# Araujo Dominates Harrison In Workout



## arenas809 (Feb 13, 2003)

Scouts set up the Harrison-Araujo workout with a pair of point guards, and it was two-on-two. Araujo, according to Roese, is now at 295 pounds, and Harrison's agent reportedly stopped the workout after 45 minutes of Araujo domination.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595063912,00.html


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## T.Shock (Feb 11, 2003)

Not suprised at all. Araujo is a principal sleeper in this draft. After some drills and workouts I'd be surprised if Araujo slipped out of the lottery....I wish I had more time to post my thoughts about Araujo in detailed but it's a thread somewhere on here.


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## rebelsun (Nov 25, 2003)

Harrison better average 40 and 20 at Chicago if he still wants to be a 1st rounder.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

Doesn't really surprise me. Araujo has a lot of nice tools for a big man, and he's only going to get better. People site his age as a detriment to his upside, ignoring the fact that he's only been playing basketball for a couple years. 

The improvement in his body and his play show how dedicated he is (though I'd be surprised if he wasn't juiced), and after all gets said and done I'll be surprised if he isn't a lottery pick as well.


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## T.Shock (Feb 11, 2003)

All right here comes my detailed thoughts on Araujo

RAFAEL ARAUJO

Height: 6'11'
Weight: 285

Shooting: 

Good mid-range game for a big man with a sweet little J out to about 15 feet. Won't be confused with Sheed but isn't Ben Wallace either. If he gets the ball in the paint it'll be hard to stop him thanks to a nice combination of agility and strength and a nice little turnaround jumper and hook.

Passing:

Better than most big men at this despite just recently starting the game. Will still miss cutters although at BYU a lot of it was ball into Araujo kick to Mike Hall or Bigelow or Little Ainge so he didn't need to become proficient at it. Good vision though.

Defense:

Will block some shots, but likes to do it meaning he has a tendency to get in foul trouble. This is the biggest setback for Rafael in college, but with an extra foul in the NBA, it may become less of a concern. On help he is pretty good at sliding over and just trying to contest a shot. Won't give up on any play.

Rebounding:

Above-average rebounder, he won't dominante the boards. Sometimes he'd use his height to go after the ball rather than his ability, but when he needed to get a board, he'd get it. Uses his body well to box out and get position to make sure guards and wings don't steal boards from him.

Agility + Floor Running

Some are concerned with this, but everything I saw from Araujo says he's no worse off than any other big mean running the floor. He may not be Dirk or KG, but he's a legitimate center at 6'11''. I firmly believe if Araujo was not 24 and instead 21 and never played at BYU he'd be a legit top 10 prospect. Back on tangent. The concern may be moving his feet against quicker power forwards like C-Webb or Dirk. Of course Dirk can't play D either and nobody's complaining...

OVERALL

I like Araujo as a solid prospect and think he'll be somewhere between a 15/10 guy or if he develops some agility and isn't asked to be a #1 option could be a borderline all-star. I believe he's the 3rd best big men in the draft behind Howard and Okafor. I couldn't fault a team for drafting Biedrins ahead of him but Araujo is gonna suprise some people...

Five-Year Progress

(Points/Rebounds/Assists/Blocks/Minutes)

1st Season(11/4/1/1/20)
2nd Season(13/7/2/2/25)
3rd Season(13/7/3/2/28)
4th Season(18/10/4/2/32)


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## Wilt_The_Stilt (Jun 7, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>T.Shock</b>!
> Shooting:
> Good mid-range game for a big man with a sweet little J out to about 15 feet. Won't be confused with Sheed but isn't Ben Wallace either. If he gets the ball in the paint it'll be hard to stop him thanks to a nice combination of agility and strength and a nice little turnaround jumper and hook.


He does have range out to the three point line, but he rarely will shoot that or even the mid-range shot. Almost all of his points come from the low post. He does have a few basic moves like turnaround and hook, but I would like to see him develop or at least display a few more moves.



