Prospects Work Out For Wolves: Tuesday Morning
Jonah BallowWolves Editor/Writer
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In day two of the pre-draft workouts, prolific college scorers took the floor at the Target Center. David Kahn, Jodie Meeks, and Goran Stuton addressed the media during the morning session.
Workout React:
--Goran Suton could be an option for the Wolves in the second round. The 6-10 Suton looked strong and showed range out to 17-feet. Minnesota would draft the PF/C to add depth to a small frontcourt.
--Greivis Vasquez nailed 3-point jumpers with ease. The Maryland point guard needs to improve defensively but you have to love his attacking style on the offensive side of the floor. Vasquez offers versatility with his 6-6 height and ball handling skills.
--Paul Harris was the most physically impressive player out of the morning session crew. If Harris can make the adjustment to shooting guard, he could be a lockdown defender off the bench for Minnesota.
--Jodie Meeks is a pure scorer as he proved to have a smooth stroke from the perimeter on Tuesday. Meeks scored 54 points against Tennessee this past season. The Wolves could snag a potential offensive threat late in the second round by selecting Meeks.
David Kahn Tuesday Morning AudioDavid Kahn, president of basketball operations surveyed another group of six potential draft picks on Tuesday morning. Kahn described the evaluation process this week.
"Everybody is here and the information that is being compiled is not like workout versus workout, it's person versus person. Circumstances sometimes dictate how somebody did in terms of their matchups, we just don't do it group versus group."
"Most teams including ours have put together what I would call the first draft or maybe the second draft of the top whatever and sure, we have ours as well. Those will be continually refined and massaged here over the next four weeks. After the early entry list announcement on June 15th is when you kind of go into lockdown mode. You take the intensity up to a whole different level. Now, it is very intense right now, I want to assure everybody of that. I came in this morning and I had a meeting outside the office and came into today and had everybody there. I left last night for a meeting, I left at about 6:15 last night, and everybody was there. We are working really hard right now so I don't want to create a perception that we are not intense right now. But I think on June 15th it will be ramped up even more so."
Kahn is not searching for one specific player heading into the June 25 draft. He reiterated the need to fill several different positions next season.
"We need so much, we have a lot of priorities. I think we all understand that if Al [Jefferson] had not gotten hurt, the team would have been a better team than it finished. By the same token, I don't think anybody would be saying that's the kind of team that is ready to compete for a championship. We need help in every way shape and form. We need length, we need perimeter shooting, we need guard play, there are a lot of things we need. So, in one level and I hope this comes across the right way, I think for us, perhaps the draft is a little bit easier than it is for other teams. We have some holes that need to be filled and as a result it not as we are trying to find one type of person that will make this team better. I think that we need several types of persons."
The following players participated in the Tuesday morning session:
Jodie Meeks (Ht. 6-4, Wt. 208) scored a team best 23.7 points while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from three-point range in 34.4 minutes per game for Kentucky last season. He was a unanimous All-SEC First Team selection and a Second Team AP All-American. Jodie Meeks Audio"I had some big games but they were not on national TV. That game kind of pole vaulted me into the national scene and just kept playing hard."
"I'm pretty confident in the way I can play. I think I'm a strong guard, who can guard the position pretty well and I have a high basketball IQ that will help me to make smart decisions."
"It is very different from college. In the NBA, the bodies are bigger, the floor is more spaced out, you have to play defensive rules differently but it just goes back to having a smart basketball IQ and listening to the coaches."
"I have not made a decision yet. I'm not really sure and undecided still. I still have a couple more weeks to decide and then make a smart decision and go from there."
"Coach Calipari is a great coach, if I go back to school, I will be happy to play for him. He said to do what is best for me, he said he would love to coach me and if I make the decision to stay in the draft, he said good luck to me."
Goran Suton (Ht. 6-10, Wt. 245) earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors last season as a senior with Michigan State. He averaged 10.1 points and a conference-high 8.2 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game, while knocking down 52.1 percent of his shots.
Goran Suton Audio"Playing in the Big Ten, it was a physical conference and you play against a lot of big men, a lot of different places, and I think we played everybody, especially since we had that good run in the NCAA tournament. I think it prepared me for the next level."
"It's a great organization and at this point it's about trying to make progress and make it to the NBA. Hopefully the Timberwolves take a lot of interest in me."
"My mobility to work from the perimeter and knock down the open jumpshot and get other players involved as well as rebound and play defense. "
Greivis Vasquez (Ht. 6-6, Wt. 190) led the Maryland Terrapins with 34.6 minutes, 17.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game last year. He scored in double figures in 57 of his last 61 games, while being named to the All-ACC Second Team for the second straight season.
Nando De Colo (Ht. 6-5, Wt. 190) played 28.2 minutes per game in 27 games in the French ProA League last season. He averaged 14.7 points, 3.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 35.2 from three-point range.
Paul Harris (Ht. 6-4, Wt. 230) played 30.5 minutes per game as a junior for Syracuse last season. He played in all but one game during the season, and ranked third on the team with 12.0 points per game and led the Orange with 8.1 rebounds.
Josh Heytvelt (Ht. 6-11, Wt. 260) averaged 14.9 points and 6.5 rebounds while playing 29.2 minutes per game for the Gonzaga Bulldogs last season. He scored in double figures in all but five games and was named to the All-WCC First Team.
MONDAY AFTERNOON SESSION RECAP
MONDAY MORNING SESSION RECAP
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