2012 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Kentucky, Leslie, Taylor, Drummond

April 13th, 2012 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Two lottery picks officially entered the draft today, in Andre Drummond and Bradley Beal. As the 2012 class continues to expand, let's round up a few of today's draft-related items….

At Rivals.com, Brett Dawson writes that Kentucky coach John Calipari is anticipating losing five underclassmen to the NBA draft — Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Doron Lamb, and Terrence Jones.
Sophomore C.J. Leslie, ranked 34th among this year's prospects by DraftExpress.com, is undecided on his future, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. People close to Leslie think he's a good bet to return to N.C. State.
Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor has signed B.J. Armstrong as his agent, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter). The senior point guard is ranked 68th by DraftExpress.
A lot of teams rank Kentucky's Davis as a better prospect than former first overall pick Blake Griffin was, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Howard-Cooper spoke to one executive who cited "substance over style" when comparing Davis to Griffin (Twitter link).
Drummond has "other-worldly" potential and will be a top-five pick, an NBA scout told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.

Andre Drummond To Enter Draft

April 13th, 2012 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 10:39am: Drummond made his decision official today, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports.

THURSDAY, 4:22pm: UConn and Drummond will officially announce the big man's decision on Friday, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com.

10:17am: Andre Drummond will forgo the rest of his NCAA eligibility and enter the NBA draft, reports Kevin Duffy of the Hearst Connecticut Media Group. Drummond will become the first one-and-done player in the University of Connecticut's history.

The UConn center averaged 10.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in his freshman year, and is a virtual lock to be a lottery pick in June. DraftExpress.com lists Drummond as the second-best prospect behind Anthony Davis, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him fifth. Although Drummond is unquestionably an elite talent, teams at the very top of the draft may be reluctant to roll the dice on him, since he's viewed as a high-risk, high-reward selection.

Drummond joins UConn teammate Jeremy Lamb on this year's list of early entrants.

Bradley Beal To Enter Draft

April 13th, 2012 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

9:45am: Beal has made his decision official, informing coach Billy Donovan and the Gators he won't be returning, according to Chris Harry of GatorZone.com.

"It’s my dream and it’s sitting right here in front of me," Beal said. "God has put me in this situation and I have to take advantage of it. I think I’m ready to realize this dream, so now I have to go and pursue it."

7:51am: Freshman guard Bradley Beal will forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility and enter the draft, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. The Florida Gator, who projects as a potential top-five pick, will announce his decision later this morning, says Goodman.

Beal, who averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in Gainesville this season, was said to be on the fence about the decision shortly after the Gators were eliminated from the NCAA tournament. His father Bobby told Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun: "Some people say (leaving) is a no-brainer, but I know that he loves college, loves the atmosphere down there."

Ultimately, the chance to be a lottery pick likely convinced Beal to leave school early. DraftExpress.com calls him the fifth-best prospect in this year's draft, while ESPN.com's Chad Ford ranks him third.

You can check out Hoops Rumors' complete list of early entrants for the 2012 NBA draft here.

Draft Updates: Dominic Cheek, Jonathon Simmons

April 12th, 2012 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we heard that UConn freshman Andre Drummond would leave school early and declare for the NBA draft. While Drummond projects as a potential top-five pick, many of the underclassmen entering the draft early figure to be picked later, if they're drafted at all. We'll keep track of today's early entry decisions for those players here:

Junior guard Dominic Cheek will declare for the draft, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (via Twitter), who notes that the Villanova product may end up overseas. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com adds (via Twitter) that Cheek wasn't enjoying his college experience and would also be willing to play in the D-League. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks Cheek 118th on his prospect board.
University of Houston guard Jonathon Simmons will forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the draft, reports Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. The junior doesn't show up anywhere on Chad Ford's or DraftExpress.com's top prospect lists, so it'd be a surprise if he's drafted. "I know right now that I'm kind of at the bottom of the list, but I've always been the underdog all my life," Simmons said. "So it's nothing I can't overcome."

