NEW YORK -- And now for a quick look at how some of the early-entrants fared in the NBA draft.
• Sean Williams had no choice. The former Boston College center was dismissed from the Eagles in January. He had to go in the draft. And the reality is, he probably wouldn't have gone too much higher than he did, which was No. 17 to New Jersey. So in reality, he probably went where he should have and to a team that really needs him.
• Colorado State's Jason Smith wasn't going to go back to school for new coach Tim Miles. He was gone as soon as he was in the first round. Getting into the first round, ending up with Philadelphia (in a trade with Miami) and being selected at No. 20 should be cause for celebration.
• DePaul's Wilson Chandler came out with the expectation that he was going in the first round. The Knicks denied there was a promise to Chandler. But lo and behold, they selected him at No. 23. So in the end, he goes where he wanted and the Knicks end up getting the player that was rumored to be theirs for weeks.
• Daequan Cook was questioned for leaving Ohio State despite not being a major contributor during the NCAA Tournament. Well he may get the last laugh -- or at least be a rich man while chuckling -- since he still landed in the first round, going to Miami in the Sixers' trade for Smith. He did earn points with the Heat and many others for playing in the Orlando pre-draft camp.
• Rodney Stuckey was told he was likely going to Detroit. He wanted to go to the Pistons. And that's where he went, making him quite a happy camper after playing two seasons at Eastern Washington.
• USC junior Gabe Pruitt expected to go in the first round. He didn't. He slid to Boston at No. 32. But he shouldn't fret. The Delonte West move to Seattle means Pruitt will have backup minutes behind point guard Rajon Rondo. So it might have turned out quite well for Pruitt.
• The same is true for Glen Davis. The LSU junior was penciled in as a possible first-round pick. He didn't get there but because of the trade with the Sonics, he went to Boston at No. 35 and gives the Celtics much needed frontcourt depth. The C's wanted to get Davis in for a workout within the last week but couldn't. They were high on him from Day 1. So even though the money isn't automatically guaranteed in the second round, he ends up an initial winner.
• Arizona sophomore Marcus Williams went to San Antonio at No. 33. The problem is he left Arizona with the sole intention of being a first-round pick. It could be good or bad for Williams to be drafted by the Spurs. While it's good for him to go to the champs, the flip side is that he could find it difficult to make the squad.
• Duke's Josh McRoberts got lucky. He went to a team where he knows the star player well (Greg Oden) and could be the perfect sidekick, or as ESPN's Jay Bilas said, a "Robin." And in this case, Oden is clearly Batman. But McRoberts didn't leave Duke after two seasons to the 37th pick.
• Oklahoma State coach Sean Sutton told ESPN.com that he was informed by JamesOn Curry that he was going to Chicago at No. 49. Well, he went to Chicago at No. 51. The Bulls told ESPN.com that they never promised Curry they'd draft him. They like him and invited him up for a workout, and they're the only team that to do that. Still, for Curry's sake, this played out well since the Bulls were the one team willing to give him a chance. Had they passed on him, then the junior guard likely would have been undrafted and sulking Thursday night.
• But don't pity Nevada junior Ramon Sessions. He declared for the draft to get into the second round. That's what he told Nevada coach Mark Fox. Well, he did get in the second round all the way to No. 56 Milwaukee. The good news for Sessions is that the Bucks will need a point guard, especially if they don't resign Mo Williams. So in the end, he may have lucked out as well.
• In the end, all the notable early-entrant players -- including Fresno State junior Dominic McGuire (No. 47), Florida guard Taurean Green (No. 52) and UCLA's Arron Afflalo (No. 27) -- were selected.
• One final note, but not related to the draft. New Mexico State went back to the same well and hired a Louisville assistant in Marvin Menzies. Menzies is a personable coach and is well-connected on the West Coast. But he's the first to admit that he's not Reggie Theus and doesn't possess the same pizzazz Theus had when he went from being a Louisville assistant to the head coaching job at New Mexico State.
The negative part of this hire is that it means Rob Evans didn't get the gig. Evans is a gentleman and a statesman in the game. He was a New Mexico State grad, a former player and a coach. He won at Ole Miss and took Arizona State to the NCAAs before the program slid. He just was hired by John Pelphrey to offer experience at Arkansas. He would have been an excellent choice in helping offset the name hire rival New Mexico made with Steve Alford.
Instead, Menzies will have to get his name out in the state. It can be done, but it won't be easy. It's hard to say Menzies lost out here. Although he should do fine and will be well-received, Evans deserves praise for the way he has handled himself over the years and even in this process, which was quite a disappointment for him since this may have been his last, best chance to be a head coach again.
The Daily Word will return on Monday, July 10.
Andy Katz
