Young And Eligible

Declared

His eligibility for the 2003 NBA draft, Syracuse freshman forward Carmelo Anthony, just 17 days after leading the Orangemen to the national championship. Anthony's announcement, which was expected, came less than 48 hours before high school phenom LeBron James, a friend of Anthony's, surprised no one by announcing that he was going to the NBA next year. James, 18, had been the consensus No. 1 pick for most of the year, but the 6' 8" Anthony's postseason performance—he was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four—has led some basketball insiders to speculate he could go ahead of James and Yugoslavia's Darko Milicic in the June 26 draft. "That one year of experience in college may make a big difference for [ Anthony]," says Michael Jordan, whose Wizards have a lottery pick.

Others dismiss such talk. "Anyone who says Carmelo has a chance to be the top pick is either stupid or lying," one NBA scout told SI. "Carmelo's a tremendous player, but LeBron is the whole package. If LeBron had been playing for Syracuse, they probably would have won the title more easily." In addition to James's skill, he was so highly publicized during his outstanding senior season at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Ohio that he is expected to attract a large number of fans and have an immediate economic impact on the franchise that drafts him—especially if that pick is made by James's hometown team, the Cavaliers. Any general manager that passes on James would take a huge risk.

"There are no guarantees that LeBron will become the next Jordan," says the scout, "but he has that potential. That's something you just can't pass up."