2011 NBA Draft: Panthers Sliding Into Projections

A recent Fanshot got me thinking about Pitt's NBA Draft prospects. I've got to be honest - I don't think they're all that high right now and if anyone was drafted, it would be a surprise to me. I don't think Brad Wanamaker is a true shooting guard, Gilbert Brown's not consistent enough, and Gary McGhee's simply not talented enough. They're all fine college players and have served Pitt's system well, but the NBA is for the elite.

But not everyone agrees and several Pitt players are popping up in NBA draft projections.

One of my favorite draft sites, NBADraft.net, hasn't had any Pitt players in its recent mock drafts for 2011 whenever I checked before. However, now they've got Brad Wanamaker going at the end of the second round. Another great site, DraftExpress.com agrees, and has Wanamaker as the last pick in the draft.

Gilbert Brown is getting a lot of attention. The aforementioned DraftExpress.com has him not only getting drafted, but near the middle of the second round. NBADraftDepot.com has Gil in about the same spot and HoopsWorld.com has him as the last pick of the draft.

That's it, right?

Nope, not exactly. The Hoops Report has Gary McGhee as a late 2nd round pick.

ESPN and Fox aren't giving much consideration to Pitt, though. No Panther is currently in Fox's mock draft and Chad Ford of ESPN doesn't even have any Pitt player in the top 100. I think that's a bit extreme, but it might not be so far-fetched.