NBA Executives Search for Prospects Among Players at CBA Showcase

Elgin Baylor needs players.

Danny Ainge and Allan Bristow could use some too. And every other NBA executive and coach hoping to keep his job also is in search of a few more good men.

So that’s why many have been at Concordia University since Monday, hoping to find some guys who can make jump shots, rebound and maybe play a little defense. More than 50 NBA decision-makers are attending the first CBA Players Showcase, which ends today at Concordia.

“This is a very good idea,” said Baylor, Clipper general manager. “The CBA is giving us an opportunity to see many of its best players at once. This saves us time and helps us because they have tried to bring in the best players possible for us to evaluate.”

Forty CBA players were invited to participate in the event, which is closed to the public. Baylor, Phoenix Coach Ainge and Bristow, vice president of basketball operations for the Denver Nuggets, are among the talent evaluators analyzing every crossover dribble and ill-advised jumper.

The showcase is patterned after the NBA’s pre-draft camp in Chicago for college players, which is the NBA’s version of a scouting combine. The idea is to help players show their stuff to the NBA people, and to help the NBA get to know players better.

“This is very important because a lot of times you never see the guy who you’re talking about bringing in [from the CBA], all you see is his stats,” Bristow said. “Here, you get to put a face with a name. This just gives you a chance to further evaluate the talent pool you’re working with, and to find out a little more about the player and the person.”

How players conduct themselves on the court will help determine if they get a shot at the NBA, Baylor said.

“You want to see if a player is coachable, you want to see how hard he works,” Baylor said. “You can get a pretty good feel for someone by watching them for three, four days. Some people will help themselves and, unfortunately, some will probably hurt themselves.”

Selecting the players were Marty Blake, CBA and NBA director of scouting, Herb Livsey, the CBA’s director of player development, and CBA coaches. They focused on the CBA’s top young talent.

Players are running through several drills designed to display their skills in shooting, ballhandling and defense. They also are measured and weighed and poked and prodded to determine things such as percentage of body fat and overall athleticism. Three games are played daily.

“The hope is that all the players will get an opportunity to go to NBA camps this summer,” said Brett Meister, CBA vice president for communications. “Then from there, obviously the final piece of the puzzle would be for them to make NBA teams.”

That’s certainly not out of the question.

A record 103 former CBA players were on NBA rosters this season. And 45 players were called up during the season.

Ron Riley hopes to join the club.

A standout swingman at Arizona State, Riley was selected by Seattle in the second round of the 1996 draft but did not make the team. Riley played for the CBA’s Rockford Lightning last season, averaging 10 points and 2.6 rebounds.

“You have some of the top guys in the NBA here to watch you, so you want to show them some of the things they felt you couldn’t do when you were coming out of college,” Riley said. “This is a second chance for a lot of guys, and maybe a third or fourth chance for a lot of others.”

And the opportunities aren’t one-sided.

The showcase provides NBA executives with the chance to fill holes and find gems. With 29 teams and restless owners, finding talent has never been more important for job security. However, hoping to find a savior at the showcase would be a mistake, the Nuggets’ Bristow said.

“The wrong thing to do is to think you’re going to get a whole team,” he said. “If you get one player, then it’s worth your while. But the one thing about these guys is that they’re all hungry and they want to impress you.”

But the players realize that while the showcase might help them, nothing in the hoops world is guaranteed.

“This is just one step for us,” said Connecticut Pride guard Kevin Ollie, a standout at Los Angeles Crenshaw High. “It can be a long process to get from the CBA to the NBA.”