More camp news.....

[emeans]

HOT

Luther Head, G, Illinois

The line: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 4-for-5 from 3, 8-for-11 overall in 23 minutes

The skinny: Head needed to come into camp and prove to scouts that he had what it took to play point guard in the pros. Head was a point guard in high school but moved to small forward when Dee Brown and Deron Williams came on board. He did that and more on Friday evoking comparisons to Gilbert Arenas. Head is a scorer with a fantastic shot, a quick first step, good floor vision and great athleticism, but what has stuck out in the camp is his great defensive effort. He shut down Notre Dame's Chris Thomas on Thursday and earned raves from GMs in the gym. He could be this year's Beno Udrih, a guy scouts underrated because of the position he was forced to play on his team.

Steven Smith, SF, La Salle

The line: 23 points, 5 rebounds on 9-for-14 shooting in 25 minutes

The skinny: Smith has a great NBA body, athleticism and a pretty smooth jumper. He used it to dominate the games on Thursday and keep alive his NBA dream. Before Thursday, he seemed like a lock to go back to college. While he hasn't done enough to get himself drafted in the first round, at least he got noticed.

Will Conroy, PG, Washington

The line: 17 points, 6 assists on 7-for-15 shooting in 30 minutes

The skinny: Conroy was the best pure point guard at the Portsmouth camp and he surprised NBA scouts on Thursday by showing off his offensive repertoire. The way Conroy has played in the past few months should be enough to get him a second-round spot.

Anthony Roberson, G, Florida

The line: 14 points, 5 assists on 6-for-12 shooting in 20 minutes

The skinny: Like Head, he's starting to show scouts that he might be able to make the transition from 2-guard to point in the pros. And, like Head, he also has the scoring thing down pat. He's played well enough to get a strong look in the second round. Will that be enough to keep him in the draft this year? Everyone in the NBA seems to think the kid wants out of school badly.

Robert Whaley, PF/C, Walsh The line: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks on 6-for-10 shooting in 17 minutes

The skinny: A true draft sleeper. Once upon a time, Whaley was considered a top prospect for Cincinnati. His resurrection here in Chicago has come as a surprise to everyone. On Thursday, he really dominated when he was in the game. He's very strong physically, a beast on the boards and has a nice soft touch around the basket. He measured a legit 6-foot-9 in shoes and could be an intriguing second-round prospect for a team that can get comfortable with his questionable background. Whaley knows how to play.

Eric Williams, PF, Wake Forest

The line: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks on 8-for-12 shooting in 25 minutes

The skinny: He is an absolute beast. He measured a legit 6-foot-8½ and weighed in at 282. He uses his good athleticism and 7-foot-4 wingspan to dominate in the paint. If he returns to school and waits one more year, he'd be a lock for the first round next season. But this year's just too early.

Rawle Marshall, G/F, Oakland

The line: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists on 4-for-9 shooting in 19 minutes

The skinny: He hasn't had a dominating camp yet, but he's the smoothest player on the floor. He measured a little short (a little under 6-foot-6 in shoes) but he uses that huge wingspan (7-foot-1) to make up for it. Defensively, he was very good and the soft shooting touch showed up today.

Eddie Basden, G/F, Charlotte

The line: 13 points, 4 steals on 5-for-12 shooting in 20 minutes

The skinny: Defensively, Basden is the best player here. He's never going to be a great scorer, but he has the body, the athleticism and the toughness to make the league as a defensive stopper.

Brandon Rush, SG, High School

The line: 10 points, 3 steals on 4-for-8 shooting in 22 minutes

The skinny: Rush's numbers aren't great, but scouts who have followed him all year say this is the best he's ever played. The fact that he looks like he belongs out there with veteran college players says something. Rush should go to school, but if he can't because of grades, he may have intrigued someone enough to take him in the second round.

Drago Pasalic, PF, Croatia

The line: 13 points, 13 rebounds on 4-for-9 shooting in 23 minutes The skinny: For the second straight year Pasalic has come into camp and put up good numbers. He's very skilled around the basket and has shown some toughness in the camps. Why no one is talking about him is a mystery, considering his production.

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NOT HOT

Keith Langford, G, Kansas

The line: 7 points on 2-for-7 shooting in 21 minutes

The skinny: Not only is Langford playing and shooting poorly, he measured in at just 6-foot-2 without shoes in Chicago. I hope he has a passport.

Alex Acker, SG, Pepperdine

The line: 0 points on 0-for-5 shooting The skinny: Acker looked pretty good in the scrimmages, but he's looked overmatched once the game started. When his shot isn't falling, there isn't much to his game.

