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CHICAGO Charlotte Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said he might audition a dozen candidates for the No.12 pick.
Davidson's Stephen Curry, Duke's Gerald Henderson and Louisville's Earl Clark make three. So far, Wake Forest's James Johnson hasn't heard from the Bobcats.
Curry and Henderson said they're scheduled for a workout in Charlotte June4, a day when North Carolina's Danny Green (a second-round pick?) is also scheduled. Clark, projected as both a small and power forward in the pros, said he'd be in Charlotte later in June.
Johnson seemed mildly surprised he hadn't heard from the Bobcats. Like Clark, he's a combo forward. Asked what he'd like to be at the pro level, he mentioned the rugged way Denver Nugget Carmelo Anthony plays small forward.
Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, the presumed No.1 pick, went all diplomat when asked if he believes Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy was honest in promising he'd take Griffin.
“I believe him. He's probably one of my next coaches, so I believe him,” Griffin said with a nervous laugh. “But anything can happen.''
Translation: There will be about 500 trade rumors between now and the June25 draft.
Wake Forest's Jeff Teague still hasn't signed with an agent, so he has the option of pulling out of the draft by June15 and returning to college ball.
Retaining that option becomes expensive. Teague will pay his own way to upcoming workouts with Golden State and Minnesota. He wants an assurance he'll be a first-round pick before giving up his college eligibility.
Teague said this all comes down to proving to NBA teams he's a point guard, and not just a scorer trapped in a point guard's body.
“People say I can't pass, can't really run a team,” said Teague. “I've played point guard my whole life. In high school and in college, my teams needed me to score. That's what the coaches asked me to do.”
Teague sounded wary of giving up his eligibility without a lot more feedback from the pros.
“If I'm not a first-round pick,” Teague said, “I shouldn't be in this draft.”
