NBA Draft Early Entrants

[Agent Kev]

Here is who has declared for the NBA Draft so far:

Arron Afflalo UCLA Jr. G 6-5 215 Yes
Corey Brewer Florida Jr. F 6-9 185 No
Dwight Brewington Liberty Jr. G 6-5 190 Yes
Roy Bright Delaware St. Jr. F 6-6 225 No
Aaron Bruce Baylor Jr. G 6-3 190 No
Wilson Chandler DePaul So. F 6-8 230
Chris Daniels Texas A&M-CC Jr. C 7-0 265 No
Mike Conley Jr. Ohio State Fr. G 6-1 180 No
Daequan Cook Ohio State Fr. G 6-5 210 No
Glen Davis LSU Jr. F 6-9 295 Yes
Kevin Durant Texas Fr. F 6-10 225
Jeff Green Georgetown Jr. F 6-9 235 No
Taurean Green Florida Jr. G 6-0 177 No
DeVon Hardin California Jr. C 6-11 235 No
Spencer Hawes Washington Fr. C 7-0 250 No
Roy Hibbert Georgetown Jr. C 7-2 280 No
Al Horford Florida Jr. F 6-10 245 No
Marcel Jones Oregon State Jr. F 6-8 215 No
Marcelus Kemp Nevada Jr. G 6-5 210 No
Dominic McGuire Fresno State Jr. F 6-8 210 No
Josh McRoberts Duke So. F 6-10 245 Yes
Joakim Noah Florida Jr. F 6-11 232 No
Greg Oden Ohio State Fr. C 7-0 280 Yes
Maureece Rice G. Washington Jr. G 6-1 225 No
Ramon Sessions Nevada Jr. G 6-3 190 No
Marcus Williams Arizona So. G-F 6-7 205 Yes
Brandan Wright North Carolina Fr. F 6-9 205 No
Julian Wright Kansas So. F 6-8 225 No
Nick Young USC Jr. G 6-6 200 Yes

Bold denotes the latest underclassmen to declare.

The Yes/No is if they've signed with an agent yet.

[Riley G]

No Oden, he was the man of the NCAA tournament.

[Agent Kev]

rileyg said:

No Oden, he was the man of the NCAA tournament.

Not yet. They still have plenty of time to declare. I would expect Durant to go before he would but both will probably go.

[IWSfan4life]

The Florida kids are OK but the only one who I think has a chance to be a star is Noah. I'm sure Durant will go and I bet Oden will as well, and both will be amazing in the NBA. I'm suprised about McRoberts though.

-Jason

[Agent Kev]

stylesclash2004 said:

The Florida kids are OK but the only one who I think has a chance to be a star is Noah. I'm sure Durant will go and I bet Oden will as well, and both will be amazing in the NBA. I'm suprised about McRoberts though.

-Jason

Horford will be a solid pro like Udonis Haslem or possibly better. Corey Brewer is a fantastic defender and just a great player- he has Scottie Pippen type skills. He could easily be the second or third best player on his team when he is in his third year. Noah needs to develop a jump shot or he is gonna be a flop- he has a great nose for the ball and brings a ton of energy but he just can't shoot. Green is a solid college PG but I don't think it will translate to the next level.

[brad512]

stylesclash2004 said:

The Florida kids are OK but the only one who I think has a chance to be a star is Noah. I'm sure Durant will go and I bet Oden will as well, and both will be amazing in the NBA. I'm suprised about McRoberts though.

-Jason

Surprised to hear Noah. Besides Green, I think Noah has the least chance of becoming a star in the NBA. I'm surprised that Horford, Noah, and Brewer are all being projected in the Top 10 of the NBA draft. I think Horford and Brewer could be solid contributors to NBA teams. I don't think any would become big stars though. I wouldn't be surprised if Green doesn't even get drafted. I don't see him as an NBA player.

[IWSfan4life]

I think Noah is a lot stronger than people think, and is very good at moving without the ball. And his jump shot in mid range isn't that bad, just inconsistant. He could easily wind up being what Tony Battie was for the Celtics back when they were in the playoffs every year. Plus he's a solid shot blocker and has a good span.

I don't think Horford will be that great. He may do OK in garbage time but I don't see much more for him. There were a lot better players that wound up failing miserably.

-Jason

[Agent Kev]

Kansas sophomore Wright declares for NBA Draft

April 9, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Julian Wright, the versatile but inconsistent power forward who helped Kansas win two straight Big 12 titles, is skipping his last two years to enter the NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-8 Chicago player said at a news conference Monday that money wasn't the deciding issue.

"Money has never been my motivation," he said. "It's not my family's (motivation). Mostly, just playing and feeling like I'm able to advance my game to the next level. It's not about the money. I'm just happy and grateful to have the opportunity."

