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Pre-Draft Workouts Continue With BYU’s Rafael Araujo
PRE-DRAFT WORKOUTS CONTINUE WITH BYU'S RAFAEL ARAUJO
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BobcatsBasketball.com visited with both Bobcats General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff and Araujo after his workout:
GENERAL MANAGER & HEAD COACH
BERNIE BICKERSTAFF
(on Araujo)
He’s 290 pounds. He’s solid. They say his body fat is like 16 percent, so apparently that’s pretty good. He runs well and has the ability to step out on the floor and shoot the basketball. The guy is an excellent passer. I can see that as he moves around (NBA team workouts) his stock will definitely improve.
(on his option as a number four draft pick)
I think we have to remain objective about that. The guys is intriguing because of his size, ability to run, ability to shoot and he’s a little nasty (tough). I don’t think we can rule it out. This is the reason that we’re bringing people in, so that if we find a guy that we fall in love with and we think can be a part of our core for the long haul, then that’s where we need to do our due diligence now to get that second pick.
(on his lateral quickness)
We’ve got some agility tests that we do in the locker room and he was pretty good. They do left leg, right leg, lateral movement. We’ve got some standards that we can make some judgments. What you have to think about when you talk about a guy that big is that they don’t have to cover as much territory laterally as the guys who are out on the perimeter. You keep guys like that close to the basket. You make sure you switch him out with other people and keep him low. Where he can create the problems for other big guys is on screen and rolls, he can pick and pop and make shots.
(on his overall game)
I like his size and I like his ability to shoot the ball. I like the fact that he is a little nasty and tough. His passing is pretty good. We didn’t do a lot testing on his passing because we’ve seen in game situations that he can pass the basketball. We did have some outlet passing and he got it to halfcourt. His ballhandling skills are not bad at all. He can face you, put it down (dribble) and go.
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They’ve got the same body type. He’s probably got a little more range than Karl and probably a better shooter than Karl was when he came into the league. Now, the great thing about Karl is that he got better. He was like a 50 percent free throw shooter when he came into the league and he’s gotten better. So, if he’s got the same work ethic that Karl had to improve himself, then they are some kindred spirits. But I think the kindred spirits right now is body.
(on what he’s looking for in a center)
We are looking for bangers. The guys that you want are the guys that can lay the hammer on people on screens. You want to make people think about it when they are running off those screens which gives your guy the opportunity to free up and get shots because they just don’t want that punishment.
RAFAEL ARAUJO
(on being able to be more physical in the NBA)
In college I got into a lot of foul trouble. My coaches in the summer have worked with me on staying in place and not reaching -- all of the little things to stay in the game. I’ve tried to improve on that. The NBA game is a different game. It’s physical and they let you play more. I think it will be more of my game. I think I will have more success in the NBA because they have more guys with the same size body and they will let you play. There won’t be as many touch fouls and I’ll be able to more physical.
(on his college foul troubles)
A lot of times in the low post, I was playing against guys that were maybe 230 pounds and I’m 290. The referees would have a hard time reading my style of play. It’s like Shaquille O’Neal, they have a hard time understanding whether it’s a foul or whether he’s just stronger. The referees teach me. They always help me out. I always talk to the referee during the game and I ask them to tell me what I did wrong because I want to get better. They usually work with me.
(on his feel for where he’ll go in the draft)
It’s really hard to say. I feel like you just fill out an application and then just leave and wait for the call. The coaches are really serious about that. They don’t tell you too much. They (NBA coaches) have treated me really good, but it’s a big business and I really don’t know. They tell me first round – somewhere between 15 and 20. Some guys are telling me right now that I’m a lottery pick. I just want to wait for June 24 – that’s when it will be the real deal.
(on working on his weaknesses)
Instead of just working on really heavy weights this summer, I’ve been doing a lot of quickness stuff, explosive techniques. I still gain weight, but I work on my quickness. That has helped me a lot with my quickness and my agility.
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I’m a big fan of Karl Malone. When I was a kid, I used to watch him because he is big, quick and he shoots the ball well. He also has good strength. I always tried to learn something from him. When I was 16-years-old and playing in Brazil in the clubs, I was always turning the ball over like crazy. But I would work on it and it was things you just had to try. You get better over time and start understanding the play that you’re reading. You start to see more of the court and see where to throw the right pass. I always try to get s layups for my guy – the guy uses my screen and I give him the ball. I’m really unselfish, I give up the ball to the guys (teammates). My coach always thought I was the best passer on the team because I could pass the ball as a big guy, but the guys had a hard time passing the ball to me (laughing).
(on comparing himself to other NBA players)
I never compare myself to somebody else. I like to watch other players and take a little bit that I can add to my game, like Tim Duncan and how he hits bank shots off the glass. He makes that shot 70 percent of the time. He’s one of the big guys that makes big shots in the NBA. That’s a big key. If you make your shots, you stay in the game. If you miss your shots, you sit down. You have to get better, take the better percentage shots and help the team.
(on playing for an expansion team)
It’s a new team and with a new team you always have opportunity. It’s a good opportunity for a young guy. I’ll have to bust my butt here and work really hard to get my space.
(on your workout today)
I’ve been in a lot of workouts over the past couple weeks and the energy is not the same as the first one because you get really tired with flying and all the travel. I think I did pretty good. At the beginning I was struggling a little with shooting the ball, but I got focused and started making shots. We did a lot of shooting. They had me work with screens to see how my feet work. They study everything.
