russian big man Pavel Podkolzine and Greece's Sofaklis Schortsanitis are in Seattle today.

Wizards: Louisville's Reece Gaines, Boston College's Troy Bell, Pitt's Brandin Knight and Detroit's Willie Green worked out in D.C.

Warriors: Russian Viktor Khryapa was in Golden State on Monday.

Suns: Russian Viktor Khryapa will work out for Phoenix today.

Hornets: Mississippi State's Mario Austin, South Florida's Will McDonald and Arizona State's Tommy Smith worked out in New Orleans.

Hawks: Hollis Price, Keith Bogans and Derrick Zimmerman worked out in Atlanta. Yugoslavian Alexandar Pavlovic will be in Atlanta today.

Bulls: Yugoslavian sharp shooter Alexandar Pavlovic worked out in Chicago on Monday. GM John Paxson may have to cancel his visit to France to see Mickael Pietrus. That would put Pietrus' status at No. 7 in jeopardy.

Magic: KU's Kirk Hinrich canceled a workout with the Magic. He's pretty confident he won't be there at No. 15 when the Magic select.