Kevin Pittsnogle, PF, West Virginia

The line: 6 points on 2-for-10 shooting in 21 minutes

The skinny: Pittsnogle was billed as a great-shooting big man, but he's been awful here, going just 3-for-17 from the field so far. He says he's leaning toward staying in the draft, but his chances of going in the first round are slim to none right now.

Dijon Thompson, SF, UCLA

The line: 5 points, 2 rebounds on 2-for-6 shooting.in 18 minutes The skinny: Thompson had a great season at UCLA, but he has really disappeared here. I asked one GM what he thought of Thompson after two games and he said he didn't even know he was playing in the camp. Ouch.

[KB21]

I'd keep an eye on Will Conroy. He's a guy Billy may look at if he can't move up into the first round to grab the point guard he wants.

[Blunt91]

Why take Conroy instead of Head with the 31stpick?

[emeans]

Luther Head seems to be the logical pick at 31 if he is there. If not then there are a boat load of guards to get at 31 like Salim Stoudemire, Gilchrist and more.

This draft is loaded with 1st round talent guards in the 2nd round.

31 will be a very good player!!

[KB21]

Conroy is more of a point guard than Head is.

[Yeti]

I like Conroy too. He starred at Portsmouth and Chicago. Looks to pass first but can hit the 3. But would probably be a backup. He could feed Josh, Marvin, and Josh.

Yeti

[Diesel]

Neither really played PG that much in college.

[Diesel]

Neither really played PG that much in college.

But Conroy was the distributor.

Head was the shooter.

[Yeti]

Conroy was the starting PG for Washington for at least the last two years. He set school records for assists. He is very experienced at PG.

I think you are thinking about Nate Robinson who did not play PG in college but that is the only possible position for him in the NBA because of his height.

It is interesting that Washington has three guys trying out for PG. Nate Robinson, Will Conroy, and Tre Simmons. Only Conroy played PG is college. Strange.

Quotes from Hoopshype on Chicago:

- Will Conroy: 17 points, 7/15 shooting, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 turnovers – Conroy was apparently asked to do a better job of establishing himself on the offensive end and he responded right off the bat by scoring eight points in the first few minutes. He continued to do a solid job of running his team and playing good defense. He mixed up his improved jumper with the ability to get in the lane and either finish or find the open man. Conroy has arguably been the best point guard in this camp so far, and has made a nice case for himself as a backup PG for the NBA.

And from Portsmouth, Draftcity said:

Conroy was very steady in the first two games, playing mature and under control while doing all the right things, but today, he absolutely exploded. He tied the all-time record for assists (set in 1990 by Bennie Seltzer) in one game with 16, but by my count he may have been robbed of as many as 5 dimes just in the first half. Regardless, Conroy did everything humanly possible to help himself out today, playing basically a flawless game for his 21 minutes on the floor. The 16 assists don’t tell the whole story, he had only one turnover to go along with that, basically giving his team a basket (and himself an assist) on almost every possession he played. He controlled the tempo of the game wonderfully, making great decisions on the break and always using the threat of scoring himself to keep the defense honest. He basically showed off everything a PG can in a game like this; executing the pick and roll to perfection, getting in the lane and kicking out on the drive and dish, a fantastic backdoor pass to a cutting big man, sharing the wealth to put the ball just where his shooters want it…in terms of running an offense there isn’t much that Conroy can’t do. He’s not really a flashy guy, nothing that he does really wows you that much, he’s just solid as a rock and gets the job done perfectly every time.

Thats all I know about Conroy. Just keep in mind the level of competition at Chicago and Portsmouth - not NBA level, but good.

Yeti

[Diesel]

Conroy was the passing OG.

Nate Was the scoring PG.

I defined Conroy OG not because of what he did on offense, but because of who he would be matched up with on defense.

[Yeti]

OK - that's reasonable. I had never heard the position broken down like that before but Washington was a bit confusing because they essentially played 3 guards and 2 forwards.

For the Hawks, I think I'd rather have someone who'll look to pass first, so I'd prefer Conroy. Just so long if he WILL shoot - unlike Diaw.

yeti

[Diesel]

The funny thing is that Conroy, Robinson... came from that area of Washington that is famous for producing JT, Jamal Crawford and somebody else...

They say that Conroy used to be a big flashy scoring machine...

So I wouldn't worry about Diawitis.... I think he changed to accomodate Washington's need.

But so did D. Williams.