Telfair is glaring omission

CHICAGO -- NBA draft forecasters will consult practically anything -- the stars, chicken bones, changes in barometric pressure -- in an effort to gauge where a player will go in the draft.

Historically, one of the most interesting and accurate gauges of a player's draft stock is the NBA's confidential "physical only" list.

By now, you probably know that most top prospects do not play at the pre-draft camp. But the NBA still flies in 15 to 20 prospects who aren't playing in the camp to undergo physicals and participate in the combine.

The biggest benefit of such an invitation is that every team doctor in the league gets to poke and prod the prospect. Without a league-certified physical, agents must obtain one on their own and often have to submit their clients to numerous medical tests from city to city. Here in Chicago, it's one-stop shopping. Getting official heights, weights, vertical jumps and strength testing also is important.

The league consults a committee of GMs and scouts to produce the invitation list, and if a prospect name is on it, it's a pretty sure sign his draft stock is high. Being left off the list can be the first sign a prospect is slipping.

You can't read everything into a list like this, but it's a pretty decent rule of thumb. Insider obtained a copy of the list Wednesday, and while the names are interesting, it's the names that aren't on the list that are raising a few eyebrows around the league.

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Chad Ford | email

Senior Writer, NBA Insider

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• Senior NBA Writer for ESPN.com
• ESPN Insider NBA Draft Analyst since 2002
• Writes ESPN's NBA Draft Top 100 and Lottery Mock Draft