NBA Draft Profiles: Brandon Knight, Kentucky

Bjorn Zetterberg of SwishScout.com will be helping us out with all of our NBA Draft Profiles this year. You can follow him on twitter @swishscout.

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Stats: 17.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.2 apg, 3.2 t/o's

Age: 19, freshman

Size:

• Listed: 6'3", 180 lb
• Official: 6'1.5" (no shoes), 6'3.25" (with shoes), 6'6.75" (wingspan), 8'2.5" (reach), 177 lb

Strengths: Brandon Knight is a combo-guard with a fairly unique skill-set. He's a talented scorer that is excellent in pick-and-roll and isolation situations, using his quickness and ball-handling ability to beat his defender. He's got NBA three point range as well as a solid mid-range game, knocking down pull-up jumpers and floaters at a fairly consistent rate. This is fairly standard in combo-guards, but where Knight differs is his ability to score off the ball. He's terrific at moving without the ball, using off-ball screens to free himself for open shots. Knight is excellent in catch-and-shoot situations as well. You don't see that much with combo-guards that are known for dominating possession. Its where the Jason Terry comparisons come from. Knight has also shown to have a knack for hitting big shots even when he is struggling. He did so in the McDonald's All-American game prior to his freshman season, then had two game-winners in his two worst performances of the NCAA Tournament.

Weaknesses: The biggest issue with Knight right now is that he is still learning how to be a true point guard. You could see the development throughout the season, but he started out as such a pure scorer that he still has a way to go. Knight turns the ball over at too high of a rate -- but a lower rate than the 4.7 t/o's he averaged through his first seven games -- and has a tendency for taking some tough, ill-advised shots. That improvement will come with time and experience managing a team, although he is such a good scorer it will be interesting to see if its worth it to move him off the ball. Another area where Knight struggles is getting to the free throw line. He's a very good athlete and can get all the way to the rim, but he has a tendency to shy away from contact and put up floaters and finesse shots rather than powering his way to the rim. He makes those shots at a decent rate, but by getting to the foul line he should up his efficiency and become an even more potent scorer.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Gilbert Arenas. He’s that talented, but he’s also more of a pure scorer that a team will pass off as a PG like Gilbert, you just have to use him correctly. Both are clutch shooters who can hit big shots and gutsy players unafraid to take chances. Jason Terry is another comparison I've seen that I like for Knight.


• Worst Case Scenario: Jarrett Jack. Jack is built and a splendid athlete, but he’s also a little too reckless at times, which Knight can be. Confident Knight develops into a better talent given his smarts and work ethic, but if he can’t put it together he becomes a career backup.

Outlook: The key for Knight's future is going to be just how much of a true point guard he will become. As of right now, he would probably be at his best playing off the ball at the next level. I think the Kings would be a perfect fit for him, where he can bring the ball up but allow Tyreke Evans to run the offense in the half court. The issue is that Knight simply has not had much experience being a true point guard. In high school, he played at a smaller, academic oriented school where he was the entire team. He job wasn't to run an offense or create for his teammates, it was to put the team on his back and carry them to wins. You could see him becoming more of a true point guard in his time at Kentucky, but he still has a ways to develop to become an NBA caliber point guard. Is it worth it? Will he be that much better running a team than he would be playing a Jason Terry-esque role off the bench?

Draft Range: Top five

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "Knight is a tough one to peg. He had the best game of his career -- a 30-point outburst against West Virginia -- and hit two game-winners for Kentucky against Princeton and Ohio State. But it wasn't all easy sailing for Knight in the tournament. He really struggled shooting the ball (only 26-for-79 from the field) and had 17 turnovers. In his toughest game, matched up against Walker, he shot 6-for-23 from the field. Knight clearly has talent, but scouts that question his ability to step in and run a team have legit concerns that weren't totally satisfied in the tournament. Nevertheless, he could still end up being the second point guard off the board by going ahead of Walker on draft night. He's younger, taller, a better shooter and a better defender."


• Draft Express: "Projecting Knight to the next level, the diversity of his scoring and shot-creating ability allows him to be more effective off the ball than many combo guards, which could be a key in his minutes early in his career, as it's unlikely a coach is going to hand the reigns of an offensive over to him at this time until he garners more experience and improves his decision making. On the right team, with either a big point guard or a wing player who runs a majority of the teams half-court offense – such as the Lakers, Philadelphia, Miami – could be his best situation to contend for a starting spot early in his development playing for a franchise that is looking to win now."


