5/30 ESPN INSIDER - Arenas & draft workouts

[OutletPass]

Gilbert as good as gone
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Friday, May 30
Updated: May 30
10:07 AM ET


We've known for sometime that the Golden State Warriors were in a serious pickle over re-signing Gilbert Arenas.


Arenas, a restricted free agent this summer, had a breakout season, and the Warriors won't have enough cap flexibility to sign him to more than the mid-level exception.

That leaves an obvious opening for Denver, Utah or Miami to swoop in, offer him more cash, and steal him away from Golden State.

Agent Dan Fegan confirmed the Warriors' worst fears to the Denver Post on Thursday, saying Arenas wants to get paid this summer. He even scoffed at the notion that his client could command a $7 million dollar deal on the free agent market (the most the Warriors could offer him is $4.9 million).

"If you're asking whether a starting number of $7 million is enough to sign Gilbert Arenas, the answer is unequivocally no, it's not," Fegan told the paper. "Gilbert has the same potential as any of the other top young point guards in the league, like Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis and Baron Davis. I want you to name a point guard at 20 years of age that puts up numbers that were better."

If Fegan wants more than $7 million, the only team willing to give it to him will be the Nuggets.

"Regarding Denver as a possible destination for Gilbert Arenas, I've got a lot of confidence in (general manager) Kiki Vandeweghe's ability to build a team," Fegan said. "Having said that, this team has a big monster to climb before it's considered a premier destination for free agents who could possibly change that perception immediately."

Draft talk

7-foot-5 Siberian giant Pavel Podkolzine (he recently was measured by an NBA team at 7-5) will be coming to the states next week. He has several workouts scheduled after the Chicago pre-draft camp, including dates with Milwaukee, Memphis, the L.A. Clippers and the Warriors.

All four teams scouted him in Varese, Italy, and all four would seriously consider him in the lottery. Clippers scout Fabricio Bensati discovered the kid, so you know the Clippers have a good handle on his potential. Scouts from the Bucks and Grizzlies also spent a lot of time in Italy with Podkolzine.

Despite his obscure beginnings, the 18-year-old big man can play. He runs the floor well, shoots the hell out of the ball and has an emerging low-post game. He's still a couple of years away from making an impact, though the payoff in the end could be enormous.

Here's a workout to watch: On June 10 in Milwaukee, Kirk Hinrich, Luke Ridnour, Reece Gaines and Marcus Moore go head to head. The Bucks are looking for a point guard (let the Gary Payton-Sam Cassell trade rumors begin), and they've pretty much narrowed it down to these four. Four you ask? Hinrich, Ridnour and Gaines have been mentioned in the late lottery already, but a source in Milwaukee swears Moore is seriously in the mix. Unlike Gaines, who's more of a combo guard, Moore is a pure point with great size. One scout went as far as to claim Moore might be the best passer in college basketball. That might be going a little too far, but don't let him slip off your radar screen. Several other lottery teams also are taking a quiet look.

Serbian shooting guard Alexsandar Pavlovic had an unbelievable workout in Boston on Thursday. He shot the lights out and surprised the Celtics with his athleticism. He also turned a few heads when he measured at 6-foot-8. How much did they like him? They scheduled a second workout before he left.

[madape]

Damn that Pavlovic, dominating workouts. Looks like he's working his way into the mid-first round, well out of the Mavs range. OP, I saw in another thread that he may already be promised a draft position between 12 and 19. I wonder who that could be. If it's true, he wouldn't be there at Boston's pick anyway.

[OutletPass]

You're right about that thread, Mad....supposedly someone wants him badly.

He was originally projected to go to Sacto at the #25 pick.

[madape]

I'm not sure Arenas is worth $7mil a year.

But if the Nuggets can pull off the rumored trade with the Bulls, they won't need him.

#3 pick (Carmello Anthony) goes to the Bulls for
#7 pick (Michael Lampe) and Jay Williams

Call me crazy, but I think Kiki and the Nugs would rather have Lampe than Anthony. Throw in Williams and it's a no brainer. Chicago looks to be staking their future on Jamal Crawford as their point guard of the future. Rose is the two-guard, Chandler and Curry the frontcourt. A crowd-pleasing potential superstar like Anthony makes too much sense for them.

[nowitzki_prophecy]

I'm not sure Arenas is worth $7mil a year.

give him time,right now,maybe he's worth a little less,but in a year or two he'll justify the amount.
he's amzing,and in my opinion a future all star.

[MavsFanFinley]

I like Arenas, but I'm not so sure he's worth that price yet either.

He has the potential, but it'll be interesting to see if he can continue to handle the pg position. He struggled his first year, but really emerged this past year.

He likes the ball in his hands, he wants to shoot, and he loves the flashy passes too.