SEC Basketball Players Leaving Early for the NBA Watch - 2014 Edition

[jbcarol]

Ron Higgins ‏@RonHigg ·18 hrs
LSU freshman forward Jarell Martjn says he's leaning toward returning to school. Jordan Mickey non commital.
from Baton Rouge, LA

Nicholas Payan ‏@PeterPayan ·18h
@RonHigg What about JOBIII?

Ron Higgins ‏@RonHigg ·18 hrs
@PeterPayan I think he's a foregone conclusion.

(Johnny O'Bryant)

[jbcarol]

Info on the NBA draft process including key dates

April 9: NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee Application Deadline
April 14: NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee Response Deadline
April 15: NCAA Early Entry "Withdrawal" Deadline
April 27: NBA Draft Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 pm ET)
May 2: NBA Draft Early Entry Candidates Released – Underclassmen Contact Permitted
May 14-18: NBA Draft Combine (Chicago)
May 20: NBA Draft Lottery
June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline (5:00 pm ET)
June 26: 2014 NBA Draft

The main change from what NCAA underclassmen were accustomed to in the past (prior to 2012) involves the NCAA's unilaterally imposed "early-entry withdrawal deadline" of April 15th.

According to NCAA Proposal No. 2010-24, "student-athletes interested in 'testing the waters' of the NBA draft [are required] to remove their name from consideration before the first day of the spring National Letter of Intent signing period."

The first day of the spring National Letter of Intent signing period is April 16th this year, meaning that any player that makes himself eligible for the NBA draft before then must remove it by April 15th in order to retain his collegiate eligibility.

What this essentially means is that there is no "testing the waters" anymore.

The reason for this change, in the NCAA's words is: "to help keep student-athletes focused on academics in the spring term and to give coaches a better idea of their roster for the coming year before the recruiting period is closed."

This unilateral deadline imposed by the NCAA has been widely criticized by members of the basketball industry, as it is clearly a self-serving rule intended to protect the NCAA's own economic interests by severely restricting players' ability to explore their professional options.

"The way the rules are written, they're basically saying to the kids, 'We're just looking at the universities, we're not looking after you," Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said last year.

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Issues Committee understood the concerns surrounding this dramatic change, including "the potential inability of student-athletes to gather all necessary information to make an informed decision, the disruption of team continuity during the latter part of the regular season/NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship tournament, and the increased media attention during the championship," but nonetheless elected to push forward with it, with no change in sight.

The biggest issue with this new "early entry intention" date of April 15 is that it falls less than two weeks before the NBA's own early-entry deadline of April 27th. Until the NBA officially disperses their list of underclassmen who have made themselves eligible for the NBA draft, usually four days after the deadline, teams cannot have any type of contact with those players, which obviously includes pre-draft workouts.

Since the NCAA bars third parties (even family members) of college players from reaching out to NBA teams to discuss their draft stock, and the NBA itself has strict no-contact rules regarding the way teams can communicate with players who are not officially draft-eligible (before the early-entry list is released in early May), the only way an underclassman can "legally" gather information about his draft stock is through his college head coach. Furthermore, the head coach is only allowed to talk with the principal basketball operations executive from each team (ie: the general manager), according to NBA rules, and the underclassman may not participate in or be present during any such conversation.

To help with this process, the NBA is again offering underclassmen the ability to get actual feedback from a group of executives representing 20 NBA teams selected by the League Office, called the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee.

Watch how this unfolds leading up to the deadline dates.

[JackJohnson]

Ron Higgins ‏@RonHigg ·18 hrs
LSU freshman forward Jarell Martjn says he's leaning toward returning to school. Jordan Mickey non commital.
from Baton Rouge, LA

Nicholas Payan ‏@PeterPayan ·18h
@RonHigg What about JOBIII?

Ron Higgins ‏@RonHigg ·18 hrs
@PeterPayan I think he's a foregone conclusion.

(Johnny O'Bryant)

Hope all 3 leave

[jbcarol]

Mizzou's Clarkson declares for draft.

