Here goes another group of early entry NBA guys. The entry deadline was over the weekend and my guess is the NBA will release the official list later this week. We’ll take a look over that list when it comes out and look for any surprises.
Josh Carter
Carter probably just had his worst year as a junior and although he was good as a younger player it’s not like he was Durant or Beasley as a freshman. This is likely just Carter putting his name out there and he figures to be back at Texas A&M in 2008-09.
DeMarre Carroll, Leo Lyons
This is a pair of juniors from Missouri that are probably second round picks at best so you figure they’ll go back to Missouri and hopefully with a lot of work and some improvement Missouri might be able to play in the CBI next year.
Lee Cummard
Cummard is a shooting guard with good size (although real thin) and pretty good offensive efficiency. He had a real nice year with BYU but he’s not going that high this year. He’d be better off hitting the weight room and returning to BYU with teammate Trent Plaisted to make a run next year in Provo.
Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Ty Lawson
The good news for UNC fans is that Tyler Hansbrough decided not to follow all his teammates. I would guess Lawson is the best bet to stay in this draft but it’s possible for all three depending on workouts. If it turns out that they are all better than they possibly showed (perhaps due to having to share the glory at North Carolina) it’s possible all could sneak into the first round. I still think it would be more likely for all to slip to the second round. My guess is Ellington and Green return to Chapel Hill and Lawson stays in this draft. UNC should still be very good next year.
Davon Jefferson
The first time I saw Jefferson play I thought he was USC’s best player so obviously he can show some pretty impressive flashes. The problem is that at this point his game is mostly just that: impressive flashes. That means that if he can get a first round guarantee he should take it because it remains to be seen if he can put his massive talent together. I could see him coming back to school and never putting it together and ending up being a guy that can’t get drafted at all. Now, even if it’s in the second round, his talent pretty much guarantees that he’ll get drafted at some point. Anyway, Gary Parrish is reporting that he’ll sign with an agent so all of the talk about with he should pull out may be moot.
Jerel McNeal
I was wondering if we’d say some of the Marquette guards decide to leave once Crean announced he was headed to Indiana and McNeal is the most likely of the three. Dominic James was pretty highly regarded after a strong freshman year but his stock hasn’t improved since. Wesley Matthews is a bit short, the worst athlete of the three, and not a great shooter. I’d be curious to see what McNeal’s status would be if he wasn’t at Marquette sharing the backcourt spotlight with two other very good guards. My guess is we’ll see McNeal back at Marquette next year because he doesn’t figure to be a first round pick.
Shawn James
If James decides to return to Duquesne for another year he’d be 26 by the time the 2009-10 NBA season begins. That, combined with his physical ability and shot blocking skills (aided by a huge wingspan), suggests that he might stay in this draft and if he fails to get drafted or stick with a team he could make some coin in Europe. James’s returning to Duquesne could mean a lot to their continued rise as a program.
Josh Shipp
Shipp picked a rough time to go through a big shooting slump at the end of the year. As a junior I don’t blame him for entering the draft but I’m pretty sure I’d blame him for staying in. With all the talent leaving UCLA this year he should have plenty of opportunity to show he can be more than just a role player next year. If he can do that he should greatly improve his stock in a weaker draft.
Lorrenzo Wade
At his size, Wade doesn’t shoot well enough or rebound well enough to stick in the league or likely get drafted in the second round. There’s nothing wrong with putting his name out there, but he’ll be back at San Diego State next year.
2 comments:
Maybe I'm just paying closer attention this year, but it seems like there are more players testing the waters this year than in previous years. I mean I look at this list and I don't see a single player who has a better than 50% chance of staying in the draft (assuming they make smart decisions).
I think we may be getting more guys that are juniors and are just testing because there is no reason not to although I could be wrong.
I'm excited for the official list to come out and then we can make our official guesses on who stays in and who goes back to school.
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