The NBA Draft is tonight in New York City. The chance of any Washington State players getting picked is slim to none.
The only guy who might have a shot is Aron Baynes. He is currently under contract with a team in Lithuania, but a clause in his contract allows him to pursue NBA opportunities if he is drafted/signed by a club.
I don't see him getting drafted, but I don't think many people do (he hasn't appeared in one mock draft I've seen). That doesn't mean the big guy doesn't have a chance.
Baynes worked out for the Minnesota Timberwolves (with North Carolina's Wayne Ellington, Kansas State's Darren Kent, and Sergey Glady of the Ukraine) on Tuesday. According to a USA Today report, "All four players could be considered with one of the team's lower first-round picks -- numbers 18 or 28." I think that's a stretch, but I'm also a lowly sports guy...not a scout.
Taylor Rochestie will not get drafted, but he could get a look in the NBA. The chances of him actually signing with anyone are pretty slim. Just like Derrick Low a year ago (with the Dallas Mavericks), Rochestie could get invited to play on an NBA summer league team in hopes of getting a contract. He did work out with teams this spring (including the Utah Jazz), so it's not out of the question.
We'll see how all of this shakes out in the next couple of days.
The draft starts at 4pm tonight on ESPN. We'll have full coverage on KREM 2 News, KREM.com, and Twitter (@KREM2Sports).
Go Cougs!
