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Bench Warmer
By Gary Parrish
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
It's hardly a surprise, yet still apparently official. Kevin Durant will forgo his final three years of eligibility at Texas and enter the NBA Draft, CBS SportsLine.com confirmed Tuesday morning.
A press conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT Tuesday.
A 6-9 wing, Durant was named CBS SportsLine.com's National Player of the Year before sweeping all six major National Player of the Year awards, including the Naismith and Wooden Awards. He averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, both of which led the Big 12 and ranked among the top five nationally. He also led the Big 12 in blocked shots and double-doubles while carrying the Longhorns to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Durant is essentially guaranteed to be no worse than the second pick in the NBA Draft considering his proverbial stock is only slightly lower than Ohio State's Greg Oden, a 7-0 center who is also expected to forgo his final three years of college. If the NBA standings do not change and the lottery holds true to form that would mean Oden would next year play for the Memphis Grizzlies while Durant plays for the Boston Celtics.
Another factor in Durant's decision is shoe money. A source told CBS SportsLine.com Durant will likely sign an apparel deal with Nike that could pay him anywhere from $20 to $30 million.
This development probably takes Texas from a national title contender to a borderline Top 25 team. The Longhorns should return every other player, including sophomore A.J. Abrams (15.5 points per game) and freshman D.J. Augustin (14.4 points per game). But losing a game-changer on the wing like Durant will not go unnoticed, and Texas' best chance to replace him fell apart last October when in-state phenom Anthony Randolph spurned the Longhorns and committed to LSU.
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
It's hardly a surprise, yet still apparently official. Kevin Durant will forgo his final three years of eligibility at Texas and enter the NBA Draft, CBS SportsLine.com confirmed Tuesday morning.
A press conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT Tuesday.
A 6-9 wing, Durant was named CBS SportsLine.com's National Player of the Year before sweeping all six major National Player of the Year awards, including the Naismith and Wooden Awards. He averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, both of which led the Big 12 and ranked among the top five nationally. He also led the Big 12 in blocked shots and double-doubles while carrying the Longhorns to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Durant is essentially guaranteed to be no worse than the second pick in the NBA Draft considering his proverbial stock is only slightly lower than Ohio State's Greg Oden, a 7-0 center who is also expected to forgo his final three years of college. If the NBA standings do not change and the lottery holds true to form that would mean Oden would next year play for the Memphis Grizzlies while Durant plays for the Boston Celtics.
Another factor in Durant's decision is shoe money. A source told CBS SportsLine.com Durant will likely sign an apparel deal with Nike that could pay him anywhere from $20 to $30 million.
This development probably takes Texas from a national title contender to a borderline Top 25 team. The Longhorns should return every other player, including sophomore A.J. Abrams (15.5 points per game) and freshman D.J. Augustin (14.4 points per game). But losing a game-changer on the wing like Durant will not go unnoticed, and Texas' best chance to replace him fell apart last October when in-state phenom Anthony Randolph spurned the Longhorns and committed to LSU.
