5 pm Sunday.
That is the NBA’s deadline from withdrawing from the draft. It seems that Gray and his family will go up to the final minutes before letting the NBA office know their decision. So, we may not know until 6 or 7 pm. As has been the case this whole time, no one knows.
Scouts are saying that Pittsburgh junior center Aaron Gray is squarely on the bubble for the first round and hasn’t gotten the promise he’s seeking, which could cause him to pull out of the draft.
He has not hired an agent and remains undecided about the draft with 2 days remaining before the June 18th withdrawal deadline.
Gray has been linked to Chicago at 16 and New Jersey at 22/23 by contacts, but no concrete promises have been made. Gray has an intriguing combination of size and strength, but remains a project that will take a few years to contribute to a team.
A number of scouts feel he would benefit from another year in college where he would have a chance to lead the nation in rebounding. But even returning to school and having a strong season is no guaruntee as next year’s draft could be stronger.
As his decision goes, so go the expectations for Pitt.
Pittsburgh: If 7-0 Aaron Gray were to remain in the draft, the Panthers would lack a true center for the first time since they reemerged as a power.
They’ve had Toree Morris, Chris Taft and Gray available to man the middle, but during Morris’ time, they relied even more on 6-6 Ontario Lett. So this stuff can work just as well with a talented, undersized player.
If Gray were gone, the Panthers could turn to 6-8, 260-pound Tyrell Biggs. They also could use athletic forward Sam Young to defend opposing post players and have 6-9 power forward Levon Kendall as a help defender. The Panthers would not be as good or as deep, but still would be an NCAA Tournament contender.
And CollegeHoops.net echoes the questions while listing teams with big unknowns at the moment.
4. Pittsburgh (25-8, 10-6 Big East): Replacing a talent the likes of Carl Krauser would be tough for any program, but the Panthers are blessed with a deep backcourt that can do just that. Pitt returns the likes of Ronald Ramon, Levance Fields, and Keith Benjamin in the backcourt, three players who saw many important minutes for Jaime Dixon last season. Sam Young, Levon Kendall, and Tyrell Biggs will be back in the paint to bruise opponents in the Big East. But the key is center Aaron Gray, who had entered the NBA Draft. Gray, who still hasn’t hired an agent, could be the difference for Pittsburgh if they hope to challenge Georgetown for the Big East title. Gray, who was the Big East’s Most Improved Player in 2005-06, gained confidence with each start, and each subsequent double-double. Whether or not Pittsburgh is a Final Four contender is tough to tell, but having Gray would give them their best chance at getting there.
Well since ABC/ESPN went with the curious (to say the least) choice of using Tom Petty tunes as the music for the NBA playoffs and finals, what can you say except that the waiting is the hardest part. Or something like that.
