Post by Los Angeles Lakers on Oct 31, 2006 4:07:30 GMT -5
Graduation Day
Taking an extremely early look at the possibilities for this year's draft...
Ben Gordon - UConn
Draft Status: Senior
Ben Gordon is for sure going to be in this year's draft pool....because of the obvious fact that he is a senior and won't be trying to extend his college career beyond the 4 years he's had at UConn. BG is a terrific talent - a shooter and fairly good ballhandler. He's even looked like he's worked a ton in the college offseason at getting more aggressive at taking the ball to the hoop. Gordon should be a top pick in this draft.
Deron Williams - Illinois
Draft Status: Junior
Well to this point in the NCAA season...Deron has really risen his stock. Perhaps a year or so ago - we may have been projected him to be a 2nd round pick. However, his hard work and effort as well as his play and the Illini's overall performance has put him in the upper echalon of point guards in the country. Deron is a junior and is certainly eligible but he may want to stay at Illinois for another year if Dee Brown and Luther Head decide to stay as well - especially if it spells a national championship. However, with Deron showing that he's got Jason Kidd-like quality (the Jason Kidd we saw 7 years ago that is), he may want to strike while the iron is hot and enter this year's draft.
Channing Frye - Arizona
Draft Status: Senior
Frye is certainly going to be in this year's draft being that he is a senior. However, he is really capitalizing right now on this being his final season by performing really well. There are still questions about his toughness and leadership though but he will have the tournament to answer any of those questions.
Gerald Wallace - Alabama
Draft Status: Senior
Gerald Wallace took a year off after high school to travel to Africa for personal reasons - perhaps to find a greater idea of his culture. It disappointed Alabama after he had verbally committed to play for them but that didn't stop him from enrolling there a year later. I don't know what it was that happened in the continent of Africa but it sure did make Gerald more prepared and more focused on succeeding in his collegiate career. He has done that - having taken Alabama to the sweet 16 twice out of past 3 years and hopes for the same this year. Wallace has become a tenacious all around defender - with the ability to defend practically every single position on the floor. Add to that the freakish athletic ability - Wallace is sure going to be a stud for any team that looks at him as a possibility for their squad.
Ndudi Ebi - Arizona
Draft Status: Sophomore
Ndudi has taken all he can from Lute Olsen so far in his collegiate career. The knowledge that Olsen has bestowed upon Ebi has scuplted the raw talent he had coming out of high school into a more definitive sculpture of the type of player Ebi can be at the next level. He definitely was a tweener (SF or PF) coming into Tucson but has developed his body (he's gained close to 15 pounds since starting college) and his outside game to a point where it's pretty certain that he's fit to play the three at the next level. Ebi is talented and perhaps could take the next step and enter himself in this draft (he toyed with the idea of coming out last year after his freshmen year). However, it may do his game more justice if he spent just another year working on his defense which isn't quite there yet.
Eddie Griffin - Seton Hall
Draft Status: Senior
Eddie Griffin was highly touted his freshmen year at Seton Hall. He was regarded as a possiblity as a top pick in that 2001 draft had he decided to come out. However, the fact that he was not the minimum age was all that we thought held him back from coming into the draft. It was a shocker and big news for the school when he abruptly quit the basketball program after dealing with some personal struggles involving alcohol and his past (the off the court incidents in high school). He sought help and got it from friends and the school. He remained a student at Seton Hall and had even showed significant progress academically the year that he took off from basketball. Griffin then came back after dealing with his issues and getting his priorties straight perhaps more level headed than ever in his life. He stuck with it for the next three years and is even on the verge of graduating with a degree after this year with the ABCA next on the radar. He's tremendously improved his poise on the court and become basically a defensive force on the court. Think of Griffin as a player with Ben Wallace type of ability with a very solid offensive game (the ability to hit the pro-three) and he will definitely be one of the players to look out for in this upcoming draft.
Chris Paul - Wake Forest
Draft Status: Sophomore
Chris Paul is amazing talent and perhaps the best point guard right now in college. If I were in his position - I would come out for sure because he's got the whole game in his hands. Paul is guranteed to be one of those special players for the future of ABCA and shouldn't delay that. He's lucky that he turns 20 just a month before the draft. CP shouldn't wait and definitely strike while the iron is hot. Expect nothing less than a terrific outing in the NCAA Tournament. I definitely believe Paul will lead Wake to at least the Final Four....and then enter this year's draft.
