Old Article on J-Chillz.....

[Diesel]

You Gots To Chill

by Peter Hamby

Josh Childress may have just lost millions of dollars.

The Washington Wizards just traded their 2004 draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks, hours before the draft, and Childress—who had been courted by the Wizards at the five spot—is left with the uncertain prospect of sliding down the draft board. He looks at Andre Iguodala, sitting nearby at the Dime photo shoot, and sighs. Loudly.

“Oh man,” Childress says as his eyes roll towards the ceiling. “That’s crazy.”

He’s nervous, much like any man whose future will be decided in the next 24 hours by a group of men sitting in room far away. Childress’ new home could be anywhere, and his conract value is just as uncertain. If, as Jay Bilas will predict on SportsCenter later this night, Childress falls out of the Top 15, his price tag will drop considerably.

The next night though, it’s all good. After being selected sixth overall by the Atlanta Hawks, Childress can’t stop smiling. As reporters gather around to ask the requisite post-draft questions, Childress is reveling in his newfound solace, his fingers still trembling and that trademark afro peeking out from under his ill-fitting new cap.

“Most guys knew where they were going,” he tells reporters. “I didn’t find out ‘till 30 seconds before. It’s such a relief to hear your name called. They wake you up early and just make you wait and wait. It’s been the worst. I’m so happy.”

Childress’ three-year journey from McDonald’s High School All-American to NBA lottery pick was much like Childress himself: quick and prolific, but understated.

The lanky and supremely talented swingman is arguably the best player to ever emerge out of Stanford. Though Childress sat out the first nine games of Stanford’s season last year with a foot injury, he returned to fulfill his role as team leader and averaged 15.7 points and 7.5 boards while guiding his team to a near-perfect season record of 29-1 (they were 26-0 before losing to Washington in March). He became the first Stanford player to win Pac-10 Player of the Year, was named first team All-America by every major news outlet, and was a finalist for the Wooden, Rupp, and Naismith Awards. If it weren’t for two guys named Emeka Okafor and Jameer Nelson, Childress could have walked off with all those trophies.

Yet away from the court, Childress is laid back, a quiet kid from Southern California who also played volleyball for Mayfair High School in Los Angeles. He’s self-deprecating, friendly, and seems just glad to have a shot at the NBA. At the Dime photo shoot, while his fellow rookies showed off brand new jewelry and posed in front of the camera like long-time professionals, Childress offered a series of awkward smiles and opted for conservative apparel from the clothing rack.

Thanks (or no thanks) to three years of playing in West Coast media limbo, Childress’ voyage to the David Stern handshake was much quieter than that of the other lottery picks. It was rare to see Childress on television, snaking through the lane each night and frustrating the Pac-10’s best, unless you stayed up late or caught him in the NCAA tournament. That’s why when he declared in April that he would leave Stanford to test his worth in the draft, Childress was predicted to go no higher than late lottery. However, the much-scrutinized, grueling pre-draft workout routine gave him an opportunity to show he was worth more than just a quick look.

“I was traveling all over the place, with four to five workouts a week,” Childress says. “It was tough. We’d stay in hotels and wake up the next day and go somewhere else. We just went from one to the other for months.” When scouts set their eyes on Childress, they were most impressed by his length. Childress stands a shade under 6-8 but moves with grace and agility. In an era of basketball where versatility trumps traditional positions, Childress’ combination of height and quickness is the prototypical package, a fact scouts quickly noticed during his workouts. His incredible 6-11 wingspan draws comparisons to Tayshaun Prince, and his ability to shut down players on the perimeter with those long arms is one of the best parts about his game. Just don’t put him in a box.

“I don’t compare my game to anyone,” Childress says. “I’m myself. There’s been a lot of comparisons out there [notably to Andre Iguodala and Luol Deng], but I’m myself. From top to bottom, I’m unique, I’m all around. I do whatever it takes for my team to win. I know I can win.”

