Not As Good As Von Wafer
Some players didn't get the chances that Von Wafer did.
Florida guards Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson might regret leaving school early. Neither was among the 60 players selected in the NBA draft last night.
Walsh and Roberson both eliminated the possibility of returning for their senior seasons last week when they decided to keep their names in the draft pool....
Now both players might have a more difficult road to the N-B-A. They likely will join NBA summer league teams, but could find it tough to make rosters....
Things looked a lot better for Walsh last Sunday:
When Matt Walsh made himself eligible for the NBA draft after his junior season at Florida, just about everyone figured the experience would be another blow to the head, a temporary jolt of reality that would give the 6-6, 22-year-old some added motivation entering his senior season.
It turns out he didn't need another beating. Walsh has gone from draft possibility to a first-round reality. And it's his toughness, not to mention a pretty impressive skill set, that allowed him to get here quicker than anyone anticipated....
Walsh's mind wasn't entirely set when he began the process of leaving school early for the NBA. He trained at IMG Academy in Bradenton, getting his body ready for a series of NBA workouts.
And once he started showing off his abilities for NBA personnel, the potentially humbling experience turned out to be a real confidence builder.
''I worked out for Memphis my first workout, and I had such high expectations for myself that I didn't think I had all that good a workout,'' Walsh said.
'Then I got really positive feedback from them saying, `He's so intriguing, and Jerry West really liked him.' Then Willie Jenkins [of Tennessee Tech], a guy I worked out with, he talked to a reporter from [draftcity.com], and [Jenkins] just went on and on about how I was the best player in the workout and all this.
``I mean, I didn't even think I had a real good workout. Then after that I went and had a great workout in Seattle, and I just started hearing it from everywhere I went. That was the point where I decided I really need to consider making the decision earlier.''
Other than the Sonics and Grizzlies, Walsh has also put on a display for the Heat, Kings, Pacers, Suns, Spurs and still has the Rockets on his schedule before Tuesday's draft....
''Walsh is a shooter and is probably a guy that could create some shots for you,'' Heat general manager Randy Pfund said. ``But first and foremost, he's one of those guys that can line up a shot and make it, and that's always going to be attractive at some point in the draft. He probably doesn't move quite as well and have the athleticism as some of the other guys that have come out in years before.''
The Sonics, though, were pleasantly surprised with Walsh's quickness and athleticism, and they are considering him as a possibility with the No. 25 pick....
''It's been my dream to play in the NBA for a long time, so it's always going to be a cool feeling knowing that I have a really good chance of being in the first round,'' Walsh said. ``At this point I expect to be in there. I think it has set in a little bit, but I know I'm going to be really nervous on draft night. The thought of being in Miami next year or Utah or Seattle or Indiana, it's a pretty cool feeling.''
And it sure looked good on June 21:
Matt Walsh wants to play in the NBA.
The 76ers were the 10th team to take a look at the former Germantown Academy standout, who is leaving Florida a year early, when he worked out for them on Monday morning. Over the next six days Walsh will travel from Philadelphia to Utah to New Jersey to Phoenix to Texas to audition for others.
''By the time this process is over I will have worked out for 10 of the teams from pick 17 to 30, and I've gotten positive feedback every where I've gone,'' Walsh said....
''If the Sixers had a higher pick this would be an ideal situation, but I don't know if I'll be on the board at 45,'' Walsh said.
''We see him a little like Kyle Korver,'' DiLeo said, referring to a former second-round who has become a key member of the Sixers. ''Most people thought Kyle was just a shooter, and I think Matt brings a lot more to the game that just shooting.''...
So what is the next step?
Heat General Manager Randy Pfund said he has invited Walsh to attend the team's summer camp next week but has not received a response.
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