Published: May 25, 2008 02:23 am      

COLUMN: Alexander getting rave NBA reviews

MORGANTOWN — It continues to look more and more like Joe Alexander will decide to skip his senior basketball season at West Virginia University and turn professional.

The 6-foot-8 forward was getting great reviews last week while working out with National Basketball Association veterans in Las Vegas.

After watching him perform out there, Chad Ford of ESPN.com wrote: “Alexander could very well be the sleeper in the 2008 NBA draft. At the beginning of the year, he was barely on NBA radar screens. Now many teams consider him a potential lottery pick.”

There’s no question that the late-blooming Mountaineer marvel’s stock has skyrocketed since announcing that he would test NBA waters. In an informal poll of a few NBA general managers, Ford found Italy’s Danilo Gallinari first and then a split between Alexander and Syracuse’s Donte’ Greene as the second small forward off the board.

“It will be interesting to see where teams go,” Ford admits. “Gallinari is the anti-Alexander. He’s got high basketball IQ without the elite athleticism of Alexander. Greene is in a similar situation with Alexander — an athletic small forward still trying to get a feel for the game.”

He noted that Alexander continues to gain strength while keeping off the fat. Joe Abunassar, who oversees the workouts in his Las Vegas gym, was quoted as saying the WVU star is one of the strongest pro prospects he’s working with.

Ford said, “He measured out well with a height of 6-foot-7 3/4 in socks and 6-foot-9 in shoes. He also has great speed running up and down the floor. His lateral quickness is also excellent.

“The other thing to like about Alexander is his aggressiveness. He can play a little nasty at times, shows a lot of competitiveness, and isn’t afraid to take on anyone. In a light moment, he started sizing up his competition in the draft and predicted he would beat them in workouts.”

Ford feels that while he still needs to work on his consistency and ball-handling, “he’s a very intriguing prospect.” He concluded, “Look for teams like the Blazers at 13, the Suns at 15 and the Raptors at 17 to take a long look at Alexander.”

Jeff Goodman, senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com, also caught up with Alexander at Las Vegas as he ponders the pros and cons of turning pro. He was still undecided last Friday.

“Alexander has a refreshing perspective on the information he’s given about his potential place in the June 26 NBA draft,” Goodman wrote. It is not an overload of information, the player said. “Because at this point, nobody knows — even the guys at the top aren’t certain what they’re going to do.

“I’m just taking in all the info and taking it with a grain of salt. Anytime you hear something good about yourself, you want to believe it and when you hear something negative, you discard it. But for me, it’s been exciting.”

According to Goodman, Alexander isn’t 100 percent certain whether he’ll participate in this week’s NBA pre-draft Camp in Orlando, Fla. But sources told FOXSports.com that he likely will be one of the elite group of players brought down there for physicals and testing and will not play games.

Alexander continues to talk frequently with WVU coach Bob Huggins, who has told his prized pupil as well as the public that he wants what is best for the highly regarded pro prospect.

In the meantime, Alexander admittedly thinks about the draft whenever he’s relaxing. “I talk about, think about it. That’s all I do.”