Jason Franchuk

DAILY HERALD

SALT LAKE CITY -- Turns out Trent Plaisted is 6-foot-10, an inch shorter than his college listing. NBA teams tend to have even more scrutiny about measurements (he gets that inch back, apparently, when wearing shoes).

That's still seven inches taller than dad, John, and a whole foot more than mom, Sherry.

Plaisted is left-handed, like his dad. His grandfather (mom's side) was once a college hoops standout at Nevada.

What's the point of all this? Well, NBA teams including the Utah Jazz on Tuesday morning are regularly saying that Plaisted is a work in progress.

But it could be genetics and some natural skills -- a long, bouncy body and a rarely available southpaw game -- that make him some money in Thursday's NBA draft.

He worked out for the nearby NBA team yesterday, the last of a dozen workouts that had him criss-crossing the United States the past month as he's tried to secure himself a future at the next level.

Plaisted won't argue that he's raw, needs work on various parts of his game. Advantages are there, too, he feels.

"Some things you can't teach," Plaisted said as he was soaked in sweat following his Jazz session at the team's Zions Bank Basketball Center practice facility. "Like athleticism, the ability to run floor."

He could make his own Johnny Cash song about the past few weeks. He's been to Cleveland, Boston, Golden State, Houston...he's been everywhere, man.

"I can't even remember them all," he said. "They kind of blend together after a while."

Plaisted chose to forfeit his final year of college eligibility in mid-May when he hired highly regarded Mark Bartelstein and Priority Sports for representation. Since then he's worked out in southern California with Don McLean (not the singer, but rather the Pac-10 Conference's all-time leading scorer from UCLA). He was part of the semi-exclusive NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando, Fla., at which various NBA bloggers gave mixed reviews of his game.

He went to the Bay Area for a jumbo workout, and has otherwise toured the country alone to be part of six-man groups to play in front of various teams' top officials.

Tuesday, back in his home state of the last few years, marked his final workout. And probably not his best one.

"I'll gladly admit that I haven't been in this Utah altitude for a while, so I was tired," Plaisted said. "It was OK...I probably tired out a little too quickly with the altitude and stuff. That's not very characteristic of me. But all in all I thought it was a good day."

Jazz player personnel vice president Walt Perrin pointed out that the two players in attendance, whose session went about 15 minutes shorter than expected, had reason to be extra tired. With four less players than these workouts normally draw, the two big men -- counting 7-foot center Steven Hill of Arkansas -- didn't get many breathers.

Plaisted said some morning orange juice didn't sit too well with his stomach.

So what's that say about him? Out of shape? Just a little under the weather?

You could draw myriad conclusions, probably some totally false and some with a hint of truth.

Same goes for deciphering Plaisted's value in the draft.

Perrin paused eight seconds before answering a question on whether the Jazz were interested in Plaisted, and when he might get picked -- trying to be coy or polite?

He added that he thought Plaisted could have benefitted by staying in school. He's hardly the first NBA executive to say or think that.

Plaisted needs a jump shot, though like any player his job at these workouts is as much about accentuating his strengths as it is shading the weaknesses.

Bartelstein said he thought Plaisted was "great" at handling the responsibilities of traveling and the stresses of impressing teams. The agent said a comparison could be made of Plaisted to David Lee, a 6-9 New York Knick who just finished his third season.

Lee, who played collegiately at Florida, averaged nearly 11 points and nine rebounds last season.

He was selected originally as the 30th pick in the first round. That's around where Plaisted hopes to hear his name on the ESPN telecast. Most mock drafts at this point have him somewhere in the second round. The whole draft is 60 picks.

"It's really hard to say," Bartelstein said. "There's a domino effect to all of this. Teams don't even know, and we'll have to let it play out. But there are a lot teams interested in Trent."

Plaisted finished the Utah workout saying he's never had second thoughts about bypassing a senior season on the court. If he didn't hire an agent, he could have waited until June 16 to back out as teammate Lee Cummard did.

However, Plaisted was at BYU four years and is one class away from an economics degree. He said that will be settled through online correspondence.

Now, he can focus on trying to become a power forward. He played center as a Cougar, though Perrin doubts Plaisted is meant for that spot at the next level.

It's been give and take for Plaisted at workouts.

"The first one I was pretty jumpy. But as you go on, you kind of realize -- as much as I'd love to kill every workout and do amazingly well -- there's going to be workouts where you do better than others," he said. "I've accepted that. There's been workouts where I've played really well, and workouts where I haven't. We'll see what happens."

The Jazz have three picks among the 60, though a trade is never out of the question. Right now there's the No. 23 overall plus a pair of second rounders, Nos. 44 -- Plaisted's college number, if you believe in numerical fate -- and 53.

Plaisted sounds like has some idea of what teams like him. Now it comes down to timing. Trades will play a factor, and whether the team is a good fit could either raise or mute the excitement.

For instance, Perrin said he wasn't sure there was a second-rounder out there, based on the way Utah's roster is structured right now, that could even make the team.

Plaisted said he'll watch the entire draft.

"I don't want to have a big Trent party or anything like that," he said. "It's not my style. It will be my family and my wife, watch the draft and whatever happens I'll be excited."