I’ve been running around all day. The wife is now sick. The kids are on spring break. Somewhere in there I still have to work and do everything else. Sorry not to be on this sooner. Judging by some of the e-mails, there is a bit of concern over Gibbs’ decision.

I have no problem with it.

“We’re not sure,” Temple Gibbs said today from New Jersey regarding his son’s draft plans. “From what I know, he was thinking about it. But he wouldn’t hire an agent, without a doubt.”

Gibbs, a first-team all-Big East selection who led the Panthers in scoring each of the past two seasons, has until April 24 to officially declare for early entry into the draft.

Provided he doesn’t hire an agent, Gibbs would have until May 8 to withdraw his name without losing NCAA eligibility.

“It would be to see what it was like,” Temple Gibbs said.

I hardly see this as a panic moment. If you are a junior at a high major program, with aspirations of a pro career there should be a no-brainer. Go through the process. Get the feedback. Find out what your chances are at present. Assuming you come back, you have a better understanding of what you need to improve.

(more…)

Reed has been killing it with the football stuff. This despite the lockdown of information — beyond what the coaches are willing to release. I disagree with the philosophy — and not just because it starves the media and this site a bit. It creates a situation that puts all the pressure on the team to win.

When you win, fans don’t care about the closed practices. The lack of information and/or controls on what is happening. It’s the Bill Parcells/Bill Belicheck/Nick Saban style.

But when the team loses, the fans start clamoring to know what’s going on. The media, already facing constant criticism from one side because they don’t have any real info to share because of the control, start releasing some of the simmering annoyances and frustrations with the controls of information.

Those are all long-term issues. Right now, not so much a problem. So that’s just a bit of a digression.

(more…)

I know, it’s March. Should be all about basketball. And for the most part it will be. Well, there will be spring practices starting in about 2 weeks. That will be a distraction.

Still, some links I’ve accumulated relating to football items, so I might as well clear the palate first.

Let’s start with the head man. Coach Todd Graham was back in Tulsa for a funeral and to take care of personal business as he makes the move to Pittsburgh (his wife Penni has been a Tweeting source of info). He spoke with a Tulsa World columnist to try and smooth over some hard feelings from his departure (and subsequently competing with Tulsa for some recruits).

(more…)

Dion Lewis, Jon Baldwin and Henry Hynoski are leaving Pitt for the NFL draft.

Each have good reasons for leaving now. No one should begrudge them for going.

Hynoski has the most to lose by staying at Pitt with a change in offensive philosophy. A fullback, he likely faced a very diminished role. As a junior his transfer prospects would have been limited and likely done nothing to help his draft stock. As it stands, most fullbacks don’t go until late in the draft. If he transferred to a 1-AA school to play right away, it would be even harder to get any notice. On the plus side, he will earn his degree by April.

Baldwin would gain nothing by staying another year. He probably had his draft stock dinged a little between the problems with his relationship with QB Tino Sunseri, stuck mainly running decoy deep routes, and worse by not being the most aggressive receiver.

Still he has the physical tools that make him look like a #1 receiver. He won’t be the first WR taken in the draft, but he will be the first Pitt player taken in the 2011 NFL Draft.

(more…)

Here’s the press release from the Pitt athletic department detailing who was drafted where (hint: Byham in the 6th to San Fran and Dickerson in the 7th to Houston). Also listed were undrafted free agent signings:

• Aaron Berry — Detroit Lions
• John Malecki — Tennessee Titans
• Mick Williams — NY Jets
• Bill Stull — KC Chiefs

Adam Gunn was invited to Green Bay’s spring mini camp but has not signed any deal.

Eye of a Panther has a solid recap with some links to the NFL team comments on the draft picks.

Script Pitt notes that Stull signing with KC puts him in competition with Tyler Palko to be the scout team QB. I have no comment.

Not that Pitt players expect to hear their names called tonight. The new format starts tonight. First round begins around 7:30 pm. Friday night has rounds 2 and 3. Then on Saturday morning, the blow through of rounds 4-7.

Dorin Dickerson is expected to be picked sometime on Friday.

