PLEASE DON'T DRAFT ME: Thaddeus Young

PLEASE DON'T DRAFT ME looks at prospects whose draft stocks are high and/or rising... but probably shouldn't be.

Thaddeus Young -- purveyor of silk and dreams -- announced today he will stay put in this here NBA draft, thankyouverymuch. Hardly a surprise, overshadowed seriously by Jeff Green's high-interest decision.

It's obviously a smart move for Young; you won't see me questioning decisions of spartan youth achieving their goals and financial futures. What I will question, though, is whichever team in the lottery is going to pick Thad.

Small forward is the most loaded position in the NBA in terms of athleticism. Almost every franchise can point to a swingman who can jump over the gym -- even the fundamentalist Spurs have James White. Atlanta (not a repeat visitor to the postseason, coincidentally) has a roster made up solely of SFs made of galvanized rubber. Desmond Mason is a clear example -- a swingman on a pogo stick, a free agent, a guy with ZERO buzz.

Just a year ago, three jawdropping physical beings in the mold of Thad went in the first round: Ronnie Brewer, Shawne Williams, and Rodney Carney. Those guys combined for 2,400 minutes this season. (Comparison's sake: A 35-year-old guy who couldn't jump over a stack of nickels [unless he's kicking someone in the face] netted 2,464 minutes on a team that liked to blow opponents out and rest the starters. Hmm.)

Small forward is a highly competitive position in the pros; you've got to stand out with actual basketball skills. And while Thad wows you now and then, he hasn't showed the chops to score consistently, defend consistently, rebound consistently, make good on-court decisions consistently, or well... play basketball consistently. You need to at least do that to be successful, right?

Jeff Green can run a team. Corey Brewer can defend defend defend. Julian Wright is extremely versatile. Al Thornton will score your ass off. Thaddeus Young can... blow by people in the back court to get off a 25-footer? Create lots of offensive rebound opportunities for his teammates? Look good in a crisp suit? I just can't see justifying this risk in this lottery, considering all the options in the league.

Thad is said to be a smart dude, ready to learn with a strong mind and buckets of character. I hope and pray he is real in the NBA -- he could be the next Nique if stars converge, and we could all use a bit of that future nostalgia. But if my team reached for him too high? The sense of @%#& overwhelms the glimmer.