Draft Links: Davis, MKG, Robinson, Sleepers

April 11th, 2012 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Chad Ford of ESPN.com has released the third version of his NBA mock draft (Insider only), and Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist continue to occupy the top two spots. Of course, those two players haven't even officially entered the draft yet, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer notes (via Twitter). Kentucky coach John Calipari is only paying attention to the NBA's early-entry deadline, so Kentucky players will have until April 29th to make a decision on their futures.

Here are a few more of today's draft-related links:

Chad Ford and FOX Sports Ohio's Sam Amico both answered plenty of draft questions in their respective chats today.
If they don't win the lottery and land Davis, the Bobcats' best pick would be Thomas Robinson, according to ESPN.com's David Thorpe.
Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld identifies five potential sleepers in this year's draft: Darius Miller, Jae Crowder, Will Barton, Khris Middleton, and Kevin Jones.

Update On Protected First-Round Picks

April 10th, 2012 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

12 teams have traded their first-round picks in the 2012 draft, but not all of those picks will end up changing hands. 11 of the 12 traded picks are protected to some degree, meaning the draft-pick debt will be deferred if certain conditions are met. Coming into the season, only the Timberwolves' first-rounder was a lock to be moved — it was unprotected and will be sent to the Hornets, via the Clippers' Chris Paul trade.

With an assist from Hoops Rumors' tentative 2012 draft order, let's run through the other 11 first-round picks that could be on the move, and check in on the likelihood that they'll actually change hands in this year's draft….

Bobcats (to Bulls, top-14 protected): Charlotte will keep this pick, having been eliminated from playoff contention long, long ago.
Kings (to Cavs, top-14 protected): Like the Bobcats, the Kings have been officially eliminated from the playoffs, so Sacramento will hold onto its pick for this year.
Nets (to Blazers, top-3 protected): New Jersey is currently the league's seventh-worst team, so there's still hope here for the Nets — as it stands now, they'd have a 15% chance of jumping into the top three via the draft lottery. They could also greatly increase those chances by slipping two or three more spots in the NBA standings over the next couple weeks.
Warriors (to Jazz, top-7 protected): With the league's ninth-worst record, Golden State's chances of retaining this pick look slim. The Warriors would only have a 6.1% shot at the top seven if the season ended today. They're two games ahead of the seventh-worst Nets, so if they could sink below New Jersey in the standings, their top-seven odds would soar to nearly 75%.
Jazz (to Timberwolves, top-14 protected): John Hollinger's playoff odds over at ESPN.com put Utah's chances for a postseason berth at 34.7%. If the Jazz make the playoffs, they'll give up this pick, so if you trust Hollinger's formula, the team currently has a 65.3% chance of keeping its first-rounder.
Knicks (to Rockets, top-5 protected): Barring a collapse by New York, this pick will be Houston's. If the Knicks fall out of the postseason, they'll have a very slim chance to jump into the top three and keep the pick.
Mavericks (to Rockets, top-20 protected): Trading a first-round pick for Lamar Odom didn't exactly work out like Dallas hoped, but that pick may not be going anywhere this season. The Mavs are currently tied for 17th overall in the draft order. If they don't finish the season strong, they'll keep their first-rounder, which the Lakers flipped to Houston in the Derek Fisher deal.
Rockets (to Nets, top-14 protected): A Rockets' playoff berth will ensure the Nets receive this pick. And right now, Hollinger's playoff odds gives Houston a 90.4% chance at the postseason.
Clippers (to Celtics, top-10 protected): The Clips hold a four-game lead on the West's ninth-place team (Phoenix), so this pick is almost certainly heading to Boston.
Lakers (to Cavs, top-14 protected): A lock to go to Cleveland, it currently projects as 26th overall.
Spurs (to Warriors, top-14 protected): A lock to go to Golden State, this will likely be a bottom-five pick in the first round.