• Upside: Is extraordinarily versatile. Played wide receiver, running back, quarterback, defensive back and returned kicks to be heavily recruited out of high school. With 4.4 speed in the 40 and 43 1/2-inch vertical leap, will be a nightmare for linebackers to cover and powerful build makes him hard to bring down.

• Downside: It will be disconcerting to some that he underachieved for much of his college career and was a player seemingly without a position for so long. Blocking, route-running and ball security are all areas in need of improvement.

• Projected round: Third.

Dickerson has seen his stock rise since the season ended. He started out as being a pick that went as late as the 5th round, and now he has been projected as high as the 2nd round. He’s not seen as a traditional tight end, since he lacks the traditional size. Instead, they talk of him as an H-back type player. Someone that becomes a weapon when he gets into space.

The more traditional TE is Nate Byham.

Now, Byham’s pass-blocking skills are the primary reason he’s likely to be taken anywhere from the third to sixth round of the three-day NFL Draft, which begins Thursday night.

“The coaches put Dorin in position where he could really help the team,” Byham said, “and that ultimately made me become a better blocker because I focused on run-blocking more.”

So far, at least 26 teams have expressed interest in Byham, according to agent Chase Callahan.

“Nate is the kind of guy who can step in and play right away because of his blocking abilities. I think a team like Baltimore needs Nate to block the Lamar Woodleys and James Harrisons and help their run and passing game.

“The Jets want to run the ball 30 times a game, so Nate can come in and contribute right away,” Callahan said. “Several teams have a third-round grade, and others have Nate as a fourth- to sixth-round grade.”

That seems to be the rumor. That teams might have to grab Byham earlier than they originally thought.

Finally, the stock of Pittsburgh TE Nate Byham has quietly gone way up in recent weeks. Most scouts I’ve spoken with think he’s a guy who can play in the league 10 years as a No. 2 tight end. However, the teams that thought he was a safe late-round pick at the start of the postseason process now think they might need to take him a little higher than originally thought – in the middle rounds — in order to secure him on draft day.

About the only other Pitt player with the potential to be drafted is cornerback Aaron Berry. He never made Pitt fans forget Darrelle Revis, but I can’t help but think he also suffered because the defensive scheme Pitt ran called for the corners to play off more to prevent big plays, rather than tighter coverage.

Most of the other seniors from Pitt with NFL dreams will go the free agent route.

“Take a Mick Williams or Gus Mustakas for instance — any team that is running that Tampa defense, the 4-3, either of those two guys would fit as undersized, quick defensive linemen who’ve already been coached to play in that system.”

…

The same can be said about John Malecki, undersized to play guard but a better fit at center, Adam Gunn, a linebacker with special-teams ability) and wide receiver Oderick Turner.

One other name to listen for is quarterback Bill Stull, who said a number of teams already have contacted him about becoming a free agent if he is not drafted.

“I really hoped Billy would get in a couple of those all-star games because I know what he can do,” Wannstedt said.

One other name that will probably go the free agent way is center Robb Houser.

The Butte County native who helped Durham High reach the Division IV section football playoffs three straight seasons and Butte College lay the foundation for its famed 2008 JCGridiron.com national championship glory has apparently been concerned about other areas in his life lately.

“He has been text messaging me about this ghost inside his house in Pittsburgh, honestly,” said Allen Henman, one of Houser’s former prep teammates and Durham Elementary School classmates. “He and his roommate think they keep seeing something. They talk about it like it’s a pet.”

Er, okay. So he’s a bit distracted. Scott McKilloop thinks he has a chance.

“We ran a pro-style offense and defense at Pitt that translates into the NFL system,” said former Pittsburgh linebacker Scott McKillop, now a member of the San Francisco 49ers and a Panthers alumnus anxious to see if Houser will end up with an NFL opportunity.

“In Robb’s case, he knows what he can do (well) and can’t do,” McKillop said. “That’s a mark of a great player, working around their limitations and also working to improve at the same time.”

McKillop often competed against Houser up close in practice since their positions match up on the field. Recovering fast from a serious ankle injury during his first season at Pittsburgh was another impression Houser left on McKillop.