[jbcarol]

Matthew Harris ‏@MHarrisAdvocate ·1h
#LSU Hoops | Johnny O'Bryant's decision about the NBA draft likely coming tomorrow: http://bit.ly/1oiQQgH

[jbcarol]

Dave Matter ‏@Dave_Matter  2h
New at STLtoday: Fighting cancer, Mike Clarkson talks about his son Jordan's decision to leave Mizzou for NBA draft http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/eye-on-the-tigers/mizzou-s-clarkson-headed-to-nba/article_eb31825c-9846-5077-ad04-f6c853baad83.html ...

[jbcarol]

Rob Dauster ‏@RobDauster ·20m
Report: LSU's Johnny O'Bryant to enter the NBA Draft http://wp.me/p1aWjM-243v


Johnny O'Bryant III ‏@OBryant_The3rd ·12h
Tomorrow is April Fools...


Whether to read between the lines, I do not know.

[jbcarol]

 Mizzou Basketball ‏@MizzouHoops ·5m
#Mizzou's @Bari_BrownIDF announced that he will enter the NBA Draft... http://www.mutigers.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040214aaa.html ...

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison ·3 mins
Kind of interesting that [Jabari] Brown is leaving open the possibility of withdrawing his name before the April 15 deadline, where Clarkson did not.

[jbcarol]

On the watch for departing SEC underclassmen:
JOB III and Clarkson are in the NBA draft.
MU's Jabari Brown is in the NBA draft process but can return if he does not hire an agent

UK's Julius Randle is foregone gone

Jarnell Stokes and Jordan Mickey are considering their next steps.

The other potential UK freshmen and sophomores are still in the Final Four.

[jbcarol]

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2014-03-29/nba-draft-2014-early-entry-list-early-mock-draft-lottery-one-and-done-underclassmen-wiggins-randle-anderson

Maintaining the National list here among other places along with notable players who have announced that they will return for '14-15.

[jbcarol]

ESPN College BBall ‏@ESPNCBB ·22 hrs
Marcus Smart entering NBA draft: http://es.pn/1swbsBK

[jbcarol]

Jeff Borzello ‏@jeffborzello  5h
Freshman Chris Walker is staying at Florida.

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred ·10h
Was able to confirm CBSSports report w/ UT source. #Vols forward Jarnell Stokes will announce he's entering NBA Draft at tomorrow's presser.

[Henry Hogsome]

That is great news for us hog fans and other sec teams fans. I figured he would go pro after his junior season. Just a matter of time. Tennessee will be down next year.

[jbcarol]

http://www.draftexpress.com/2013-NBA-Draft-Early-Entry-List.php

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio ·2h
Marcus Lee returning to Kentucky: http://bit.ly/1kYhOV6

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio  31m
Willie Cauley Stein tweets he is returning to UK for another year

[jbcarol]

From just inside the SEC blueprint:

Montrezl Harrell @MONSTATREZZ
Been on my mind heavy but I love the feeling of being a Louisville cardinal an I will be wearing this for the next yr

12:41 PM - 14 Apr 2014

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio ·13 hrs
Maybe now an announcer can FINALLY let viewers [know] during games that Willie Cauley-Stein played Wide Receiver in high school

[jbcarol]

 Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPN  ·  58m 
Today is NCAA deadline for guys to declare for NBA Draft, but doesn't mean much. Players can stay silent, declare by NBA deadline (April 27)

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria ·48m
And for all these guys declaring for the draft, keep in mind that 26 of the 60 draftees in 2013 have spent time this year in the D-League.

[jbcarol]

Jeremy Woo ‏@Jeremy_Woo ·16 hrs
What I like to call "The Teague Zone." RT @AdamZagoria NBA exec on the Harrisons if they go: "They probably go 25-45."

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria ·Apr 14
NBA scout on WCS returning to UK: ' Good for him. He would have ended up playing in the D-League for the majority of next season.'

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress ·Apr 14
Wonder how Marcus Lee feels right now? He's looking at another year of not much playing time, especially if Poythress comes back too.

[jbcarol]

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  9h  Updated Brown & NBA draft story at STLtoday http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/eye-on-the-tigers/mizzou-s-brown-will-stay-in-nba-draft/article_89017e10-f185-5af2-82ff-3b74a0f4da58.html ...


