Should Lawal stay at Tech or enter NBA draft?

They were two of Georgia Tech’s greatest basketball players, leading the Jackets to the 1990 Final Four.

Dennis Scott left after his junior year in ‘90, becoming the fourth pick in the NBA draft. Kenny Anderson left a year later after his sophomore season, becoming the No. 2 selection by the NBA.

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Tech’s Gani Lawal has until Monday to change his mind about entering NBA draft.

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Both players say today that they wanted to stay at Georgia Tech for another season. But the people they turned to for advice, including coach Bobby Cremins, looked at their draft status as top-5 picks and told them they had to go.

That’s not the case with Tech forward Gani Lawal, who has until Monday to pull his name out of the NBA draft or forego his junior and senior seasons at Tech. Lawal is projected as a possible late first-round pick.

Anderson and Scott know what it’s like to face the decision. Today they are rejoined to answer one important question concerning Georgia Tech basketball.

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Kenny Anderson

He has the upside, no doubt about it. He’s active, long and athletic. In his case, he might be good enough, just not right away.

You never know what a kid is thinking when he faces a decision like this. Some kids want to take care of the family; others think they will get into the right situation and grow into good NBA players. But the way the NBA is set up, you really only have three years to prove yourself and perform.

I’ve seen a lot of players get behind the 8-ball when they aren’t the right fit for a team that drafted them. They don’t get to play, and you see confidence and desire stripped away.

If I was Gani, I’d probably stay in school, get stronger and think about coming out next year. But that said, I look at Chris Bosh … I didn’t think he was ready, and he has turned into one of the better players in the league. Thaddeus Young, same thing. He really came on in his second year and saved himself.

I thought Javaris Crittenton needed to stay, and he never has gotten into a good situation. He has shifted around from team to team; he isn’t getting to play a lot and now he has one more year to improve or he might be out of the league. I certainly don’t say that in a negative way.

I think I saw where if Lawal stays he’s projected to be one of the top picks next year. Then why go now? That’s what happened with me. I was projected as a top-3 pick after my sophomore year at Tech. I wanted to stay for my junior year, but coach [Bobby] Cremins told me I had to go. I’m not sure it’s so clear-cut with Lawal.

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Dennis Scott

The first thing that came to mind was I thought Lawal should stay. I know the culture has changed since we played, but I have a real problem with people going to the next level when they haven’t left any mark or legacy where they are.

I think when I left Georgia Tech, I was averaging 29 [points] and 8 [rebounds]; Kenny Anderson was averaging 22 and we had played in a Final Four. In our era, it was a clear decision.

Lawal averaged, I think, 15 and 9 and won two games in the ACC, the worst, I think I read somewhere, in 20 years. They lost to FSU in the tournament, and FSU’s big man totally dominated.

I just don’t see the player yet. He averaged about 15-9 in a down ACC, and he did not dominate, and that’s why I’m leery of him leaving.

Kevin Durant came into the college game, dominated and left after a year. It was a no-brainer for him to leave. I like more cases like that. But leaving because of upside? No. I want [Lawal] to stay and become a better player. When a kid has made his mark, that’s when he needs to leave.

If Gani comes back, he’ll get stronger, he’ll play with better players and he will get a better feel for what it’s like at the next level.

I don’t like to discourage a young person, and I understand the culture has changed since we played, but in our era, we earned it.

Both Kenny and I did our homework and knew we were top-5 picks. We were ready to go.