And no Howell. I get that he's a little short, and not super athletic, but I would have thought his performance this year would count for something.

Lol at CJ going to San Antonio. Popovich would kick him to the curb by day two. Could you imagine a more different leadership paradigm than the one between CJ and Tim Duncan?

Okay, okay...Brandon Costner and Tim Duncan would be worse.

It actually makes sense for him to go to a team that doesn't "NEED" him, so I can see him going to San Antonio, the Lakers, Heat, etc. at the end of the first round. They can afford to take a chance. I think Sir Rich will be a 2nd round pick. He's a worker, and rebounding translates to the next level.

I cover the ACC and SEC for that site. I've talked to my boss a few times about Rich not being in the 2nd Round of his mock but NBA scouts hate his height and athleticism. He's a beast on the boards and has a good motor but he's only around 6'7 and has average (at best) athleticism. That being said, I still think Howell is deserving of a 2nd round selection. No second round pick gets an automatic guaranteed contract like first rounders do and I think he is worth a look late in that round.

And as an FYI, the drafts at the moment are based more on a "Big Board" concept rather than what team is drafting where and what their needs might be. Check back after the tournament and that's when the mocks really start to get more of a realistic feel to them.

I think both Calvin and Lo will go in the mid to late 20's in this year's draft, just a few spots above where Aran has them currently.

Were I a player, I'd much rather go undrafted so that I could sign/try out for the team that needs me than to be drafted in the second round and locked into one team and only one team.

Can you imagine how good LoZo could be if he sat behind Russell Westbrook for a couple years learning..... Scary similar players

I can't believe we may well lose 4 starters, only 2 being seniors, but even if that is the case, we COULD (calm down everyone) be just as good if not better next season. Lot's of IF's, I know.

PF Anya / Vandenberg
SF Washington / Vandenberg
G/F Warren / Turner
SG Purvis / Barber
PG Lewis / Barber

And, if Leslie or Zo stays, or both...

PF Anya / Vandenberg
SF Leslie / Washington
G/F Warren / Turner
SG Zo / Purvis
PG Lewis / Barber

that is a lot of potential.

we are starting to look like (on paper) those programs up the road that reload, and reload, and reload...

I would love for Zo to stay one more year. Sorry but I think we may be better without CJL. Hard for me to say.

Nav, that really all depends on what Randle does. If we don't land Randle and lose Calvin then I doubt we are better next year than we are this year. Unless Zo stays which could be a real possibility. If I were Gott I would encourage him to test the waters this year and see where scouts have him pegged. At the moment he's probably late 1st round and he may not be able to get a guarantee so he might decided to return, work on his jump shot and then try again next year.

Of course that would leave us with a lot of guards who would want/need PT. Brown, Lewis, Barber, Purvis and Turner. Of course Turner and Purvis could slide to the 3 spot on occasion. Of course all of this is purely speculative at this point and in all likely-hood we lose all 4 (Brown, Wood, Howell and Leslie).

callmeBAM, any scenario that involves Vandy as being a key cog is already resting on faulty logic. Vandy hasn't show anything in 3 years of being active that makes me think that next year will the year he "gets it".

It'd be nice for Leslie and Brown to come back.

The thing with Brown is his upside could be really, really high, if he develops a jump shot and takes better care of the ball.

Leslie's been hyped a lot, but there are a bunch of athletic tweeners. He really has to work on a solid skill set to make an impact in the NBA. I think Brown's upside is higher than Leslie's.

Both could use another year to work on their skills and become lottery picks.

"If we don't land Randle and lose Calvin then I doubt we are better next year than we are this year"

Addition by subtraction, perhaps?

Also, gopack10, don't take my "take it with a grain of salt" comment as disparaging your work...it's just that the draft rankings are highly fluid and will probably change ten times before the actual picks.

While I certainly don't expect it, I would love it if either or both were to return. Zo can only get better and up his stock IMHO, and a re-dedicated Calvin (which I would presume he would be if he went thru the process of weighing his options and returning) could only be a good thing.

For program continuity and to allow younger guys to get seasoned a bit more, it could only be good for the long term health of the program IMHO.

"Addition by subtraction, perhaps?"

Perfect example of the Ewing theory.

I would love if zo tested the waters and returned. Cj better leave now, and probably should have left last year.

Sorry cj, you are very talented, and i hope you make a lot of money in pro ball. but you can't sh t the bed as the best player on the court over and over again.

Get your money while you can and go pro. Good luck to you.

"Also, gopack10, don't take my "take it with a grain of salt" comment as disparaging your work...it's just that the draft rankings are highly fluid and will probably change ten times before the actual picks."

No worries Alpha. And you are right, the rankings change almost on a weekly basis. Up until the end of the college and NBA seasons, the rankings are more of a "big board" and are prone to change quite a bit.

Speaking of "big board", I noticed that the big board currently only lists 3 State players: Brown at 33, Leslie at 46, and Purvis at 71. Howell not even in the top 100... and with Purvis listed, somewhat surprising Warren is not.

gopack10, can you explain the difference in the numbers on the big board given your earlier comment that team needs are not really being accounted for yet?

Also, I find it interesting that the DraftExpress 2013 mock, also without accounting for team needs, projects Leslie at 26, Brown at 29, and Howell at 50 (#20 in second round). Honestly, that seems like a better ranking to me.

