June 11
What is all this bedlam being created over high school players leaving early? Include me in the mix, as I've been screaming that these kids are not ready.

	Orlando forward Tracy McGrady (1) jumped from high school to the NBA in '97 and had a breakout season in 2000-01.

In reality, after thinking about it, this is not a major problem. The college game is going to go on, just like it did in 1995, when Kevin Garnett said bye-bye and went straight to the NBA. The college game survived in '96 when Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal went from high school to the pros. In '97 it was Tracy McGrady; Al Harrington and Rashard Lewis went to the NBA in '98; Jonathan Bender did it in '99 and Darius Miles and DeShawn Stevenson last year.

Look at the numbers: It is not as major as people believe. From 1995-2000, only 13 high schoolers entered the draft and only 11 were drafted out of high school. Of the 11, seven are getting major minutes in the pros: Garnett, Bryant, McGrady, O'Neal, Harrington, Lewis and Miles. Harrington got the fewest of this group, and he played over 1,800 this season!

How much of a dilemma has it been for the high school player? I have been on the record as saying these kids would benefit so much from time in college. I think it would help their maturity for later in life, from ages 30 to 80. But so be it -- their decisions to move on won't rock the house and destroy the college game.

Obviously, many of these high school players have proven they are ready physically. Better than 50 percent have developed into stars at a young age, earning the mega-dollar deals. Yes, there were the Korleone Youngs, Leon Smiths and Ronnie Fields of the world, too.

Think about baseball and hockey. There are hundreds and hundreds of youngsters who come out early and there is no hysteria. The real problem has been players coming out early from college who are simply not ready for the NBA. Many enter their names when they have no shot of making it.

I don't mean this to knock these kids, because they are good people. But they have to look in the mirror and realize that they are being conned by somebody if they think they are ready for life in the NBA.

I'm talking about the likes of Jason Gardner of Arizona. There is no way in the world that he is ready to be on the NBA level. There were times he struggled on the collegiate level. What about Samuel Dalembert of Seton Hall? He's in the draft only because you can't teach size. He didn't utilize his size in a dominant fashion with the Pirates.

Maurice Evans of Texas has to learn about shot selection and playing on the perimeter. Georgia's D.A. Layne could use another year. Bobby Simmons of DePaul didn't have any consistency last year. Kentucky's Keith Bogans has to learn to make a perimeter shot on a regular basis. He has to develop the skill of converting on the foul line.

From 1995-2000, only 11 players were drafted out of high school.

Bogans can drive and penetrate, but wouldn't he be better off with another year at Kentucky? The Wildcats could be a top-five team and a national championship contender with him, now that Tayshaun Prince has intelligently withdrawn from the draft.

What happens is simple: Guys have an ego, and if they don't go out early, they wonder what others will think of them. The players feel that their peers will question how good they really are! Then the ego comes out when they think about withdrawing from the draft. That means they weren't good enough -- and how do you face those peers?

Those players should stop worrying about being macho men. Get real and make a good decision. Many of these kids don't make the right call, instead sitting on the pine, watching their careers rot away. Yes, they are getting a paycheck, but does the short-term decision work out in the long run? Look at my All-Pine Team from last season: Erick Barkley, Joel Przybilla, Donnell Harvey, Michael Redd and William Avery.

Six kids are leaving high school and going to the pros early this year. Are they going to break down the college game? The sport will go on, as exciting as ever. So you won't see Eddy Curry, Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler and company. But let's not panic.

ANOTHER PROBLEM AHEAD
Something that will come up as a problem in the near future is the idea of developmental leagues. College players 20 and older who are struggling in the classroom and want to come out might figure they can take the $30,000 to $40,000 and make it to the NBA later.

It is a scenario to wonder about in the future. But I am not sure this idea will work.

For now, the high schoolers are not the big problem. It is the street agents and representatives who go out and fill the heads of these players, that they will all go in the first round. These people deliver visions of grandeur. When I read quotes of the sudden development of players like Steven Hunter and Gerald Wallace, guys who didn't do zilch on the collegiate level playing in a five-on-five scenario, it makes me wonder.

I get a kick out of all of these evaluations, these one-on-one workouts. Instead of rating players based on their performance during the year, in a game-structured environment, in five-on-five action, it's an individual workout that can prove your value? Come on, get real!

I heard last year that Jerome Moiso looked great in his workout with the Celtics. But Morris Peterson didn't look good in his workouts throughout the NBA. All I know about Peterson, looking at what he did at Michigan State, is he's a gamer. He slipped in the draft, down to 21st overall, because of those workouts. A lot of teams now wish they had taken him.

Now we see the draft is based totally on potential, not on being able to get it done today.

With all of these kids coming out early, how can you tell me a Shane Battier, with his maturity and experience, doesn't rise up?

Look at last year's draft to see how things have changed. You don't see too many immediate-impact players. Mike Miller and Kenyon Martin were the only two members of the 2000 draft class to average double-figures in scoring last season. Miller was the Rookie of the Year. That draft was below mediocrity. Players are strictly taken on potential and last season, 10 of the top 11 picks were early entry choices. Considering those numbers, tell me if they were ready.

Stromile Swift in Vancouver struggled big-time in his rookie season. Miles got some minutes in a losing environment, but showed some potential. Marcus Fizer couldn't find a position on the baseline and struggled in Chicago. Der Marr Johnson wasn't able to provide a spark in Atlanta. Chris Mihm was up-and-down. Jamal Crawford was supposed to be a steal in Chicago but didn't perform. Przybilla and Moiso didn't get off the pine. Keyon Dooling was a top-10 choice as well.

With all of these kids coming out early, how can you tell me a Shane Battier, with his maturity and experience, doesn't rise up? Battier put in four years in tough, pressure situations and responded. If Battier isn't ready more than most of these kids, then I haven't seen a whole lot of basketball. If Battier doesn't go in the top five, there is something wrong. I have to believe he won't get past No. 3 or 4.

My guess is that the No. 1 pick will be Eddie Griffin or Eddy Curry, with the other going No. 2. As I said, it's a draft about potential, baby!