This just got me so hype for basketball season.

I'm thrilled to hear that Lawson, Ellington and Green are coming back for another year of UNC basketball.  I don't know how I can possibly wait until October.  Unbelievable.  Now the big question is who will start: Ginyard, Green or Thompson?

Crazy as this sounds, the wife and I are bidding on a new house.  Totally unplanned.  We went to look at a house for Mother-In-Law-In-A-Rowboat, and found ourselves in a complete shithole.  The window sills are chewed away.  The floors alternate between bright blue and bright red.  The closets look like a dog was locked in at some point.  The bathrooms are ungodly filthy.  The carpet was scary.

But the place has sooooo much potential.  It has over a half acre, which is huge here, and great tree cover.  It's structurally sound, and the major systems seem healthy at first glance (inspection pending).  It has the location, size and layout that we liked.  So we're going to buy it, spend 40k fixing it up, and hopefully stay a long time.  We've renovated our current house to a state of comfort and quality that we hadn't planned on leaving.  Not yet, at least.  We may have a major project on our hands.

I have much more to say.  Later.

"My family is dealing with some health challenges at this time and as a result I have made the decision to transfer to be closer to home," says Stepheson. "The two years I have spent as a Tar Heel have been great. My teammates, Coach Williams and his staff and the whole Carolina family are the best. I wish to thank the UNC fans for all their support and encouragement. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to be a Tar Heel and I wish the program the best in the future."

Well, I hate that, mainly because going to college and managing a basketball career is tough enough.  The additional burden of a family illness makes it even more difficult.  Best wishes for Alex and I hope with the year off from playing basketball that is mandated by a transfer he can spend time with his family.

On the UNC side, obviously it hurts the depth and I for one thought Stepheson was coming along nicely.  I firmly believed he was becoming the defensive presence around the rim the Heels needed to make the defense in general better.  With the arrival of Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller, the interior depth should be fine. However, when you count this transfer, Mike Copeland's knee problems and the possible NBA departure of three other players, UNC stands to possibly lose five players off the roster from the underclassmen ranks.  In Stepheson's case I think this is a blow to the team, albeit one I think the Heels can adequately compensate for in the long run.  And that is not to say he was expendable but with the personnel coming in probably easier to cover losing that the perimeter positions.

Also: Roy Williams statement:

I am extremely, extremely disappointed but I feel so great about Alex that I understand his decision to transfer. He is doing this because of health concerns and by being closer to home he will be able to provide the necessary support and help his family needs at this time. He is a wonderful kid. I thoroughly enjoyed coaching him and know that he would have contributed so much more in the next two years. Nevertheless, I have tremendous respect for Alex and know that he will always be part of our Carolina Basketball family. I'll miss him, but he will always be important to me

The author went through great pains to mention various players, including Lennie Rosenbluth who did not have much of an NBA career but fails to mention several players who had notable careers such as:

Brad Daughtery: Played eight seasons, averaged 19.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg.  Five-time All Star. 1st overall pick in 1986.

Kenny Smith: Played 10 seasons, averaged 12.8 ppg.  Once held record for most three pointers in an NBA Finals game.  Won the Slam Dunk Contest.  6th overall pick in 1987.  Lead studio analyst for TNT NBA coverage.

Walter Davis: Played 15 seasons, averaged 18.9 ppg.  Six-time All Star. 5th overall pick in 1977.

Charlie Scott: Played 10 seasons(NBA-8, ABA-2) Averaged 20.7 ppg. Five-time All Star.

Billy Cunningham: Played 11 seasons(NBA-9, ABA-2) Averaged 21.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg. Five-time All Star. ABA MVP in 1973.  Member of the 1967 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers. Named one of the 50th greatest players in NBA history in 1997. Won the 1983 NBA Championship as head coach of the Sixers.  Finished coaching career with 454 wins.

Bobby Jones: Played 11 seasons(NBA-9, ABA-2) Averaged 12.1 ppg. Five time All Star. Member of the 1983 NBA Champion Sixers. 1983 Sixth Man of the Year. 11 time All Defensive team.

Now in one respect I understand that if you are writing an article like this you cannot mention everyone but if you are going to include Sam Perkins as an "All-Time Great" then you have committed journalistic malpactice in not at least mentioning Billy Cunningham.  In fact excluding him in a discussion of UNC's impact in the NBA is nearly criminal.

