A team source informed us that the Chicago Bulls were blown away by Saer Senes athleticism, upside and speed at a workout he recently conducted at the Berto Center. According to the source, Sene blew the roof off the workout and is now considered a legitimate option for the Bulls at #16. "He might be the longest person in the world!"
When talking about potential problems he might face in the NBA with the speed the game is played at, the source was adamant about the fact that he tested out extremely well off the court and that his learning curve appears to be very sharp.
Similar questions we posed via email to a coach he worked with this past year in Belgium garnered the following response: If you saw the progression hes made you would be amazed. His talent to pick up fundamentals is amazing. In the games he wasn't always ready to catch the ball, but for me it was more inexperience than bad hands. He's a good kid, with a golden heart. With the necessary aid of personal coaches who take their time, I really believe that he has a great future in the NBA.
Sene will be working out in Philadelphia today (20th) with Hilton Armstrong, Oleksiy Pecherov and Patrick OBryant. After that he has the Phoenix Suns scheduled on the 22nd, a second visit with the Supersonics on the 23rd, a second visit with his biggest fan Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz on the 25th, and potentially Houston before the draft. His range appears to be somewhere in the 10-21 area, with the New York Knicks being a major hindrance to Phoenixs hopes of him being there at 21 after having watched him work out and fallen in love with him during the week of the Orlando pre-draft camp.
Senes potential is not lost on the shoe companies either, as hes recently reached a three year marketing deal agreement with Nike.
Recent talk has the Phoenix Suns potentially packaging both of their picks (#21+#27) into the teens to draft him.
DraftExpress has exclusively obtained an 8 minute long highlight reel of Sene for our users to enjoy. The clip features plenty of plays from the Nike Hoop Summit in April, as well as game footage from this past season in Belgium with Pepinster.
When talking about potential problems he might face in the NBA with the speed the game is played at, the source was adamant about the fact that he tested out extremely well off the court and that his learning curve appears to be very sharp.
Similar questions we posed via email to a coach he worked with this past year in Belgium garnered the following response: If you saw the progression hes made you would be amazed. His talent to pick up fundamentals is amazing. In the games he wasn't always ready to catch the ball, but for me it was more inexperience than bad hands. He's a good kid, with a golden heart. With the necessary aid of personal coaches who take their time, I really believe that he has a great future in the NBA.
Sene will be working out in Philadelphia today (20th) with Hilton Armstrong, Oleksiy Pecherov and Patrick OBryant. After that he has the Phoenix Suns scheduled on the 22nd, a second visit with the Supersonics on the 23rd, a second visit with his biggest fan Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz on the 25th, and potentially Houston before the draft. His range appears to be somewhere in the 10-21 area, with the New York Knicks being a major hindrance to Phoenixs hopes of him being there at 21 after having watched him work out and fallen in love with him during the week of the Orlando pre-draft camp.
Senes potential is not lost on the shoe companies either, as hes recently reached a three year marketing deal agreement with Nike.
Recent talk has the Phoenix Suns potentially packaging both of their picks (#21+#27) into the teens to draft him.
DraftExpress has exclusively obtained an 8 minute long highlight reel of Sene for our users to enjoy. The clip features plenty of plays from the Nike Hoop Summit in April, as well as game footage from this past season in Belgium with Pepinster.
Jordan Running the Show in Charlotte?
Sources in Charlotte have informed us that Michael Jordan will have a major part in deciding who the Bobcats draft with the 3rd pick. The Bobcats are telling people that since Jordan did not pay close attention to the nuances of the college basketball scene this past season, whoever they draft will have to work out in front of him and prove their value.
Jordan will be sitting in on an extremely intriguing workout on Thursday scheduled for Rudy Gay, Brandon Roy and Tyrus Thomas. The day will kick off at 9 with a one on none workout featuring LaMarcus Aldridge, who continues to raise questions about his heartbeat by refusing competitive workouts. The Bobcats attempted to add Adam Morrison to the wing trio (Gay, Roy, Thomas) scheduled for 1-3 PM, but Morrisons commitment to a late afternoon workout on Wednesday with Toronto will not permit him to join in.
The problem for Charlotte is that its not a given that their other invites will show up either. Tyrus Thomas is also rumored to have pulled out of the workout, as he did yesterday with the Portland Trailblazers. Many feel that a deal is already in place for a team to trade for the Bulls #2 pick, and that Thomas has been informed that hell be the one taken there. Brandon Roy is also rumored to be pulling out of the workout on Thursday, although this makes quite a bit less sense.
Information we received today says that as many as six teams are currently in the hunt to trade up for the #1 or #2 pick, and that its likely Adam Morrison that they covet. The six teams are Minnesota, Boston, Houston, Phoenix, Portland and Charlotte. Morrison could very well conduct workouts with the teams that appear most serious about trading up in the draft to get him.
Ainge, McHale Working Together Again
Former teammates Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale are taking the somewhat unorthodox approach of sharing workouts in order to get a better read on some of the prospects they are interested in watching. The Minnesota Timberwolves had an intriguing workout on Sunday featuring Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, Shawne Williams, Thabo Sefolosha and Marcus Vincius Viera de Souza, and allowed both the General Manager and President of the Boston Celtics, Chris Wallace and Danny Ainge, to attend. At that workout,
Marcus Vincius (Marquinhos) banged his finger on Rudy Gay's hip, and broke the ring finger on his non-shooting hand. He will be out of action for 3-4 weeks at least, which makes the Timberwolves his last workout.
To return the favor, the Celtics will reportedly host the Timberwolves for a workout in Boston on June 23rd.
Consistent information out of Minnesota says that the #1 player on their board is combo guard Randy Foye, as he had one of the most impressive workouts theyve conducted this far and are enamored with his toughness, perimeter defense, shooting and all-around attitude. He was particularly impressive with the work he did against Ronnie Brewer, showing his potential to defend either the 1 or 2 positions in the NBA. He also did a good job off the court in the interviews.
Minnesota also supposedly has the option of moving down in the draft, as an offer is on the table from the New Orleans Hornets to trade the #6 pick in return for the #12 and #15 picks. In that scenario, the Hornets would likely draft Rudy Gay should he be available.
Shelden Williams Guaranteed by Atlanta?
Not one NBA source weve spoken with over the past week puts any stock in the rumors of Atlanta guaranteeing Shelden Williams with the 5th pick in the draft. The arguments have been made numerous names, mostly centering around the fact that he will surely be on the board at #5 regardless of whether they guarantee him or not and is still yet to workout for the Hawks. Most believe that Williams has a promise either at 12 to New Orleans or at 13 with Philadelphia.
Trade Talk
-The San Antonio Spurs are searching for a first round draft pick, presumably to take an athletic defensive oriented wing player to back up and eventually replace Bruce Bowen.
-Houston and Orlando are talking about swapping picks.
-The Hawks are exploring trading down in the draft, likely to a spot where it would make more sense to draft Shelden Williams.
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