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Goodwin doesn’t make the cut in ESPN mock draft

 Posted by at 2:22 PM on April 9, 2013  9 Responses »
Apr 092013
 
UK freshman Archie Goodwin was not included in the first round of ESPN's first mock draft, which was released Tuesday. Photo: Mark Cornelison/Herald-Leader

UK freshman Archie Goodwin was not included in the first round of ESPN’s first mock draft, which was released Tuesday.
Photo: Mark Cornelison/Herald-Leader

ESPN analyst Chad Ford released his first NBA mock draft Tuesday, and it was a mixed bag for UK’s freshmen.

The good news: Ford projects Nerlens Noel — who has not yet officially declared — to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Charlotte Bobcats. If that happens, it will give UK the No. 1 draft pick in three of the past four years.

The bad news: Archie Goodwin — who has officially declared — was not included in the first round.

Thirty players, no Goodwin.

Goodwin is ranked No. 22 in Ford’s most recent “Big Board” update, but the ESPN analyst said Tuesday that the ex-Cat’s overall prospect ranking doesn’t necessarily correlate to his draft position.

“The mock draft is about both fit and finding teams who like a particular player,” Ford told the Herald-Leader. “While I think GMs generally think that Goodwin has a chance, I couldn’t find a team in the 20s that had him prioritized over other players on the board. You noticed that both shooting and size become really big as we get further down in the draft.”

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More from Chad Ford: Leftovers on UK’s freshmen

 Posted by at 12:41 PM on March 29, 2013  2 Responses »
Mar 292013
 
Of the teams at the top of the draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers might be the best fit for Nerlens Noel. Photo: Pablo Alcala/Herald-Leader

Of the teams at the top of the draft, the Cavaliers might be the best fit for Nerlens Noel.
Photo: Pablo Alcala/Herald-Leader

ESPN analyst Chad Ford took the time to share his thoughts on Kentucky’s four freshmen and their NBA Draft prospects with the Herald-Leader earlier this week. You can read most of what Ford had to say about Nerlens Noel, Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin by clicking on this link.

But the NBA analyst also said some interesting things that didn’t make the story, which you can read below.

Ford has Noel ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the draft and said that a majority of NBA scouts “still believe he’s the No. 1 pick” despite his knee injury. When asked if there are any teams at the top of the draft that seem to be a particularly good fit for Noel, Ford went with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who currently have the third-worst record in the NBA.

Ford: “The Cavs seem to be the best fit. They have their backcourt set. They have a young, up and coming, power forward. Adding Noel to the mix adds a dynamic shot blocker and athlete to the front court. And with Anderson Varejao and Tyler Zeller, they have time bring him along slowly.

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NBA analyst: Noel returns to No. 1 on draft board

 Posted by at 1:59 PM on March 26, 2013  8 Responses »
Mar 262013
 
Will Alex Poythress, left, and/or Archie Goodwin, center, enter the NBA Draft? ESPN's Chad Ford says they should stay at Kentucky. Photo: Mark Cornelison/Herald-Leader

Will Alex Poythress, left, and/or Archie Goodwin, center, enter the NBA Draft? ESPN’s Chad Ford says they should stay at Kentucky.
Photo: Mark Cornelison/Herald-Leader

ESPN analyst Chad Ford moved Kentucky center Nerlens Noel back to No. 1 on his NBA Draft Big Board on Tuesday. His advice for the other three UK freshmen: Stay in school.

Noel had fallen from the No. 1 spot on Ford’s list after his season-ending knee injury at Florida. He was No. 2 after the latest update, but the UK big man jumped Kansas guard Ben McLemore to reclaim the No. 1 spot.

Ford wrote of his decision to return Noel to No. 1: “After a weekend of talking to NBA decision-makers, it sounds like most of them are now leaning that direction.”

Other UK players on ESPN’s board were Willie Cauley-Stein (18th), Alex Poythress (20th) and Archie Goodwin (21st). All three freshmen had dropped in position from the previous update.

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Chat wrap: ESPN analyst discusses UK and the NBA

 Posted by at 2:25 AM on March 21, 2013  1 Response »
Mar 212013
 

ESPN NBA Draft analyst Chad Ford had another chat session Wednesday, and several UK-related questions were asked.

You can read Ford’s entire chat over at ESPN.com and following him on Twitter is also a good idea. Here are the questions and answers concerning the Cats …

Question: Wow… RMU over Kentucky. Does this force some of the Kentucky guys to stay another year? They didn’t get to have a post season run to boost their draft stock.

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NBA Draft: Experts still like the Kentucky freshmen

 Posted by at 2:50 PM on March 14, 2013  No Responses »
Mar 142013
 
Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein could potentially be a lottery pick if he decides to enter this year's NBA Draft. Photo: Mark Cornelison/Herald-Leader

Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein could potentially be a lottery pick if he decides to enter this year’s NBA Draft.
Photo: Mark Cornelison/Herald-Leader

Kentucky’s quartet of freshmen continue to be recognized by some of the most well-known NBA Draft prognosticators on the web.