The Kangaroo Kid was one of the 50 Greatest players in the NBA history who won a title as a player and head coach. I would go as far as to say he might very well be the 2nd greatest Tar Heel in the NBA behind Michael Jordan given the full body of work as both player and coach.  It should be noted that Jones, Daughtery, Davis and Scott all had more notable careers both statistically and in terms of honors than Perkins did.  In short, Ms Jessica Camerato and member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association did not do her homework which is really a shame since this one site has all the information you need.

Denver will not stand pat. With a draft choice late in the first round, it's believed the Nuggets are eyeing North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson. The team also is known to have recently scouted young European center Marc Gasol, currently property of the Memphis Grizzlies and a prospect who might be ready to emerge from the shadow of his big brother with the Lakers.

Denver owns the 20th pick in the draft which would be enough to keep Lawson in the draft.  I also think that information like this is what Roy Williams gets when he talks to various teams meaning when these guys declare they are aware of interest from certain scouts.  Fans often assume that the mock drafts and ESPN analysis is all the players are using to decide.  In the case of Tar Heel players, Roy talks to a lot of people and probably gets assessments similar to this one.  And we can safely assume Denver was one of the 18 teams Roy spoke with since UNC alum George Karl is the head coach there.

Obviously this process has a ways to go but an interesting "nugget" nonetheless.

While he has not been a huge contributor, Roy often used Copeland in spurts to relieve the Tar Heel post players, an area UNC is about to get even deeper in with the arrival of Tyler Zeller and Ed Davis.  With that being the case you have to wonder if redshirting might be a better option for Copeland.  We will see how it shakes out.

Best wishes to Mike during his surgery and rehab.

Draft Express posted a new 2008 NBA Mock Draft on Tuesday.  Here is where the three Tar Heels with their names in the ring are positioned.

Ty Lawson: 1st round, 28th.

Wayne Ellington: 2nd round, 12th(42nd overall)

Danny Green: NOT LISTED.

Lawson is up one spot from the last mock draft by these guys and Ellington is down two spots.

NBADraft.net also had a new mock draft out this week with a totally different take where Lawson and Ellington are concerned.  Not Green, he still is not on the list.

Ty Lawson: 2nd round, 4th(35th overall)

Wayne Ellington: 1st round, 25th.

Danny Green: NOT LISTED

I am not sure what standard the latter is using but that seems to be completely opposite of what everyone else is saying.  The general talk seems to agree more with Draft Express than NBADraft.net when it comes to the positions for Lawson and Ellington.  The fact no one I have seen has Green listed makes his decision more peculiar by the minute and also worries me we will soon see an agent hired by his father to "help improve his draft position."  As it stands right now I am not sure he will be going to Orlando and if he doesn't then what is the point?

On a personal note, my alma mater, UNC Greensboro was penalized for poor ratings in men's basketball and baseball.  I am willing to bet AD Nelson Bobb is not a happy man since I cannot count the number of times the student in student-athlete was emphasized during my three years of running cross country there.

Caulton Tudor decided to play the "what if" game on Sunday probably because, unlike me, he gets paid for his gig and he has to write something.  He does admit upfront that if UNC returns 2-3 of the current draft testers the Heels will be gold. If not they will be 2nd best in the ACC to Duke.  I am not sure I can disagree with that at this point though a lot people said the same thing in 2006 and while the Heels did finish 2nd then, they knocked Duke off in Cameron during the regular season finale.  Just for laughs let's breakdown what Tudor said about the Heels next season if the doomsday scenario plays out.

2. NORTH CAROLINA (36-3, 14-2)

PROJECTED STARTERS: Tyler Hansbrough, Sr. F; Deon Thompson, Jr., F; Marcus Ginyard, Sr., W; Will Graves, So., W; Bobby Frasor, Jr., G

Everything hinges on the status of Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green. The popular assumption is that only Lawson is likely to stay in the NBA Draft pool, but no one can know for sure until announcements are made. The key man is Frasor, who is returning from major knee surgery and might need to play 30 or more minutes per game at the point. Recruits Ed Davis and Larry Drew arrive with reputations as accurate shooters.

OVERVIEW: The offensive pace will slow unless Lawson returns to push the tempo. But with Hansbrough surrounded by a wealth of size and experience inside, the Heels will remain a top-15 team.

First of all, no love for Tyler Zeller?  Secondly, I do not see Will Graves starting unless he learns how to play defense and shoot the ball with a little more accuracy and discipline.  If I had to name a starting lineup right now I think Roy goes big.

