Early Entries #4

I'm a little behind here but here's the latest. Even though Greg Oden's dad seems to think he will declare for the draft, his soon-to-be agent, Mike Conley Sr. says he hasn't made up his mind. Let's be fair here, I can't take him actually coming back seriously until he actually does it. I'm an advocate of staying in school but unfortunately in this day and age of guaranteed contracts and millions of dollars, he has to leave school even if he likes it there.

According to sources, Nick Young will declare for the draft and hire an agent, which would eliminate any chance of returning to USC. He's definitely a first round pick and with OJ Mayo coming into Southern Cal next year, there might not be enough basketballs on the court for the two of them. I also look for Young's teammate, Gabe Pruitt, to bounce to the draft and I wouldn't be surprised if Taj Gibson explored his options after he dominated Hansbrough in the tournament before getting into foul trouble.

Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert both declared but according to John Thompson III, they will not declare agents, at least not yet. To me, this is the smart move for both of these guys especially Jeff Green. Green is the reigning Big East POY and he showed he could be a go-to guy at the end of games especially against Vandy even though he probably travelled. To me, he is the most NBA ready prospect out there considering his skills, his intellect, and his versatility. As for Hibbert, he could use more schooling since he isn't a finished product by any means but his stock will never be higher so he needs to go while he's hot.

According to draftexpress.com, Chris Lofton will explore his options and declare for the draft but sign an agent. If you read some of his quotes, even he believes he isn't ready to make the jump but I think he wants to use the process for a little constructive criticism. Chris, save your money, I'll tell you what you need to do. You have to do what JJ Redick did after his sophomore season: get yourself in top of the line shape and prove that you can take the ball to the rim. If you can do that by this time next year, you could play yourself into the first round. He will land on a team even if he doesn't improve though because he is too good of a shooter and that's one thing the NBA sorely lacks.

I've been reading that players like Joe Mays from Clemson, Wilson Chandler from DePaul, and Joey Dorsey from Memphis will declare. Word of advice: DONT! That simple, stay in school, work on your games, enjoy college, get a degree. If you declare, at least Mays and Chandler should get their passports ready because they will go undrafted and end up overseas. The self-proclaimed "Underrated" Joey Dorsey could land himself on a team because of his rebounding and many say he will declare because he's an old junior. Joey, I have two words for you with that argument: Alexander Johnson. Is he even still alive?

Still no news on Brandon Wright and this is starting to scare me a bit. If he comes back, it would be a mortal sin if Carolina didn't win the National Championship. Also, if he comes back, I don't care how good Kyle Singler can be, you can practically pencil in two L's for Duke.

That's it for now but with NBA defections, it's usually more inevitable than anything.