7’2″ center Roy Hibbert withdrew his name from the NBA Draft and will return to Georgetown for his senior season. The timing of the decision is telling, and it seems that Hibbert was waiting to see how the lottery shook out before making a final decision. Most mock drafts had him going somewhere in the 8-14 range, so it’s possible that Hibbert didn’t like the idea going to the teams in that range – Charlotte, Chicago, Sacramento, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Orleans and the LA Clippers.
According to Hibbert, it was more about wanting to play another year of college ball than it was about the prospect of going to one team or another:
“I said to myself, ‘Do I really want to go in the draft and sit on the bench?'” Hibbert said. “My heart was here. … I feel like I have unfinished business here.”
If Hibbert continues to progress, he should find himself in the top five of the 2008 draft, which looks to be much thinner on big men than this year’s draft. However, the league is slowly moving away from offenses that feature a traditional center, and Hibbert, while skilled, is especially slow. If he doesn’t progress much in his senior season, he might slip into the late first round. GMs would be wise not to forget how well Hibbert played against Greg Oden in the Final Four, posting 19 points and six boards against the probable #1 pick in this year’s draft.
