Matt Palmer & John Keim, The Examiner
2008-04-17 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

The piled-up stats provided good ammunition for making all-tourney teams or being named MVP. But the people who matter — the pro scouts and executives — wanted to see more.

And that’s what Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing Jr. showed them.

That should be enough to warrant an invitation to the Orlando predraft camp in June.

The only problem for Ewing in last week’s Portsmouth Invitational, attended by several hundred pro executives and scouts, is that he rolled his ankle in the second game.

But he showed enough in the game and a half he did play.

“I remember seeing him in high school and his progression now,” said Ryan Blake, assistant director of NBA scouting. “I was stunned that he wasn’t getting it. I look at him now and it’s like, ‘Wow, he’s really put it together.’ He’ll be in the predraft camp. I would go to bat for him.”

Blake liked the 6-foot-10 forward’s increased confidence and knowledge of the game, as well as his passing.

» George Mason’s Will Thomas averaged 16.0 points and 10.4 rebounds. Blake did not consider him as impressive as Ewing, but did like him. Thomas is drawing interest from international teams.

“He’s undersized [6-foot-7], but he’s a player,” Blake said. “He plays taller than he is. I’m looking at these players and saying, ‘Where can I find a spot on a team?’ And I say, ‘I can see him there.’”

» Georgetown guard Jonathan Wallace did not help himself with his shooting; he made 49.6 percent of his shots, but Blake said he didn’t shoot well. Blake considers him a good leader and unselfish.

» George Mason guard Folarin Campbell, a late invitee, averaged 15.6 points and made 41.6 percent of his shots. “He was strong and took the ball to the hole well,” Blake said. “He helped himself.”

Good idea, bad idea

Good idea » Not caving in to Kobe Bryant’s trade demands last year. The Lakers are now the West’s top seed and he’s the likely MVP.

Bad idea » Telling the O’s to sit Kevin Millar for a day or two, as we did, because his average stinks and he’s old, then watching him get three hits that very day.

Good idea » Looking for parking near the Nats’ new ballpark. Got a better chance now that no one is showing up (including the Nats’ offense, but that’s another story).

Bad idea » Bringing signs with peace and love symbols to a Flyers game. Or women and children for that matter. Classy city.

Good idea » A Lakers-Celtics championship match-up. It would be the highest rated NBA finals in years.

Bad idea » Asking fiery and competitive Olie Kolzig what he thinks of Cristobal Huet’s goaltending lately. Better yet, asking Bruce Boudreau why he won’t change a lukewarm goalie. You know, like he did with Olie.

Good idea » Telling Jerry Jones someone buried a Santana Moss jersey in his new stadium. Just for kicks.

Bad idea » For Pat Riley to return to the Heat. He’s a great coach in the wrong situation and should bail.

Harkes has moved to ‘the dark side’ … and he loves it

His true emotions must be shelved. So when John Harkes sees the pictures of his playing days hanging outside the D.C. United locker room, he admits it’s kind of hard to remain objective when broadcasting soccer games.

“They always talk about, joke about, how, ‘Now you’re on the dark side,’” Harkes told The Examiner’s Craig Stouffer. “My son calls me Darth Vader now.”

But Harkes, the first American to ever play in the English Premier League and one of two players in the D.C. United’s “Tradition of Excellence,” loves what he’s doing.

He spent three seasons with United, helping them win consecutive titles in 1996-97. He’s also in the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Now he’s the lead analyst for ESPN. His philosophy is to speak only when necessary.

 “American broadcasters just love to talk,” he said. “They love to hear themselves too much sometimes and you’re almost turning it down and putting it on mute so you can just watch the game. There’s a fine line and a balance. Everybody’s going to be critical, especially if it’s their player. They love you one day, they hate you the next.”

Knucklehead of the week

Brian Urlacher » Bears linebacker

Urlacher is a fool. He has skipped the Chicago Bears’ voluntary workouts this month because of lingering contract issues. Here’s the deal: Urlacher, who is signed through 2011, wants a contract extension. Real shocker, we know; an athlete wanting to do such a thing. Urlacher is scheduled to make $3.95 million this year, same as last year. However, his play has not warranted a great raise. He was not among the top five in Pro Bowl voting this past season. He has a chronic back problem and had offseason neck surgery. Plus he’s 30 years old. The problem here is that Urlacher is not, shall we say, the smartest guy around. And those in Chicago don’t consider him a leader either. Far from it. Chicago might give him a nominal raise to appease him, but he’s getting crushed by the fans. It’s deserved.

On the record

“We haven’t gotten that bridge from New York to London yet.”

— Flight-phobic NBC analyst John Madden on why he won’t be calling the NFL game in London between San Diego and New Orleans on Oct. 26.

“I wish he would stay out of my business.”

— Bengals receiver Chad Johnson on quarterback Carson Palmer, who said Johnson told him he would attend the team’s mandatory minicamp in June.

Can you believe it?

The former owner of the Seattle Sonics, Howard Schultz, is going to sue to get his team back, on the grounds that he was deceived when he sold the team to Clay Bennett last year. Now Bennett plans on moving the team to Oklahoma City, something that was evident in early e-mails he sent to his partners. This latest twist provides a scintilla of hope for Sonics fans.