Luol Deng - Duke
Draft Status: Sophomore
Deng has stepped up to be a leader for Coach K's Duke team. He's patterned his game after another great Duke legend in Grant Hill. It would not be surprising to me at all if Deng decided to take his game to the next level because overall he does seem fairly ready. He might want to stay another year though to get his outside game better than what it is but overall - he'd be a very solid prospect perhaps even a top prospect if he entered this draft.
Nenad Krstic - Serbia & Montanegro
Draft Status - International Draft Eligible
Krstic has been Serbia's best kept secret over the past couple years however he is finally getting his name recognized out there by scouts. He is by far the best international prospect out there right now - even better than his other Serbian counterpart, Darko Milicic. Kristic has all good post moves and footwork to be able to be a factor down low at the pro-level. He's even gotten himself a patented, consistent go-to-jumper. Not only that but Nenad has gained muscle after being just 210 pounds 4 years ago. He is now around 235-240 pounds which definitely is great in terms of the fact that a big body is needed to bang in ABCA. Nenad is a potential all-star in the making and should definitely be one of top choices in this year's draft should he enter. My bet is that he will enter because he is 22 and that is pretty much the typical age of a college senior. He's done all he can in Europe to improve his game and it's time now for him to go out there and show what he can do.
Chris Bosh - Georgia Tech
Draft Status: Junior
Bosh like Griffin was talented enough to enter the draft after his freshmen year at Georgia Tech. However, he realized that it was necessary for him to bulk up to be better prepared to bruise in there with the big guys that the league has to offer. He also wanted to work on developing a more post moves and ability as well as improve his lateral movement for defensive purposes. He's fulfilled pretty much every goal he's had for himself and definitely looks like he may test the waters even though he is still a junior. If he does come out - there'd be no question in my mind that he'd be the number pick...unless the next guy I am about to profile decides to throw his name out there.
Lebron James - California
Draft Status: Sophomore
If Chris Paul is a special player...then Lebron James is that times a billion. James perhaps would already be playing in his second season if it weren't for the 20 year old eligibilty issue. In fact, many ABCA officials have come to agree whole-heartedly that they would've certainly have pushed to change the rule for this guy - which shows you how great this guy is. Lebron has been nothing short of dominant since surprisingly making the decision to go to Cal, despite being an Ohio-native. Some have speculated whether or not Lebron's relationship with agent Aaron Goodwin - who is a bay area native and had occassionally brought James to the bay to play AAU basketball in his younger years - influenced his decision to choose Cal over Ohio State and even his hometown University, the University of Akron. However, Lebron has stated that the reason he came out to Cal was because he felt that the west coast colleges needed a boost in attention in terms of notability. There has been no investigation so far over James' statements are legit which is understandable because why would NCAA officials want to find a way to punish their biggest cash cow? Like mentioned a couple statements ago, Lebron has been dominant ever since stepping into a Golden Bears' uniform where he and Leon Powe have led Cal already to one national championship with a repeat in mind this year. James has stated that he is hungry for more and that he wants to be remembered as being as dominant, if not more so, than the great Lew Alcindor AKA Kareem Abdul Jabar. There's no doubt about him being remembered as one of, if not, the greatest college player ever and to add to that legacy with more national championships is definitely something that may keep him from this years draft. However, Lebron is extremely talented and can do whatever he wants with the confidence that no matter what year he enters the draft (barring any freak injury of course). Lebron's game has been pro ready since maybe his junior year of high school and with the added seasoning he's gotten from being under Ben Braun's tutolage at Cal - his overall game is comparable and maybe better than a couple of the star players in the league. Mainly what has improved with Lebron were his deficiencies coming out of high school - his outside game and his defense. He's shown tremendous progress in being able to hit his jumper consistently as well as extend his three point range. His defense is not yet at a point where he is a defensive force but his lateral movement, positioning, and hands have all improved to aid in getting that next level defensively. All the other aspects that were very solid to begin with - his inside scoring ability, passing ability, and rebounding ability - have stayed the course and continue to be huge parts of his game. James will have a decision to make on whether or not he wants to continue dominating on the collegiate level or take the next step to the pro-level. It's all on him - he can defintely still get better at Cal, even to a point where if he comes out possibly his senior year, he can step right onto an ABCA court and dominate the pro-game.
