Curry, Lawson & Ellington jump to NBA

Thursday went from being a seemingly serene and calm day, to being a wild and crazy one.

Davidson guard Stephen Curry bucked my opinion, as well as a Wednesday night AP report, and chose to enter the NBA Draft. That was at 11:30 in the morning. 3 hours later, as expected, UNC standouts Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington followed suit.

Wow.

I wish all 3 good luck, and hope they find what they are looking for at the next level. Personally, I'm not sure Curry is physically ready for the next level, but his father Dell says that Steph's game is in better shape than his way when he came out of Virginia Tech. Steph is realizing his dream, and he'll be paid handsomely for it, if he is a first rounder, which I think he will be.

As for Lawson, this was a no-brainer. he was almost gone a year ago. Now that he has slipped a national championship ring on his finger, he can only repeat that performance. If he were to do that, he would go another year without NBA money. His stock rose (as if it needed to), during the NCAA tournament, when he basically played on one foot.

Ellington is a different story. I'm not sure there is one thing that sets him apart from other guard/forwards in this draft, other than his Final Four MVP award. He's not flashy, he's not overpowering, but he is consistent. That could lead to a long NBA career, although it could also be a journeyman type of career as well. In his case, time will tell, but he will be a viable pro.

Once upon a time, I had been against guys leaving school early to chase pro dreams, but I have seen the light. The window is so small for players to grab that brass ring, they have to strike when the iron is hot. Such is the case for all 3. Again, I wish them all well, and nothing but success.

The Carolina Panthers found themselves some salary cap room, by re-signing Jake Delhomme to a 5-year extension, worth $42.5 million dollars, and $20 of that is guaranteed. Anyone that didn't think this was coming was misguided. Anyone thinking this is a bad move is also misguided. Delhomme has been the best QB in franchise history, and his new deal rewards him for his entire body of work with the team, and certainly does not punish him for his abysmal performance in the playoff game with Arizona last year. Drink the hater-ade elsewhere, Delhomme is Carolina's guy for at least the next 2 seasons minimum.

Still no movement in the Julius Peppers saga. There's still a day and a half to go before the draft, though. We'll stay on top of it.

Mike Solarte