Pretty big surprise, but Harden is a quality pick. Check back here for a summary of our coverage of James Harden over the past season, Thunder fans.

Jeff Pendergraph went 31st, and was quickly packaged to Portland for Sergio Rodriguez and the 38th overall pick.

Back in the 2009 Pac-10 Championship game, I sat in the Staples Center and followed Harden's every move against USC, and here is the article. It is very long, but you need to read it to get a grip on how the college game had adjusted to Harden's deliberate style of play.

Daniel Hackett definitely had Harden's number, and I can imagine he will need some time to develop against the superior defenses seen in the NBA.

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

Where will James Harden end up?

Browse more photos »

As many of you know, Washington and Minnesota pulled off a fairly significant trade this afternoon, with the Wizards sending their #5 pick, Etan Thomas, Darius Songalia and Oleksiy Pecherov for Randy Foye and Mike Miller. It is now official: Minnesota owns the 2009 NBA Draft, holding the 5th, 6th, 18th, and 28th picks.

It is theorized that the Timberwolves would like to upgrade to the 2nd overall by packaging the 5th and 18th picks, but right now it appears as though Minnesota would do very well for themselves by holding onto their plethora of pickables.

Why, do you ask? Because the draft is chock full of intrigue and possibilities for an openminded GM with the cajones to make tough decisions and look for the big reward.

Imagine the possibilities.

1. Clippers- Blake Griffin

2. Grizzlies- Hasheem Thabeet

3. Thunder- Ricky Rubio

4. Kings- Tyreke Evans

5. Timberwolves

6. Timberwolves

Quite a few talented players left on the market, wouldn't you agree?

Minnesota has quality bigs (Al Jefferson and Kevin Love), but based on the trade of Foye and Miller, is lacking some depth at the wings and running the point.

Why not draft James Harden? He can be immediately slotted into the starting five, giving you minutes of consistent play. With the next pick, why not give him someone to run with (either Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry or Jrue Holiday). Ideally, Minnesota would pick up Harden and Curry, acquiring two very talented college veterans and some seasoned NBA vets in return for Foye and Miller.

At 18 and 28, it's not out of the question to see the Timberwolves filling their front court even further by drafting Harden's college cohort, Jeff Pendergraph. It makes more sense to fill out the backcourt even further by picking up Ty Lawson/Wayne Ellington, or a PG like Teague from Wake Forest.

Most NBA squads don't overfill their rosters with rookies, so a pick like Nick Calathes would make excellent sense for the 'Wolves at #28. He will be in Greece next season, so let him develop while your core matures stateside.

In the end, where will our ASU alums go?

Harden: Minnesota

Pendergraph: I may be crazy, but I foresee a Oklahoma City Thunder pickup at #25 overall in Jeff's future.

Either way, expect updates on Thursday when their names come off the board.

In a not so shocking story, PF Kraidon Woods has decided to transfer away from ASU.  Kraidon got very limited playing time despite being one of the taller players on the vertically challenged basketball team.  This leaves the Devils with an even thinner group of big men.  It looks like Boateng, Pateev, and Rhode will challenge for playing time with Boateng most likely to get most of it.  Pateev has been said to need some time to develop before contributing, but most likely will get some big minutes this year with Boatengs ability to find himself in quick foul trouble.  Rhode's more natural position seems to be at the PF spot.  The 2008 Gatorade Player of the Year in AZ possesses a decent jump-shot along with good rebounding skills and incredible basketball smarts.  Hopefully these three players will be able to fill the role left by Pendergraph.

Today has been an exciting day for news regarding former and future Sun Devils. First, we find out that Rudy Carpenter and Mike Jones were signed by Texas NFL teams, then Steven Threet is coming to town to play for the old Maroon & Gold.

Now, this:

Brandon Thompson, a 6'2" shooting guard from San Antonio, Texas, has committed to Herb Sendek and the Sun Devils. He is our 5th recruit in the 2009 class.

From Scout:

The guard was selected to the All-State team, as well as All-District squad and was voted greater San Antonio Player of the Year. As a sophomore and a junior he was an all-region player as well.

As a senior, Thompson averaged 17.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.1 apg and 3.1 spg.

The guard came back from his ASU visit yesterday, and has also officially visited Texas Tech and Georgetown.

Just what we needed: another undersized shooting guard. Ty Abbott will really have to step up his game in 2009-2010 to keep his spot against this influx of young talent.

With the announcement today of Harden's intentions to enter the NBA Draft, we now have a good idea of what the Sun Devils basketball roster will look like in 2009-2010.

We still are courting power forward Kyryl Natyazhko, who would immediately be our in our starting rotation. That cat can ball!

Alright, lets take a look at a realistic rotation for Herb and the Fightin' Devils.

Starting 5:

PG: Derek Glasser, Sr. An experienced ballhandler, Glasser will be asked to perform at a very high level in 2009-2010 to help usher in a new generation of quality kids.

G/F: Ty Abbott, Jr. Abbott's resurgence at the end of the 2008-2009 season bodes well for a starring role in his junior campaign. He is a quality 3-point shooter who can attack the rim.

G/F: Demetrius Walker, Fr. Get this guy on the court. ESPN Hot 100 prospect, we need to see what he can do.

