Juniors getting to the point

Updated: December 17, 2004, 3:21 PM ET
By Chad Ford | ESPN Insider
The cream of the high school class of 2001 has already been skimmed off. Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Andre Iguodala are already in the NBA and look like they'll be all-stars for years to come.

However, the rest of the junior class remains surprisingly intact. Four defections this late in the game is rare. Of course, there's a reason.

"That class was pretty top heavy," one NBA scout said. "With the exception of Bosh and Stoudemire, there just weren't a lot of big men. Most of the really talented players left in the class are guards. That's a little disappointing, but there are some talented kids left."

How talented? Only the top three or four kids on the chart project as potential lottery picks, however there's plenty of first-round and second-round talent in this group.


To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Chad Ford | email

Senior Writer, NBA Insider
  • Senior NBA Writer for ESPN.com
  • ESPN Insider NBA Draft Analyst since 2002
  • Writes ESPN's NBA Draft Top 100 and Lottery Mock Draft

SPONSORED HEADLINES

MORE NBA HEADLINES

MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM

ALSO SEE