<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Shannon Brown will keep his name in the NBA draft and skip his senior season at Michigan State, the shooting guard said Thursday. Brown, who averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season, was regarded as an early second-round pick. But following strong workouts, he is a projected first-round pick. Brown worked out for the New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Indiana Pacers, the Boston Celtics, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Chicago Bulls. Brown said he got positive feedback, but no indication where he'll go in the June 28 draft. Brown shared team MVP honors with Paul Davis and Maurice Ager. The 6-foot-4 Brown had until June 18 to pull his name out of the draft, which will be held June 28. Brown is an athletic, explosive player that can score on dunks, 3-pointers or mid-range jumpers and is a good defender. He is not considered a good ballhandler, a weakness he will have to improve in the NBA to create his own shots.</div> Source
Didn't really surprise me. I know some people were surprised but I thought once he left he would be gone. Scouts would see his game and I thought someone would give him a top 20 promise. It appears to be that way, I'm hoping the Sixers will use the 13th on him but you never know.
I was hoping he would return to Michigan State, but I can't really blame him for staying in considering the scouts said nothing but good things about him...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting UKFan33:</div><div class="quote_post">I was hoping he would return to Michigan State, but I can't really blame him for staying in considering the scouts said nothing but good things about him...</div> It's funny how when players declare after three years in college, all of the analysts say that you can't blame them because of the promise of money, the promise of playing time at the NBA level, or whatever their excuse for leaving early may be. If those are their excuses, I don't understand why these players wouldn't have just come out earlier though, especially Brown, who was rated as the consensus #3 player in the nation out of high school, under only LeBron James and Luol Deng. He could have easily been a top ten pick had he come out sooner, but staying at Michigan State hurt his draft stock because with all the other great wings they've had over the years (Hill, Torbert, Anderson, Ager), he was low on the depth chart for a while. It just doesn't make much sense to quit so close to the finish line. Brown and his parents have always stated that he was a four-year kind of player and that a college degree was important to him, yet with one year to go he abandons those hopes? He'd also likely considerably increase his draft stock by next season. Instead of settling for a #10-20 pick like the projections have him now, he could solidfy his standing as a top ten pick, or at least a lottery pick. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said that they'd make him next year's J.J. Redick if he chose to return, basically meaning they'd run all of their offense through him. That's basically all he needs --- a chance. He's been sharing the ball and playing the role of the 'third option' for the last three years, so his talents have been largely underestimated. Give him another year, and he's a first team All-American, potential Player of the Year, and likely lottery selection.
Believe me, I would have been ecstatic if Brown would have returned to Michigan State for his senior season, but I don't blame him for staying in the draft. Every report that i've read stated that the scouts thought Brown would be a lottery pick for sure, and it's kind of hard to turn that kind of money down. But if he would have returned to MSU, he's a top 5 pick for sure in next season's draft...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting UKFan33:</div><div class="quote_post">Believe me, I would have been ecstatic if Brown would have returned to Michigan State for his senior season, but I don't blame him for staying in the draft. Every report that i've read stated that the scouts thought Brown would be a lottery pick for sure, and it's kind of hard to turn that kind of money down. But if he would have returned to MSU, he's a top 5 pick for sure in next season's draft...</div> I know his reasoning for coming out early, but my only question about all of that is: why now? He could have come out straight out of high school, after his freshman year, or even after his sophomore year and each time would have had better stock. It just makes no sense to quit with the finish line in sight.