“He’s a tough player, he came back real quick,” McKillop said. “It shows how he can be depended on to come back in a pinch. That’s important (in the NFL).”

In one final bit of NFL-Pitt related news. I was sent a press release that Darrelle Revis has joined the Ocho Cinco News Network for draft coverage. No I am not making this up. Here’s the press release.

Darrelle Revis as a draft correspondent.

Motorola is the sponsor of OCNN. So Revis is at least having fun.

Just some assorted things relating to football that I’ll lump in a short link-dump.

The rest of Coach Wannstedt’s interview with ESPN.com’s Brian Bennett. Kevin Harper will at least take over kick-off duties it seems. Mike Cruz comes in as the #1 tight end with Devlin #2. Mason to no one’s shock will be MLB.

How about the offensive line? You lost three starters but it seems like you’ve been grooming some young guys to take over.

DW: Center will be the biggest position. Left guard will be fine. Chris Jacobson, he started the bowl game and can play. He’s a big, talented kid. Three years ago, he was the most highly recruited offensive lineman in the state of Pennsylvania. So he’ll be fine. There’s competition at right guard and the same thing at center. So we’ve got to fill two spots, but we’ve got some young guys who’ve been waiting for that opportunity. We’ll see. I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out.

Not even a hint as to who will be competing at the center spot. Meanwhile Robb Houser, who did a fine job in his brief time, is gearing up for Pitt’s pro day to show he can play in the NFL.

A major inspiration for him has been former Pittsburgh teammate C.J. Davis, now a guard in the league with the Carolina Panthers. Davis wasn’t drafted last year and like Houser doesn’t have exceptionally imposing size.

Being from the Pittsburgh system evidently provided quite a lift. Dave Wannstedt, with his 22 years worth of professional experience as a former NFL coach and player, runs the program and has been preparing college players well now for the business.

“C.J. couldn’t believe how simple it was when he had to first study the Carolina play schemes,” Houser said. “They’re very complicated at Pitt, it took me a year and a half to get down. I think that some of the coaches and players at Carolina were amazed how C.J. was able to master that system quickly and I’m not surprised because I know how complex the plays we run (at Pittsburgh) are.”

Former players from the school now in the NFL include New York Jets defensive back Darrelle Rivas, Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy and Carolina Panthers left tackle Jeff Otah. Those three are considered among the league’s best under 25 years of age and were manufactured by Wannstedt during their college careers.

Needless to say, Houser is hoping to join the tradition…

“Manufactured?”

Nate Byham gets discussed among TE prospects at the Patriots site.

“Smash-mouth football, the kind of guy who’s down in the trenches doing the dirty work,” was how Byham described himself and his game Thursday. “Not too many tight ends are known for getting all gritty and moving d-ends and throwing linebackers. That’s why I take pride in being able to get down there and maybe get out in the pass when people least expect it.”

Byham also pointed out that his head coach at Pitt, Dave Wannstedt (a long-time former NFL assistant and head coach) has been instrumental in molding him into a prototypical NFL blocking tight end. Scouts, he said, have told him that they can see how much more developed he is as a blocker than other college players at his position.

This article on Dickerson raising his stock at the combine also provided unintentional insight as to why Coach Wannstedt struggled with figuring out the right place to play him.

Still, it remains to be seen if he improved his draft stock because, at 6 feet 2, 226 pounds, Dickerson will have to add at least 15 pounds to be a flex tight end or H-back in the National Football League. If so, he thinks he can be a tight end on the order of Dallas Clark of the Indianapolis Colts or Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers.

“They’re smaller type tight ends,” Dickerson said. “That’s what I classify myself as, a smaller receiving-type tight end.

“I think they’re going to look at me as a flex tight end. I’m probably going to put on some weight. I’ll be used in the slot and as a wing, all the H-back stuff. I think that’s how I’ll be used. But some teams might want me as a bigger receiver, I don’t know yet.”

Because of his athleticism and unique skills, Dickerson lined up at a number of different positions at Pitt, including wide receiver, H-back and running back. Nate Byham, who also attended the combine, was more of the natural tight end, primarily because he is a better blocker than Dickerson.