G/F: Rihards Kuksiks, Jr. 3PT specialist, unfortunately doesn't offer too much else.

C: Ruslan Pateev, Fr. 7 footer has to be better than Eric Boateng, right? Even if he isn't, lets get him some experience in this upcoming season.

Bench Subs:

Jerren Shipp, Sr. He has earned the right to play, especially seeing this team's flaws. Can make threes.

Jamelle McMillan, Jr. McMillan can handle the rock and will be our starting PG in 2010-2011. He needs to see the floor as much as possible next year.

Trent Lockett, Fr. Another freshman who needs some burn, as our season will be an up and down affair.

Taylor Rohde, So. A player who faded into the obscurity of the bench last year after doing mopup duty, Rohde will see the floor a lot more next year. Hopefully he develops into a competitive bench player.

Eric Boateng, Sr. Unfortunately, he has to play. Pateev will not be a lockdown center in his freshman year, so Boateng will see action far more than any of us could hope for.

Tomorrow, I will break down the rest of the scrubs.

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Durant, Harden's possible future teammate.

Browse more photos »

The Arizona Republic is reporting that Harden has declared for the NBA Draft and is looking for representation, eliminating all hope of him returning to ASU next year.  We all saw this coming and now it is for sure.  I don't blame him one bit.  He was a great basketball player with a decent supporting cast, and the opportunity to make millions for playing a game is hard to pass up.

Of course he has his weaknesses (can't go right, doesn't have a jumper, a non-factor in the biggest games of his life) but he is a very solid player.  He plays good defense, can drive to the hoop, create his own shot, make FT's, get steals, and given the extra step allowed by the NBA, I think he will do just fine.  I don't see him as a perennial All-Star, but as a good role player in the NBA.  According to nbadraft.net's mock draft, Harden is the 4th player off the board and ending up in Oklahoma City.  OKC would be a great fit for Harden, as he would be surrounded by young talent.  Playing along side Durant, Westbrook, Jeff Green, and Nick Collison, the Thunder could become a contender within the next 5 years.

I wish you luck James, and you will be missed on the court next year for sure.  Here is to hoping for continued success for the ASU basketball program.  GO DEVILS!

Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis reported that Herb Sendek had expressed interest in the job at University of Virginia.  WHAAAAAAAAAAATTTT?  The University of Virginia ended up hiring Washington State's Tony Bennett, but nonetheless, I am nervous.  Apparently two "reputable" sources told him Herb was interested in the job.  It worries me that he would think about going to a school like UVA.  They seem to be a pretty lateral move for such a great coach.  I can understand a move to a team like Memphis, Kentucky, or Pitt.  They are basketball schools, willing to support the team even at it's worst.  But UVA?  Ouch.

Let me start out by saying, I think Herb has done wonders with our program in a short three years.  We've grown by leaps and bounds from Rob Evans' teams.  We brought in an All-American and a solid supporting cast.  He helped Pendergraph mature from foul-prone to purely efficient.  This team gained some moxy through the past 3 years.  That is what leads me to question why he would even think about leaving after such a short marriage.  We have some 'mo (momentum) and a solid recruiting class coming in.  Why Herb Sendek, Why?

Perhaps we, the fans, can be to blame.  We sat on our hands to the point where Herb had to quit coaching, turn around to the fans, and ask that we make noise.  Pathetic? Certainly.  I don't think any coach should ever have to do this, let alone for a top 25 team.  I just ask Herb to look at the team's growth along with the fan's growth.  We went from empty to fuller.  Yeah we can't sell out every game, but we certainly have more butts in the seats than 3 years ago.  The team can be frustrating to watch.  The fans can be frustrating to listen to.  I understand the atmosphere isn't where it should be...but it will get there.

So all I ask from you Herb, is some more patience.  We are taking steps in the right direction.  You are bringing in players that compliment your system.  Arizona State is becoming the best college basketball team in the state.  Please be our...gulp...Lute Olsen.  Lead us to 20+ straight tournament appearances.  A national championship.  Final Fours galore.  I think it just might break my heart if I have to watch you lead someone else to a championship.  You are a Sun Devil.  Once a Sun Devil, Always a Sun Devil.

James Harden was named to the AP All-American team today, along with Griffen, Hansbrough, Blair, and Stephen Curry.  He is the very first Sun Devil to be named an AP All-American.

"There have been a lot of great players in this program and to be the first to get this is quite an accomplishment," Harden said, adding it's all part of making the Sun Devils a national program. "That's the reason I came here, to help get the respect and hopefully we can keep it up."

What does that quote mean?  Maybe he really is considering another year of the college life.

In other news, Kyryl Natyazhko visited Tempe this past weekend.  He hung around Kuksiks, who speaks the same language as Naty.  Current commit, Ruslan Pateev is also encouraging Naty to become a Devil.   His announcement is expected within the next couple of weeks.

One last bit of news, the women's basketball team is part of an elite group.  They cruised past Texas A&M yesterday to move on to the Elite 8 where they will take on UConn.  It is a daunting matchup, as the number one seeded Huskies are always tough to beat.  If the Devils are able to pull off the upset, this would be ASU's first trip to the Final Four.  The game is set to tip off at 4:00PM AZ time on Tuesday,  March 31st.