PG: Frasor
SG: Ginyard
SF: Thompson
PF: Hansbrough
C: Stepheson

It is important to remember the huge X factor out there is how moving the three point line back will affect the game.  There is simply no way of knowing because the line has been where it is for over 20 years.  A cursory view of it seems to point to increased scoring on the inside since moving it back should lower the percentages some, though I would be surprised if this is significant considering the range players have now.  The issue is the spacing on defense.  The line being a foot further out means perimeter defense has to move out to maintain contact with the shooter.  In my mind it makes playing a zone more difficult and if your offensive spacing is excellent I see it really opening up what happens 10-15 feet in.  With that in mind I see UNC using a bigger lineup but perhaps slowing the tempo some.  I think in this scenario Hansbrough becomes a PF to better utilize that jumper we saw him develop last season.  In my estimation those shots are should be available more than they have been in the past.

I think in terms of placing the best defensive unit on the floor you have to go with this lineup.  We know Frasor and Ginyard can play defense.  Thompson is questionable and so is Hansbrough for that matter simply because he does not look to block shots.  I cannot see Roy compounding the issue by putting another suspect defender out there in Graves.  The logical choice is Stepheson and put him at center so he can defend the basket and maybe give UNC a shot blocker which is something missing since Brandan Wright left.  Also, Hansbrough seems to play his game better with Stepheson complimenting him.  Thompson is quick enough to play an opposing team's SF if needed, he simply needs to do a better job with his defensive focus and keeping the ball in front of him.

Can this team beat Duke?  Maybe.  The three point line is going to affect them since they depended on it so much last season but with the 6-10 Plumlee coming in alongside Lance Thomas, Duke will have a much improved inside presence that will allow Kyle Singler to run loose all over the court.  They will be a good team that is unless Plumlee develops like most Duke big men have developed over the past 2-3 years.  Also, Greg Paulus is still the PG unless Nolan Smith shows some chops.  And there are three huge X factors coming for UNC in the form of Tyler Zeller, Ed Davis and Larry Drew.  Can one or all of them come in and play huge from day one covering for the loss of Green, Lawson and Ellington sufficiently enough keep UNC viable?  Perhaps and who knows maybe Graves will shock the world come next season.

Then again if 2 of the 3 players currently in the draft decided to come back everything I just wrote is worthless.

N. C. Jefferson-Jackson Speech: This is My Patriotism, These are My Values

At the North Carolina State Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Raleigh (NC) on Friday evening, the immense room exploded with energy when Barack Obama walked onto the stage after Hillary Clinton, who had received what observers have described as a far more tepid reception.

"This election is not about rich versus poor, or young versus old or black versus white," he said, as supporters waved thousands of blue Obama campaign signs.  "It's about the past versus the future, and in four days, you can choose to turn the page."

"My story is not possible except in the United States of America.  I would not be here were it not for the fact that somebody, somewhere stood up for me.  And because one person stood up, a few more stood up, and then a thousand stood up, and then a million stood up.  That's why Hillary Clinton can run for President.  That's why I can run for President...because somebody stood up.  And the question now is: Will the Democratic Party stand up for the next generation?  That's my Patriotism.  Those are my Values.  Those are your Values.  That's what we're fighting for in this election."

N. C. Jefferson Jackson Dinner, May 2, 2008

[wpvideo hiINZ4fr w=435]

Barack Obama: This is My Patriotism, These are My Values

Time Magazine's Mark Halperin reported late Saturday that Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks is endorsing Barack Obama for President.  The acclaimed actor and activist, who previously had given money to both the Obama and Clinton presidential campaigns, posted a compelling video on his MySpace page explaining his choice.  The video is presented for you below:

[wpvideo kbBvQ8s4 w=435]

Acclaimed Actor Tom Hanks Endorses Senator Barack Obama

For a second time last week, Obama played basketball in front of the television cameras, but this time it was with the big boys.  Despite having held a late night campaign rally, Obama was up bright and early before 7:00 a.m., arriving at one of the hallowed grounds of college basketball, the home of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.  Obama headed to the court for a quick morning game, a five-on-five warm-up with the University of North Carolina basketball team.

[wpvideo xPGg2kXB w=435]

Shooting Hoops: Basketball with the UNC Basketball Team

Technorati: Barack Obama, Obama, African-American, Black, Obama's N. C. Jefferson-Jackson Speech, N. C. Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, values, Obama's values, Obama's patriotism, patriotism, Obama plays basketball with UNC basketball team, Obama plays basketball, UNC basketball team, UNC basketball, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, North Carolina, North Carolina Democratic primary, North Carolina Primary, celebrities, photographs, photography, Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks endorses Obama, video, videos, entertainment, multimedia, culture, cultural, gay, GLBT, politics, political, 2008 Election, social, social life, society, news, political news, world news, world

Please Remember Me and Bookmark This:

Sylvia Hatchell listened to South Carolina and decided to stay in Chapel Hill.