ESPN’s Chad Ford, DraftExpress.com’s Jonathan Givony and Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix all updated their 2013 mock drafts Wednesday, and all three analysts (for the most part) kept UK’s four freshmen in favorable positions.

It seems Nerlens Noel’s season-ending knee injury has not eliminated him from the No. 1 overall pick discussion. Givony still has the UK big man in the top spot. Immediately after the injury, he told the Herald-Leader that he was in no rush to drop Noel from that position.

“He’s a seven-foot, freakishly athletic big man with an unbelievable motor,” Givony said at the time. “He’s got phenomenal shot-blocking instincts, he’s a very good rebounder and he’s a very good finisher around the basket. All those things are pretty rare.”

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Ford: Poythress, Cauley-Stein could be lottery picks

 Posted by at 1:47 PM on February 27, 2013  2 Responses »
Feb 272013
 
ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford says UK freshman Nerlens Noel could still be the No. 1 pick in this year's draft. Photo: Pablo Alcala/Herald-Leader

ESPN analyst Chad Ford said Wednesday that UK freshman Nerlens Noel could still be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Photo: Pablo Alcala/Herald-Leader

ESPN NBA Draft analyst Chad Ford released the latest incarnation of his “Big Board” on Wednesday morning, and injured UK center Nerlens Noel moved up a spot to No. 2.

Noel had dropped from No. 1 overall to No. 3 immediately after his season-ending knee injury earlier this month. Kansas guard Ben McLemore continues to hold the No. 1 spot.

Other UK players considered first-round picks on Ford’s board included Alex Poythress (12th), Willie Cauley-Stein (13th) and Archie Goodwin (19th).

Ford later chatted with fans on ESPN.com. You can (and should) read the entire chat by clicking on this link.

Here are Ford’s answers to questions about Noel, Cauley-Stein, Poythress and Goodwin:

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ESPN analyst: 4 UK freshmen still lottery possibilities

 Posted by at 3:13 PM on January 23, 2013  11 Responses »
Jan 232013
 

Another inconsistent night from UK’s young lineup Tuesday at Alabama led to more questions about those players’ draft stock after this season.

The consensus among the latest mock drafts is that Nerlens Noel, Archie Goodwin, Alex Poythress and possibly Willie Cauley-Stein will leave Kentucky after one season.

In an online chat Wednesday, ESPN analyst Chad Ford said nothing has changed with those projections.

Question: Any chance that Kentucky’s supposed awesome group of Freshmen stay in Lexington one more year?

Chad Ford: Nerlens Noel has played well enough to move on. I don’t think there’s any way he’s not a Top 5 pick. Poythress and Goodwin are struggling. Cauley-Stein is a talent, but he’s even further away. If this was a strong draft (and if Kentucky didn’t have a historic recruiting class coming) I think there would be a strong case for Poythress, Goodwin and Cauley-Stein to stay in school. But given the weakness of this draft, all three still have a good shot at the lottery and most players bolt if that’s their draft range.

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ESPN’s Chad Ford: 3 Cats, maybe 4 in NBA lottery

 Posted by at 2:56 PM on January 2, 2013  13 Responses »
Jan 022013
 

It could be one-and-done for all four of Kentucky’s freshmen.

ESPN.com analyst Chad Ford was asked about the NBA Draft possibilities for Nerlens Noel, Archie Goodwin, Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein in Wednesday’s chat.

Here’s the exchange:

Question: Where do Kentucky’s 4 talented frosh project in the latest draft? All lottery picks? Any chance any will return?

Chad Ford: Noel, Poythress & Goodwin are locks for the lottery. Cauley-Stein could sneak in there too. Given the stellar incoming class for Kentucky, not sure any of them stay, though I could make the argument that all of them REALLY need another year under Calipari to max out their potential.

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ExCats: Get the latest news on former UK players

 Posted by at 12:57 PM on October 23, 2012  No Responses »
Oct 232012
 

Follow ExCats for the latest news on Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the rest of UK’s former stars now playing in the NBA.
Photo: Associated Press

Since coming to Kentucky in 2009, John Calipari has put 15 players in the NBA. Add former Wildcats who were already in the league, and UK has more pros than any other school.

Now there’s one place to keep up with all of them.

ExCats will follow the same format as the NextCats recruiting site. You’ll get links to the latest stories and videos, easy access to the latest stats, and ever-changing information in the sidebar. You also can follow ExCats on Twitter for more on UK’s former stars.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to recommend additions to the Web site, please interact with us on Twitter or email Ben Roberts at broberts@herald-leader.com.

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