 "Photo: Stephen Durda")
The basketball season may be over, but the professional careers of key former Longhorn guards are just getting started. Highly touted point guard D.J. Augustin is a sure lottery pick in Thursday's draft, while the futures for T.J. Ford and Royal Ivey are a bit more blurry.
Following his stellar sophomore performance last season, Augustin, who had a 4.0 grade point average last year, signed with an agent last month. He is predicted by draft experts to be chosen anywhere from as early as the sixth pick, held by the New York Knicks, to as late as the 14th, held by the Sacramento Kings, in the first round of this year's draft.
His playing style and leadership are widely compared to former back-to-back NBA MVP recipient Steve Nash. Although Augustin was honored with the Bob Cousy award as the top point guard in college basketball last season, he isn't considered one of the top three point guard prospects in this year's draft class. Still, with teams focusing more and more on strong point-guard play, look for Augustin to become the third Longhorn in just as many years to be a top-10 pick.
There's also uncertainty for former Longhorns who are already in the league. T.J. Ford, a former Texas point guard with a few accolades of his own, has been the subject of much trade speculation following another injury-ridden year. In his second season with the Toronto Raptors, Ford started only 26 times in 51 appearances and even then received only limited action behind fellow teammate Jose Calderon.
While Calderon took care of the ball exceptionally well in Ford's absence, he caused a mild controversy in Toronto over who should have been starting. The Raptors have made it clear that they are interested in moving Ford in return for either a go-to scorer or a low-post presence to complement all-star Chris Bosh. Early Monday, the Toronto Star's Web site reported the Raptors were in talks with the Indiana Pacers in acquiring center Jermaine O'Neal for a package that would involve Ford.
Another former Longhorn, Royal Ivey, is currently playing for the Milwaukee Bucks but could sign with a new team this year. Ivey, Texas' all-time start leader, has the option of signing elsewhere as a free agent or staying with the Bucks when his contract expires in September. After playing in 75 games and starting in 20 this season, there's hope Ivey will stay put in the pros rather than fall down to the D-league.
Whatever their final destinations may be, these three Texas alumni could make their mark in the NBA next year.
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