Which Carolina player is gone?

[Huh?]

If JJ isn't playing, Ellington can forget it.

[CDu]

You are talking about two of the best shooters in the NBA in the last 20 years or so (not the Steve Kerr "if there is nobody near me I can make it from anywhere" kind of shooter) in Rip and Ray. I haven't seen anything from Ellington to put him in that strata.

There are a lot of different ways to get shots off in the NBA, height, elevation and quickness chief among them. I don't see Ellington excelling at the next level right away, but I could see him developing a really quick release with good elevation - much like Ray Allen. Will he ever shoot like Ray Allen? Nope. If you will call Ray Felton a poor man's Chris Paul, I guess I could give you Ellington as a poor man's Ray Allen.

Yes, and those two players are among the best players in the NBA. Just because Ellington may not be as good a shooter as those guys (right now) doesn't mean he won't play a similar type of game. He could be a (potentially very) poor man's version of Ray Allen, playing the same style but much less effectively.

Also, I wouldn't go so far as to completely rule out the possibility that Ellington can hone his shot to the point that he's in Allen's territory. Is it likely? No. But it is possible. Ellington could make the adjustments that he hasn't had to make in college once he gets to the next level, and focus on specific moves/skills to make them effective in the NBA style of play.

[IStillHateJimBain]

Have any of these guys been blowing off classes or mailing it in? That's usually a pretty good indicator.

[Franzez]

My Predictions:
Tyler Hansbrough returns for his Sr. season mainly because his draft stock isnt going to improve into the teens this year,and because next year's weak draft class complimented with another good POY season by him could get him into the lottery anywhere between 8-12.

Wayne Ellington enters the NBA Draft because although he is a crucial member of the team,some of the Mock Drafts I've seen now consider him as a 1st Round Pick in the 20's and because his stock wont get any higher than it is right now after having some good performances during the season and postseason,also his age brings up potential for him because NBA teams will draft him higher at age 20 than they will at age 22 because of Potential.I think his status though will be influenced by Ty Lawson because if Lawson declares,Ellington can get more shots but if Lawson returns Ellington's minitues will probably be cut to give playing time to Larry Drew,Marcus Ginyard,and Danny Green at the SG position.

Ty Lawson will most likely test the waters and wait to see how this PG class shakes out because if he enters too early and a lot of other quality PG's enter he could be costing himself a lot of draft position.He'll likely declare early and wait for guys such as Derrick Rose,DJ Augustin,Darren Collison,Johnny Flynn,Jamont Gordon,Mario Chalmers,Sherron Collins,and Lester Hudson to officially announce their plans for next season.If at the most 3 of these PG's listed declares for the NBA Draft,Lawson will probably stay in but if at the least 5 of these guys listed above enters Lawson should return for his Jr. season.

Danny Green has the size,and strength to be a solid swingman in the NBA and I think its very possible he could delcare for the Draft because of family issues in which apparently his father recently was released from Prison.Green at this point depending on how the draft class shakes out could impress a team enough to earn himself a gurantee in the late 1st Round or early 2nd Round.

The wildcard in this entire thing which I havent read to see if it's even been discussed is Deon Thompson who is between a rock and a hard place in Carolina's lineup next season being that Carolina is bringing in 2 McDonald's All-Americans in the front court in Ed Davis who's a SF/PF and Tyler Zeller who's a C but even if he somehow keeps his roster spot hes got the 6'10 Wear twins and 6'10 John Henson coming in 2009 to completely remove him from any rotation.Thompson has good size at 6'9 245 but if he can go to a draft camp and show some atleticism and show some ability he could get a selection in the 2nd Round as a Carl Landry type of player.

[Chitowndevil]

I'd bet a good amount of money that Hansbrough is gone. His draft stock is not going to get any higher, and as several others have pointed out in this thread he's already pretty old by NBA rookie standards. Besides, the skills he needs to work on for the NBA, primarily a 12-17 foot jump shot and guarding the 3 position, aren't things he's generally going to get to work on in game situations in college.

Lawson could go either way. If his ankle is 100% he's good enough to play. But this year's draft is loaded at PG: no way he is going ahead of Rose, Bayless, Augustin, Collison, Westbrook, or Chalmers. I anticipate both Lawson and Ellington will be back.

[whereinthehellami]

Ellington's shooting would be a big loss for the heeels if he does go pro. They got plenty of size but are somewhat thin in the shooting deparment. They got a PG and two bigs guys coming in next year. No shooters.

[CDu]

Lawson: I think Lawson will be better served staying at Carolina, but I don't know if he will or not. The Kansas game showed a lot of Lawson's limitations. If you keep him from running straight to the rim, he's just not very effective. He's not a great passer and has little half-court offense. His game is predicated on outrunning defenders who either lack the athleticism or the preparedness to stay with him. While people knock the NBA and say there's no defense (which is an incorrect assessment, I think), the players are much more athletic, much taller on average, and much more prepared to stop transition. Because of the size and athleticism in the NBA, there are very few teams who can run-and-gun. And given that Lawson isn't a strong half-court player, the half-court game in the NBA doesn't bode well. It doesn't help that Rose, Bayless, Eric Gordon, and others may jump to the NBA and would rank ahead of Lawson in the draft. That all said, players make decisions for reasons other than draft stock all the time, so who knows?

