NBA Draft results, including a shocker…

In a surprising NBA draft, Joe Crawford from Kentucky squeaked into the last picks of the second round while First-Team All-SEC and SEC Player of the Year runner-up Jamont Gordon from Mississippi State was not drafted.

Gordon, who was somehow banking on being drafted – predicted as high as 25th on various sites – now has a mess on his hands. Gordon has an agent representing him, but speculation is that he did not actually pay the guy – which would leave Gordon elligible to return to MSU. If this speculation regarding his agent is incorrect and payment was made, then the junior would not be able to return to school.

Added to the mix are rumors that Gordon’s eagerness for the next level overtook his desire to keep up his grades or attend classes last semester, and that he would have some work to do if he wanted to return to school this summer to improve his GPA – if he would be able to fix the situation at all.

Three weeks ago, the power/point was seemingly quoted as stating that if he were to not be selected in the draft, he would return to school.

All of this is speculation at the moment, and the situation should be clearer tomorrow. I’ll report at that time. One thing is for sure, if Gordon were to somehow return to school, he would be an overwhelming favorite for SEC Player of the Year and Mississippi State’s chances in the Western Division and in the SEC as a whole would be far different.

Here’s a list of SEC player selected in the draft and the teams that chose them.

FIRST ROUND

#14 overall pick: Anthony Randolph, LSU – Freshman, 15.6ppg, 8.5rpg, 2.3bpg – Golden State Warriors

#16 overall pick: Marreese Speights, Florida – Sophomore, 14.5ppg, 8.1rpg, 62.4% FG – Philadelphia 76ers

SECOND ROUND

#39 overall pick: Sonny Weems, Arkansas – Senior, 15.0ppg, 4.5rpg, 37.0% 3PT – Chicago Bulls

#49 overall pick: Richard Hendrix, Alabama – Junior, 17.8ppg, 10.1rpg, 2.0bpg – Golden State Warriors

#51 overall pick: Shan Foster, Vanderbilt – Senior, 20.3ppg, 4.9rpg, 46.9% 3PT – Dallas Mavericks

#58 overall pick: Joe Crawford, Kentucky – Senior, 17.9ppg, 3.6rpg, 36.4% 3PT – Los Angeles Lakers

More coverage on Jamont Gordon and other undrafted SEC players tomorrow…

Hendrix remains in the NBA, Steele returns…

Richard Hendrix, Alabama’s high-quality big-man who averaged a double-double last season, will not be returning to school next year.

Hendrix averaged 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game last season, and would have been a senior in 2008-09.

While Hendrix is a great talent, his stock would have been much higher if he had returned this next season. Alabama would have been poised to dominate the Western Division, and Hendrix’s number likely would have increased, despite the acquisition of five-star 6′8″ incoming freshman power forward Jamychal Green.

This leaves Alabama in an interesting position. While Steele returns to provide the Tide with an excellent decision-maker at point guard, he won’t be dynamic enough to be a reliable scoring threat. He shoots well, but not often. Alonzo Gee is very talented with the ball, but not the best decision-maker. With the loss of Riley to graduation, Hollinger will be relied upon heavily to complement the post offensively from the outside.

Down low, there is now very little experienced talent. While Coleman is a Junior, he is a “work in progress” that never progressed. Jemison is also now a junior, and has some talent, especially on the boards, but not reliable enough to score heavily. As strange as it sounds, Knox is much more unproven than Jemison, yet seems to have more talent and potential, entering his sophomore season. Noone can deny Green’s talent level, but relying heavily upon freshman can often have disastrous results.

Hendrix’s exit certainly leaves the Tide with some question marks for this coming season. However, with the mass exodus across the board in the Western Division, UA should still be favored to win the division. Just not by as much.

Upcoming draft…

All eyes are on tomorrow’s draft deadline, and I’ll be reporting as soon as I know something. The major question mark is Alabama’s Richard Hendrix. If the Tide lose the big man, experienced talent in the paint will be hard to come by and this could leave the West open for a good battle. If Hendrix returns, Alabama could/should compete for an overall conference title.

NBA draft…

Although it’s taking a lot of self-control, I’m going to hold off on reporting on speculation regarding who’s returning and who’s staying in the draft, considering that it’s only 10 days away.

I’ll be sure to fully report on who’s gone afterwards, though, and what this will mean for each team.