Updated: March 30, 2005, 1:51 PM ET
Too high on the Class of 2005?
By Chad Ford, ESPN Insider
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Forgive us if we still get a little geeked up at the McDonald's All-American Game (tonight, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN).
Even if this is one of the worst high school classes in recent memory, the track record of past participants always inspires hope:
• 14 McDonald's All-American players have been named NBA Rookie of the Year.
• 17 McDonald's alumni have been picked No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft.
• 20 McDonald's players have represented Team USA in the Olympics.
• 28 former McDonald's players have contributed to NBA titles and own a total of 45 NBA championship rings.
• 114 McDonald's alumni are currently in the NBA.
Regardless of the lack of legitimate NBA prospects in this year's class, some of them are going to make it to the NBA. A few might even dominate. GMs and scouts from every team in the league are here trying to figure out which ones.
Most years it's not a mystery. By now, the top three or four players have been identified and already are being groomed for the draft. Two years ago, LeBron already was making Gatorade commercials.
But after two days of practices and one scrimmage, there was literally zero consensus about who, if anyone, is ready for the draft this year.
Five players – Houston swingman Gerald Green, Mississippi combo guard Monta Ellis, Seattle sharpshooter Martell Webster, Atlanta's super-athletic Louis Williams and Indiana big man Josh McRoberts – have gotten the most press.
Others – including Alabama bruiser Richard Hendrix, Louisiana forward Tasmin Mitchell, Washington state swingman Micah Downs, Texas two-guard C.J. Miles and California big man Amir Johnson – also have had their names thrown out there.
Tuesday, all of them looked like they needed several years of college before even thinking about the NBA.
"I keep reading that Louis Williams is a lottery pick and that Gerald Green is the next Tracy McGrady," one Eastern Conference GM said, "and I just don't see it. I think we all want to see it, because without three or four really good high school prospects, the draft is pretty slim. But to be honest, I haven't seen anyone I would use a first-round pick on. They just aren't ready, which makes you wonder why so many of us are here. Maybe if we hope loud enough or hard enough, someone will emerge."
Said another, "This class is dangerous. There's probably a sleeper here. And there's three or four guys here who are going to get someone fired."
NBA scouts, who have seen the kids more, were more sympathetic.
"What our GMs don't understand yet," one scout said, "is that it's a reflection on this year's draft. After the first three picks, there's a big question mark hovering over the rest of the draft. Do I take a college senior in the lottery who, based on his talent, is probably a second-round pick, or do I take a high school kid that, with two or three years of grooming, could be something special. It's not always like this, but this year, this is what we're left with."
Almost everyone in the game has great talent. Green is super athletic and reminds scouts of a young McGrady. Ellis is a quick, active scoring machine who usually walks into the gym hot. Webster has the body of an NBA power forward and the sweetest shooting touch of anyone in high school basketball. Williams has a 40-inch vertical and is a volume scorer a la Allen Iverson.
And they also have major flaws. Green has a questionable work ethic and doesn't seem to have a great feel for the game. Ellis must make the transition to the point in the NBA, a position he admitted to Insider he'd rather not play. Webster doesn't show much interest in defense and is just an average athlete. Williams is a 6-1 shooting guard who makes Shaun Livingston look fat.
Thus the confusion.
That vacuum has created wiggle room for agents and advisers who would benefit, financially, from seeing some of these kids declare for the NBA draft.
Insider interviewed, at length, the five high school players – Green, Webster, Ellis, Williams and McRoberts – who have been rumored to be flirting with declaring for the draft.
With the exception of McRoberts, who said unequivocally that he'd be wearing a Duke uniform next year, all of them seemed to be under the impression that the NBA is dying to get its hands on them.
Some of them were humble about it.
Webster said that while he had heard he might be a lottery pick if he declared, he really preferred to play in college next year.
"I think about it off and on," Webster told Insider. "I'm not stressed about it. It's always going to be there. If it's there now and I keep working as hard as I'm working, then it will be there even if I go to college. I still have a lot that I want to work on. To me, I'm playing for the love of the game, not the money. So if I can get better in college, that's the right decision. If someone can convince me that I'll become a better player by going the NBA route, then I'll choose that. But as of right now, I'm going to college."
Others were not as modest.
Williams said he has heard all year that the NBA is in hot pursuit, and he's ready to return the love.
