With all the name going around about who was staying in the NBA Draft and who was going back to school ... there were a few names that may not be as household that are keeping their names in the draft.Some may have made a mistake. Just as Josh McRoberts, JamesOn Curry, Von Wafer and Alex Acker made mistakes in the past few seasons ... some could be doing the same now.
Guys like UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Mbah a Moute probably won't be drafted (and if he is, it will be very late in the second round). If he had stayed in school, he could have become the rare guy to go to four Final Fours in his career. Despite losing some big-time talent, the Bruins still have a good shot at getting back.
Or there is USC's Davon Jefferson who probably won't be drafted either. Jefferson left school as a freshman and almost immediately signed with an agent. He made this move without even discussing it with the Trojans' coaching staff. When they have "testing the water" discussions in the future, they might want to have him talk to the class.
How about IUPUI's George Hill? Ya know, good ol' George? No? Yeah, he didn't have a household name or, really, no hype around him to warrant heading into the draft. He may not have the skill, either. He probably will be drafted, but not until the second half of the second round.
Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon really never had a second thought about coming back to school. I mean, he may go late in the second round. Not bad for a guy that no one knows what position he'll play.
And then there is Bill Walker. I think Bill has crazy talent, but he may be selling himself short. He comes into the draft with so many questions that don't have much to do with his skills. However, having O.J. Mayo as a good buddy, Michael Beasley as a teammate and a slew of knee injuries will raise some red flags (his middle name may end up being "Needs A ... "). He is really on the fence on being a first rounder but will most likely be picked in the 30s. If he stayed another season, he could really shine and turn himself into a lottery pick.
It's one thing to be Marreese Speights, JaVale McGee or Kosta Koufus and striking while the iron is hot. It's another thing to have people talking about first rounders while your name rolls across the screen as a second round pick. Or not getting drafted at all.
There is nothing to be ashamed of, but the NBA Draft is the most fickle draft of them all. With the first round salary scale, NBA teams try to be very careful with whom they pick. You may get pushed into the second round, but you still have a shot to become a very, very productive NBAer. Just ask Gilbert Arenas or Carlos Boozer.
The difference is that it takes a while.
