April 18
The decisions by Connecticut super soph Caron Butler and Memphis diaper dandy Dajuan Wagner to declare for the NBA draft come as no surprise to me. With the extra year in college, Butler is a more finished product than Wagner. But there's no question that Wagner has great NBA upside.

	Caron Butler bids goodbye to UConn.

Sensational Postseason Propels Butler
Butler, 22, is an older sophomore whose stock just exploded at the end of the season -- you'd love to have that stock in your portfolio, baby!

Everyone knew Butler had a world of potential when he came to UConn. At the start of this past season, I felt that he was one of the blue-chip second-year players in America. He has a strong body and great NBA upside because he's a terrific transition player. He's versatile, and I really believe he'll have a solid NBA career.

Butler is one of the few underclassmen who's ready to make a contribution as a rookie and be a factor in an NBA team's rotation (as opposed to being drafted on long-term potential).

Since Butler has two children, you can understand his decision to go pro now -- though I'm sure Huskies fans and lovers of college basketball, as I am, would love to see him come back.

Butler's stock rose with his sensational performance in the NCAA Tournament, being on that national stage and getting that extra TV exposure. That performance certainly heightened his stature, but I believe he was coming out this year anyway. With his age and his mature body and his ability to play in transition, he would have been a high first-round draft choice even if he hadn't played well in the tournament.

	Dajuan Wagner says so long to Memphis.

Wagner to be Drafted High on Potential
From the day Dajuan Wagner walked on campus at Memphis, everyone knew he would be there just one year. I don't think academics were a priority to him -- his No. 1 priority was to develop as a basketball player and position himself for the NBA draft. So I'm not shocked at all by his decision to go pro.

Physically, he's got the strength, and he'll be drafted high based on potential. Personally, I would have liked to see him return to school and work on several areas of his game -- such as shot selection, consistency shooting from deep and general understanding of the game.

But the bottom line is that from day one, Wagner was honest and up front with coach John Calipari and the people at Memphis. They knew that his first love was basketball and his goal was the NBA.

Not every student-athlete has a great affection for the books. But I think it's a positive that Dajuan has promised his mother that he'll get his degree -- which means he'll be more than a one-dimensional jock and a more well-rounded person.