6/18 - Some Links, Some News

-The Derrick Caracter Saga continues. The oft-maligned junior-to-be has had many run-ins with Louisville coach Rick Pitino over the course of his two years at Louisville, and in March put his name into the NBA Draft. Apparently now not only has he decided that he wants to return to college, but he wants to come back to Louisville. Problem is, not only is Caracter academically ineligible, but Pitino has already used his scholarship for a former walk-on. Jeff Goodman of FoxSports is reporting that Pitino will not allow Caracter back, and that he is in fact going to have to transfer if he wants to continue his college career.

-Staying in the Big East, it looks like UConn's roster shake-ups may not be over. Already dealing with the transfers of Doug Wiggins and Curtis Kelly, it now looks like Stanley Robinson may also be leaving the Huskies. The Alabama-native was never able to adjust to life in the Northeast, and now faces the prospect of academic ineligibility. A more telling sign that Robinson's days as a Husky may be cut short is that Nate Miles has finally been cleared to play. With a large recruiting class already this year, Miles, an athletic, 6'7" forward who has drawn comparisons to former Husky Rip Hamilton, will need a scholarship to open up somewhere, and it is looking more and more like it will be Robinson's.

-For those interested, Draft Express has compiled a complete list of the NBA Draft combine results from the last 16 years. One of the more interesting results - Dwight Howard is all of 6'9".

-Sherron Collins has not had the easiest road in life, but he really isn't doing himself any favors. Collins failed to show up in court or respond to court letters resulting from an incident in 2007 where he allegedly exposed himself and rubbed up against 35 year-old Jessica Brown in an elevator. According to Bill Self, Collins did not know about the letters or the court appearance because he is in Chicago with his ill father. Whatever the reason, Collins now owes $75k for damages.

-The Chicago Bulls worked out Michael Beasley on Tuesday, and reportedly it went very well. But the most intriguing part of the visit was the media session with Beasley afterwords. Some highlights:

-Asked about measuring 6-foot-8 at the pre-draft camp rather than his previously listed 6-10: "I'm a little disappointed to find out I'm actually a midget."

-Asked if he can you succeed at the NBA level like he did in high school and college: "Depends if I like the coach."

-Asked what he knew about other Bulls players: "They got one Jayhawk that I'll have to work really hard to get along with."

-Asked if he saw Bulls GM John Paxson play: "I'm not that old."

The Bulls plan on having Rose in for a workout on Thursday. It still looks like the Bulls favor Rose, but the real intrigue is in who Miami likes at No. 2. In Chad Ford's most recent mock draft, he says

One source close to the process says Pat Riley thinks Rose is a bad fit in the backcourt with Dwyane Wade, because drafting Rose would give Miami two athletic slashers who (a) are subpar shooters and (b) would have to try to share the ball. That source insists the Heat are bluffing about their interest in Rose in the hopes that Beasley falls to them at No. 2.

That contradicts everything I've been hearing the past month -- but the source is credible enough to be taken seriously. Still, I don't think Beasley is the type of player Riley usually appreciates.

So I still say that, assuming Miami is keying on either Rose or Beasley, if the Bulls take the player at No. 1 whom the Heat want (presumably, Rose or Beasley), Plan B appears to be taking O.J. Mayo or trading the pick.

-Three final things. Emmanuel Negedu, the top-50 recruit that bailed on Arizona, has decided to sign with Tennessee. Adding Negedu only bolsters what was already a top 10 recruiting class for Bruce Pearl, headlined by top 5 recruit Scotty Hopson. Former Kentucky Wildcat Derrick Jasper has decided to transfer to UNLV next year. California JuCo player of the year Roburt Sallie has decided to sign with Memphis, where he will rejoin former high school teammates Robert Dozier and Antonio Anderson, adding another talented wing player to the Memphis rotation.