Drummond, Barnes work out for Warriors' brass

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Late last week, Warriorsgeneral manager Bob Myers told the media hed have no problem drafting a playerthat he had not seen in an individual or small group workout. He was probablytelling the truth, too.But given a choice, itsclear Myers would rather see a guy than not.According to multiple leaguesources, Myers and owner Joe Lacob traveled to New York on Monday to watchseparate workouts of Connecticut center Andre Drummond and North Carolina smallforward Harrison Barnes.Over the past month, theWarriors have held approximately a dozen workouts, involving more than 60players, at their downtown Oakland practice facility. But Drummond and Barnesnever made it there.That Lacob and Myers took a lateSunday red-eye flight across the country to watch Drummond and Barnes work outthe following day would seem to suggest that one or both of those players couldbe available when the Warriors select at No. 7 in Thursdays NBAdraft.Myers declined comment when reached at his Oakland office late Tuesday morning.There are indications thatDrummond, who is intriguing but also young and raw, could be slipping into theWarriors range. Ditto for Barnes, although it seems less likely that theWarriors would get a crack at him.Of course, its also possiblethat neither will be available at No. 7. Obviously, Myers and Lacob figure itsbetter to be safe than sorry.Drummond is considered ahead-scratcher for some. Hes got terrific size and strength, but not muchbasketball skill at this point. He showed enough in one year at Connecticut toput him near the top of the draft, but hes not someone who is likely tocontribute immediately. Hes far more of a project than a finished product.Drummond is 6-foot-10,270-pounds, and hes got an upside, as they say.Hes also got a lot ofquestions. Of course he does. Hes not yet 19 years old and doesnt have muchof a body of work behind him. He played one year at Connecticut34 total games and averaged 10 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 28 minutes pergame.Drummond has natural size andathletic ability, can run the floor and has excellent timing. But there arealso concerns about his motor and whether he can stay committed to basketballfor the long haul.As recently as a few weeksback it didnt seem likely Drummond would fall to Golden Stateand he stillmight not.Most figure Portland, withthe No. 6 pick, will give Drummond a real look at that spot if hes still available.But the Blazers, who have the No. 6 pick and the No. 11 pick, are also said towant a point guard, and if they go small first its possible they could take DamianLillard.If the Blazers take Lillard and Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson and Bradley Beal are all gone, which is widelyassumedit would mean that at least one of the following players would beavailable to Golden State: Drummond, Barnes or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Of thosethree, Kidd-Gilchrist is the least likely to be there at No. 7.RELATED: NBA Draft scouting report -- Bradley Beal
If Barnes were to fall to theWarriors, it would be tough for Lacob and Myers to pass on him. Barnes is oneof the most polished players in the draft, and he just happens to play aposition that many believe is Priority No. 1 for the team: small forward.The organization believes ithas four locked-in starters with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee andAndrew Bogut. Conventional wisdom would suggest that if the Warriors were ableto draft Barnes, he would be the future starter at small forward.The only issue would seem tobe how quickly that would happen.A few weeks back, neitherDrummond nor Barnes figured to be there at No. 7. Now, with the draft just twodays away, the Warriors believe one or both of those players could be available.Myers and Lacob have to thinkthat, you figure, or they wouldnt have taken a red-eye flight across thecountry to get a look-see at those two.

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