UMass shot-blocker, UF's Green stand out in a crowd

	Stephane Lasme, shown here defending Demetrius Jemison in the NIT, put on a shot-blocking display at the predraft camp. AP

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Some subtle nuances of basketball aren't apparent to the naked eye unless you have sharpened your senses by watching thousands of basketball games. By contrast, other facets of the game are as obvious as the majestic power of a Shaquille O'Neal dunk.

Both types of basketball plays were in evidence at the NBA predraft camp Wednesday.

There was the nifty bounce pass into the post by China's Sun Yue, expertly delivered at the proper height and to the proper hand of Ali Traore of the Ivory Coast for a score. There was the unerring court vision and pinpoint hit-ahead passing of Boise State's Coby Karl that gifted his team with numerous chances for early offense. And there was the leverage and positioning of Purdue's Carl Landry that always seemed to put him in perfect position to snatch another rebound away from a taller opponent.

But even if you were sitting in the Milk House gym at Disney's Wide World of Sports engrossed in conversation with a fellow basketball aficionado or eating your ninth chocolate chip cookie from the NBA-provided dessert tray, it would have been hard to miss the show-stopping and decidedly unsubtle shot-blocking clinic performed by Stephane Lasme of Massachusetts.

In one memorable sequence, Lasme erased consecutive attempts by 6-foot-11 James Hughes of Northern Illinois, both at point-blank range of the rim. Each time Hughes rose for a short jumper, and each time the 6-8 Lasme exhibited his phenomenal leaping ability and timing to snuff the shot almost before it got underway. Lasme, who was second in the NCAA in blocked shots last season with 5.1 per game, notched six blocks in 22 minutes Wednesday and threw in a couple of goaltends that reminded one observer of Patrick Ewing's message-sending goaltending violations at the start of the 1982 NCAA championship game against North Carolina.

Lasme is characteristic of most of the 62 participants taking part in the playing portion of the predraft camp. He has certain obvious attributes that are intriguing enough to stamp him as a possible draft pick, but he also has a few holes in his game that need to be evaluated as well. At this point, there are probably 18 or so players who can feel very confident they will hear their names called in the first round on June 28. For the rest, judgment time is coming.

Other sights and impressions gleaned over the first full day of this three-day wall-to-wall basketball festival:

• Who says the NBA isn't fun for the whole family? In addition to Denver coach George Karl's son, Coby, having a terrific first game here, former NBA power forward Sidney Green's son, Taurean, of national champion Florida was demonstrating his floor leadership and guiding his team to a victory. Green, whose perimeter shot has been almost flawless in drills and scrimmages leading up to the games, hit a huge three-point shot to thrust his team ahead 71-69 in a game it held on to win 80-76. Green nailed 3-of-4 shots from three-point range and began to answer any questions about his viability as an NBA point guard.

• One of the revelations of the camp has been the slimmed-down physique of Pittsburgh center Aaron Gray. The 7-footer was almost unrecognizable, having dropped at least 20 pounds from his frame since the end of the college season. Gray had a big impact in his first game, delivering 15 points and nine rebounds in his bid to gain a spot in the first round.