2008 NBA Draft

"The Indiana Pacers are preparing for the June draft just like they did a year ago. They've scouted players in person and watched them on video. This year, however, the Pacers will determine whether they use or trade their pick; last year, they had no pick. They had given it to Atlanta to complete a trade involving Al Harrington. The Pacers are slotted to pick 11th if lottery seeds hold, their earliest selection since picking Erick Dampier 10th in 1996. They believe the draft is the first step to improving."

"A cascade of underclassmen have declared for the NBA Draft in recent weeks, many just looking to get a sense of their long-term professional prospects. Maryland's Greivis Vasquez isn't among them."

"Although USC freshman Davon Jefferson never publicly announced whether he had made himself eligible for the NBA draft, school spokesman Dave Tuttle said today that a representative from the league office recently called asking for biographical information, meaning Jefferson declared prior to the Sunday evening deadline."

"As expected, USC freshman forward Davon Jefferson submitted his name for early entry to the NBA draft Sunday, although he did not inform the university of his decision."

"Josh Shipp became the fourth UCLA starter to make himself eligible for the NBA draft. Seven hours before the 9 p.m. deadline to enter his name, UCLA released a statement Sunday from Shipp, who is a redshirt junior with one more season of eligibility."

"On the list of players in whom the Magic could have interest are SGs Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis and Chase Budinger of Arizona; SF Donte Greene of Syracuse; combo guard Kyle Weaver of Washington State; C Robin Lopez of Stanford; PFs Darrell Arthur of Kansas; Joey Dorsey of Memphis; Jason Thompson of Rider; and Richard Hendrix of Alabama. "

"North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough -- The Associated Press national player of the year last season -- will return for his senior year. Sophomores Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington will declare for the NBA draft, the school says, but will not hire agents -- leaving open the possibility of their return."

"USC forward Davon Jefferson told several teammates he intends to make himself available for the NBA draft, although it is not clear if he will hire an agent."

"It is a decision Luc Richard Mbah a Moute made on his own, independent from teammates who are taking the same path, and made with the blessing of UCLA Coach Ben Howland if not necessarily his recommendation."

"The sweat shirt is from Oregon State. Shorts, too. So even now, as C.J. Giles prepares for a future beyond college, he is cloaked by his past. This is his latest last chance. Right here in a Portland gym on the corner of the street, right next to the light-rail track and across from a school. A 425-pound tire sits in the corner of the room and a dozen or so kids from a nearby continuation school filter in for P.E. classes. Giles sits beside Jerome Kersey. The two tallest men in the room are side by side on a bench, eating lunch from a nearby grocery store. Kersey speaks softly. Giles listens hard, Kersey's words backed up with 17 years of NBA experience. This is it."

"Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley giggled like a kid, as he did so often this season, and you could almost hear those times this winter when he spoke about SpongeBob SquarePants, his love for macaroni and cheese or how he used a water pistol to soak his roommate."

"University of Memphis freshman Derrick Rose will make official what has been assumed for months when he officially enters the NBA Draft this week, according to a pair of sources close to the situation. Rose, a 6-3 point guard from Chicago, will likely be taken No. 1 or No. 2 overall."

"The Miami Heat can officially focus its attention on at least one of its top targets for the NBA Draft: Kansas State forward Michael Beasley."

"The Heat's front office is busy readying for the NBA Draft on June 26. Coach and president Pat Riley said Monday that the team already has compiled a ''tremendous amount'' of material, including film clips and background checks."

"The long weekend retreat to Oregon nearly over and the discussions with his family nearly complete, UCLA freshman center Kevin Love is ready to declare his intensions to forego his final three seasons of eligibility for the NBA, according to sources."

"Why should Oklahoma City care about Rose? This time next year he might become the second player to sew up NBA Rookie of the Year honors in Oklahoma City if he declares for the draft and the Sonics pick him to play alongside Kevin Durant down at the Ford Center."

"There were seven games in the win column separating the Grizzlies and Miami Heat -- a misleading disparity given how much both NBA bottom feeders have in common."

"North Carolina coach Roy Williams said he has met with Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington about the players' possible leap to the NBA. In an interview on the school's Web site (www.tarheelblue.com) posted Thursday, Williams said he has completed paperwork so the NBA's undergraduate advisory committee can examine the trio's draft prospects. He also plans to contact five NBA teams before meeting again with the players."