• Swish Scout: "Known for his clutch 3-point shooting, athleticism, wiry build and ability to score, Knight possesses an NBA skill set. Took some major strides playing PG for Kentucky as a freshman, but Brandon needs to continue developing a stronger point guard mentality, leave his impact in games and become a more consistent distributor down the stretch."

Highlights:


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Brandon Knight "got the confirmation he needed"

On Monday, we wrote about Brandon Knight and the fact he said he was still 50-50 on whether he would return to Kentucky for his sophomore season.

Needless to say, few believed that he was that serious about considering a return to Lexington.

Today's Daily Word from Andy Katz only reinforced that line of thinking. In the post, Katz quotes John Calipari as saying "Brandon got the confirmation that he wanted [that he should stay in the draft]."

Looks like Kentucky's combine served its purpose for one of the players involved.
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Brandon Knight is '50-50' on returning to school

North Carolina shot up the preseason rankings for next season when John Henson, Tyler Zeller, and Harrison Barnes all decided to return to school for the 2011-2012 season.

With those three back in the fold for another year, the Tar Heels, who were as good as anyone in the country after Kendall Marshall took the point guard reins midway through the season, have as much talent on their roster as any team we've seen in the past four or five years.

There is still a chance, however, that North Carolina won't be the hands-down favorite to win next season's national title. Kentucky brings in a recruiting class that not only has three of the top ten recruits in the country and four of the top 25, but it may not be complete. Trevor Lacey and DeAndre Daniels are still uncommitted for next season and both have Kentucky on their short list of schools. Lacey is actually on campus as we, umm, blog.


That class alone would be enough to make the Wildcats a favorite to return to the 2012 Final Four.

But with three of their most important players from this past season still deciding on whether or not they will remain in the draft, the Wildcats still have a chance to get better.

Junior DeAndre Liggins and freshmen Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight all declared for the NBA Draft. Liggins, without a first-round guarantee, seems like a likely candidate to return to school. Jones and Knight, however, are bigger question marks. Jones will likely be a late lottery-to-mid-first round pick should be leave. Knight, on the other hand, seems to be close to a lock to go in the top ten, possibly even the top five.

But according to Knight, he's still undecided on whether he will return to school.

"I'm still 50-50. I haven't really made a decision yet," Knight said on Thursday afternoon.

Most believe that it would be in Knight's best interest to return to school. It is tough to turn down being picked as high as Knight will be picked. Throw in the fact that Knight will likely be forced to, at the least, share the point guard duties with incoming freshman Marquis Teague, and there is no guarantee that Knight's stock will ever be this high again.

Knight also said something that should be worrisome to UK fans hoping that he will return to school.

"I'm always going to listen to coach (Calipari)," he said. "I'm just doing whatever is best for me. I'm listening to the people around me and talking to coach (Calipari). He’s been in the situation millions of times, so I'm going to trust him."

Its no secret that Coach Cal is a player's coach. Its no secret that he pushes his players to enter the draft if it is in their best interest. And if Knight is listening to Coach Cal, it seems pretty likely that the advice he is receiving is to go pro.
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Who made the right early entry decision?: Renardo Sidney will be back for another season

Renardo Sidney is the stereotypical one-and-done prospect.

His family moved from Mississippi to LA when he was 15 years old so they could capitalize off of the hype Sidney produced with impressive performance after impressive performance. He was a product of the summer, making his name on the AAU circuit and ABCD camp and infamously telling the Washington Post high school ball is "not that important". His father was employed by Reebok while coaching Sidney's Reebok sponsored AAU team. He was turned down by both UCLA and USC before enrolling at Mississippi State. After sitting out for a year due to illegal benefits that he received while in high school, Sidney tweeted "NYC #2011 Believe Dat" last summer despite still having to sit out nine more games.


It only made sense that Sidney would bolt for the NBA at the first opportunity.

Which why its a mild surprise that Sunday's early entry deadline came and went and Sidney's name was not entered, living up to the promise he made on facebook back in March.