When asked if he'd pick the NBA over college, Williams didn't hesitate. "Absolutely. My dream is to play in the NBA. I've tiptoed around the question all year long. I'm trying to do what's best for me. The NBA is a lifelong dream. That's what's best from me. I'm not going to hide from the situation anymore. This is something I want to do, and if the opportunity is there I'm going to do it."
Others weren't sure what to think.
Ellis was shocked when high school shoe guru Sonny Vaccaro told reporters last week that an agent had instructed Ellis to skip Vaccaro's Roundball Classic.
"I've been trying to figure out what the best thing for me to do is," Ellis said. "I was hurt when he said it like that. My whole life Sonny said he was trying to help me, and then he says something like that. I told him a month ago that I had to catch up on my school work so that I could play in McDonald's and for the Hoop Summit. I just didn't understand it."
Still, when pressed further, Ellis said he was seriously considering the jump. According to sources, in fact, it's likely Ellis will declare in the next couple of weeks.
Green, whom many have ranked as the top player in the high school class, said at one point the NBA was his dream. At another point he said he's going to school.
"The chances are very strong I go to Oklahoma State," Green told Insider. "My dream is to go to college and win a national championship. I also have the dream to go to the NBA. I just hope that one dream doesn't have to kill the other one."
The reigning confusion is causing a few anxious moments for everyone.
High school players have to follow a set of strict guidelines if they want to maintain their college eligibility. Those guidelines often hinder them from getting unbiased and accurate information about their draft stock.
The NBA has set up a committee with several of the league's top GMs to give underclassmen a range of where they might go. Given the huge disparities between the league's top personnel guys on each of these players, the accuracy of their draft projections leaves a lot to be desired.
For NBA teams, they are trying to come to grips with what their draft choices really are going to be in late June.
That's why both players and scouts are hoping some clarification will come tonight.
"I only know what people tell me," Williams said. "I never heard second round. That's good news. It's always been somewhere in the first round. Where in the first round is the question. I really want to be in the top 15. I'm just going to play my game and see."
Unless Williams grows three inches and gains 35 pounds tonight or NBA scouts suddenly come to their senses, he has a long wait for an answer.
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Too high on the Class of 2005?
By Chad Ford, ESPN Insider
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Forgive us if we still get a little geeked up at the McDonald's All-American Game (tonight, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN).
Even if this is one of the worst high school classes in recent memory, the track record of past participants always inspires hope:
• 14 McDonald's All-American players have been named NBA Rookie of the Year.
• 17 McDonald's alumni have been picked No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft.
• 20 McDonald's players have represented Team USA in the Olympics.
• 28 former McDonald's players have contributed to NBA titles and own a total of 45 NBA championship rings.
• 114 McDonald's alumni are currently in the NBA.
Regardless of the lack of legitimate NBA prospects in this year's class, some of them are going to make it to the NBA. A few might even dominate. GMs and scouts from every team in the league are here trying to figure out which ones.
Most years it's not a mystery. By now, the top three or four players have been identified and already are being groomed for the draft. Two years ago, LeBron already was making Gatorade commercials.
But after two days of practices and one scrimmage, there was literally zero consensus about who, if anyone, is ready for the draft this year.
Five players – Houston swingman Gerald Green, Mississippi combo guard Monta Ellis, Seattle sharpshooter Martell Webster, Atlanta's super-athletic Louis Williams and Indiana big man Josh McRoberts – have gotten the most press.
Others – including Alabama bruiser Richard Hendrix, Louisiana forward Tasmin Mitchell, Washington state swingman Micah Downs, Texas two-guard C.J. Miles and California big man Amir Johnson – also have had their names thrown out there.
Tuesday, all of them looked like they needed several years of college before even thinking about the NBA.
"I keep reading that Louis Williams is a lottery pick and that Gerald Green is the next Tracy McGrady," one Eastern Conference GM said, "and I just don't see it. I think we all want to see it, because without three or four really good high school prospects, the draft is pretty slim. But to be honest, I haven't seen anyone I would use a first-round pick on. They just aren't ready, which makes you wonder why so many of us are here. Maybe if we hope loud enough or hard enough, someone will emerge."
Said another, "This class is dangerous. There's probably a sleeper here. And there's three or four guys here who are going to get someone fired."