At one point in June, he was projected as high as the third overall pick. Along with the Hawks, the Wizards, Bobcats, Bulls, and Sixers were all reportedly very high on Childress. His decision to leave school early and sign with an agent became a very good one.

“He’s an outstanding talent,” says Hawks General Manager Billy Knight, explaining why he drafted Childress ahead of guys like Iguodala and Deng. “He has so many abilities. He’s good off the dribble, he moves his feet well, he’s a good athlete; he’s got some toughness, competitiveness. I think he’s a fine young man. He’s got the type of personality that can evolve into a leader. He has those characteristics.”

Though he played the swingman role at Stanford, Childress will likely play the two in the NBA, which may cause a problem for other shooting guards that don’t have his length.

“I see him as a two guard,” Knight says. “I like to see his size at that position. He’ll be able to do a lot.”

Childress looks forward to his role in Atlanta, which could initially be a difficult one given that he’ll be playing alongside Jason Terry, who is neither a prototypical point guard nor a prototypical leader.

Childress has the potential and confidence to take over the backcourt. For example, if you ask Childress if he could guard Kobe Bryant, he dismisses the question as if you’d just asked him if he knew how to shoot a free throw.

“Yeah, of course,” he says. “Night in and night out [in the NBA] there’s somebody that can take it to you. Hopefully it’ll be me taking it to them.”

Childress’ confidence on the court is tempered by a knowledge of his place in the world. Despite his talent, he offers no trace of egoism. At Stanford, he volunteered with a group called the Young Black Scholars, a tutoring organization that also performed community service. On draft night, the first person he reached to hug after David Stern called his name was his mother. Childress—an art history buff and jazz fan—is smart enough to know that nothing in the NBA is a guarantee. He looked at the whole draft experience like a kid on a field trip, perpetually wide-eyed and excitable.

“I’ve never done this before,” he said while rubbing his eyes as the flash-bulbs popped during the Dime photo shoot. Still, he managed to crack a smile. The only subject which made him stone-faced was his afro, which Childress strongly declares he won’t cut.

“No,” he says. “Never.”

While he doesn’t regret leaving school and plans to return to finish his degree, he says he’ll miss California, his home since birth.

“I’ll miss the weather, the laid-back attitude,” he says. “Everyone is nonchalant. New York is too … intense. Everyone’s rushing everywhere.” However, a little bit of intensity wouldn’t hurt Childress. Knight admits that like any rookie, Childress needs work.

“You don’t expect him to step in immediately and lead,” Knight says. “He has to work on everything, he’s a young player. He definitely needs to get stronger, he has to learn the game, he has to learn how to defend and come off screens. But he can definitely get there. I like what I see.”

Hawks fans hope he’s right. It’s been a long time since Atlanta fans paid attention to anything other than baseball and football, but this season they should make a point of checking in on the basketball franchise every now and then. If not, it’s cool. Josh Childress is used to playing away from the spotlight.

[Diesel]

By Andy Katz

ESPN.com

Josh Smith's agent wants his client in the same gym as Luol Deng. Pick a day. Any date in June is fine. He'll gladly reschedule any of Smith's workouts so the two potential lottery picks will be on the same court.

You see, if Deng is projected to go as high as No. 3 overall in the draft to Chicago, well Smith's co-agent Brian Dyke wants Smith to at least get a chance to go one-on-one with him.

But it hasn't happened yet.

Deng originally made stringent pre-draft workout plans. He had Duke send out a release saying he would only hold workouts at Duke for scouts of top-five teams. But Duke associate head coach Johnny Dawkins said Deng never held any pro workouts at Duke and his plans have changed. Deng is interviewing agents this week and is willing to go on the road to visit teams' facilities now that he has decided to stay in the draft.

Smith, meanwhile, is a 6-foot-8 forward out of Oak Hill Academy (Va.) who's willing to go up against anyone in this year's draft. A former Atlanta Celtics summer league teammate of Dwight Howard, Smith is currently working out against Stanford small forward Josh Childress at Atlanta and Washington this week. The two are projected to go in the same range within the lottery, but Childress has apparently climbed ahead of Smith, possibly as high as No. 4 to Charlotte.

