Lottery Prospects
- Michael Beasley -- Beasley, one of the two most sought-after NBA prospects made things official on Monday, April 14, declaring himself eligible for the NBA draft. Beasley is coming off one of the most productive freshman seasons in NCAA history and, barring a huge upset, will be selected first or second overall.
- Derrick Rose -- The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Rose will declare himself eligible for the draft this week and sign with agent Arn Tellem. With Beasley, Rose is a co-favorite for the first overall pick; a lot will depend on the NBA Draft Lottery winner and that team's biggest need.
- Eric Gordon -- As has long been expected, Gordon's tumultuous freshman season at Indiana will be the last of his collegiate career; he announced his entry into the NBA draft hours before the tip-off of the national championship game between Kansas and Memphis.
Gordon is considered to be a top-ten talent but his production dropped off badly in the wake of Kelvin Sampson's ouster. It will be interesting to see if that apparent inability to deal with distractions will scare off some of the teams picking in the top ten.
- O.J. Mayo -- Another unsurprising announcement came from USC freshman O.J. Mayo, who is considered a top-five prospect.
- Jerryd Bayless -- It will be one season and out for Arizona's Bayless, who [link url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2008-04-05-draft-roundup_N.htm]is entering the NBA draft. Bayless is one of the top prospects in the country and figures to be selected in the top five.
- Brook Lopez -- The Lopez twins will give up their remaining two years of eligibility and and enter the 2008 NBA Draft. Their mother reportedly indicated that they'll sign with an agent, eliminating the possibility that they might return to Stanford. Brook is a sure-fire lottery pick.
- Kevin Love -- There have been a lot of conflicting reports about Love's draft status, but the Los Angeles Times, citing "sources close to the player" says Love is NBA-bound.
Late First/Early Second
Late Second/Undrafted
- Derrick Caracter -- Louisville's oft-troubled forward hasn't made a formal announcement, but the probability of him returning to campus next year is just about nil. He told reporters he'd be returning home to New Jersey after Louisville's regional final loss to prepare for the draft.
Just Testing the Waters
- Ryan Anderson -- Cal's sophomore forward -- the Pac-10's leading scorer this season at 21.1 points per game -- has declared for the draft but won't hire an agent leaving open the possibility that he could return for his junior season. You won't find Anderson's name on many mock drafts at this point -- he may be using this as an opportunity to learn what he needs to do to improve his stock for the 2009 draft.
