Cunningham's High 2nd-Round NBA Draft Selection Far Exceeds Draft Analysts' Projections - Why Was He So Undervalued?

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Much to the surprise of those of us who followed the various and sundry mock NBA drafts- Wildcat Dante Cunningham was drafted far higher than their recent projections. Accordingly, it was certainly a pleasant surprise, for us Villanova fans.

I have no particular expertise on the NBA, and certainly not on the NBA draft. And so I had no choice, but to scour the many mock drafts available online, for a guess as to where Cunningham might end up...

So I was as surprised as everyone else, when I learned that he had been the third pick in the second round - far higher than any analyst had recently projected.

To be fair to the analysts, they had - at one point - rated Cunningham's stock far more highly. Back in the spring, a consensus of mock drafts at that time rated him as a high second-round pick (i.e., what eventually took place).

However, as I noted earlier this week, Cunningham's stock among analysts had dropped considerably, over the past several weeks.

I researched a dozen mock drafts - not a single one had him drafted, above the 36th selection (i.e., the sixth pick of the second round, and three spots below where he was actually drafted). In fact, most had him in the middle and bottom of the second round - and there were a pair of mock drafts that projected Cunningham to go undrafted completely.

Yet the evidence of widespread NBA interest in Cunningham was clearly visible. The fine site VUHoops assembled the full list of ten NBA teams, for which Cunningham had been invited to work out - one/third of the league, in fact. (Portland, naturally, was one of them.)

It's difficult for me to imagine why a player would be invited to ten camps, and then go undrafted completely, but that's what two analysts had. Others had him drafted, but near the very end of the second round.

Here's a list of mock drafts I assembled yesterday, and where they had Cunningham drafted, in descending order of accuracy:

• DraftExpress.com - 36th overall (the most accurate).
• TheHoopsReport.com - 49th overall,
• InsideHoops.com- Projected him in a group for the 41st-50th selections
• TheDraftReview.com - by Michael Maurer - 53rd overall
• RidiculousUpside.com - which is a great name - 56th overall selection
  
• HoopsVibe.com - undrafted.

Also, here's the list of mock NBA drafts I assembled Wednesday, in no particular order of accuracy:

• NBADraft.net projected Cunningham as the 49th selection overall, by the Atlanta Hawks.
• Hoopsworld.com projected him as the 57th selection overall, by the Phoenix Suns (i.e., the end of the second round; there will be 60 selections made).
• MyNBADraft.com did not project him to be selected at all, surprisingly.
• NBADraftDepot.com projected him as the 58th selection overall, by the Boston Celtics.
• NBADraftPress.com projected him as the 45th selection overall, by the Minnesota Timberwolves (who have just traded his former Villanova Wildcat teammate, Randy Foye to the Washington Wizards).

In summary-

Of these eleven mock drafts, nobody projected Cunningham higher than 36th. In fact, that single draft was the only one that had Cunningham higher than 45th. (If we look at the one that threw him into the group from 41-50, it's fair to say that he had him projected 45th as well, right in the middle). Everyone else had him at the bottom of the round, either in the late 40s or 50s or undrafted.

So why was Cunningham so undervalued?

My best speculative answer:

Cunningham was an unheralded recruit. In addition, he did not emerge as a star player until his senior season, after which he deservedly received the Big East award for Most Improved Player. Draft analysts take their craft very seriously. (I was astonished to see that several weeks ago, they already had mock 2010 drafts in place.)

And since Cunningham would not have been considered a significant NBA prospect for much of his Villanova career, they probably did not have him in mind as a certain NBA draft pick. Essentially, they didn't recognize how much Cunningham had improved as a senior.

But more importantly, ten NBA teams did. Otherwise, they wouldn't have seriously considered drafting him. And Cunningham's high draft choice is a testament to his growth as a player while at Villanova.

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged, and will always be answered. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Still More Mock NBA Drafts - Where Does Dante Cunningham Go?

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Following up on yesterday's post, here are some more mock NBA drafts, speculating as to the fate of Dante Cunningham this evening...

There is also the slim possibility that Dwayne Anderson will be drafted as well, but I have been unable to find any mock drafts that include him...

