He Gone of the Moment: Wilson Chandler

I'm a pretty superstitious guy, so when Friday the 13th comes around, I like to be as careful as I can. Fortunately, from a sporting sense, I'm not sure what else could go wrong. Wednesday, Drew Bledsoe retired, and now, I find out that Thursday, DePaul forward Wilson Chandler declared for the NBA Draft.

(via AP): CHICAGO -- DePaul sophomore Wilson Chandler said Thursday that he intends to declare for the NBA draft.

Chandler said he studied his options with his family and coach Jerry Wainwright, and he decided that going into the NBA was the best decision.

The 6-foot-8 forward led DePaul in scoring and rebounding last season, averaging 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds. Chandler also led the Blue Demons with 47 blocks last season.

DePaul had a 20-win season and made the quarterfinals
of the NIT.

If it's a family/money thing, you can't really fault Chandler for his decision, but obviously this is a near fatal shot to DePaul's 2007-2008 campaign. I'm not sure if Chandler has hired an agent or not, but I'm assuming he's as good as gone.

If Chandler was already the man this year, he was going to be theee man next year after the departure of senior guard Sammy Mejia.

A great athlete, dunker, defender, and occasional three-point shooter, Chandler's brand of basketball was a hell of a lot of fun to watch. He always sucked me into DePaul games. I always thought he was good enough to go to the NBA after this season, but I hoped the lack of media attention on the Blue Demons combined with Jerry Wainwright's Top 25 recruiting class (currently ranked #12 at rivals.com) would be enough to keep Chandler in Chicago.

Guess not.

Looking onto a Chandler-less '07-'08 season, there are a few positives, including incoming five-star shooting guard (Darquavius Tucker), four-star power forward (Nayal Koshwal), and a few three-star guys as well. Also, I'm not totally sure on this, but I think Wainwright is bringing in a JuCo player or two, and from what I heard, he/they are supposed to be pretty talented. But aren't they all?

With Mejia and Chandler gone, this squad turns into Draelon Burns' team. Burns, heading into his senior year, will have enough talent to at least make a run at DePaul's first NCAA Tournament birth since 2004. Would I fault them if they came up short? Not after losing Chandler. His versatility will be missed.

RIP Wilson Chandler's Collegiate Career (2005-2007) ... He Gone.