Friday, June 07, 2002
Logan opening eyes at NBA draft camp
By Michael Perry, mperry@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CHICAGO — The Denver Nuggets learned something about Steve Logan that had nothing to do with his jump shot or height.
When the former University of Cincinnati star guard, now listed at 5 feet 10, worked out for the Nuggets, he had come from a workout in New York and showed up with food poisoning.
“We thought any minute he was going to drop, he was going to quit,” Nuggets assistant general manager Jeff Weltman said. “He was really in pain. But he toughed it out. The whole workout, he really stayed focused, which showed us a lot.”
Logan, a consensus first-team All-American and two-time Conference USA Player of the Year, has as good a basketball resume as any of the 60-some players participating in drills and games at the NBA predraft camp at Moody Bible Institute.
Opinions are mixed on when Logan will be drafted June 26, ranging everywhere from late in the first round to not at all.
“There are 15, 20 kids that are vying for those last six or seven first-round spots, and he's in that mix,” Weltman said.
Logan has been living in Washington, D.C., working out with Qyntel Woods from Northeast Mississippi Community College — both are clients of agent Mike Strickland — and former NBA player Adrian Dantley.
Logan said he has worked out for Miami, Denver, Milwaukee, New York and Toronto, and he has workouts set up with Golden State and Orlando.
“Everybody's saying the same thing, that I'm doing great, impressive, just being me, playing hard, knocking in shots, playing defense, passing it well,” Logan said.
In his first two games in Chicago, Logan got the ball to teammates in transition. He made his own scoring opportunities by creating space and pulling up for jumpers. He drove to the basket in traffic.
Thursday night he had 16 points and 11 assists. He was 7-of-17 from the field.
In his first game Wednesday, he had a team-high 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting, four assists, two rebounds, one steal and no turnovers.
Said his first-game coach, Marc Ivaroni: “I think the obvious thing is, he's a competitor. He's got a very good idea of how to win games, and he wants the ball in his hands.”
Tony Ronzone, Detroit Pistons director of international scouting, said this is a big week for Logan to prove he can play against bigger opponents and hit NBA 3-pointers.
“At his size, it's got to be automatic for him,” Ronzone said.
Said Orlando GM John Gabriel: “There's not a team in the league that doesn't have some form of need at big (man) and point. That makes him valuable.”
MAC HURT: Former Bearcat Immanuel McElroy injured his right ankle with 16:29 left in his game Thursday. McElroy was helped to the locker room and did not return.
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Logan opening eyes at NBA draft camp
