Big Ten has given the NBA a future Kardashian husband, but not a lot else lately

The two Big Ten representatives in the NBA Finals were old warhorses.

Brian Cardinal of the champion Dallas Mavericks just finished his 11th year in the league, with his sixth team.  He had 82 personal fouls and 43 baskets this season. He is an old Purdue Boilermaker, where committing hard fouls and taking hard charges is in the fabric of the program. That's what he gave Dallas, and he was valuable.

Juwan Howard of the Miami Heat just finished his 18th NBA season with his eighth team, and was with Dallas and Denver twice. He has had a distinguished career, averaging in double figures in scoring 15 times. But he dates back to the Fab Five, a long time ago. His days as an instrumental player are over.

There were Big Ten products who had significant roles in the NBA playoffs this season. Zach Randolph and Mike Conley of Memphis. Jason Richardson of Orlando. Jamal Crawford of Atlanta. That's about it.

Only 26 Big Ten players were on NBA rosters at season's end, seven of them from Ohio State. Northwestern, Penn State and new member Nebraska have no players in the NBA. Iowa has just one, Reggie Evans, and his last season at Iowa began 10 years ago.

The most notable of all the Big Tenners in The League may be Minnesota's Kris Humphries, now a New Jersey Net. Humphries is engaged to Kim Kardashian. He also averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds a game, which matters not to readers of Us and People and that ilk of publications.

But what about the next crop of rookies? Are there Big Ten players poised to jump into the NBA and make big splashes?

Er, no. According to this mock draft by SI.com's Sam Amick, the only Big Ten player among the top 30 draft-eligibles is Michigan point guard Darius Morris, at No. 23. Amick has six other conferences represented in his first nine picks, and five Big 12 players in his first 18.

According to Amick, the Colonial, Horizon and Ohio Valley conferences have as many first-rounders as the Big Ten, while the other five BCS leagues have more. So does the Mountain West.

Now, the Big Ten would have had two had Ohio State's Jared Sullinger turned pro this season. So there's that. But North Carolina's Harrison Barnes is staying in school, too, and the ACC still has five players in Amick's first-round.

I wouldn't exactly put 2012 mock drafts on stone tablets, but nbadraft.net has one for next year. It has just two Big Ten players in the first round, Sullinger sixth and OSU teammate William Buford 30th. It lists eight SEC and eight ACC players, including five each from Kentucky and North Carolina.

I've said it before and I'll repeat it now. Iowa can move up the Big 12 ladder quickly if it pulls together a competitive team.