UPDATE: Looks like Donatas Motiejunas is officially withdrawing his name from the draft. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express tweets Friday: "Herb Rudoy informs us Donatas Motiejunas 'has decided to withdraw his name from this Draft. Feels that another year playing for Benetton will help prepare him better for his entry into the NBA in 2011. He plans to continue to train hard all summer and during next season.'" -- About five weeks ago now, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express tweeted that 19-year-old Lithuanian Donatas Motiejunas may decide not to stay in the draft. This was on the heels of Jan Vesely of the Czech Republic, a projected first-round pick like Motiejunas, deciding not to enter the draft. And as the June 15 deadline for international players under 22 to withdraw from the draft approaches, it does indeed look like Motiejunas is going to withdraw his name. David Aldridge of NBA.com writes that such a decision by the youngster is "likely." Additionally, Aldridge writes: "In a sign that Motiejunas is likely to stay in Europe, he had his tonsils removed on Monday after dealing with throat infections for the better part of a year. The time he'll spend recuperating instead of practicing and working out for potential NBA employers would indicate that he's made his decision. A source close to Motiejunas put the chances of his withdrawal from the Draft at '90-100.'" If Motiejunas does indeed decide to pull out, Aldridge adds the 2011 draft is believed to be short on big men, so another year of getting stronger and improving his game could benefit Motiejunas. If this report rings true, it might also be because Motiejunas won't be drafted high enough for his liking. In ESPN's Chad Ford's latest mock draft, he has Motiejunas going No. 21 to the Thunder, but with this caveat: "If Motiejunas believes he'll slip this far, he most likely will withdraw from the draft. But he'd be a great long-term pickup for the Thunder if they can get him this low. He's a very skilled forward who has some Pau Gasol and Toni Kukoc in his game. He is playing at a high level in Europe but needs to get stronger. " Source: DraftExpress
He's been rumored to drop out for the past month. This draft is deep with quality big men and teams don't seem eager to Euro-stash high lottery picks or mid-rounders as frequently.