Sidney needs another year in school. Right now, the only thing worse than his reputation as a basketball player is his reputation as a person and a teammate. Sidney was twice suspended for fighting with a teammate (one of those times came in the stands during an ESPN telecast) and was largely ineffective for much of the season due to the fact that he was completely out of shape and lacked the desire to a) change that fact and b) give consistent effort when he did have energy.

While most of the focus on a basketball player's time in college is on his development as a player, its also true that these players develop and mature as people. That is why Sidney needs another year in school. He needs to learn how to be a man. How to be a professional.

Derrick Caracter agrees.

The first step in that process? Making the choice to come back for another year at Mississippi State.


Who else made the right early entry decision? (Looking past the Kemba Walkers and Derrick Williams' of the world)

• Brandon Knight, Kentucky: Entered, no agent
  
  Knight is likely going to be a top ten pick in this draft after averaging over 17 points and four assists per game and proving that he had the ability to perform in the clutch in the tournament. But if Knight had returned to school, he likely would have been forced to, at the least, split the point guard duties; most believe that Marquis Teague would have started over him.


• Jeremy Lamb, UConn: Returned to school
  
  Lamb was a breakout performer in March. The 6'5" guard with the wingspan of a pterodactyl developed the aggression and the confidence to be a serious scoring threat for the Huskies in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments. But the lack of consistency during the season and a frail frame put doubt into some NBA GM's minds. With Kemba Walker going pro, Lamb will have a chance to prove his mettle as the Huskie's offensive focal point.


• Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State: Entered draft, no agent
  
  Leonard might be the best physical specimen in this draft class. He's 6'7" with big hands, long arms, and terrific athleticism and explosiveness. He's relentless on the offensive glass and is a very good defender, both on the perimeter and in the paint. But Leonard's offensive repertoire has a ways to go. He can develop that in the NBA with a guaranteed contract as a lottery pick locked up. Coming back, especially considering the drop off in talent for the Aztecs next season, Leonard risked exposing his faults.


• Thomas Robinson, Kansas: Returning to school
  
  Robinson is a terrific prospect based on his size (6'9"), strength, and athleticism. The only thing missing in that equation is consistent production. He was impressive in the short time that he was on the floor, but on the season Robinson only managed to average 7.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Coming back for another season with both of The Morrii off in the NBA, Robinson will have a chance to prove what he can do as the go-to option in the post.
  

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Looking at whether Kentucky's three early entrants should stay or go

We finally know the fate of the four Kentucky Wildcats that were pondering declaring for the NBA Draft.

Doron Lamb announced yesterday that he will be returning to college, which is probably the correct decision for him. Lamb may one day be a first round pick, but he certainly isn't this year, even with the weakened draft class.

Lamb was alone in deciding to return to school, however. On Wednesday morning, Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, and DeAndre Liggins all entered their names into the NBA Draft. None of them signed with an agent, however, which leaves open the opportunity to withdraw from the draft prior to the May 8th deadline.

The question, however, is whether it is worth it for them to come back.


For Brandon Knight, the answer is simple -- no. Emphatically no. Knight had a terrific freshman season, averaging more than 17 ppg and over 4 apg. He only got better down the stretch of the season, and even knocked down a couple of game-winners in the NCAA Tournament. Knight is a lock to go in the top ten and may even be able to sneak into the top five, as he is neck-and-neck with Kemba Walker as the second best point guard prospect in this draft.

Its tough to turn down being a single digit pick in the NBA Draft, and that choice gets even tougher when there is a chance of playing out of position by returning to school. Kentucky brings in another star point guard in the class of 2011 -- Marquis Teague, the younger brother of former Wake Forest star Jeff -- who many expect to take over the point guard reins. That would push Knight off the ball, as he is a better shooter and scorer than Teague, should he decide to return.

Liggins is an interesting case. He only averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.0 rpg this season, but his scoring and rebounding numbers are not what got NBA scouts interested in his ability. At 6'6" with terrific length and quickness, Liggins has the makings of being a lockdown defender in the NBA. He has the size and the wingspan to defender the two and the lateral quickness to defend a point guard if he has to. Throw in the fact that he knocked down threes at a near-40% clip this season, and in a weak draft there is a chance that Liggins can be scooped up late in the first round by a team looking to fill a hole.

