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Morris: Declaring early now the smart move
A chance to be evaluated by the NBA is a too good to pass up
South Carolina forward Dominique Archie
John Bazemore/AP
Posted on 05.12.09
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OK, ADMIT IT. Like me, you laughed when you first heard that South Carolina junior forward Dominique Archie declared himself eligible for early entry into the upcoming NBA draft. The more one looks into it, though, the more it appears Archie made a smart move.
Frankly, it makes too much sense. Over the next month, Archie will get a few tryouts with NBA teams. He will compete against other draft candidates. Then Archie will receive an evaluation of his talents from those NBA teams and return for his senior season at USC.
“Why wouldn’t you do that?” says USC coach Darrin Horn, who encouraged Archie along with fellow junior Devan Downey to enter the draft. “What harm would come from it?
“Honestly, I’ve done a ton of research. I’ve talked to probably half of the NBA teams myself, a lot of general managers. The only negative we can find is, on occasion, if a guy has a bad workout that’s just so bad that one particular team might say, we don’t really want to look at him anymore in the future even if he’s out there next year.
“Other than that, I really haven’t heard that there’s a lot of negatives.”
Neither Archie nor Downey have signed with an agent, which would have made them ineligible for their senior seasons at USC. They have until 5 p.m. on June 15 to remove their names from the draft and return to school.
Both met with Horn following this past season and went over their prospects for being selected in the draft. Every one of the draft boards that project selections has the same scouting report on Archie and Downey. In short, they say both should return to school and improve their status for the 2010 draft.
Still, Horn believes it was worthwhile for both players to gain the experience of the evaluation process. It is why Gary Flowers of Chipola (Fla.) Junior College, D’Mond Grismore of Huston-Tillotson (Texas) University, Kevin Harris of Northwest Mississippi Community College and Martez Walker of Riverside (Calif.) Community College put their names in the NBA draft.
All are among the 70 or more early entrees who want a look-see from NBA teams. All are playing a waiting game to see which teams invite them for a tryout. The tryouts are sanctioned by the NBA and approved by the NCAA. Expenses are paid by the NBA team.
So for no cost, Archie and Downey soon will learn what parts of their games most need improving by this time next year. It is one thing to hear such an evaluation from Horn and his staff — it’s quite another to hear it from NBA folks.
“We can tell them we’ve talked to those guys and here’s what they say,” Horn says. “But the feel of going out there and trying it yourself and maybe getting that actual face-to-face feedback is something that, in some way, helps solidify in their minds where they are.”
What Downey is likely to hear from NBA scouts is that it will be extremely difficult for him to play at that level because he is 5-foot-9. Some teams will not draft a player that size. Others will tell him that one phase of his game must be exceptional for him to play in the NBA.
Archie is likely to be told he needs to become a lockdown defender at more than one position. He also needs to expand his game and incorporate a 15-foot jump shot.
Although not likely, both run the risk of attending tryouts and finding out they are nowhere near being ready for the NBA. There always is a chance that a player’s confidence can be shaken by the experience.
“You fly in, get a workout, play in nice facilities and you get to test yourself,” Horn says. “If nothing else, I’m a really big believer, as an educator, that you have to expose people to things to help them understand and want that. You don’t know that steak is the best if all you’ve ever eaten is hamburger.”
There also is the possibility — however remote — that Downey and Archie could wow NBA scouts and play themselves into first- or second-round picks. That is what happened to Renaldo Balkman, whose on-court energy at tryout camps played well for the New York Knicks, who made him a first-round pick in 2006.
So don’t laugh. It could happen.
Listen to Morris Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. on ESPN Radio 93.1 FM.
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