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Draft Watch: Is Mayo the No. 2 pick?
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Updated: May 23, 2008, 4:35 = AM ET
CHICAGO -- The debate continues to rage in Chicago Bulls country = about the=20 No. 1 pick.
I spoke with John Paxson on Thursday and you can listen to the entire =
interview
Paxson was adamant that the Bulls haven't made up their minds and =
won't=20
decide what to do until they see both
AP Photo/Don Ryan
It's possible O.J. Mayo could find himself in = Miami, paired=20 with Dwyane Wade.
But after talking to Paxson, I think the theoretical guy he's = describing --=20 the player who is a leader, who makes people better, has great character = and can=20 be a franchise player -- sounds like Rose. Paxson denied this on the = interview,=20 but more and more people in the league seem to be coming to the = conclusion that=20 this is Rose's pick to lose.
If the Bulls take Rose No. 1, that leads to an interesting scenario =
with the=20
Heat at No. 2. Sources say the Heat want Rose, too, but if he's not on =
the=20
board, a source familiar with the Heat's thinking told me that the team =
is=20
interested in
I'm not sure why the Heat are shying away from Beasley, as he would = be a good=20 fit in Miami. But I see why Miami likes Mayo. While Rose is a pure point = guard,=20 his lack of a jump shot would make him a somewhat less than ideal fit = alongside=20 Wade. Yes, the Heat would have the most athletic backcourt in the = league, but=20 without much outside shooting.
Mayo, on the other hand, is an excellent shooter with deep range. He = also has=20 enough point guard skills to run a team like Miami, especially with = Wade, a=20 combo guard, also handling the ball a lot. Mayo's basketball IQ and age = (he'll=20 be 21 in November) also make him a little more NBA-ready than Rose right = now.
For several years NBA teams have ranked Mayo as the top prospect in = his draft=20 class. After a shaky start for USC, he came on strong at the end of the = season.=20 And he has looked awesome in his Chicago workouts with Tim Grover.
Mayo's Clinic
![](3D"http://espn.go.com/i/columnists/ford_chad_m.jpg")
=20
Chad Ford watched O.J. Mayo work out on Thursday, and will have a = report on=20 the highly-regarded draft prospect in the coming days.=20
If the Heat decide Mayo's the guy, they may be able to swing a deal = with the=20 Minnesota Timberwolves, Seattle Supersonics or Memphis Grizzlies that = would give=20 them both Mayo and an extra piece of the puzzle. I think all three teams = would=20 give up something significant for the chance to move up and draft = Beasley.
=95 I've gotten quite a bit of feedback from NBA GMs on our
Here's a sneak preview of one of the things I'm hearing:
Everyone is telling me that I have
"He's just too big and too talented to slip that far," one GM said. = "There=20 are a lot of risks with him, but big guys with that talent just don't = slip that=20 far."
=95 The first round of invites for the Orlando predraft camp went out = on=20 Thursday. I am still compiling the list of who was invited and who = wasn't and=20 will get it to you when I have it. More interesting was the = physical-only invite=20 list, which we have.
Each year the NBA invites a select group of players to Orlando for = physicals.=20 Normally this group just goes through some testing (height, weight, = vertical=20 jump, strength training), a medical physical and some light drills. This = list is=20 usually the first indication of the players the league thinks are the = best in=20 the draft.
A league source told me that there are 12 players on the list at the =
moment:=20
Beasley, Rose, Mayo,
Among the names to be left off the list so far are
=95 Trade rumors keep coming hot and heavy, though most of them are = aren't=20 worth repeating.
But here's one intriguing one I heard today: The Cleveland Cavaliers = could=20 trade Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao and the No. 19 pick to = Indiana for=20 Jermaine O'Neal.
It's an interesting idea, but when I called team sources to find out = if there=20 was any truth to it, they shot it down as bogus.
Still, I'd watch both teams closely. I think the Pacers will move =
O'Neal this=20
summer if they can, and I think the Cavs are definitely going to try and =
strengthen the supporting cast this summer for LeBron's sake. A healthy =
O'Neal=20
could be a big boon for the Cavs, and head coach
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