Thanks to a new rule put in place last year, players can declare for the NBA Draft before April 23 and remove their names before the deadline on May 24th while still retaining their college eligibility. The NBA Draft is June 22nd.
Many people were not aware of this rule so when Mitchell, Adel and Johnson put their names in the draft, those same people were not happy saying that none of them are ready for the NBA.
To those people I say, “Who are you to decide if they are ready or not? Are you a NBA scout?” It frustrates me to see Louisville fans talking bad about our kids making a decision that could change their life. The NBA is not the same as it was in the day of a Magic and Bird. Now teams draft kids on potential rather than if they are ready right now. That is also why they implemented the D league. The D stands for developmental in case you were unaware.
Also, that rule change was put into place so upper level college players could compete with other upper level players during the offseason in front of NBA teams in hopes to gauge if they are ready to try the NBA waters and if not they can return to college with some great experience. This prevents some kids from being in the situation of giving up college eligibility and then not getting drafted leaving them with no options other than trying to play over seas.
What we know for sure is that Donovan Mitchell has hired an agent and cannot return to Louisville. He is projected as high as 12th and as low as 27th in the mock drafts. The majority of the mock drafts have him getting drafted right around the 20th pick. If he had decided to return to Louisville it would have been to work on his game at the point guard position because that is the position he will play in the NBA. This could have been a problem because Q is currently our point guard with Darius Perry waiting in the wings to assume that spot. Losing Donovan hurts a little but it’s not a devastating blow.
Adel and Johnson are currently both still in the draft but neither have hired an agent leaving the door open for a return to Louisville. There has not been much coming from the Adel camp and most “experts” say he will return to school. Johnson, on the other hand, has surprisingly stated he intends to hire an agent and keep his name in the draft. However, a local radio personality tweeted out this past weekend that Johnson has not hired an agent and could possibly return to Louisville. His mother told other personalities at that same radio station that his intentions are to hire an agent. I guess we will just wait and see what happens on May 24th.
***EDITORS NOTE***
I spoke with Jaylen & his mom earlier this week & the plan is still to go pro. -JW
No matter if just 1 or all 3 leave, I still have faith in Pitino to rally the team for another great year. But if somehow 2 of the 3 decide to return this could be a very special year. It’s always fun to be a Cardinal fan.
As always, GO CARDS!