> Passing:
> Better than most big men at this despite just recently starting the game. Will still miss cutters although at BYU a lot of it was ball into Araujo kick to Mike Hall or Bigelow or Little Ainge so he didn't need to become proficient at it. Good vision though.


Araujo does not get a lot of assists, but he does have good vision, especially for a center. He is not selfish, but he does try to go for the spectacular pass instead of the basic pass too often.



> Defense:
> Will block some shots, but likes to do it meaning he has a tendency to get in foul trouble. This is the biggest setback for Rafael in college, but with an extra foul in the NBA, it may become less of a concern. On help he is pretty good at sliding over and just trying to contest a shot. Won't give up on any play.


He is not a great shot-blocker. He does not have long arms, and he is not a great leaper. He barely blocked any shots at all last year. He does contest shots, but he really doesn't block many of them. I remember during one game the annoucer quoted a Clipper scout who said that Aruajo will do better in the NBA because he won't get called for so many ticky tack fouls.




> Agility + Floor Running
> Some are concerned with this, but everything I saw from Araujo says he's no worse off than any other big mean running the floor. He may not be Dirk or KG, but he's a legitimate center at 6'11''. I firmly believe if Araujo was not 24 and instead 21 and never played at BYU he'd be a legit top 10 prospect. Back on tangent. The concern may be moving his feet against quicker power forwards like C-Webb or Dirk. Of course Dirk can't play D either and nobody's complaining...


I don't know why you are comparing him to Dirk/KG/Webber. He will never guard those guys. He is a center all the way. He does have a little too much fat on his body, but I am really convinced he will work that off.



> OVERALL
> I like Araujo as a solid prospect and think he'll be somewhere between a 15/10 guy or if he develops some agility and isn't asked to be a #1 option could be a borderline all-star. I believe he's the 3rd best big men in the draft behind Howard and Okafor. I couldn't fault a team for drafting Biedrins ahead of him but Araujo is gonna suprise some people...


I watched almost every BYU basketball game, and I think he will turn out to be a nice player. Maybe a shorter, stronger Ilgauskas. He needs to work on recognizing double-teams, and on his defense, but he has a strong work ethic so I expect him to do well.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Seattle better take him. They need someone who can step in immediately and make an impact from the 5 spot in the worst way.


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## MikeDC (Jul 16, 2002)

I almost posted that article earlier but then I got busy at work. I've been seeing and hearing nothing but good things about Araujo. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she moves up into the late lottery.


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## rynobot (Oct 10, 2002)

truthfully I really never considered Harrison a first rounder for this draft. Hopefully "Big Harry" will learn from this *** whopping and go back to Colorodo and bust his *** in the gym. I have heard from many sources that he lacks a great work ethic. He sounds like he is content with how good he already is.


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## zebraman2 (Mar 17, 2004)

two things...

whats DH's wingspan?

does he have good hands?


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## CMC (Aug 14, 2003)

This article sounds like complete bs to me, but it is draft time so get ready for a lot of these fluff articles.

Araujo as a lotto pick would be a complete waste imo. He's vitaly potapenko at best, and even Vitaly's a better athlete than him.


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## rebelsun (Nov 25, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Mikedc</b>!
> I almost posted that article earlier but then I got busy at work. I've been seeing and hearing nothing but good things about Araujo. I wouldn't be at all surprised if *she* moves up into the late lottery.


I wouldn't call Rafael "she" to his face.


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

Yeah alot of teams are gonna leak these articles to take the focus off of the guys they really want. 

Certain players are gonna really rise through the rumor mill and then sit on the board for a while. 

I actually think some of these work-outs aren't taken as seriously as fans believe. The format for these work-puts don't factor in 5on 5 and running the court and having certain players surround the players. 

Teams are gonna watch the tape and see hw atletic these guys are and then make decisions. Out playing someone in these settings isn't gonna have as much impact as some believe.

Araujo has a ton of that BIG Country Reeves feel to him. Solid skills very little athleticism. A nice guy to try and push Shaq and some of the bigger guys but defensively he'll get beat to death by the quicker athletic guys. He'll stay in foul trouble and make some jumpers and hook shots in between.