Ellington: He has a niche that he might be able to match up with a team in the draft. And the feeling I get (note: this is like fifth/sixth hand and should not be given much weight) is that he wants to go pro. Again, players make decisions for strange reasons, so who knows?

Hansbrough: He's certainly a first-round pick if he goes. The question is whether he's a lottery pick. Among post players, he's probably behind Beasley, Love, Lopez, and maybe others, depending upon how many teams are concerned by his lack of size and the fact that he plays below the rim. And financially, he doesn't NEED to leave. I think his decision may hinge on the decisions of the other two above him. If they go, then the backcourt could be kind of thin next year (Frasor, Ginyard, Drew, Green?, Graves), making it less likely that he'd get another championship chance. If they stay, then he has a shot at a national championship and a decent chance to break the ACC scoring record.

Green: He's got an NBA body and NBA athleticism. Despite being the least accomplished of the "big four," he probably has the most draft "upside." The question will be whether he'll try to pull a Corey Maggette and go based on potential, or whether he'll come back and play his game.

Thompson: I don't see draft prospects for him currently. But if Hansbrough doesn't leave, there's going to be a HUGE minutes crunch inside. Hansbrough, Thompson, Stepheson, Davis, and Zeller. It could create the consideration of a transfer for him. Given that he's a California boy, he might ponder the idea.

Stepheson: Ditto all of the Thompson comments for Stepheson.

[kmspeaks]

Tyler = Matt Leinart??

There are a lot of similarities between the two although Leinart did win a national championship. Maybe Tyler just loves being in school and wants to be a kid a little while longer.

[freedevil]

I wonder how much Frasor's ACL injury will, if at all, factor in to these kids' decisions. UNC had been pretty immune from the injury bug for a few years there (McCants and May being the ones I can remember having minor injuries).

[Franzez]

Ellington's shooting would be a big loss for the heeels if he does go pro. They got plenty of size but are somewhat thin in the shooting deparment. They got a PG and two bigs guys coming in next year. No shooters.

Larry Drew is a shooter.

He reminds me of Dominic James from Marquette with a better release.

[sandinmyshoes]

Drew won the McDonald's three point shooting contest. But he is a small guy, so getting off a shot against a defense might be an issue.

Also, for whatever it is worth, it looks like nbadraft.net has all the UNC players off the board now. Don't know why or how reliable that site is, although I do know some people who think it's the best of that type.

[hc5duke]

Tyler = Matt Leinart??

There are a lot of similarities between the two although Leinart did win a national championship. Maybe Tyler just loves being in school and wants to be a kid a little while longer.

I actually compared TH to Chris Weinke a while back. Leinart was 22 when he was drafted, which I think isn't really that old for an NFL rookie, whereas Weinke was 28.

[Huh?]

Do NBA players play ping pong daily?

[OZ]

Do NBA players play ping pong daily?

No; they have to study.

[RelativeWays]

Hansbrough is gone. Ben Hansbrough that is. He's transferring from Miss St. Why? Didn't he start for them and hes just a sophmore right?

[brevity]

Hansbrough is gone. Ben Hansbrough that is. He's transferring from Miss St. Why? Didn't he start for them and hes just a sophmore right?

Here's a link.

I can't help thinking he'll go to UNC just to torture us with a couple more years of that deer-in-headlights stare.

[Salty Breezes]

Maybe it's just me, but if I've got three players on the fence about next year, I sure don't put a sticker of the team that just whooped us on my shirt on national TV.

God bless Roy Williams -- I couldn't ask for a better rival head coach. Gary was always fun to hate, Dean was annoying (and annoyingly good), but Roy, with his uncanny ability to rankle his own fans, is my favorite foil ever.

Here's hoping the 'holes are hopping mad at the Ol' boy today; I hope they hear it in every class (if they go to class).

[TheDuke11]

looks like ty, ellington and hans have fallen off a few of the ole mock drafts like nba draft.net.
i'm hearing that ty is projected as a late 1st rounder, ellington as an early 2nd rounder and hans as a mid/late 1st rounder right now.

[JasonEvans]

If JJ isn't playing, Ellington can forget it.

Right, because they are identical players. It is not like Ellington is quicker or has longer arms or better athleticism than JJ.



--Jason "also, JJ's career is far from over-- he'll be a significant player for Orlando or someone in the next year or two-- trust me" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Larry Drew is a shooter.

He reminds me of Dominic James from Marquette with a better release.

Really? Everything you read about the kid is that he is a pass-first, score-second type of player and that he is not much of a shooter in games. Yeah, he won a 3-point shooting contest but that has very little to do with how he will perofrm in games.

James createed his own shot by getting into the lane and pulling up for jumpers. I really don't think that is Larry Drew's game -- though I have not seen him play yet so I could be wrong.

--Jason "I think Drew is gonna be a solid but hardly spectacular player at UNC and may not be a starter at any point in his career" Evans