Ryan Anderson may be ready to cash in.

The 6-foot-10 forward declared for the NBA Draft yesterday via teleconference after scoring the second-most points in a season in Cal history during his sophomore campaign. He will not hire an agent, giving him the option to return to Berkeley for his junior year.

A first-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2008, Anderson said the decision was an easy one. He will gain more information on his draft position from NBA scouts and general managers without having to commit himself just yet to the NBA.

"I feel like this is something I've always wanted to do," Anderson said. "I really just want to see where I'm at in NBA minds."

Anderson's said his decision to stay in the draft or return to Berkeley will hinge solely on his draft status and not on who is named to replace Ben Braun as the Bears' head coach.

He said he is projected to be picked anywhere in the second half of the first round, but will have a difficult decision to make if his workouts do not yield a first-round guarantee.

"If they're telling me I'm a late first-round pick and it's not guaranteed to be in the first round, that's something I'll really have to think about," Anderson said. "But if I'm going to be in the late teens or low 20's, it's definitely going to be an easy decision to make."

A player picked in the first round receives a guaranteed contract, while a second-round pick risks not being signed.

DeVon Hardin tested the waters last year but decided to return for his senior year after failing to receive a first-round guarantee during his workouts. The year before, Leon Powe decided to leave Cal early. Powe was drafted in the second round.

"During a plane flight from one of our games I sat with DeVon and talked to him (about the process)," Anderson said. "He said it was a great way to gain information. When you hear from NBA guys, they'll tell you straight-up if they think you're ready for the League."

Anderson mulled over the decision to declare with his family, the Cal coaching staff and his high school AAU coach, Gus Armstead.

"They've all really been supportive and they all said they really wanted what's best for me," Anderson said. "It's really depending on where I'll get drafted."

Anderson said he plans on attending the Orlando Pre-Draft camp and then working out with teams, either individually or with Armstead in Sacramento in front of numerous NBA clubs.

He knows he has a lot to prove.

Although he produced like few others in the country-he finished as the only Pac-10 player to finish in the top-five in both points and rebounds-scouting web sites suggest that Anderson may lack a true position in the NBA.

But Anderson is used to being slighted.

Just two years ago he was not heavily recruited despite scoring nearly 30 points a game during his senior year of high school. Even he admits that he did not expect to have an opportunity to realize his dreams of reaching the NBA this soon.

"It's been a roller-coaster for me," Anderson said. "Coming out of high school I didn't get the respect that I feel I deserved … In the end if you can play the game of basketball you can go far."

Tags: NBA DRAFT