Jared Sullinger appears to be off the board for the Wizards in the 2011 NBA Draft. This according to the Ohio State star freshman himself, who said he would return for his sophomore season after Kentucky bounced the Buckeyes in the Sweet 16.
But hold on -- let's take a moment for perspective. Sullinger is a consensus top five pick among Internet NBA Draft scouting services. Even given his comments, It would be a major surprise if he did not enter the draft. The draft is a long time from now.
Still, here's what he had to say. CBSSports.com's Matt Norland has the goods after the jump.
"I'm gonna be here, gonna be at Ohio State next year," Sullinger said when asked about his future. He further explained: "I don't like the look in peoples' eyes (right now) and I don't like the taste we have of losing. I don't appreciate losing. If I made a decision about (leaving) next year, it would be off a win, not a loss."
That would be bad news for Washington, which would benefit from landing the big man with a top pick in the lottery.
Should Sullinger indeed return, the rough precedent for this might be Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who decided to stay for his senior season, forgoing NFL millions. It's an expensive gamble, but for what it's worth, Sullinger sounds serious.
"I made this decision today, and I'm a man of my word," he said. "I don't go against my word. If I tell somebody I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it."