What almost everyone thought was a done deal  Drew Gooden declaring for the NBA Draft  is dragging like the cold molasses of an extra-inning baseball game.

Now we hear that Gooden, who had said he would announce last week whether he would turn pro or return for his senior season at Kansas University, will wait until Friday afternoon before revealing his decision.

In the meantime, KU coach Roy Williams has admonished everyone to leave Gooden alone.

“Don’t be a pain in the rear,” Williams told the media gathered for a Monday afternoon season wrap-up that quickly turned into a what’s-Drew-going-to-do question-and-answer session. “Don’t call his mom and don’t call him. You’ll know Friday at 4 o’clock.”

Gooden just needs some time, Williams said, much like the KU coach did two years ago when he took a week to mull whether he should remain at Kansas or switch to North Carolina.

From all indications, Williams was ready to join the Tar Heels, but in the final analysis could not leave the Kansas players.

Is Gooden having similar withdrawal pains?

Or as Paul Pierce said four years ago this month when he announced he would skip his senior season to turn pro: “Leaving is tough. It’s like a family for three years watching guys grow up with you.”

Pierce apparently was so torn he opted to announce at Inglewood (Calif.) High, where he had starred as a prep before heading halfway across the country to Kansas. No doubt a change of venue made it easier for Pierce to say he wasn’t coming back to Mount Oread.

“I had to do what I had to do,” Pierce told a gathering of about 100 at his old high school back in ’98.

It has been widely speculated Gooden will use more or less the same words, but the longer he waits the harder it may be for him to turn his back on his last year of college.

Gooden didn’t attend Williams’ long-scheduled Monday media session so someone asked how the 6-foot-10 All-American was handling the pressure.

“I think he’s doing well except for people bugging him,” Williams replied.

Well, if people are bugging him, it would be logical to assume Gooden would want to make his decision public as soon as possible in order to avoid more grief. Nevertheless, Williams convinced Gooden to take some time to think about it, much like he did when he heard the siren call of North Carolina.

As always, Williams provides information to KU players who are NBA possibilities. In Gooden’s case, Williams said he contacted 10 teams and, without being specific, reported Gooden would be a “very high draft choice.”

Perhaps Williams wasn’t specific because the KU coach had been burned by the NBA four years ago.

On hand for Pierce’s press conference in Inglewood, just a short cab ride from Los Angeles International Airport, Williams said he had encouraged Pierce to turn pro.

“I told him there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll be selected in the top five  and I think he’ll go higher,” Williams remarked at the Inglewood session.

As you probably know, Pierce did not go in the top five. He barely made the second five. Boston chose the 6-foot-6 small forward with the 10th selection. Pierce tried to hide his disappointment, but was clearly hurt by the snub.

Pierce has, of course, had the last laugh. He’s currently third in the league in scoring behind Allen Iverson and Shaquille O’Neal. Now an established superstar, Pierce next year will be playing under terms of a new six-year contract that will pay him a breathtaking $83.68 million, or an average of $12.28 million per year.

Most mock drafts predict Gooden will be the fifth or sixth player selected during the June 26 NBA flesh market in New York City. But those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it and Gooden could very well slide down the draft pole. Even so, he would still earn close to $2 million next season if he became the first KU junior since Pierce to take the money and run.

Run is something Gooden does better than most men his size. But we’ll have to wait until Friday to learn if he’ll take the money.