<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">FAYETTEVILLE ? This much seems sure about Arkansas guard Ronnie Brewer if he enters this year?s NBA Draft: He?d be a first-round pick. Whether he would wind up being a lottery pick, one of the top 13, not even NBA team officials can guarantee right now, one league scout said. He spoke on the condition that he not be identified because Brewer has not declared. Brewer has been weighing whether he?ll throw his name into the draft pool since completing his junior season last month. The deadline for underclassmen to enter is April 29. Brewer?s options are to stay in school and play his senior season, declare but not hire an agent or declare and hire an agent. If he enters his name but does not affiliate with an agent, then he could withdraw by June 18 without losing his college eligibility. Hire an agent, like Kentucky?s Rajon Rondo has done, and he immediately forfeits his eligibility. At least seven mock drafts on Internet sites last week projected Brewer being taken from eighth to 14 th if he declares. Some of the Web sites formulate their predictions based on information they mine from NBA sources. But when those sources can?t even be sure where a player will be taken, how worthwhile are the published lists ? ?I think at this time of the year it?s almost foolhardy to look at mock drafts,? the scout said. ?They always said this about newspapers that today?s news wraps the fish tomorrow. Well, today?s mock draft probably isn?t even fit to wrap the fish tomorrow.? One day last week, North Carolina State?s Cedric Simmons was nowhere to be found on most mock draft lists because it was assumed he would return to school. The next day he declares and is projected as a lottery pick. Brewer appears in most mock drafts despite not announcing his plans yet. ?I?ll say this about Brewer: There?s enough people that like him that he?d be in the first round somewhere,? the scout said. ?That?s a very conservative statement at this point. Could he go as high as [10 th or 12 th ]? Yeah, sure. But there?s a lot of road to go before he gets to the end of the journey. People like him. I don?t see a scenario where he would fall out of the first round. But at the same time, could he go more like 20 rather than 10 ? Sure.? All first-round contracts are guaranteed for two years. It used to be three years, but that changed when the new labor agreement was reached last year. The No. 10 pick can expect to earn a little more than $ 1. 5 million as a rookie, and the No. 20 pick will earn close to $ 1 million, according to the NBA rookie salary scale. NBA teams already know a lot about Brewer, but where he would end up being drafted would be influenced by how he performs in the predraft camp June 6-10 and in private workouts for individual teams. If Brewer goes, it wouldn?t be a case of overestimating his pro value, like so many SEC underclassmen did last year. ?Every year there?s somebody who stays in and probably shouldn?t have his name in,? the scout said. ?Ronnie is a little different case. He?s got a few years under his belt in college. The thing I like about him and the reason I don?t think he?ll fall that far is that he?s not a one-note guy.? The multiple aspect of Brewer?s game makes him appealing to NBA teams, the scout said. He projects as a point guard but could play another perimeter position depending on a particular team?s needs. ?Ronnie?s the kind of guy who?s going to be able to help you in a lot of different ways and probably scoring is maybe going to be third on his list, maybe fourth on his list,? the scout said. ?He?s a guy that when I saw Arkansas, he makes a key steal at a big spot. He penetrates and creates a shot. He passes, even if his is the pass that leads to the pass that gets the assist. ? It?s nice when you have more than one thing you can do.? Eye on Modica Jonathon Modica might not play in the NBA. Then again, nobody thought Raja Bell would, either, according to the same scout who commented on Ronnie Brewer. Bell had athletic talent but not a tremendous skill level at Florida International, spent some time in the Continental Basketball Association, developed his game and then was signed by the Philadelphia 76 ers at the end of the 2001 regular season. Injuries started reducing the 76 ers? roster, and Bell found himself playing five or 10 minutes a game off the bench in the NBA Finals. Bell has been an NBA regular since then and signed a five-year deal with the Phoenix Suns last year paying more than $ 4 million a year. He?s started all but one game this season. Modica is in a situation similar to the one Bell started out in, with some assets to his game but the need to become more wellrounded, the scout said. ?He?s got athletic talent, there?s no doubt about that,? the scout said. ?He?s got some things. Nobody scouted him and said, ?No chance.? But with a guy like that, he needs to fill in some holes [in his game ] and the question is will he do that or maybe he won?t ? ? There are definitely players who are worse players than him making a living playing basketball somewhere, whether it?s in the second division in Europe or wherever.? </div> Source
