NBA Draft 2011 Media Day: Kyrie Irving, Jimmer Fredette And Enes Kanter Talk About Futures

You may remember how Kansas big man Markieff Morris had some harsh words for top prospect Derrick Williams in an interview at the draft combine in late May. In case you forgot, he basically said Williams wasn’t actually that good.

Naturally, those comments came back to Morris during his interview session before the 2011 NBA Draft. Here’s his clarification, which doesn’t exactly line up to his original comments.

So because of his status, Kanter decided to go on the offensive during Wednesday’s media session. He was exceedingly confident throughout his 30-minute interview, making a bold declaration midway through that jarred a lot of people there.

“I believe if I could have played [at Kentucky], I would go with the No. 1 pick,” he said. “I believe I am the best player in this draft.”

NEW YORK - Likely 2011 NBA Draft No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving looked calm at the draft’s media day on Wednesday, answering questions in a relaxed matter while still trying to sound confident. He initially dismissed thoughts that he had regrets about declaring for the NBA Draft after just 12 games at Duke, saying “if I had any regrets, I’d be back at Duke.”

But later, he admitted there was a turning point where he had a difficult decision to make. As we all know, Irving suffered a toe injury in December, and most expected him to miss the rest of the season. He surprised many by returning for Duke in the NCAA Tournament, and actually made a significant contribution in several games. It was at that moment where Irving decided he needed to go pro.