I have to admit that I hate seeing these mock draft things. My approach has been to always to wait until the players actually declare and the lottery takes place before doing a mock draft. I remember last year they had Willie Warren #1, the year before B.J. Mullens and the year before that was Kosta Koufos. Yet, we never hear about these things and how wrong they got it.
Josh Powell of North Carolina State turned pro after a site had him listed as a first rounder, due to his family being destitute. He would go undrafted. He has stuck in the NBA as a free agent, so the story has somewhat of a happy ending , but it easily could have turned tragic.
I love Rodney Williams, but when I heard that a site had him had third overall last season, I cringed. He played exactly 23 seconds in the NCAA tournament. He is an exciting player, but he is averaging six points per game. Find me a player who is good NBA player who averaged six points per game in college. Rodney needs to continue to improve his all-around game before he thinks about the NBA and all the mentioning of these mock drafts has to have most players thinking $$$$.
Trevor Mbakwe is another favorite of mine, because he is a beast who plays hard, but he has limited range (Indiana dared him to shoot), is undersized compared and his foot work still needs work. He has missed nearly two whole seasons in college and another year would do him wonders.
I know that the money is intriguing, but I can't imagine being big man on campus could be the worst thing ever. Many players who have turned pro early have told me that they love the money, but they missed college and several have told me that if they could do over again, they would have stayed in school.
My other issue with these mock drafts is who all is considered as a prospect. Are they considering every possible player in college basketball. I often hear of a player being mentioned as a first round pick but every time a good underclassmen comes out, that pushes these players down a spot. By the time the draft comes around, there are 60 potential first round picks.
Chris Monter
