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Sweet home, Chicago ...
CHICAGO (AP) -- For three days, 60 NBA draft prospects worked out in the predraft camp for scouts and team officials while the players likely to be lottery picks took it easy. That's because players expected to be the top selections in the June 27 draft don't need workouts to improve their stock. On Saturday, however, some of the highly-touted prospects -- including Duke's Shane Battier and teen-age sensations Eddy Curry and Kwane Brown -- showed up at Moody Bible Institute. "This draft is a little unusual," said New Jersey Nets' General Manager John Nash. "We've got highly regarded high school players who will certainly be taken top 10 and maybe top five. That's a unique development." Among them is Chicago's Curry, 18, who often scrimmages with Michael Jordan. "I feel I'm one of the top two in the draft," said the 6-foot-11, 290-pound Curry, who wants to lead his team to the playoffs and win Rookie of the Year. "If I don't go top two, my goal hasn't been achieved." Curry said he's interested in just two teams -- Jordan's Wizards and the youthful L.A. Clippers. "I try to hint around [to Jordan] every now and then about the pick," said Curry, "but he keeps business and friendship separate." The 6-11 Brown said he had a chance to scrimmage with Jordan, too, but turned him down. "I wasn't ready," said the soft-spoken Georgian. "I'm in OK shape now, but I didn't start really working out until a month ago." Brown thinks he made the right decision to skip college and go pro. "Some players in the NBA now aren't ready for NBA life," he said. "It's just character and how you grow up." Battier said four years in college gave him the chance to grow physically and mentally and allowed him to take the next step. "I know my body better now than when I was in high school," he said. "I'm much more in tune with how I feel and how to parlay that into success on the basketball court. I think at 18 you're still trying to gain your coordination. You're still not truly comfortable with your strength and your body." Several GMs said they'd like to see the NBA set a 22-year-old age limit. "By and large, it's easier for a 22-year-old to make the transition to the NBA than a 17-year-old," said Nash. "There are an awful lot of temptations that come with NBA life."
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