I thought this was a joke. It came across the AP wire this afternoon, and I still thought it was a joke. Shavlik Randolph has declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft.

Shavlik Randolph could have been a star at N.C. State. Instead, he let K talk him into Duke. K told him he'd get to play the 3, if you believe the talk. I happen to. So Shav went to Duke and was buried on the bench. Shavlik's dad and K didn't get along, if you believe the talk.

Shavlik Randolph believed the hype about him. There was a lot, and most of it wasn't his fault. He just happened to be a good high school basketball player. He didn't ask Billy Donovan to fly to Raleigh just to wave at Shav in the Broughton High School parking lot. He didn't ask Michael Jordan to don a 'Shav Country' t-shirt. He just played good basketball.

It's really a shame what happened to Randolph in college. I think he saw his limited minutes decreasing more with Shelden Williams staying in Durham and heralded recruit Josh McRoberts coming.

Michael Thompson transferred in the middle of his sophomore season. Shavlik didn't want to sit one year just to play one, so he declared.

Caulton Tudor's 'Randolph a dud at Duke' column prompted much public outcry, from friends of Randolph and fans of Duke. But was he wrong? If so, Shavlik now won't have a chance to prove it.

I feel sorry for him. He made some bad decisions on some bad advice, and probably some stubbornness on his part. He won't get drafted, but he could make a summer-league roster. Good luck to him. He'll need it.

It will be interesting to see how this gets spun. I don't blame K 100 percent. I realize Shavlik's work ethic had to do how his career turned out. But to say that Randolph's basketball career at Duke is anything but an unabashed failure is being very kind. I think K's broken promises and personal interests had much to do with that.

What’s best for each individual player is what I’ve always been concerned about and what I will be concerned about until the day I stop coaching.
                                - Roy Williams on the departure of three underclassmen.

From day one, K didn't concern himself with Shavlik Randolph the individual. And that, ultimately, is the greatest tragedy of the young man's career at Duke.