NBA draft
Rankings, player projections
Part of me is really, really fond of the NBA’s minimum-age requirement.
Is it wrong that it cheers me a little to have seen Kevin Durant and Kevin Love play college ball? Or Michael Beasley and Eric Gordon? Even if it was just one year for all those guys, it was better than seeing the likes of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James jump straight to the pros.
But I get the downside. The NBA’s one of the few professional leagues that doesn’t encourage its athletes to join its ranks ASAP. Players miss out on money, and some guys – who, let’s be honest, may not have any interest in college – are forced into an academic farce.
Well, NBA commissioner David is toying with the idea of raising the minimum age requirement to 20. Good or bad?
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Taking a litany of tests and long, grueling interviews with random questions is typical for college students this time of year. Even NBA hopefuls.
The NBA draft combine – formerly called the pre-draft camp; more on that later – came to a close Sunday after four days of poking, prodding and probing about 50 of the nation’s top college players.
OK, it’s not like taking the bar or a series of finals, but six hours of interviews can’t be easy. It’s been a while since I did the post-college job interview marathon, but the pressure of saying something wrong to a prospective employer is nerve-racking. Just ask Jonny Flynn.
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Thanks, NCAA. The card is in the mail. But don’t expect one from NBA hopefuls. Or college hoops fans.
The NCAA’s Board of Directors approved a new rule that requires early entrants to the NBA draft who wish to stay in school to withdraw by May 8, cutting into their decision time by more than a month. (The change takes effect this fall.) Anyone who wants to jump to the pros better make up their minds.
Too bad it doesn't help the prospects.
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The deadline was Sunday. Now the real guessing game begins: Who’s going to keep their name in the NBA draft and who’s going to withdraw by June 15?
More than 50 underclassmen submitted their names, but probably half of that number will return to college for the 2009-10 season. Guys like Texas A&M’s Donald Sloan, Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds and Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody will surely return after they hear what aspects of their games need work.
Others, like UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet or Memphis’s Tyreke Evans, are gone. They’re lottery picks.
But there’s a handful of players who could go either way. They’re guys who could be lottery picks (Jeff Teague), could last until the later part of the first round (Damion James) or could get taken in the second round (Derrick Brown). Or they could return to school to boost their draft stock and make a deep run in the NCAA tourney. It’s fluid, depending on their workouts during the next six weeks.
Here’s a closer look at those guys.
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The NBA draft did a number on Big East teams this week.
Underclassmen stars like UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet, Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn and Louisville’s Earl Clark all signed (or, in the case of Thabeet, is expected to sign) with agents, ending their college eligibility. Another, Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody, declared for the draft, but probably won’t sign with an agent.
Georgetown was one of the few schools that did get some good news: The Hoyas’ rising star, freshman Greg Monroe, announced he’ll return to school.
Monroe, a 6-11 center, took a page out of Blake Griffin’s book. Instead of declaring after his freshman year to likely be a Top 10 pick, he could boost his stock with a monster sophomore season and be the No. 1 overall selection in 2010.
And if any team could use a Blake Griffin-type season in 2009-10, it’s the Hoyas.
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Thinking about the NBA draft? Take some advice from Mr. T: Stay in school.
Just ask North Carolina, Kansas or Florida. There’s never been a better time to come back and win a title.
“We came back to accomplish something,” UNC senior Danny Green said after beating Michigan State on Sunday. “We had to make some sacrifices. We had to give up a lot of individual things to make this work. I think we did a great job the whole season of being selfless and sharing the ball with each other and sacrificing.”
The Tar Heels’ quartet of Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Green were just the latest group of players to put their professional careers on hold and have it result in NCAA glory. If college coaches are smart, they’re gathering their players and telling them that they too could win it all.
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What’s the deal with the other draft? You know, the one where college basketball prospects have to inform the NBA of their intentions by Sunday?
Click here to see who’s in. The last few days were especially busy.
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So Kevin Love’s in the NBA draft. So are Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur. So is Russell Westbrook. All of them except for Rush are likely lottery picks.
Just how will they be as pros? I wouldn’t project any of ‘em as future All-Pros, but there’ll be a few All-Star games involved.
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