I honestly don’t see how Taft won’t enter into the NBA draft. We can all agree that Taft has not made the leap expected this year. The fact is, though, that the NBA draft is not about drafting the best player; the NBA is about drafting the best potential player. Chris Taft fits that description. He has size, he will only get stronger and bigger, he has shown decent touch, and when motivated has a mean streak to battle inside. Most importantly, he has size. Look back on any NBA draft in the last 10-15 years. You will consistently see Centers who were stiffs, drafted very high. Why? Because they were big men. How else do you explain Chris Mihm going Number 7 a few years ago?

Krauser, though, is not going into the draft. The beat writers seem to want to speculate on this, and maybe its because Krauser says things to them to make them believe he is really considering it. It’s not going to happen. I have not seen his name in any national publication when it comes to speculating on kids who will declare for the draft. Not even in the columns mentioning those who might but shouldn’t. The other reason is that this 2005 NBA draft will be ridiculously heavy with point guards.

The latest is from Chris Ford who covers the NBA for ESPN.com (subs. req’d.). He breaks down the list of underclassmen in terms of who Will, Might and Considering. Krauser isn’t there. Taft tops the list.

1. Chris Taft, So., Pittsburgh: Big man looked like a lock for the top three before the season began, but he’s struggled this year. However, scouts still claim he’s still near the top of their draft boards and believe he will definitely declare.

Now on his list, here are the Point Guards:

Will:
3. Deron Williams, Jr., Illinois: His stock has never been higher, and he won’t miss the opportunity to make the jump. Most scouts believe he’s the second-best point guard prospect in the draft behind Chris Paul and should be a lottery pick.

4. Raymond Felton, Jr., North Carolina: Felton has flirted with declaring the last two seasons, this will likely be the year he actually does it. While scouts remain split on how good of a prospect he’ll be, his stock is high enough that he knows he’ll go in the first half of the first round. That should be enough.

Might:
1. Chris Paul, So., Wake Forest: He’s a consensus top-five pick in the draft right now and could go as high as No. 1. So, what is he waiting for? Paul loves playing for Wake Forest and isn’t sure he wants to leave just yet. If the Bobcats get the No. 1 pick, they might make him an offer he can’t refuse.

6. Jarrett Jack, Jr., Georgia Tech: Jack has interest in the NBA and if he can get assurances that he’s a top-20 pick, he’ll likely declare. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem given his unquestionable talent, but this is a deep point guard class that might push Jack a little further down the charts than he’d like.

7. John Gilchrist, Jr., Maryland: Gilchrist has a well-documented jones for playing in the NBA. He has the talent to make him a mid-first rounder. But questions about his attitude, focus and constant comparisons to Stephon Marbury have hurt his stock to the point that he might be better off returning for another season.

11. Ronnie Brewer, So., Arkansas: Brewer is a tough guy to project. Some scouts believe he has the talent to be a lottery pick, others aren’t convinced he’s really a point guard. He could be another guy who declares, keeps his college eligibility, and then looks for a promise in the mid first round. He has some fans.

12. Randolph Morris, Fr., Kentucky: He’s not ready. That’s clear. But he’s a real center, something this draft is almost totally devoid of. Someone will take him in the first round because of that. However, he could really improve his stock by playing another year or two at Kentucky.

15. Mardy Collins, Jr., Temple: Collins has drawn a lot of praise over the past month from scouts. He’s got great size for the position, has true point-guard instincts and really racks up the steals. A sleeper who could really rise with great workouts.

23. Mustafa Shakur, Jr., Arizona: A highly-touted prospect who has slipped in the eyes of most scouts. He must improve his jumper and work on running the offense in the half-court set.

Considering:
1. Curtis Stinson, So., Iowa State: He’s already 22 years old and knows his window is closing. Enough teams like him that he has a shot of cracking the late first round with great workouts and a good camp in Chicago.

9. Darius Washington, Fr., Memphis: He should meet Anthony Roberson Jr. Washington’s another shooting guard in a point guard’s body who, for some reason, still believes he’s a point guard. His open battles with Sean Banks this season haven’t helped his stock. He has NBA-itus, but he’s going to have to either wait or risk slipping into the second round.

10. Jose Juan Barea, Jr., Northeastern: He’s a scoring machine who has shown some good point guard skills. However, he tries to do too much on Northeastern and is paying for it, averaging 4.6 turnovers a game. He could improve his stock at Chicago if he can prove that he can play under control.

Obviously not all of those players will declare. Still if even half come out, that is 6 underclassmen point guards. Nevermind any seniors and foreign players. The most Krauser might do is test the waters at some tryout camps, but not hire an agent.