2008 NBA Draft early entry analysis
The NBA announced that 31 underclassmen who had declared as early entry candidates for the June 26 NBA Draft have withdrawn their names from consideration. There are 39 U.S. prospects that remain in the draft pool as early entry candidates. Commentary provided by CBSSports.com senior writer Gary Parrish.
Updated June 17
| Official 2008 NBA Draft early entry list (Final) | ||||||
| Player | School | Year | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | |
| Joe Alexander | West Virginia | Jr. | F | 6-8 | 230 | |
| Alexander's performance at the NBA pre-draft camp workout was incredible and solidified his place as a lottery pick. | ||||||
| Ryan Anderson | California | So. | F | 6-10 | 240 | |
| Anderson went about reaching his decision the right way, and the fact that he remained in the draft indicates he knows he'll be a first-round pick. | ||||||
| Darrell Arthur | Kansas | So. | F | 6-9 | 230 | |
| Arthur is not a great rebounder for a power forward, but he'll be a solid NBA player. | ||||||
| D.J. Augustin | Texas | So. | G | 5-11 | 180 | |
| Augustin should go in the lottery despite being no better than the fifth-best guard available. | ||||||
| Jerryd Bayless | Arizona | Fr. | G | 6-3 | 199 | |
| A wacky year at Arizona didn't prevent Bayless from developing into a top-10 pick. | ||||||
| Michael Beasley | Kansas State | Fr. | F | 6-10 | 235 | |
| Beasley will be the second pick; the only question is whether Miami will keep him. | ||||||
| Keith Brumbaugh | Hillsborough CC | So. | G/F | 6-9 | 210 | |
| Brumbaugh was hoping to launch himself into the first round with great workouts, but that hasn't happened. | ||||||
| Mario Chalmers | Kansas | Jr. | G | 6-1 | 190 | |
| Chalmers hit that shot and then hit the road, wisely leaving while his stock is at its highest. | ||||||
| Chris Douglas-Roberts | Memphis | Jr. | G | 6-7 | 200 | |
| CDR hasn't been impressive in most workouts, but there was nothing else for him to do at the college level. | ||||||
| C.J. Giles | Oregon State | Jr. | F | 6-10 | 225 | |
| He was essentially kicked off two college teams, and that can't be considered a good sign. | ||||||
| Eric Gordon | Indiana | Fr. | G | 6-4 | 220 | |
| Gordon seems destined for a big market, either New York (picking sixth) or L.A. (picking seventh). | ||||||
| Jamont Gordon | Mississippi State | Jr. | G | 6-4 | 185 | |
| He is a borderline first-round pick at best. But that was enough for him to make the jump. | ||||||
| Donte Greene | Syracuse | Fr. | F | 6-11 | 225 | |
| If you're into drafting on potential, Greene isn't a bad late lottery pick. | ||||||
| Kalen Grimes | Missouri | Jr. | F | 6-9 | 250 | |
| Grimes once smashed a man's face with the butt of a shotgun, but that's not really a usable NBA skill. | ||||||
| Richard Hendrix | Alabama | Jr. | F | 6-8 | 260 | |
| Hendrix had no interest in another year at Alabama, but it's doubtful he's a first-round pick. | ||||||
| J.J. Hickson | NC State | Fr. | F | 6-9 | 235 | |
| A team will be smart to take a chance on Hickson at the end of the first round. | ||||||
| George Hill | IUPUI | Jr. | G | 6-2 | 180 | |
| Hill won't go in the first round, but there's no guarantee returning to IUPUI would've helped his stock. | ||||||
| Reggie Huffman | Alabama-Birmingham | Jr. | F | 6-7 | 216 | |
| This will be the last time you ever see Huffman's name on a national website. | ||||||
| Shawn James | Duquesne | Jr. | F | 6-10 | 225 | |
| James made a bad decision, just like his teammate, Kojo Mensah. | ||||||
| Davon Jefferson | USC | Fr. | F | 6-8 | 215 | |
| Jefferson never had any business in a college classroom. Now he'll never have to enter one again. | ||||||
| DeAndre Jordan | Texas A&M | Fr. | C | 7-0 | 255 | |
| Some people think Jordan jumped a year too early, but at least now he'll get drafted before he risks being totally exposed. | ||||||
| Kosta Koufos | Ohio State | Fr. | C | 7-0 | 265 | |
| Big men who can shoot are always attractive, which is why Koufos will be selected in the first round. | ||||||
| Brook Lopez | Stanford | So. | F/C | 7-0 | 260 | |
| He'll be solid in the NBA, but is that worth a top-five pick? | ||||||
| Robin Lopez | Stanford | So. | F/C | 7-0 | 255 | |
| He's not his brother, but he's still pretty good. | ||||||
| Kevin Love | UCLA | Fr. | F | 6-10 | 270 | |
| Those who thought Love wouldn't make a good pro will be proved wrong. | ||||||
| O.J. Mayo | USC | Fr. | G | 6-5 | 200 | |
| Mayo will be the third pick unless Minnesota makes a mistake. | ||||||
| Luc Richard Mbah a Moute | UCLA | Jr. | F | 6-8 | 232 | |
| It's baffling why Mbah a Moute was in such a hurry to play in the NBDL when he could've spent another year at UCLA. | ||||||
| JaVale McGee | Nevada | So. | C | 7-0 | 237 | |
| McGee won't help anybody this season, but he's an intriguing prospect for down the road. | ||||||
| Kojo Mensah | Duquesne | Jr. | G | 6-1 | 180 | |
| Mensah being in the draft is comical. | ||||||
| Trent Plaisted | BYU | Jr. | F/C | 6-11 | 245 | |
| Plaisted is a second round pick, yet he still wanted to leave BYU. | ||||||
| Bruce Price | Tennessee St. | Jr. | G | 6-1 | 190 | |
| Scoring points for a bad team in a bad league isn't what makes somebody ready for the NBA. | ||||||
| Anthony Randolph | LSU | Fr. | F | 6-11 | 220 | |
| Randolph is probably the biggest high risk/high reward prospect available. | ||||||
| JaJuan Robinson | Lincoln (Pa.) | Fr. | G | 5-11 | ||
| Your neighbor has a better shot at getting drafted than Robinson, and it doesn't matter where you live. | ||||||
| Derrick Rose | Memphis | Fr. | G | 6-3 | 205 | |
| An NBA executive said Rose will join Chris Paul and Deron Williams as the best point guards in the world in three years, and that's probably true. | ||||||
| Brandon Rush | Kansas | Jr. | G | 6-6 | 210 | |
| That torn ACL was a blessing, it turns out. | ||||||
| Walter Sharpe | Alabama-Birmingham | So. | F | 6-9 | 245 | |
| Sharpe had no interest in school, so he might as well disappear into some silly league somewhere. | ||||||
| Marreese Speights | Florida | So. | F | 6-10 | 245 | |
| Speights is a big man from Florida, but he's not the next Al Horford. | ||||||
| Bill Walker | Kansas State | Fr. | F | 6-6 | 220 | |
| Walker couldn't risk another injury in college; thus, he made the jump now. | ||||||
| Russell Westbrook | UCLA | So. | G | 6-3 | 190 | |
| Westbrook went from an unheralded prospect to a possible top five selection pretty quickly. | ||||||
