College Sports
Email
Print
Johnson works out for Brown, Bobcats
Former standout at Wake Forest has been paired with Clark, who played at Louisville
AP Photo
James Johnson guards Micah Downs during a pre-draft workout.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: June 19, 2009
Updated: 06/19/2009 12:35 am
CHARLOTTE - When Earl Clark met James Johnson at the NBA combine last month, he kidded him about Wake Forest's stunning NCAA Tournament loss to Cleveland State, which wiped out a potential round of 16 match-up between Wake Forest and Clark's Louisville team.
Little did either player know that they would soon face each other after all -- over and over -- while becoming nearly constant companions on the NBA predraft workout circuit.
The forwards were paired for the ninth time yesterday, this time banging, running and sweating for Coach Larry Brown of the Charlotte Bobcats.
"We've been to the Mall of America, rode roller-coasters, things like that. A lot of chilling at the hotel," Johnson said. "Then we get on the court, and we go after each other's throats. That's what it is, a cutthroat league. You can have friends off the court, but you've got to know how it is on the court."
Teams like to pair similar players in predraft workouts, and Clark and Johnson are seemingly perfect to go one-on-one.
At nearly 6-10, Clark is long, a good ball-handler and defender and has about a two-inch height advantage over Johnson. Stronger and heavier -- maybe too heavy -- Johnson is skilled, has a better shooting range, and is perhaps more raw. But they've both played small forward and power forward in college and are expected to go somewhere from the middle to the end of the first round of the June 25 draft.
Johnson, of Cheyenne, Wyo., left school after his sophomore year. Clark, of Rahway, N.J., left after his junior year. They never played against each other in college.
"You know West Coast guys, they're a different kind of guy. But that's my boy," Clark said. "They took an L to Cleveland State, and I joke with him all the time that, ‘Hey, we were supposed to match up a long time ago.' He just gets mad at me."
The two realized at the combine they had nearly identical workout schedules. Since then they have become inseparable, whether they're in Sacramento, Minnesota, New Jersey or Charlotte.
"He's like a roommate now," Clark said. "We get to the hotel and chill out. It's not always fun going state to state by yourself, so it's good to have a friend along with you. It's definitely fun."
According to Brown, both players have the potential to be longtime friends and foes in the NBA -- if they address some flaws.
Johnson, who averaged 15 points and 8.5 rebounds last season, was criticized for having high body fat at the NBA combine. While he insisted he has done well with his fitness at workouts, Brown believes that Johnson has to lose weight to guard small forwards in the NBA.
"I'm sure he'll be in better shape when the season starts," Brown said. "The better shape he's in, the better chance he'll have to play (small forward). But he can shoot it, he can pass it, he can handle it. He's real good."
For Clark, who averaged 14.2 points and 8.7 rebounds last season, it's about getting stronger to bang with NBA power forwards. Coming off an impressive performance in leading Louisville to the Midwest Regional final, Brown compared Clark to Tim Thomas, a veteran NBA forward.
"I think he'd have to get a little stronger to play (power forward), but he's over 6-9, he's got long arms," Brown said. "I think he could handle the ball against the press. I think he'll be able to guard multiple positions when he's into the league awhile. He's a really, really good prospect."
Knowing a team looking for a forward in the middle of the draft might choose between them, Cark and Johnson have had intense competitions. They were guarding each other for several segments at the end of yesterday's workout.
Yet as Johnson talked to a reporter before leaving the court, Clark waited for him. Soon they started laughing as they discussed their next workout.
Yes, they'll be together again.
Saturday in Phoenix.
"It's been a back-and-forth battle," Clark said. "I think I've been getting better through this whole process."
Email
Print