Often inconsistent but at times spectacular with his long wing span, Wright averaged 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in helping the Jayhawks win their second straight Big 12 Tournament title. In the regular season, he averaged 12 points and 8.1 rebounds.

His best scoring game was a 33-point night at Missouri. But, showing his bad side one night at home, he went up for a spectacular, uncontested dunk but lost control of the ball and his body and landed in an embarrassed heap beneath the basket. Coach Bill Self was so disgusted he pulled him out of the game.

"Julian is a versatile, fabulous athlete who can do a lot of things very, very well," said Self, who joined his star player at the news conference.

"He'd be the first to agree that there are some things he needs to get better at. But I don't know how many 19-year-olds or 20-year-olds don't have to get better at something. He'll work hard to do that.

"But you can't teach a lot of things that Julian does very, very well. And you can't coach a lot of things he does very, very well. And I think that was intriguing for a lot of folks."

Wright, who lacks a 3-point shot, said he expects to go somewhere between No. 10 and No. 16 in the first round.

"I feel like I'm in a position now where I can develop," he said. "I'm not saying I'm going to be the next LeBron James or an impact player right away. I know it's a long work in process."

By declaring for the draft, Wright becomes eligible to participate in the NBA pre-craft camp and try out for NBA teams. If he does not hire an agent, Wright can withdraw from the June 28 draft and return to school provided he does so by June 18.

He becomes the first Jayhawk to declare for this year's draft, although 6-foot-6 sophomore guard Brandon Rush is widely thought to be leaning toward turning pro. Kansas had no seniors last season and would otherwise return the entire lineup that reached the Round of Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

"I know it's going to be a lot of ups and downs, especially in the first year, or the second, or maybe the third," Wright said. "I'm ready for that. I'm not ready for actual playing right now. Obviously I have a lot of work to do."

Self, admitting Wright's loss will weaken his team, said he could not fault the decision.

"Being very candid, if I was Julian and I was in this situation, I'm not sure I wouldn't make this same decision," he said.

Self also said he did not expect a decision from Rush, his leading scorer, for 10 days to two weeks.

"Not a happy day, not a sad day," Self said. "Just a day, I think if you coach at a place like Kansas you're going to have to deal with from time to time."

[Agent Kev]

Durant has declared. As has UCLA's Arron Afflalo.

[Agent Kev]

Hoyas' Green, Hibbert will submit names for NBA Draft

April 13, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

WASHINGTON -- Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the juniors who led Georgetown to the school's first Final Four appearance in 22 years, will submit their names for the NBA Draft.

Neither player will sign with an agent before the early withdrawal date, the Hoyas said Friday, which means they will retain NCAA eligibility should either or both decide to return to college.

"Both young men have worked extremely hard to position themselves for this opportunity," coach John Thompson III said. "They have begun a process of information gathering which is necessary for them to make educated decisions."

The early withdrawal date is June 18. The draft will be held June 28.

Both players would likely be lottery picks. Thompson said earlier this week that Green and Hibbert wanted to get an idea as to how high they would be picked before deciding whether to turn pro.

Green was the Player of the Year in the Big East and Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA East Regional this season, and his versatility would make him a coveted player in the NBA. The 6-foot-9 forward led the Hoyas in scoring (14.3 points) and was second in both rebounding (6.4) and assists (3.2).

Hibbert, a 7-2 center, could become a strong post player in the NBA but still needs to polish his game. He led the Hoyas in rebounds (6.9) and averaged 12.9 points. He also blocked 90 shots.

Paper: Oden's dad says Ohio State big man will enter NBA Draft

April 14, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ohio State star Greg Oden will enter the NBA Draft, his father told the Indianapolis Star in a story on its website Friday night.

The 7-foot center is widely considered a possible No. 1 draft pick, and Greg Oden Sr. said he was he was comfortable with his son's decision.

"He's the kind of kid that, even though he'll have a lot of money, he needs to do more than just basketball," Greg Oden Sr. said. "They had an exciting season, but why take the chance on him getting hurt?"

Oden and Buckeyes point guard Mike Conley Jr. led Lawrence North of Indianapolis to three straight Indiana high school basketball titles. As freshmen, they led Ohio State to a No. 1 ranking and the NCAA Championship Game.

Oden's mother, Zoe, told the Star, "Greg told me he wasn't ready to talk about it just yet."

The elder Oden said Conley and fellow Ohio State freshman Daequan Cook also were expected to put their names in the draft.

The players have until midnight on April 29 to declare whether they intend to make themselves available for the NBA Draft.

Mike Conley Sr., the former director of elite athlete services for USA Track and Field, has been certified as an NBA agent and is opening a representation firm. The elder Oden said Conley Sr. would represent his son.