It's good news in Boston and bad news in Austin as DraftExpress.com is reporting that Texas freshman sensation Kevin Durant has decided to declare for the NBA draft and will make his announcement at a news conference next week.DraftExpress.com cited "multiple sources, both from the NBA and close to the player himself" in its report.
Durant, the first freshman in college basketball history to be named player of the year, is widely expected to be the second player chosen in this year's NBA draft, after fellow freshman Greg Oden, the Ohio State center. That means the Celtics, who have the NBA's second-worst record and are therefore the most likely recipients of the second pick in the draft lottery, are a likely landing spot.
Durant has already cost NBA executives $60,000 in fines, with half of that going to Boston's Danny Ainge, who sat with Durant's family during the Big 12 tournament. With his brief Texas career, he won't make the kind of lasting impact on the college game that he could have if he had stayed longer, but he might be a harbinger, as the NBA's minimum-age rule turns college basketball into a game that's increasingly dominated by freshmen.
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
who cares......the draft is so weak this year maybe Noah may even go first round...hell i'm 37 I may go declare myself
Amen and who really cares!!!???? I look at Chris Wilcox who left Maryland after his soph season and was bust for a few years. Now he has grown up, learned and fulfilling that potential. Imagine if he had the guts to stay in college for those additional two years and matured his body and his game. Better for him, the school, and the game. All it is about is money. I wish back the old days when salaries were reasonable, game prices were easy to stomach, and players stayed in school. No wonder I don't watch pro basketball anymore.
Still a little bitter about Florida beating down Ohio State....AGAIN, huh? Noah isn't the greatest player in the world, but he's a definite 1st rounder no matter what year he comes out. Don't talk junk about Noah or any of the Gators just because your school couldn't beat them when it counted.
BACK TO BACK CHAMPS!!
noah is a punk !!
Noah is a pig and will get beat up by the NBA schedule. The Gayturds would have repeated without him. Are you serious, Noah? He is a journeyman NBA guy. Just like his dad was in tennis, nothing great. God your dumb!!!!!!!!!!
Guys, guys...let's not quibble; let's all rejoice in the glory that will be Kevin Durant in Phoenix.
Hey, forget Noah!!!! The topic of discussion is Kevin Durant. Just wait and see Durant, Michael Beasley and Nolan Smith in the NBA. Maryland ball players are alive, again!!!!
I don't think Oden is leaving for another year. Obviously I could be wrong, but I think he realizes he isn't ready for an eighty plus game schedule. He said playing so many games this year was difficult, and he didn't even play the entire season.
I do have an idea that I think the NCAA should take a look at. The main reason that most players declare early is that they fear a career ending injury. While these are extremely rare in basketball, it still has to be a concern for them. If the NCAA permitted schools to buy insurance policies for their elite players as insurance for those players in case of a career ending injury, these players would be much more likely to remain, possibly for the duration.
players in football and basketball have been giving insurance by the ncaa for years. the amount is governed by where they rank on getting drafted, the higher they could go the more money in insurnace they get. it is paid for by the ncaa not the athletes
Good.
That takes nightmare #1 off the table for my Celtics.
#2 is that Oden doesn't come out.
#3 is that both Oden and Durant come out, but Boston is dropped in the lottery to picks 3-5.
#4 is that Danny Ainge has become enchanted with some obscure tweener guard, and will piss away the Oden pick for a mid-first-rounder and an injury-prone white forward.
#5 is that scenario 4 occurs, causing me to go to Boston and kill one Daniel Fu**ing Ainge. I then spend the rest of my life in prison, blogging occassionally on What Might Have Been.
We'll know about 2-4 by draft night, while I'd recommend viewing #5 as the inevitable end result of 1-4 coming together in the worst way... a sort of perfect storm of Ineptitude and pure Bad Luck.
players today are ajoke
LOL Stacey.....amen to that!!
Don't worry! Danny As----e Ainge will screw this up. That is why he got run out of Phoenix as the Suns coach. By the way Matt, you obviously did not see the box score from the NCAA Finals! Noah, 3 points, 3 rebounds! Man, that is sure not a lottery pick.
Loosers all, so screwed up by Noah, that you can't even focus on the thread..... Just like OSU, big, dumb, slow..loosers....hahahahaha, Noah will bank his millions while you slave away for minimum wage ..... loosers, hahahahaha, your opinions carry about as much weight as a fart !!!!! Loosers hahahaha
GREAT DRAFT COMING UP, AND K.D. WILL BE A GREAT PROSPECT. AS SOON AS HE PUTS A LITTLE MUSCLE ON THAT SKINNY FRAME. NOW THAT THE KNICKS WILL BE MISSING THE PLAYOFFS THE BULLS WILL HAVE AN OUTSIDE CHANCE AT ONE OF THE BIG NAMES. WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN THAT?
what happen to the great basketball of the 80's and 90's who is the leader of the nba? leaders of the past kept winning and played hard every game look at it today no one plays hard until contracts need renewed think about that one. durant is making a big mistake and so is noah good or bad
i love to see millions of texas fan's dreams smashed against sharp rocks, sharp rocks known as the nba. bye bye durant, hope u become a benchwarmer.
im can beat kevin im going to be drafted probely 15 or 16
Hey look it is about money this is there job Basketball,if a company came and said I'm offering you a job that pays more than you already make. would you stay on that job. Hey it the dollar that moves this game, not school records and trophys.You crazy if you, Noah said build you a boat, Now noah saying take the money, Durantis only paying attention.
ball players are overpaid cry babies