I like what I see

Ok. Ok. So maybe Jim Zorn is here to revamp the offense. We needed a receiver and we got three. Well, two wideouts and the best tight end in the draft if you ask me. Returning a healthy offensive line and adding threats to the offense, the Redskins could be vastly improved. I don't know, could be the fan in me.

Regardless, big shoutout to Kentwan Balmer, the No. 29 overall pick and the only Tar Heel to go in the first round. Only problem with that, is he'll play for the 49ers.

What I hope the Redskins are doing...

As a die-hard Redskins fan, the NFL draft isn't one of my favorite things to watch. I mean, I spend enough time during the season watching my team disappoint - no sense in wasting a perfectly good summer weekend. Just like this year, though, I can't help but watch and think that maybe, just maybe, we'll they'll do something right this time. And like every year, Washington comes into the draft with needs. Popular thought this time around is that we'll make a move for a possession wide receiver. Well, the 21st pick has come and gone and the Skins dealt it to the Falcons. The Falcons? What in the world could they have gotten out of that. I'm hoping that they're packaging a miracle - more picks to send to Cincinnati.

I mean, the Bengals are insane if they keep Chad Johnson and let him sit out the season. This guy is worth a ton to any team in the NFL and the Bengals could do a little better than, say, a fourth round pick. The Redskins put together what I thought was a solid offer for both sides. It would have sent this year's No. 21 overall pick and a third-round selection next year. The latter could have become a first-rounder depending on certain criteria. But that deal was rejected, so I find it hard to believe that Snyder is cooking up something better. I guess we'll see. We're at pick No. 30 and there still hasn't been a WR to leave the board. The Skins should come up early in the second round with another shot. Maybe they actually know what they're doing ...

Ellington declares as well; Hansbrough to return

Official word from the North Carolina basketball program has guard Wayne Ellington testing the waters of the NBA Draft along with sophomore Ty Lawson. Neither will hire an agent, leaving hope to the Tar Heel faithful that they reunite in Chapel Hill for another run at the title. North Carolina fans still have plenty to be happy about with the news that national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough will return for his senior season.

Lawson declares; won't hire agent

That's what FOX sports is reporting as of an hour ago. According to the story, the University will issue a statement later today. I would not be surprised if the remainder of North Carolina's announcements are made public as well with the official break of the story...(even though it broke a week ago here).

I'm working, but I'll keep updates coming as frequently as possible.

UNC trio yet to make decision public

Sporting News Radio local station 99.9 The Fan reported yesterday that national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough has yet to decide whether he wants to declare himself eligible for the 2008 NBA draft. That's according to a conversation that a representative of the station had with Hansbrough's father.

A source within the team confirmed that sophomore guards Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington have made there decision, but failed to confirm what that decision was. However, other sources close to Ellington and Lawson have both of them bolting for the NBA. Anything new, you'll find it here.

OK, back to work.

UNC's class and the draft

For those of you concerned with my knowledge of the NBA draft and salaries, I invite you to read this. I am well aware of how the draft works. And I'm also aware of how negotiations work. Though the salaries aren't adjustable, a player like Lawson's draft value is. What I meant by the leverage argument is that there are multiple teams that are looking for an impact point guard. And this year, you should be able to still find one in the mid to late first round.

Let's just throw the New Jersey Nets out there for the sake of argument. The Nets have the 21st selection and are the last team that will offer up a million plus in guaranteed money for the next three years. But just because the salaries are fixed, doesn't mean that there is no bargaining taking place. The Nets may or may not want a point guard given that they have Devin Harris. Maybe they think that if they wait until next year, they can do better. But they also could be thinking that if they can grab Lawson, they better go ahead and act now. The fact that Lawson still holds NCAA eligibility over the heads of NBA teams makes them more likely to increase their interest, so they don't miss out on a good opportunity. The more teams that have the same type of interest in a player the more likely that player gets drafted higher, and even one pick higher will get him and increase in the neighborhood of $30K, $50K and $75K in the first three seasons, respectively. The higher you go, the more those numbers increase. Thus, the leverage attained by being able to go back to school can drive a prospects salary up, even though those salaries are fixed. For an illustration of how this works, think back to last year's draft and Roy Hibbert. Projected as a lottery pick prior to last season's draft, Hibbert decided to return to Georgetown. Now he's barely hanging on to the first round.

Sorry this didn't come yesterday. I was on the road.

Like it or not, Lawson's meeting is bad news of North Carolina fans

Man, you people got heated about yesterday's post, didn't you? I feel the need to make a couple of clarifications that I supposed most people don't realize. First, I understand the creed around here: In Roy We Trust. But let's be realistic people. If you think that no public statement means no decision, then you don't get it. Just because these guys haven't officially declared for the draft doesn't mean the decision hasn't been made. It's called leverage. To state the obvious, these guys are hardly lottery picks. So from a business standpoint, especially where agent hiring is concerned, holding onto the front of returning to college is a business move, period. When these guys are going through a decision as big as this one, the more options you have on paper, the more paper you'll generate.

Why would an agent take a potential client to Outback? The answer to that is surprisingly simple. Until a player officially signs with an agent, he can't accept anything from anybody and not expect to hear from the NCAA. Therefore, gettin' spotted eating caviar by candlelight is a no-no. A chocolate thunder from down under is much more feasible. And if he does slip, the leverage is gone.

How do I know this information when nobody else does? Believe me, PLENTY of people know more than they're allowed to say. The news business, for those of you who don't know, is all about finding out what they don't want to tell you. Decisions like these are announced at strategic times. It may be to take pressure off the athlete, the coach, the program ... any number of things. That's usually information that stays in-house and only becomes obvious upon announcement, when the pieces fall together and make a little more sense.

News outlets have to have concrete facts. And by concrete facts, I mean someone inside the program or in direct relation to the player that's spilling the beans. But as a reporter, if you can build relationships with those close to the program (like boosters), you can find the answer without having to go inside the program. You get someone with that access to fill you in. That's what I, and many others, have done. There are people that pay a lot of money to this program. A LOT of money. These people expect to know the ins and outs of their investment. Some are willing to share what they know. Others aren't.

And lastly, keep this in mind: Anyone remember seeing Raymond Felton rolling through campus in a new Jaguar shortly after the 2005 national title? No decision had been announced at that point either. As a matter of fact, Sean May had everyone believing that he could get at least some of that class back and even said he'd stay himself. But the truth remained. Those dudes, with the exception of May, were already gone. They were just developing their game plan.