In the NBA, Calvin wouldn't touch the ball in half-court sets unless he grabbed an offensive board. That's not such a bad thing. He'll earn his dollar coming off the bench being the "high energy" guy, liken to Matt Barnes. Also not a bad thing. He's ready for that role, but I wouldn't give him a guaranteed contract just because he can jump high. IMO, he's a 2nd rounder weather he stays or not.

Lorenzo should go now too. IMAN SHUMPERT was drafted in the 1st round, so why not Zo? Plus, I don't see too many point guards coming out that are better than him, maybe none. He doesn't need to come back to improve his draft status, as I see him being a mid-first round selection right now. NBA General Managers are known to make worse draft day decisions. Hell, the Rockets just drafted (and paid) a guy that was afraid to fly on a plane! Seriously.

Think of the big board as more of a snapshot. It is very fluid and could change on a daily basis if someone were to take the time to update it. Things in consideration in a big board are obviously talent, NBA potential, current level of play and how much that player is on an NBA radar.

All of that is taken into account and then throw in their likely-hood/propensity to leave early and that's where it all comes into play. When doing the actual mock on the site, it is hard to not bring into play team needs to some degree, which is why Marcus Smart is #3 on the big board and #2 in the draft. The Magic are in more need of a young PG than they are a big man. Smart definitely wouldn't slot in at #3 in the mock since that's where the Wizards are currently drafting and they have John Wall. So I guess there is a little bit of team needs thrown in but very loosely.

I've had my battles with Aran on Richard Howell not being in the Mock. I think he gets drafted late second round. Here is part of the convo we had about Howell.

"I like him but have talked to scouts that don't. Too unathletic and undersized. He's on the brink, but I think Euros and Early Entries ultimately make him undrafted."

I said in my first post that I think that both Calvin and Lo get drafted in the mid to late 20's which is where DraftExpress has them. It's just hard to judge things like that because I have a State bias and want them to go higher than they are currently projected. Still, most of these mocks don't start getting serious until around April. There is a feature on Draft.net to create your own Mock draft that you can change up to the final hour of the draft. There is a point system and you compete with all of the other Users for the best mock based on how the draft actually works out (shameless plug I know).

Sounds about right for CJ/Zo. Howell is a gamble. Doesn't fit the profile but just has something special about him. I hope he wins ACC player of the year.

In the NBA, Howell would get abused defensively. Just straight manhandled. Who can he guard? Who can he score against? The forwards in the pros are eastern NC pines. They are huge and athletic. Howell has no offensive move to score against bigger defenders. Nor can he defend them. Will his rebounding prowess, the only special skill set he posses,even translate to a league where he'll be shorter than most 3s?

I hope somehow he proves me wrong. He's my favorite player since Marcus Melvin.

The way Howell bangs down low now might be difficult to do in the NBA, but he is still a quality rebounder and actually has a very good midrange shot. Maybe a cross between DeJuan Blair and Jared Dudley, but he perhaps needs to develop the Dudley side more to earn his stay in the NBA. I believe he has more upside than people give him credit, by virtue of his work ethic.

I think DeJuan Blair is an excellent comp for Howell. Blair is 6'7", 265, very similar to Howell. Blair had the good fortune to be drafted in the second round by the Spurs, which put him into an excellent situation to be mentored by quality teammates and coached up by an excellent coaching staff. That's exactly what Howell needs IMO, and he will ultimately be able to carve out a nice career as a role player off the bench. Given that he will go no earlier than the second round, I think there is an excellent chance that a good team like the Spurs will draft him.

Not so sure about the Dudley comparison above. Dudley is a swing man who can play the 2 or the 3. He has an above average stroke from three and is a lot quicker than Howell. Where as Howell is a pure 4 in the NBA, Dudley is a wing player. Dudley made over 100 3's two seasons and would have done so last year with a normal 82 game schedule. He is on pace for over 100 this year as well.

The Blair comparison is much more on par. The difference between the 2 is that Blair had a lot more burst and was a better athlete pre-knee issues which vaulted him up draft boards during his junior season. His post-knee injury self is right there with Howell and since Blair is very serviceable in the league, I can't see why Howell couldn't carve out a similar career. But being drafted in the second round isn't a requirement for that. He can latch on with a team via free agency. I could see Howell pulling an Ivan Johnson from the Hawks.

I did say "a cross between". My point is only that he compares to Blair but is not as strong, and probably has more range. If Wood wasn't on this team and there was someone else that could be down low, Howell would be knocking down some threes.

There is no doubt in my mind that Brown has the most NBA potential on this team. Leslie needs a jump shot and ball handling skills to make it in the NBA...but he can jump really high and makes spectacular dunks when he is wide open.

Noah also didn't fit the profile and had a tripple-double last night

To me Noah and Howell has something that doesn't show up in the measurables when it comes to size, hands, speed etc -- it is playing angry / with an intensity that makes them win those 50-50 balls

I didn't watch the bulls game last night but ESPN showed 5 out of the 11 blocks that Noah had. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE FIVE ended up as a bulls ball. Not just blocks out of bounds but a turnover for the opponent. That stuff doesn't show in the stat sheet

Same thing with Howell he just does things and does them with an intensity that I think will work very well in the NBA.

CJ Leslie will be a star IF and that is a big if he learns to pass to the open shooter instead of continuing straight ahead against the double or tripple team.......