T.J. Ford inching closer to the draft

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Of course, this has nothing to do with the Celtics unless they trade up, and
the only thing they have to get them in the 4-6 range is Antoine. If we
could do an Antoine for T.J. Ford and someone's power forward, I'd be
thrilled.

Anyway, this is from Insider (originating in the Dallas Morning News). He
remains my dream draft pick for the C's. -- Mark



Draft Rumors: Is T.J. Ford in the draft?

Texas point guard and national player of the year T.J. Ford
<http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=7970>  was "110
percent" sure he would return for his junior season just a few weeks ago.
Now he's a little less than that.

When asked if he'd declare for the NBA draft, Ford told the Dallas Morning
News that, "It's a possibility." 

"I haven't had time to think about it," he told the paper. "I haven't had
time to sit down with my coach. I am still a part of the Texas basketball
team. I'm part of the university, and I'm still here. Until I make a
decision, I'm still at the University of Texas." 

Ford's waffling is probably tied directly to feedback he's been getting from
NBA scouts. Insider talked to numerous NBA scouts in Portsmouth and almost
all of them had Ford going anywhere from fourth to sixth in the upcoming
draft.

"We love him," one Western Conference GM told Insider last weekend. "He's
the best player in college basketball. If he was a few inches taller or had
a better outside shot, he'd challenge LeBron for the No. 1 pick in the
draft. He's that good."

His coach, Rick Barnes isn't concerned with Ford's future. "He's a better
shooter, and he's only going to get better, because he puts the work in,"
Barnes told the Houston Chronicle. "I don't think people realize how good he
can be. You won't find anyone that will work harder than him to improve. You
can't keep him out of the gym." 

Ford said "it's going to be a while" before he makes up his mind about the
draft. 

"I don't know," Ford said. "I'm tired right now. I've been doing a lot of
traveling, and I haven't been getting a lot of rest. I'm going to take this
time to relax and continue to work out, and whenever I make a decision, I
make a decision."