Cautionary tales for underclassmen
When LSU's Glen Davis held a press conference several weeks ago to announce his decision to declare for the NBA draft, Tigers coach John Brady made one of the most reckless statements in the storied history of recklessness.
"I told him two weeks ago that he needs to go where his heart moves him to go," Brady said, "not where someone tells him he'll go [in the draft]."
Good thing Brady doesn't teach driver's ed. He'd probably tell kids not to waste time checking their mirrors before changing lanes. And seat belts are for wusses.
In 2006, 37 college underclassmen -- and 10 international players -- made themselves available for selection. Yet only the 30 first-rounders are assured guaranteed contracts. Only 16 underclassmen were drafted in the first round.
Underclassmen who have not retained agents have until June 18 to return to school, 10 days before the draft. And, as Randolph Morris taught us, players can return to school if they are undrafted and have not signed with an agent.
That gives them ample time to find out where they expect to be chosen. If a guy leaves his name in and doesn't heed where executives say he'll be drafted or properly assess his readiness for the league, one of two things likely awaits him -- the short end of the stick or the long end of the shaft.
"A lot of guys don't remember what happened the year before, and it's sad," said Ryan Blake, assistant director of scouting for Marty Blake and Associates, an independent firm that evaluates players for NBA teams. "If you're a bubble guy, you're really taking a risk [declaring for the draft]."
Here are 10 players who slipped out of the first round who provide a cautionary tale to underclassmen on the bubble. All 10 showed promise in college but left too soon. Only two of them played more than 100 NBA games.
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