There's a pretty amusing article about Golden State's pre-draft scouting camp where dozens of NBA hopefuls came to the Bay Area to show off for scouts and—more challengingly—pretend that they would actually enjoy playing for the Warriors.
Gary Peterson of the San Jose Mercury News noted that all of the camp attendees had many glowing things to say about the organization, the fans, and the coach that they would one day hope to play for; all of them betraying the fact that they clearly know nothing about Golden State basketball. If they're willing to kiss Warrior butt just to get that first-round lottery money, they must really, really want to be rich.
Here are some of the whoppers they told:
• Louisville's Terrence Williams: "If I wind up here, they'd call my name and I'd already be on the plane. I wouldn't ever leave here. I would love to be here. Jamal Crawford is like a brother."
• Temple's Dionte Christmas: "They have a great team, a great coach and a great coaching staff. They're a couple pieces away from being one of the top teams in the league. I like their style.
• Arizona's Chase Budinger: "This is a great place. The atmosphere is incredible. The fans are so loyal, and Don Nelson's a great coach. Great city, great fans, great team."
• Gonzaga's Austin Daye: "I'd be very happy. I have good friends on the team - Anthony Randolph and Ronny Turiaf. As long as Nellie likes me, I'm good with that."
Peterson, however, is not buying it.
You figure Williams, who spent four seasons playing for coach Rick Pitino, knows people in basketball who know other people in basketball. So you'd think he has some inkling that the Warriors are a team without form guided by a front office addled by personal agendas. Then again, the man is looking for a job....
Makes you wonder - did [Buddinger] see one of the games where [Don] Nelson gave Stephen Jackson the night off, or one of the games where he let assistant coach Keith Smart run the defense?
Christmas said, "They run and gun and get it done." Do you suppose he'd settle for two out of three?
I think Peterson probably wishes he could get drafted by a paper that covers the Lakers.
Peterson: NBA draft hopefuls will say anything [San Jose Mercury News, via Big Lead; pic via]