NBA Draft 2012 TV Schedule: Predicting Who Last Players in Green Room Will Be
The NBA does a great job at trying to spare NBA prospects unwarranted embarrassment and humiliation on draft day. Nobody likes seeing the camera continue to show the kid that's still waiting to hear his name called.
It's a painful sight.
The NBA draft is upon us, and that's just one of the nuances of the annual event. Here's information about how and where you can follow the happenings:
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.
When: 7 p.m. ET, June 28, 2012
Watch: ESPN
Some may remember or have heard the story of Greg "Cadillac" Anderson coming to the 1987 NBA draft, but having to wait until the final pick in the first round to be selected.
The video is here:
Anderson wasn't invited, but he apparently thought he'd be picked earlier. He came on his own, but it was a tough ordeal for him, and a few others have experienced that feeling since.
Because of that, the NBA generally only invites players that appear to be surefire lottery picks.
But there is no real way to be sure.
Among the 14 players invited to sit in the green room (full list here), these three players will likely be the ones without a team cap the longest:
Terrence Ross - Washington, SG
Ross is very underrated in my opinion. I have him as the second-best shooting guard in the draft. He's nearly 6'7" in shoes, he can handle, he has a solid shooting stroke, and he has big-time athleticism.
I think he may be overlooked because he played for Washington in a weak PAC-12 conference, and his team didn't even make the NCAA Tournament.
I think Ross has great upside and he'll be selected late in the lottery, or just outside of it. He'd be a solid fit for the 76ers at No. 15.
Meyers Leonard - Illinois, C
Leonard is huge, but he's a bit raw. I love his work ethic and approach. He showed he's serious about being as good as he can be at the NBA Combine.
But because he probably needed at least one more year in school, there could be concerns. Because of his pre-draft performance, measurements and interviews, his stock has risen a bit.
I still think he goes anywhere from 12 to 15, which would leave him as one of the last prospects in the green room.
Tyler Zeller - North Carolina, C
Zeller doesn't have a lot of upside, but he's big and he has a solid basketball IQ. Because of his limited athleticism, Zeller isn't an attractive pick to teams in the top 10.
He'll basically be a role player, but with size at a premium in the league, he won't fall out of the top 17.
He's my pick to be the last player left in the green room.
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