Will Alex Tyus keep his name in 2010 NBA Draft?

Florida Gators junior forward Alex Tyus submitted his name into the 2010 NBA Draft without hiring an agent earlier this month. As his final decision date [May 8] nears, Tyus will pick up next week and head over to IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, in order to physically prepare for NBA workouts given before the draft, according to The Gainesville Sun.

Tyus, who almost transferred after the 2009 season but was convinced to stay by head coach Billy Donovan, can return for his senior season should he remove his name from the draft pool prior to May 8. He has previously said that he will not leave Gainesville, FL, unless he is projected to be a first-round pick.

“Mainly, I just want to see where I stand [with the NBA Draft Advisory Committee],” Tyus previously told the Sun. “I want to go through the process, getting a chance to meet with some teams, working out against other players, trying to get better.”

ESPN college basketball analysts Chad Ford and Andy Katz have both been critical about Tyus in recent days, each saying the only decision he should make should be to come back to Florida. While evaluating those who should stay in the draft or return to school, Ford had Tyus listed in a group of players who should run back to school and did not even have him ranked in his top 100 available players (No. 116). Needless to say, Ford’s projection is that he would be picked in the second round or go undrafted.

“Tyus is an athletic, but undersized big man who will likely struggle to make the transition to the small forward position in the pros,” he wrote earlier this month. “He’s best around the basket in a blue-collar type of role, but won’t be able to do the same amount of damage in the pros. I expect him to go undrafted if he stays in the draft.”

Katz questioned if his mind was even in the right place.

“Alex Tyus can’t seriously be thinking of staying in the draft, can he?” Katz pondered. “If he returns, the Gators will have a quality team that can compete for the SEC title with guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton and forwards Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin returning to go along with recruits Patric Young and Casey Prather. The Gators would have a solid team with Tyus back. If he stays in the draft, it’s just one less experienced player.”

With just over a week to make his final decision, Tyus has some serious thinking to do.