Draft Notes: Kentucky, Leslie, Taylor, Drummond
Two lottery picks officially entered the draft today, in Andre Drummond and Bradley Beal. As the 2012 class continues to expand, let's round up a few of today's draft-related items….
- At Rivals.com, Brett Dawson writes that Kentucky coach John Calipari is anticipating losing five underclassmen to the NBA draft — Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Doron Lamb, and Terrence Jones.
- Sophomore C.J. Leslie, ranked 34th among this year's prospects by DraftExpress.com, is undecided on his future, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. People close to Leslie think he's a good bet to return to N.C. State.
- Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor has signed B.J. Armstrong as his agent, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter). The senior point guard is ranked 68th by DraftExpress.
- A lot of teams rank Kentucky's Davis as a better prospect than former first overall pick Blake Griffin was, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Howard-Cooper spoke to one executive who cited "substance over style" when comparing Davis to Griffin (Twitter link).
- Drummond has "other-worldly" potential and will be a top-five pick, an NBA scout told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Draft Update: Melo, McAdoo, Canaan
The latest news about the 2012 NBA draft from around the web:
- The Associated Press reports (via ESPN) that Syracuse center Fab Melo will enter the draft, as expected.
- North Carolina forward James Michael McAdoo will return to UNC for his sophomore season, TarHeelBlue.com reports.
- Isaiah Canaan is also returning to Murray State for his senior season, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
- HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis lists Iowa State forward Royce White, St. Bonaventure forward Andrew Nicholson, and Kentucky guard Marquis Teague among several other players who may have played themselves into first-round pick status over the course of the NCAA tournament.