NBA Draft chatter heats up (even more)

More on the decisions of Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones, via ESPN’s Andy Katz, who talked to Calipari after the Kentucky Combine. Here’s the quote that matters:

“You had some guys tell him he’s a 1-2-3-4 pick in the draft next year and there were some telling him you should go back and there were others saying he should stay in the draft,” Calipari said of Jones. “Brandon got the confirmation that he wanted [that he should stay in the draft] and DeAndre met with five or six teams. Josh met with four teams.”

Two things:

1. It’s been largely assumed that Knight has been gone for quite some time. He’s projected as a top-10 pick, and from what Calipari said, it sounds like Knight heard what he needed to make up his mind.

2. Jones’ decision has been trending less away from “sure thing to leave” — earlier in the day, Draft Express and Chad Ford tweeted that he was essentially a 50-50 shot. What Calipari said could be exactly the reason why: because if he comes back, the possibility of moving up into top-5 pick emerges. And Chip Cosby reports that Jones’ mother said Terrence “will use all the time that he has before he decides.” The deadline to withdraw is Sunday night.