They apparently don’t know where to play him or classify him. It really seems to be an issue in the NFL as to body types and “prototypical” sizes. Coach Wannstedt (and to some degree former OC Matt Cavanaugh) with an NFL background struggled to recognize the potential at the TE spot in college until late.

At SI.com, Andy Staples managed to put together a team of top players who were so missed by the recruiting sites that they had 2-stars or less. Dion Lewis didn’t make the cut because even he got 3-stars. The only Pitt player, Greg Romeus.

Romeus played basketball for most of his life and didn’t take up football until his senior year at Coral Glades High in Coral Springs, Fla. The school was playing its first year of varsity football, so it wasn’t a destination for college recruiters. Romeus was set to sign with Central Florida, but Pitt made a late push and snagged a raw athlete who would grow into a fearsome pass rusher.

Former Big East Commish Mike Tranghese got $30,000 for six months consulting work to Memphis for how they can get into a BCS conference. Tranghese did not have to produce a written report, and his informed, measured advice seemed to boil down to: win more football games.

While Nate Byham was also invited to the combine — and I believe he will have a solid career in the NFL — Dorin Dickerson got most of the attention at the TE position at the combine. He raised his stock. His numbers impressed.

Pittsburgh’s Dorin Dickerson, at 226 pounds the lightest tight end at the NFL Scouting Combine, led the field with unofficial times of 4.40 and 4.43 seconds Saturday. NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks projects Dickerson, who played a variety of positions for the Panthers, as an H-back type of player in the NFL. Dickerson moves a little bit like current Jets TE Dustin Keller, who was here two years ago.

The projections still put him outside of the first couple rounds, but still possible (Insider subs).

The story of the day among the tight ends was the performance put on by Pittsburgh’s Dorin Dickerson (6-1?, 226), whose official 4.40 in the 40 illustrated the explosiveness, burst and separation skills that set him apart from the rest of the tight end class. Dickerson looked good all over the field, catching the ball well and performing well in all phases.

The excitement around Dickerson is tempered by his lack of size, however. He has long arms (34 inches) and big hands but still must find a niche with an offensive coordinator who can create a unique H-back role for Dickerson, one that will use his versatility to create mismatches. Overall, though, Dickerson solidified his third-round grade and is at least in the late-second round discussion.

Despite plenty of positive takes, there are those who are not so positive, because of his hips.

Pitt TE Dorin Dickerson ran a blazing 40 (unofficially 4.40 seconds) and produced a 43-inch vertical jump, both of which will likely improve his stock. When we evaluated him on film and at the Senior Bowl, however, he looked to be more of a straight-line athlete who does not show the fluidity in his hips, even as a tight end, to consistently gain separation against NFL linebackers.

I think I’m obliged to go with a “that’s what she said” comment there.

I find myself pondering the question that if Sam Young had gone pro after his junior year and been drafted in the same spot he was this year, everyone would have said he made a mistake by going pro early. That he fell for some mocks and pundits that had him listed late in the first round (like he was last year).

There would have been talk about how he needed another year to refine his game further. Show he could consistently hit from the perimeter. That if he came back and led Pitt to a great season, then his stock would have risen.  Of course he did all that, and then got slammed for being a 24-year old senior.

If DeJuan Blair had stayed another year or even all four and was still subsequently drafted in the second. There would be the observation of how he was listed in the teens of the mock drafts this year and should have gone when he was hotter and had less wear on his knees. That surely he would have gone higher because teams and scouts would have had less chance to pick apart his game.

Ultimately, no matter how many whispers there are in the ear. It is still the person’s decision. I hope DeJuan Blair still takes advantage of Pitt’s policies and at some point in the future finishes his education.

Even though Sam Young was taken one spot ahead of DeJuan Blair, there is not a lot of ink about him. Part of that stems from his being a senior so there is no “should he have stayed or gone” debate. Also, his slide out of the first round was really not as precipitous. He was holding steady in the twenties, so a slide to the early second round is not nearly as vast.

Also, since Sam went into a brief seclusion away from family and Pittsburgh, there was no media to really sit with him.

