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Baggage carries little weight
Allegations shouldn't hurt Mayo in draft
O.J. Mayo has a sweet jump shot, nice height and size. NBA executives say he's a good kid, too. The Southern Cal star is also a better defender than many give him credit for. And when it's all said and done, that's what the NBA will care about, and not the recent allegations against him.
Despite charges that Mayo violated NCAA rules by accepting cash and gifts, four high-ranking NBA team executives said that won't hurt him in this year's draft.
"The situation that has received so much publicity recently, it's allegations and hasn't been totally proven," said Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace. "Secondly, that is a collegiate issue. It's not one for us in his draft evaluation process to have great concern over."
Another NBA GM with a lottery pick said, "You judge a player on his body of work, his workout."
An NBA assistant GM said, "There might be one or two teams that won't want to be a part of the drama, if you will, and the constant questions of who is around. But from what I hear, he's not a bad kid."
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