Louisville's Clark skips Bulls workout

Louisville’s Earl Clark cancelled a scheduled workout with the Bulls on Sunday.

The Bulls proceeded without him, leaving Gonzaga’s Austin Daye and Micah Downs, UCLA’s Josh Shipp, Memphis’ Antonio Anderson, West Virginia’s Alex Ruoff and Clemson’s K.C. Rivers to perform at a steamy Berto Center.

A power outage cut Saturday’s predraft workout short and the air conditioning still needed to be re-programmed, creating a warm and muggy atmosphere inside the gym.

The 6-foot-10 Clark cited an injury as the reason for his cancellation, though it’s always possible he decided to skip Chicago because he doesn’t think he’ll be on the board when the Bulls pick at No. 16.

Clark attended a workout in Phoenix on Saturday with Daye, Wake Forest’s James Johnson and point guard Brandon Jennings, who played in Italy last season. The Suns own the No. 14 selection.

Clark is billed as a power forward with perimeter skills. He averaged 14.2 points and 8.7 rebounds during his junior season with the Cardinals.

“A lot of people don't like my body language,” Clark told the Arizona Republic on Saturday. “They think I'm out there cruising. I guess I make it look easy. I want to come out here, be myself and show teams I really do work hard.”

The Bulls will try to reschedule a visit for Clark, but only three potential workout days remain before the draft takes place on Thursday.

DAYE FOLLOWS IN FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS
Austin Daye had an interesting trip to the Berto Center. His father, former UCLA star Darren Daye, appears in one of the Bulls team photos hanging in the main hallway of the building.

Older Chicago sports fans might remember Darren Daye playing for the UCLA team that upset No. 1-ranked DePaul in the 1980 NCAA Tournament. For the Bulls, Daye played in just one game during the 1986-87 season.

The younger Daye measured 6-10 ¾ in shoes at the predraft camp with an impressive 7-2 ¾ wingspan. He didn’t do as well in the athletic tests, though. His vertical leap and three-quarter court sprint were among the worst at the camp.

Watching his highlights, Daye has an impressive shooting touch for someone his size. He averaged 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds during his sophomore season at Gonzaga.

“I played the four in college, just because of my height,” Daye said Sunday. “But I’m showing scouts around the NBA that I can play three or four. I think that helps my stock a little bit.”

Daye weighed in at just 192 pounds at the draft camp and hopes he can get up to 205 before the NBA summer leagues begin.

The Irvine, Calif., native has made two visits to Phoenix, which has that No. 14 pick. He’s also been to Detroit, New Jersey, New York, Toronto and Charlotte in recent days.