NBA scouts, who have seen the kids more, were more sympathetic.
"What our GMs don't understand yet," one scout said, "is that it's a reflection on this year's draft. After the first three picks, there's a big question mark hovering over the rest of the draft. Do I take a college senior in the lottery who, based on his talent, is probably a second-round pick, or do I take a high school kid that, with two or three years of grooming, could be something special. It's not always like this, but this year, this is what we're left with."
Almost everyone in the game has great talent. Green is super athletic and reminds scouts of a young McGrady. Ellis is a quick, active scoring machine who usually walks into the gym hot. Webster has the body of an NBA power forward and the sweetest shooting touch of anyone in high school basketball. Williams has a 40-inch vertical and is a volume scorer a la Allen Iverson.
And they also have major flaws. Green has a questionable work ethic and doesn't seem to have a great feel for the game. Ellis must make the transition to the point in the NBA, a position he admitted to Insider he'd rather not play. Webster doesn't show much interest in defense and is just an average athlete. Williams is a 6-1 shooting guard who makes Shaun Livingston look fat.
Thus the confusion.
That vacuum has created wiggle room for agents and advisers who would benefit, financially, from seeing some of these kids declare for the NBA draft.
Insider interviewed, at length, the five high school players – Green, Webster, Ellis, Williams and McRoberts – who have been rumored to be flirting with declaring for the draft.
With the exception of McRoberts, who said unequivocally that he'd be wearing a Duke uniform next year, all of them seemed to be under the impression that the NBA is dying to get its hands on them.
Some of them were humble about it.
Webster said that while he had heard he might be a lottery pick if he declared, he really preferred to play in college next year.
"I think about it off and on," Webster told Insider. "I'm not stressed about it. It's always going to be there. If it's there now and I keep working as hard as I'm working, then it will be there even if I go to college. I still have a lot that I want to work on. To me, I'm playing for the love of the game, not the money. So if I can get better in college, that's the right decision. If someone can convince me that I'll become a better player by going the NBA route, then I'll choose that. But as of right now, I'm going to college."
Others were not as modest.
Williams said he has heard all year that the NBA is in hot pursuit, and he's ready to return the love.
When asked if he'd pick the NBA over college, Williams didn't hesitate. "Absolutely. My dream is to play in the NBA. I've tiptoed around the question all year long. I'm trying to do what's best for me. The NBA is a lifelong dream. That's what's best from me. I'm not going to hide from the situation anymore. This is something I want to do, and if the opportunity is there I'm going to do it."
Others weren't sure what to think.
Ellis was shocked when high school shoe guru Sonny Vaccaro told reporters last week that an agent had instructed Ellis to skip Vaccaro's Roundball Classic.
"I've been trying to figure out what the best thing for me to do is," Ellis said. "I was hurt when he said it like that. My whole life Sonny said he was trying to help me, and then he says something like that. I told him a month ago that I had to catch up on my school work so that I could play in McDonald's and for the Hoop Summit. I just didn't understand it."
Still, when pressed further, Ellis said he was seriously considering the jump. According to sources, in fact, it's likely Ellis will declare in the next couple of weeks.
Green, whom many have ranked as the top player in the high school class, said at one point the NBA was his dream. At another point he said he's going to school.
"The chances are very strong I go to Oklahoma State," Green told Insider. "My dream is to go to college and win a national championship. I also have the dream to go to the NBA. I just hope that one dream doesn't have to kill the other one."
The reigning confusion is causing a few anxious moments for everyone.
High school players have to follow a set of strict guidelines if they want to maintain their college eligibility. Those guidelines often hinder them from getting unbiased and accurate information about their draft stock.
The NBA has set up a committee with several of the league's top GMs to give underclassmen a range of where they might go. Given the huge disparities between the league's top personnel guys on each of these players, the accuracy of their draft projections leaves a lot to be desired.
For NBA teams, they are trying to come to grips with what their draft choices really are going to be in late June.
That's why both players and scouts are hoping some clarification will come tonight.
"I only know what people tell me," Williams said. "I never heard second round. That's good news. It's always been somewhere in the first round. Where in the first round is the question. I really want to be in the top 15. I'm just going to play my game and see."
Unless Williams grows three inches and gains 35 pounds tonight or NBA scouts suddenly come to their senses, he has a long wait for an answer.
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