The silly romantics suggesting that Greg Oden should sit down for a discussion with Tim Duncan about staying in school can stop that nonsense now. Oden is a monumentally gifted player, a smart kid, and he belongs with the best players in the world.

Here he comes finally, slowly starting that walk toward commissioner David Stern on the stage at Madison Square Garden, toward a tomorrow that promises to make him one of the most intriguing pro prospects in a decade.

Greg Oden Sr. declared the inevitable to the hometown Indianapolis Star on Friday night: that his son, 7-foot and 280 pounds, is leaving Ohio State after his freshman year for the NBA draft. That's no surprise, nor is that he'll be represented by Mike Conley Sr., suddenly the agent to the Buckeyes' stars.

"Why not, as long as he finishes school in the offseason?" Oden Sr. told Jeff Rabjohns. "He's the kind of kid that, even though he'll have a lot of money, he needs to do more than just basketball."

"They had an exciting season, but why take the chance on him getting hurt?"

Oden will be the No. 1 pick in the draft. No one can pass on his shot-blocking and presence near the basket. No one can pass on a rapidly developing offensive game that is far ahead of where Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon were as college freshmen. The debate about whether the No. 1 choice should be Oden or Texas's Kevin Durant will roar between now and the draft on June 28, but it's hard to imagine a circumstance where someone would have the guts to pick Durant over Oden.