by Paul Jordan
Will they or won’t they? Stay in the NBA Draft that is. One of the biggest questions on Wildcat fan’s minds are if Daniel Orton and Eric Bledsoe will stay in the NBA Draft or possibly return to what is becoming a stacked Kentucky Wildcat roster in 2010. We know that Patrick, John, and DeMarcus are on their way to NBA stardom, but the jury is out on the two freshman.
So far, as far as anyone knows, neither player has signed an agent yet, keeping their options open. The next two weeks will be vital to this decision making process as the NBA evaluation period for underclassmen begins on April 29 and the players have until May 8 to decide if they are returning to school. So that roughly crams a lot into a 10 day period of time.
As of now, both players are expected to stay in the draft and not return to school. Eric Bledsoe has been the subject of some discussions over at NBA Draft Express, where they are saying that he is still keeping his options open, especially if he drops into the second round on teams draft boards. Right now, Draft Express has Eric going at number 24 to the Atlanta Hawks. If that is the case, I would expect to see Eric depart for the NBA, as taking care of his family is a priority for him. It gets a bit muddled when you look at the big board for Draft Express as Eric is rated #30 overall and is projected going anywhere from 15th to 35th. These NBA workouts are going to be especially key for Eric.
Things have been even more silent on the Daniel Orton front. His tweeter page has been devoid of news, save for the occasional announcement about how workouts or going, so it is hard to get a firm read on his state of mind. If I had to guess, I would say that Orton is pretty firmly committed to staying in the draft and if workouts go remotely well, he will not be a Wildcat next season. The current projections have him going 14th to the Rockets and the Draft Express board has him at number #12 and projects him as going from 10-25.
There is an interesting note on that board as they do have Orton listed as “staying in the draft” and a “?” by Bledsoe’s name. Who knows if they have inside information to state Orton is not coming back for sure, but that is the general feeling right now.
To be honest, I think both Bledsoe and Orton are going to stay in the draft. Orton appears to be solidly entrenched in the first round and Bledsoe seems to need to provide for his family and will stay in regardless. It is a weak draft for point guards and I think that more than likely, Bledsoe will end up going in the top 20, which will provide a very nice payday.
It is sad to admit these guys are not coming back, but I think they will make Kentucky fans proud in the NBA as well.
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