Tracking the Draft Stock of Louisiana's Elfrid Payton

[BrockMeaux]

I'm still expecting him to go, but he hasn't signed the paperwork yet.

Source close to Louisiana-Lafayette program says Elfrid Payton has NOT made a final decision on leaving school yet. "He's still undecided"

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 17, 2014

[ulXrunner]

I am a Cajun fan, and EP in LA is best for our school. I suspect their woes will be short lived, but one can never be sure. Generally I do pull for the Pelicans, and want them to win, but will never get as upset about them losing as I would a Cajun team losing a game or tourney game.

Ditto!

[Bandwagon King]

I'm still expecting him to go, but he hasn't signed the paperwork yet.

Source close to Louisiana-Lafayette program says Elfrid Payton has NOT made a final decision on leaving school yet. "He's still undecided"

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 17, 2014

I still say this is the smart play for the young man. It's a matter of potential upside versus potential down side. If the guy didn't have any upside staying at U of La. & was pretty much guaranteed to go in the first then of course you thank him & send him on his way. But there is a lot to lose by him leaving early when he could gain a lot by staying. I think by staying he assures himself of a first round selection & possibly even a lottery pick.

[ATXCajun]

I'm still expecting him to go, but he hasn't signed the paperwork yet.

Source close to Louisiana-Lafayette program says Elfrid Payton has NOT made a final decision on leaving school yet. "He's still undecided"

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 17, 2014

Everybody knows yet nobody knows. Maybe all of these guys should stop trying to scoop each other and Please. It used to be very expensive and career-damaging to report a premature story. Now you can tweet unconfirmed rumors to the whole planet and call yourself a journalist.

[leeman]

I don't think he should commit... get your education... increase your draft prospect ..........Play for the cajuns!.. have fun.. make another tourney...graduate , then move on.... jmho

[Bandwagon King]

I don't think he should commit... get your education... increase your draft prospect ..........Play for the cajuns!.. have fun.. make another tourney...graduate , then move on.... jmho

Isn't he really close to graduating?

[Hudsheen#Fired]

I still say this is the smart play for the young man. It's a matter of potential upside versus potential down side. If the guy didn't have any upside staying at U of La. & was pretty much guaranteed to go in the first then of course you thank him & send him on his way. But there is a lot to lose by him leaving early when he could gain a lot by staying. I think by staying he assures himself of a first round selection & possibly even a lottery pick.

Yes this is true, although i find in both football and basketball if you decide to stay another year, your stock drops the next year. If he stays they will critique and find much more flaws in his game, etc. Although Mr. McDermott improved his draft stock this year
What happens if he gets hurt early in the season, and he falls all the way to late second to undrafted. This is a very very very tough decision to make for the young man. No matter what happens he will probably end up regretting the decision.
I wish him the best in his decision, if he is told he will be a first round pick, i think he should go

[Benchwarmer]

I think it is a smart move by the pros. EP needs to work on his shooting. It is probably why he is 26th rather than higher. If he were to improve his shooting and stay healthy his ranking would rise. The higher the pick, the higher the $. Get him at 26, improve his shot after you already have him at a lower $. Regardless, good luck kid we are pulling for you.

[Bandwagon King]

Yes this is true, although i find in both football and basketball if you decide to stay another year, your stock drops the next year. If he stays they will critique and find much more flaws in his game, etc. Although Mr. McDermott improved his draft stock this year
What happens if he gets hurt early in the season, and he falls all the way to late second to undrafted. This is a very very very tough decision to make for the young man. No matter what happens he will probably end up regretting the decision.
I wish him the best in his decision, if he is told he will be a first round pick, i think he should go

What if he falls to the second round this year & gets hurt & is never able to play again? He just shot his free education down the tubes & in most cases people who go to school then quit end up never going back or taking years to do what they could have done in a matter of months. Life is a gamble either way. I think the gamble he takes by staying, getting his degree, leading his team to a sweet 16 or elite 8 appearance, And possbly becoming a lottery pick is a much smaller gamble then entering a draft with the most talent I can remember ever, getting lost in the shuffle, and struggling in Europe or the D league & making less than the rookie minimum in the NFL. Contrary to popular belief not every one who brushes shoulders with the NBA is guaranteed a lifetime contract to be mega millionaires. It's a damn small number of great athletes who are blessed enough to play in the NBA. I love the NFL, but I'll tell you in a heartbeat, the greatest athletes in the world are NBA players. They are the tippy top of the heap.

[MetryCajun]

If the Pelicans somehow traded back in to get him, I'd be the happiest person ever. But it's not gonna happen. They have other needs as of now and while trading back in the draft is possible, I just don't see them doing it for elfrid

The Pels already have a bigger/stronger version of EP in T Evans. I agree the Spurs would be a good landing spot. They have a proven shooting coach and are patient with player development. If he gets with the wrong team he could have a career similar to Oriene Greene.

[Boomer]

The Pels already have a bigger/stronger version of EP in T Evans. I agree the Spurs would be a good landing spot. They have a proven shooting coach and are patient with player development. If he gets with the wrong team he could have a career similar to Oriene Greene.

---Can somebody explain the insurance program that EP would have if he were to stay----I know nothing about it but have heard on various occasions about this practice----As I mentioned before--State Farm doesn't carry it!!!

[BrockMeaux]

The Pels already have a bigger/stronger version of EP in T Evans. I agree the Spurs would be a good landing spot. They have a proven shooting coach and are patient with player development. If he gets with the wrong team he could have a career similar to Oriene Greene.

Funny you mention Orien; I think the Celtics are another possible landing spot for EP. They have two 1st round picks, Rondo is in his last days in Boston, and they have a young coach in Brad Stevens who would love to have a young guy to mold into his floor general. He'd make a ton of sense for them, but so would other guards like Shabazz Napier or Jabari Parker (if he comes out). At this point, it's about where teams have Payton in relation to other guards. There are a lot, which is why I'm nervous, but I hope and think he's getting advice from good sources who have his best interests in mind.