If you have listened to the podcasts recently (check out the January 15th podcast for specifics...about 6 minutes in), you know my feeling that Brackins is destined for the NBA at some point. Today made me sound a lot smarter than I probably am. 42 points and 14 rebounds against Kansas and fellow NBA prospect Cole Aldrich will move Craig from the "intriguing prospect" category to the top of the "must-see" list. (To be fair to Aldrich, he rarely matched-up one-on-one with Brackins.)  

I've spoken with a few NBA scouts over the past month and most had Brackins on their radar, albeit mainly just based on the numbers he had putting up. Not many had seen him in person yet. Expect the credential requests and scout foot traffic to multiply after today. 

Craig is the prototypical perimeter four that a lot of NBA teams are transitioning to. His offensive skill-set is obvious. He can shoot with great range, but what most in the NBA will salivate over is his array of post of moves, which allow him to create space in the block. His ability to face up and hit a jumper, along with the nice turnaround he has developed are hard to come by.

For example, I get to watch the Orlando Magic each and every day. Everyone knows about Dwight Howard. But, what allows Howard to have space to do destruction is the guy that plays with him up-front...Rashard Lewis. Lewis is 6'10, 215 pounds (clearly not very bulky)-and is now the starting "power" forward for the Magic because he can space the floor, but more importantly he does a great job of holding his own against power forwards on the defensive end. Girth in the NBA is a little overrated. Their aren't too many Fizer looking guys in the league that are pure power. Here's a list of comparable guys (style of play-wise) to Brackins that start at the four spot, or get significant "post" minutes for NBA teams. 

Udonis Haslem-Miami Heat

Michael Beasley-Miami Heat

Boris Diaw-Bobcats

Linas Kleiza-Nuggets

Rob Kurz-Warriors

Troy Murphy-Pacers

Darell Arthur-Grizzlies

Hakim Warrick-Grizzlies

Yi Jianlian-Nets

David West-Hornets

Nick Collison-Thunder

LaMarcus Aldridge-Blazers

Matt Bonner-Spurs

Mehmet Okur-Jazz

Charlie Vilanueva- Bucks

Antwan Jamison-Wizards

The Entire Knicks Front-Line

And that's just a preliminary list. I'm not saying Brackins is comparable in skills as all of those guys, although the fact that Rob Kurz has 10 starts for the Warriors this year is somewhat amusing to me. Brackins is quite a bit better than that guy. It's just the style of play a lot of the teams are moving to with their big forward spot. And, thus, moving away from the twin-tower thought process. 

Bottom line, there is a spot on every NBA roster for a player like Brackins. 

His stock improved today, but it was only a matter of time. Craig's problem with the lack of draft buzz was more to do with the exposure factor than anything. 

That said, it doesn't mean he's going to leave. And even if Craig declares and attends some work-outs he still has the option to return within 50 days of declaring if that's the route he wants to take. There is no more NBA draft camp, so it will be interesting to see how that impacts the way scouts take individual looks at prospects and could make it difficult for the early entrants to decide if they are first round locks or not. Craig would be un-wise to stay in the draft and hire an agent if he didn't feel he was an absolute certainty to be a first-rounder. Only first rounders are guaranteed money. And most second-rounders don't make NBA rosters. 

Selfishly as a Cyclone fan, I want Craig to stay. But, as I will expand on at a later time, it might not be in his best interest to stick around.