Snoopy and Russell Westbrook arrived at the Orlando Training Camp in the afternoon.
Actually, Snoopy had been urging Westbrook since early morning. But Westbrook, thinking of himself as a top prospect guaranteed a lottery spot, with a promise already from Seattle, decided he ought to act like a star. And stars are always late.
However, when he finally arrived, he realized… he wasn't late enough to be that big a star.
Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo showed up even later, practically at the end of registration. Mayo even brought a personal film crew with him, planning to shoot another documentary chronicling his "Road to the NBA."
When it came to marketing, O.J. Mayo was clearly a level above the other rookies. His recent "black gold scandal" had been expertly buried by his PR team. Lately, he'd been training with Dwyane Wade, and basketball media were buzzing with reports that the Miami Heat would use their second overall pick to select Mayo, pairing him with Wade for a dynamic backcourt duo.
But when it came to publicity, Mayo had a problem with Snoopy. He often made snide comments in interviews, saying he didn't believe Snoopy had what it took to succeed, and that a "real professional" shouldn't be making tabloid headlines every week. His team even accused Nike's endorsement deal with Snoopy of being a cheap publicity stunt.
Last night, when Snoopy mentioned this to Westbrook, he still couldn't understand why the USC guard had it out for him. They didn't play the same position, their draft projections weren't even close, and there wasn't any real competition between them. Why the hostility?
Westbrook's agent, Sam Foucher, just smiled and explained:
"It's a classic draft strategy. Right now, thanks to your Nike deal, that hit single, and your Final Four MOP trophy, you're the hottest name in this rookie class, bar none. But your on-court ability doesn't fully match the hype yet. So for someone like O.J., taking shots at you or giving you 'advice' from above is an easy way to grab attention."
He added:
"From what I know, Mayo hasn't received a solid draft guarantee from any team. His camp is desperate to get him into a big market like L.A. or New York, but neither of those teams have high picks this year. So they're trying to stir up headlines, hoping someone will trade up for him."
Snoopy nodded in understanding.
"So basically, O.J. Mayo's team is using me as a stepping stone for his draft hype."
So when he saw Mayo walking toward him at camp, Snoopy simply turned his back. Other than blocking him on the court, he wanted no connection whatsoever. Who knew what kind of "creative photo captions" Mayo's team might cook up?
That day, Snoopy completed both his static and dynamic physical tests.
Static measurements:
Height (barefoot): 191.6 cm
Height (in shoes): 193.6 cm
Weight: 96 kg
Wingspan: 208.39 cm
Standing reach: 269.09 cm
Body fat: 4.22%
Hand length: 26.86 cm
Hand width: 31.26 cm
Dynamic results:
Standing vertical jump: 103 cm
Max touch (standing): 365 cm
Running vertical jump: 88 cm
Max touch (running): 336 cm
Bench press (185 lbs): 29 reps
Lane agility: 13.38 s
¾ court sprint: 3.79 s
The numbers blew the entire camp away.
The contrast was too extreme.
Everyone already knew Snoopy had long arms, but no one expected a standing reach of 269 cm — the same as Michael Jordan's! Yet Jordan was 198 cm tall with a 216 cm wingspan. How could someone under 192 cm barefoot achieve that? It wasn't like Snoopy had a short neck like Shawn Marion.
Then the trainer had him take off his shirt and the crowd gasped.
"That's a perfect inverted triangle," the coach said. "From bone structure to muscle symmetry, absolutely textbook."
After the test, many scouts immediately sent reports back to their teams.
With that kind of reach and a 103 cm vertical, Snoopy could dominate the airspace on defense, challenging or blocking any attack at the rim.
Another shocking number was his hand width: 31.26 cm, over a centimeter wider than Michael Jordan's. It meant his grip on the ball was extraordinary. Westbrook even joked,
"Man, you could probably dribble while holding the ball."
And he wasn't wrong — Snoopy really could.
His bench press and body fat results also drew murmurs of respect, though not as much attention. Everyone already knew he was strong and lean.
Even his sprint and agility numbers didn't surprise anyone, those had been discussed publicly after Darren Collison leaked them during NCAA play.
But then came Mayo's and Beasley's measurements, and that caused an uproar.
O.J. Mayo, supposedly a shooting guard, measured barefoot at 191.3 cm, shorter than Snoopy.
Michael Beasley, listed as a power forward, came in at 201.2 cm, far from his claimed 208 cm.
The gap between their listed and real heights immediately raised doubts and the simultaneous release made the impact even bigger.
In contrast, Snoopy's numbers had no surprises. Everyone already knew them.
As scouts and reporters buzzed around, Westbrook leaned over and whispered, half-joking, half-serious:
"Hey, Snoopy, you think this makes me a lock for the first or second pick now?"
Snoopy shook his head.
"Hard to say."
Sure, inflated height listings might make teams lose faith in Beasley and Mayo but this was a weak draft class. Outside of Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo, and Beasley plus half a Westbrook, there really weren't many sure things.
Which was exactly why everyone was desperate to stand out.
When Snoopy announced he'd be joining the full-court scrimmage the next day, challengers immediately lined up.
Anthony Randolph and JaVale McGee signed up first.
Then Westbrook, ignoring his agent's protests, insisted on joining his "brother Snoopy."
Kevin Love followed. So did Serge Ibaka, the Congolese forward with a Spanish accent newly signed by Snoopy's agent Daphne.
Once the UCLA crew declared their participation, every rival prospect who'd been beaten by UCLA turned red with competitive fury. One by one, they ignored their agents and joined too:
The Lopez twins, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley…
All the projected lottery and green-room players threw themselves into the mix.
When camp director Bagley saw the signup sheet, his jaw nearly dropped.
In past years, this was unthinkable. Top prospects almost never joined open scrimmages like this. And certainly not all at once. No one wanted to risk an injury or a bad showing right before the draft.
But now, everyone seemed ready for war, a pure, competitive frenzy.
"Maybe I should sell tickets," Bagley muttered with a grin.
Meanwhile, every NBA general manager in the league got the same message.
Within hours, they were all booking flights to Orlando.
Because there's no better test for a rookie's real worth…
than a head-to-head battle on the hardwood.