Liggins is not going to add much to his stock if he decides to return. While he showed an improved ability to create off the dribble this year, no one is going to draft him for his offensive ability -- and that's assuming that he would have an opportunity next season to showcase that ability should he improve. This year is probably Liggins best shot at getting drafted high, but is that a risk he's willing to take knowing he'd play an important role on a title-contending team?

Jones, believe it or not, probably has the most to gain by returning to school. After a sensational start to the season, Jones really tailed off late in the year. He seemed to lose his confidence a bit and the amount of heat that he would take for John Calipari looked like it started to wear on him. That hurt his draft stock, as there is a chance that he could fall out of the lottery.

The other issue with Jones is that his weaknesses are no secret. He's left-handed with absolutely no right hand and he has a tendency to over-dribble -- there is a reason that Coach Cal would get on him about being selfish and a ball-hog. With a year of improvement, Jones has the skill set and the tools to be a top five-to-ten pick, even in next year's loaded draft.

Kentucky is going to be the preseason No. 2 team -- behind North Carolina -- if all three stay in the draft.

Anyone that pulls their name out will be icing on the proverbial cake.
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Conference Play Primer: The SEC

Favorite: Kentucky Wildcats

Its hard to believe it, but the Wildcats may actually be a better team this season than they were last year, and last year they were a No. 1 seed, reached the Elite 8, and sent five players to the first round of the NBA Draft. While some will say it is a result of Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, and particularly Terrence Jones living up to the hype they had coming in, the real reason that Kentucky is morphing into a legitimate contender for a No. 1 seed again this March is the play of Josh Harrellson and DeAndre Liggins. Harrellson is turning into this year's Brian Zoubek, an unheralded senior center that develops into a monster on the glass and around the rim defensively. He's already averaging 9.4 rpg (4.0 offensively and a 17.0 OR%) and 1.6 bpg, and the past three games he's scored in double figures. Liggins has become a stopper defensively, capable of guarding multiple positions on the floor. Calipari's rotation really only goes about seven deep at most, but those six or seven guys know there roles and understand where their shots are supposed to come from, which is why they are playing as well as anyone in the country right now.


Player of the Year: Brandon Knight, Kentucky

If its not Brandon Knight, its probably Terrence Jones. But seeing as I've already waxed poetic about Kentucky, let's talk about Trey Thompkins here. Thompkins is flying a bit under the radar right now considering he is averaging 17.4 ppg and 7.1 rpg. Why? Because they aren't exactly the numbers we expected this season. That, in large part, is due to the ankle injury Thompkins suffered before the season even started. He missed the first three games of the season, then labored through the Old Spice Classic, scoring just 13 points against both Notre Dame (in double overtime) and Temple. Since that trip to Orlando, however, Thompkins has played well against Georgia's best competition. He had 20 points and 9 boards in a two point win over UAB. He had 21 points and 6 boards (and a very strong second half) in a 73-72 win at Georgia Tech. More recently, on New Year's Eve, Thompkins had his best game of the season with 26 points and 7 boards. Next up? Kentucky. On Saturday. I think this young man is ready for league play.

All-Conference Team:

• G: Erving Walker, Florida: 13.9 ppg, 3.1 apg, 45.1% 3PT
  
• G: John Jenkins, Vanderbilt: 17.8 ppg, 37.5% 3PT
  
• F: Tobias Harris, Tennessee: 15.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg
  
• F: Terrence Jones, Kentucky: 17.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg
  
• C: Trey Thompkins, Georgia: 17.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg

Biggest Surprise: Tennessee Volunteers

This is what we call hitting both ends of the spectrum. The Vols started out the season so well, picking up wins against Villanova and Pitt and climbing all the way up to No. 7 in the polls. Then something happened. Depending on where you look or who you ask, the Vols stopped playing defense the way then can, they stopped getting the ball inside, they stopped attacking the basket, and/or Scotty Hopson stopped being a leader. Whatever the case, Tennessee has been terrible lately, losing four of their last six (to Oakland, Charlotte, USC, and Charleston) while barely hanging on to beat Belmont and UT-Martin. With the SEC season looming and Bruce Pear's suspension coming up, we may not have hit bottom yet. I can't remember the last time I saw a swing this drastic happen this quickly.


