There isn't going to be a Summer League this year, unfortunately, but plenty of teams are still holding workouts for the top undrafted rookies as well as a host of NBA and D-League veterans.  The Atlanta Hawks have jumped out in front of most teams in this regard, too, bringing in the majority of the top undrafted free agents for a look this week.

Through multiple sources, Ridiculous Upside has learned that Malcolm Thomas, Damian Saunders, David Lighty, Demetri McCamey, Brad Wanamaker, Eniel Polynice, Jeremy Hazell and Zach Graham will all be in Atlanta to workout for Hawks scouts after going undrafted last Thursday.

Veterans expected to be in attendance include Joe Alexander, Marcus Landry, Donald Sloan, Vernon Goodridge and Qyntel Woods, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Michael Cunningham.

UPDATE: Players not included in my first draft include D-League veterans Dontell Jefferson, Ivan Johnson and Matt Rogers; the great Omar Samhan and undrafted rookie Demonte Harper.

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The 2011 NBA Draft took place last Thursday, and while typically the next big thing to look forward to would be Summer League invites, the timeline has changed this summer due to the looming lockout. Instead of Summer League, though, teams have decided to keep busy by hosting NBA free agent workouts to get a look at the minimum salary-type guys for next season's training camp invites.

In the first post-draft workout, The Charlotte Bobcats will be hosting a slew of the usual candidates this week, according to Tony Gaffney (via Alex Kennedy).

The Bobcats lost their big guard in the backcourt when they shipped out Shaun Livingston in a draft day trade, leading me to believe that Garrett Temple, Orien Greene, Alan Anderson and Jermaine Taylor will probably be looked at with a keen eye from the Charlotte scouts. Anderson's last foray in the NBA was with the Bobcats during the 2006-07 season.

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It's the week of the 2011 NBA Draft so we should probably be concentrating my efforts there. However, when news of Adam Morrison working out for the Chicago Bulls hits Ridiculous Upside headquarters, it has to be written about.

Morrison, the third overall pick by the Charlotte Bobcats five years ago who sat out all of last season, was one of 20 players the Bulls invited to a free agent workout over the weekend as they prepare for a Summer League-less Summer.

The Bulls have just nine guaranteed contracts going into next season, according to ShamSports, giving hope that Morrison and a couple of the prospects working out alongside him could earn their way onto the roster with a good training camp (whenever the looming lockout ends).

Along with Morrison, former fellow first round picks Javaris Crittenton, Sean Williams and Matt Janning -- who impressed everyone last summer on his way to opening the regular season with the Phoenix Suns -- highlighted the weekend workout in Chicago.

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With the ongoing rumors of an NBA lockout looming and the potential of no Summer League available to get  a look at possible training camp invites for the fall, an NBA future looked rather bleak for players not currently employed by the NBA. Fortunately, there are quite a few teams hosting their own free agent workouts alongside the usual pre-draft workouts so that they are able to familiarize themselves with the crop of available players.

The Timberwolves, Thunder, Knicks, Hornets and Pacers have already brought in players fans sort of remember from yesteryear and now -- according to sources with knowledge of the workout -- the Denver Nuggets will begin a three-day workout for prospective additions to their training camp roster.

The Nuggets will bring in a mixture of the top D-League players, some of the best European imports, former NBA Draft picks and the most intriguing Mexican prospect known to Ridiculous Upside.

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It's unclear if the impending NBA lockout is causing teams to hold more free agent workouts or I'm just hearing about them for the first time this offseason, but the Indiana Pacers became the latest team to invite non-rookies in for a look-see this week.

The Pacers are holding a two-day free agent camp that began Monday and will wrap up Tuesday afternoon. Through a source with knowledge of the workout, Ridiculous Upside has a partial list of the invitees.

The guard prospects included Bobby Brown, Matt Janning, Javaris Crittenton and Sylven Landesberg. The wings participating include NBA veterans James White (better known as "Flight" because he can do this), DeMarre Carroll and Ime Udoka. As far as big men go, Rob Kurz, Leo Lyons, Chris Daniels and Trent Plaisted were all in attendance on Monday.

It's interesting that Indiana native Bonzi Wells wasn't included on the list considering he's currently attempting an NBA comeback, but my list is probably missing a few names. Teams have been unusually secretive when it comes to offseason workouts, but it's the most complete (read: only) list currently available on the internet so it'll have to do.

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Bonzi Wells worked out with the New York Knicks last week, as reported here, and reports out of the camp from New York's local media seemed to be that the 34-year-old had a pretty good showing. That might be because he was the most familiar name of the three players they knew were in attendance, but it's at least a start toward an NBA comeback.

Wells hasn't played in the NBA since the 2007-08 season split between the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Hornets, but after a brief stints in China and Puerto Rico, the eleventh-overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft is making one last stride toward a return to the NBA by working out with the Ball State basketball team as well as playing noonball at the local YMCA (I have something in common with Bonzi Wells!).

For those who remember Wells being constantly suspended during his years with the Portland Trail Blazers and don't think he deserves another chance, however, the 10-year NBA veteran says he's a changed man.

"This is a million-dollar job. Nobody's going to pay a million dollars to a butthole. I didn't embrace that whole theory. I was thinking, 'I've got talent. I'm going to stay here forever.' Then after I wasn't playing anymore, it was like, 'Wow, I'm not playing.' It really hit me," Wells told the Star Press over the weekend. "I'm older now, and I can see things that I wish I would've done so differently back then. I hate that I got technical fouls. I hate that I did stuff like that."

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The New York Knicks are diving full bore into the D-League this week. Following their partnership with the Erie BayHawks earlier on Wednesday, team executives invited a host of professional prospects to take part in the first of two planned free agent workouts as the team builds its database of potential training camp invitees.

The Knicks had what was expected to be around 18 players in on Thursday, though Ridiculous Upside's trusty network of league sources was only able to learn 10 of the names as of late Thursday night. 

The most recognizable name expected in attendance was 34-year-old NBA veteran Bonzi Wells. Wells was a lottery pick in the 1998 NBA Draft , eventually amassing 591 NBA games with five teams, before recent stops playing professional basketball in China and Puerto Rico.

Others confirmed to be invited to the workout were guards Jerel McNeal, Will Conroy and Javaris Crittenton along with big men Cedric Simmons, Jeff Foote, Vernon Goodridge, Trent Plaisted, Ivan Johnson, Arinze Onuaku and Joe Alexander. McNeal, Crittenton, Goodridge, Johnson and Onuaku all played in the D-League last season.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the more proactive NBA teams when it comes to taking advantage of its D-League counterpart in the Tulsa 66ers, but they'll take a look at a host of other free agents Tuesday and Wednesday during a free agent mini-camp according to sources with knowledge of the workout.

The Thunder have invited guards Blake Ahearn, Matt Janning, Jerome Dyson and Marquez Haynes; wings Bobby Simmons, James Singleton, DeMarre Carroll and Joe Alexander; and bigs Ryan Reid, Latavious Williams, Arinze Onuaku, Marquis Gilstrap, Tony Gaffney, Rob Kurz and Stephane Lasme. Those names are fluid, however, meaning a few more could be added to the list by the time workouts are actually underway.

The Thunder own the rights to Reid and Williams after selecting them in the second round of the NBA Draft in 2009 and 2010, respectively, while also being familiar with Dyson after the point guard played 51 games for the D-League team this past season.

The rest of the prospects are all rather interesting, too, considering only Haynes, Onuaku and Gilstrap have never played in the NBA.

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