The other reason stems from the team that drafted him. They had the 2nd pick of the draft so that’s where the attention goes. Finally, it is Memphis. A wasteland of a franchise so there just isn’t going to be a lot on a bad team’s second round pick.

(more…)

First this:

Naturally, when Blair started slipping, some Pitt fans ripped his decision to leave school early. Why? Because that’s what fans do. They love you when you play for their favorite team. But if you ever leave early they mock you if the decision doesn’t go as planned.

Happens every year.

It happened this year.

I changed two words in that passage. Instead of “Blair” and “Pitt,” it really reads “Brown” as in Derrick Brown and “Xavier.”

(Derrick Brown was another potential 1st round guy who slipped to #40. His old teammate Stanley Burrell was backing him on Twitter and getting pissed at the negativity. He also got off a mad rant on Sean Miller. Well worth reading the whole post from Gary Parrish.)

Back to DeJuan Blair. It isn’t just some Pitt fans talking about how Blair made a big mistake going pro and as the Liveblog last night brought up the specter of Chris Taft.

In the history of mock draft mockery, Pittsburgh C DeJuan Blair will join former Panther Chris Taft and former N.C. State F Josh Powell on an ignominious list. All three were convinced by Internet speculation that they would be NBA lottery picks. Taft dropped deep into the second round in 2005. Powell wasn’t even picked in 2003. As of Thursday afternoon, NBADraft.net had Blair going No. 13 overall to the Pacers. He went in the second round, at No. 37 to San Antonio. Remember this declaration from Blair at the press conference when he announced for the draft? “I’m an Internet freak and I go on all the draft boards, and nobody’s got me going second round. That’s almost guaranteed to me.” Whom does Blair see to get his money back?

That seems to be the source of a lot of the second-guessing of Blair. His declaration of relying on the mocks. No question, that haunts him in terms of a quote being thrown back in his face.

When you view the mocks in terms of buzz and a player’s status — which is really the way to treat them it is different. Most other mocks have had him slipping and moving for the last couple weeks. While none had him falling out of the 1st round, he was definitely not a lock in the teens.

All because of his knees.

The burly Pitt star was viewed as a lottery pick until teams got wind of his medical exam. Blair underwent ACL surgery on both knees in high school, and many teams said his long-term prognosis was not good.

Though he went undrafted in the first round, his landing site could not have worked out better for Blair. He’ll join the Spurs and help them as a rookie while playing limited minutes, which should set him up for a contract in three years.

Many executives in the league didn’t like seeing Blair fall this far, but there was little they could do to stop it. Most team doctors red-flagged him, which prevented the GMs from taking Blair in the first round.

“This is the worst I’ve ever seen as far as doctors unwilling to put their butts on the line,” said a senior executive of an Eastern conference team. “If there’s any kind of gray area, they’re going to flunk the player.”

Because of the sophisticated testing of MRIs and other high-tech devices, team doctors “know things they never used to know,” the executive went on. “They never used to flunk players, and now they flunk them all the time. And a lot of the time it’s to cover their [butts].”

Unlike Chris Taft, which because he was a Pitt guy and has admitted that he watched the mocks today Blair is being compared, Blair did not start falling in the mocks immediately after leaving Pitt.

No revisionism. Taft started sliding when he showed up to workouts and bombed. When his conditioning stunk. When he was acting like he was already getting paid. By draft night he had already fallen from any top-10. For Pitt fans and some scouts, he started sliding before the season ended and he was clearly not giving a full effort. He was still expected to be in the first round, and his deep slide was surprising, but his stock had been falling because of his performance in workouts and attitude — not medical reasons.

Blair killed in the workouts. He aced interviews. He was rising on the draftboards. Teams picking in the 8-12 range were bringing him in for one-on-one interviews. Then came the medical reports on his knees.

Damage control was run, but if team doctors ultimately wouldn’t sign off on the pick, then no team was going to risk a guaranteed contract. It also means that his coming back to Pitt for another year would have made no difference. The knee issues would still be waiting next year or even if he stayed all four years.

(more…)

I’m guessing there are going to be a ton of these tonight. Of course, this will be the only one with Pitt bias at the forefront.

