Outranking Andy

Andy Katz yesterday went up with his Winners & Losers from Thursday's draft withdrawal deadline. As is often the case, Andy is right on target. Mississippi State, Providence, LSU, and Washington were the big winners while Saint Joseph's, DePaul and Arkansas were the big losers.

But to add my two cents, I thought I'd order the absolute values of players' actions.

1. Saint Joseph's -- Delonte West. Without a go-to player and playmaker, the Hawks are a borderline NCAA Tournament team. How quickly the mighty fall from national prominence.
2. Washington ++ Nate Robinson. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts (i.e. Lawrence Roberts is a better player, but Nate brings the intangibles necessary for productive team chemistry). Robinson, the Huskies' spark-plug, energies and unifies Romar's squad. With Robinson back, the Huskies are a legitimate Top 20 club. Without him, I wouldn't have pegged them to make the NCAA Tournament.
3. Mississippi State ++ Lawrence Roberts. The SEC's Player of the Year enters this season as the favorite for National Player of the Year Honors. A force down low, Roberts' return gives Stansbury a star to build around.
4. Providence ++ Ryan Gomes. If you saw the Friars pitiful NCAA Tournament performance, you'll understand where I'm coming from. Gomes was the team's only legitimate scoring option. Again, he makes the difference between NCAA Tournament admission and exclusion.
5. DePaul -- Dorell Wright. Dave Leitao is building quite a program in Chicago. With Wright, the evolution to conference elite would have occurred at a quicker place. Without him, it'll take Leitao another year or two to lead the Blue Demons to the Sweet 16.
6. LSU ++ Brandon Bass. John Brady was exaggerating when he said "This is Mardi Gras early here in Baton Rouge," but Bass' return gives LSU a significant scoring and rebounding option down low. In a competitive SEC, Bass will be the difference between an NCAA and NIT invite.
7. Arkansas -- Al Jefferson. Probability discounted. Jefferson would have been a huge addition for Stan Heath. But few expected him to wind up in Fayetteville. Heath, however, is a keeper and should have a positive impact at Arkansas over several years time.