The NBA is expected to release its list of invitees to Thursday’s draft later today. But one player who will definitely be in the so-called “green room” at Madison Square Garden in New York: UNC forward Tyler Hansbrough.
“He was planning to go up there either way, but when he got the call and invitation, he was pretty happy,’’ his father, Gene Hansbrough, said this morning.
Hansbrough, a four-time All-America, is expected to be picked somewhere in the teens of the first round. He planned to work out with the New Jersey Nets – who have the 11th overall pick – again on Tuesday.
“He could go as high as 11, and I don’t see him getting past Utah at 20,’’ NBA draft analyst Chris Monter said.
Davidson's Stephen Curry confirmed his green room invite last week. Duke guard Gerald Henderson is also expected to be on the list when it is released today; he said last week he’s already thinking about what suit he’s going to wear that night. UNC point guard Ty Lawson could also be invited.
Draft invitees sit front and center at Madison Square Garden Theatre in front of the commissioner, and when their names are called, they're brought up to the podium, given their new team's hat, and get a handshake and photo op.
Agents usually do their due diligence to try to make sure their clients will be fairly-early picks before they accept the invitation; otherwise, players risk sitting there for a long while -- in view of a lot of TV cameras.
Robbi Pickeral has covered ACC sports for The News & Observer since 2003. She can be reached at
Comments
Carolina > dook
Sun, 06/28/2009 - 07:19 — UncleHow many times do I have to log on and remind everyone that there are 2 -zeros- in d00k. As typical of KK, Williams and Gearld "lead pipe elbow" Henderson are gone. And guess who will crying all season long KK.. poor baby Durham has become a home court advantage for the National Champion Tar Heels. Hansbrough, Green, Frasor, all seniors have never lost in Cameron. So Someone get the proper color of blue on kk's court. And it keeps getting better this coming season. While dook may make the NIT, Carolina is a lock for the Sweet 16 and beyond.. Final Four, here we come agin.. Go Tar Heels - Go To The Big East Dook!
uncle tarhole
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 16:02 — bluecatwhat have u been smoking??of course the tar holes will not hav to leave the state, untill the final 4, as usual!!! go duke!!!!!!!!
no response??
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 16:59 — bluecatwill any of u tarrholes, ever admitt that ol roy is a bonifief, certafied will any of u tarrhholes ever confess that ol roy is a bonafied, certafied, cheater by the ncaa, kansas --3 yrs for paying players, not to mention the clothes he bought them. some one step up to the plate and explain that one , how abou u pamm1, or hellfinch,or joshtarhole, go duke!!!!!!!!!!
no response??
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 19:36 — hellfishWe have players that are worth paying! Bluepuss and check your spelling Duke nerd your glasses are fogging up from that warm milk your mommy made you...pop your zits and hush! I'm sure Battlestar Gallactica is on somewhere on nerd-vision!
JELLYFISH
Thu, 06/25/2009 - 11:33 — bluecatI KNEW THAT U WOULD AT LEAST CONFESS THAT NC DOES PAY PLAYERS, THANK U.I TOLD U THAT I SPENT MY FIRST 2 YR. AT UNC, BUT I AM NOW AT DUKE, AND MY SPELLING IS IMPROVING RAPIDLY, I PROMISE THAT I WILL MAKE UP THOSE 2 YRS I WAISTED GOING TO UNC, I DONT WEAR GLASSES, AND I DONT LIKE MY MILK WARM, I LIKE IT REAL COLD. AND MY MOMMY IS DEAD, AND I AM TOO OLD TO HAVE ZITS, I PREFER THE ANDY AND BARNEY SHOW, HAVE A GOOD DAY MY FRIEND!!!!!!!! GO DUKE!!!!!!!!
I will not address these
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 10:19 — pammy1I will not address these issues as my colleagues have already done so......however, a greater concern is....how about you explaining why you haven't mastered the english language (not to mention the spelling of such) any better than you have? While not a fan of Dook I do know that they provide a superior education .......obviously, you were not a student at the university but merely a Dook wannabe.......
go back
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 19:53 — gvillegatrto wherever it is you came from. you spew the same thing over and over and over and over and over. none of it is true.
I've done been over this with you but here you go again ...
