OJ Mayo and Eric Gordon

[tornado]

I just saw an extended discussion and commentary on ESPN SportsCenter with Stephen A. Smith and a couple other guys....on who has helped and who has hurt their NBA Draft stock with their play down the stretch/over the past few weeks.

They say that both Mayo and Gordon have so severely hurt their chances of being high lottery picks with their spotty and (in Gordon's case) terrible post-season play,
that both of them, Smith says, really should return to college and stay at least another year in college.

Beasley, Bayless, Hansbrough, Augustine, Rose, Lawson, Roy Hibbert, and Brook Lopez have all helped improve their stock of late and in the tourney so far.

Here's what I doubt...................I doubt after at least 6-7 years of being in the news, being hyped to death, and being rated over most of that time as the best players in the nation in their class, I just can't believe they'd return to college if they thought they would be drafted in the lottery portion, something that's pretty certain for both Mayo and Gordon.


By the way...they also reported that the students at Kansas State voted Michael Beasley as Student Body President for next year
in hopes that it will tempt him to return to college....but nice try...he's probably going #1, all the mock drafts think so.
Anyway, I doubt Beasley's grade-point would qualify him to serve as president.
He supposedly hasn't been to class since December, since he isn't planning to be there after this semester.

[IlliBraves]

I thought Beasley said he was coming back to school, no? Plus if it is true he hasn't been back to class since December, wouldn't there be some type of academic suspension by the athletic department? I really hate this one and done rule, all it does is destroy what it means to be a STUDENT-athlete, not to mention all the money that is being wasted on "scholarships" for players who will only be there for a year and couldn't care less about academics.

[Da Coach]

I believe Beasley is better than Kevin Durant was a year ago, plus his physical size and condition make him potentailly an even more ready NBA player. He will be the #1 or #2 pick, and make tens of millions of bucks.

What would you advise him to do?
I suspect he would say he's coming back, just to keep it from becoming a distraction as his team is still in the NCAA tournament. But if Beasley doesn't declare for the NBA draft, it would be the biggest surprise I've ever seen.

My prediction- He will be playing for the Miami Heat in a couple months.

[ser_solace]

But if Mayo and Gordon won't be top 10 draft picks, why would they want to go to the draft?

If I were one of the team's with a top 10 pick, I'm not sure I'd risk my pick on the potential alone.

[tornado]

Mayo and Gordon are getting advice from "handlers" that they will be Top 10 and make lots of money immediately. The ESPN discussion by Smith simply disagreed and thought otherwise.
That's the problem, they are getting advice from the same people who told Randolph Morris to go in the 2005 draft, then he didn't get picked at all.
Most of these guys will still take a million dollar payday in lieu of playing another year in school, POB did and so have dozens of others.
Every mock draft you can find list Beasley as the #1 pick.......but indeed as was the case with Livingston, Milicic, and the Bulls' picks of Curry & Chandler, etc...many, many teams do draft almost fully on potential!

[Da Coach]

But if Mayo and Gordon won't be top 10 draft picks, why would they want to go to the draft?

If I were one of the team's with a top 10 pick, I'm not sure I'd risk my pick on the potential alone.

Both will be able to talk to NBA teams and other advisors and work out for them, and if they don't hire an agent, and they don't accept payment from any of them, they can return to college if they find they won't be a lottery pick.

But I believe both will be, and they will be assured of that very early, if they have been already.

[Fetz86]

Mayo is the one who said he might come back, not Beasley anywhere I have seen.

[tornado]

Here's an odd picture, it was on collegehoopsnet.com.
Not sure what it signifies, but maybe there's something we don't know about Eric Gordon...
the prison uniform is depicted on a poster in the lockerroom, and the story accompanying this pic hints maybe it was in homage to Kelvin Sampson?

[tornado]

Here's another article discussing who has helped and who has hurt their draft stock with their post season play....Chad Ford

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=TourneyWatch-080327

[tornado]

Some people sure must think Eric Gordon hurt his draft stock with late season play, as he has
fallen to the bottom end of the lottery portion of the first round in this Mock Draft

http://nbadraft.net/

also OJ Mayo's stock has crept down a bit and he is at #6.

Personally I think Gordon will go well ahead of #12...

[TRIMAN]

I agree-I think the Knicks take either Mayo or Gordon (in that order).

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2008/

That site seems to have produced more reliable mock drafts in recent years. I think Hibbert really hurt his stock by staying in school. He was projected as a top-10 pick last year and most mock drafts have him out of the top 10 now. Lopez looks awesome IMO. I've never seen anything great out of Gordon or Mayo (but I haven't seen a lot of their games either).

I thought Mayo signed with an agent and then recently got dropped by his agent. That would make him unable to return to school next year.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news?slug=ap-usc-mayo&prov=ap&type=lgns