Monday, June 16, 2008

Your Consensus Preseason #1 Come October

... will be the North Carolina Tar Heels. According to ESPN, North Carolina sophomores Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington and junior Danny Green have withdrawn from the NBA Draft. While Green was a near no-brainer and Ellington did not show his best in workouts, Lawson was considered by many to be a first-round pick. Specifically, a number of rumors from reputable sources reported that the Denver Nuggets had extended a promise to the Carolina floor general. However, Lawson dispelled those reports last week (mixed with a DUI and an injury), which led to what was unfathomable a month ago - Carolina returning its four best players.

Others returning to school include:
AJ Abrams, Texas
Robert Dozier, Memphis
Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga
Ronald Steele, Alabama
Robert Vaden, UAB

2 comments:

Clement said...

Yuck.

While far from a hater, I don't need another UNC-year.

Lawson coming back def surprised me, but you were spot on with Green and Ellington.

They will be STACKED next year, to say the least.

Although I stand firm that Lawson has zero NBA game. His complete lack of an outside shot won't help next year (even with a thinner PG crop expected).

Paymon said...

I'm not sure what a UNC year is, but I'm excited about their prospects.

For what it's worth, Lawson was a first-round draft pick before the DUI and injury. Complete lack of an outside shot? He shot 36% from 3-point range. What did your boy Donte Greene shoot? 34.5%. Lawson also shot a Tony Parker-esque 51.5% from the field.

In my review of the game tape, Lawson's inability to cover larger guards will hurt him at the next level (due to his size). Of course, there's also those pesky durability issues. Between year 1 and year 2, his shot selection improved.