A.J. Matthews Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Brand, Martin, Wright, MWP

July 9th, 2013 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

It's already been a busy day for Knicks news and rumors, as we've passed along multiple updates on potential free agent targets, as well as a report that suggests Metta World Peace would be interested in landing New York if and when he's amnestied by the Lakers. Nonetheless, there are still a few more items out of the Big Apple to address. Here's a round-up:

If World Peace is amnestied as expected, the Knicks would "love" to add him for the veteran's minimum, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
The Knicks have been told by Brand's representatives that they're out of the running for the veteran big man, according to Berman.

Earlier updates:

With Elton Brand pursuing offers from several other teams, the Knicks will likely turn their attention to Kenyon Martin, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Martin isn't close to a deal with any other club.
The Knicks have also expressed some interest in Brandan Wright, but he's expected to be out of New York's price range, says Zwerling.
A source tells Zwerling that he could see World Peace getting through amnesty waivers and becoming available for the Knicks. "I'm not sure if a young team would bite," the source said.
Nate Robinson expressed interest in the Knicks when the team still had access to its full mini MLE, but now that part of that exception has been committed to Pablo Prigioni, Robinson is likely no longer an option for New York, according to Zwerling.
Undrafted seven-footer A.J. Matthews tells Marc Berman of the New York Post that he thinks he has a "great chance" to turn a Summer League stint with the Knicks into a training-camp invite.
Berman also tweets that the Knicks have kept tabs on free agent forward Anthony Tolliver, but Tolliver is still waiting on the Hawks.

Draft Workout Updates: Thursday

June 6th, 2013 at 9:37pm CST by Luke Adams

We're now just three weeks away from the 2013 draft, so teams are busy bringing in prospects to meet with them and work them out, while we do our best to keep tabs on as many of those workouts as we can. Here's the latest:

Tom Housenick of The Morning Call reported that C.J. McCollum will visit Portland at some point for a workout before June 20th.
Chris Haynes of CSNNW tweets that Trevor Mbakwe will visit the Trail Blazers tomorrow.
The Kings released a list of players who have worked out for them via their team website, noting that guards Will Cherry, Travis Releford, Brandon Triche, forward Chris Evans, and centers Rudy Gobert and Aziz N'Diaye took part in workouts this past Monday. Former Michigan star Trey Burke is scheduled to come in tomorrow.
The Wizards plan to bring in C.J. Aiken, Junior Cadougan, Ella Ellis, Lamont Jones, A.J. Matthews, and Mike Muscala in for Friday workouts, as per the team's official website.
Jody Genessy of the Deseret News tweets that Steven Adams, Jack Cooley, Richard Howell, Kenny Kadji, Dennis Schroeder, and Peyton Siva are all scheduled for a pre-draft workout with the Jazz on Friday.

Earlier updates:

Mason Plumlee, Shabazz Muhammad, Kelly Olynyk, Norvel Pelle, and Scott Wood worked out for the Sixers today, tweets Tyler R. Tynes of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Plumlee will also work out for the Trail Blazers on June 19th and for the Pistons on June 21st, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com and Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports that Otto Porter will work out for the Wizards on June 14th.
The Timberwolves expect to bring in C.J. McCollum for a workout, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter).
Working out for the Suns today, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter): McCollum, Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, Mouhammadou Jaiteh, Shane Larkin, Zeke Marshall, and Korie Lucious.
Gorgui Dieng's agent confirms that his client will work out for both the Nets and Knicks, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com details.
The Grizzlies announced in a press release that James Southerland, Will Clyburn, B.J. Young, Dewayne Dedmon, Colton Iverson, and Sherwood Brown will work out for the club tomorrow.
The Knicks will work out the following prospects tomorrow, per the team's Twitter feed: Ricky Ledo, Tahj Tate, Adonis Thomas, Christian Watford, Tony Mitchell, and Grant Jerrett.
Jeff Withey worked out for the Bulls yesterday, according to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com (via Twitter).

Draft Updates: Tuesday

June 4th, 2013 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Chad Ford has released version 4.0 of his 2013 mock draft (Insider-only link), and as usual, the piece is chock-full of rumors and rumblings he's heard from GMs, scouts, and other league sources. Let's dive in and round up some of the highlights from Ford's latest….

Nerlens Noel remains the default pick at No. 1, but the Cavaliers still haven't made a decision. Otto Porter and Alex Len would be the best bets to supplant Noel.
The Magic's decision at No. 2 is still extremely wide open, with nine players still under consideration, according to Ford.
If Porter and Anthony Bennett are still on the board at No. 3 for Washington, it will be a tough decision, since the Wizards' front office is split over which player it likes better.
The Pelicans will consider point guards with the sixth overall pick, but the team hasn't given up on Austin Rivers as its point guard of the future, so it may go in a different direction.
Ford is "hearing with increasing frequency" that the Pistons could target a point guard with the No. 8 pick.
Dario Saric appears to be a lottery pick, with Ford identifying the Blazers at 10 and the Sixers at 11 as real possibilities for the Croatian prospect, who is a "hot name" right now.
Shane Larkin's workout in Milwaukee was a "wow" for the Bucks, according to Ford, who has the point guard going at No. 15 to Milwaukee.

