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June 25, 2008
on Wednesday, June 25.
Video - Day 11 | UPDATED PICS - Gallery | Draft Central
Charlotte wrapped up their draft workouts on Wednesday at the Presbyterian Training Center at Time Warner Cable Arena with Virginia Union's Brad Byerson, UNC-Charlotte's Leemire Goldwire, Ohio State's Othello Hunter, Kansas' Darnell Jackson, Clemson's James Mays and High Point's Arizona Reid all auditioning for the Bobcats.
Brad Byerson was named the CIAA Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-CIAA Team after averaging 16.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals in 2007-08.
Leemire Goldwire averaged 18.6 points in his senior season with the 49ers while shooting .373 from the field, .345 from beyond the 3-point line.
Othello Hunter averaged 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds during his senior season and helped guide Ohio State to the NIT title.
Darnell Jackson helped lead Kansas to four straight Big 12 regular season titles and the 2008 NCAA Championship. He averaged 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting .626 from the field his senior season.
James Mays averaged 10.7 points and 6.8 points in 2007-08 to help Clemson reach the NCAA Tournament.
Arizona Reid was named the Big South Conference Player of the Year for the second straight season. He averaged 23.9 and 11.0 rebounds in 2007-08 while becoming the first player in the Big South to average a double-double for the year.
Following the workout, Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins and Head Coach Larry Brown talked about tomorrow's NBA Draft.
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Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins
(On the workout process)
It went very well. I think we had an opportunity to bring in a lot of first round type players and a lot of second round type players for our 38th pick. Now the work is on us to make that decision come tomorrow night.
(On if the Bobcats are comfortable with the position they are in)
We’re comfortable, but by the same token we’re contemplating a lot of scenarios where we can possibly move up or we can possibly trade. Those are the things a lot of teams are doing right now and we’re one of those teams.
(On the possibility of trades happening)
I think they have great possibility of happening. You hear speculation and rumors around the league, about guys trying to move up, move down or trade. A lot of it could be talk. You saw today where a team purchased a first round pick. Those are the type of things that are going on. We’re no different. We’ve talked to every team in the league and we’re trying to just better our team.
(On how comfortable the Bobcats are with picking ninth)
We’re very comfortable in picking at nine. I think we have some players that could come in and make an impact on our team immediately. We’re prepared to draft at nine.
(On if the Bobcats are more likely to trade up or down)
I think if we had our preference we would try to trade up, but that’s just one team talking. I don’t think we’re planning to move down and pick. I just don’t see the scenarios there for us for improvement with that route.
(On if the Bobcats would trade the ninth pick for a veteran)
That’s always an option, but you have to have the right veteran. You also have make a financial decision if you do it that route because you’re going to have to trade dollar for dollar to make that happen. We discussed that but it’s probably a less likely scenario.
(On if any agents have reached out to the Bobcats because their player’s stock might be falling)
There have been some agents that have reached out because their players probably aren’t as high as they thought they were going to be drafted. The scenarios are starting to not come into their favor and they probably should have come in to work out for us nine. Guys are trying to cover their bases where we would look at them at nine although they turned our workout down. Those are the decisions we have to make come tomorrow night. We are basically done with our workouts and our interviews after today.
(On how likely it is the Bobcats would trade up)
I don’t know. We have a couple of irons in the fire where we could do that. I’m sure the teams that we are talking to probably have other scenarios that they are listening to. I don’t know how realistic it is, but we will continue to talk about it.
(On if he would have any reservations selecting someone who hadn’t worked out for the Bobcats)
No, not really. I think you have to be smart about it. We’ve had our scouts out all year looking at these guys. We see tons of film on them downstairs. Most of the time we have friends of friends who know these players. You’d like to have a guy come in and work out for you, but you can’t just cut off the possibility of drafting them because they didn’t show up. If he’s a talented player, we owe it to our team to improve it. If that means drafting a player (that hadn’t come in and worked out), we would.
(On if the emphasis on workouts is exaggerated)
I don’t know if the public exaggerates it, but maybe we do as front office people because we really put a lot of stock into those guys coming in and working out for us. If we have an opportunity to draft one of the guys that is penciled in at one or two today and they slide down we would have to consider taking him.
(On if there is more speculation regarding this draft than previous drafts)
I think on the outside looking in, I would say yes because there’s so much speculation going on. You don’t know what to believe. You hear the rumor mill just grinding every day and come tomorrow night, everybody might stay pat and draft where they are.
(On how the Bobcats go about selecting a player)
We have a few boards down there. We have a power board where we rank one through 75. We have a board where we rank position by position. We have a good feel for the players that are going to be available for us. You cannot get distracted. You have to be steadfast in what you want to do and comfortable with your decision. We feel fine drafting at nine. Do we want to better ourselves? Of course we do. There’s no question.
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(On the workout process)
You try to evaluate the players everyday. We had different levels of kids in, different positions, so hopefully with all the work the scouts have done and all the film we’ve got to see we have a pretty good indication of who we like. I think it was real productive. We had a lot of quality kids come in here that tried real hard. I feel pretty confident we’ll make a good decision.
(On how busy the next two days will be)
If you’re scrambling around the last two days, you haven’t done your work. I think Michael (Jordan) and his staff have prepared well. We’ve gotten to see everybody. There’s not a player that we’re talking about in the top 60-70 players that we haven’t had the opportunity to either work out or see in person or on film extensively. Hopefully, we’ll make a good decision. There are a lot of things we’re not in control of depending on who somebody else likes and who goes before us. I feel like we’ll get a player, maybe two.
(On if he has a feel for what will happen in the Draft)
Based on my past experience in this league, there a few of your friends who will kind of give you an indication on what they think is happening and what they may do, but I really don’t know. I’ve seen so many scenarios. I think (Michael) Beasely and (Derrick) Rose are obviously gone, but I’ve seen different combinations where we could end up with almost anybody.
(On Jerryd Bayless)
I think there are a lot of terrific players in this draft and he’s certainly one of them. We didn’t get to see him, but I’ve spoken to him during the season. I know the kid. He played in Michael’s (Jordan) game. He’s a terrific player and it’s no insult if you’re not selected where a lot of people projected you. Somebody might have a different need or they might have a trade going on that helps them in an area he might play. He’s going to play in this league and be real successful for a long time.
(On what he’s heard about teams above the Bobcats trading their picks)
I’ve heard a lot of talk about that. I wouldn’t be surprised by anything. Michael (Jordan) just talked to me today. We’ve been meeting every night. He said today and tonight we have to focus on number nine. We have to go over every scenario and who fits into what we are trying to do. I’m sure we’ll do that. I’m sure we’ll be on the phone like everybody else trying to get an educated guess.
(On if the Bobcats will draft based on need or the best player available)
I like to take the best player. If they were real close in talent, normally I think I would go for size or a point guard because they are so close to find, or a need. I always like to get talent. I feel that’s the most important thing and then if you get a lot of assets you can figure out how to get better.
(On Othella Hunter)
I like him. He’s long athletic and coachable, but I haven’t seen any kid I haven’t liked. They all tried so hard. They all want to learn. You see Arizona (Reid) and Brad (Byerson) from small schools and you realize there are quality players everywhere, you just have to uncover them. Othella has length and is athletic and those are the things I value.
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