Devils Illustrated - Deng to test NBA waters

April 27, 2004

Justin Young
Devils Illustrated Editor

Luol Deng is dipping his toe in the NBA Draft waters.

After much speculation and rumblings, the star freshman has decided to forgo his final three years of eligibility and enter the 2004 NBA Draft. He will not hire an agent, thus retaining his eligibility but his draft stock is extremely high and is expected to be drafted in the top five to seven picks, according to a number of scouts and NBA executives.

Deng has until June 17 to withdraw his name from the draft if he desires but according to sources close to Deng, that will not likely happen.

One Eastern Conference scout loves the 6-foot-8 all everything college rookie.

?I don?t think people fully relaize how talented Deng is,? he said. ?He was second fiddle to LeBron James in high school and that probably wasn?t very fair. Deng is the complete player. He does everything so well. Coach K taught him to be a pro and now he?s ready to see where he stands.?

Another Eastern Conference scout said he was surprised by the decision.

?I didn?t expect to see him enter. He just seemed to love the college experience,? the scout said. ?I know we will look at him (with our lottery pick) and if we need to, we?ll try to move up to get him. He is just as polished as Carmelo Anthony. Why wouldn?t he come out? It makes sense.?

While Duke fans may not share the same sentiment, Deng?s decision wasn?t an easy one. A source close to the London native says he thought long and hard about the decision and cried when he finally decided to tell his father that he was ready.

His presence in the Blue Devil lineup will be missed. He averaged 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds during the season and was an All-ACC second-team member and a unanimous pick for the All-ACC freshman team.

Coach K has not commented on the decision. Now all eyes shift to 2004 recruit Shaun Livingston. With Deng leaving, the 6-foot-7 point guard will have more touches in the offense and could have that same one year impact that Deng did. We will have more on Livingston very soon.

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