"USC forward Davon Jefferson said Thursday he has not decided whether to make himself eligible for the upcoming NBA draft. Fellow Trojans freshman O.J. Mayo announced Wednesday he would go pro, a decision most expected from the probable top 10 pick. Unlike Mayo, who said he would hire an agent, Jefferson said he might declare for the draft without hiring a representative. That would give him nearly two extra months to prolong his decision. Underclassmen can pull their names off the draft list by June 26."

"Just days after UCLA lost to Memphis in a national semifinal, Kevin Love and Darren Collison still were mulling but expected to take early entries into the NBA draft.No formal announcement has been made by either player, but Bruins coach Ben Howland has a previously scheduled news conference today. When set, no players were to attend."

"Kevin Love has probably played his last game for UCLA and will make himself available for the NBA draft, sources close to the player said Tuesday. While a source said junior point guard Darren Collison had also decided to leave early, Collison said Tuesday night that he had not made any decision on his plans for next season."

"All of that may have been enough to convince Pat Riley — introduced at halftime as part of this year's Hall of Fame class — to draft him for the Heat this June, but it wasn't enough to give Memphis its first NCAA basketball crown. For just the 14th time in his past five seasons, a span covering 172 games, Rose had tasted bitter defeat."

"Marreese Speights, the Florida Gators' 6-foot-10 sophomore center, has decided to declare for the NBA Draft. He will not sign with an agent, however, leaving his options open to return to school."

"Arizona freshman guard Jerryd Bayless says he will enter the NBA draft, adding "it's the right time for me to move on.""

"Mike Conley played point guard like this for Ohio State as a freshman last year. Rose is bigger, and better, and will be a better pro, and if the Knicks are lucky with the draft, and have gotten themselves a real coach by then and a few more real players, then maybe pro basketball really could come back to 33rd Street sooner than you think."

"Can you hear that up in the Twin Cities, Kevin McHale? If the Timberwolves happen to get lucky in the lottery for the first time in franchise history, there's no decision to make. The pick has to be Derrick Rose, the Memphis freshman who would turn Al Jefferson into an All-Star and the Wolves into a team worth watching again."

"U.C.L.A. shooting guard Russell Westbrook has generated plenty of buzz among N.B.A. teams with his breakout sophomore season."

"While the Bulls and just about every other team have scouted freshmen phenoms such as Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose and Eric Gordon, Paxson's staff also began the season focusing on players likely to be available toward the end of the first round. After all, the expectations were the Bulls would be among the Eastern Conference contenders."

"Want to know the best part about Derrick Rose, potential savior of the Heat? The kid is humble. Yeah, he's lighting up this NCAA Tournament in a way few freshman point guards ever have. And sure, UCLA coach Ben Howland invoked the names of Jason Kidd and Sidney Moncrief in the same sentence Friday as he tried to explain the all-court dominance of the Memphis star."

"A historic Final Four this weekend in San Antonio is a preview of what could be a historic NBA draft, with at least a dozen potential first round picks playing on the Alamodome floor."

"While McHale was overseas, he attended a game in Sweden that featured NBA draft prospect Rudy Mbemba, according to a Swedish television report."

"Tuesday night's collapse by the Timberwolves is the kind of loss that disappoints players and coaches. But for those fans still hoping the Wolves will lose as many games as possible down the stretch to improve their odds of winning one of the top three picks in the NBA draft lottery, the 94-90 loss to Detroit bolsters hopes. The Wolves could face a tough finish to the season and land closer to the bottom of the league standings than their success in recent weeks would indicate. "

"This season, the NBA spent money, time and careful consideration pounding the idea that 19-year-old Kevin Durant is one of the best young players in the NBA. The league told you that Durant is the future. The NBA even put Durant on television on Christmas Day. After June's draft, expect the NBA to do the same promotional bit with rookies Kevin Love and Michael Beasley, who will be teenagers when they enter the league. "

"This whole European takeover of the NBA is taking at least a one-year hiatus. Thanks to the cyclical nature of sports and the fact the continent has been mined of much of its young talent, there are likely to be fewer Europeans chosen in the first round of this year's draft than there have been for several Junes."