Mizzou's Jabari Brown

[jbcarol]

Report that James Young will enter tHe NBA draft process.

[jbcarol]

Rodney Hood, the former Mississippi State player for Stansbury who transferred to and starred at Duke, announced early entry in the NBA draft.

[jbcarol]

No surprise, Julius Randle of Kentucky declares for the NBA Draft.

Averaged a double-double for UK as a freshman.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik ‏@Steve_Walentik ·53 mins
Every member of this year's All-SEC first team will be gone next season with Julius Randle's expected announcement he's entering NBA draft.

Steve Walentik ‏@Steve_Walentik ·50 mins
Arkansas' Bobby Portis, Georgia's Charles Mann, LSU's Jordan Mickey and Ole Miss' Jarvis Summers are only All-SEC second-teamers coming back

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 ·13 hrs
Been hearing good things about former #Vols big man Jarnell Stokes' recent workouts at IMG. Heard he might be moving up some boards.

[jbcarol]

Julius Randle's mentor, former Oklahoma star Jeff Webster, says Randle will be a more versatile player in the pros. It was interesting that Webster said that while UK did a good job with Randle, he can now get back to the things he really needs to improve.

http://johnclay.bloginky.com/2014/04/23/bbl-john-wall-and-wizards-beat-bulls-and-critics

[jbcarol]

The deadline to declare for the NBA draft is Sunday, meaning that by the end of the weekend, every one of college basketball's stay-or-go decisions will be finalized (except those taking the D Bost route). The time to calculate the value of another year in school versus a head start on a professional career is running preciously low.

DeAndre Daniels and Ryan Boatright, Connecticut

Boatright has always been able to score, but he returned to Storrs for his junior season because he wanted to work on the other aspects of his game.

The 6-foot-9 Daniels has no size problems, but he averaged a pedestrian 13.1 point and six rebounds as a junior, though he opened eyes with a pair of 20-point, 10-rebound performances during the NCAA tournament.

Andrew and Aaron Harrison

If the twin guards leave, the Wildcats will have nothing but inexperience in their backcourt and legitimate questions about who exactly will get the ball to a frontcourt teeming with talent, given the returning Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein, Marcus Lee and top recruits Karl Towns and Trey Lyles. Both Harrisons appear to be borderline first-round projections, but is that enough for them to bolt? If the Harrisons return they will make Kentucky one of the prohibitive favorites for the national title in 2015 – a designation that won't just be based on potential, as it was last season. Shooting guard Aaron (13.7 points per game) and point guard Andrew (10.9) weren't prolific producers, but they amassed 2,570 minutes combined as freshmen. Few backcourts would be as battle-tested as one that endured stratospheric expectations and nevertheless surged to the national championship game.

Mitch McGary, Michigan

He was a preseason All-America last year after a breakout NCAA tournament performance in 2013 that featured three double-doubles in the Wolverines' run to the national title game. The 6-foot-10 forward then was besieged by back troubles during the season, playing in just eight games (averaging 9.5 points and 8.3 rebounds) before shutting it down in mid-December...

Khem Birch, UNLV

The 6-foot-9 Birch isn't currently listed in Draft Express' two-round mock draft and he's a late second-round pick according to NBADraft.net. It's a risk for him to go, but a player who averaged 11.2 points and 10.2 rebounds in 2013-14 might be wondering how much bigger his piece of the pie will get with even more scoring talent around him.

http://college-basketball.si.com/2014/04/23/nba-draft-deadline-mitch-mcgary-aaron-harrison-andrew-harrison

[jbcarol]

Mitch McGary is heading to the NBA after failed drug test nets him a yearlong NCAA ban

Dan Wetzel ‏@DanWetzel ·23m
Facing one-year suspension from NCAA, Michigan's Mitch McGary declares for NBA Draft: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mitch-mcgary-heading-to-nba-after-positive-marijuana-test-nets-him-shocking-year-long-ncaa-ban-073833742.html ...

[jbcarol]

http://johnclay.bloginky.com/2014/04/25/facing-suspension-mitch-mcgary-joins-nba-list

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria ·50m
UNLV's Khem Birch Declares for NBA Draft; Scout says he's 2nd-rounder at best http://zagsblog.com/articles/unlvs-khem-birch-declares-for-the-nba-draft/ ...

