For J.R. Giddens, in his senior year as a Lobo, the season didn't end so giddy.
On back-to-back occasions, Giddens released two shots that came tantalizingly close to dropping - one in the Mountain West Conference Tournament against Utah and one against Califonia in the NIT. Both fell short and resulted in tough losses to end Giddens' collegiate career.
Many will remember his last days as a Lobo with him slumped down in the middle of the floor, gazing exhaustively.
But for all the pain and sadness Giddens has endured, from the bar fight that led to his dismissal from the Kansas basketball team, to his spat with former UNM head coach Ritchie McKay, to all the critics who labeled him selfish, Giddens has shown the maturity needed to cope with adversity.
And on June 26 all that hard work could pay off if Giddens hears his name called in the 2008 NBA Draft.
For the time being, Giddens said he's been trying to take it easy and not worry or let anxiety consume him.
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"I've been doing good," he said. "I'm just trying to make sure my body's healthy, my mind's right and my game's clickin'."
While Giddens tries to block it out of his mind and focus on keeping his game clickin', the fact still remains that the draft-day clock is tickin' - tick-tock - 10 days before the draft.
But after competing in the NBA pre-draft camp held May 27-30, Giddens said he feels good about his draft stock.
"I feel like I did my thing out there," he said. "I held my own. It was a lot of fun competing with guys that played at a high level. I'm happy with the outcome. I wish I wouldn't have tweaked my hammy; I would have probably been able to have a little stronger performance. But I was pretty happy with what happened at the Orlando camp, and I'm just trying to build off of that performance in upcoming workouts."
So far, Giddens' agent from Priority Sports, Aaron Mintz, said Giddens impressed the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets, who saw him compete in his lone workout.
"Both teams that saw him at that workout thought he was unbelievable," he said. "I think J.R. - even though he's not rated there right now - is a top-20 talent and he belongs in the first-round. And once (other) teams are able to see him workout, he'll move up into that range."
Right now, NbaDraft.net has Giddens rated 67th on their Big Board: Top 100. The consensus across the country is that he is a late second-rounder.
DraftExpress.com has Giddens listed as the 20th selection in the second-round.
However, Giddens said that's all just speculation.
"I don't really listen to all that stuff," he said. "You won't really know until (the day of the draft). Obviously those guys on the Web sites aren't in the heads of the GM's, so they don't know the decision that they're going to make. But like I said, I can't stress about it. I just make sure I go out there every day and give them my all. Hopefully, they'll like what I got."
Nonetheless, Mintz said the financial drop-off from the first-round to the second is steep.
"In the second-round, you're just looking to get as many years guaranteed," he said.
"You're looking at about two years for about $1.1 million. Whereas in the first-round, you're looking at two years right around about 2 million."
For Giddens, he's just worried about the X's and O's, not the dollars and cents.
"I just want to play," he said. "Wherever that is, I just want somewhere where I can be part of the team and have the chance to run the floor - try to get some easy points in transition, knock down open jumpers. I don't know what situation I'll be going into. But obviously, if I go with one team or another team, I'll have to adjust to the coach and the playing style, given what personnel we have out on the court. But I feel like I'm a versatile player, and I feel like I'd be able to play in any system they'd put me in."
Giddens did admit, however, New Orleans looks quite attractive.
"I just want to be in a place that has a solid point guard," he said. "Like New Orleans, they have a Chris Paul. I see a player like Morris Peterson and he does a good job, and I could see myself playing a role like that - being a shooter, making plays off the bounce, being a recipient of a lot of great passes from Chris Paul, getting open off of a lot of double teams on a guy like David West, running in transition off a big-time block from Tyson Chandler.."
Whether he lands in New Orleans or not, Giddens is just pumped about the opportunity to play basketball at the highest level, where he could join former Lobo Danny Granger, currently a starter for the Indiana Pacers.
Giddens also signed with the same agency Granger did: Priority Sports.
"(J.R.'s) going through the exact same pre-draft program Danny Granger went through," Mintz said.
