April 5, 2007

NBA Draft early entry analysis

CBS SportsLine.com staff

The NBA announced that 26 players who had declared as early entry candidates for the July 28 NBA Draft have withdrawn their names from consideration. There are 32 prospects that remain in the draft pool as early entry candidates. Commentary provided by CBS SportsLine.com senior writer Gary Parrish.

Official 2007 NBA Draft early entry list

Player	School	Year	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.
Arron Afflalo	UCLA	Jr.	G	6-5	215
He'll make an NBA roster despite lacking the size, athleticism or shot to be an impact player in the NBA.
Shagari Alleyne	Manhattan	Jr.	C	7-3	271
He wasn't good enough to play at Kentucky, but he thinks he's good enough to play in the NBA? Brilliant.
Corey Brewer	Florida	Jr.	F	6-9	185
Brewer helped himself as much as anybody in the Final Four, particularly with how he handled Arron Afflalo.
Dwight Brewington	Liberty	Jr.	G	6-5	190
This is probably the final time I'll write Brewington's name. It might actually be the final time anybody writes his name, except for the guy who covers the Arkansas RimRockers.
Wilson Chandler	DePaul	So.	F	6-8	230
I like what he could be. What he is, not so much.
Mike Conley Jr.	Ohio State	Fr.	G	6-1	180
Classic case of a kid striking at the right time. As a top 10 pick, Conley had to go.
Daequan Cook	Ohio State	Fr.	G	6-5	210
That Cook is in the draft shows how much he did not enjoy the college experience.
Javaris Crittenton	Georgia Tech	Fr.	G	6-5	198
Crittenton is set to cash-in on this poor draft for point guards. He’ll go in the top 20.
JamesOn Curry	Oklahoma State	Jr.	G	6-3	190
Curry in the draft makes as much sense as that capital 'O' in his first name.
Glen Davis	LSU	Jr.	F	6-9	295
He'll be in the NBA, but Glen Davis' days as a relevant basketball player are done.
Kevin Durant	Texas	Fr.	F	6-10	225
Barring injury, he's a Hall of Famer. This is a special, special player.
Jeff Green	Georgetown	Jr.	F	6-9	235
He hurt himself in the Final Four, but a low lottery pick on Green wouldn't be a waste.
Taurean Green	Florida	Jr.	G	6-0	177
Green is leaving with his buddies. But his buddies are lottery picks and he's nowhere close to that.
Spencer Hawes	Washington	Fr.	C	7-0	250
He did his year in college, but he's too big and skilled to not get paid to play basketball.
Al Horford	Florida	Jr.	F	6-10	245
Horford is a bruising, strong NBA-ready power forward. That's why he'll go in the top five.
Robert Earl Johnson	Clinton JC (S.C.)	Fr.	F	6-7	210
I've heard of Robert Johnson and Robert Earl Keen. But I've never heard of Robert Earl Johnson, which probably isn't a good sign.
Kellen Lee	L.A. City College	So.	F	6-11	220
A junior college player in an era where few good players even go to junior college isn't getting drafted.
Dominic McGuire	Fresno State	Jr.	F	6-8	210
McGuire talks like a man set on being a professional. So don't expect him back at FSU.
Josh McRoberts	Duke	So.	F	6-10	245
McRoberts' stock has declined greatly, but he's still a first-round pick.
Joakim Noah	Florida	Jr.	F	6-11	232
He's limited offensively, but somebody wanting energy and a nice face of a franchise would be wise to take Noah in the lottery.
Greg Oden	Ohio State	Fr.	C	7-0	280
Barring a lapse in judgment, Oden is the No. 1 pick.
Kendaris Pelton	Southern Miss	Jr.	F	6-6	195
I covered C-USA for five seasons, and I had totally forgotten this guy. You know what Pelton forgot? That he's not any good.
Gabe Pruitt	Southern California	Jr.	G	6-4	170
Looks like somebody doesn't want to play with O.J. Mayo.
Ramon Sessions	Nevada	Jr.	G	6-3	190
Sessions teamed with a three-time WAC Player of the Year in Nick Fazekas and yet will be the higher draft pick of the two. Basketball is funny like that.
Jason Smith	Colorado State	Jr.	F	7-0	240
He spent three years in college and is a first-round pick. Still, you've probably never seen him play.
Rodney Stuckey	Eastern Washington	So.	G	6-5	205
Stuckey is talented, and he'll be on an NBA roster next season.
Marcus Williams	Arizona	So.	G-F	6-7	205
Lute Olson didn't seem too concerned to watch Williams leave, which should be a telling sign.
Sean Williams	Boston College	Jr.	C	6-10	235
I'm not suggesting he's selfish, but Williams has a history of bong-hogging.
Brandan Wright	North Carolina	Fr.	F	6-9	205
Once upon a time -- like a month ago -- I believed Wright ranked third among all prospects. I don't believe that any more, but he's still an easy top 10 pick.
Julian Wright	Kansas	So.	F	6-8	225
Extremely athletic and by all accounts a solid individual. So though he's not a great basketball player yet, Wright's upside makes him worthy of a lottery pick.
Nick Young	USC	Jr.	G	6-6	200
His stock is high, so his decision makes sense.
Thaddeus Young	Ga. Tech	Fr.	F	6-8	217
Young is a high-character, smart and skilled wing. He'll make somebody a nice Top 20 pick.

NBA Draft early entry analysis

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