The 2011 NBA Draft Combine will be held in Chicago, starting on Thursday at 10 am. The players (full list of participants here) will go through athletic testing, measurements and of course, the all important interview portion. It is just like the NFL Combine, except nobody really watches it. But it gives the teams a good chance to see what these players look like out of basketball context, which could help them better get to know them as a player and as a person.
According to SB Nation, some of the best players in the Draft might not be taking part in all of the drills, headlined by Kyrie Irving.
Few players ever skip athletic testing; even LeBron James, Cleveland's last no-brainer No. 1 pick, participated. Top prospects do skip the drill portion of the combine with some regularity, and Irving won't be alone on the sidelines for that, as Ford has reported Arizona forward Derrick Williams, UConn guard Kemba Walker and Kentucky guard Brandon Knight are among those passing on an opportunity to do the drills.
If you want to watch the Combine, you can find it on ESPNU and ESPN3.com from 10-2 on Thursday and Friday. We'll have some of the more notable developments for you in this stream.