YouTube clips of DeJuan Blair abusing Hasheem Thabeet will be re-posted around the same time Thabeet goes in the top-5.

Video links of Jonny Flynn being worn down by Pitt’s defense will be appreciated as well.

And of course, Sam Young highlights.

The fun starts around 7pm. Join in, here.

Barring anything really breaking that significantly effects the fate of DeJuan Blair or Sam Young, this should be the final post regarding the NBA Draft before tonight’s liveblog.

DeJuan Blair will be at a hotel in Pittsburgh with friends and family for the draft. No doubt with a camera that feeds to ESPN so they can show the reaction when drafted.

Sam Young, on the other hand will be in a cave away from the world. Or something close to that. Hiding in Atlanta.

The reclusive Young flew south on Wednesday from Washington, D.C., where he had been staying with family since leaving Pitt as the No. 4 all-time leading scorer in Panthers history.

The 24-year-old Young wanted to distance himself from the hectic pre-draft process – the workouts, agents, PR reps, handlers and media – and focus on his future in basketball.

“I just want to get away and be by myself,” Young said. “My family wanted to be around me and be in my corner. But I kind of wanted to be alone and reflect on basketball and how it works. It was my decision.”

Young seems placcid and is just patiently awaiting this. DeJuan Blair on the other hand…

“I’m starting to get nervous,” said Blair, a first-team All-American as a sophomore last season. “I’m getting anxious waiting. I just want to know what NBA team I’ll be with.”

It has been an eventful two months for Blair, the Schenley High School graduate who left Pitt in April with two seasons of eligibility remaining. He has demonstrated a commitment to becoming a professional, changing his physique from lumpy to lean.

Blair, who stands 6 feet 6, lost 30 pounds in the past two months and has been impressive in workouts for NBA teams. Scouts and general managers love his competitiveness, his ability to rebound and his leadership qualities.

The main concerns are his two surgically repaired knees. Blair tore anterior cruciate ligaments in both knees while at Schenley, and even though he only missed one game in his two-year collegiate career, there seems to be some question about the long-term durability of those knees. There have been some reports that there might not be any ligaments remaining in the knees.

“I don’t have any ligaments, so what can I tear?” Blair joked. “What I’m saying to the teams is my knees are fine. I feel great. I’ve been playing on them for the last three or four years at Pitt and Schenley.”

Because there are some issues with his knees, Blair can potentially be drafted anywhere from the middle to later in the first round.

It also doesn’t help his nerves to see in the last minute mocks, he keeps slipping into the low 20s — including yet another ESPN mock.

The potential slide is purely about his knees. He’s answered most other questions. There’s really nothing he can do about this. He’s shown medical evidence of no deterioration.

Teams appear legitimately nervous, though, that they are going to blow a pick in the teens on a player that could blow out either knee. Yes, it can happen to any player at any time. Still, it seems more likely to happen to a player with a prior history.

As Luke Winn notes, Blair’s rebounding prowess alone should make him worth the risk.

Blair is as good a defensive rebounder as Love and Beasley, both top-five picks from last year’s loaded draft. Only Millsap, who turned out to be a huge second-round score for the Jazz, came close to Blair’s numbers on the offensive glass — and Millsap was playing in the WAC, not the Big East. Blair may be a bit one-dimensional, as his offensive game away from the basket is extremely limited, but he’s a lock to be a high-volume rebounder as a pro. In this year’s talent pool, that’s more than worth a pick in the 10-15 range.

For Pitt fans, the only reason to keep watching into the second round, is Tyrell Biggs’ longshot.

Tyrell Biggs returned home to Nanuet late Tuesday night, jet-lagged and groggy from yet another day this month spent trekking through an airport.

“I was coming from Portland,” Biggs said before catching himself. “No wait, I was actually in Memphis.”

Forgive Biggs for not remembering for a moment. June has just been that kind of month.

Since graduating from Pitt this spring, the power forward has worked out for six NBA teams, most recently with the Grizzlies on Tuesday, in an attempt to draw last-minute interest before tonight’s NBA draft. And yesterday, Biggs finally found time to relax.

“It’s been tiring and there’s been a lot of training,” said Biggs, who spent time at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., preparing for the workouts. “Overall, it’s been strenuous, but I’m hoping it will all be worth it.”

