<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Pitt sophomore center Chris Taft said yesterday he will declare for the National Basketball Association draft and his former teammate, junior point guard Carl Krauser, is set to do the same. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said he was not surprised by Taft's announcement. He had been expecting it for a few weeks. Nor was he surprised that Taft had hired an agent. By hiring New York based agent Billy Ceisler, Taft is no longer eligible to play college basketball. Dixon said he gave Taft feedback from NBA scouts but did not encourage him one way or the other. He said the feedback Taft received was not all encouraging. "I gave him both sides," Dixon said. "I gave him the feedback and we looked at everything. Ultimately, it was his decision. When you talk to as many different people as we did, you get many different opinions. He is aware of all of those [opinions]. This is what he wanted." Despite the differing views on his readiness to make it in the NBA, Taft is expected to go in the first round and many are projecting him to go in the top 15 picks because of his rare combination of size and athleticism. Dixon said the way the NBA is set up, Taft had options others did not have in past years. "The draft is different now," Dixon said. "They're drafting younger kids and they're locked into longer contracts, so they can develop them. The draft has completely changed from a couple of years ago." </div> Source