In addition to Ford's latest mock, there are plenty of other draft updates to pass along this afternoon. Here are a few of them:

Speaking to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, Dennis Schroeder and his agent downplayed reports that he has received a first-round guarantee from an unknown team, perhaps the Celtics. "I don’t know where that came from," agent Alex Saratsis said. "I don’t know anything about that."
The Knicks' workout on Wednesday will feature the following prospects, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday (via Twitter): Isaiah Canaan, Brandon Triche, Deshaun Thomas, Murphy Holloway, A.J. Matthews, and Norvel Pelle.
The Pistons will bring in Ray McCallum for a workout, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
After recently working out for the Jazz, Cody Zeller will work out for the Suns next, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Amico adds in another tweet that Mark Lyons, who averaged 24.3 PPG in three NCAA tournament contests in March, is working out for the Nuggets.
Ricky Ledo has already worked out for six teams, including the Nuggets, Bulls, Rockets, and Spurs (link via NBA.com).
Ledo will work out for his seventh team on Wednesday, when the Grizzlies hold a session that will also include Jud Dillard, Carrick Felix, Solomon Hill, Angelo Sharpless, and Tony Snell, according to a team release.

Atlantic Rumors: Robinson, Pierce, Bargnani

June 1st, 2013 at 1:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nate Robinson's first priority will be to re-sign with the Bulls, though he wouldn't mind another stint with the Knicks, agent Aaron Goodwin tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Both Chicago and New York are taxpaying teams, so it'll be difficult for either to fit in Robinson, who'll likely command more than the minimum salary he made this year. Goodwin's statement is a familiar one for agents this time of year, as Grantland's Zach Lowe points out via Twitter, so there's no reason to count Robinson as either a Bull or a Knick just yet. Here's more from the Atlantic:

Teams around the league have a "healthy interest" in Paul Pierce, but the Celtics aren't about to just give him away, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Even if the C's can find the right deal and start over with younger players, the money tied up in Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee and Jason Terry would be a major obstacle to a rebuild, a general manager tells Bulpett.
The Raptors will reportedly be aggressive in their attempts to trade Andrea Bargnani, and one possible destination could be Golden State, since, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, the Warriors have long been intrigued by him (Twitter link).
Eric Koreen of the National Post outlines the five most important items on the to-do list for new Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, figuring that an amnesty of Bargnani is most likely the club's next step with the former No. 1 overall pick.
Center A.J. Matthews played his college ball at Division III Farmingdale State and didn't receive an invitation to the league's pre-draft combine in Chicago, but he wowed teams at recent Nets-hosted combine. The Knicks are one of about a half dozen teams bringing the Arn Tellem client in for workouts, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
The Knicks are zeroing in on point guards with the 24th overall pick, and though they don't have a second-rounder, Berman expects them to acquire one via trade in return for cash.
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com explains the reasons why Chris Paul signing with the Knicks is but a pipe-dream for New York fans.

Draft Links: White, Matthews, Celtics

May 25th, 2013 at 10:18pm CST by Spencer Lund

Terrico White was the 36th player chosen in the 2010 NBA Draft. After the Pistons snagged him from Ole Miss, he broke his right foot in his very first preseason game. He bounced around the NBA's D-League, even averaging better than 17 PPG for the Idaho Stampede during an excellent 7-game stretch in the 2011/12 season, before heading to Serbia this year.

After averaging 14.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 1.5 APG for Serbia's Radnicki Kragujevac, his contract is set to expire at just the right time, writes Ridiculous Upside's Gino Pilato. White will be looking to make an NBA roster this summer after his Serbian contract runs out in June.

There are plenty other college hopefuls looking to be drafted by an NBA team this summer..

Newsday's Roderick Boone discusses the NBA draft's biggest "wild card" big man hopeful in July: Farmingdale State's A.J. Matthews. The 6'11" center out of Division III Farmingdale State (academic issues kept him out of bigger basketball schools) was invited to the NBA's combine and the center with a wingspan measuring 7 feet, 3 1/2 inches impressed the Nets' director of player personnel Greg Polinsky.
We already mentioned all the players the Celtics have worked out the last couple days and ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg broke it all down for you, but here are the projected draft positions for all those players based off Chad Ford's rankings.
Darren Wolfson of ESPN1500 Twin Cities says Brandon Paul, Vander Blue and Derrick Nix are coming for the Wolves' NBA Draft workout. He also adds that Wisconsin's Mike Bruesewitz is hoping to get an invite (Twitter link)
Alex Kennedy at HoopsWorld has a profile of Dennis Schroeder of Germany. The son of a German father and a Gambian mother, Schroeder promised his dying father he'd make the NBA; he's projected as a mid-first-round pick next month.
The Jazz will pick 14th in next month's draft after failing to move up during last week's draft lottery. Jody Genessy of the Deseret News spoke by phone with Jazz president Randy Rigby and general manager Dennis Lindsey about their moves in a busy Jazz offseason.