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.

Former Orange Men

Some former Orange men are moving on while another will be returning.

Lacrosse player Mike Leveille keeps adding to his long list of accomplishments. Member of the 2008 national championship team, Tewaaraton Trophy winner, Lowes Senior Class Award Winner, first team all-america as an athlete and student, drafted 3rd in the Major League Lacrosse draft. How could it get better than that? Well, now you can add an endorsement as Leveille's now a member of the Warrior Players Club.

While Leveille is already playing professionally, Donte' Green is preparing for the NBA Draft held on June 26. Green has had private workouts for a number of lottery teams, the most recent being with the New Jersey Nets. While there, Green gave an interview and talked about his decision to enter the draft and how the Syracuse fans have treated him. Which we all know hasn't been very well after the announcement.

Even I wanted Donte' to stay, but folks get over it. If millions of dollars were staring you in the face, would you turn them down? Didn't think so. He is guaranteed to go in the lottery or just outside of it. Just how much his stock would have improved if he stayed another year is debatable. What's not is that he is a good player and person, and I wish him the best of luck.

Green's future peer Carmelo Anthony is returning to the Carrier Dome after a five year absence. Anthony, the beloved ex-Orange star who led the 'Cuse to it's first national title in 2003, is coming back as a full fledged NBA star. The two-time all-star will be in the Dome playing an exhibition game as the Denver Nuggets take on the Phoenix Suns. What a great opportunity to see some other stars as well such as Allen Iverson, Shaq, and Steve Nash. Hopefully Anthony is still on the Nuggets by that time. He has been the subject of many trade rumors, but for now he's staying put in Denver.

I went to the exhibition game in 2003 when the Nuggets played the Detroit Pistons. It was great to see Anthony back on the floor after winning the national championship that year. While Anthony has made some poor decisions in the past few years, I will definitely be there to show my appreciation once again.

Time Set for SU-Penn State Game

How many people will be going to the Dome to watch football after today's news? Well, the news didn't really do much because attendance was already going to be low. For those fair-weathered SU fans, maybe a visit from Joe Pa will get you to come.

The Syracuse Athletics department has released the time of the September 13 contest between the Orange and the Nittany Lions. The two east coast rivals will face each other for the first time since 1990 at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. For the record, Syracuse is 14-24-2 when playing on ABC. The last appearance came on September 9, 2006 against Iowa. Yes, the game where the Orange were held at the goal-line and lost 20-13 in double overtime.

Syracuse and Penn State met every year from 1922-1990. The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series with a 40-23-5 record. The last meeting at Penn St. ended in a 34-12 loss for the Orange. The last win for the 'Cuse over Penn St. was in 1988 and the last victory at the Dome came the year before.

Let's hope that Joe Paterno is still alive by the time that game rolls around.

Hopeless Already?

Woke up this morning and turned on the computer to read the latest sports news. Little did I know I would see the headline news that Mike Williams was suspended for academic issues. What? No, this can't be happening.

Williams hasn't been a stranger to academic problems. In Williams' freshman season in 2006, Head Coach Greg Robinson suspended him for the final game at Rutgers. The suspension was due to an academic related issue. But this violation seems to be much more serious. WTVH-5 is reporting that Williams was thrown out of school for cheating in a class. Williams is no longer enrolled at the university, but apparently completed the spring semester.

The leading receiver from last season, Williams entered his junior year as the clear number one weapon after the departure of Taj Smith who entered the NFL Draft. Last season Williams led the Orange with 60 receptions (tying a school record) for 837 yards (13.9 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns. He ended the season having caught touchdown passes in nine consecutive games, a school record.

Ever since Greg Robinson arrived, he has had to deal with a number of unfortunate incidents. Now his most prized weapon is almost certainly gone for the entire season and unlikely to return. Listed on the post-spring practice depth chart as starters are Lavar Lobdell and Donte Davis. Lobdell's shortcomings have been well documented. The 6-3 junior is criticized for having bad hands and certainly has not lived up to the hype as a five star recruit out of Christian Brothers Academy. We don't really know much about Davis. The sophomore only played in one game last season at Iowa after suffering an injury to his arm. He was granted a medical hardship waiver.