VUHoops also has posted A Look at Dante in the Draft, which is a great roundup of the considerable number of NBA teams who have invited Cunningham for a workout, as well as the draft positions of all of those teams, so check that out...

At The Villanovan Sports Blog, David Cassilo has posted a fine analysis of the two seniors, along with a great photo of the two of them celebrating after the NCAA tournament victory over Pittsburgh, due to the blue jerseys and NCAA towels Cassilo fearlessly predicts that Cunningham will be selected as the 44th pick by the Detroit Pistons - thus returning to the city that hosted the Final Four, ironically. (As for me - I am making no predictions.) He also joins the consensus (which I also join) that it is extremely unlikely that Anderson will be drafted.

BleacherReport.com's Mark Strotman has a very substantive and detailed capsule of each of his projected selections. Here's what he had to say about Cunningham, whom he projects as the 40th overall selection:

40. Charlotte Bobcats: Dante Cunningham, SF, Villanova

I got to see Cunningham play a lot last year and came away very impressed with the Big East’s Most Improved Player. His work in the post could use a bit of shaping up, but his ability to knock down 15-footers was probably better than most 6′8″ players in the nation not named Tyler Hansbrough. He will, however, need to get a little faster.

NBA Comparison: Jeff Green

Examiner.com also writes about Cunningham:

39. Detroit Pistons - Dante Cunningham (6'8" 230, Forward) Senior, Villanova

Analysis: Cunningham is an under-sized, athletic power forward who will earn a job by consistently knocking down 12-18 foot jump shots. In addition to his shooting touch, he’s also very active and plays with great emotion.

Here are some other mock drafts that I've found, which reflect a widespread belief that Cunningham will be a second-round selection, although his place within that round fluctuates wildly (and an occasional draft will exclude him completely).

(One note: not every analyst bothers with the second round, so naturally, there isn't as broad a consensus as there is with the first round.)

• DraftExpress.com - 36th overall selection (high second round), by the Memphis Grizzlies
• TheHoopsReport.com - 49th overall selection, by the Atlanta Hawks.
• InsideHoops.com
  - Places him in a group with ten other players, although he does not specify in
  what order, or by which team: "NBA MOCK DRAFT: MID/LATE SECOND ROUND: 41-50 - Jodie Meeks, Paul Harris, Robert Dozier, Toney Douglas, Jack McClinton, Danny Green, Jeff Adrien, Dante Cunningham, Jeremy Pargo, Jon Brockman, Dionte Christmas"
• HoopsVibe.com - Undrafted.
• RidiculousUpside.com - which is a great name - 56th overall selection, by the Portland Trailblazers. (The author also has Temple's Dionte Christmas, ironically, being taken one spot earlier by Portland as well.)
• TheDraftReview.com, by Michael Maurer - the 53rd overall selection, by the San Antonio Spurs.

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged, and will always be answered. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Where Does NBADraftPress Have Villanova Wildcats Reynolds and Cunningham in Its 2009 NBA Mock Draft?

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Yet another NBA mock draft - this time from NBADraftPress - is projecting Dante Cunningham as a high second-round pick, and Scottie Reynolds being undrafted...

This draft was updated by Lance Walton on April 21...

It has Cunningham being drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 36th overall pick, the sixth pick of the second round...

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged, and will always be answered. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

NBADraft.net's Mock 2009 Draft, Updated April 21 - Does It Include Villanova Wildcats Reynolds and Cunningham?

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Take a look at NBADraft.net's Mock NBA Draft, updated April 21...

It has Dante Cunningham as the 33rd overall pick, the third pick of the second round - and Scottie Reynolds undrafted....

Unfortunately, in contrast to DraftExpress, it did not provide its analysis, as to whether Reynolds's decision to test the waters would make any difference...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged, and will always be answered. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Read If (and Where) DraftExpress Has Villanova's Reynolds and Cunningham in Its 2009 Mock NBA Draft, in the Wake of Reynolds's Announcement

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

DraftExpress.com has a mock 2009 NBA draft, which was last updated on April 20. Although the most recent update came before Scottie Reynolds announced that he might consider foregoing his senior season at Villanova, it almost certainly did not affect the site's analysis, as you'll read below, in the wake of Reynolds's announcement...