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2623000
it was a booster who was doing the questionable stuff and ZERO scholarships were lost.
so, please, tell us again what Coach Williams did and how the school suffered. tell us about probabtion that the entire athletic dept is on.
leave the fricking site.
nasty word
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 13:53 — bluecatgalligator, dont that word have a u in it, did u misspell it on purpose, u are cleaver!!!!!!!!go duke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
aint leaving
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 08:39 — bluecatgalligator,is kansas on 3 yrs probation or not, and who was the leader of the team when it happened, truman said the buck stops here, he was a man of honor andwas man enough to take anything that was thrown at him, guess u guys are not like that, and u know u would miss me, if i left, so since i consider u one of my best friends, so if u insist i will stay on the site. go duke!!
A Dook official...
Fri, 06/26/2009 - 17:27 — Heels20was arrested for molesting a 5 year-old. Coach Krzsdfas;ljk is currently the basketball coach at Dook. So according to bluecat's logic...Coach Krzsdfas;ljk is a child molester.
hole20
Sat, 06/27/2009 - 15:53 — bluecatcorrect!!!!go duke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Loser dookies crack me up!
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 09:43 — annzup1Let us read: "Duke guard Gerald Henderson is also expected to be on the list when it is released today." But HANSBROUGH done always already been invited, WHILE HENDERTHUG AWAITS. But then, he waited and sweeps of the thimble in Durham still happen. I write HAPPEN. I predict that the cam-nuts go home cryin with crybaby-K again next near: consider ya grill, snatched, dookies:) Henderthug could consider wearing brass-knuckles . . . when and if he's called, or maybe a brass spine up his "a." Hear the BOBCATS might take him:) . . . it happens but is it art?
A REMINDER: The Tar Heels remain National Champs and it'll be a cold-a'ed day in hell before any dookie wears that ring again. Get OVER it. Camerlot's sun went down! Finis. The end, basta, c'est tout.
Hospice would probably give youz guyz free grief counseling, since ya think ya entitled and given that you're all so POOR in spirit. Bereft, beat-up, beat-down, LOSERS and sore, at that. You go Tyler! Hendie WAITS.
LOL-LOL-LOL!
The National Champions wear the right blue for green: Get OVER it!
beat unc
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 13:58 — bluecatduke will beat the tarholes like a drum, even without williams, and we will wear one of those rings next year. go duke!!!!!!!!!!!
I can dream can't I?
Thu, 06/25/2009 - 08:18 — pammy1Dream on McDuff.......face it, it would be a thrill for Dook to win a game vs. UNC by even one point......especially at Cameron......lol
A ring?........Wake up and smell the coffee! The only ring Dook will get is when the next hot recruit calls and declines his scholarship..........
jorts
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 23:45 — dougcoatsthe bobcats are either going to take henderson or terrance williams. no way would hans(nickname) be able get in enough minutes over okafor and mohammed
mohammed
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 07:23 — gvillegatrthey'd gladly move him if they could. he's ridiculously over paid.
analzuppie1
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 17:08 — bluecatu lost me, i spent my first 2 yrs at unc, i had a lot to make up when i transfered to duke,u got me ,basta, c,est tout, i thought we were talking about bb.go duke!!!
I'm not really sure what you
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 10:16 — Heelman30I'm not really sure what you said there, but it would be a shame if "the real victim" goes to Charlotte.
pammy1
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 08:23 — bluecatyes! go duke!!!!!!!!
oh you dookies
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 08:27 — Heelman30You are pathetic. You can't stand the fact that your program is a distant 2nd in this state. You've been the same pathetic bunch of a-holes forever. You stay awake at night with dreams of probation and a scandal because you know, nothing else can stop us. Oh and "bashville" ??? Is that a town in Jersey??
holeman30
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 09:07 — bluecatduke lets u guys win ever now and then so the ncaa can call this the best rival game in bb, that the only reason we let u win. end of story, go duke!!!!!!!!!!!! i missed spelled it it should be assville, n.c. go duke!!!!!!!!!!
Bluecat
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 10:07 — Heelman30What is wrong with you? Are you 12 years old or something?
the facts really hurt
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 08:12 — bluecatkansas is on 3 yrs probation, could u unc upper crust boys , please tell me who the coach was at kansas when they were left on probation, dont be bashville, step up to the plate. go duke!!!!!!!!
the facts are actually GREAT!
