Darelle Porter called it with the comment that when Blair has his mind made up about the draft, he’s in it to stay.
The press conference for DeJuan Blair is set for 4pm to make it official. Well, actually it seems just to make a statement and take a few questions.
Blair has retained Pittsburgh attorney James Cook, meaning he will forgo his remaining two years of college eligibility.
Cook announced today his representation of Blair in the process. Blair, though, has not decided on a certified NBA agent.
Blair is considered a mid-first round pick.
“DeJuan Blair is Pittsburgh through and through, from the junior program J.O.T.S through Schenley High School to the University of Pittsburgh,” Cook said in a news release.
“We are confident that he will make the city of Pittsburgh proud and enjoy a long NBA career.”
NCAA regs are so much fun. If Atty. Cook was merely an “advisor” or “family friend,” Blair would not be forgoing his eligibility left. In other words, since the attorney is getting paid for his services, Blair is done. That’s right hire someone to better represent your interests and handle matters relating to the NBA draft, but not an actual agent and you still end your NCAA eligibility.
Well, good luck to DeJuan Blair. You were a fantastic player at Pitt and a great representative of the program and the school.
UPDATE (2:01): A couple people have pointed out the AP article that says Blair retains his eligibility. That would indicate that Atty. Cook is presently in the “advisory” role rather than formally retained. Honestly that makes more sense, even if I don’t think Blair will be back.
I’m not sure which is true at this point.
ESPN isn’t always right though.
Anyways, it’s the first headline on ESPN.com.
great two seasons dejuan. best of luck at the next level.
I think part of it is stupid families but who knows.
Chris, Ontario, I totally agree with you. It makes no sense. There would be plenty of time to hire a lawyer or agent after the NBA evaluation.
As for why he hired Cook and not an agent…what difference does it make? What do we care who he hires to exhaust his eligibility? So he hired a trusted lawyer to look out for him and help him sift through the agent selection process. So what? Would anyone really be saying “dumb move” if he said he was hiring him as his agent, and then he later hired a new person for his NBA representation, keeping Cook for marketing? No. Of course not. You can’t quibble with HOW he chooses to go about the process once he knows what he’s doing. That’s just absurd. What if the first thing he did was accept a free Big Mac from an agent at a meeting to decide if he was going to hire that agent? Would that have been the preferred way of giving up Pitt? He made a choice. Deal.
These comments smack of sour grapes. Blair made a decision, and it wasn’t what we were hoping for US. But for him? It was ABSOLUTELY the right call. No doubt about it, you strike while the fire is hot. His “potential” is as high as it will ever be, and that is absolutely what gets you drafted higher or lower in the first round. While he obviously needs to work on shooting and defense, “polished” college players are never as valuable as raw, big potential guys who are younger. That’s just a fact of the draft. Sure, I’d like to see him develop a 15 footer. But he doesn’t have to do that in college. He made the right choice.
I don’t think the comments are “sour grapes”. Most of the posters (Hugh Green, Omar, Ontario, etc.) have all seemed resigned to the fact that Blair was as good as gone for the last few weeks. I think their hearts are in the right place. When they say “dumb move” I have to believe its out of legitimate concern for what type of risks the coming evaluations and workouts will pose to his draft status. I, like most of the other contributors, worry that something goes wrong and DeJuan doesn’t end up being a first-rounder and has eliminated the “back-to-school” option. I hope this works out.
Now, on the other hand, I’m glad that he has personally decided that this is what he wants to do and is committed to it. Seeing Shady go through the same process and being indecisive and unsure was tough to swallow.
I hope you’re right, and the hiring of cook was shrewd and calculating and will ultimately benefit DeJuan.
We’ll miss seeing him play, but I can’t wait to watch him flip Dwight Howard or Shaq over his shoulder next season.
These guys have been dreaming about that league, a substantial paycheck and the lifestyle that goes with it for years. Our culture is about now.
It doesn’t always make a ton of sense to us on the outside, but we’re not living it. Easy for us to think rationally……
Not true. He can finish the semester out if he wants, he’s just not eligible to play a sport. And I’m pretty sure Pitt has a standing offer for athletes to return and finish school whenever. Obviously, in his case, they’d let him whether the offer stands for others or not.