Biggest Disappointment: The SEC West

Its a joke. It really is. Alabama (Alabama?!?) is the highest rated team in Kenpom's projections. They are 8-6. The team that was supposed to be the favorite, Mississippi State, is losing players left and right and just sold any ounce of good will they had left nationally when rick Stansbury decided to allow Renardo Sidney back on the team. Ole Miss had that happen over the summer, when Murphy Holloway and Eniel Polynice both packed their bags. Overall, the division's record is 52-32. As of this moment, Kenpom is predicting the SEC West to go 6-30 against the SEC East this season. Just for fun, here's a list of some of the team's that a member of SEC West has lost to this season:

UNC-Asheville, Samford, Campbell, Jacksonville, Presbyterian, St. Peter's, Nicholl's State, Coastal Carolina, North Texas, Florida Atlantic, East Tennessee State, Rice, Wichita State, Hawaii, Colorado State, UAB, Iowa, Miami FL, UVa, Rutgers, South Florida

That is nothing short of atrocious.

Teams to keep an eye on:

• Florida: The Gators were my pick to win the conference in the preseason. And while I'm not quite ready to jump back onto that bandwagon, I think this team is a bit better than they are being given credit for right now. Sure, the loss to Jacksonville is ugly and Kenny Boynton and Alex Tyus have disappointed. But Erving Walker looks like he may finally be on the verge of grasping what it means to be a point guard and what a good shot is. Chandler Parsons, Vernon Macklin, and Scottie Wilbekin are all above average SEC players. Coming off of impressive wins at Xavier and over Rhode Island at home, the Gators may have flipped the switch.
• Vanderbilt: I like Vanderbilt. They have bigger, more physical, and more athletic than they were last season. Jeff Taylor and John Jenkins are both special talents. The problem with the Commodores is that they don't have a creator. Taylor is still an athlete more than a basketball player, Jenkins relies too heavily on his jump shot being created for him, and their big guys aren't really much more than big, strong, athletes. How good Brad Tinsley is this season will be the deciding factor on whether Vandy is a tournament team, or a team that is a threat to make a run.
  

Teams to write off:

• South Carolina: I have really like what I have seen from Bruce Ellington. He has a chance to be a special player. The rest of this group? Ehh. Not so much.
• Everyone else: Seriously.
  

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Kentucky proved to the country that they are the real deal

I don't want to say that Kentucky proved themselves this afternoon, because I've had a feeling that this Kentucky team was flying under the radar a little bit.

But at the very least the Wildcats reinforced the notion that they are, in fact, a team capable of making the Final Four this season.

On Saturday afternoon, Kentucky went into Louisville's brand new KFC Yum! Center (can't forget the exclamation point!) and whooped the Cardinals. They won 78-63 in a game that was never really close in the second half.

As you might expect, Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones were impressive. Knight had 25 points on 7-13 shooting while also adding four assists. He's not quite there as a point guard yet -- he did have five turnovers -- but you can see him progressing and growing as a player.


Jones wasn't effective as a scorer -- he had 12 points, the majority of which came late in the second half -- but he played a terrific all-around game. He had eight boards and three blocks, but I was most impressed by his six assists. Louisville paid a lot of attention to him, which meant that Josh Harrellson was far too open on far too many occasions. The Wildcat's senior center had 23 points and 14 boards, six of which came on the offensive end, and also knocked down a three.

Harrellson wasn't he only Wildcat role player that played well, either. DeAndre Liggins showed the nation what people bring up his name when they are talking about the best on-ball defenders in the country, as he completely took Louisville point guard Peyton Siva out of the game. Darius Miller played as well as I have seen him play since he has been in a Kentucky uniform as well.

This Kentucky team may not have the five first round picks that last year's squad did, but I think this may end up being the better basketball team.

They defend, they can shoot, and they have two stars surrounded by some quality role players. Harrellson is not the offensive threat that Enes Kanter would be, but its hard to imagine the Turk being better on the glass or a better positional defender than the man known as 'Jorts'.

Most importantly, however, is that in addition to all of the above, Kentucky is as talented as any team in the country out side of Duke, Kansas, and maybe Ohio State.

Louisville may not be as good as their ranking indicates -- especially without Raheem Buckles and with Elisha Justice and Mike Marra slowed by injury -- but this was an impressive performance from the Wildcats nonetheless.
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You guys remember Brandon Knight, right?

