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Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Young, Crittenton need more seasoning
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ll be honest and say at first I was surprised to learn that Thaddeus Young has declared for the NBA draft. I didn’t think he or Javaris Crittenton would.
But I’ve learned more about the process today, and now I’m not surprised. I knew that players could not participate in the NBA’s pre-draft camp in Orlando next month if they weren’t draft eligible.
I did not know that they weren’t allowed to even speak with NBA officials about their draft prospects unless they were in the draft pool (actually, it’s the teams that aren’t allowed to chat; the NBA will fine teams for violations). Translation, Young and Crittenton could not go to the horses’ mouths, so to speak, for information unless they enter the draft. I’m going to assume both submitted their names to the NBA’s committee for underclassmen, and in Young’s case, or perhaps the case of one of his parents, the feedback was not enough to appease all parties. Somebody wants more info. Now, they can get it easily enough.
That said, I won’t be surprised if Crittenton does the same thing.
I’ll still be surprised if either of them are in the draft after the withdrawal date of June 18.
With all the other early entries, Young’s not going to be selected as highly as he would have last year if the one-year rule weren’t in effect. He didn’t have a bad freshman season, but he certainly didn’t dominate, either, other than in a handful of games.
Crittenton, on the other hand, happens to be a point guard in a year where there aren’t a lot of them. I still can’t see him being drafted before the early to mid-20s, but I’m no NBA draft expert. Next year’s NBA draft figures to be deeper in PGs, but then Crittenton would probably be a lot better if he played one more season in college. I think both players can make quantum leaps next season.
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