Not much of a legacy.

The Donte Greene era is officially over at Syracuse.

It was short, not so sweet, and completely forgettable.

His one season was unlike that of SU's most recent one-and-done, Carmelo Anthony, who led SU to its first national championship in his brief stay in Central New York.

But 'Melo delivered the goods.

And Donte isn't worthy of carrying his headband.

Let's get one thing straight - Syracuse is not a better basketball team without Greene.

His antics may have gotten stale. His shot selection was questionable. And his defense, to put it kindly, was nonexistent.

But 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds is not a fluke. Those numbers take talent, especially as a freshman.

So don't tell me the Orange improved with his departure. They didn't.

Now, we're left with two things to ponder - the future of Donte Greene and the future of Syracuse basketball.

Donte is projected as a mid-first round pick in the NBA draft. He will get selected early and he will make a lot of money next year.

But he's not ready for the next level. Not yet.

Greene put up some astounding numbers in the first half of his freshman season, but once Big East play started, those numbers fell.

He shot 28 percent from 3-point range and finished with just four double-doubles in 19 conference games.

It's fair to label Donte “soft.” He avoids contact whenever he can and he frequently gets out-rebounded by smaller opponents.

Of course, in the pros he'll be a guard. He won't have to rebound or defend power forwards. All Donte will have to do is get his shot off, which shouldn't be a problem at 6-foot-11.

NBA scouts are mesmerized by upside, and Greene has boatloads of it.

There aren't many players his height who can consistently knock down the long ball. I'm certain that with the proper coaching and court time, Greene will be a prolific NBA scorer. But I don't see it for at least three years.

So why not stay in school?

If Greene stayed, next year's Syracuse team would be stacked. With the addition of Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins, the pressure on Donte would be tremendously reduced. Defenses won't be able to focus on him, he'll have more open looks and the Orange will be in the national spotlight.

Unlike this season, when Donte had to shoulder much of the scoring load, he had to contend with constant double teams and Syracuse was left off of most Sportscenter highlights.

One more year, and Greene is a top-five draft pick.

But that isn't going to happen. The Association is too alluring for a brash kid who idolizes Carmelo Anthony.

Greene probably would have turned pro right out of high school if it was possible. College was just a pit stop. An inconvenience.

So we bid you adieu, Donte. We hardly knew ye. And we most definitely will forget ye.

On to the future of SU basketball, and it remains bright.

With Greene gone, I can safely predict next year's starting five as Jonny Flynn, Devendorf, Rautins, Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku.

That leaves a deep bench comprised of Kristof Ongenaet, Scoop Jardine, Rick Jackson and blue chip recruits Mookie Jones and Kris Joseph.

Moving Harris to the back line shouldn't be too much of an adjustment, as he spent half of this season playing at the forward slot. Plus, with Greene gone it will provide more playing time down low for Jackson, who emerged as the team's best interior defender.

Barring injuries, SU will possess the talent to fill the hole left by Greene. The Orange won't be better because of it, but it still should be enough to get them back into the NCAA tournament.

Losing Donte is a blow, but it isn't a knock-out punch. It would be much worse to lose Flynn, who will most likely hear the NBA sirens beckoning him next season.

Flynn is the engine that makes this squad go. He's a five-tool player - he can shoot, pass, run, jump and defend. This is the kid that Syracuse can't afford to lose.

Greene is expendable.

His departure isn't ideal. But it is manageable.