On April 14th of this year, Brandon Knight signed a financial aid agreement with the University of Kentucky.

Knight, a five-star point guard that was universally considered a top five player in the class of 2010, was John Calipari's fourth consecutive top point guard recruit. The other three were Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, and John Wall. All three were one and done superstars. Evans was the "worst" of the trio because he went fourth in the draft, not first overall.

It was far from crazy to expect that Knight would be the talk of the Kentucky freshmen class.

But he's been hardly more than an afterthought.


The same day that Knight signed with Kentucky, Coach Cal got a signature from another big time recruit, a 6'10" Turkish mystery by the name of Enes Kanter. Only three days prior to signing, Kanter had gone for 34 points and 13 rebounds against the USA's best high school kids at the Nike Hoops Summit. That night, the hype surrounding Kanter began to build to a crescendo. It didn't take long for the "Kanter could be ineligible" talk to start, either.

The rest of this post can be found at Beyond the Arc.



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Terrence Jones picks Washington ... maybe

Friday night, Terrence Jones and Terrence Ross, two highly touted recruits and teammates for Portland's Jefferson High, held a joint press conference in their high school's gymnasium.

As expected, Ross signed his letter of intent to Washington.

Jones committed to Washington, and despite hanging around the gym for a couple hours after the press conference was over, he didn't sign an LOI.

Why?

It may have had something to do with the 15 minute phone call he had with John Calipari immediately after he made the announcement. While there were six hats on the table, representing the final six schools on Jones' list, it was no secret that Jones' decision came down to UW and Kentucky. According to those close to him, this decision and this process hasn't been easy on him.

Terrence Jones boxing out Enes Kanter, another former UW commit who is now headed to Kentucky.
(photo credit: Seattle Times)

But believe me, Jones made the right decision.

And I'm not talking about his commitment.

Either school would be a good landing spot for the versatile 6'9" forward, who has drawn comparisons to Lamar Odom. At Washington, he would be joining a team that returns a talented back court of Isaiah Thomas and Abdul Gaddy, filling a role left open by Quincy Pondexter, and playing with a high school teammate at a school that would be the early favorite in the Pac-10 and close enough to home to allow family and friends to come see him play. Not a bad landing spot.

But Kentucky is Kentucky. If Jones were to renege on U-Dub and head to the Bluegrass State, he would join arguably the best recruiting class in the country, he would play for a coach known for his ability -- at least recently -- to churn out first rounders, and he would have a chance to compete for an SEC title. And in case you didn't know this, Big Blue Nation treats their players like gods. Again, not a bad landing spot.

Wherever Jones decides to play, the future is bright for this young man. Seeing as I don't have a dog in this fight, my only hope is that Jones chooses the school that will make him the happiest. You should feel that way too.

Anyway, the decision I was talking about is his refusal to sign a letter of intent.

If you read this blog, then I am sure you already know what an LOI is. If you don't know, read these. Essentially, an LOI is a binding, voluntary agreement -- a contract, really -- that a recruit signs that officially ends his recruitment and ties him to the school he signed the LOI with. Its intent was to prevent college coaches from continuing to recruit a player that had already made his decision on where he wanted to go to school.

But in today's collegiate game, the LOI has become nothing more than an assurance for the coach that a player won't -- and can't -- back out of a commitment. The problem most have is that an LOI associates a player with a program, with the school. Not with the coach.

You see, the NCAA believes that a recruit, no matter how talented, should be picking where he is going to play basketball based on how good UNC's business program is, or if UConn has a strong dental program, or what classes are taught by Kentucky's english department. Its an effort to keep up the farce that the best student-athletes are actually "student"-athletes.

In all actuality, recruits are picking schools based on how the basketball program is run. What conference does the school play in? Does the school have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament, and how far can they go? Can the coaching staff get a player ready for the NBA?

Players picks schools based on the head coach and his coaching staff. Players that sign LOI's then become committed to that school. But the coaches that earn those signatures are not committed to the player. They can leave for a better job or be fired, and that player is still stuck with this commitment.

If a player is going to sign anything, he needs to take notes from Brandon Knight. Knight, the No. 1 ranked recruit in the country, committed to Kentucky in mid-April. But he didn't sign an LOI.

