Have you actually watched any Illini games? I am a HUGE Illinois fan and have watched all but 3 this season and can tell you .....this kid is 5 years away from becoming anything resembling a NBA player. Don't let the height fool you. Athleticism is not everything. Kid is soft as 800 count sheets. Unless you like your big men getting crushed on the boards and crying on the sidelines......avoid like a free BJ in a walk-in clinic bathroom.
You can't teach height and athleticism. He needs a bit more weight on his frame, but only about 15 pounds. He is far from soft. He bangs hard in the post and fights for position. Has the ability to hit the mid-range as well, but he hasn't fallen in love with it and prefers to play inside. He is a more athletic, well rounded Brook Lopez. There are only 3 players I would even consider drafting over this guy: Drummond, Barnes, and Lamb.
Davis has also said that he wants to return to Kentucky but Callipari has said that they would recommend him going to the next level. If your a top 5 pick in the draft, you should always go ahead and enter the draft. His agent, coaches, parents, and everyone involved in his success will tell him to leave college. Drummond on the other hand could fall in the draft. I dont know if he would fall out of the top 5, but its a possibility. I still think he goes in the draft unless other players like Thomas Robinson rise up in the draft ranks enough to knock him back. Drummond obviously needs alot of work on his game and could use another year or two in college, but look at Perry Jones and Harrison Barnes as examples of what happens when you go back to school when you could have gone in the top 5. As for Meyers Leonard. He's physical tools are that of a serviceable center in waiting on the NBA, but he has some question marks that scouts were hoping he could answer this March that he's obviously not going to be able to answer. The fact that Illinois underachieved so much this year, was one of the worst rebounding basketball teams in the nation, and Leonard didnt dominate opposing teams post players on subpar teams should be a bit of a concern. More or less, I dont see Leonard as a Morey type of pick, but if he falls to where the Rockets would be picking with the Knicks pick in the 15 to 20 range he would be a steal.
