By Kent Taylor
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The deadline for college underclassmen to declare for the NBA draft is April 24. U.K. could lose Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and maybe even DeAndre Liggins. Players who do not hire an agent have until May 8 to return to school.
"It's still too early to tell how this is all playing out," Cats head coach John Calipari said on Wednesday. "I've talked to 12 G.M.'s or presidents myself, so when anybody says, '"Well they're going at this," and then you talk to that team and they say,"Well we're not taking either one.' Or you think that they may go here, and they say, "We really have a serious interest." It's kind of all over the map right now, it's not quite to where I can tell you it's a lock they're doing this."
While Knight, Jones, and Liggins are dealing with unknowns, Calipari said there is one sure thing. "We know Enes (Kanter) will be in those top three picks, but from there we're still trying to get it all figured out."
N.B.A. rumors linking Calipari to the New York Knicks surfaced last week. While flattered, he says his plan is to stay in Lexington.
"The best thing I can tell you about the N.B.A. rumors, we want them every year for these players, that means that we're recruiting the right guys. As far as the N.B.A. rumors about me, some of them are just generated to affect the train. The train is just running people over and they have to do something to get it off the track."
Calipari compiled a 72-112 record as the New Jersey Nets head coach from 1996-99, but scoffed at talk that he has something to prove, then added, "So you say to me I have the fire to go up there. No I don't. No I don't. I can't promise that I'll never, ever, have an opportunity that I won't say maybe I should do this."
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