by Randy Hill

"What a scout may recommend and what a personnel executive actually does often are two opposing deals," said a scout who works for an NBA team and was speaking on the obvious demand of anonymity. "There are many variables that affect draft selections, but one of the things that undermines a scout's opinion is the franchise's desperate search for a big man. And as you may have noticed, the majority of flops in our league have been bigs who never developed."

In the wake of this tidal wave of lousy big men, the NBA's rookie class for 2008-2009 features Golden State guard Anthony Morrow, who escaped the draft completely after leaving Georgia Tech and recently dropped 37 points on the defensive machinations of the mighty Los Angeles Clippers. Teammate DeMarcus Nelson spent four years as a crooked-shooting (but ultra-athletic) two guard at Duke, but has rallied from a second-round claim and has found a temporary home at point guard.

The Milwaukee Bucks were swift enough to snag glorified UCLA role player Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in Round 2, but unable to skip West Virginia's Joe Alexander — a similarly sized player who works the same position — with a lottery pick.

"Those are the things that make this business so fun," the scout said without a trace of humor in his voice.

Well, with that caveat in place, we could make an inquiry regarding which U.S. college players are expected to crowd the lottery next June. But what fun would that be? Instead of lobbing around the names you've probably heard of — including the potential one-and-done hotshots — let's take a look at which relative upstarts are keeping the scouts busier than anyone may have expected.

The prospects are not listed in any particular order ... yet:

Jerome Jordan, Tulsa, 7-1, Jr.

Jordan, who left Kingston, Jamaica for duty at two American, prep-type institutions, recorded a rather amazing 143 blocked shots last season.

Jerome Jordan is a raw talent but an intriguing one. (Joe Murphy / Getty Images)

His runway stats aren't exactly mind-blowing — 10 points and 8 rebounds — but his ability to inspire the dreaded "P" word (potential) has more than a few scouts tracking the Golden Hurricane.

"Almost zilch in the offensive skills department," the scout said. "He has sort of a decent jump hook, but the footwork is rough and he doesn't sit down and establish position very well in the post. But the kid has really nice timing as a shot-blocker, gets off the floor pretty quickly and fairly high, and he's a legit 7-feet, so a lot of teams will be on him."

Patrick Mills, St. Mary's, 5-11, Soph.

OK, so those of you who stayed up late enough or got up early enough to watch the Olympic tournament from Beijing are pretty well acquainted with Australia's ridiculously quick point guard.

Paddy had 20 points against team USA, demonstrating that he at least has the wheels to compete with the likes of Chris Paul. The hardcore fans probably have been aware of Mills since he introduced himself by scoring 37 points as a freshman in a victory over Oregon.

"The guy is an absolute blur," the scout said, "but he shoots too many threes. He's not awful out there (32 percent from the close line last season), but I'd like to see him go to the cup more often."

With St. Mary's expected to make a strong commitment to running Vance Wahlberg's "Skip-Skip-Attack-Attack (Dribble-Drive Motion)" offense, Mills should have wider driving lanes this year.

"His handle is just OK," the scout said, "so we'll see how much that offense enables him to draw and kick. What also concerns me, considering his quickness, is how marginal he is at pressuring the ball on defense."

Lester Hudson, UT-Martin, 6-2, Sr.

Hudson took a gaudy per-game stat line — 25.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists — to the 2008 NBA Pre-Draft Camp, where he didn't quite convince the audience that he's the next Ben Gordon-styled, undersized shooting guard.

"He obviously can really shoot it and get his shot," the scout said. "But he's not an exceptional athlete and that will hurt him in an attempt to play the two against bigger guys or get past the quick guys as a point guard. He's not all that slick with the ball, but he does have good footwork and pace that allows him to use the bounce to get into the lane. I think Hudson can make the league because he plays hard, but I need to see more of an ability to make the game easier for his teammates."

Tony Woods, Wake Forest, 6-11, Fr.

Woods, who's not even the most highly scouted Demon Deacons freshman, makes the list because he has what teams think they need.

"Anyone who has his caliber of strength and athleticism and the willingness to try and dominate the paint will be on the radar," our scout said of the 260-pound Woods. "I just hope he stays in school for a while."

Stefon Jackson, UTEP, 6-5, Sr.

Jackson bagged 23.7 points per game last season and checked in with an average of 9.2 free-throw attempts (fourth nationally). His scoring salvos included 27 points against both Memphis and Texas A&M.

Curtis Jerrells has helped turn around Baylor's beleaguered program. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

"He has all the skills you need to play in the league," said the scout, who was not referring to Conference USA. "He creates off the dribble, can hit that shot off the bounce with range and, obviously, gets to the line. Shot selection needs to be improved, but he's also a good athlete and pretty willing to get his hands dirty on defense."

Curtis Jerrells, Baylor, 6-1, Sr.

Jerrells, who has led the Bears in scoring, assists and popcorn sales for three consecutive years, is the catalyst for Baylor's impressive revival.

"I like that the guy really is a leader," the scout said. "He's quick, explosive and can make some amazing plays. But he often relies too heavily on shooting the three and seems to look for the wow factor too often. I wouldn't mind seeing him really get into guys defensively ... Hey, this is becoming a theme now. You'd think that players who are borderline prospects would figure out that digging in on defense can help you get a high-paying job."

Chris Wright, Dayton, 6-7, Soph.

Wright, an elite-level athlete, wrecked his ankle in the Atlantic 10 opener last season. Before the injury, Wright had given the Flyers 10 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

"This kid may be one of my sleepers," the scout said. "Or maybe he isn't. I'm not sure, but if I was sure, I probably wouldn't tell you. I will say that his skill set needs a whole lotta work, but he's strong, has a lot of bounce and plays HARD. It's amazing how far you can go by just playing really hard."

Well, you might not go in either round of the NBA draft, but sometimes that can work in your favor.