Should I stay or should I go?

Some primetime college basketball players are going to be making the most important decisions of their lives come the middle of June. By 5 p.m. June 16, possible NBA draftees will have to make the decision, the decision to hire an agent and officially enter the draft, thus spelling the end of their college careers, or the decision to return to college, which means returning to the grueling practices, the anal retentive professors and to the subtly putrid food of most college cafeterias.

Some players should bolt while their draft status is still Corey Brewer kinda high, and others should step back and realize it would be a benefit to get one more year of coaching and practice under their belt.

There are some locks for both spots, especially for the players who should think twice about entering the draft. However many players perform well at the pre-draft camp ( May 27- June 3rd), thus raising their draft stock considerably. But remember, there’s only 30 first round picks, meaning only 30 players are guaranteed contracts. Again, signing an agent and forgoing further college eligibility is a huge decision many players will make, and unfortunately a good portion will be either 2nd round picks or will go undrafted. Be careful of who you listen to…

SG Wayne Ellington UNC (So)- Smooth shooter from long range, but not in any way a sure bet for the 1st round. Wayne did not have the greatest of NCAA tourney performances, only hitting 17 of 48 field goals during the last 3 rounds and only 3 of 17 three pointers as well. His counterpart Danny Green should also consider coming back to UNC. The Tar Heels would again have a very good oppurtunity to win the title.

SG/SF Jamont Gordon Mississippi State (Jr)- Currently not in the discussion for the 1st round. But strong performances in the pre-draft workouts could jump him up some, maybe even into the 1st round. He needs to work on his outside shot, as he only hit 31% of his three pointers last season. But Jamont has an NBA body and a NBA future, but would be wise to go back and assure himself 1st round status for next year. But maybe his senior year is barred by injuries or bad play? That’s a chance he will have to take.

SF Ryan Anderson California (So)- This guy is an intriguing player because you just don’t know if he’ll improve that much in his Junior year to improve his stock. He’s not athletic and probably will never improve in that area much. So it makes more sense for Ryan to bolt now, considering he just came off a season where he averaged 20 + ppg in a very good conference. He’s also caught in between positions a bit, or so the experts say. I wouldn’t worry too much about him being a tweener because at the end of the day this is basketball, not a puzzle. David West can attest to this.

David West knows what it feels like to be called a tweener.

SG Russell Westbrook UCLA (So)- Russell will not have a better chance to crack the top 15 than he will this year. He’s another candidate for the tweener label. The great upside to Russell is his tenacity and athleticism. He can guard 1’s and 2’s as well as grab rebounds over many taller players. But shooting and ball handling are aspects he will have to improve upon to really draw attention to himself come May 27th. I would compare this guy to a more defensive minded Leandro Barbosa, or maybe even a shorter version of Desmond Mason. The sky is the limit for Russell. UCLA will sorely miss him.

SG /SF Bill Walker Kansas St. (Fr) Bill played very well in both of K State’s tourney games. My reasoning on why he should go pro is simple. After all of the coverage and press Michael Beasley got, Bill is still very much in the minds of the powers that be in the NBA. Also, K State doesn’t have the greatest group of guards, so there’s nobody who’s going to substantially make Bill better. He can already drive to the basket aggressively and has a shooting touch that comes and goes, but is mainly pretty reliable. He may be a little wild and arrogant at times, but it’s not anything worth fretting over. While a lot of folks are saying he should stay, I think he should enter and take his chances. After all, we all know he’s going to get drafted and end up being a solid pro, so why delay the dream just for one more year of college and a sure contract come 09?

My guess will be that Walker, Ellington and Gordon stay, while the other two enter the draft. We will see soon enough.

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