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## Kmasonbx (Apr 7, 2003)

I think Araujo can be as good as Sabonis was when he got to the NBA, but he doesn't have the great passing that Sabonis had. He'll be a nice NBA player, but won't be a star, but unlike a lot of players who get drafted he won't be a wasted pick.


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## CrookedJ (May 8, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>jazzy1</b>!
> 
> Araujo has a ton of that BIG Country Reeves feel to him. Solid skills very little athleticism. A nice guy to try and push Shaq and some of the bigger guys but defensively he'll get beat to death by the quicker athletic guys. He'll stay in foul trouble and make some jumpers and hook shots in between.


I agree with that from what I saw of Araujo - but in a good way - Big Country was a good center, it was just back injuries that killed him. Put him beside an agile 4 and you'll be fine against most teams, as very few team have mobile offensive options at 4 and 5.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>jazzy1</b>!
> Araujo has a ton of that BIG Country Reeves feel to him. Solid skills very little athleticism. A nice guy to try and push Shaq and some of the bigger guys but defensively he'll get beat to death by the quicker athletic guys. He'll stay in foul trouble and make some jumpers and hook shots in between.


I don't see Araujo slipping past the lottery especially with Seattle needing a solid big man in the post. There is a big dropoff in terms of being ready for the NBA after Okafor and Araujo from the crop of centers, and I think Araujo will make a fine NBA player.


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## Cusematt23 (Apr 15, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>CMC</b>!
> This article sounds like complete bs to me, but it is draft time so get ready for a lot of these fluff articles.
> 
> Araujo as a lotto pick would be a complete waste imo. He's vitaly potapenko at best, and even Vitaly's a better athlete than him.


Have you ever even seen him play? Araujo is a beast that is a force to be reckoned with. Absolutely dominated Syracuse when we played him last year. One of the strongest players in the country, college or pro. Excellent movement and coordination for a big man. Nice touch. Just an absolute beast. I think he'll be a 15/10 type player, and for a center, that is borderline all-star.


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## guilherme.rcf (Mar 4, 2003)

Kaman was a lottery pick in one of the deepest drafts ever. I dont know about you guys but I would pick Araujo over Kaman any day.

He won't be great, but he is better than the rest. The GMs have to pick the best players avaible. If Shaq was on the table of course that he would be picked higher than Araujo, but he isnt, and theres nobody better than Rafael. So put your brains to work and realize that it doesnt matter if araujo will be better or worse than pontapenko. He is still the best Center in the draft.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Kaman is 22 and Araujo is 25. There is no guarantee he will be able to muscle his way to points in the NBA next year. Remember he was dominated by Emeka Okafor in 2003 in the first round (in Spokane). Okafor is a PF in the NBA. Araujo may have bulked up, but he is going to struggle to just come in and do anything. If he can just grab some boards and defend the hoop then it would be a success for him. 

How many rookie centers do great in their first year, unless they are future HOF players?


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## guilherme.rcf (Mar 4, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Hong Kong Fooey</b>!
> Kaman is 22 and Araujo is 25. There is no guarantee he will be able to muscle his way to points in the NBA next year. Remember he was dominated by Emeka Okafor in 2003 in the first round (in Spokane). Okafor is a PF in the NBA. Araujo may have bulked up, but he is going to struggle to just come in and do anything. If he can just grab some boards and defend the hoop then it would be a success for him.
> 
> How many rookie centers do great in their first year, unless they are future HOF players?


Araujo is 23.


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## OwnTheBlocks (Jun 10, 2003)

whoever compared him to big country- since when is 16 and 9 in the west a bad thing?


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## CMC (Aug 14, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Cusematt23</b>!
> 
> Have you ever even seen him play? Araujo is a beast that is a force to be reckoned with. Absolutely dominated Syracuse when we played him last year. One of the strongest players in the country, college or pro. Excellent movement and coordination for a big man. Nice touch. Just an absolute beast. I think he'll be a 15/10 type player, and for a center, that is borderline all-star.


