Donte' Green's Stock Falling

People questioned his decision, but it looked like Donte' Green was going to be drafted in or just outside of the lottery. Now that may not be the case.

Syracuse Post-Standard beat writer Mike Waters says Green has not been invited to attend the NBA Draft held in New York City Thursday. Now this doesn't mean that Green won't be drafted in the lottery. All it really means is that he won't be able to shake hands and look ridiculously tall while posing for pictures with commissioner David Stern.

But of course it isn't good news either. And on ESPN.com NBA writer Chad Ford's most recent mock draft is certainly telling of Donte's falling draft stock. Ford has the Houston Rockets selecting Green with the 25th pick. Only last week Ford had Green going to the Toronto Raptors at number 17. Here's what Ford thinks about the former Orange...

This seems like an unbelievable fall for a player with as much upside as Greene. Indeed, teams like the Kings and Warriors will look at him in the lottery, and likewise for the Raptors in the mid-first round. But if he slips past them, he could be on a free fall. He's a great shooter with upside, but he's not ready yet.

The last sentence sums up what most people around here think about Donte'. He has tremendous potential, but most people would say he could have used that extra year to mature and build up his body a little more. But mock drafts are just speculation anyways and should be taken with a grain of salt. Trying to project the first 30 picks of a draft is an inexact science to put it lightly.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas has a breakdown of Donte' Green on video and I think he's right on the money. Bilas is one of the best basketball analysts, period.

Anthony Named to Olympic Team

Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony was named as one of 12 players to represent the United States in the summer Olympics held in Bejing, China August 8-24.

In 2004, Anthony was a part of the disappointing U.S.A. team that only managed to bring home a bronze medal. But their most recent participation in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship showed the U.S. senior national team may be back on track. The team went 10-0 and captured gold en route to qualifying for the upcoming Olympic games. Anthony averaged a team-high 21.2 points per game during the ten games.

It's great to see Carmelo on the Olympic team after the rampant trade rumors surrounding him. It was reported over the weekend that Anthony and his agent were meeting with Nuggets' management to discuss a possible trade. But in this story, Anthony's agent Calvin Andrews says he is with Anthony due to the all-stars pending DUI case.

I'm going there to be supportive of Carmelo," Andrews said. "If he's charged, there will be a penalty and I'll talk with the Nuggets about that. If the trade situation comes up, we'll talk about it, but there is no meeting planned to discuss trades."

Today 'Melo discussed his situation with the Denver Post saying he wanted to stay in Denver and wanted the Nuggets to be upfront with him.

"I kind of get insulted when people say 'He took a step back' or things like that, because I feel like I've put in a lot of hard work to be where I'm at right now," Anthony said.

Its been an interesting few days for the former Orange star. And can you imagine if he was traded, what would have happened to that Nuggets/Suns game at the Carrier Dome? For now, it appears Orange fans will see 'Melo flash that bright smile again.

Guess Who's Back...Or is He?

About three weeks ago Syracuse wide receiver Mike Williams was suspended from the university over accusations of cheating multiple times. But in a recent interview, Williams says he may be coming back.

Paul Peck of WIVB-TV in Buffalo recently caught up with the suspended wideout at a basketball tournament. During the interview Williams states,

"They took it to (university) court, and the decision had been changed. I'm not sure. That's what my head coach (Greg Robinson) had been telling me. It looked like I'm there in August. They tell me to come to summer school July 6th, and in order to come to summer school I gotta be there."

But that is news to the Syracuse Athletics department. According SU Sports Information, Williams' status at the university remains unchanged and he has not been reinstated. SU assistant director of athletics for communications Sue Edson said head coach Greg Robinson is helping Williams enroll for summer classes at Onondaga Community College, not at SU. This would make sense since Williams said he needed to be back in Syracuse by July 6. Summer classes at OCC begin on July 7. Syracuse University's summer school begins on June 30.

Williams also addressed the multiple allegations of cheating...

"It wasn't no cheating situation. Syracuse is a private school. When you take exams you got to do exactly what they say. It was the beginning of the exam and the notes was out. He said I was looking at my notes. That's what he said. That's what happened."

Syracuse Post-Standard football beat writer Donnie Webb still believes Williams was suspended for cheating. The only way Williams could return is if the allegation were completely dismissed. It doesn't look like that's the case though. If Williams is to return to SU, he can appeal the suspension handed down by judicial affairs. He may seek reinstatement, but university guidelines say there is a mandatory semester suspension. This means Williams could return to school for the spring semester, but wouldn't be on the football field until the 2009 season.

Clearly there seems to be some miscommunication between Williams and Robinson. Williams is under the impression he is going to be playing for the Orange in 2008, but that is unlikely because of university rules that state a student must miss a semester for cheating before reinstatement. The one good thing out of all this is that it appears Williams wants to be with the Orange. But he may have to wait until 2009.