Taking an extremely early look at the possibilities for this year's draft...
Ben Gordon - UConn
Draft Status: Senior
Ben Gordon is for sure going to be in this year's draft pool....because of the obvious fact that he is a senior and won't be trying to extend his college career beyond the 4 years he's had at UConn. BG is a terrific talent - a shooter and fairly good ballhandler. He's even looked like he's worked a ton in the college offseason at getting more aggressive at taking the ball to the hoop. Gordon should be a top pick in this draft.
Deron Williams - Illinois
Draft Status: Junior
Well to this point in the NCAA season...Deron has really risen his stock. Perhaps a year or so ago - we may have been projected him to be a 2nd round pick. However, his hard work and effort as well as his play and the Illini's overall performance has put him in the upper echalon of point guards in the country. Deron is a junior and is certainly eligible but he may want to stay at Illinois for another year if Dee Brown and Luther Head decide to stay as well - especially if it spells a national championship. However, with Deron showing that he's got Jason Kidd-like quality (the Jason Kidd we saw 7 years ago that is), he may want to strike while the iron is hot and enter this year's draft.
Channing Frye - Arizona
Draft Status: Senior
Frye is certainly going to be in this year's draft being that he is a senior. However, he is really capitalizing right now on this being his final season by performing really well. There are still questions about his toughness and leadership though but he will have the tournament to answer any of those questions.
Gerald Wallace - Alabama
Draft Status: Senior
Gerald Wallace took a year off after high school to travel to Africa for personal reasons - perhaps to find a greater idea of his culture. It disappointed Alabama after he had verbally committed to play for them but that didn't stop him from enrolling there a year later. I don't know what it was that happened in the continent of Africa but it sure did make Gerald more prepared and more focused on succeeding in his collegiate career. He has done that - having taken Alabama to the sweet 16 twice out of past 3 years and hopes for the same this year. Wallace has become a tenacious all around defender - with the ability to defend practically every single position on the floor. Add to that the freakish athletic ability - Wallace is sure going to be a stud for any team that looks at him as a possibility for their squad.
Ndudi Ebi - Arizona
Draft Status: Sophomore
Ndudi has taken all he can from Lute Olsen so far in his collegiate career. The knowledge that Olsen has bestowed upon Ebi has scuplted the raw talent he had coming out of high school into a more definitive sculpture of the type of player Ebi can be at the next level. He definitely was a tweener (SF or PF) coming into Tucson but has developed his body (he's gained close to 15 pounds since starting college) and his outside game to a point where it's pretty certain that he's fit to play the three at the next level. Ebi is talented and perhaps could take the next step and enter himself in this draft (he toyed with the idea of coming out last year after his freshmen year). However, it may do his game more justice if he spent just another year working on his defense which isn't quite there yet.
Eddie Griffin - Seton Hall
Draft Status: Senior
Eddie Griffin was highly touted his freshmen year at Seton Hall. He was regarded as a possiblity as a top pick in that 2001 draft had he decided to come out. However, the fact that he was not the minimum age was all that we thought held him back from coming into the draft. It was a shocker and big news for the school when he abruptly quit the basketball program after dealing with some personal struggles involving alcohol and his past (the off the court incidents in high school). He sought help and got it from friends and the school. He remained a student at Seton Hall and had even showed significant progress academically the year that he took off from basketball. Griffin then came back after dealing with his issues and getting his priorties straight perhaps more level headed than ever in his life. He stuck with it for the next three years and is even on the verge of graduating with a degree after this year with the ABCA next on the radar. He's tremendously improved his poise on the court and become basically a defensive force on the court. Think of Griffin as a player with Ben Wallace type of ability with a very solid offensive game (the ability to hit the pro-three) and he will definitely be one of the players to look out for in this upcoming draft.
Chris Paul - Wake Forest
Draft Status: Sophomore
Chris Paul is amazing talent and perhaps the best point guard right now in college. If I were in his position - I would come out for sure because he's got the whole game in his hands. Paul is guranteed to be one of those special players for the future of ABCA and shouldn't delay that. He's lucky that he turns 20 just a month before the draft. CP shouldn't wait and definitely strike while the iron is hot. Expect nothing less than a terrific outing in the NCAA Tournament. I definitely believe Paul will lead Wake to at least the Final Four....and then enter this year's draft.
