Russian center out of NBA draft

Mammoth Russian center Pavel Podkolzine, who worked out for the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, told NBA teams Thursday that he's pulling out of the draft after he was unable to get a firm commitment of where he would be selected.

Podkolzine also was recently diagnosed with having acromegaly, a growth hormone secreting pituitary adenoma. The problem, doctors informed him, could be corrected with minor surgery.

"Pavel's pulled out of the draft," Toronto Raptors assistant general manager Bob Zuffelato said Thursday.

The Raptors, who have the No. 4 pick in the June 26 draft, had recently worked out and expressed interest in Podkolzine, in part because of his 7-foot-4, 303-pound frame.

Podkolzine was not available for comment. His agent, Los Angeles-based Justin Zanik, did not return messages left by The Associated Press.

Texas Tech's Andre Emmett, Saint Joseph's Jameer Nelson and former Michigan State forward Erazem Lorbek also pulled out of the draft Thursday.

Lorbek will play in Europe rather than return to school because he signed with an agent. Ndudi Ebi, a 6-foot-9, 195-pound forward from Houston's Westbury Christian High School, confirmed he is staying in the draft. He had signed a letter-of-intent with Arizona.

Podkolzine, in an interview with ESPN.com, said his decision to withdraw was based on teams unwilling to commit to taking him in the top 10. He said he would return to Italy, where he spent that last two seasons playing competitively, to improve his game.

His recent diagnosis also was a contributing factor to the decision.

It's been quite a turn of events for a player who came out of relative obscurity to become touted as a potential lottery selection after he turned heads at the NBA's pre-draft camp in Chicago earlier this month.

Despite the increased attention, several questions remained as to whether Podkolzine was ready to make the jump to the professional level.

Podkolzine, who doesn't turn 19 until next January, is young. And he's also inexperienced.