John Calipari said his Kentucky team that faced Kansas in the NCAA championship game Monday night at the Superdome might have as many as six first-round draft picks. If that seems high, just remember that his 2010 team included five first-round picks, starting with No. 1 overall John Wall.
There’s little doubt 6-foot-10 freshman Anthony Davis will be the No. 1 pick this summer if he chooses to come out as expected, and it’s possible forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could go No. 2, and certainly in the top five. Forward Terrence Jones probably is a lottery pick, and guards Doron Lamb and Marquis Teague have late first-round potential. Senior guard Darius Miller also could sneak into the first round.
What it all shows is that no coach has embraced the economic realities for top basketball talent as fervently as Calipari has. Louisville coach Rick Pitino and Kansas coach Bill Self marveled during the Final Four at Calipari’s ability to manage a program with so many players who leave early for the NBA. Miller is a rare Wildcats senior, and he has played with 40 teammates in four years.
— Reported by the Detroit Free Press
