On the eve of the NBA Draft, some of the top prospects flocked to New York City for the annual media session at the Westin-Times Square. They aren’t going to improve or hurt their stock in what is largely an innocuous event -- a glorified ‘Welcome to the Big Show’ group press conference.

None of the prospects revealed where they think they’ll go, or what exactly they’ve been told, and I’ve used the event over the years to gauge personalities. These 13 draft prospects proved to be an interesting case without an unquestioned talent among them. The first round could turn into a very public game of Candy Land with players sliding up and down the board as the action unfolds.

Nerlens Noel spent months at the top of every mock draft, but Alex Len has made a late charge as a strong possibility for the Cleveland Cavaliers at No 1. It might sound like rhetoric, but more teams are trying to move up and down this June than in recent years. The talent pool isn’t as strong on the high end, but that only means the cost of moving up is far cheaper than in most years.

Noel is a little more than four months removed from a torn left ACL, which prematurely ended his freshman season at Kentucky. Len, who turned 20 earlier this month, has only been in the United States since 2011 and got a late start as a basketball player. Other names have been whispered, but one of those two will almost certainly be the first player called by David Stern at the Barclays Center.

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Len, who was considered a mid-Lottery pick near the end of the regular season, had his toughness questioned by at least one executive I spoke with. The good news is that banging with NBA bodies can change that quickly.

“A coach saw me in the gymnastics gym; I was the tallest of the group and the youngest. He said ‘Dude, you don’t belong there.’ He took me to the basketball gym and introduced me to basketball,” Len said of his introduction to basketball.

Listed at seven-foot-one, the Ukraine native has been told by doctors that he could go through another growth spurt.

“The interesting thing, when they did X-rays on my ankle they saw that the growth plate is still open, which means I can grow another inch or so,” Len said. “They didn’t say how much I could grow, but there is still room for growth.”

Despite having lived for just two years in the United States, Len has a nice grasp of the English language. Trash talk and locker room antics with his teammates at Maryland helped grease the wheels on the transition.

“When I came in August two years ago, I didn't speak a lot of English -- just a little bit. It took me a year just to learn English and it helped me a lot on the court,” Len admitted. “During my freshman year I would miss calls on the court.”

A lot changed for Len when he traveled to a new country and enrolled at Maryland. Basketball went from just a sport he loved to an occupation.

“When I came to America, I just wanted to play basketball at a college like Maryland,” Len remembered. “I didn't even think about the NBA. It worked out well for me. I didn't have a real good freshman year, but things go better in my second year.”

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Noel probably would have been the unchallenged No. 1 overall pick -- some still believe he is -- had he not blown out his knee blocking a shot against Florida in February. One of two prospects from Massachusetts (Michael Carter-Williams is the other) Noel was the youngest of the players that met with the media on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old is thoughtful and poised, more so than some players several years his senior. He has had to impress in face-to-face meetings during the draft process because of his physical limitations. Noel only shot free throws for the Cavaliers.

“Not that I could sense, but I’ve been taking it day-by-day,” he said when asked if he felt Cleveland had reservations about taking him first overall because of his knee.

Charitable contributions and philanthropic work aren’t usually things a young athlete concerns himself with as they enter the professional ranks, but Noel was known for making a difference in the community during his short stay at Kentucky. He plans to transition that to his new hometown immediately.

“Being able to give back to kids that aren’t as fortune as I am means a lot to me,” said Noel, who has already been thinking about establishing a foundation in Haiti, where his parents are from.

As a native of Boston, Noel has been paying close attention to the changes the Celtics are undergoing. The business aspect of the game isn’t something that shocked the lanky big man.

“That definitely hit home, being from Boston and seeing Doc leave like that,” Noel said. “At the end of the day, it’s a business. People go into different situations; you have to take everything in stride. Doc is doing what’s best for him and he’s a good coach.

“I’ve known that for a while that this is a business with everything that happens, trades and guys getting up and going. You learn early on that this game is a business.”

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Victor Oladipo was the darling of the afternoon, drawing one of the bigger crowds and engaging reporters better than anyone else. He proved to be the anti-Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who attracted the smallest scrum and is one of the most soft-spoken people I’ve ever met.

There are players in every locker room that graduated from the Gregg Popovich School of Handling the Media. Ask a yes or no question at your own peril. Get more than a few words only on a good day. Oladipo will lose some of his excitement as his career matures, but heading into the biggest night of his life he was thoughtful and charming.

“I’m not going to be able to sleep and there will be butterflies,” Oladipo said of the time leading up hearing his name called. “I’ll be way more nervous than if I was playing in a big game, because I don’t know where I’m going. In a game, I know where I’m going. I’m going to the other team’s gym, or some gym to play, I’ve done scouting and I know who I’m going to play and defend. This is a mystery. There is nothing like the unknown. The unknown can drive a man crazy.”