[jbcarol]

One advantage of leaving early is (paid) participation in events held around the state of your college choice.


This picture comes from Julius Randle himself, who seems to have had a great time in Pikeville tonight visiting Hillbilly Days...

Randle's teammate James Young went a different route sitting courtside by/with/beside Rihanna at the Nets-Raptors game.



Gotta love the Drake.

H/T: http://kentuckysportsradio.com

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio  11h
James Young sitting with Rihanna is the living embodiment of "Succeed and Proceed"

There is a corresponding gif that is not shopped and it rises just below the standard for which we cannot post Hogville.

[jbcarol]

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA ·22 hrs
UConn junior forward DeAndre Daniels will enter the NBA Draft, league sources told Yahoo Sports.


There goes the defending champs

[jbcarol]

The final list:

Jabari Brown  MU  RS-Jr
Jordan Clarkson  MU  Jr
JOB III          LSU     Jr
Julius Randle   UK     Fr
Jarnell Stokes  UT     Jr
James Young   UK     Fr

[JackJohnson]

The final list:

Jabari Brown  MU  RS-Jr
Jordan Clarkson  MU  Jr
JOB III          LSU     Jr
Julius Randle   UK     Fr
Jarnell Stokes  UT     Jr
James Young   UK     Fr

About half of what I had hoped would leave

[jbcarol]

Seth Emerson ‏@SethEmerson 6h

Georgia one of only three SEC schools that didn't have anyone leave early for NFL or NBA drafts this year. http://www.macon.com/2014/05/01/3075397/for-georgia-its-been-a-long-time.html ...

[jbcarol]

Gary Parrish ‏@GaryParrishCBS 32m

Also worth noting: I found that 80% of NCAA players picked in the 2nd round in the past five years still made the NBA in some form.

Gary Parrish ‏@GaryParrishCBS 46m

How often do juniors who are projected 2nd-round picks become 1st-round picks after a senior year? Not very. Column: http://cbsprt.co/1lHJ5gV

[jbcarol]

Julius Randle and Exum are the highest projected draft picks scheduled to participate in the NBA draft combine. Other former SEC players scheduled to work out include James Young, Jarnell Stokes, JOB III, Jordan McRae, Jabari, and Jordan Clarkson. McRae is the only senior.

[jbcarol]

NBA Combine physical measurements

J Randle:  6-7.75  w/o shoes, 7-0 wingspan
J Young:  6-5.25  w/o shoes, 7-0 wingspan
J McRae:  6-3.75  w/o shoes, 7-0.5 wingspan
J Clarkson:  6-3.25  w/o shoes, 6-9 wingspan
J Brown:  6-3.0  w/o shoes,   6-8.25 wingspan
JOB III:   6-7.25  w/o shoes, 7-2.25 wingspan
J Stokes:  6-7.0  w/o shoes,  7-1.25 wingspan

[jbcarol]

Patrick Brown @patrickbrownTFP  ·  3h

Fran Fraschilla on Jarnell Stokes during ESPN NBA draft combine coverage: 'I think he's gonna hang his hat in the league on rebounding.'

[jbcarol]

ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 3h
Julius Randle's wing span (7 feet) measured 2 inches shorter than the avg player at his height (6-9).


Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 2h
Jordan McRae's measurements from NBA Combine are whoa. About 6-4 with a 7-1 wingspan. He's a condor...

[jbcarol]

SportsCenter ‏@SportsCenter 16h

Andrew Wiggins can jump really, really ridiculously high. (via @P3sportscience) pic.twitter.com/GNsKZZ75Hq



The combine has not yet posted the actual height of that standing vertical leap.

[jbcarol]

Ben Frederickson @Ben_Fred  ·  20m
ESPN NBA insider Chad Ford: "I think teams are probably sleeping on Jarnell Stokes. Rebounding translates" ...

[jbcarol]

Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears has James Young going 10th to the Philadelphia 76ers, and Julius Randle going 11th to the Denver Nuggets:

10. Philadelphia 76ers (from New Orleans): James Young, Kentucky, SG, 6-7, 213, Fr. Scout's take: "No right hand. Owns a sweet stroke from NBA range that is beautiful, effortless and easy. Needs to learn how to come off screens."

