Even I’ve been a little surprised with the reaction and rumors from Kentucky fans regarding the potential mass exodus of its basketball stars.
One day Daniel Orton is leaving. The next day he’s in California. The day after he’s supposedly returning.
First and foremost, everyone, these are just kids; 18- and 19-year-olds faced with life-altering decisions. Let’s cut them a little slack if they a.) take some time on the decision, b.) change their minds a couple of times and c.) ultimately decide to go pro.
Stop for a second and put yourself in their shoes. What would you do? It’s so easy for an outsider to say they’d return to college because it’s a “once in a lifetime opportunity,” but try saying that when you have millions of dollars staring you in the face.
Morale of the story: relax. No decisions have been made one way or the other despite the rampant rumors of the last week or so. I’ve done my best to stay away from it because there has not been an official decision on UK’s end or by any of the players.
To help ease your anticipation, check out the following mock NBA Draft links. I’ve compiled links from what I consider the best NBA Draft Web sites out there.
To save you some time, I’ll give you the gist of the mock draft boards. John Wall, as you would expect, is No. 1 on every board. DeMarcus Cousins is also a consensus top-five pick. Every single link I clicked on had Patrick Patterson going in the first round, and Orton — gasp! — was projected as a pick on every draft board.
If there is a silver lining for you fans, it’s that point guard Eric Bledsoe was not on the NBA Draft board on DraftExpress.com (one of the better sites out there) and is no longer on ESPN draft insider Chad Ford’s lottery board.
Full mock drafts are below. Expect plenty of movement until April 25, the final day to declare for the NBA Draft. NCAA rules state that an underclassman who has not hired an agent must withdraw his name from the draft by May 8. The NBA Draft will take place June 24 in Madison Square Garden in New York City.
– ESPN.com
