In preparation for the 2011 NBA Draft the New Jersey Nets, along with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets, are holding the first major pre-draft workout in New Jersey this weekend with over 40 prospective NBA players in attendance. 26 of the NBA's 30 teams will be there to scope out the talent, although many feel that the list of players attending this weekend will likely head back to school or get picked up in the second round, or currently play in the NBADL(Jamine Peterson). ESPN analysis Chad Ford explains why he thinks that a lot of the bigger names are skipping this event:
You can likely blame agents for their decisions. They want to control the process, minimize the risk of injury (the workouts will include a 5-on-5 element) and are likely worried that their clients aren't in peak physical shape yet. Most of these players are working out with trainers and still need a few more weeks.
Also there might be a constituent or two who believes the NBA's pending labor agreement could play a factor in them entering the draft this year as well, something to keep an eye on.
Here is the list of all 44 players attending this weekend. the players are broken up over Saturday and Sunday. Some players of note are Washington's Isaiah Thomas, USC's Mamadou Diarra, UC Santa Barbara's Orlando Johnson, Fresno State's Greg Smith, San Diego State's Malcolm Thomas, Washington State's Deangelo Castro, and Washington's Justin Holiday.
| Player | POS | HT | WT | College |
| Olu Ashaolu | F | 6'7" | 220 | Louisiana Tech |
| Deangelo Casto | F | 6'8" | 231 | Washington State |
| Mamadou Diarra | C | 7'0" | 240 | USC |
| Kim English | G/F | 6'6" | 200 | Missouri |
| Diante Garrett | G | 6'4" | 190 | Iowa State |
| Ashton Gibbs | G | 6'2" | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Troy Gillenwater | F | 6'7" | 225 | New Mexico State |
| Josh Harrellson | C | 6'10" | 275 | Kentucky |
| Tu Holloway | G | 6'0" | 185 | Xavier |
| Scotty Hopson | G/F | 6'6" | 195 | Tennessee |
| Reggie Jackson | G | 6'3" | 208 | Boston College |
| Terrence Jennings | F | 6'9" | 220 | Louisville |
| Orlando Johnson | G | 6'5" | 205 | UC Santa Barbara |
| Reggie Johnson | C | 6'10" | 303 | Miami |
| Cory Joseph | G | 6'3" | 170 | Texas |
| DeAndre Liggins | G | 6'6" | 180 | Kentucky |
| Guy-Marc Michel | C | 7'0" | 270 | Indiana |
| Jamine Peterson (D-League) |
F | 6'6" | 230 | Providence/New Mexico |
| Carleton Scott | F | 6'8" | 218 | Notre Dame |
| John Shurna | F | 6'8" | 210 | Northwestern |
| Hollis Thompson | F | 6'7" | 205 | Georgetown |
| Mychel Thompson | F | 6'8" | 200 | Pepperdine |
SUNDAY MAY 8
| Player | POS | HT | WT | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Allen | F | 6'7" | 258 | Virginia Tech |
| Jon Diebler | G | 6'6" | 200 | Ohio State |
| Lacedarius Dunn | G | 6'4" | 200 | Baylor |
| Mustapha Farrakhan | G | 6'4" | 181 | Virginia |
| Gary Flowers | F | 6'8" | 214 | Southern Mississippi |
| Austin Freeman | G | 6'4" | 195 | Georgetown |
| Andrew Goudelock | G | 6'2" | 200 | College of Charleston |
| Jerai Grant | F | 6'8" | 220 | Clemson |
| Cory Higgins | G | 6'5" | 185 | Colorado |
| Justin Holliday | F | 6'6" | 185 | Washington |
| Rick Jackson | F | 6'9" | 240 | Syracuse |
| Delroy James | F | 6'8" | 220 | Rhode Island |
| Ravern Johnson | F | 6'7" | 205 | Mississippi State |
| Kevin Jones | F | 6'8" | 248 | West Virginia |
| Ralph Sampson III | C | 6'11" | 241 | Minnesota |
| Damian Saunders | F | 6'7" | 205 | Duquesne |
| Xavier Silas | G | 6'5" | 200 | Northern Illinois |
| Greg Smith | F/C | 6'10" | 250 | Fresno State |
| Julyan Stone | G | 6'7" | 200 | UTEP |
| Malcolm Thomas | F | 6'8" | 220 | San Diego State |
| Isaiah Thomas | G | 5'8" | 180 | Washington |
| Chris Wright | G | 6'1" | 180 | Georgetown |