Ohio State’s Jon Diebler was back in the state where his college career ended. Rhode Island’s Delroy James admitted being nervous as he played in front of his all-time idol. College of Charleston’s Andrew Goudelock felt he could have shown a lot more.
But all three seniors impressed in what many NBA types described as an overall lacking NBA draft combine yesterday at the Nets’ practice facility in East Rutherford.
Diebler is a guy the Nets, who draft 27th and 36th, wanted to see. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard set the Big Ten career record for 3-pointers with 374 in his four-season Ohio State career that ended with an upset loss to Kentucky in the NCAA East Regional.
“I told my driver coming over, ‘This is where my college career ended.’ It was kind of bittersweet, but I’m just excited I was invited,” said Diebler, who shot .502 on 3’s as a senior but was disappointed in his combine shooting — though he was looking to show other wares.
“I didn’t shoot as well as I wanted, but it happens,” he said. “I wanted to show that I can hold my own on defense. That’s one of the bigger questions, if I can guard at the next level. That’s something I really focus on.”
But the shooting stands out.
“He’s definitely got a shooter’s touch,” said one Western Conference exec.
James wanted to show his reputation is legit, that of “an all-around, high energy player — that’s what everybody is telling me.” He thinks he succeeded, as did others (“He stood out, played well,” one Eastern exec said.) And it was tough because Knicks executive Allan Houston, James’ idol growing up in Brooklyn’s East New York, was on hand.
“I’m a huge Knicks fan,” the 6-8 James said. “Allan Houston, he was my favorite. Just to see him here to watch me play was very, very humbling.”
James managed to pose for a picture with Houston, who told him to keep playing the same, all-out style.
“I enjoyed his attitude and how he made his impact on the game,” said Houston. “I told him to just keep working and talked to him about shooting a little bit.”
Members of the Knicks’ entourage also spoke with Goudelock, who chatted with a slew of teams. Goudelock, described by one scout as a “flat out scorer,” figures to be a second-round pick. The Knicks go 17th but can always pick up another selection.
“I could have played a lot better,” said Goudelock, 6-2, the third all-time scorer in Southern Conference history. “A lot of guys put pressure on themselves to try to do things they’re not really great at. I don’t do that. I just play basketball.”
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Nets GM Billy King on drafting 27th: “You can get a player. We’ll know more once the lottery is set [and] once the final guys pull out after tomorrow. Once you get the final list, you start figuring out what guys might be there. And generally when you’re picking down there you’re generally going to get four-year guys who are more ready to play, maybe not as a starting role, but a part of the piece of the puzzle.”
King noted past prominent late picks Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Gilbert Arenas. And King had quality success with late picks and second-rounders in Philadelphia.
And 27th could change. “We could move up,” King said. “We could get out of the draft. You never know until you get going and start talking to people.”
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King on the benefits of the combine, which drew 44 hopefuls for 29 of the 30 teams: “You see them in this setting where now you’re putting in pick-and-rolls, you’re putting in high pick-and-rolls, more pro situations than they do in college.”