Embiid and Parker to skip nba draft combine

[biggs]

Add Wiggum to the list. Dominoes...

[incoherent]

Not surprised, this is becoming the standard.

[Mazingerz]

Add Wiggum to the list. Dominoes...

Chief Wiggums?

[playdream]

Good news
Let Embiid fall to us

[wdleehi]

Oh no, the top three picks are not going to the NBA pony show!



What do they have to gain?  The are going to visit the teams at the top of the draft.  They are probably the most scouted players this year. 



This is the chance for guy that are on the bubble of first and 2nd round to show NBA teams that they should be getting the 1st round contract. 

[CeltsAcumen]

NBA draft combine is not the premier talent evaluation for NBA prospects.  Las Vegas, Phoenix, Chicago, and Norfolk are the big bball events.  I really have no idea why and NBA prospect would waste their time at a combine. 

No way to really gauge shooting ability or defensive skills in terms of shot blocking by measuring how high you jump or how fast you run.  Its just not the same as with the NFL.

This isn't really true.  Norfolk, for instance, is only for college seniors, and most of the kids who show up are trying to show for a summer league invite.  The combine is the premier place for measurements, physicals, and meeting with team officials.

It's not unprecedented for top prospects to participate marginally, but it's unusual for them to not show up and say hello.  They're represented by the same agent, and it's a bit of a power play in my opinion.  I don't think it will hurt Parker at all, and it might not hurt Embiid if he'll look better in four weeks than he does now.  That said, I think Embiid is playing with fire -- the expectation is he won't go to a physical for more than the top 2 teams.  If they don't take him, does whomever pick 3rd think that teams 1 and 2 just like Parker and Wiggins more (possible), or that there is something to avoid in his medical reports?  It could definitely cause him to fall if a few teams don't want to take a risk on something that they haven't seen, but that the teams who have seen it have passed on.

Versus what the all of the draft camps prior to the combine.

NBA talent is evaluated in mini camps and individual work outs.  Norfolk is the first and yes is just college seniors who have a potential to be drafted or an invite.

You can go and look at each roster from each year of Norfolk and you find 5-10 draftees each year.

Parker, Wiggins and Embiid are the first three players taken in the draft, no matter how you order them.  Their contracts will be close to the same so there is no need to be evaluated.  Let the NBA bring them in for personal workouts and watch their NCAA careers.

[LooseCannon]

The last #1 overall pick to skip the combine was....Anthony Bennett (who was recovering from surgery).

[Donoghus]

This has been going on in the NFL for years so I'm not surprised that its beginning to trickle into the NBA and we're starting to see the same thing.

These guys will still be evaluated at team workouts.  They'll still be plenty of information on them going into the draft.

[Galeto]

This has been going on in the NFL for years so I'm not surprised that its beginning to trickle into the NBA and we're starting to see the same thing.

These guys will still be evaluated at team workouts.  They'll still be plenty of information on them going into the draft.

Skipping the combine altogether is taking it to a whole another level.  The top projected picks in the NBA have always at least shown up to the combine.  They've never participated in the group workouts but they at least went through the athletic testing even if it meant not being able to do the bench press one time like Durant.  The best reason to show up has been to take the physical so they don't have to take one on each individual team visit. 

I can understand Embiid not showing up; like Bennett, teams are probably going to want to examine him for themselves so the combine physical might be a waste of time.  But Jabari not showing up?  Even in his home town?  That makes so sense.  It makes me suspect that he didn't want his body fat percentage out there in the public.  I would've pegged his percentage to be in the high teens. 

I don't understand Wiggins following in the footsteps of Embiid and Parker.  There's no body fat excuse, no injury and he would've created serious buzz with his athletic testing numbers, buzz that might not have budged his draft slot because he's ranked so highly but couldn't hurt regardless.  I think he seized upon Jabari and Embiid opting out to skip out on what seems like a very tedious experience.

[D.o.s.]

I thought the purpose of the combine was to measure the players, run certain jumping tests, etc.  Why not show up for that?

Will Exum be there?

Right now they're the top 3 kids in the draft, largely based on potential, which includes running and jumping.  If they run and jump below expectations, they'll only fall.  They have nowhere to go but down.  The best they can hope is to stay where they are.  I understand it.

There is risk, of course, that someone shows up and looks amazing and passes one of them (likely Vonleh over Embiid), but the risk is relatively low.

Or Darko over Carmelo, Bosh, and Wade.