NEW YORK - While Jason Richardson is in Madison Square Garden’s green room tonight, waiting for his name to be called in the NBA Draft, former MSU teammates Charlie Bell, Andre Hutson and Zach Randolph will watch their immediate futures take shape while at home with their families.

That’s because the NBA didn’t invite the trio to the Big Apple for today’s two-round draft, which starts at 7 p.m. and will be aired on TNT.

David Aldridge, of ESPN’s “NBA 2night,” said in past years, the NBA invited most of the players to the draft and a lot of athletes were taken very late in the second round or not at all. This year the league is trying to curb that discomfort.

“To sit there and wait and wait for your name to be called is embarrassing,” Aldridge said. “So they really limited the number of people they invite to the very top of the lottery - the guys they absolutely know they are going to be top half of the lottery.”

And most experts and scouts, including Aldridge, say Richardson is one of those players - slating him as potentially the sixth or seventh overall pick.

“There’s no question about his talent and his ability. And there’s no question about his game,” he said.

Richardson said being on-site for the draft is more nerve-racking because he has to sit in the green room with all the media focused on him.

And when interviewed Tuesday, he described himself as “anxious,” but not that nervous - yet.

“But when tomorrow comes