Gators hope to be picked in 2011 NBA Draft

With the 2011 NBA Draft set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (live on ESPN, OGGOA has rounded up some of the latest prognostications about the trio of Florida Gators hoping to live out their dream – forwards Chandler Parsons, Vernon Macklin and Alex Tyus.

Chandler Parsons (Winter Park, FL)
2011 SEC Player of the Year
Height: 6’10” | Weight: 215 lbs.
2011 Averages: 11.3 PTS, 7.8 TRB, 3.7 AST, .480 FG%, .368 3P%, .557 FT%

Draft Projection: Late first-round to early second-round pick

ESPN’s Chad Ford: No. 32 overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers – “If the Cavs get a point guard and a big man early in the draft, don’t be surprised to see them reach a bit for Parsons here. He has great size, is very skilled and has been one of the best workout players in the draft.”

DraftExpress.com’s Jonathan Givony: No. 27 overall to the New Jersey Nets – “Parsons has seen his stock rise significantly over the past few weeks thanks to some impressive workouts. Standing 6-10, he’s one of the most polished and versatile players in the draft, capable of playing as many as three positions. The Nets are fairly weak at small forward and could use another ball-handler capable of passing and making shots from the perimeter.”

NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper: No. 33 overall to the Detroit Pistons – “Parsons is a nice offensive package of shooting, passing and ball handling, with intangibles of experience at a major program and a high basketball IQ.”

NBADraft.net: No. 41 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers

NBA director of scouting Ryan Blake: “At 6’10” and with all that versatility, he can help. You can look at him like some of the other players who have excelled [in the NBA] recently like Wes Matthews and Landry Fields as rookies. If he can find a place, with that size and [his skills] on the perimeter, I think that can be a help. He’s going to have to do it on the defensive end to earn those minutes on the court.”

[EXPAND Click to expand and read the rest of this post.]Rankings: Parsons is listed as the No. 37 overall player in the draft by ESPN and No. 41 overall by CBS – “Parsons is an unselfish performer, earning more satisfaction from feeding the ball to an open teammate than creating the shot for himself. He ranks 10th in school annals with 339 assists. The only other Florida wing on the top 10 assists list is Nick Calathes (452; 2008-09). His 1,462 points is the most among active Florida players.”

Ratings: FOX lists Parsons as the fourth-best passer in the draft, fifth-most versatile player, third-best basketball IQ and the fourth second-round sleeper to look out for.

Vernon Macklin (Portsmouth, VA)
Height: 6’10” | Weight: 240 lbs.
2011 Averages: 11.6 PTS, 5.4 TRB, 0.7 BLK, .593 FG%, .451 FT%

Draft Projection: Second round pick

NBA director of scouting Ryan Blake: “I’m not going to be shocked if he sneaks into the first round. He may not, but that’s OK. I think he has an excellent chance to make a team this year.”

Rankings: Macklin is listed as the No. 93 overall player in the draft by ESPN but is not being ranked by any other outlets. He is also not mocked to be selected in the draft.

Alex Tyus (St. Louis, MO)
Height: 6’8″ | Weight: 220 lbs.
2011 Averages: 9.1 PTS, 6.2 TRB, 0.8 BLK, .500 FG%, .333 3P%, .630 FT%

Draft Projection: Undrafted

NBA director of scouting Ryan Blake: “At that size, he can be an all-effort player. He can be a guy to set screens, rebound, knock down the open jumper – there are a lot of them out there. But he does have a lot of ability.”

Rankings: Tyus is not found in any Top 100 rankings and is not expected to be selected.[/EXPAND]