Guarded Workout for Young Guns
The guard foursome meets with Cleveland's scouting and coaching staff after the workout.
For the first time in nearly two weeks there was life on the practice court here at Gund Arena. It wasn’t any of the current Cavaliers. Most of them are scattered across the globe, likely sitting on a beach, sucking down a fruity adult cocktail with an umbrella in it.
The foursome that worked out on the Practice Court on Tuesday morning were not Cavaliers. Not yet anyway.
Instead, this group was a collection of draft-eligible college seniors who could one day be in Cleveland’s backcourt. The four guards who worked out for Interim General Manager Warkentien and Co. were Chris Thomas from Notre Dame, Aaron Miles from Kansas, Corey Santee from Texas Christian and Washington’s Will Conroy.
You might be wondering why the Cavaliers would be working out draft-eligible players, seeing as they don’t have a pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. First of all, there’s a possibility of trading back into the Draft and secondly, there’s a chance of the aforementioned players falling through the cracks.
(The NBA is full of players who went undrafted and many of them have had great success; one member of this fraternity, Ben Wallace, just won his third Defensive Player of the Year award in four years.)
That’s not to say any of the four guards who worked out on Tuesday won’t be called on June 28. Each had a distinguished run in the NCAAs: Conroy’s Huskies advanced to the Sweet 16, Miles’ Jayhawks weren’t so lucky and got upset by Bucknell in the opening round.
Chris Thomas might be the most recognizable name among the crew and his performance in two-on-two drills showed why. Notre Dame’s all-time assists leader showed his shooting touch and mad hops as he worked through drills in the hopes of being chosen in this year’s Draft.
Thomas was heavily-recruited in junior high by no less than Bobby Knight and Gene Keady. He’s the only player in Notre Dame’s illustrious hoop history to have scored 1700 points and dished 600 assists. A knee injury is the only thing that stood between Thomas and an All-American nod as a senior.
“I’ve gone through the workouts before (in my sophomore year), so I feel like I’m better prepared and I know what to expect,” said Thomas. “And I know I’m not a finished product, but I think I can become a complete player.”
The point guard foursome was the first group the Cavaliers brought in to watch, but it won’t be the last. Along with Warkentien, Cavaliers assistants Mike Bratz and Kenny Natt put the players through the paces just in case one of them happens to fit into Cleveland’s off-season designs.
Former Notre Dame guard Chris Thomas takes a break after an impressive shooting display.
Miles would be a nice fit as a backup point, Kansas’ all-time assist leader was also an All-Big 12 defender, known for his tenacious perimeter defense. Drew Gooden’s former teammate started every game but one in his career as a Jayhawk.
“I think I could really bring a winning mentality to the Cavs,” said Miles. “I’m a competitor and I think that’s something any team would want. I bring leadership and confidence, and I’ll do anything it takes to win.”
Corey Santee started 61 straight games for the Horned Frogs and is second on TCU’s all-time scoring list. Like the aforementioned players, Santee also left school as the universities’ all-time assists leader.
Will Conroy cemented his status as a local legend in the Seattle area before transforming Washington’s dormant basketball program upon his arrival. Conroy is known for his toughness as well as his ability to score from any point on the floor. Of course, Conroy left Washington as the Huskies’ all-time assists leader.
The Cavaliers are a club with a few question marks that need to be addressed and one of them might be at the point guard position. Any of the players who worked out on Tuesday would be welcome additions to the Wine and Gold’s backcourt. Keep their names in mind. One day one of them just might be.
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