That's Still $800K Guaranteed

For a few hours we all watched, and watched, and watched. Golden State came and went at #14 where ESPN mock draft expert Chad Ford had Green going. And he continued to slide down the board. But Donte' didn't get too concerned about the situation.

"It was long, but I never got worried," Greene said. "I never got down. I knew that whenever I got picked or wherever I went I knew I'd have to work hard."

Finally, with the 28th pick, the sorry Memphis Grizzlies selected the former Orange player that led the Big East in scoring at 17.7 points per game. It's a good thing that Donte' was not invited to the draft or else he would have looked like former Kansas player Darrell Arthur sitting in the green room. Here's what Ford thought of the selection...



Another value pick. Lots of scouts compare him to Rashard Lewis. Greene is a perimeter shooter who lacks a position or real game right now, and I'm not sure how he fits on Memphis, which already has Rudy Gay. But the Grizzlies have been shopping this pick, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Greene wearing another hat later tonight.

Now Donte' was probably relieved to have been selected, but he was going to the Grizzlies. Memphis is one of the least attractive places to go to as they've had back-to-back 22-60 seasons. Management practically begged the Lakers to take Pau Gasol off their hands. But then the Rockets swooped in and picked up the guy they wanted all along.

According to Mike Waters' story, the Houston Rockets were the only team to send personnel to Syracuse and inquire further about Green. Going to the Rockets seems like a good fit as they only have one true small forward in Shane Battier. SU assistant coach Rob Murphy agrees.

"I think it's a great situation for him. They obviously wanted him. I think it's a great thing for him."

I'm sure a lot of Syracuse fans are saying "I told ya so" and what not. But the fact remains that Donte' was drafted in the first round. While he didn't go as high as he probably wanted to go, he ended up with a good franchise in Houston. He probably cost himself a few million dollars, but he's still going to make a pretty good chunk of change. Green will make $800K in year one, $870K in year two, and then the Rockets must decide whether or not to pick up the team option for years three and four. If they do, Green will make about $1.5 million per year. Not bad for a 19-year-old. Not too bad at all.