Nuggets trade lone draft pick to Charlotte Page 4C

Mock draft Page 4C

Having to play for a different head coach and learn a new system as a senior in college will test a player's patience.

So will back-to-back 20-loss seasons.

But Richard Roby bought into what Jeff Bzdelik was selling at Colorado last year and finished his career on a high note by becoming the program's all-time leading scorer at the Big 12 tournament.

Tonight, Roby is probably going to have to be very patient again while waiting to hear his name called during the NBA draft at Madison Square Garden (5 p.m., ESPN).

After getting off to a strong start at last month's pivotal pre-draft camp in Orlando, Roby broke his shooting hand on the third day of the audition. The injury prevented the former CU standout from conducting individual workouts for teams -- a tough break that could keep Roby from being selected tonight.

"My hand is better," Roby told the Camera via text on Wednesday. "Started dribbling with it today. ... I know going undrafted has its advantages."

Bzdelik, a long-time NBA scout and former head coach of the Denver Nuggets, watched Roby's audition and was proud of his pupil's performance.

"Richard played extremely well in Orlando. It's really a shame that he got hurt. It really is. It's just bad luck," Bzdelik said. "But that's part of sport. It probably will hurt his chances to get drafted, where before he got hurt he may have been a mid to late second-round pick."

Roby flirted with leaving CU for the NBA after earning first-team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore. He probably would have at least been drafted in the second round that year based on potential.

Despite averaging 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals over 119 games as a four-year starter for the Buffs, Roby isn't as intriguing to most general managers as raw freshmen projects or promising foreign prospects."Roby is one of those guys who probably should have come out as an underclassman," said Sam Amico, the editor of Pro Basketball News and a long-time follower of the NBA draft. "For whatever reason, his stock took a little bit of a hit this year. It's not that he didn't play as well, it's just how things tend to work in the crazy world of the NBA draft."

Roby led CU in scoring (17.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) last season while averaging 34.7 minutes per game.

He also improved his shooting dramatically from his junior season under lame duck coach Ricardo Patton (38.3 percent from the field, 26.8 percent on 3-pointers) to his senior season under Bzdelik (47.1 percent from the field, 39.6 percent on 3-pointers).

"It would be awesome for Richard and this school," Bzdelik said when asked what it would mean to the program if Roby were to make it in the NBA. "Richard's a wonderful young man who has been through a lot and been resilient. We obviously want the best for him and we worked hard to prepare him for this moment."

Most NBA teams will shy away from using a draft pick on Roby because his injury could prevent him from playing on their summer league team. But everyone in the 6-foot-6 shooting guard's camp believes not having his name called tonight might actually serve him better in the long run.

"From a pure basketball standpoint, if you're not drafted in the first round you're better off not being drafted," Bzdelik said. "Your agent can work to get you a look at a team that perhaps has a spot you can compete for as opposed to being locked in with whatever team selects you."

Only first-round draft picks receive contracts with guaranteed money. So Roby won't be viewed much differently by teams as an undrafted free agent as he would if he is picked in the second round.

"He could very well be a second-round pick based on his brief showing at the Orlando pre-draft camp," Amico said. "At the same time, it's almost better not to get drafted than to get picked late in the second round. That way you can bounce around the summer league circuit and find a team that fits you best, and vice versa."