**2016 NBA Draft Combine Thread (measurements, news, rumors, etc.)**

[Eddie20]

NBA Draft Combine

May 11-15


https://mediacentral.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2016/05/2016-Draft-Combine-Anthropometric-Results.pdf?cid=nbacomsocial_tw_sf26163323

Kansas junior Wayne Selden will only participate in interviews and medical exams at the NBA draft combine – pulling out of on-court drills – after undergoing a recent procedure for a small meniscus tear in his knee, league sources told The Vertical.

Miami senior Sheldon McClellan will now attend the combine as a replacement, sources told The Vertical.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25583172/nba-draft-2016-five-things-to-know-about-the-nba-draft-combine

Regarding athletic and measurements, look for Kris Dunn, Jakob Poeltl, Jaylen Brown, and Demetrius Jackson to stand out

Dunn might be around 6-foot-5 with a 6-10 wingspan by the time the combine is finished. He's been measured in the past at 6-4 with a 6-9.5 wingspan, which are superb numbers for a true point. Also, if he goes through full testing, he'll likely excel in quickness and leaping measures. Poeltl has been said to a 36-inch vertical leap, and as a true 7-footer with a solid wingspan, that should play well in the combine room.

Brown is 6-7 with a 7-foot-plus wingspan, plus he's explosive athletically. He still has a long way to go in his game, but he's tailor made for an event like this. Finally, Jackson might be another standout, as he has a really good vertical leap as well as long arms with a 6-6-plus wingspan measured in the past.

Interviews are more important than measurements, though

Almost every executive will tell you that the back-end of the combine is much more important than the front-facing side of things. That's where teams get a chance to meet with a wide range of prospects and get a feel for their personality. How committed to the game are they? Do they have a strong understanding of their weaknesses and how to improve? How do they fare when they're placed out of their comfort zone mentally? What kind of fit would they be in our specific locker room? What do they like to do off the floor? Are they going to cause you problems in the future?

Obviously, not all of these questions can be answered in a perfect manner. Like any job interview, you can't learn everything about a single person in an hourlong sitting. But like they say, first impressions leave an awfully large mark. Teams tend to keep information regarding interviews closely guarded, but I would expect standouts in this portion to include Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, Denzel Valentine, and Ben Bentil. Some players who will have some tougher questions to answer about their future will be A.J. Hammons, Marquese Chriss, Skal Labissiere, and Damian Jones. That's not to say these guys are malcontents by any stretch, but rather that they have a significant question mark about their play moving forward.

However, the most important part of the combine is undoubtedly the medical testing

All prospects who attend the combine are put through a rigorous examination to find any underlying or potentially hazardous long-term issues. Last season, Kevon Looney was a faller in the draft due to some issues that were found with his hip. Robert Upshaw was found to have a heart issue that scared some teams off (as well as his generally inconsistent behavior). A few others fell in the draft due to questions about their medicals, as well. Basically, the thing is this: some teams just do not feel comfortable drafting those who they consider to be a medical risk. Being available to play is the most important part of being on an NBA team, and some coaches just don't want guys who, going into their careers, could be seen as having availability issues.

In terms of players to watch for in terms of their medicals, Caris LeVert is easily the player most will have their eyes on. LeVert has missed parts of each of the last two seasons with recurring foot injuries that have been surgically repaired each time. If he gets a clean check, he's a first round pick. If not, his status becomes a bit more clouded. Other players who are currently healthy but whose medicals could come back questionable: Stephen Zimmerman (elbow, knee), Jaron Blossomgame (leg), and the aforementioned Dunn (shoulder).

[trickybilly]

No internationals except the giant Chinese kid, which augurs well for our probable draftandstash strategy.

Wonder if Danny has offered Pope a deal already, which might explain his absence??

[Csfan1984]

I think there is a real chance Brown will slide on draft boards if he isn't 6'6+. If he is under 6'5.5 he is going to slide like Winslow.

[Eddie20]

ESPN2 will televise the 2016 NBA DRAFT Combine from 3-7 p.m. ET, on Thursday, May 12 and Friday, May 13. The event emanates from the Quest Multisport Complex in Chicago, Ill. This is the first in a series of ESPN 2016 NBA DRAFT events, which also includes the 2016 NBA DRAFT Lottery presented by State Farm (May 17) and the 2016 NBA DRAFT (June 23).

