Today the Hornets held their first NBA draft workout session of the offseason, inviting a bevy of prospects from programs all over the country. Guards Jeremy Pargo (Gonzaga), Shan Foster (Vanderbilt), Sonny Weems (Arkansas), and Antoine Agudio (Hofstra) showed off their skills to Hornets brass along with forwards Trent Plaisted (BYU) and Othello Hunter (Ohio State). Hornets blogger Jim Eichenhofer was in attendance at the workouts and provides player interviews here.

Invitees:
SG/SF Shan Foster 6-6 205
Foster is a more than exceptional shooter and…well, that’s it. I can see him being drafted, but nowhere near the first round. He’s a local product, however, and has great length.

PF/C Trent Plaisted 6-10 240
An intriguing prospect out of BYU with plenty of ability around the basket. He’s fighting for a first-round spot, but probably won’t get one. His defense is too suspect for what the Hornets need in my opinion. Hired an agent so he cannot go back to school.

PF Othello Hunter 6-8 220
I’ll admit I have a soft spot for undersized big men who do all the dirty work down low, and he makes me wish the Hornets still had a second round pick. He made a living at Ohio State on rebounding and shot blocking, and cleaned up on the offensive boards better than anyone else in the Big Ten.

SG Sonny Weems 6-5 190
I haven’t really been following his guy, but from scouting reports he looks like he’s valued more for his athleticism than anything else. He seems too raw for me.

PG Jeremy Pargo 6-2 220
The brother of Jannero Pargo, Jeremy is a big guard with superior athleticism and intriguing skills on both ends of the ball. He’s definitely not a polished player, so I’ll expect him to return to Gonzaga for his senior year.

G Antoine Agudio 6-3 190
I don’t know anything about this guy and had no idea he was invited to the workout. I do know that he put up 22.7 PPG this past season. Probably another Loren Stokes, who put up similar stats for them but just couldn’t cut it.

Eric Robertson

Looks like the Bees are getting ready to plot their future:

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Hornets’ NBA draft preparations get into full swing this week as they’ll hold four sets of workouts with prospects beginning Tuesday. It’s the latest step, after the predraft camp in Orlando, Fla., late last month, in getting ready for the June 26 NBA draft. 1.

I’m also beaming at this statement:

Scott said the Hornets will be looking to improve their depth at center, point guard, and with an athletic player that can play shooting guard and small forward.

Scott knows what this team needs, and I expect that Bower will get him exactly that. I’ll assume that these are in priority-order, and I think we’ll be in a good spot at 27 to draft depth at any one of these positions. Maybe my Joey Dorsey wish will come true? We’ll see, but I think the list of players that are invited to workouts will tell much of the tale. Stay tuned!

Noballer08’s early-stage draft board for the Hornets

1. Joey Dorsey, PF/C 6-9
Watching the Spurs series, it became kind of obvious that the Hornets desperately need some depth and a physical body in the post to defend the Tim Duncans of the West. He’s also number one on my board because of another simple thing- shotblocking. The Hornets ranked among the last teams in the NBA in shotblocking this season, and it is imperative that we look to improve on that. Chandler blocks and alters shots in his own right, and David West has broken out in that area this year, but beyond that there’s very little.

2. Richard Hendrix, PF 6-8 250
Undersized, buff power forwards are becoming popular in the league with the successes of Paul Millsap and Jason Maxiell. Hendrix has a solid body, not exactly sculpted, and he is a great rebounder and banger down low. In addition, his wingspan is more than respectable for his size, measuring out two inches shorter than Joey Dorsey at 7′3″. If the opportunity presented itself, and Dorsey (for some reason) were not available at 27, I’d be more than happy with Bower and the rest selecting Hendrix with their pick. The general consensus is that he’s a high second round pick, but he’s been doing well so far in workouts and at the Pre-Draft Camp so I expect his stock to rise.

3. Courtney Lee, SG 6-5 210
I know I have stressed the need for a defensive-minded PF/C for the Bees, but sometimes things don’t pan out the way they are intended. You see, if Pargo decides to opt out again (which is looking very likely), and ask for more money than the team is willing to spend on an inconsistent backup point guard, then I think it may be time for the team to look towards a replacement in either the draft or free agency. Love him or hate him, Pargo was a big part of the resurgance to his team. He’s shot us in (and out, damn it) of games, and I’d hate to see him walk and not have a suitable replacement off the bench as far as putting up points is concerned. Courtney Lee, in my opinion, is one of the purest scorers in the draft, and will be a huge steal to any team that picks him up. He’s projected as a high to mid second round pick, but I think he’s better than that. His mix of skills penetrating and shooting the ball would bring a lot to this team, and would be more than satisfying if Pargo packs up and leaves.

4. Jason Thompson, PF 6-10 250 The 6-10 big man out of Rider has been somewhat of an obscurity, but I was left impressed after looking at a few videos on Youtube. He’s got a bit of everything in him; perimeter saavy in the form of a sweet jumper that extends to the collegiate three, post moves, shotblocking, and rebounding. Physically, he has long arms and can jump pretty well for his size and position. He might not be the defender that Dorsey or Hendrix is, but if the team sees enough in him and he improves through the draft process I wouldn’t mind the pick.

Eric Robertson