Rating the big men prospects - NBA Insider 4/2

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Andriuskevicius, Podkolzine top centers

By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Friday, April 2

Every year we say the same thing about the upcoming class of draft-eligible centers.

Coming up with a Top 10 centers list is a little bit like trying to put together a list of 10 reasons to move to Bristol. After you get past one or two, you have to start making stuff up.

The good news this year is that we've come up with 10 legit NBA center candidates. Now here's the tough part -- pronouncing their names. America just doesn't produce good big men these days. Blame it on NAFTA or free trade, but if an NBA team really wants an upgrade in the middle, it's got to import one.

This year the top centers in the draft have names like Andriuskevicius, Podkolzine, Samardziski, Araujo and Seung Jin. As the world gets smaller, the names just keep getting longer.

Here's a look at the top 10 centers in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Also see: Latest Draft Rumors | Top 15 PFs | SFs | SGs | PGs

Note: The list includes players we believe might declare for the 2004 draft.

1. Martynas Andriuskevicius, Zalgris (Lithuania)
The line: 7-foot-3, 250, 18-years-old
The skinny: On sheer talent and size, Andriuskevicius may be the best international prospect in the draft this year. He's big and very, very skilled. Scouts claim that he has great hands, is a fantastic passer and doesn't shy away from contact despite his thin frame. The fact that he's being tutored daily by Arvydas Sabonis is evident according to scouts. He still needs more strength and playing experience, but there is little not to like. He's a surefire lottery pick if he declares and could go as high as top five.


Pavel Podkolzine
2. Pavel Podkolzine, Varese (Italy)
The line: 7-foot-5, 300, 19-years-old
The skinny: Podkolzine, for those who can't remember, is the 7-foot-5 Siberian sensation who took the NBA draft by storm last June and then, just as quickly, disappeared from the radar screen. By all accounts Pavel is a much better draft prospect than he was last season. He's really starting to come on. He's a high reward, high risk type of player, but someone will take a chance on him in the lottery.

3. Peja Samardziski, Partizan (Serbia)
The line: 6-11, 240, 17-years-old
The skinny: He has unbelievable skills for a kid his age and size. He can shoot the ball effortlessly from anywhere on the court and he's developed a strong enough low-post game to be reckoned with on that end as well. He has high-lottery talent, but several things are holding him back. First, he still hasn't it made it to Partizan's senior team, meaning scouts can only judge him against inferior junior talent. Second, Partizan has kept the kid under lock and key; scouts aren't able to get to practice to watch him work out. His agent, Marc Cornstein, says that Samardzski will declare for the draft. But without a buyout, and with Partizan facing the loss of at least one of its big men, will it let him go? Rumors are already circulating that a team may have given Samardziski a promise.

4. David Harrison, Colorado
The line: 7-0, 250, Junior
The skinny: Scouts don't really like his game, but considering he's the only American 7-footer in college with any kind of game right now, he's going to get the benefit of the doubt. Harrison is strong, runs the floor well for a big guy and can put up good numbers when his head is in the game. Questions about his maturity level and dedication to the game are big issues for scouts, but the truth is, if he declares, someone will take a chance on him in the first round. Think Michael Olowokandi, folks.


Rafael Araujo
5. Rafael Araujo, BYU
The line: 6-11, 280, Senior
The skinny: Araujo has been one of the most dominant college centers on the offensive end in the country this year. Physically he's huge and very, very strong. He uses his strength to bulldoze opponents in the paint. Some considered the native of Brazil a late first-round sleeper last season, and he's improved in all facets of the game this year. A recent fight in the Mountain West tournament in front of a host of scouts actually helped his cause. Teams are desperate for big men with a little fire in his belly. Expect him to go somewhere in the second half of the first round.

6. Ha Seung Jin, South Korea
The line: 7-3, 300, 18-years-old
The skinny: When we saw Ha last year, he looked very soft and very, very raw. Since then he's spent the entire year working out at an SFX facility in L.A. His agent, Bob Myers, has hired personal trainers and big men coaches to prepare Ha for the rigors of the NBA. I talked to one spy who's seen him play and he claims the difference in his body and post moves is incredible. He's huge, and size always counts for something in the NBA. He also has some decent skills and a soft touch that teams are always looking for in a big man. He's almost impossible to project until SFX unveils him (probably around the Chicago pre-draft camp). If he's really improved, he could be a mid-first-round pick based on size and potential. If he's the same Ha that I saw last year, he's a second-rounder.

7. Randolph Morris, Landmark Christian Academy (GA)
The line: 7-0, 250, HS Senior
The skinny: He's a heady, mature big man with a great feel for the game. He's got a nice array of moves around the basket and a pretty nice jumper from 10 feet in. Is pretty strong physically and doesn't shy away from contact in the paint. Scouts think he's a tremendous prospect, they just believe he needs more time to develop. Morris is very intelligent and has said all along that he's leaning toward going to school -- probably Georgia Tech. Scouts all like him, but most believe he'd slip into the late first round or early second round. If that holds true, expect him to go to school.


Robert Swift
8. Robert Swift, Bakersfield (CA)
The line: 7-1, 245, HS Senior
The skinny: He's quick, relatively athletic and knows how to score and rebound in the paint. He needs strength, like almost everyone else in the draft. Played well in both high school all-star games. His gangly appearance and academic issues create a picture that isn't pretty. But the kid can play. Probably in the second round right now.

9. Nigel Dixon, Western Kentucky
The line: 6-11, 320, Senior
The skinny: The next "big thing" from Western Kentucky once ballooned up to 423 pounds during his freshman season at Florida State. He's since lost 100 pounds, but can still shatter backboards with his power dunks. Dixon has really come on of late and was among the leaders in the nation in field goal percentage this year. He uses his wide body to get position and blast people out of the way, a la Shaq. While scouts are obviously worried about the weight issue, his coach claims that he has an excellent work ethic and seems committed to basketball. Is he the second coming of Oliver Miller and Robert Traylor, or will he be able to keep the weight off? That's the biggest question in scouts' minds. A likely second-rounder.

10. Chris Garnett, Indiana Southeast
The line: 6-11, 275, Senior
The skinny: Garnett makes this list on the imploring of a couple of trusted scouts, including one who has followed his career since high school. Garnett showed up on the national radar after he went to the Nike camp this year as a counselor and held his own against Emeka Okafor in some scrimmages there. Garnett has an NBA body and good athleticism for a big man. However, his lack of consistent effort, his conditioning and the general lack of competition in the NAIA make him suspect. He's going to have to play great in Chicago and in individual workouts to get a shot. NBA scouts love big guys with bodies like his, but if he's not going to play hard, what's the point?

Best of the Rest: Peter John Ramos, Puerto Rico; Jackson Vroman, Iowa State; Velimir Radinovic, Ohio State; Aleksandar Djuric, Red Star (Serbia)

Wait until next year: Channing Frye, Arizona; Matt Nelson, Colorado State; Tan Zhendon, China; Edu Hernandez, Real Madrid (Spain); Ioannis Bourousis, AEK (Greece); Dimitri Soklov, Russia;