The ESPN2 telecasts will include whip-around coverage from the two scheduled five-on-five scrimmages on both Thursday and Friday, in addition to the regular set of drills: max vertical leap, no-step vertical leap, court sprint, shuttle drill, bench press and shooting drills. Simultaneously, ESPN3 will carry complete Combine scrimmage action from 3-7 p.m. both days. The 2016 NBA DRAFT Combine will also be available via WatchESPN.

Two-Time NBA All-Star Caron Butler (Sacramento Kings) will serve as a guest analyst for the ESPN2 telecasts. He will join the main crew, led by Mark Jones, who will serve as both host and play-by-play commentator during this year's coverage. Jones will be joined by a variety of ESPN basketball analysts, including Jay Bilas (college basketball analyst), Ja[/tt]y Williams (college basketball analyst), Fran Fraschilla (college basketball analyst, International expert) and Tom Penn (NBA analyst, front office expert). Additionally, Andy Katz (ESPN.com senior writer) will serve as reporter and Brooke Weisbrod will serve as social media correspondent.

[Eddie20]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/front-office-insider--2016-draft-combine-132907377.html

Although the five-on-five scrimmage, measurements, agility testing and who’s participating in what will garner attention at the 2016 NBA draft combine, the real work is done behind the scenes.
Teams have scouted players in game settings for quite some time, and two days of court work will not tilt the scales.

Terry Rozier and Larry Nance Jr. were the only players who played five-on-five at the combine last year who were drafted in the first round. In fact, only 16 of the 36 players who played five-on-five were actually drafted.

With the combine beginning Wednesday, featuring such college stars as Brandon Ingram, Buddy Hield and Denzel Valentine, here’s The Vertical’s look at how teams handle the event and what goes on behind the scenes.


Once the April 24 early entry deadline passes, each team is sent an email with a list of prospects that includes early entries, seniors and international players. Teams then vote for up to 70 players, with the league office compiling the voting lists and making the invites. Sixty-three players were selected this year, and an additional player was added Tuesday.
Teams did face a new wrinkle this year during the voting process.

With a record 162 entries – including 115 college prospects – declaring for the draft because of a change in NCAA rules, teams were forced to prioritize the selection process.

Teams focused on underclassmen testing the draft waters first, then international players, underclassmen who had hired agents and, lastly, college seniors.

Teams did not want to risk losing a free look at a prospect who could withdraw on May 25. The same strategy applied to international players because it’s a big advantage to evaluate a prospect on U.S. soil instead of traveling overseas.

College seniors paid the price with the new eligibility rules. Teams had plenty of info on four-year players and gravitated more to unknown prospects. College seniors also will remain in the draft past May 25, giving teams a full month to work them out.

This year 23 out of the 64 players are seniors.

Being a senior and not participating in the combine isn’t necessarily the end for a prospect. Josh Richardson was not selected for the combine, was picked in the second round and flourished with the Miami Heat.

Prioritizing the interview list
Once the NBA finalizes the participant list, teams then vote for the prospects they would like to interview.

Teams can only select 30 players and must place an A, B or C grade based on preference. Out of the 30, 18 players will be selected.

Teams often pick prospects to interview that fall outside of their draft range.

A team like the Clippers, who have picks Nos. 25 and 33, should focus on players whose range is in the top 15. With the challenge of getting lottery prospects to commit to a draft visit, the combine interview will be the only time for a one-on-one visit.

Even if the player is off the board when the Clippers select, the information gathered would be filed into the team’s scouting database and used in future trade discussions or free agency.

Having a baseline of information is critical.

The interview
The interview is the most important process during the combine.


There is a three-day window to interview 18 prospects for 30 minutes each.
Interviews start on Wednesday afternoon (2 p.m.-8 p.m. ET) with a shorter time frame on Thursday and Friday morning (8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. ET)

The process is intimidating for prospects, beginning with the room.

The hotel furniture is removed and replaced with a circular table with a note pad and hotel pens. The space looks more like an interrogation room than a hotel room.

The people in the room vary from the general managers to head coaches to scouts. A team often has a psychologist asking questions and taking notes.

Although agents will coach players on the interview process, nothing can really get a player totally prepared.

Each player goes through a different interview based on the background teams have gathered. No interview is the same.

The background obtained is not from the player’s former head coach, but from sources such as academic advisers, trainers and strength coaches. The people behind the scenes often have a more intimate knowledge of the player.

