As the week tails to an end, and you struggle to stay motivated at work/school, I thought that some random ramblings may be just the thing to hold everyone over.

DeAndre declares for the NBA Draft

This comes as no surprise to anyone. DeAndre, though unpolished and raw, has the rare skills set that makes NBA teams drool. How good is he? Not that good right now. How good can he be? Well, he had a below average year and was regularly exposed in the Big 12 this year and he is still projected to be a lottery pick.

What I don't get is when people get all red in the face about how DeAndre isn't ready. Who cares. If a team wants to give him millions of dollars right now so that they can beef him up and get him ready, then I see no problem why he shouldn't go. Trust me, I want DeAndre back just as much as the next guy, but that is just smart business. The NBA is just like any other company. You make investments on employees that show lots of potential, and then you slowly mold them into exactly what you want.

However, if DeAndre wants to be a big time player and be drafted 1-5 in the draft, the obvious decision is to stay one more year. With the wealth of big men in this year's draft, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see him change his mind as the projections solidify and he ends up as a late lottery pick.

NBADraft.net has DJ as #10 to the Nets

CollegeHoops.net has DJ as #9 to the Bulls

DraftExpress.com has DJ as #10 to the Bulls

P.S. In my opinion, Derrick Rose is the best Freshman in the country. He would have put up Beasley/Mayo/Durant like numbers if he had played on any of those teams. I fully expect him to be the best pro out of this year's freshman crop. It isn't a stretch to imagine him playing at the Chris Paul, Deron Williams level in just a few years. He is smooth, has a stroke, is quick enough to defend, and is big and long enough to handle the pro sized guards.

The new Dollar Bill?

Why not? You can't do anything more at Kansas than you just did. You just won a game that will be an ESPN Classic for year's to come. You pick up the phone and one of the richest men in the world is going to pay you more money than you can spend in a lifetime to COME HOME. Why not?

This bidding war doesn't bother me anymore. Maybe it should, but it doesn't. And out of all the coaches getting courted by big time programs, when someone has a chance to go home to their Alma Mater, where they met their wife, where their family still resides, it just makes sense, especially when Boone Pickens is willing to pay upwards of $3.5 million/year.

By the way, what do you do with that kind of money in Stillwater, OK? Everywhere he goes people will pick up the tab. Car allowance. House allowance. Where do you spend that money? You work too dang much to vacation. It just piles up. How awesome is that?

This ESPN.com article by Gene Wojciechowski doesn't do it for me. And it bothers me on so many different levels:

1. I don't see OSU as a graveyard. Is it just me, or is that arena not one of the more intimidating venues in all of college ball? In '03/'04 they beat St. Joe's in one of the better NCAA Tournament games to move onto the FINAL FOUR. The next year? They are ranked in the top ten from start to finish, win the Big 12 tourney, and lose in the Sweet 16 by 1 point. Graveyard? Not quite. Any program that can boast 2 national titles, 17 conference championships, and 6 final fours can't be referred to as a graveyard. Is OSU basketball on par with Kansas basketball? Of course not, but it isn't unthinkable that OSU could improve into a feared program again in a few years. In fact, they have much more of a claim to that happening than we do at this point, and we've come quite a long way in 3 short years.

2. Gene Wojmynameistoohardtospell says that "alma maters are overrated. So is money." Oh is that right? Easy for you to say from your free hotel room in San Antonio that ESPN picked up the tab on. And I'm sure everyone over in Knoxville, Tennessee is glad to hear you bash the importance of where you came from. One man should never be able to say what another man should or shouldn't do. Go try on Self's shoes, walk around in them and then get back to me on whether taking money and COMING HOME is a bad idea.

3. The last thing that gets me about this, is the fact that I have a feeling that Gene Wojtoomanyletters has a little bit of conflict of interests in this piece. Why? He is born and raised in Kansas.

Fantasy Baseball is Addicting

I never have played before. I normally stick to Fantasy Football, but this year, under the pressure from my newest brother-in-law (the check is in the mail by the way), I decided to join a league. At first it was a little overwhelming, too many stats. Too many pitchers. Too long of a draft. Too many guys with the last name Rodriguez. But then the season started, and now, I can't stop checking the live scoring. I need to contain myself though, this season is too long, and I am in a dead sprint right now. Let's see if I can keep it up. But it looks good so far, especially when my team is belting out 9 home runs against Plunk's over hyped and poorly managed squad.

That's all for today. Enjoy the Masters.