He signed a financial aid agreement.

What that means is Kentucky has committed to giving him a full ride next season, but there is nothing that ties Knight to UK. So if John Calipari decides to take the Nets job this summer, or if another scandal comes to light over the next few months, or if Knight simly decides he no longer wants to go to Kentucky, he can go to college elsewhere.

No hassles. No waivers. No paper pushing. No NCAA involvement.

He's like any other college kid who has a financial aid agreement.

Anyway, back to the point.

The reason I say that it was a good decision by Jones not to sign an LOI to Washington is because it is pretty obvious that he is still torn on where he wants to play. Right now, he still has room to flip flop. If he takes a few days and realizes that Washington is where he wants to be, is the outcome of this going to be any different?

If he decides that Washington isn't the place for him, he can still go to Kentucky and play for Coach Cal. Sure, Lorenzo Romar will be upset, as will the Husky fan base.

But at least Jones will be happy with his decision.

And isn't that what really matters here?

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Calipari cleans up ... again

Yesterday was the first day of the spring signing period, and as everyone expected, John Calipari cleaned up.

For starters, he signed 6'10", 240 lb Turkish big man Enes Kanter. Kanter is a bit on a controversial recruit. A coveted prospect in Europe, Kanter wanted to play basketball and get an education at an american school, turning down multi-million dollar deals. The issue, however, is not whether or not he played with professionals, however (the rule that got fellow Turk Deniz Kilicli suspended for West Virginia's first 20 games is going to be changed). The question is whether or not Kanter himself is a professional. He is only 17 years old, and FIBA rules state that you must be 18 to sign a contract, but there are rumors that Kanter has been getting paid under the table.

Kanter put 34 points and 14 boards on the USA in the Nike Hoop Summit.
(photo credit: Sporting News)

Kanter has been cleared academically, but so was Renardo Sidney. It will be interesting to follow this process over the coming months.

Kanter's signing was just a start. Later in the day, Coach Cal landed the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2010 in Brandon Knight, the fourth straight star point guard recruit he has signed. Kentucky already has 6'5" Stacey Poole signed, a four star recruit, which means Cal has already landed one of the best recruiting classes in the country, and he still could get a couple more five-star recruits, specifically 6'9" CJ Leslie, a former HS teammate of John Wall.

Brandon Knight is Coach Cal's next star point guard.
(photo credit: Lexington Herald)

The day wasn't yet over, as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2011, Michael Gilchrist, a 6'7" small forward that has drawn comparisons to a guy like Scottie Pippen, committed to Kentucky (he can't sign yet).

Other signing day news:

• Both Ray McCallum, Jr., and Trey Zeigler were highly touted back court recruits. Both players had fathers coaching at mid-major programs in Michigan -- McCallum, Sr., is the head coach at Detroit while Ernie Zeigler is the coach at Central Michigan. Surprising no one, both players decided to stay at home and play for their fathers. Detroit should be pretty good next season, as they return their three top scorers, none of whom play the point, leaving McCallum room to come in and start right away. If Gordon Hayward stays in the draft, its possible that Detroit becomes the favorite in the Horizon. Zeigler is in a different position. Central Michigan loses three of their top four scorers from a team that went just 15-15. He will be counted on for a lot of scoring early in his career.


• Marquette got an early start at replacing Lazar Hayward when they signed JuCo player of the year Jae Crowder. Crowder averaged 19 and 9 for the NJCAA national title winners at Howard College while also knocking down 54 threes. At 6'6", 225 lb, he's about the same size as Hayward as well. But Hayward's shoes will be big ones to fill.
  


• The next big day in recruiting is Saturday, as quite a few players -- including CJ Leslie and Josh Selby -- are expected to declare at some point during the Jordan Brand all-american game.
  

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Brandon Knight to announce Wednesday

The new trend for high-profile recruits is to announce where they will be attending school live on ESPN U.

Remember last year when Harrison Barnes made his decision by skyping UNC head coach Roy Williams, or the backlash when Adam Zagoria broke Kyrie Irving's decision to attend Duke a couple of days before the ESPN U press conference was scheduled?

The next on that list is Brandon Knight.