But Biggs is realistic and perfectly willing to go overseas to play.

For the Pitt program and Coach Jamie Dixon the good thing about this is putting Pit players in the NBA and getting their names called on draft night.

“It’s all positive,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon was saying this week over the telephone from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he’s coaching USA Basketball’s under-19 team and preparing for the world championship tournament July 2-12 in Auckland, New Zealand.

“There are no negatives when your players are going to the NBA. It doesn’t matter if they go as seniors or juniors or sophomores.”

Should be a good night for Pitt.

First things, first. DeJuan Blair is Tweeting. Something to fill the void until his website is fully operational.

I honestly have no idea where Blair will go in the draft. I’m not sure the draftniks do either at this point. He could go to Indiana at #13 as it seemed last week or the Bulls at #16.

Other things suggest he could slide into the 20s, as the latest  SI.com and Draft Express mock drafts have him doing. Which suggests that rumors, reports, potential misinformation and off-the-record things are implying a possible slide as teams just can’t pull the trigger with his knees.

But the rumors and reports keep things jumping (10:35 pm update).

-Sacramento has reportedly offered Detroit the #23 and #31 picks in exchange for the #15. The Kings may target DeJuan Blair at 15 if he’s available, while the Pistons like Toney Douglas and possibly DaJuan Summers.

-Does Atlanta unloading Acie Law for Jamal Crawford change their priorities in this draft? GM Rick Sund has supposedly told people that he will surely target a point guard, possibly Eric Maynor or Jeff Teague (assuming Lawson is gone at 13 or 17), but this might change things for him. Tyler Hansbrough and DeJuan Blair appear to be firmly in the mix here as well.

At least it won’t be a Chris Taft-esque shocking slide.

On the bright side, this sort of thing sets up the team that picks Sam Young with getting designated as grabbing a draft “steal” or “sleeper.”

[Dan] Dakich said his NBA sources have Pittsburgh 6-6 forward Sam Young as the player scouts love but are reticent to take with a top-20 pick.

Two little tidbits from different places that just points out part of why the NBA wanted to eliminate high school kids from the draft. Not simply to improve the product, but to help protect the NBA teams from their own herd mentality of stupidty. The belief that it is better to fail drafting on potential and upside than to grab a guy that can help right away.

Sam Young may be about to pay for being experienced. The Pittsburgh small forward is athletic and aggressive and made noticeable improvements in college, but he’s also 24. As much as teams might appreciate the maturity level, they also want someone with more years to develop and stick, especially if they spend a first-round pick to get him.

And the absurdity of that is that few players last that long, and even when they do they usually end up on some other team that reaps the reward when they finally develop enough to contribute.

Just ask the Lakers about Trevor Ariza — drafted by the Knicks in 2004, then with the Magic who give up on him and send him for practically nothing to the Lakers. Ariza turns 24 at the end of June.

Then teams and the fans complain about the draft busts, because the players aren’t ready in the first year or two. Of course the players that are ready to contribute quickly are downgraded in the draft because they don’t have as much upside and room to grow — because they are already better than the projects.

Just a couple days away from the NBA Draft. I will be doing a liveblog of the NBA Draft. I just haven’t decided which telecast to use. I’m leaning towards going with NBA TV. A little obscure, but on the plus side certain personalities will be out. No Stuart Scott, no Dick Vitale, no Steven A. Smith and while Jay Bilas is a good college basketball analyst I can’t stand him getting preachy about the college experience and his weak-ass defense of the one-and-done rule. It’s sad to think that my choice will come down to who is not on the air.

I still miss the NBA Draft on TNT. There was just more fun to it. Less taking itself way too seriously.

Onto the drafting stuff. Nice piece the other day on Biggs and Fields. Both are going to be undrafted. Both will be in the NBA Summer League. There seems to be some belief that Biggs might end up on a NBA roster in time. Both, though, are going to be earning their living playing basketball in Europe.

DeJuan Blair has become a mystery man in the draft. Not in the way of people trying to know him or get him for workouts. Not at all. He’s been back on request to plenty of teams for more. He is likely headed back to Chicago for a call back.

