NBA Draft Promises & the Rockets trying to get a late 1st round pick?

don't know if this is a reliable site or not, but it has some interesting info.

By Ryan Feldman
rfeldman@thehoopsreport.com

Sunday, June 20, 2010

With the NBA Draft just days away, teams are starting to figure out who they would like to draft. Many teams still aren't sure and are holding multiple workouts in the final week before the draft.

Some players are confident where they stand after receiving promises from teams and are pulling out of their remaining workouts.

Based on info gathered from various sources, I am confident in confirming the following draft promises. Some of these already have been reported by other media outlets, but I have done my research and have been able to confirm them as well.


LARRY SANDERS

The Bucks have told Larry Sanders that they will draft him if he's still on the board at No. 15. But the Bucks are actually trying to trade down because they know it's unlikely anyone will take Sanders before No. 15 and there isn't a ton of teams interested in Sanders in the first 20-25 picks. The Bucks do want Sanders and they told him they will take him. But I don't know how much I believe the promise by the Bucks. If someone else slips to them, like Ekpe Udoh, Cole Aldrich or Luke Babbitt (for the record, I don't think any of them will be available at No. 15), I could see the Bucks changing their mind and taking one of them. If that were to happen, I believe Sanders would really fall deep into the late first round or possibly even into the early second round. There just hasn't been an incredible amount of interest for Sanders. But the Bucks told Sanders they will take him, so we have to believe that for now.

PAUL GEORGE

Paul George received a promise from the Timberwolves at No. 16. The Bucks originally had a lot of interest in George at No. 15 and it seemed like he would land there before the Bucks promised Larry Sanders. George is confident he won't get past No. 16. His agent knows the Rockets are taking a big man and he doesn't want to play for the Grizzlies, so there was only one other team he felt the necessity to work out for - the Toronto Raptors at No. 13. The Timberwolves are looking to put together an exciting young wing combination with George and Wesley Johnson.

PATRICK PATTERSON

Patterson may or may not have received a promise from the Toronto Raptors at No. 13, but he walked away from his workout very confident that they will take him if he's there. He even cancelled a workout with the Bucks, who own the No. 15 pick. The Hornets are also a strong possibility at No. 11. It's not entirely confirmed, but it seems that Patterson has received a pretty strong commitment from the Raptors.

DOMINIQUE JONES

The Celtics have been enamored by Dominique Jones since the college basketball season. They brought him in right away for a draft workout and haven't worked out many other guys they could take with the No. 19 pick. Trading down is a possibility and simply taking whoever slips to them is also possible, but the Celtics really like Jones and may take him at No. 19. If Jones doesn't go there, he could slip to the early second round.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS

Williams received a lot of love from the San Antonio Spurs when he worked out for them in his first draft workout. He apparently is injured but not quite as injured as some are making it out to be. Instead, the word is that he was using that knee injury as an excuse not to work out for teams drafting below the Spurs. And he hasn't received much interest from teams drafting before the Spurs. Therefore, he was content enough with a strong commitment from the Spurs and decided to lay low for a while. After getting a call from the Houston Rockets, he worked out for them as well, but they aren't taking a guard at No. 14. Instead, the Rockets were considering acquiring another late first round pick to draft Williams if he is available, but Williams attended the workout because they have the No. 14 pick.

DANIEL ORTON

Orton shut down the rest of his draft workouts after getting a promise from the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 21. Originally, it appeared that Orton would go earlier than that, maybe even as high as No. 10 to the Pacers. But his stock has been falling recently, making a promise at No. 21 good enough for Orton to shut down the rest of his workouts.

EVAN TURNER

There is no doubt that the Sixers are taking Evan Turner at No. 2. Turner knows that after working out in Philadelphia on Thursday and the Sixers have made it obvious as well. Ed Stefanski said he's known all along who they will draft. Turner only worked out for one team for a reason. The Sixers would trade down if Turner wasn't their guy. The Sixers would've considered a trade if the team took Elton Brand and they could still have a top five pick. But the Nets and Timberwolves, who are saving their cap room to try and sign a top free agent, won't take on Brand's contract. And the Sixers already made a trade this week with the Kings. Therefore, the Sixers are staying at No. 2 and will be drafting Turner. Mark it down.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

For a while, the Memphis Grizzlies were thought to be taking Luke Babbitt at No. 12. They stopped working out candidates for the No. 12 pick for a couple weeks, but suddenly decided they want to take a look at more players before deciding on Babbitt. They worked out 22 players, including Babbitt, in the last six days. Babbitt is still the frontrunner as of now, but Xavier Henry is gaining a lot of steam within the organization and could be the pick over Babbitt if both are available.

MIAMI HEAT

The Miami Heat are prepared to draft Solomon Alabi at No. 19 and hinted that to him when he worked out for them. But there are members of the front office who are pushing towards taking Avery Bradley or Eric Bledsoe if they are available because the Heat lack a quality point guard.

DARINGTON HOBSON

As I previously reported, Darington Hobson has a promise from multiple teams in the late first round. Those teams could include the Nets and Wizards. Hobson injured his ankle last week in a workout and could have easily stopped working out for teams. Instead, he still attended all of his workouts, even if he couldn't play, and is not cancelling any of his workouts.

http://thehoopsreport.com/article.aspx?id=514

 

I dunno about Elliot Williams.. he is an undersized SG. He's 6-4 180. If he could develop PG skills, then he would be a nice pick.

 

Elliot is very athletic and has a quick first step, but he lacks ideal size to play SG in the NBA.