Kleeman's Last Word

UT's Abrams does the right thing--other NBA hopefuls should follow

A.J. Abrams will forgo the NBA Draft and return to the Texas Longhorns, he announced Monday.

The senior guard merely made public what he already decided the day he entered.

Where was teammate D.J. Augustin, and for that matter, the rest of the prospective draft class with no hope of making an immediate NBA-level impact?

Abrams is a three bomb marksman, and his 284 career treys lead all players in the school's history. He also adeptly comes off of screens to nail open jumpers. However, did the 155 pound shooting guard think he could compete with 215 pounder Baron Davis or blindingly fast Tony Parker?

When he did not hire an agent and told reporters he would "test the waters," it was clear his own answer to that question was 'no.' If so, why enter the draft in the first place?

Too many freshmen, sophomores and other not-ready-for-the-NBA college phenoms ignore this question. Scouts say Abrams would need to play more point guard to enjoy any NBA viability and his 1.5 assists last season suggest he has a mountain to climb in that department.

His skills as a two guard do not fit him for the position at the professional level. He may move well off of screens, but Abrams is not Richard Hamilton.

Similarly, Abrams' teammate Augustin is not Chris Paul. With one more year of college seasoning, Augustin could enter such lofty territory, but not this year, not now.

Too many young players get the wrong idea about a possible NBA career. They strive for money and draft position instead of evaluating how they might fare against a player of their likeness or how they might contribute on a team.

Michael Beasely may turn out a sturdy, All-Star big man, but he will not best Tim Duncan, or even Dwight Howard, anytime soon. Let's get real.

In most draft years, finding 15-20 NBA-ready players is generous. That low number, considering that 100 players may be drafted, also includes players like Tony Parker, who endured years of frustration and pain, to become Gregg Popovich's "stallion" point guard.

It also includes Leandro Barbosa, who was drafted 28th in 2003 for a reason. Few scouts and GMs saw a "Brazilian Blur" in his tiny frame. That player emerged when Steve Nash showed up in Phoenix.

The same stellar 2003 draft class that yielded surprise success stories Josh Howard, Barbosa, Chris Kaman, Kyle Korver and David West also offered Zarko Cabarkapa, Reece Gaines, Ndubi Ebi, Troy Bell and Mike Sweetney. It would not surprise me to see the latter five serving burgers at a fast food joint. Sweetney certainly has been to more than a few burger joints in his non-career.

LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony almost instantly became All-Star level producers. Darko Milicic still has a chance to turn his 'draft flop' career around.

Most draft years, including this one, feature no sure-fire stars and a lot of questionable players with too many questions to answer.

Abrams accomplished little in testing the NBA market. He didn't need NBA scouts or workouts to tell him what he already knew. He needs to bulk up, improve his defense and get the point. A return to the Austin campus will allow him to develop those things and others.

He will know in a year or two if he can produce at the NBA level. Had Augustin returned, he would provide the missing piece to a national championship contender.

If a team picks Augustin in the top 20, and many believe he is the second best point guard behind Derrick Rose, he will struggle to earn minutes and will likely taste a D-League stint.

D-League relegation and a questionable draft spot versus a probable national championship. What is he thinking?

International players with NBA aspirations have little to lose in heading to the U.S. early. Unless of course, your name is Tiago Splitter and your salary in Europe triples what you could make here.

College players have a crutch: college. If it were up to me, I would tell any player without a national championship or final four appearance who is not a certain top five pick, to skip the early entry. You cannot learn the soul of most basketball players after one or two years in college.

Most of these youngsters think too highly of themselves and end up languishing on the bench because they didn't stay in college and learn the important defensive principles. These disenchanted players had a better option.

Augustin had a better option, too. His former teammate Kevin Durant, despite being the leading scorer on an atrocious Sonics team headed for further dire straits, should not have to worry about playing in the Summer League or the D-League. His talent and his draft position precedes him.

The NBA teams with championship rings in the last decade (at least) were loaded with experienced players who attended most parts of college. Some of the exceptions, Kobe Bryant and perhaps Kevin Garnett, were just that good.

One player that stands out, perhaps the greatest to ever play the game at his position, can teach some balling youngsters a chief lesson. Tim Duncan remained at Wake Forest for four years, and though he never won a national title or led the Demon Deacons to a Final Four appearance, NBA scouts could see he was ready to produce in the pros.

His full, four year college career allowed those in the NBA looking at his draft prospects to get a full picture. Not the ripped, wet and incomplete painting that is both Augustin and Abrams.

We know little about which selections will stumble and which ones will still be playing on an NBA team next January. Too many players in this year's draft with so many questions.

They could have helped the cause by realizing what they already knew.

And following Abrams' lead.

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 2:14 PM