Another day, another predictable outcome. North Carolina's romp over Michigan State in the NCAA championship could have been seen from miles away. But miles away, in sunny Norman, Oklahoma, they had a no-brainer of their own. OU standout Blake Griffin announced his plan to declare for the NBA Draft this summer in a press conference this afternoon.
Fans of hapless NBA teams have been hinging their optimism on seeing their franchise land the No. 1 overall pick, which many say was going to be the Blake Griffin Sweepstakes. And now it's official.
OU basketball coach (and hairstyle copycat) Jeff Capel said in a press conference today that this decision is the right one, and knew when he recruited him that "he wasn't going to be a four-year guy." No question about it, that's accurate.
After all, what else is left for Griffin to accomplish, except a national championship? The Associated Press gave him the all-too-shiny "College Basketball Player Of The Year" award, which will look all professional and newspapery next to the Naismith Trophy he also snapped up this year. All of it was because the 6'10", 250-pound sophomore averaged 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds. As if that wasn't enough of a coming out party, he led the NCAA tournament in scoring average with 28.5 points over four games.
The Wizards, Kings, and Clippers, representing the NBA's triad of failure, are the most likely destinations for Griffin. The NBA Draft Lottery is on May 19, which will probably be the day the aura of common sense will know what color Griffin's jersey will be in the 2009-10 season.
Article comments
1 - gabe
i really hope the kings win the lottery so they can get this guy. griffin really is the cant miss player in this year's draft. it doesnt matter what your team needs, this guy is too good to pass on. kings' biggest hole is point guard, but with a potential number one overall draft pick, you take the best available talent.