From ACC Now:

"After several conversations with [UNC athletic director Dick] Baddour, I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration," she said in a statement. "North Carolina is my home and I convinced that the support is here for us to continue as one of the top programs in the country.

Allow me to translate.

After several conversations with [UNC athletic director Dick] Baddour during which he piled several stacks of $100 bills on the table I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration"

Okay, perhaps that is a bit cynical.  After all there are plenty of reasons to stay at UNC not the least of which is UNC is not South Carolina.

And can we please take a moment to note that for as much grief as the message board and I have given Dick Baddour over the hiring situations in the past for football and basketball, he very much seems to have worked past that and this athletic department is one the strongest in the country top to bottom.  Not only is UNC a power in baseball and both basketball teams but also in all the other sports we generally do not pay much attention to during the year.  There are high hopes football can get back on track under Butch Davis and in general the UNC athletic department continues to win across the board and bring in money hand over fist.  When you compare that to the way Lee Fowler is running the NCSU athletic department marked by only a smattering of ACC titles, none in the major sports, you quickly realize that after a rough start with the Bunting and Torbush hires and the Doherty era, Baddour has found his legs and the good ship Tar Heel is sailing full steam ahead.

At one point during the UNC scrimmage with Democract Senator Barack Obama, Roy Williams was hear saying:

"You've left the next president of the United States wide open..."

This rather positive statement led to a clarification from UNC stating that Roy was not endorsing Obama by referring to him as the next president nor was Roy endorsing anyone.

This leads to an interesting question.  Was the Obama visit a positive or negative for UNC, especially as it pertains to recruiting?  Regardless of your politics, you have to acknowledge that it was a positive for the players to meet someone running for President.  However, given the divisive nature of politics coupled with the strong feelings people have about their political allegiances you have to wonder if there was any impact at all in terms of recruiting?

It was suggested by commenters on other blogs that UNC and Roy could use this as part of the recruiting pitch and therefore the NCAA should have been more interested in what happened since it clearly affords UNC an advantage.  I tend to think of recruiting in simpler terms and believe there are four or five areas that really matter to a recruit, whether Obama or Hilary Clinton or John  McCain visited with the team would not be on the list.  In fact I would argue you stand more of a chance of alienating a player's parents with something like this than you do attracting anyone.  This probably explains the clarification from UNC on Wednesday.

Roy Williams, in running the UNC basketball program, has a vested interest in being as neutral as possible in areas of politics.  Dean Smith took a different track on this and showed more of his political stripes while on the job at UNC but Roy strikes me as someone less inclined to be active in this arena.  His thinking on the topic might be similar to that of Michael Jordan who, when asked to advocate for Harvey Gantt in his bid to win the US senate seat in NC from Jesse Helms, replied, "Republicans buy sneakers too." It also might be that Roy just does not care about politics.  However, he obviously thought it was important to make sure no one took what he said as an endorsement, just to avoid any misunderstandings.

In the end I doubt it matters.  Players and their parents care about a lot of things: playing time, role models, winning, prep for the NBA, etc.  I am sure there are a few out there who would not be as willing to Roy because he was hanging out with Obama.  However, it is not like Roy is suffering for recruits so I am pretty sure it does not matter.

Despite being #1 in the RPI, the ACC only had four teams in the NCAA Tournament.  This concerns the league ADs to the point they are discussing expanding the basketball schedule to 18 games.

According to Jerry Palm of CollegeRPI.com it will actually hurt the league RPI since it lowers the overall record of the league. It also should be noted that since the league is seen as weak right now, two more games within conference is not going to bolster the NCAA case much.

Seth Greenberg, who is pretty much desperate to do something as long as it gets his team off the bubble thinks the coaches need an open mind on the issue despite the fact they all opposed it last year when it was broached.  I think the chances of Roy and K agreeing to this are between slim and none which probably stands to effectively kill it.

Speaking for myself, I am a traditionalist and would love to see a full round robin but there is no way they are going to switch to a 22 game conference schedule.  I am also not sure adding to more games, while closer to the round robin, is worth it.

