Yesterday, Bobcats president Michael Jordan had a workout scheduled with Rudy Gay, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy and Tyrus Thomas. Charlotte picks third in the NBA Draft next Wednesday and MJ wanted to get an up close and personal look at four of the top prospects.
Rudy Gay showed, but the other three stood Jordan up.
According to the Bobcats, Thomas (groin), Aldridge (ankle) and Roy (hamstring) all claimed injuries kept them from working out for His Airness.
However, injuries apparently were not the real reason, at least for Aldridge and Roy.
Arn Tellem, who is the agent for both Aldridge and Roy, told me Thursday evening that while Roy had “a slight hamstring issue,” injuries were not the reason his clients didn’t show.
“They didn’t show because I’m very comfortable where they’re going in the draft,” Tellem said.
Asked if that meant that a specific team had committed to taking them, Tellem said, “I know where they’re going, yes.”
But this doesn’t mean that Aldridge and Roy are going 1-2 or vice versa. Players today are far more concerned with their second contract than they are with their rookie deal, so being drafted higher isn’t always better. They want to go to the best possible situation so they have an opportunity to play and to succeed, so that they can cash in on their second contract.
For instance, Roy may already have a promise from the Bulls that they’ll draft him at #2. It’s possible that they’ll move Ben Gordon so that Roy can play alongside Kirk Hinrich, which would be a great situation. Or there’s a deal already in place that has the Bulls taking Roy for another team, such as the Lakers, which would bring Lamar Odom to Chicago. Roy could play alongside Kobe Bryant for one of the league’s premier franchises.
Roy could have a promise from the Blazers at #4, allowing him to play closer to Washington, where he played college ball. Or maybe he wants to play in Minnesota (#6) with Kevin Garnett. However, it is odd that he didn’t want to work out for the Bobcats, a team that definitely needs a shooting guard. In Aldridge’s case, it’s more understandable. The Bobcats have a crowded front line, and maybe he sees more opportunity to play in Portland or Atlanta. It’s hard to believe anyone wants to play for the Blazers, but anything’s possible.
