Sports Illustrated tells DJ he should go pro

[MUHoopsfan6]

I just read this article with recommendations for who should go pro and who should stay.  If this was posted already, sorry.
Mark

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/sioncampus/vent/index.html

Who Should and Shouldn't Go Pro

Hasheem Thabeet, go back to school. You need to work on your hands before you can even think about playing in the NBA.
Photo by AP
With conference play winding down and tournament action just around the corner, now is the time for many of today's top college players to bring the bacon and show the world they are NBA ready. The question these underclassmen face is whether to stay in school and hone their skills for another season or take their chance and declare for June's NBA Draft.

Last season, LSU's Glen "Big Baby" Davis – who was projected to be chosen in the middle of the first round -- decided to stick around Baton Rouge for another season and now he'll be lucky if he's picked in the second round. At the same time, Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant made himself eligible for the draft where he was selected No. 9 overall by Golden State ... which has been regretting the pick ever since (O'Bryant is averaging 6.1 points and 6.7 rebounds ... in the NBDL). It's safe to say that O'Bryant played the draft game perfectly while Davis cost himself millions.

Here's a list of some underclassmen facing the same decision ... and our advice to them:

Greg Oden, Ohio State, freshman – Go pro. This decision shouldn't take more than six seconds, tops.

Kevin Durant, Texas, freshman – See above

Mike Conley Jr., Ohio State, freshman – Stay in school. Once Oden leaves, it's your show to run.

Brandan Wright, North Carolina, freshman – Stay in school. Yes, you could be a Top 5 pick, but one more year of waiting could give you both a national championship and the chance to be the No. 1 pick in 2008.

Julian Wright, Kansas, sophomore – Go Pro. You've player two years of college ball, it's time for your first payday.

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina, sophomore – Stay in school. Please. You're a marginal NBA player right now, at best.

Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut, freshman – Stay in school. You're seven-foot-three, but you couldn't catch a beach ball right now. Please work on your game this summer (especially your hands) and turn yourself into a 2008 lottery pick.

Roy Hibbert, Georgetown, junior – Go pro. Your big decision was last year and you made the right way by staying at Georgetown. Now cash in.

Dominic James, Marquette, sophomore – Go pro. Your stock is sky high right now and this draft actually has much more big men then guards.

Greg Paulus, Duke, sophomore. Go pro. Sure, you won't get drafted, but it'll be fun to watch you on draft night realizing you made the biggest mistake of your life.

That's our advice. What would you tell these underclassmen (and any other you can think of) to do next year?

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Sometimes I wonder if these guys even follow certain teams. How can they say DJ's stock is high after his recent performances?

Also, I think some on this board think James gets a rough ride. What about Paulus? That's a cheap shot from a national magazine and I'd imagine the Duke board isn't much different.

[AlumKCof93]

PRN,

I agree.  That Paulus comment was totally unnecessary and not particularly clever.  If you are going to take a cheap shot, at least make it funny.  I could understand if this was coming from the UNC student paper, but from SI its in poor taste.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I just read this article with recommendations for who should go pro and who should stay.  If this was posted already, sorry.
Mark

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/sioncampus/vent/index.html

Who Should and Shouldn't Go Pro

Hasheem Thabeet, go back to school. You need to work on your hands before you can even think about playing in the NBA.
Photo by AP
With conference play winding down and tournament action just around the corner, now is the time for many of today's top college players to bring the bacon and show the world they are NBA ready. The question these underclassmen face is whether to stay in school and hone their skills for another season or take their chance and declare for June's NBA Draft.

Last season, LSU's Glen "Big Baby" Davis – who was projected to be chosen in the middle of the first round -- decided to stick around Baton Rouge for another season and now he'll be lucky if he's picked in the second round. At the same time, Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant made himself eligible for the draft where he was selected No. 9 overall by Golden State ... which has been regretting the pick ever since (O'Bryant is averaging 6.1 points and 6.7 rebounds ... in the NBDL). It's safe to say that O'Bryant played the draft game perfectly while Davis cost himself millions.

Here's a list of some underclassmen facing the same decision ... and our advice to them:

Greg Oden, Ohio State, freshman – Go pro. This decision shouldn't take more than six seconds, tops.

Kevin Durant, Texas, freshman – See above

Mike Conley Jr., Ohio State, freshman – Stay in school. Once Oden leaves, it's your show to run.

Brandan Wright, North Carolina, freshman – Stay in school. Yes, you could be a Top 5 pick, but one more year of waiting could give you both a national championship and the chance to be the No. 1 pick in 2008.

Julian Wright, Kansas, sophomore – Go Pro. You've player two years of college ball, it's time for your first payday.

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina, sophomore – Stay in school. Please. You're a marginal NBA player right now, at best.

Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut, freshman – Stay in school. You're seven-foot-three, but you couldn't catch a beach ball right now. Please work on your game this summer (especially your hands) and turn yourself into a 2008 lottery pick.

Roy Hibbert, Georgetown, junior – Go pro. Your big decision was last year and you made the right way by staying at Georgetown. Now cash in.

Dominic James, Marquette, sophomore – Go pro. Your stock is sky high right now and this draft actually has much more big men then guards.

Greg Paulus, Duke, sophomore. Go pro. Sure, you won't get drafted, but it'll be fun to watch you on draft night realizing you made the biggest mistake of your life.

That's our advice. What would you tell these underclassmen (and any other you can think of) to do next year?

Is SI even relevant anymore?

[ecompt]

I get it. Tyler Hansbrough is a marginal NBA player at best and DJ's stock is sky high??? Was this written by the same moron who insisted Crean Must Go?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

good thing SI got rid of Rushin for this "journalism."   

Maybe Woeful could get hired there....

[TJ]

Personally, I enjoyed the Paulus comment and gave it a good laugh.  Then again, I really dislike Greg Paulus.

[Dry White Toast]

My interpretation of the "sky high" comment was that it had little if anything to do with DJ's last 10 games.  Many have said he is a top 3 guard in the country, and that the draft is weak on guards.  The NBA doesn't care about fluctuations in how a player is shooting at any given time.  They draft on potential.  If there are more than 2 teams that think they will need a pg in the next 2-5 years (and of course there are), DJ has the chance to be drafted high.

No NBA scout in the world cares if he is 4 for 30 from 3 at the moment.

[77ncaachamps]

Paulus comment made me laugh!

Sports Illustrated the magazine is still holding up to the task of newsworthy journalism.

It's the on-line news aspect of journalism (i.e., si.com) that's starting to get more edgy and shock radio-like.

[MUshrooms]

I can't take this article seriously if the writer doesn't know which form of "then" to use.

[muwarrior87]

I can't take this article seriously if the writer doesn't know which form of "then" to use.

English major...

I also like the Paulus jab...unprofessional, yes but that kid annoys me so much...so overrated last year too, Williams and Reddick carried that team.

Also true about the NBA caring about consistency from James. His athleticism keeps him pretty high and depending on how much a team needs a guard, he's gonna go. Plus, if he plays like we know DJ can play in the BET and tourney, his stock will rise again.

The fact that he's not turning the ball over as much and, aside from shooting, is playing smarter and more controlled, I think that ups his stock a little more.