ACC in the NBA

Photo credit: SI.com

• 2007 list

The NBA season tips off tonight with 59 players from the ACC in the League, according to nba.com.

Twenty-nine of the 30 NBA teams have at least one former ACCer, Milwaukee is the lone team without one, and Golden State leads the way with four.

Duke has the most alumni (14) in the League and Virginia Tech the least (0). The Blue Devils added undrafted rookie DeMarcus Nelson, who against all odds is Golden State's starting point guard.

UNC (11) is second but lost two players, guard Jeff McInnis and forward David Noel, while adding forward Jawad Williams (Cleveland).

The list and observations (special thanks to reader Mac McLean):

• This rookie class won't go down with the greats but it certainly gets an "A" for effort.

J.J. Hickson, N.C. State, was the only first-round pick (19th overall). Hickson gets the bonus of beginning his NBA career with LeBron James. That worked out pretty well for Carlos Boozer. We'll see how Hickson factors into Cleveland's plans. The Cavs open with Boston tonight (TNT, 8 p.m.).

The other three rookies — Nelson, Sean Singletary and Anthony Morrow — got into the League the hard way.

Undrafted, Nelson and Morrow worked the summer circuits and hustled onto the roster with a niche — Nelson, a defender, and Morrow, a shooter.

Singletary was a second-round pick of Sacramento and traded on draft day to Phoenix. Second-round picks don't have a roster guarantee, so he had to earn a roster spot. He's in a good situation, though, backing up Steve Nash, the best point guard in the NBA.

• Kudos to Jawad Williams (Cleveland) and Will Solomon (Toronto) for perseverance.

The former UNC forward, a starter on the 2005 championship team, makes his debut three years after his college finale. It's almost impossible to break into the league after falling behind your draft class.

Solomon, listed as "Willie" on the Toronto web site, hasn't played a minute in the NBA since 2002.

Either could have given up the ghost and moved on with their lives. Neither did. Impressive.

• Seven of Georgia Tech's nine players have matriculated through Atlanta since 2003. The Jackets have three NCAA trips, in six seasons, to show for it. That doesn't bode well for Paul Hewitt, even though he has a trip to the 2004 title game and a the built-in excuse of having Bosh, Crittenton and Young for only one season.

But if you mess with the bull, you get the horns. You don't see John Calipari crying in his beer over one-and-done players, at least not publicly.

Hewitt needs to figure out a way to get back to the NCAA Tournament. Pronto.

• Fifty-seven of the ACC's 59 actually played in the ACC. Neither of the University of Miami players did.

• Inevitably, the conversation this college season will turn to Tyler Hansbrough's NBA future and I look at this list and point to Mike Dunleavy. The former Duke forward begins his eighth season in the League, third with Indiana.

He makes a chunk of change ($9 million this season) and averages 12.4 points for his career. He's not a superstar but he has had a nice career.

Psycho T and Dunleavy do not share the same skill set but the point is there is room in the NBA for useful players, and Hansbrough's ability to rebound and shoot free throws qualifies as useful. Not everyone will own the league but that doesn't make them a failure, either.