Then again if they could simply have UNC play the other seven 1980s ACC schools twice and only have the Heels play BC, Miami, VT and FSU once each then I would be all for the ACC expanding to 18 games.

-william

Yeah, I know...via the commenter Olivia:  Tyler takes his turn.

Also, according commenter Bill not only did Bobby and Tyler make the leap but so did Marcus Ginyard.  The guys worked hard and had a heck of a season.  Have fun while you can.

An NCAA spokesman has stated that UNC did not violate NCAA rules by having Roy Williams watch the informal pickup game with Presidential hopeful Barack Obama.  Under NCAA rules, Roy watching the players play outside of the season is not allowed(except for limited instructions periods) nor is any sort of "athletically related activities outside the playing season" during the exams.

The scrimmage on Tuesday morning obviously could be seen as running afoul of both rules.  The NCAA has said this is "not an NCAA issue" and considered it a special situation.  UNC has said Roy was aware of the rule but considering Obama was there and the Secret Service was present he saw fit to be there to make sure things went smoothly.

Even beyond that I would venture to say that the event itself does not happen except Obama wanted it to for obvious PR reasons.  The intent of the rule is to prevent coaches from scrimmaging his team at will and in the case of exams to allow the athletes to focus on their tests.  In this case, Roy watching his team in an informal pickup game with a 46 year old Presidential candidate participating hardly seems like anything that serves as an advantage to UNC and wouldn't interacting with a man running for President fall right in with the educational aspects the NCAA is always focusing on?

The fact the NCAA dismissed it still won't stop ABCers from getting their panties in a wad over this.

Click Picture to Enlarge

The guy jumping off the balcony of the frat house into the pool is Bobby Frasor.  Yes, that Bobby Frasor. The same Bobby Frasor, who on December 27, 2007 fell awkwardly during the game against Nevada and did unholy things to his left knee.  The same Bobby Frasor who now bears a four inch scar on that left knee as a result of the surgery required to repair his shredded ACL.  The same Bobby Frasor who, if Ty Lawson goes pro, will be the starting point guard and will also be only one of two point guards on the roster(the other being a freshman.)

I am glad to see the rehab is going so well but WHAT IN THE NAME OF DEAN SMITH ARE YOU DOING LEAPING OFF A BALCONY INTO A SWIMMING POOL!!!!!!!

*Ahem*

If you look at the right side of the balcony you will see Tyler Hansbrough standing there wearing a grey shirt.  Tyler is not watching his teammate make such a risky jump, he seems to be pretty enthralled with the attractive young lady standing in front of him.  These festivities took place on Friday afternoon, the same day Tyler announced he was returning to UNC for his senior season.  Friday was apparently a very good day for Tyler.

Is it November yet?  And I am not talking about the election.

Ty Lawson

Draft Express Mock Draft: 29th pick overall
Draft Expresss Position Ranking: #5 among PGs

Ty Lawson in all likelihood would be in the 25-30 range if he chooses to stay in this draft.  The PG ranking actually surprised me since he is slotted above Mario Chalmers of Kansas who is sixth.  Lawson is facing a handful of questions.  The first is whether the ankle is good enough to really show his skills and when I say really show his skills I am talking about this right here:

Granted that came against a mid-major team but you can see what Lawson brings to the table.  The question is whether he can do that in Orlando with the ankle still healing.  The second question is whether he wants to make a low first round salary now or a higher first round salary next season.  There is obviously risk in returning but if it is a question of money and how much, he might opt to return.  The final question is whether or not he considers being drafted by a current playoff contender is better than going to a team with present struggles.  If Lawson feels he can make an easier transition to the league playing for an established team which has a cache of experienced players to work with and a good coaching staff then he might be content to make the jump now rather than "risk" being drafted into a bad situation.  The flip side to that is playing time and having an opportunity to make an impact which helps you in terms of your more lucrative 2nd contract.  Playing for a developing team would yield more playing time and possibly more production that can be used to secure a better pay day down the line.

Wayne Ellington

Draft Express Mock Draft: 40th pick overall(10th of the 2nd round)
Draft Expresss Position Ranking: #7 among SGs

The conventional wisdom upfront is that Ellington should return since he is most likely stuck in the 2nd round in this very deep draft.  It really does not move much beyond that.  No one questions his ability to shoot the basketball but they have issues with his size and his ability to score or create his own shot.  Ellington is not a strong player and his ability to drive the lane and score under duress is not anything to write home about.  That being said he is close enough to the first round to have legitimate hope he can raise his stock by having a great camp in Orlando.  The issue is it would have to be a really good game, probably beyond what we have seen so far at UNC.  I just do not see that happening and he is obviously better off simply gleaning the experience and some ideas on how to improve his game before heading on back to Chapel Hill.

