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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, June 24, 2009

NBA: North Carolina’s Danny Green enjoying life before the draft


By Rachel Ullrich
McClatchy Newspapers

Danny Green was in an airport. Again.

This time, the airport was in Cleveland. Next stop was Memphis, the site of his final NBA tryout.
This particular day, he works out for the Grizzlies — marking the end of a very long process.
“It’ll be number 13,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun, but it’s tiring, as well. So I’m ready to just get home and relax and wait for the draft to take place.”
Since graduating from North Carolina on May 10, Green has been constantly on the move — living in airports between two-day stints in tryout cities.
And after a month and a half of hospital check-ups, interviews with general managers and administrators — not to mention hours of competitive basketball in his sole chance to showcase his skills — Green will see his fate decided in Thursday’s draft.
It has been a whirlwind few months for Green, following a senior season at North Carolina that saw him become a starter for the first time and a national champion.
Green averaged 13.1 points and 4.7 rebounds on 47 percent shooting his senior year, and he ended his career as the only player in ACC history with more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 3-pointers, 150 blocks and 150 steals.
Most draft boards project Green as an early- to mid-second round pick, but Green readily admits that he has no idea what will happen.
“Nope. I have no clue yet. The range is far, and it’s wide. The draft is wide open this year.”
So to cover all his bases, Green kept himself busy with 13 workouts. After completing only four workouts when he put his name in the draft last year, he had a very different experience.
“A lot more traveling and a lot more workouts. But also a lot more help with the feedback, with my agent and everything,” he said. “It’s been a longer process, but last year definitely helped me out with the experience. ... I’m more comfortable with the situation. It’s a lot easier for me to come out in the workouts and not be so worried about the pressure.”
Sure, some workouts have gone better than others, Green said. But he said he has gotten good feedback from the squads he has worked out with, especially in regard to the personality tests and interviews he has done.
It’s no surprise to Danny Green Sr. that his son is doing well in the interviews.
“You’re not always going to have the best workouts, just because one moment you’re in Cleveland, the next minute he could be in Memphis,” said Green Sr., who talks to his son every day. “But he’s told me that his interviews all go well.”
Those interviews often take up the time of what would be “off-days” for Green — more often than not, off-days are taken up with medical check-ups, practice in the gym or interviews.
The next day brings an early morning workout with the team.
“Depending on the team, it could be competitive or teaching, whatever it is,” Green Jr. said. “You could do some one-on-one, three-on-three stuff and a lot of shooting.”
Then it starts all over again with an evening flight to the next tryout city.
Green’s route to Memphis went through Los Angeles first, with Cleveland coming after that.
But his laundry list of cities visited is much longer than that, also including Charlotte, Chicago, Portland and New Jersey, the closest to his hometown in New York.
“We haven’t seen him too much (this summer),” Green Sr. said. “Not as much as normal. He’s in and out of town a lot ... always on a plane somewhere.”
After his trip to Memphis, Green was set to return home and stay in New York to relax for a few days and watch the draft there.
“I don’t know, I was thinking about watching it by myself,” he said. “Just sit in front of the TV, watch it by myself. I don’t know.
“But I feel like, it’s going to be a lot of fun, but it’s going to be a lot of different reactions.”
As for post-draft plans, Green Sr. is in the middle of planning a big party for his son, with an invitation list that includes all his teammates, high school coaches and even UNC coach Roy Williams.
By then, Green most likely will be an NBA player, something his father knows will mean the world to him.
“I’m sure it’s going to be joyous — probably overwhelming. You work for something your whole life and you finally obtain it,” Green Sr. said. “Probably relief, a little bit of that. A little bit of joy. A little bit of everything.”
It’s been an awfully long process for Green, but he said he can’t really think of a better way to spend the few months since winning a national championship and graduating from college.
“In and out of airports, seeing cities, playing with teams, talking to a dozen GMs,” Green said. “I mean, I’m just living life, right now. Things could be a lot worse.”