"Although the Bulls believe they need an upgrade over Kirk Hinrich, the belief is they'd go for Beasley if they got first pick and Rose if they got the second... This Bulls team needs to be more like the Celtics of last season: package the pick with one or two players and perhaps pick up a veteran point guard like Andre Miller. I could also see them pursuing a star player in perhaps a sign-and-trade with Washington for Gilbert Arenas, sort of a go-for-broke summer. Perhaps Elton Brand tells the Clippers he won't re-sign and the Clippers cash in for a package that includes Hinrich, Andres Nocioni and the Bulls' first pick. And if Nene gets healthy, the Nuggets have to move someone."

"We saw enough of Kansas State freshman forward Michael Beasley in his team's two-game stay in the NCAA Tournament to know why he'd be the obvious No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft...Assuming the hapless Miami Heat finish with the NBA's worst record this season, it would have a 25 percent chance to "win" the No. 1 the pick via the May 20 NBA draft lottery. There are many worse places to begin a pro career."

"1. Michael Beasley, 6-10, 235, Fr., Kansas State -- Kevin Durant, thought to be a once-a-generation prospect, may or may not have more upside, but Beasley has more game."

" If the Heat lands the No. 1 pick: It will immediately begin thinking about trades. No, not for Michael Beasley, who would emerge as the No. 1 overall selection, but rather for Udonis Haslem or even Shawn Marion, should Marion decide not to opt out of the final year of his contract."

"The better question might be who Batum is not. And that's former Hawks swingman and current Phoenix starter Boris Diaw, the last French import to send NBA types into a frenzy. Batum is much more aggressive at the same stage and doesn't have to be prodded about showcasing his wide range of skills."

"It would be convenient to forget the gangs, the drugs, the blood, the evils avoided so deftly by Derrick Rose while growing up on the Southwest Side. He is a national sensation now, on the covers of ESPN The Magazine and SLAM, and his No. 23 jersey screams MEMPHIS, which couldn't be farther away in the spheres of college hoops and everyday culture. It would be easy enough to emotionally ditch the old 'hood and move forward into his charmed life."

"So whom do the Bulls select in the June 26 NBA draft? Will they have a shot at Kansas State's Michael Beasley or Memphis' Derrick Rose? Perhaps someone like Russell Westbrook or a sleeper like Hales Franciscan grad JaVale McGee, a 7-footer whom one NBA executive told me he'd take if he were drafting for the Bulls?"

"1. Derrick Rose, 6-3, 190, Memphis. Potentially great point guards are toughest to find and most important to have."

"The scouts see a difficult choice if Miami doesn't get a top-two pick. Predictably, all three call Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley clearly the No. 1 pick, and two would take Memphis point guard Derrick Rose at No. 2 -- provided both freshmen turn pro, as expected. (The other likes Rose, but said No. 2 isn't clear-cut.)"

"With his steady play over the last two months, Earl Watson has staked his claim as the starting point guard for the Seattle SuperSonics of the present – but maybe not of the future. There is a possibility the team will draft a point guard with its lottery pick in June."

"Now that the Celtics' roster is likely complete for the season, general manager Danny Ainge is working on the future. The Celtics recently solidified their roster by adding veterans Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown. So Ainge is on the road scouting for the draft, planning to check out the Pacific-10 and West Coast Conference tournaments."

"If life in the NBA was fair, Heat General Manager Randy Pfund would have a relatively straightforward task when it comes to scouting for the June 26 NBA Draft. He simply would follow Kansas State forward Michael Beasley from game to game, and then, once the Heat finishes off the worst season of any team in the league, extend a rookie-scale contract."

"1. Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State. Clearly the best player in the world who's not currently in the NBA. Plug him into any NBA lineup and that team is instantly better."

"Derrick Rose; Memphis; Fr.; Considered clear top choice at position"

"Fortunately, the epic misery has its reward, and so let's figure out here what the Dolphins and Heat could be doing in the upcoming NFL and NBA drafts, with a bit of absolutely free advice on what each team should be thinking."

"Nathan Jawai is a 6-foot-10, 270 pound centre who is eligible for this year's NBA draft. With the Australian league schedule winding down the Raptors sent Jim Kelly, their director of player personnel, over to Australia to see him recently."