Other guys listed behind those two are: Dan Sheeran (6-3, 217 So.), Chaz Cervino (5-10, 180 RFr.), and Van Chew (6-1, 165 Fr.). The only one out of this group to see the field is Sheeran and he has seen very little at that. Of course Robinson did snag four star recruit Marcus Sales from CBA. Sales and company certainly will have an opportunity to impress the coaching staff and earn playing time. Coach Robinson may consider moving Bruce Williams or Da'Mon Merkerson from the secondary back to wideout. Merkerson played WR last year and was moved to corner during spring practice due to the lack of depth at that position. Switching him again would leave a gaping hole there.

Regardless, the loss of Williams is huge. He's an impact player who could take some pressure off ARob and the offense. Yes, he would have seen plenty of double coverage from opponents. But we are talking about Mike Williams. He is one of the best receivers in the country, certainly at the top of the Big East receiving crop. New offensive coordinator Mitch Browning has enough trouble trying to establish a running game. Now he won't have Williams to release the pressure.

Greg Robinson's job just got a lot more difficult. And his job is clearly on the line this season. Good luck GRob, you are going to need it. Unfortunately, it's already looking like a long season is ahead and it's only June. Oh boy.

How Big a Loss is Donte' Green?

When Donte' Green declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft on Wednesday, Orange fans were understandably upset. The anger was not due to the surprise of the announcement. As fans we knew in the back of our minds all year that Green would probably make the jump. But Green's decision instantly dashed the dreams we had of making a deep run into the NCAA Tournament next year. Or did it?

Yes, Donte' is a tremendously talented player and he will be a first round pick in the NBA Draft. With Green on the court, opposing coaches had to prepare their defense around stopping #5 of the Orange. He scored 17.7 ppg, good for fourth in the Big East Conference. He also broke Gerry McNamara's freshman record for three-pointers made. But there certainly are faults to Donte's game.

How many times this year did you yell at Donte' for not running out to put a hand in the face of a shooter on the wing? There were many occasions in which Green looked like he played with a lack of effort on the defensive end of the court. With his athleticism and over 7-foot wingspan, Green should have been much better. The biggest gripe though has to be with his shot selection. For the year, Donte' shot just under 42 percent. But in Big East Conference games playing against much tougher competition, Green had problems. He shot under 40 percent in eighteen conference games and only 29 percent from 3-point range. Head Coach Jim Boeheim would have pulled him to the bench a number of times, but the lack of depth prevented that. He had to stick with his top weapon no matter how many bad shots the freshman chucked up. Another thing is that Donte' was playing out of position this year. Instead of playing small forward, he was banging against power forwards of the other team. Green didn't like playing with his back to the basket and his upper body was not strong enough to bang back.

That gets me to my point. Jim Boeheim was putting out a team that was missing two very big pieces. The most important being guard Eric Devendorf who was lost to a torn ACL in mid-December. Prior to his injury, the junior was averaging 17 ppg and was starting to play under control. The emotional leader of the team was on the bench unable to help a young Orange squad. Andy Rautins, the other missing piece to the puzzle, is more of an unknown. But the 6-foot-5 shooting guard has added about 20 pounds of muscle and could be a top five shooter in the country according to Boeheim. I'm not saying that these two can replace Donte' Green, but they certainly add dimensions to the team that were missing this past season.

Three point shooting will be much improved next season. Rautins has had months and months to perfect his three point shot that he showcased in 20 starts two seasons ago. Devendorf's presence opens things up for everyone else. His ability to slash into the lane and shoot the three ball will prove valuable for guys such as Rautins who can set himself on the arc and wait for the kick out after penetration. While there is no guarantee these guys will return to normal after ACL tears, if they do, they add much needed depth at the guard position. My projected starting lineup for the 2008-09 season is Flynn, Rautins, Harris, Ongenaet, and Onuaku. Since Devendorf tore his ACL in December, he may not be back until Big East play begins in January. But once he works his way back in, he will be fresh for the stretch run.

Best of luck Donte', but this team is fully capable of making the NCAAs without you.