Light night
Evan Turner went No. 2 to the Sixers as expected, and that was it for the Big Ten in Thursday's NBA draft. No Raymar Morgan, Manny Harris or DeShawn Sims.
Morgan, for the record, will have a chance to prove himself in the NBA summer league and will have a shot to make a roster in the fall, although Europe looks more likely at this point. He could pull a Charlie Bell some day, though.
NBA draft analyst Chris Monter says Morgan does have an advantage in having played about 140 games of college basketball, including a lot of big ones.
"Wes Matthews (Jr.), Brad Miller, Ben Wallace, there are plenty of undrafted guys who make it in the league," Monter said. "Golden State had nine undrafted guys on its roster this year, so it happens more than people think."
Harris and Sims could make it in the right situation, too. All three guys should at least draw good salaries in top leagues overseas.
And the Big Ten should have better draft days than this in the next few years. Thursday got me thinking about the Big Ten's NBA history. Here's my list of the Top Ten NBA Players From Big Ten Schools -- shout it out if you think I missed someone obvious (and let's all agree that Deron Williams, Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson, Jamal Crawford, Michael Redd and Devin Harris could be on this list in a few years).
1. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, MSU. An easy choice, no case needs to be made.
2. John Havlicek, Ohio State. One of the all-time greats, a Celtics legend, the No. 11 scorer in NBA history.
3. Isiah Thomas, Indiana. The best player under 6-4 in the history of basketball. Period, please don't try to argue this, and PLEASE don't try to bring up Bob Cousy or John Stockton. It helps when six lob entries a night to Karl Malone that end up resulting in baskets count as assists.
4. Jerry Lucas, Ohio State. Did you know he's the fourth-best rebounder in NBA history? I didn't until about three minutes ago.
5. Kevin McHale, Minnesota. Look past the hairy shoulders, dragging knuckles and utter hateability of those '80s Celtics teams and you have to admit, he was great.
6. Eddie Johnson, Illinois. Killer scorer, a big part of those great Phoenix teams from the late 1980s, and a guy who just missed the 20,000-point plateau.
7. Glen Rice, Michigan. Now it gets tough to distinguish. The bottom line is, Rice is an 18 and 18 guy -- averaging more than 18 per game and scoring more than 18,000 in his career. A reliable weapon for many years.
8. Chris Webber, Michigan. Webber was one of the best players in the league for a healthy stretch, peaking with his Sacramento years. Ended up with more than 17,000 points.
9. Derek Harper, Illinois. An excellent defender and leader, one of the league's all-time steals leaders and a guy who still managed to score 16,000-plus.
10. Michael Finley, Wisconsin. A true pro who stuck around even after his extraordinary athleticism diminished. Another member of the 17K club.
Just missed cut: Joe Barry Carroll, Purdue; Glenn Robinson, Purdue; Kendall Gill, Illinois; Juwan Howard, Michigan; Kevin Willis, MSU; Steve Smith, MSU; Johnny Kerr, Illinois; Nick Anderson, Illinois