And while Smith may be able to sway a few scouts' minds by working out against Childress, Deng has been off limits.

Josh Smith, left, is willing to showcase his skills against anyone this month.

"When we went to Charlotte, we said go get (Deng) but he wouldn't do it," Dyke said. "It's hard to control, but we want to work out against guys in his range. We've got Childress. We wanted Deng but he won't do it."

Aaron Goodwin represents Howard, the possible No. 1 overall pick, and doesn't want or need to see his client matched up against the other possible top pick Emeka Okafor of Connecticut.

"I want the teams to focus on Dwight, not on Dwight versus Emeka," Goodwin said. "I want them to see the stuff he can do that pretty much only (Kevin) Garnett can do. I want them to see him dribble the ball, run the point and shoot facing the basket."

[Diesel]

Had it not been for the Bobcats moving up to #2, they would have selected J-Chill at 4. Had it not been for the Wiz trading their pick to Dallas, they would have selected J-Chill at 5.

I've been reading some of the predraft stuff on J-Chill. I know why GM's think highly enough of him to consider him ROY. He blew everyone away in those predraft workouts. Bickerstaff said that he was their top choice at #4. Rob Babcock said that Chillz was the best athelete in the draft after the toronto workout.

Statements like this

Quote:

---

Stanford forward Josh Childress seems to have locked himself into a top 5 selection, he has had strong workouts and most that have seen him say he is likely the most prepared all around player in the class.

---

gives me patience.

I think that we had a really good draft. ONe worth waiting on.

[emeans]

Good informative articles. I will give Chill the benefit of the doubt. He definately seems to have an impressive resume in College and High School. I really hope that carries over to the NBA. So far it hasn't but it is early.

I think one of his biggest problems he is having is that he played forward in college and is a totally different position than Shooting Guard in the NBA. Two totally different approaches and skill sets.

I will give Chill a chance and hopefully Chill and Smooth will come together and be something special!!

[chillzatl]

BUT, you also have to look at it objectively. On one hand, it was good to hear BK say that he doesn't expect JC to come right in and lead, that he needs work. But at the same time, he mentioned coming off screens, defense, leadership. All things that usually require time from any player. He didn't say "shooting", which is the one thing all of us expected him to come in and do and do well, which he hasn't. BK is a very hard guy to read.

I hope he succeeds. I hope all those "best athlete" comments turn out to be true. God knows, as hawk fans, we all deserve it!

[Weez]

I think the thing with shooting, which none of us thought would be an issue upon drafting him...is going to be shot selection. see Marion.

Chill's got that bunked up shot, second ugliest for a backcourt player (to Shaun Marion) that I can currently think of. He did however shoot quite well from the field in college, so I have faith that his shot 'works'...it's just that he's going to have to be selective when he takes it, learn to pump fake, one dribble shoot with it, otherwise, agianst players like Bron and others (shot blockers at the guard positions) he's going to altered too often.

[OGRat]

I am hoping that his shot will come around, but even Brent Barry had problems with his shot during the preseason. No one questions his ability to shoot.

[Diesel]

i think it's a mixture of two things....

1 is strength... I don't know if Standford helped him bring up his strength to an NBA level meaning that he's probably practicing more and more intensely with bigger guys. His body conditioning has to change because he's a small guy and he's used to playing with small players. The other thing is that as emeans said, he has changed positions. I think it's good but you must be patient because you hardly find many players versatile enough to make that switch.

[Weez]

Diesel made me think ~ Childress did play @ Stanford ~ but had guys like Borchardt, both Collins' boys, and others to play with each day in practice and with in games. That should help...as should the fact that the thing that most attracted me to Childress was his handles and how that allowed him to maneuver on the court, driving to the basket. If he's as good as touted at setting/running through screens, a definitive offense/team on the same page should do wonders for him. We just have to get to that point of cohesiveness...a hard thing in the NBA today...