Post from: EveryJoe

Unconscious

Well, they didn’t.

Walker’s decision wasn’t a big surprise, but Gordon’s was. But even more surprising was the college departures of George Hill and Luc Richard Mbah A Moute and the withdrawing of Ty Lawson, Chase Budinger and the nearly 24 year old Lester Hudson.

The league will have an official list out later on Tuesday.

Below is a list of the guys who were undecided going into Monday, per ESPN.

Staying In Draft
Player School
Joe Alexander, Jr. WVU

Ryan Anderson, So. Cal
Mario Chalmers, Jr. Kansas

Jamont Gordon, Jr. Mississippi St.
Richard Hendrix, Jr. Alabama

J.J. Hickson, Fr. NC State
George Hill, Jr. IUPUI

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Jr. UCLA
Marreese Speights, So. Florida

Bill Walker, RS Fr. Kansas St.

Returning To School
Player School
A.J. Abrams, Jr. Texas

Josh Akognon, Jr. Cal St.-Fullerton
Chase Budinger, So. Arizona

Lee Cummard, Jr. BYU
Robert Dozier, Jr. Memphis

Wayne Ellington, So. UNC
Danny Green, Jr. UNC

Lester Hudson, Jr. Tennessee-Martin
Ty Lawson, So. UNC

Jeremy Pargo, Jr. Gonzaga
Ronald Steele, RS Sr. Alabama

Robert Vaden, Jr. UAB

source

Lester Hudson, a guard from Tennessee-Martin, could not ask for any better of a draft stock than he has now, yet he still withdrew from the draft. He more than likely didn’t feel confident in the feedback he received from the teams, so his decision is probably a wise one, except for the fact that by this time next year he will be almost 25 years old. A bit old for a rookie point guard? 1st round pick… no. But 2nd round pick… yes. I would have liked to see him go. How much more can you prove by dominating Ohio Valley Conference competition again?

One of the smartest decisions was made by Gonzaga guard Jeremy Pargo. The player has a future in the league, but just didn’t fit well in this year’s draft. He needs to improve his ball handling and decision making skills to really reap the benefits of coming back to a very dangerous Gonzaga team. I see him being a mid to late 1st round pick next year.

I don’t believe Hill will be drafted, nor do I believe Moute will be drafted. Unless of course, both have verbal 2nd round guarantees. Could be the case, but things change. Don’t count on anything in the NBA, well, except for questionable refereeing.

Questions, comments and beefs are always appreciated.

And please take a second to vote on the poll question seen on the right hand side of the page regarding who will be the best 08/09 freshman.

Post from: EveryJoe

Surprise Surprise

Unless, of course, Kersey believes the Celtics can be beat four straight times?

During the game I was making my way through both rosters and began to think– who is going to have a similar impact in the league as a Paul Pierce? Luke Walton? Derek Fisher? Glen Davis?

Are there any guys in the upcoming 08 draft who remind you of certain current NBA role players, or who embody the personality or mentality of a perennial All-Star?

Kevin Love Freshman UCLA

Love could be chosen anywhere between 5 and 15 according to the gazillion mock drafts circulating the web. The role player tag will probably end up defining the career of Love, however, only if he can get himself into better playing condition. Optimistically I could see Love turning out to be a slightly less athletic version of Brad Miller. Brad has never quite been a three point gunner, but has the range. Linas Kleiza has also surfaced as a comparable player in my basketball database of a head. But these similarities are only based off of Love’s ability to shoot the ball from anywhere past 16 feet, especially three point land. But neither Milller nor Kleiza are thick, grind it out post players like Love can be. But I do know of one very thick post player who did not see any action in Game 1 that Love reminds me of. That would be Glen “Big Baby” Davis. If Kevin Love didn’t have any shooting or passing skills he’d be almost an exact copy of Glen Davis.

Lester Hudson Junior Tennessee-Martin

The D-Fish prototype could very well fit Lester Hudson. Small school– check. Quality shooter—check. Hard nose defensive attitude–check. Good head on shoulders–check. Sounds like a guy who could carve out a Derek Fisher type career. And that’s just fine by Hudson, “I would like to have a career just as successful.”

Pat Calathes Senior St. Joes.

The unbridled fondness for Calathes continues, but listen, I need this kid to have a fine career so when I interview for a NBA GM spot I can say I knew he was going to be good… and I have the proof! Pat plays kind of like Luke Walton. Pat handles and passes the ball like a guard and has the shooting touch of a guard, all the while being 6′10 and rather unathletic. I’m not saying that Walton is that great of a shooter, but the comparison is still mostly there in my eyes. Let it fester awhile. You’ll see it.

Bill Walker Sophomore Kansas St.

Bill’s name has shown up on mocks as early as a lottery pick and as late as a 40 something pick. Quite frankly the guy would be a great fit in Detroit, maybe backing up Prince, provided Tayshuan is still in a Piston’s uniform next year. Bill’s strength reminds me of Paul Pierce. Bill will definitely get the nod in terms of athleticism, though both have similar bodies and are about the same size (6’6). Both sometimes methodically make their way to the basket using their muscle and brute force. If Walker can improve is outside shooting as his career moves on, he could put up Paul Pierce like numbers. Though I’m not saying he will average 16ppg like Pierce accomplished in his rookie year.

Any players in this draft remind you of current NBA’ers?

If you got any, just leave a comment!

Post from: EveryJoe

The next Paul Pierce?