Derrick Favors was 18 and fresh off his first year at Georgia Tech when he entered a hotel room with the New Jersey Nets for his first interview with team executives.

“I was a little nervous. That was the first time ever being in a setting like that,” the Utah Jazz forward told The Vertical. “It was a wakeup call that the NBA was a business.”

Favors might have been nervous, but the background the Nets had on him going into the interview was spotless. A month later the Nets selected Favors with the third overall pick in the 2010 draft.

Teams already know the answers before interviewing the player. The interview is just the confirmation.

The medical aspect
The team medical staff plays a crucial role in the draft process.

The last day of the combine focuses on players going through a comprehensive physical. Each player will receive a grade and any current or past injuries will be thoroughly researched.

Each team will be represented by its orthopedic surgeon and internist and will join forces with the other 29 teams, including physicians representing the NBA.

The combine physical will be the last time teams can evaluate players medically. The team can request additional testing when a player makes a predraft visit, but the agent must sign off on it.

Ben Simmons, Dejounte Murray and Damontis Sabonis declined an invite and must get physicals on their own. Dragan Bender, projected to go in the top five, is still playing in Europe.

The likely scenario is for Simmons’ agent, Rich Paul, to arrange a physical for Simmons and share the information with the teams with the top two draft selections. Paul can play hardball though and refuse to release the medical information based on which teams are picking in the top two.

Bender will go through his medicals when he arrives in the States for his draft visits in June, with his agent handling the details. The information will then be conveyed to teams on a need-to-know basis.

Sabonis and Murray are different than Simmons. Sabonis is projected to go in the late teens, and Murray is a borderline first-round pick. The best scenario for them would be to have one team conduct a physical and then share the info with the other 29 teams. All 30 teams would then split the cost of the physical.

However if either Sabonis or Murray has a guarantee, look for the medical information to remain secret.

[Eddie20]

https://amp.twimg.com/v/ca40985d-c2c2-4690-9767-4e5a9b6aeb1a


Anyone know who that is before Valentine?

[sofutomygaha]

https://amp.twimg.com/v/ca40985d-c2c2-4690-9767-4e5a9b6aeb1a


Anyone know who that is before Valentine?

looks like it might be Deyonta Davis?

[Eddie20]

Zhou Qi, 20 years old (China), unofficially has largest wingspan (7'7.75") + standing reach (9'4.5") at '16 combine

[mef730]

Wonder if Danny has offered Pope a deal already, which might explain his absence??

Do they count the his in the measurement? I mean, other guys get measured in sneakers.

Mike

[Evantime34]

Zhou Qi, 20 years old (China), unofficially has largest wingspan (7'7.75") + standing reach (9'4.5") at '16 combine

That is nuts. I wonder if he's really 20 though.

[Eddie20]

That's without shoes, so add another 1.5 inches to their height! Poeltl stock will soar especially with his projected 36-38 inch vert

Unofficially, the top three 2016 combine heights (without shoes)

1. Zhou Qi - 7'1.25"
2. Jacob Poetl - 7'0.25"
3. Thon Maker - 6'11.75"

[sofutomygaha]

That's also a legit 7'9" wingspan for Zhou if you put shoes on his hands.

That's without shoes, so add another 1.5 inches to their height! Poeltl stock will soar especially with his projected 36-38 inch vert

Unofficially, the top three 2016 combine heights (without shoes)

1. Zhou Qi - 7'1.25"
2. Jacob Poetl - 7'0.25"
3. Thon Maker - 6'11.75"

[sofutomygaha]

Zhou Qi, 20 years old (China), unofficially has largest wingspan (7'7.75") + standing reach (9'4.5") at '16 combine

That is nuts. I wonder if he's really 20 though.

He's actually 20 barefoot, 19 in shoes.

[Eddie20]

Zhou Qi, 20 years old (China), unofficially has largest wingspan (7'7.75") + standing reach (9'4.5") at '16 combine

That is nuts. I wonder if he's really 20 though.

He's actually 20 barefoot, 19 in shoes.

Is this humor? If so, I don't follow. Players listed heights are with shoes, so since this is without shoes it makes a difference.

[Eddie20]

Unofficial top hand lengths at combine

1. Dedric Lawson / Ben Bentil - 9.5"
3. Zhou Qi / Pascal Siakam / Georges Niang / Jake Poetl - 9.25"