Syracuse was playing a 6'9 scrub at Center and a 6'8 rail-thin Warrick.

Araujo will not be able to get his shot off in the post against nba players. He doesn't have the lift and he's not going to just bully them out of the way like he can college players.

He is vitaly potapenko II.


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## vandyke (Jan 8, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>Hong Kong Fooey</b>!
> Seattle better take him. They need someone who can step in immediately and make an impact from the 5 spot in the worst way.


The thing about Seattle is they already have James, Booth, and Potapenko, 3 big stiffs, they really could use Arajuo but wouldn't they have to get rid of one of these stiffs first?


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## JGKoblenz (Jul 19, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>CMC</b>!
> 
> 
> Syracuse was playing a 6'9 scrub at Center and a 6'8 rail-thin Warrick.


Well he did well against a good amount of teams, not only Syracuse, are you implying that all of his good performances happened because all Centers were undersized?


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>vandyke</b>!
> 
> 
> The thing about Seattle is they already have James, Booth, and Potapenko, 3 big stiffs, they really could use Arajuo but wouldn't they have to get rid of one of these stiffs first?


Potapenko has an expiring deal this year. He would be a good person to trade along with Flip and Vlad Man if they were looking for someone to produce at the 4.


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## sMaK (Jun 13, 2002)

Hope the Heat land Aruajo :grinning:


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## T.Shock (Feb 11, 2003)

If the Heat land Araujo they would win the East next year...


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## RP McMurphy (Jul 17, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>T.Shock</b>!
> If the Heat land Araujo they would win the East next year...


Wow, talk about overrating a player.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

Hoffa does everything better than Potapenko, on top of being bigger, faster, and stronger. At 295 pounds of solid muscle, I have a hard time believing he won't be able to bully around most of today's "centers" - and even if not, he doesn't really need to. He's got a good assortment of post moves, and his mid-range game isn't bad.

He has to learn to play defense with his feet and stay out of foul trouble, and when he does he should be a fine center. I don't think anyone is expecting him to be a star, but solid is the right word for Araujo..


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Arclite</b>!
> He has to learn to play defense with his feet and stay out of foul trouble, and when he does he should be a fine center. I don't think anyone is expecting him to be a star, but solid is the right word for Araujo..


And what happens to solid big men in the East? They become All Stars (Magloire). Araujo will be in an All Star center in the East, and an underrated one in the West. 

Why the name change Sovereignz?


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Hong Kong Fooey</b>!
> Potapenko has an expiring deal this year. He would be a good person to trade along with Flip and Vlad Man if they were looking for someone to produce at the 4.


Jerome James will also be an expiring contract this year as he will use his player option. James and Potapenko can easily be traded to teams like Utah and Atlanta who will need bigger expiring contracts to hit the minimum cap. And I don't think Calvin Booth will deter the Sonics from drafting Araujo.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> 
> 
> Jerome James will also be an expiring contract this year as he will use his player option. James and Potapenko can easily be traded to teams like Utah and Atlanta who will need bigger expiring contracts to hit the minimum cap. *And I don't think Calvin Booth will deter the Sonics from drafting Araujo.*


Neither do I. They will just be extra fouls for Shaq and Duncan.


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## Scinos (Jun 10, 2003)

Hmm...people are comparing him to Potapenko. I see some similarities, in that they both lack athleticism and are both big/strong. But, from what i've read on Araujo, he's going to be better than Vitaly. 

For one, he is taller and bigger than Vitaly. Araujo is listed at 6'11" and weighs around 280-295 lbs. Potapenko is more like 6'9 or 6'10 and 280.

Second, he seems to be better on the offensive end. Every scouting report i've read says he has a vast array of post moves and a solid midrange game. Potapenko is mainly a midrange jumpshooter on offense. He doesn't really have any back to the basket scoring moves. 



> "He has a variety of post moves including a nice looking hook shot and a sweet touch off the glass." - Draftcity.
> 
> "He posses a full assortment of back to the basket moves, including a sweet baby hook" - Nbadraft.net.


