Dave Sez

Shav Stuff

When Shavlik Randolph declared himself eligible for the NBA draft, everyone was shocked. Some even speculated as to why he would do such a thing.

Since then, a single theory has gained the most credibility, largely because it came from the Shav Daddy himself - Kenny Randolph. Mr. Randolph said that basically all Shavlik was doing was feeling the waters. He has no intention of actually leaving Duke early - he just wants to know what the NBA thinks of him and what they think he needs to improve.

Now, before you snort (well, you probably already did), remember that Randolph is actually a very skilled player. He is one of those guys whose numbers don't really reflect the player he is, or more accurately, the player he could be. Sure, he only scored 4 ppg this year and only 6 for his career, but he has the ability to put up 20+ in any game.

The thing is, he has very rarely shown up to play in college. He always seems slow. Not physically slow - he appears to be pretty quick for a 6'11" guy to me - but mentally slow. He's obviously not stupid and he knows the game, but he takes forever to react, like he's scared of screwing up.

So anyway, back to the plan of declaring for the draft and then coming back. Really, there's no reason not to do this. The NCAA allows you to try it once in your career, so if you haven't tried if by your senior year, you might as well take a swing. The only downside is pissing off your coach (just ask Damien Wilkins), but Krzyzewski seems on board here.

The flip side for Randolph is that I doubt he's gonna learn much. His NBA draft potential isn't that high to begin with (I'm being kind) and now he's said that he's probably not going to leave anyway. Why would they waste an invitation on this kid?

My guess is that Shavlik gets very little feedback on his game other than some guffaws and short phone calls. Of course, maybe that's what he needs to hear.