Luol Deng - Duke
Draft Status: Sophomore
Deng has stepped up to be a leader for Coach K's Duke team. He's patterned his game after another great Duke legend in Grant Hill. It would not be surprising to me at all if Deng decided to take his game to the next level because overall he does seem fairly ready. He might want to stay another year though to get his outside game better than what it is but overall - he'd be a very solid prospect perhaps even a top prospect if he entered this draft.
Nenad Krstic - Serbia & Montanegro
Draft Status - International Draft Eligible
Krstic has been Serbia's best kept secret over the past couple years however he is finally getting his name recognized out there by scouts. He is by far the best international prospect out there right now - even better than his other Serbian counterpart, Darko Milicic. Kristic has all good post moves and footwork to be able to be a factor down low at the pro-level. He's even gotten himself a patented, consistent go-to-jumper. Not only that but Nenad has gained muscle after being just 210 pounds 4 years ago. He is now around 235-240 pounds which definitely is great in terms of the fact that a big body is needed to bang in ABCA. Nenad is a potential all-star in the making and should definitely be one of top choices in this year's draft should he enter. My bet is that he will enter because he is 22 and that is pretty much the typical age of a college senior. He's done all he can in Europe to improve his game and it's time now for him to go out there and show what he can do.
Chris Bosh - Georgia Tech
Draft Status: Junior
Bosh like Griffin was talented enough to enter the draft after his freshmen year at Georgia Tech. However, he realized that it was necessary for him to bulk up to be better prepared to bruise in there with the big guys that the league has to offer. He also wanted to work on developing a more post moves and ability as well as improve his lateral movement for defensive purposes. He's fulfilled pretty much every goal he's had for himself and definitely looks like he may test the waters even though he is still a junior. If he does come out - there'd be no question in my mind that he'd be the number pick...unless the next guy I am about to profile decides to throw his name out there.
Lebron James - California
Draft Status: Sophomore
If Chris Paul is a special player...then Lebron James is that times a billion. James perhaps would already be playing in his second season if it weren't for the 20 year old eligibilty issue. In fact, many ABCA officials have come to agree whole-heartedly that they would've certainly have pushed to change the rule for this guy - which shows you how great this guy is. Lebron has been nothing short of dominant since surprisingly making the decision to go to Cal, despite being an Ohio-native. Some have speculated whether or not Lebron's relationship with agent Aaron Goodwin - who is a bay area native and had occassionally brought James to the bay to play AAU basketball in his younger years - influenced his decision to choose Cal over Ohio State and even his hometown University, the University of Akron. However, Lebron has stated that the reason he came out to Cal was because he felt that the west coast colleges needed a boost in attention in terms of notability. There has been no investigation so far over James' statements are legit which is understandable because why would NCAA officials want to find a way to punish their biggest cash cow? Like mentioned a couple statements ago, Lebron has been dominant ever since stepping into a Golden Bears' uniform where he and Leon Powe have led Cal already to one national championship with a repeat in mind this year. James has stated that he is hungry for more and that he wants to be remembered as being as dominant, if not more so, than the great Lew Alcindor AKA Kareem Abdul Jabar. There's no doubt about him being remembered as one of, if not, the greatest college player ever and to add to that legacy with more national championships is definitely something that may keep him from this years draft. However, Lebron is extremely talented and can do whatever he wants with the confidence that no matter what year he enters the draft (barring any freak injury of course). Lebron's game has been pro ready since maybe his junior year of high school and with the added seasoning he's gotten from being under Ben Braun's tutolage at Cal - his overall game is comparable and maybe better than a couple of the star players in the league. Mainly what has improved with Lebron were his deficiencies coming out of high school - his outside game and his defense. He's shown tremendous progress in being able to hit his jumper consistently as well as extend his three point range. His defense is not yet at a point where he is a defensive force but his lateral movement, positioning, and hands have all improved to aid in getting that next level defensively. All the other aspects that were very solid to begin with - his inside scoring ability, passing ability, and rebounding ability - have stayed the course and continue to be huge parts of his game. James will have a decision to make on whether or not he wants to continue dominating on the collegiate level or take the next step to the pro-level. It's all on him - he can defintely still get better at Cal, even to a point where if he comes out possibly his senior year, he can step right onto an ABCA court and dominate the pro-game.