Ater Majok has pulled his name from the 2009 NBA Draft. As explained in the previous post on this blog, that doesn't necessarily mean he will play for UConn next season.

Majok could still opt to go to Europe, where supposedly teams from Italy, Spain and Greece have shown interest in the 6-foot-10 forward. By pulling out of the draft, he affords himself the chance to stay at UConn if nothing materializes in Europe.

It's hardly a surprise that Majok has pulled out. Here's what an NBA director of player personnel had to say about him earlier today, before we knew whether he'd be in the draft or not: "I've never seen the kid, but guys on our staff have said, 'No. Don't even worry about him. He's not a legit NBA player at this point … maybe never.'"

Ouch.

There's no doubt Majok has great potential, but he obviously needs a lot of work on his game. If you ask me, the best tutoring he can get is under Jim Calhoun at UConn -- even though he won't be able to play until December. Think about where Hasheem Thabeet was a couple of years ago, and where he'll be in a couple of weeks -- one of the top five picks in the draft.

It's that kind of tutelage that Majok needs. Even though Europe can offer decent money right off the bat, it says here Majok is better served at UConn for at least a year or two, after which he could be in a position to earn a lot more money.

Just one man's opinon.