Danny Green

Draft Express Mock Draft: NOT LISTED
Draft Expresss Position Ranking: #10 among SFs

The Draft Express Mock Draft does not list Danny Green in either the first or second round.

Let that sink in for a moment.

This fact alone is why Roy probably told Green and his outspoken father to shelve the NBA idea for this season because it really does not matter if he declares, there is a possibility he might not be drafted.  Apparently Green and his father are more inclined to find this out the hard way.  When you look at the current mock, the problem is there are very few players with Green's size being drafted at all much less in the 1st round, especially when you are talking about SG/SF.  OJ Mayo is 6-5 and listed at #5 as a PG/SG combo and you have to go all the way down to #28 to find the next player that fits Green's mold in the form of Courtney Lee from Western Kentucky.  In between you have Chris Douglas-Roberts(Memphis), Brandon Rush(KU), and Chase Budinger(AZ) listed as a SG/SF combo but they all three happen to be two inches taller.

Green's stock is not just bad, it is almost non-existent despite ESPN.com's Chad Forde sniffing glue and saying Green might work his way into the 1st round.  Really?  He also might not get invited to Orlando which means he has zero chance of getting into the first round.  Now understand I am not bashing the decision to test the draft and see how he stacks, I am simply painting a picture of how far down he is in the minds of most experts.  In fact Anxious Tar Heel does a nice job of comparing Danny Green to two previous ACC prospects, D.J. Strawberry and Reyshawn Terry and how they fared from being at the bottom of the 2nd round:

DraftExpress has Danny ranked as the #10 small forward prospect in the draft, which, considering the depth of this year's prospects (sharks) would place him, I believe, near the bottom of the second round.

Let's look at two players who were picked near the bottom of the second round in 2007 and see where they are now.

DJ Strawberry (6'5"/201 from Maryland)
Picked 59th by the Suns, Strawberry managed to sign a two-year $1.4 million contract with them before being reassigned to the NBADL in December of that year. In January, 2008, he was called back up to Phoenix. He plays 8 minutes a game and averages 2 points. This is a success story for low second round picks, and DJs athletic ability is what allowed him to get even this far, as he was tested as the best athlete overall in last year's pre-draft camp in Orlando. NBADraft.net rated DJ an 89 out of 100 prior to the draft. Only the first year of Strawberry's contract is guaranteed, or about $430,000.

Reyshawn Terry (6'8"/232 from, well, you know)
Reyshawn was drafted 44th by the Magic, and then traded that day to the Mavericks. Never making the Dallas roster, Terry now plays for Basket Aris in Greece, averaging 9 points and 5 boards. The Mavs still hold Terry's NBA rights should they be interested in signing him in the future. NBADraft.net also rated Reyshawn an 89. Based on Euroleague salaries, it would be consistent for Reyshawn to be making $300,000 this season.

Both of these players are more athletic than Danny at this point in time, and were better prospects coming out of college than Danny as well.

The point is Danny Green is fine to use this time out as an experience and more power to him as he tries to make himself a better player. My biggest fear is he will have limited opportunities to workout for teams or he will not see that much movement which will lead to a statement from Danny Green, Sr saying they feel they need an agent to really bolster Green's propsect and that will be all she wrote for his college career.  It might not happen but I would not be shocked if it did.

As I said in reference to Lawson and Ellington, if they return and are motivated to get better it only makes UNC better as long as what they do is executed within the system.  The bottom line is in Green and Ellington's case they really should be looking at this purely from the perspective of getting an idea of where they stand and gaining some experience in the process.  Ellington could sneak up but I think that is really unlikely whereas Green just does not strike me as being able to climb the ladder quick enough to justify leaving.  With Lawson, it boils down to choices based on the money and his desire to play in the NBA now or do one more year of college.

Only another six weeks to think about it folks.

Roy Williams:

North Carolina coach Roy Williams said Sunday he was not surprised by junior Danny Green’s decision to enter his name into the NBA Draft. Green will not hire an agent.

“We’d been talking about it for three weeks, so I’d say no," Williams said during UNC’s baseball game against Florida State at the USA Baseball Training Complex.

Williams said Wednesday that Green, UNC’s sixth man last season, had not been part of his process of contacting NBA teams to see where his underclassmen might be drafted if they put their names in.

Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington were going through that process at the time.

Asked Sunday why Green hadn’t gone through that process, Williams said: “Just because it sounds like something doesn’t mean it’s true; Danny and I have been talking about it for three weeks; everything doesn’t need to shared. He and I have been talking about it for three weeks, his dad and I have been been talking, and I had been talking to the other teams about it.

--

“I think there’s some good things about it," he said. “I think possibly some youngsters could do that when it wasn’t a realistic approach. I don’t think that’s any of our guys, because I think they do have some possibilities, so I have mixed emotions about it. And also, I think the rule is so new ... we’ll just have to wait and find out and see what it looks like after this.”

In the meantime, UNC will continue to have a role in the threesome’s futures.

“We’re the only people who can set up the workouts, so we’ll do everything. We’ll first of all try to see about getting them in the pre-draft camp in Lake Buena Vista ... so we’ll try to get them set up there, and then after that, there’s a window of about two weeks [where they can set up individual workouts].

Danny Green, Sr.

"Playing in the NBA has been Danny's dream for a long, long time,'' Danny Green Sr. said in a phone interview. "Most of his class, the Class of 2005, is already playing in the NBA -- so why not see where he stands?"

Green joins sophomore teammates Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington as the first players coached by Williams to "test the waters." Difference is, Williams contacted 18 NBA teams to gather information for the latter two.

Asked Wednesday by The News & Observer if Green was a part of that process, Williams said, "no." A team spokesman confirmed it again Saturday.

Green Sr. said that his son did mention the NBA to Williams during the coach's usual end-of-season one-on-one player meetings, when they also talked about the player's strengths, weaknesses and what he needed to improve for the next season. Green Sr. said he also talked to Williams within the last couple of days to discuss declaring for the draft.

But Green Sr. was not clear about why his son had not been part of the more comprehensive process that Williams had gone through with the two sophomores and junior Tyler Hansbrough (who chose to return for his senior season). Green Jr. was not available for comment.

"Roy was thinking it was a certainty that Danny was coming back," Green Sr. said. "But we felt it wasn't a bad decision for him to go through the process and not hire an agent. ... [Danny] was one of the top sixth men in the country this year, came up big in the end when the team needed him too ... let him compete [against other pro prospects] and see where he stands."

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"I've told him, 'I've still got to go to work and pay the bills, no matter what you do,' " Green Sr. said. "He's worked his behind off to play at Carolina, to play for Roy Williams ... and every player at Carolina has those dreams to play in the NBA. If he has a chance to realize his goals, why not? If it doesn't work out this summer, he can return to Carolina ... and that's not a bad scenario."

Two things before I address the statements.

1. Not to beat the StickerGate horse anymore but do any of those "Roy is disloyal" folks want to comment on his well documented and consistent support of other teams at UNC?  It is well know Roy loves to attend UNC baseball games and there he was again today as the Heels won series from FSU this weekend in a battle of nationally top three teams.  Seems to me that says more about the man than what he did in San Antonio.  And it is nice he actually supports the other programs at his school unlike a certain coach in Durham.

2. The article containing the Green, Sr quotes goes into quite a bit of depth on Green's draft status and it is not good.  In fact he might not even be drafted according to analyst Chris Monter who the N&O talked to about Green's situation. Monter also said that Green entering into the draft process might be for naught since it is possible he could be excluded from the all important pre-draft camp in Orlando.  I find this telling, more on that in a minute.

The statements are mostly consistent since both Green, Sr. and Roy say Green discussed the possibility of declaring with Roy and Roy also talked to Green, Sr. about it.  The two statements I find interesting are Green, Sr saying Roy thought for certain Green was returning and Roy saying he was not surprised by the decision adding that simply because something appears one way does not mean that is the case. Obviously a bit of a contradiction raising the idea that a discussion was had and Roy thought the decision was made one way and it ended up going the other.  As for Roy not being surprised, that could simply be him not trying to look like he has no idea what his happening with his players.

Taking those two statements together I think this is what has actually happened here.  I think Green and his father did discuss the declaring for the draft with Roy and he told them he would make some inquiries.  I think Roy did do some checking on it and ended up telling Green and his father basically what Monter said above and that is his status is so low "testing the waters" is a pointless activity from the perspective of improving his stock.  Now as I have stated before, I think going through the process is a good move, even if you only do it for the experience.  That being said, based on what Roy has said and how UNC operates their pre-draft analysis for their players, entering the draft for the heck of it does not appear to be something Roy agrees with.  In fact I am pretty sure he believes the information gathering they do is more the enough for the players to make a final decision on the matter and not test the process to see if things get better.  In Green's case I honestly think based on the manner Roy talked about it and the fact Green, Sr indicated Roy thought Green's return was certain leads me to believe that Roy advised against "testing the waters" simply because there was nothing to gain from it other than experience(which Roy does not consider necessary.) Green or rather Green, Sr decided to do it anyway so here we are.

