<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">EAST LANSING - Those who study, cover and attempt to project the NBA draft for a living seem to agree on very little these days, as the most wide-open draft in years approaches. Most of them, however, expect to see this on June 28: Shannon Brown going somewhere in the first round. "I've always thought he was a first-round pick," said Chris Monter, a draft analyst who publishes Monter Draft News. "I expect him to go somewhere in the middish-type area of that first round." So do Monter contemporaries at ESPN, CBS Sportsline and NBAdraft.net, all of whom get their information from anonymously quoted scouts and execs. The problem is that some teams deliberately misinform at this time of year, to throw competitors off the scent of their true intentions. But Thursday, after weeks of hearing nothing but positive feedback on his status, Brown finally decided to make his jump official. He will forfeit his senior year at Michigan State despite not getting a rock-solid promise that he'll go in the first round. First-round picks get guaranteed three-year deals. "There won't be any regret because it's my decision," Brown said via teleconference, when asked about the possibility of not going in the first round. "There's no regret at all. There's a possibility I could get picked in the first round, there's a possibility I could get picked in the second round, and there's a possibility I won't get picked at all. It's something I have to deal with." Brown will hire Chicago-based agent Mark Bartelstein, CEO of Priority Sports and Entertainment, who acted as an adviser to Brown throughout the process. Bartelstein, MSU coach Tom Izzo and Brown's father, Chris, worked closely in gathering information. Part of the reason Brown made his decision early, Izzo said, is that he has a planned trip next week to work out for some West Coast teams. Chris Brown has been funding his son's trips so far, but now Bartelstein can assume the cost and allow Brown to go wherever he needs. Since Brown announced in April his intention to test the waters, he has worked out for seven teams, including his hometown Chicago Bulls. He wowed observers consistently with his tremendous athleticism, shooting stroke and competitive approach.</div> Source
