Too small, a history of knee injuries, and lots of weight on them. That just seems like a recipe for disaster to me.

I’ve looked at the draft pretty closely and the guy I think most likely to be a difference making player is Lawson. Take him, trade TJ Ford for whatever they can get, and call it a day.

Scattered Rumors

-Following up our blurb from Treviso last week, we’re told that Jeremy Tyler has officially signed with Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli league. This is a move that is sure to bring owner Jeff Rozen and his team a great deal of attention over the next two years. Tyler’s camp balked at adding a third year onto the contract, preferring to have the flexibility of no NBA buyout whatsoever when he becomes draft-eligible in 2011. Tyler will reportedly make somewhere in the area of $200,000 next season.

-The Sacramento Kings are doing their best to convince people that they have Tyreke Evans at the top of their board, even going as far as to tell Evans as much in their workout last week. Most NBA people we speak to believe that this is nothing more than them "blowing smoke" in order to give themselves a backup plan in case Rubio is gone at #2 or #3, and also to "stir the pot" amongst Rubio’s camp. The Kings would very likely want Rubio to work out for them rather than just conduct a meet and greet, but as of right now there are no plans for that.

-In the unlikely case that Rubio slips past Sacramento, it appears that Washington will not hesitate to pick him if they feel like he’s indeed the best player on their draft board. The prevailing sentiment at the moment is that Rubio is not in a position to return to Joventut, and that he may have lost some of the leverage he once had by keeping his name in the draft and suing his former team.

Many feel like Rubio would be a good fit in Washington playing alongside Gilbert Arenas, but Rubio’s camp apparently does not agree with that notion at all.

-Don’t be surprised to see players start working out for teams that appear to be slightly outside their draft range on first glance, in hopes of finding the best possible fit. Jrue Holiday for example is working out for the Indiana Pacers at #13, while James Johnson will be in Salt Lake City next week working out for the Jazz, who hold the #20 pick.

-We’re hearing that DeJuan Blair is in pretty good shape at the moment, and he continues to have very strong workouts that are easing the concerns teams have about his knee. Blair’s draft range looks pretty steady between 12 and 16, although he will work out for teams above and below those picks. Don’t be surprised to see a team like Oklahoma City or Portland try to make a move for him on draft night, as both organizations are reportedly very high on him.

-Does B.J. Mullens have a promise from Chicago at 16? That doesn’t seem to make a great deal of sense considering that he’s working out for Philadelphia at 17 later this week…The talk of a promise started once Mullens pulled out of the New Jersey Nets group workout, but it’s possible he just didn’t want to deal with the prospect of matching up with Luke Nevill again. Mullens really struggled in the two previous group workouts that they went head to head.

-The Oklahoma City Thunder are reportedly in Los Angeles right now visiting with Hasheem Thabeet and watching him work out.

-Earl Clark is having some very strong workouts as of late, and is rising back up teams’ draft boards. He was very good in Minnesota apparently, and is strongly in the mix in New Jersey (#11), Charlotte (#12), Phoenix (#14) and Detroit (#15).

I think Clark could be a nice hit for someone in this draft. I knew we have discussed how Louisville players thrive in a system, but this guy has all the athletic ability to be a very good pro. He wouldn’t be the defensive presence down low we are looking for but he would be very nice to watch in a fast break offense. I could definitely see him developing into a Lamar Odom type player once he adds some bulk. If he is rumored all around the Pacers, I have no reason to believe he won’t be seriously looked at by us as well.

Hard telling if Blair is bust-worthy or not, since we have no idea how bad his knees are. Remember Granger fell into our laps because of rumored knee problems, but Danny is carrying around 60 or so less lbs! Maybe the Pacers doctors saw something in Danny’s knees that other teams doctors missed (can the team doctors even look at potential draft picks pre-draft?). Blair supposedly has shed some lbs, so maybe he can work them bad knees back into shape! I guess this is where we all need to have some faith in the front office and their interpretations of the draft data.

Hines Ward slipped deep in the NFL draft when he came out of Georgia, due to Dr.’s not being able to find his ACL. (He was born without them? Go figure?). And he has had an excellent career.

Bottom line is that Blair WILL rebound at the NBA level. All of the reports I have read about his workouts, have been extremely positive. If he is there, you need to take him.

Not a star, but NBA teams aren’t going to have 5 stars on their rosters. The teams that tried the star method usually don’t work. Only 1 basketball means that you need good role players as well.

Best way to build an NBA team, both financially and chemistry wise is 2 Stars and role players who complement the stars. Right now we have 1 star and a mixed bag of similar guys.

Knees plus lots of weight are another thing.

Then there’s the weight itself. Blair supposedly lost 40lbs in the month leading up to the combine.

CHICAGO — Look out for DeJuan Blair. If anyone made an impact on the first day of the NBA’s combine here, it was Blair. That’s because, when he stepped on the scale this morning for his official weigh-in, he registered at 275, an astounding 40 pounds less than the 315 he was at just four weeks ago, when he began working out at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. In fact, Blair said that when he worked out for Phoenix just three days ago, he was 289.

Fourteen pounds in three days? “I called my mom after the weigh-in,” Blair said. “She said, ‘Did you cut your leg off?’”

This draft is thin on power forwards once you get past surefire No. 1 pick Blake Griffin and Jordan Hill, who is likely to go in the top seven. The two knocks on Blair — who averaged 15.7 points and 12.3 rebounds this year at Pittsburgh — are his height and his weight. But, thanks to some intense badgering from his nutritionist and a high-protein, low-carb diet, weight no longer seems to be a problem.

“I haven’t been this slim since the 10th grade,” Blair said. “I blew up, but now I am back down. I like where I am. Trust me, I am not going to blow up again.”

If that doesn’t strike images of Oliver Miller fear into your heart I dunno what will.