I am also taking the other statements by Green, Sr, such as doing it because the rest of his high school class is in the NBA already and the sort of "well why not" attitude lends itself to the interpretation that this was outside the scope of what Roy was really looking at.  And yes, I have read enough Roy Williams statements to know when he is covering up a rough patch and that is how his statement on Sunday feels.  Especially the whole "everything doesn't need to be shared" line.

Now, what's done is done and if Green is serious about heading to the NBA then he will make the decision to return fairly quickly after the draft camp(assuming he is invited) since his best bet is to go pro next season when his stock will be higher from a stellar senior season and the draft will be weaker.  From my perspective I think getting the experience is a good idea but only if the players takes the advice to heed and makes a good decision with it.  Hopefully Green does that and this is all heading towards all thee current UNC draft testers returning to kick some serious rear end on the way to a potential national title

"Danny and his father contacted me in the last 24 hours and indicated they wished to test the waters and enter Danny in the draft," says head coach Roy Williams. "We have done the necessary paperwork to do that."

Now you are looking at real problems since he was the safety net to losing Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson.

Okay, I think this might be a huge issue because I think it points to broken relationship between Green and his family and the UNC staff. Remember Roy said late in the week that Green was not looking at going and dismissed the DraftExpress report out of hand. Obviously he was not informed of Green's intentions and you have to wonder if (1) he asked Green prior to making the statement and was told it was not true or (2) he never talked to Green and dismissed the report when he asked on an assumption.

Another question is whether this pisses Roy off that he denied the report and then was basically undercut by Green and his father forcing him to make a statement today about. Anyway it goes, I am not sure it bodes well for Green to return. The pressures Green probably feels from his family given his father's situation are tough but at the same time it has been documented that Green's father has been discontent with the playing time his son has gotten.

UNC fans should line their calendars up now because barring unforseen circumstances something special is coming in November and can be seen in local arenas possibly into April. In these days of earlier NBA defections, Tyler Hansbrough will do something simply unheard of, return to for his senior season after accomplishing so much individually. A perfect storm of dominant college skill that does not quite translate to the NBA has made this possible and as a Tar Heel fan I am thrilled at the chance to witness it.

It is rare enough to have that once in a few decades type of player and now even more so for that player to remain all four years. Looking back at UNC history I would think Phil Ford finishing his UNC career as the all time leading scorer and NPOY is the last time Tar Heel fans witnessed that special senior season. Yes there have been three other Heels who have had their jersey retired but in all three cases they left as juniors for the NBA and in many ways the fans were robbed of seeing them play one more time once their greatness was known.

The aspect of Hansbrough's return that will be compelling is the fact he is already at the pinnacle among the greatest of Tar Heel players. Hansbrough already has the NPOY awards necessary to place his jersey on the front row. His stats are an incredible testimony to his skill and dominance on the court. In most cases players need the full four years to truly establish their greatness or as inidcated above they reach it then head to the NBA. No so this time and the benefit for we, the fans, is seeing him play one more season of games knowing Hansbrogh is one of greatest Tar Heel players ever. We are afforded a farewell tour of sorts from Hansbrough and we understand that the sheer nature of this being his final season could mean something special might happen. Records will fall but beyond that the one thing that would truly set him apart is to own the records and a national title ring.

This kind of season, should it end up in the Final Four come next April, is a story CBS will find almost too good to be true. A player like Hansbrough making a return trip to the Final Four with one last chance to attain the greatest prize his sport has to offer is gold for the media. For the fan it will simply be a incredible moment that has its odds of success increased dramatically should Lawson and Ellington return. Even if they do not, is it possible that Hansbrough could put this team on his back and carry them to the title he covets so much?

Anything is possible and regardless of how it ends up, UNC fans will be be treated to something they may never happen again. His place is not in question and by the seventh or eighth game of the season Hansbrough's statistical prowess will be unmatched. Having Hansbrough return and play his senior season will be like watching a living legend take the court in a four months plus encore performance.

And we are very fortunate to be along for the journey.