Edit: According the draftexpress, this wasn't the Kings' first workout. They also had in:
on 5/5/06
Juan Jose Barea 5'11" PG, Northeastern, Senior
on 5/15/06
Maurice Ager 6'5" SG, Michigan State, Senior
Mardy Collins 6'6" PG, Temple, Senior
Brandon Bowman 6'8" SF, Georgetown, Senior
James White 6'7" SF, Cincinnati, Senior
According to Hoopshype.com and Draftexpress.com, the Kings are working out Guillermo Diaz today. Below you can find an excerpt from Draftexpress.com's summary of the workout he attended at the 5 Star Pro Training Facility over the weekend http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1301:
"Guillermo Diaz, 6-1 1/2, Junior, PG/SG, Miami
Jonathan Givony, DraftExpress.com
Diaz was only here for one workout as opposed to the two the other players were, meaning it was a little tougher to get a full read on him in this setting. He got off a plane from Miami just an hour before the workout and had not touched a ball in the full two days he was gone for. Regardless, there were some pretty obvious strengths he got to show off.
His athleticism was the main one, something Florida natives such as myself had already seen extensively from him, particularly in his junior year. Diaz was always considered a world-class athlete, and according to Coach Thorpe, is back to his old self with his 44+ inch vertical leap. He was told to go easy with the way he jumped in this particular workout since he was right off the plane and was just about to leave for a grueling week of private workouts, but his explosive first step and overall athleticism was something that could not be missed in this type of setting.
In the drills geared towards creating space on the perimeter, Diaz was outstanding in terms of cutting, changing speeds and directions, using his footwork and just blowing by his man. The raw tools he brought into the gym work wonderfully with the skills Thorpe is working with him on, and these new triple-threat attack moves, shot-fakes, jab-steps, freeze-fakes and hesitation moves add a dimension to his game that makes him even more difficult to guard when you consider how gifted he is already on the perimeter.
His improved ball-handling skills were also quite noticeable. Diaz’s left hand looks just as good as his right does now, both in the way he dribbles as well as finishing around the basket. He absolutely could not be stayed in front of in the one on one portion of the workout, and while the other two players often settled for jump-shots, Diaz was extremely patient in getting his defender on his heels and then just accelerating through the hole the way an NFL tailback would.
His shooting stroke is just as pretty as ever, still featuring that same beautiful high arc, but now with a consistent release point and a better follow through. It wasn’t falling for him particularly well in this workout, though.
Diaz’s competitiveness was evident when the players were matching up with each other in the full court. He absolutely hates to lose and was frustrated by the fact that his 3-point shot was not there. Defensively, he works hard but still has room for improvement in terms of his footwork staying in front of his man on the perimeter. After Kelly hit a prayer of a shot while falling down to give himself the win in one matchup to seven, Diaz hit the padding under the basket so hard he almost broke it.
If his perimeter shot looks as good as we’ve been hearing it has in the month he’s been training here for, Diaz will look fantastic when he begins working out privately for teams, particularly in drills. He’ll measure out a half an inch shorter (6-1 ½) than what he was listed at in college, but will likely impress teams with his combination of explosiveness and perimeter savvy. Diaz is on his way to the West Coast at the moment for a number of workouts, starting with the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday."
on 5/5/06
Juan Jose Barea 5'11" PG, Northeastern, Senior
on 5/15/06
Maurice Ager 6'5" SG, Michigan State, Senior
Mardy Collins 6'6" PG, Temple, Senior
Brandon Bowman 6'8" SF, Georgetown, Senior
James White 6'7" SF, Cincinnati, Senior
According to Hoopshype.com and Draftexpress.com, the Kings are working out Guillermo Diaz today. Below you can find an excerpt from Draftexpress.com's summary of the workout he attended at the 5 Star Pro Training Facility over the weekend http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1301:
"Guillermo Diaz, 6-1 1/2, Junior, PG/SG, Miami
Jonathan Givony, DraftExpress.com
Diaz was only here for one workout as opposed to the two the other players were, meaning it was a little tougher to get a full read on him in this setting. He got off a plane from Miami just an hour before the workout and had not touched a ball in the full two days he was gone for. Regardless, there were some pretty obvious strengths he got to show off.
His athleticism was the main one, something Florida natives such as myself had already seen extensively from him, particularly in his junior year. Diaz was always considered a world-class athlete, and according to Coach Thorpe, is back to his old self with his 44+ inch vertical leap. He was told to go easy with the way he jumped in this particular workout since he was right off the plane and was just about to leave for a grueling week of private workouts, but his explosive first step and overall athleticism was something that could not be missed in this type of setting.
In the drills geared towards creating space on the perimeter, Diaz was outstanding in terms of cutting, changing speeds and directions, using his footwork and just blowing by his man. The raw tools he brought into the gym work wonderfully with the skills Thorpe is working with him on, and these new triple-threat attack moves, shot-fakes, jab-steps, freeze-fakes and hesitation moves add a dimension to his game that makes him even more difficult to guard when you consider how gifted he is already on the perimeter.
His improved ball-handling skills were also quite noticeable. Diaz’s left hand looks just as good as his right does now, both in the way he dribbles as well as finishing around the basket. He absolutely could not be stayed in front of in the one on one portion of the workout, and while the other two players often settled for jump-shots, Diaz was extremely patient in getting his defender on his heels and then just accelerating through the hole the way an NFL tailback would.
His shooting stroke is just as pretty as ever, still featuring that same beautiful high arc, but now with a consistent release point and a better follow through. It wasn’t falling for him particularly well in this workout, though.
Diaz’s competitiveness was evident when the players were matching up with each other in the full court. He absolutely hates to lose and was frustrated by the fact that his 3-point shot was not there. Defensively, he works hard but still has room for improvement in terms of his footwork staying in front of his man on the perimeter. After Kelly hit a prayer of a shot while falling down to give himself the win in one matchup to seven, Diaz hit the padding under the basket so hard he almost broke it.
If his perimeter shot looks as good as we’ve been hearing it has in the month he’s been training here for, Diaz will look fantastic when he begins working out privately for teams, particularly in drills. He’ll measure out a half an inch shorter (6-1 ½) than what he was listed at in college, but will likely impress teams with his combination of explosiveness and perimeter savvy. Diaz is on his way to the West Coast at the moment for a number of workouts, starting with the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday."
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