DraftExpress has Dante Cunningham going far later than TheDraftReview, which had Cunningham as the 35th overall pick, in the early second round. DraftExpress doesn't have Cunningham going until the 52nd overall pick, near the end of the second round, by the Indiana Pacers... and like TheDraftReview, it has Reynolds going undrafted...

Here's what the DraftExpress blog had to say on the news of Reynolds testing the waters:

• Scottie Reynolds Will Test the Waters

Villanova combo guard and NCAA tournament darling Scottie Reynolds will announce his intentions to “test the waters” shortly, according to sources close to the situation. Reynolds is a junior and thus has very little to lose, although he also doesn’t have much to gain either, since he’s unlikely to be invited to the pre-draft camp and probably won’t garner more than a handful of workouts as teams increasingly look to cut costs.

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged, and will always be answered. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

When Is the Deadline For Reynolds To Withdraw From the NBA Draft?

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Not knowing very much about the NBA Draft, I decided to find out when the deadline is for Scottie Reynolds to withdraw from consideration, without losing his eligibility for his senior season at Villanova.

All of the following information is from the NBA calendar... and you can also check the Wikipedia entry... Here are the three key deadlines and dates, specific to the situation for Villanova fans:

• Sunday, April 26, 11:59 EDT - The deadline for Reynolds to declare himself eligible for the draft, since he still has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining. Which is why he announced his decision, this week...
• Monday, June 15, 5:00 EDT - The deadline for Reynolds to announce that he is withdrawing from draft consideration. He is permitted to do so, since he has not withdrawn from a previous draft (i.e., you only get one opportunity to "test the waters"), and if he has not signed with an agent. But should that deadline pass, Reynolds loses his eligibility, regardless of whether he signs with an agent and/or he is actually drafted.
• Thursday, June 25 - The 2009 NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged, and will always be answered. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Scottie Reynolds Officially "Tests the Waters" of the NBA Draft, But Retains Right to Withdraw and Return to Villanova for Senior Season

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Junior guard Scottie Reynolds, the hero of the Elite Eight victory over Pittsburgh, and who would be Villanova's primary scoring weapon if he returns for his senior season, announced this afternoon that he would test the waters for NBA interest and declared himself eligible for the NBA draft.

More to come... please check back...

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged, and will always be answered. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Read If (and Where) A NBA Draft Expert Has Villanova Wildcats Cunningham and Reynolds in His 2009 Mock Draft

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

As we continue our speculation as to the immediate NBA futures of Villanova seniors Dante Cunningham (who will be graduating) and Scottie Reynolds (only a junior), I've found a very substantive site on the topic, published by an NBA draft expert, Matt Maurer - TheDraftReview.com.

On March 30, Maurer published his latest version of the 2009 Mock Draft. Of course, of primary interest to Villanova fans, is if and where Maurer projects Cunningham and Reynolds to appear. And it's the best possible news for us, as fans. Here's why:

1. We can wish Cunningham well, as he's projected to be in the second round, as the 35th selection overall, by Minnesota. Ironically, with the Timberwolves, he could join former Villanova Wildcat teammate Randy Foye. They played together on the 2005-06 team, when Foye was a senior, and Cunningham was a freshman.
2. Unfortunately for Reynolds, but fortunately for us- Maurer does not project Reynolds to be drafted in 2009.

Obviously, if Maurer's draft projections are correct, it's the optimal situation for all parties concerned:

• Cunningham gets to play in the league, and Villanova can boast of yet another NBA player.
• Reynolds would most likely return for his senior year, where he can help Villanova contend for another City Series title, Big East regular-season and tournament championships, and perhaps - dare I say it - another Final Four (or even a national championship.)
  
• And presumably, Reynolds's NBA stock might rise if he has another superb season, and is just as visible in March Madness (and "One Shining Moment").
  

So, hopefully, the basketball gods will permit Maurer's scenario to take place...

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged, and will always be answered. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)