Donovan hire diverts attention from NBA Pre-Draft Camp
ORLANDO, Fla. -- While most of Orlando's attention was on the arrival of Billy Donovan, many of his former players were keeping busy on the other side of town.
Shortly after Donovan's hiring as Magic coach became official on Friday, many of the men he helped turn into soon-to-be millionaires became part of a very busy and compelling final day at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp.
One of the players his Florida Gators defeated to win their second national championship was the star of the day.
Daquean Cook, formerly of Ohio State and now headed to the NBA as a likely first-round pick, finally came through with a standout performance after struggling through the first few days of the camp. The final day was anything but sluggish for Cook and all on-lookers as there was plenty of intrigue throughout The Milk House gym at Disney's Wide World of Sports.
This day provided the last chance for 62 potential draft picks to make a lasting impression on many of the NBA's top scouts, general managers and coaches. The result was a day of very entertaining basketball with all three games going down to the wire, including one in overtime, as players' competitive instincts overtook their concerns about draft status.
"Every time you get in front of these guys it's important," Virginia Tech star Zabian Dowdell said of being in the presence of Michael Jordan, Jerry West and Lenny Wilkens, among others.
"Even if you're walking around, you wanna try to impress the guys by the way you walk. So I think this is a very important camp."
Still, none of it compared to the buzz created by what was happening in downtown Orlando, where the Magic were announcing they had lured Donovan away from the University of Florida to be their new coach.
Three of his ex-Gators, meanwhile, made their first appearance on the court at this week's camp. Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Al Horford were on hand to take part in drills, get their physicals taken and undergo strength and agility testing.
Among the other expected lottery picks finally getting onto the floor Friday, a day after talking to the media, were Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Brandan Wright, Mike Conley Jr. and Acie Law. With their draft status fairly secure, those collegiate stars decided to otherwise not participate in a camp that included mostly players who would be happy just to get drafted, and a select few trying to sneak into the first round.
"I think they played hard during the season, they put themselves in a pretty good position to make that choice," said ex-Alabama forward Jermareo Davidson, who closed the camp with a solid 16-point, seven-rebound effort.
Many thought Cook should have made the same choice after a lackluster first three days of camp made it appear leaving Ohio State after his freshman season was a mistake. He occasionally showed off a smooth-shooting touch and impressive athletic ability during drills, but his performance through two games was mediocre as he combined for 14 points on 7-of-19 shooting -- 0-for-3 from 3-point range -- with eight turnovers.
Rather than leaving scouts with doubts about whether he should be a first-rounder, Cook may have left little question he should be picked among the top 30 after scoring 22 points -- the most by any player on Friday -- and hitting three 3-pointers. One of those shots came from 28 feet with the shot clock about to expire.
