2011 NBA Draft Mistakes: Josh Selby Has No Business Entering the 2011 NBA Draft

Josh Selby’s entrance into the 2011 NBA Draft tells me one thing right off the bat: most freshmen really know nothing about what the professional league requires.

But then, it brings me to a more specific conclusion: Josh Selby has almost none of what it requires to excel in the NBA.

Yes, he is a good player. But for any athlete from any sport to come out of college after just one year, being good is just not enough. It never has been. 

Think back to most of the players who elected to skip college entirely or forego one season or more of college eligibility to enter the draft.

You will return with names like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Moses Malone, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady. Selby has none of the instincts or basketball maturity to excel at the level that these players have.

His early draft declaration reminds me of someone on the other end of the spectrum: Kwame Brown.

Brown came out of high school and was drafted first that year. He was supposed to save the Washington Wizards from themselves. In his first four seasons in the NBA, Brown averaged 7.45 points and became one of the biggest busts in league history.

He still has not played up to the hype that surrounded his entrance, and probably will not be remembered long after his exit.

Selby finds himself in a somewhat similar position as Kyrie Irving. Irving missed a lot of his season because of a toe injury he sustained in December. Although, there is not much NCAA film on which to judge him, Irving is still projected as the first pick in this year's draft.

But the difference between Irving and Selby is that Irving is much more talented and league-ready. It is easy to compare the two because they play the same position.

Kyrie Irving can lead a team while scoring and distributing. There are not many questions or concerns about how successful he will be in the league. There is a clear consensus that his successes will begin his rookie season, even though he most likely is going to be the lottery pick for a team at the bottom of the barrel.

Two of Selby's fellow Jayhawks, Markieff and Marcus Morris, also are declaring for the draft, but the doubts are not surrounding them either. Markieff scored 13.6 points per game with a 42.4 percent three-point shooting stroke to go along with it. He and his twin brother were undoubtedly the strongest two players on the team, and without them the Kansas Jayhawks would have crusaded through a bottomless pit.

When Josh Selby was out, he was not missed. The team operated just as it would have any other game he was a part of. He made no considerable mark in their season.

If character issues play a part in any decision that NBA scouts make based on his draft stock, Selby is in a load of trouble. He was suspended for the first nine games of his college career for receiving impermissible benefits from a source that is reported to be Carmelo Anthony’s business manager. Selby’s bad decision making is not just on the court but in his personal life.

The last thing a team wants is a high-risk player. 

Josh Selby has not proven himself to be a hard worker, nor has he proven that he deserves to play in the NBA. Will someone take him? Probably. Will he be a game changer or even a factor? No.