As we approach the one-week mark before the June 25 NBA Draft,
Nick Calathes isn’t just sitting around spending his newly earned Euros.

As expected, the former Gator guard kept his name in the pool of
eligible players for the annual selection show, held at Madison Square Garden.
There was talk that Calathes could pull out of the draft, making him
eligible to be picked after a year or two in Greece. That rumor was
squashed as the 5 p.m., Monday deadline for withdrawals passed with
no paperwork sent in from Calathes’ representatives.

With teams looking to save money in a tough economy, Calathes
could be a good catch. A first-round guaranteed contract wouldn’t have
to be paid out until he comes back to the States, giving a team a few
years to let him grow as a player on someone else’s dime.

To drive home his availability, Calathes took part in an all-guard
workout Tuesday for the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls, already home to two
former Gators in Joakim Noah and Anthony Roberson, have let it be known
that they’re interested in taking a point guard with one of their
two-first round picks, Nos. 16 and 26, to be an eventual backup to
rookie of the year Derrick Rose. Current backup, Kirk Hinrich, has been
firmly entrenched on the trading block since the team’s season ended in
a seven-game epic series against Boston.

Taking part with Calathes in the Windy City workout was VCU’s Eric
Maynor, Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague, Chicago State’s David Holstrom,
Southern Illinois’ Bryan Mullins and Iowa State’s Tasheed Carr.