11. Denver Nuggets: Julius Randle, Kentucky, PF, 6-9, 250, Fr. Scout's take: "If he were to slide, it would be because he's a high turnover guy who is not the most skilled. He got by in college by bullying for points."

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN  15h
Good scouts breakdown of top draft guys. @ryenarussillo: For those looking for the @Grantland33 article from today. http://grantland.com/the-triangle/ryen-russillos-nba-draft-confidential-real-scouts-on-wiggins-randle-embiid-and-parker/ ...

Why do teams tank? They have no choice.

No league in pro sports makes franchise transformation as difficult as the NBA. Trade restrictions on salaries, the new sign-and-trade rules, and a flawed free-agency system are all factors in making the draft the single most important night for teams. If you want to change your team, this is how you do it.

The 2014 draft was supposed to have three or four franchise-changing players. That idea is actually pretty ridiculous when you think about it. There aren't even 10 current players capable of turning a team into an immediate contender.

Still, this draft class was as hyped as any in a long time. But is that still the case? What do the scouts and front-office guys think?

I spoke with three of the best talent evaluators currently working in front offices about the four most heralded prospects. One is an NBA general manager, another an assistant GM, and the third source is the director of scouting for an NBA franchise. For the sake of anonymity, I'm calling them Scout 1, Scout 2, and Scout 3.

These conversations are transcribed to illustrate the raw, unfiltered dialogue I have had over the last few months with these sources, to give you an idea of how talent evaluators rate Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, and Julius Randle.

After each player I'll provide my own summary...

Julius Randle
Scout 1: He's not an athlete, but he's not a stiff. He wants to go left, and like a lot of lefties he's a right-shoulder turn guy. He always comes back to the strong side on post, or on his drive. Guys in our league will sit on that and he won't score with that  stuff .

Decent free throw shooter, and that's my thing. If you can shoot free throws, you can learn to shoot...

Scout 2: He's one guy in college you couldn't guard. Deadly from 15 feet off the dribble, powerful once he gets to the rim. There really wasn't much you could do with him. Needs to develop a 15-footer. He's bouncier than Zach [Randolph]. Zach developed as a shooter. Can pass and rebound. Knows how to use his body.

Of the four guys at the top, he is the most known. If he was on a good team, early in his career, he'd be great off the bench, destroying second units that are smaller...

Scout 3: I'll admit, in high school, he made a bad first impression to me. It looked like he wanted to be Antoine Walker, selfish, almost greedy. But I'll give him credit, he adjusted at Kentucky. Now he plays with a hard motor, competes, almost plays angry.

Awful passer, but he doesn't want to pass anyway. He goes one way, tries to knock everyone over. He's so left-hand dominant it was comical. If you put him in a gym by himself, could he make a right-handed layup? He's a good athlete but didn't always use it. A lot of his stuff, offensively, won't work in the NBA. It's going to be a huge adjustment for him. A lot of his  stuff  is going to get sent back. His shot from 15-17 feet needs a ton of work. Good luck with that! He'll be a worker but not a big-time scorer.

He'll never be Zach Randolph.

Russillo: Agree with Scout 1. I still like him. I know he isn't really athletic, but the boards and clean-up points are going to be there early. I just don't worry about young guys not being able to defend, because in today's NBA there is so much help on the ball side that it's more about being able to buy into a team's defensive principles than isolation defense.

He has the least momentum of any of the four after the combine, and it seems like Noah Vonleh and Aaron Gordon have passed him. But if you are getting Randle at pick no. 7 or no. 8, you should be thrilled.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 8h
Patric Young works out for the Phoenix Suns today and San Antonio on Friday, source told ESPN.

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 20h
Jarnell Stokes has rescheduled his visit to Miami from Thurs. to June 3. Will still go to Philly Sunday, Phoenix June 4, source told ESPN.

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN May 27
Miami Heat will host Jordan Clarkson on Thursday, source told ESPN.

Julius Randle ‏@J30_RANDLE 20h
Welcome to @Nike #CantHandleRandle pic.twitter.com/MqYWbvYzTS