John Wall Eligible for 2009 Draft?

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said that if high school phenom John Wall applies for 2009 draft eligibility, as he is rumored to be considering, the NBA will do its "due diligence to determine his eligibility." Wall has not yet applied for early entry, according to Frank.

Earlier, ESPN's Chad Ford unleashed a scoop of sorts in a chat: Wall, widely considered the favorite to be No. 1 pick in 2010, could be eligible for the 2009 NBA draft. Ford reports Wall's camp is considering the jump. The collective bargaining agreement is gray on this matter, but the relevant section indicates Wall has a case for eligibility, despite the 2005 rule effectively barring high school-to-NBA leaps.

Along with declaring his eligibility in writing by April 26, Wall would have to meet this qualification from Article 10 of the 2005 CBA:

The player (A) is or will be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year in which the Draft is held, and (B) with respect to a player who is not an international player (defined below), at least one (1) NBA Season has elapsed since the player's graduation from high school (or, if the player did not graduate from high school, since the graduation of the class with which the player would have graduated had he graduated from high school);

Wall turns 19 in September, so he meets that. The question revolves around whether Wall, as a fifth-year high school senior, qualifies as a player a year out from his class' graduation. Or, at what point did or does Wall become part of the graduating class of 2009 versus the graduating class of 2008? Is this set upon entering high school? Because Wall did not graduate last year but took high school classes this year, does that make him a part of the class of 2009 in a legal sense?

Those will be questions the NBA and/or a judge answers. In the meantime, teams near the bottom of the NBA standings will be salivating at the thought of getting Wall in June.

This is why. (Via Blazers Edge.)