[billfindlay10]

Ajinca is no where near ready to contribute at the NBA level....if we pick him he will maybe be ready 2-3 years from now

[southeasy]

we'll never know until he suits up, but i know he can contribute just being on the court, standing in the lane, he has great instincts, his length helps him alter shots almost by accident & he's got no fear of north american ball. very soft touch & an unblockable, surprising jumper.

[billfindlay10]

From clips he seems like a perimeter big man.....good jumper, runs the floor, but not the post player we need to compliment Bosh.....seems like an Andray Blatche type to me.

[southeasy]

-Philadelphia will be conducting a group workout on Tuesday, which will be open to two other teams drafting immediately after them—Toronto and Washington--featuring prospects such as Darrell Arthur, Marreese Speights, Jason Thompson and Alexis Ajinca. Their pick could very likely come out of this group, although they are rumored to have strong interest in DeAndre Jordan as well, who they recently worked out, and will very likely be on the board here.

i predict we'll end up with one of Arthur, Speights or Ajinca

[NCR]

JJ Hickson from NC State was in T.O. for a second workout yesterday. This could be a good guy to take later in the first round. It seems like Colangelo may be leaving the possibility open of trading down in the draft.

And regarding Mareese Speights, this is a comment I found on him from Doug Smith's blog:

Oh, and all you Marreese Speights fans out there take note.

All I heard around the gym yesterday – coaches, staff members, people who saw him work out – was how disappointing the session was.

"Worst guy we had in” was one comment.

I’d suggest you’ve got a better chance getting drafted by Torontothan he does.

http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/

[RapsFan]

He might have mucked it up on purpose not to get drafted by Toronto.

[southeasy]

i have heard he's been underwhelming in alot of other workouts too. i'd hate for guys to get ***** on us just to not get drafted here (Arthur skipping workouts, Speights performance) i thought we shook that rep a long time ago. Some need severe educating on the city, organization & fans. we aint even that far off the D, so it's not travel problems.

[a_i_4_life]

does anyone else think we should trade for a second rounder?

[southeasy]

if its between 30 & 35 yeah i do, we should just buy one.

[a_i_4_life]

yeah, i agree, there could be atleast 2-3 gems in the second round.

[southeasy]

Word out of the Philadelphia workout today (also attended by Toronto) was that Alexis Ajinca had yet another strong showing in this, his 14th workout so far. He went up against Darrell Arthur (who also looked good) and did an excellent job-- impressing everyone in attendance with his work ethic, professionalism, and all around mastery of the draft process. "Most foreign guys would have been complaining by now about how many workouts they've had to do, but Ajinca is just an unbelievable kid" one NBA scout in attendance noted.

[NCR]

An opposing viewpoint to Ajinca which I found on Chad Ford's draft blog:

Said another GM: "Name one international player who has made [it] in our league who's averaged five points per game or less in his home country. Alexis Ajinca is a workout wonder, but there is no precedent for a player with his poor production making it in the league. He's going in the lottery?"

Another interesting point on Robin Lopez:

Here's another GM on Robin Lopez: "Can you name the last time a guy who averaged five rebounds per game in college was suddenly labeled a rebounder in the draft? Robin Lopez is a backup, not a lottery or mid-first-round pick."

[spuriousjones]

ajinca is killing it in workouts. word is that his personality is also quite strong. i'd be happy with him as a pick. no he's not a widebody banger but he can score in a lot of ways and has the tools to be a very good shotblocker. as the draft grows closer, ajinca seems to be rising a lot. could make the lottery. smoke? guys his size, with his agility and skills, they're just really hard to find. and he doesn't seem much skinnier than bosh was, if at all.

i kinda like the andre blatche comparison. i see some of the frye/aldridge he's been reported as on some draft sites. maybe some keon clarke, too.