Third, Araujo is said to have good hands by both sources and a decent passer. Potapenko has horrible hands and is poor at passing.

He probably doesn't have the high potential like some of the other bigmen. But, he should be able to come in right away and put up solid numbers. So, i'd be happy if the Sonics drafted him. A Collison/Araujo frontcourt next season would be an upgrade over Evans, Booth and the other scrubs on the roster. :yes:


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## captain_ballard (Apr 4, 2004)

Vitaly is a guy who before injury was a pretty decent center in the league. 

Plays solid defense, crafty, kept a roster spot for 9 years and was a 10 & 8 guy at his best.

I'd hope Aurajo is better than that, but if you get Potapenko minus the injuries out of a #12 pick and the guy is a starting caliber NBA center for 10 years then its pretty damn good value. Anything better than that is gravy.

I love the pick for Seattle. Seems like a no brainer.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> 
> Why the name change Sovereignz?


Because Sovereignz was a handle I used in a game I played when I was about 14.. just time for a change.

And I agree with captain_ballard - Vitaly was actually a pretty good starting center for the C's a few years ago, had a couple 11/8 type seasons there. I would have trouble believing with Araujo's combination of size and skills he couldn't manage that.

Hell, even Mark Blount put up 11/7 this year.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

And Vitaly played for Wright State coming out of college. Araujo played at BYU and faced better competition night in and night out.


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## The Mad Viking (Jun 12, 2003)

A terrible waste of a lottery pick.

He is a mature man playing against boys. Weak college competition, at that.

Projecting to the NBA he will

be a good low post scorer
be an average rebounder
have no face-up game
no outside shooting, and marginal mid-range
play poor defence
block very few shots
be in constant foul trouble

Look at his age and his skill set.
He is probably already maxed out. Not much upside.

I'm NOT saying bust. He can be a useful NBA player. Think of a Corliss Williamson type of player, morphed up to centre.


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## PatBateman (May 26, 2003)

DID ANYONE NOTICE that the report came from Roese from BYU?????

smells of bull-**** to me!:laugh:


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## jokeaward (May 22, 2003)

He's a center.

Syracuse doesn't have a center? I'd say Forth is average.

Does it really matter how old he is? Maybe he's ready to play and we don't have to worry about upside as much. Even if he is 25, he can play out his rookie deal and still be a good candidate for a sizable contract if he proves himself. I thought it was a big deal if Deshawn Stevenson wasn't ready to play in his first years and "robbed" that team.

Remember how either T.J. Ford or Lampe were going to Miami and Wade would wind up in Chicago? Hmm. I don't know if he'll wind up in Seattle, but they could use him.

C - Araujo
PF - Collison
SF - Lewis
SG - Allen
PG - Ridnour


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## Nene31jwill2 (Dec 19, 2003)

Rafael Araújo workout in Charlotte...

LINK:
http://www.nba.com/bobcats/news/draft_central_rafael_araujo.html
I like this quote:



> In college I got into a lot of foul trouble. My coaches in the summer have worked with me on staying in place and not reaching -- all of the little things to stay in the game. I’ve tried to improve on that. The NBA game is a different game. It’s physical and they let you play more. I think it will be more of my game. I think I will have more success in the NBA because they have more guys with the same size body and they will let you play. There won’t be as many touch fouls and I’ll be able to more physical.


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## jreywind (May 30, 2003)

Good article. Don't really know why Charlotte has him working out with pick 4, but I guess you never know what an expansion team would do in the way of trades. As far as competition goes I think he played some pretty good competition. He played against USC, Oklahoma, Syracuse, not to mention Utah and Bogut and Colorado St's Nelson. He would be a great find for Seattle.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>PatBateman</b>!
> DID ANYONE NOTICE that the report came from Roese from BYU?????
> 
> smells of bull-**** to me!:laugh:


This is from a May 21 Chad Ford article:

You can may not copy and paste entire or parts of "pay articles" on basketballboards.net. What you may do is put the article in your own words and give us a link the orginal article.


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