The nation's top recruit will decide on a school to attend Wednesday afternoon.
(photo credit: MaxPreps)

Knight, who is the No. 1 overall recruit according to both Rivals and Scout and No. 4 on ESPN's top 100, will announce his intentions of where to attend school Wednesday at 4pm on ESPN U. While he lists Kansas, Syracuse, Florida, and UConn has schools he is still interested in attending, most believe that Knight will be the next in line of top point guards to play for John Calipari. Knight is a different player than either John Wall or Derrick Rose. More of a scoring/combo guard than a pure point.

We all know Cal could use him, as he currently has just six players on scholarship or scheduled to attend Kentucky.

What will be interesting about Knight's decision is where the rest of the pieces fall. There are four other guards in the class of 2010 -- Josh Selby, Cory Joseph, Doron Lamb, Ray McCallum -- that are all seemingly waiting for Knight to make his decision before they choose a school to play for. It will start with Selby, who will be deciding Saturday night at the Jordan Brand all-star game.

Can Coach Cal land both Selby and Knight? Will UConn get one of the elite guards they are chasing? Is Ray McCallum going to play for his father at Detroit?

We find out starting Wednesday.

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Where does Kentucky go from here?

As we mentioned earlier, it is being widely reported that five Kentucky Wildcat underclassmen -- freshmen John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, and junior Patrick Patterson -- have all declared for the draft (although KSR is reporting that Patterson still hasn't made a decision).

This may be the last time you see these four in a Kentucky uniform.
(photo credit: iSportsWeb)

All five are expected to be first round picks. John Wall is almost a lock to be the first pick. Chad Ford tweeted that he expects DeMarcus Cousins to go in the 3-5 range, Patterson and Orton to go in the 10-18 range, and Bledsoe to fall to somewhere between 12-20, but that his stock may rise with the lack of point guards in the draft. Draft Express has Cousins going third, Patterson 11th, Orton 26th, and Bledsoe 17th in 2011 (although that is sure to change with this announcement). NBADraft.net has them going fifth, ninth, and 24th, respectively, with Bledsoe slotted at 17th this year.

Whatever the case, the exodus of ability from the Kentucky roster is nothing short of incredible.

Five first round picks, with all five possibly going in the lottery? That is unheard of, literally. There have been four occasions where one team had four players go in the first round -- Duke in 1999 (Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, William Avery, Trajan Langdan), UNC in 2005 (Marvin Williams, Sean May, Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants), and UConn in 2006 (Rudy Gay, Hilton Armstrong, Josh Boone, Marcus Williams). UConn also had Denham Brown go in the second round, becoming the first team to have five players taken in a two-round draft. UNLV had six players drafted in eight rounds in 1977.

But this Kentucky team could have five players taken in the lottery. Most schools are lucky when they happen to have five lottery picks come through their program in a decade. Not a season.

The only issue with have this much talent get drafted is that the talent needs to be replaced.

Assuming they all decide to leave -- including Patterson, who probably should go (ask Da'Sean Butler) -- and factoring in Kentucky's three seniors, there are only five Wildcats left on the roster: Josh Harrellson, Jon Hood, Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, and Darnell Dodson, and Dodson may end up transferring.

All hope is not lost for the Wildcats. Enes Kanter, a five-star, 6'9" center from Turkey, is committed to UK while Stacey Poole, a 6'5", athletic small forward that is a consensus top 50 recruit, has already signed. Add those two to what Kentucky is already returning, and the Wildcats have a solid base.

That said, whether or not Kentucky can be a Final Four contender next season may be decided in the next 10 days or so. PG Brandon Knight, the No. 1 recruit in the country, is expected to announce his decision on where to attend college play basketball for a year on April 14th. The Wildcats are widely considered the favorite.

Brandon Knight is this year's John Wall.
(photo credit: SLAM)

Josh Selby, another point guard and a top 10 recruit out of Baltimore, will make his decision public on April 17th during the Jordan All-American game. There was some speculation that 6'9" CJ Leslie, a top 25 recruit and former HS teammate of John Wall, would also announce on the 17th, but he has since scheduled a visit with UConn after the game.

The Wildcats are also still in the mix for Cory Joseph and Doron Lamb, both point guards.

If Kentucky can land Leslie, Selby, and Knight, don't be surprised to see them right back in the preseason top 10.

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