CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The attention was on Rich Cho as he sat courtside Wednesday morning wearing all black taking in his first pre-draft workout since joining the Charlotte Bobcats.
And while Cho provides a different perspective in owner Michael Jordan’s front office ahead of a critical draft, the old general manager sitting next to him likely had the most insight on this day.
Few in the NBA have seen guard Alec Burks play more than Rod Higgins, who was promoted this week to president of basketball operations. Higgins’ son, Cory, was a teammate of Burks at Colorado.
“He was at a lot of our games, our practices,” Burks said. “I know him a great deal.”
Burks and Providence guard Marshon Brooks—both in town for a second time after injuries kept them from the court on their first visit—headlined Charlotte’s six-player audition.
Also on hand were Michigan’s Darius Morris, Julyan Stone of UTEP, LaceDarius Dunn of Baylor and Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins.
The Bobcats, who select ninth and 19th on June 23, are considering the athletic, slashing 6-foot-6 Burks with the first pick. He could perhaps fill a need for more athleticism and scoring.
“I feel like they’ve seen a lot of my game,” Burks said, referencing Higgins. “It’s great to be out here in Charlotte showing them I still got it.”
A Grandview, Mo., native, Burks received few college offers before landing at Colorado. But he dazzled in his two years there, averaging 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds last season.
Coach Paul Silas said he could see playing Burks at both shooting guard and small forward. Silas indicated Burks, who has been criticized for his lack of shooting range and strength, shot well in the workout and displayed his athleticism.
“I showed them I get to the rim,” Burks said. “It was a good workout.”
There’s no doubt the 6-5 Brooks can score.
A possibility for Charlotte with the 19th pick, Brooks ranked second in the nation in scoring last season at 24.6 points a game.
Carrying a Providence team that lacked depth, Brooks scored 52 points against Notre Dame and 43 against Georgetown. But the scoring bursts also led to suggestions he’s a selfish player.
“I had to score. I had to carry the scoring load or the game was going to get ugly,” said Brooks, who pointed out he played point guard until a late growth spurt. “I might take a questionable shot, but I shot 48 percent from the field. So they were falling sometimes.”
Brooks feels he’d fit in well with Charlotte despite the team already having a young shooting guard in Gerald Henderson.
“I’m not a shooter,” Brooks argued. “I’m a scorer that draws a lot of fouls and just plays hard.”
Helping to make Charlotte’s draft decisions will be Cho, hired less than a month after he was dismissed as GM of the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I’m not the type of person who’s going to come in here and say, “Hey, this is what we need to do. Let’s change this, here,'” Cho said. “It’s going to be a collaborative effort.”
Cho and Higgins were seen chatting with scouts after the Wednesday’s workout, which Jordan didn’t attend.
“He’s going to be able to give us his idea of who he likes, looking at our roster and how they would fit in,” Silas said. “It just gives you another voice. A guy that’s been around, a guy that’s seen a lot of these players. I think it’s a major plus.”
Notes: Bobcats assistant Stephen Silas was back in Charlotte after helping run a camp for European draft prospects in Italy. “It was a great experience,” he said. … It marked the first time Morris had been in Time Warner Cable Arena since he missed a runner at the buzzer in Michigan’s 73-71 loss to Duke in the third round of the NCAA tournament that ended his college career. “A lot of memories in that gym,” Morris said, smiling. “I wouldn’t mind going in here and practicing that shot one more time.”