When asked about the experience at one point, Oladipo declared: “This is just the beginning.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the room that didn’t absolutely believe him.

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Otto Porter, the latest player from the Georgetown Hoyas to stand at the gates of the NBA, was the player I sat with the longest. A number of people I spoke with ahead of draft week called Porter the “safest pick” in the lot and he projects a quiet confidence in conversation.

“That’s the point of it,” Porter said when asked of the uncertainty surrounding the draft. “I control what I can and whoever picks me will be pick me. I’ll get accustomed to anywhere I go. I just have to be in the mindset of trying to win.”

He worked out for Cleveland, Orlando and Washington, the teams with the first three picks, and told reporters that he’s a good candidate for the first pick because his “versatility help makes me a good fit for any team.”

“You have Kyrie [Irving] a great one, Dion [Waiters] a two and Tristan Thompson a four,” Porter said of the Cavaliers. “They are missing on the wing and that where I come in.”

Porter might not have the ceiling that Noel and Len possess, but the popular belief is that his floor might be higher. He seemed to reveal that he finds Cleveland and Washington as better fits than Orlando or elsewhere.

“With John [Wall] penetrating and getting past his man, me and Bradley [Beal] can just spot up and open up the court more than John is used to,” he said of how he might see himself with the Wizards.

Porter has been lauded for his intelligence and work ethic, which he sharpened one summer between years in high school. He spent every day in the gym, first helping with odd tasks and then working on his game once the hard labor was complete.

“I had a summer job at my high school, just something to make a little money,” he reflected. “I painted, cleaned the bleachers and helped with the floors. It was a lot of different kind of things, which I enjoyed, and afterward I’d just stay at the gym. I was at the gym all day, every day during the summer.”

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Cody Zeller might not be selected as high as he would have if he entered the draft last June, but he’ll become the latest professional Zeller regardless. His brother Luke played 16 games for the Suns this past season and Tyler (the 17th overall pick last year) was a key member of Cleveland’s rotation as a rookie.

“It helped me a lot, I enjoyed my two years there,” Zeller said of his decision to return to Indiana for his sophomore season. “Especially in the weight room, I put on a lot of strength which will play a role in the jump from the college level to the NBA. I’ll have to continue to improve in that area, but it definitely helped me.”

Aware of criticisms, Zeller mentioned adding bulk and the physicality of the professional game often.

“The weight and strength,” he said of the toughest challenge. “How big everyone is in the NBA, but I’ve always been undersized. Going up against Luke and Tyler, I’ve always had to scrap and use little brother tricks to outwork people.”

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C.J. McCollum was as prepared a rookie as I’ve encountered in seven years covering the league. He comes from a small school in Division-I terms (Lehigh), but as a journalism major he anticipated most questions.

“I think I’m prepared, I think I’m more polished and it shows in my interviews,” McCollum told me about the advantage his degree gives him.

McCollum put his Lehigh education to work while writing a piece for the June 24 edition of Sports Illustrated. He’ll have to work on passing after focusing on scoring at the college level, but he’s ready to work on whatever he must to star at the NBA level.

“I’m pretty content with where I’m at,” he said. “I’ve done my job, now the NBA teams will determine where I go.” 

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Quick Hits

Porter has had conversations with a handful of Georgetown alum as he prepares for the NBA: “You have the Hoya family. Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert and Greg Monroe. I’ve talked to them a lot, especially during the process. They all told me to just enjoy it.”

Zeller on his motor: “I’ve always prided myself on my work ethic and winning. If my team wins and I score 20 points or two points, it doesn't matter to me. I’m going to come in with that ethic.”

Noel, who signed with another representative, was asked about the appeal of working with Jay-Z: “He’s Jay-Z. He is who he is. I think the reason Kevin Durant went with him had to do with marketing purposes. His name speaks for itself.”

McCollum on himself and Trey Burke coming out of Ohio: “We came a long way and maybe the scouts that are scouting for college basketball need to do a better job. I think Trey was under recruited. He didn’t get to go to Ohio State, he had to go to Michigan. I had to go to Lehigh; I had to go further away to a smaller school. It just shows what you can do with hard work.”

Ben McLemore doesn’t agree with those that believe he lacks a killer instinct: “I know who I am; I know I’m a humble guy. That’s me, that’s my personality and that’s how I’ll always be. It’s just a mindset. I know I can take over games, get dialed-in like that.”

There are obvious differences in how basketball is handled in Europe and the United States, Len points out: “In Europe, there are no limits. They just let you do what you want to do. I stepped out a lot, shot a lot. When I came to the United States, the coach showed me the box and said to me ‘this is where you are going to make your money.’ So I started changing my game and I think it helped me.”

Burke on questions about his 6’1” frame: “It’s always going to be about my size, but I know my skill level and what I can do.”