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 09:13 — joshtarheelOkay let's review the facts:
1) UNC is the defending national champion
2) Roy Williams has won two national titles within 5 years.
3) Coach Krap has struggled to make the Final Four since 2001. (He seems more interested in the Olympic team than recruiting dook a good big man).
4) Hansbrough and Co. beat dook in Cameron 4 consecutive years.
5) Did I mention UNC dominated the field on the way to their 5th national title? Hey bluecat - in case you're wondering, that's 2 more titles than dook.
Oh, why not give it a rest?
Mon, 06/22/2009 - 18:02 — UNC1998Hansbrough's done beating Duke, so just relax. Know well, though, there will be another nemesis coming soon.
the suspense
Mon, 06/22/2009 - 23:29 — gvillegatris killing me! Can't wait to see who it is!! the drive for five!!
Tyler
Mon, 06/22/2009 - 17:30 — rod1972Can't wait for the camera shots of the bug eyed spaz sitting all by himself waiting on the Bobcuts to bail him out.
mr flop
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 08:21 — bluecathansdowner, better take the acc refs with him to the bobcats so they can continue to protect him from those ol mean nba players, because u know he will do his flop if they get within 10 ft of him, like he did in ncaaand acc, go duke!!!!!!!!!!!
you are an idiot
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 09:03 — joshtarheelHansbroug is a flopper? Hahahahaha. You must not watch any basketball games. Greg Paulus anyone? There are thousands of YouTube videos devoted to him trying to take charges or getting t-bagged in the process. Hansbrough my create contact but a flopper? Classic ignorant dook fans. So pathetic.
joshtarhole
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 14:07 — bluecatther u go calling me an idiot, i go to duke--- the harvard of the south, not unc , u know birds of a feather flock togeather, thats why we are good buddies, and hansdowner aka mr. flop is a flopper, he better develop a taste for rubber, when those big nba guys get thru with him,go duke!!!!!!!!!!
green money room
Mon, 06/22/2009 - 15:12 — bluecatis that the room where ol roy hands out the money to tarhole players like he did at kansas, go duke!!!!!!!!!
Jealous Dukie fans
Mon, 06/22/2009 - 16:15 — hellfishNo! It's where they hand out the 2009 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS
It's the room where OL' Roy gives coach K some coaching and recruiting tips.
It's the room where Duke's Mcdonalds all americans turn into Burger King all americans when they are beside UNC's recruits.
It the room where Duke is the Notre Dame of NCAA hoops...ALL HYPE!
cheaters do win
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 08:16 — bluecathellfinch, what about the green money and clothes, go duke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cheaters do win
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 19:30 — hellfishBluepuss (Bluecat) for supposedly being the "Harvard" of the south is that the best comeback you got! Now that Williams is jumping ship you have a Ivy league line-up now.HAHAHA! The ACC is UNC's AGAIN...Oh yeah! the BLUE CAT BAR in Knoxville TN. called and said they want someone other than a loser southern Haahvaad nerd DUKE fan that they want there name back or somebody with some class to be called Blue Cat...Hey nerd comb your uni-brow and wash your pocket protector and pull those pants up to your MAN boobs and go play Star Trek and leave these debates for non-nerds. nerd!
jellyfish
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 16:14 — bluecatthats it , duke will kick your a-- next yr twice, where did u come up with all of those 1st grade comments, u need to grow up, and your punishment is u have to say i love duke 20 times.go duke!!!!!!!!!!
JELLYFISH
Thu, 06/25/2009 - 11:39 — bluecatU ARE SO MEAN, MY GOOD FRIEND!!!!!!!!!GO DUKE!!!!!!!!
TOUCHE' Poor old
Tue, 06/23/2009 - 07:50 — pammy1TOUCHE'
Poor old Dookies.........will you ever get over being obsessed with the success of North Carolina?
Tsk....tsk.....
sammy1
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 16:09 — bluecatYES! dont forget to take your pills, and say i love duke 7 times, ok. go duke
pammy2
Wed, 06/24/2009 - 09:12 — bluecatYES. go duke!!!!!!!!!!!!