No one seems to know what team will grab him.

Blair’s final workout was with Utah, and it seems that the Jazz, choosing No. 20, are as low as Blair could go. Walters said Blair is unlikely to go to New York and be in the green room, even though he could land in the lottery. There was talk that Milwaukee, at No. 10, was interested in Blair, but the Bucks seem to have decided to go for a point guard. The first logical landing spot for Blair, then, is Charlotte at No. 12, though the Bobcats are rumored to be looking for a good perimeter defender.

There has been some sentiment in Indiana that Blair should be their guy, especially with the team short on toughness. But the Pacers might go with a guard. Phoenix and Detroit will likely pass on Blair, but the Bulls — still not sold on Tyrus Thomas — are certainly considering him at No. 16.

The knees seem to be the biggest issue. Not the height. Not the weight. The knees.

There is legitimate concern among NBA personnel about the long-term health of DeJuan Blair’s knees. He had ACL surgery in both knees in high school. To what extent he needs any kind of future work on his knees is up for debate. The one thing that is certain, according to the Pitt coaching staff, is that Blair never missed a practice or a game in his two seasons with the Panthers.

No one ever fact checks. Blair missed the Belmont game as a precaution. The knee swelled but there was no pain or damage.

But then Chad Ford writes this in a 3am update from yesterday.

By the way, Blair seems to be back in favor with more GMs. Over the weekend his agent, Happy Walters, had a couple of teams talk to Blair’s physician, James Bradley, who did Blair’s ACL surgeries in high school.

I’m not privy to the conversations, but I do think this latest development has put him back in the mix with the Pacers at No. 13 and the Bulls at 16.

He also floats the rumor that Portland may look to move up to grab him if he slips past Indiana.

Sam Young on the other hand has been steady on draft boards in the low-20s.

Pittsburgh’s Young has been holding steady throughout the workout season after a strong season for the Panthers en route to the Elite Eight. A little older than most college players coming out (24), Young’s hops and strength make him a first-round lock. A no-nonsense player like Young would be right up Jerry Sloan’s alley at 20 when the Jazz pick, and if he somehow slipped a little, the Thunder could be scoping him at 25, where Young would back up Kevin Durant and bring his scoring and athletic ability off the bench.

“He had some huge games for Pitt this year,” says an admiring Northwest Division personnel man. “And he went up after the workout in Toronto and got hurt (Young cut his elbow while he was performing a vertical leap test for the Raptors), and he showed up at the [Chicago] combine and worked out hard. He went up in a lot of people’s eyes.”

An Atlantic Division executive concurs: “He’s a tough sonofagun.”

The Cavs keep popping up as a team that might try to get Sam Young, even if they are scheduled to pick last in the round.

Which brings us to Sam Young, the 6-foot-6, 210-pound small forward from Pittsburgh. Some scouts have compared him to Twinsburg’s James Posey, but his outside shooting (37 percent on 3s) will have to improve for that to happen. But virtually every scout agrees that Young can defend. As the Orlando series showed, the Cavs really need an athlete in the 6-6 range who can guard someone. Some stats have Young shooting 44 percent on “catch-and-shoot” situations, according to draftexpress.com, a fun Web site. That means Young makes medium-range jumpers reasonably well when catching a pass and shooting it quickly. The Cavs do like him.

Apparently Young, while in Sac-town with other players for a workout was most noticeable for snickering at media for the way they hung outside the Kings practice facility  for every little Ricky Rubio tidbit. Not that the media was feeling defensive.

Now the on-floor action wasn’t the only relevant part, as Rubio spent more than two hours inside the facility after the workout was over. We were told he was having lunch at one point (not sure who was at the table), and then informed that he was taking a shower. At one point, some of the prospects from the morning’s workout with Pitt’s Sam Young left the building to head for the airport and couldn’t help but chuckle at the media absurdity on display (again, the shame thing). Yet with all due respect to Sam – who has a great name and could be a great pick at No. 23 – he’s just not the guy fans are curious about right now.

And the media will do what it takes to shout random questions at the 18-year old as he ignores them walking past.