ESPN 2007 NBA Draft Prospects

[Filo]

Hoyas listed:
Jeff at #18 (mid to late 1st round)
Roy at #41 (Late 1st to early 2nd)
and...
Vernon at #140 (Late 2nd to undrafted).

Of course, for some reason I can't access the notes they have written right now, even though I am supposed to be a subcriber to Insider.

(Oden and Durant are 1 and 2)

[HealyHoya]

I know this may be pointless speculation, but how likely do we think Jeff is to jump to the NBA if the experts predict him to be a first-rounder at the end of the season?

[ephoya04]

I wouldn't at all be surprised to see him declare and test the waters, similar to Grey last year and Bowman the year before that

[ExcitableBoy]

filo said:

and...
Vernon at #140 (Late 2nd to undrafted).

I don't normally like to go out on a limb like this, but it is my opinion that if Vernon gets drafted #140, it will very likely NOT be in the "late 2nd."

[HoyaAtHeart]

I just finished my first year on College Hoops 2k7 with Georgetown. We got killed by Florida in the Final Four. Both Jeff and Roy left for the draft. My starting lineup right now in my 2nd year is Jeff, Jessie, Pat, DaJuan, and Vernon...with Rivers, Crawford, and Spann getting most of the minutes on the bench.

[lichoya68]

roy 41st i assume thats BEFORE tonites impressive game go hoyas go roy beat st. johns... we owe them a few ok ;D

[hoyaparanoia97]

Jeff should certainly DECLARE for the draft. In fact, I think all juniors should declare and go through the workout process. Let pro scouts evaluate them, and let them get acclimated to the process. Hell, the Career Center used to set up practice interviews for us regular students back in the day (this was when I was in school, before electricity and rap music and all those other new-fangled thingies you kids have these days). It's not really any different.

Now, should Jeff STAY in the draft? Better question. I have no idea what his financial situation is like, so I'm sticking to the basketball world. He'll never have eye-popping stats in the Hoya offense, and he'll never have a killer first step. I think we're looking at an undersized NBA 4-man or a glue guy coming off the bench. What is his ceiling? A taller Luke Walton? Jumaine Jones? (don't even mention Boris Diaw. Repeat after me: There is no Steve Nash but Steve Nash, and Boris Diaw is his creation). Jeff is Jeff. What you see is what you get, and after 85 games on the Hilltop, ain't nothin' gonna change it.

On one hand, he could come out now and start making NBA money at the age of 21 as opposed to 22. That adds a year to his career, which could be worth $10,000,000. On the other hand, he could stay in a year, come out in a weaker draft, and improve his draft positioning by two or three spots. That will put him on a lesser team, but it will increase his rookie salary by a couple hundred grand.

I hope he stays in school, but it would be foolish for him to do so. Another year won't change the fact that he's a tweener. It will expose him to a risk of injury.

The next thing to worry about: Can Austin Freeman guard opposing small forwards at 6'4"?

[][-][ 0 `/ /-\ 5]

I know this may be a stretch considering he isn't the most athletic of players but does JWall have a shot at the nba? Marcus Williams did horribly in the athletics portion of camps but he seems to be doing fine.

[SFHoya99]

If Jeff is a lottery pick, he should come out. But 97, $10MM for an extra year? You call him a tweener, then assume he's going to make $10MM somewhere in his career?

Jeff needs to be careful. Junior and senior year could be the difference between 1st round and 2nd. And that's where the decision is hard. If he's guaranteed lottery, it's easy. It's when someone projects you at 26 that's risky.

[HoyaAtHeart]

hoyaparanoia97 said:

There is no Steve Nash but Steve Nash, and Boris Diaw is his creation).

I hate it when people think this...

Explain to me how Steve Nash makes a player better when that player's best attribute is passing? Does Nash's assists make Diaw pass better or something?

Diaw is successful because of D'Antoni's offense....not because of Steve Nash. He is the player Atlanta thought they were drafting...only now he's in a system that shows his ability. Which is the type of situation I think Jeff will excel in.

[hoyainspirit]

Physically, Jeff resembles James Worthy. In the right system, could he be a better passing version?

[ephoya04]

hoyaatheart said:

hoyaparanoia97 said:

There is no Steve Nash but Steve Nash, and Boris Diaw is his creation).

I hate it when people think this...

Explain to me how Steve Nash makes a player better when that player's best attribute is passing? Does Nash's assists make Diaw pass better or something?

Diaw is successful because of D'Antoni's offense....not because of Steve Nash. He is the player Atlanta thought they were drafting...only now he's in a system that shows his ability. Which is the type of situation I think Jeff will excel in.

Seriously...? One of the most hackneyed cliches in basketball is that a good PG, or player in general, makes everyone around him better...thats one of the knocks on Lebron right now, that he doesn't do that. Nash knows when to make the pass, when to shoot, gets the team running, makes the pass on the money and on time. Teammates are more inclined to cut hard and consistently with Nash or Kidd at the healm than say Marbury or another shoot first PG because they know they are much more likely to get the rock. Just go look at Diaw's stats and all the Sun's stats pre and post Nash's arrival...its pretty dramatic. D'Antoni's offense may be condusive to a player like Diaw, long, athletic and versatile, but Nash makes it all go. Kinda like our offense...you still need the right types of players to make it work.

[hoyasexy]

The reason why the extra year might be worth $10MM is the cumulative value of an extra year of seniority during every season he plays. Assuming he sticks around long enough and he proves to be a serviceable, albeit not a star, player, the cumulative value of that extra year might be $10MM.