Stock Watch

On The Rise:

Antoine Wright - Antoine has been a 1st round lock since my first mock draft, but he was projected to go anywhere from 11-18 at the time. Now however, after some very solid workouts, Wright is the leading candidate to go to Toronto at 7 (which is the pick that will shape the draft). Wright has proven to be very sound in all aspects and has performed so well in workouts that some teams have him ranked ahead of Gerald Green.

Channing Frye - No one has risen as much as Frye has in the last few weeks. The odd part is that it doesn't have to do with workouts or him showing off some new facet of his game. It is a bit puzzling why teams are suddenly so enamored with Channing. The Knicks at 8, Warriors at 9 and Magic at 11 are all rumored to be hot for Frye. One team has even supposedly given him a promise in the lottery, something usually reserved for players who can pull out of the draft. Not for seniors like Frye.

Wayne Simien - There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Wayne Simien is a very good basketball player. Until recently though, there were lots of questions about his height and his being undersized to play PF at the NBA level. Recently though, Simien has measured out at 6'9'' without shoes making him an inch or 2 taller than most thought. This has shot him from early 2nd round to possibly a spot at the tail end of the lottery.

Andrew Bynum - You can't teach size, and size is what Bynum has in spades. A true 7 footer with an NBA body straight out of high school, Bynum has a lot of developing to do, but teams appear to be becoming more enamored with his size and athletic ability by the day. Look for Bynum to land in the mid first round at the latest if this keeps up.

Julius Hodge - Hodge was a guy everyone was saying would be the 2nd round steal of the draft. Now, you are going to have to find a new 2nd round steal, because Hodge won't see the 2nd round. He has shown point guard caliber skills even at 6'7''. Prompting teams to reevaluate him. Hodge was an ACC player of the year and if he truly has PG skills look for him to continue flying up draft boards.


Free Falling:

Chris Taft - Terrible workouts have seen Chris Taft's draft stock plummet. Once thought to be a top 5 pick in this draft, now some scouts are questioning if he is even worthy of a 1st round pick. He will go in the 1st round on name recognition alone, but he likely has cost himself any chance at the lottery. New Jersey will give him a serious look at 15, if they don't take Taft, it could be a long draft for him.

Sean May - No player has people split as much as Sean May does. Many see him as an obvious bust who doesn't have the athletic ability or skill set to play at the next level (I am a member of this camp). Yet others see May as the 2nd coming of Charles Barkley, a tenacious player with the basketball IQ to offset his lack of size. May has not done himself any favors in workouts. Chris Taft supposedly dominated May in one of the few workouts that Taft didn't look awful in. And if you read what I wrote about Taft, you would know that that is not good for May's stock.

Tiago Splitter - Call this one a hunch, as Splitter has not done anything to warrant being dropped. But every year a European big man plummets in the draft and Tiago looks like the most likely suspect. Still playing in the playoffs in Europe isn't helping his cause, as guys like Simien and Bynum are wowing teams and moving Splitter to the back burner. Splitter is a very good player, but don't be surprised to see him drop in the draft like Podkolzine and Lampe before him.

Ronny Turiaf - Turiaf was considered a late 1st to early 2nd round player. Now his shot at the first round is getting less likely as his workouts are not helping his chances. Turiaf is the kind of hardnosed player that isn't helped much by workouts, but sadly workouts is about all teams care about this time of year. Turiaf was in the last couple picks of the 1st round of my mock for a while, but now he has likely slide into the early to middle 2nd round.