Early Entries

Underclassmen declaring for the 2008 NBA Draft

"Should I stay or should I go?

There's a lot riding on the decision. First-round NBA draft picks don't get 10-year contracts like Glenn Robinson signed coming out of college any more, but they do get three-year guaranteed deals that pay what Howie Mandel likes to call "life-changing money."

Second-round picks and the undrafted, on the other hand, often wind up playing in Europe, the Middle East, or Bakersfield.

Players can hedge their bets a bit: underclassmen who retain player agents become ineligible to return to the NCAA, but players who don't can withdraw from the draft and return to their college teams next season.

There's also the "Randolph Morris" scenario. Morris, a center for Kentucky, declared himself eligible for the NBA draft in 2006 but didn't sign with an agent. He went undrafted -- and returned to school for the 2006-07 season. Since he had gone through the draft once already, he was considered a free agent by the NBA, and he signed with the New York Knicks immediately after Kentucky was eliminated from the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

Here's a look at some of the players who have made themselves eligible for the 2008 NBA draft, with an idea of where they might be selected.

Early Entries and Draft Projections

The deadline to withdraw is June 16 -- 10 days before the draft.

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