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2012 NBA Draft

Draft Decisions: Tuesday

April 10th, 2012 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Today marks the NCAA's deadline for underclassmen to withdraw their names from consideration for this year's NBA draft. As we previously outlined, today isn't necessary a hard deadline, but plenty of prospects will be announcing their decisions today, if they haven't already. We'll track those decisions here, with the latest up top:

B.J. Young, who previously entered the draft, has withdrawn his name from consideration, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com). The Arkansas freshman was able to back out because he hadn't hired an agent.
Jeremy Lamb of Connecticut will enter the draft, according to UConn's assistant director of athletic communications Phil Chardis (via Twitter). The sophomore guard is ranked as the 12th-best prospect by both DraftExpress and ESPN.com.
Junior forward Mason Plumlee has decided to return to Duke for his senior season, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
Oregon State guard Jared Cunningham will forgo his senior year and enter the draft, according to Gary Horowitz of the Statesman Journal. The junior figures to be a second-round pick at best, ranking 66th on DraftExpress' top 100 prospects list and 96th on Chad Ford's ESPN.com list, but he must have liked what he heard when he tested the draft waters.
Vanderbilt's John Jenkins announced Monday that he will enter the draft, according to The Tennessean. The junior guard ranks 36th on DraftExpress and 40th on ESPN.com.
Junior forward Christian Watford will return to Indiana for his senior year, reports Jeff Rabjohns of Peegs.com (via Twitter). Watford's teammate, freshman Cody Zeller, will also return to school, the team announced today (hat tip to Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports via Twitter). The freshman was projected to be a potential lottery pick.

Odds & Ends: Howard, Magic, Odom, Celtics

April 9th, 2012 at 10:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Its been a rocky few weeks in Orlando, but you wouldn’t know it by the result of tonight’s contest against the Pistons. The Magic blew out Detroit, 119-89, without the services of Dwight Howard. Here’s more on the Central Florida soap opera and other items from around the Association..

Magic senior vice president Pat Williams, who helped found the franchise in 1989, says that he believes that coach Stan Van Gundy and Howard can co-exist in Orlando, according to the Associated Press.
Adding Lamar Odom would make the Knicks instant title contenders in 2013, but there are a number of hurdles the club will have to clear in order to make that happen, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
In less than a month, the Celtics have gone from rebuilding mode to title contention, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
Thomas Robinson would be a tremendous fit for the Bobcats, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Texas A&M junior Khris Middleton announced that he will enter the draft, according to the AP. The small forward started 72 games in three seasons with the Aggies.

Prospect Profile: Perry Jones III

April 9th, 2012 at 4:31pm CST by Michael Pina

When it comes to selecting players in the NBA draft, potential and production have long battled one another in the minds of each team's top decision makers. Is selecting an undeveloped talent with incredible "raw" ability worth more than taking a serviceable "sure thing" who holds a limited ceiling?

Earlier today, Baylor sophomore Perry Jones III announced his plan to leave school and enter the NBA draft. He's the most interesting pawn this argument's had in years; a case can be made that no player in recent memory does a better job of matching otherworldly skill with overwhelming frustration. In his two years at Baylor, Jones has been college basketball's great model of inconsistency. Before the season began, the 6'11" Jones was pegged as a sure-fire top five pick, with some scouts even pegging him in as a possible number one overall selection. But after another up and down season that saw him disappear time and time again in the biggest of moments, the prodigious 20-year-old has dropped down to the middle of the first round on several boards.

In an insider article, ESPN.com's Chad Ford says a possible reason for Jones' unpredictable play was Baylor head coach Scott Drew's decision to play him out of position. With the mentality of a guard who likes the ball in his hands on the perimeter, it's crucial for whatever team that selects Jones to place him in situations where he's comfortable. One site has compared him to Anthony Randolph, which isn't glowing praise. But on the other end, Jones has the physical skill set to dominate on both ends of the court. Think Lamar Odom or LaMarcus Aldridge.

From a statistical standpoint, Jones' numbers didn't improve from his freshman to sophomore season. He averaged 13.5 PPG this year but his points and free-throw attempts went slightly down while his rebounds (7.6 RPG) stayed the same. There was no more aggression in his second year than there was in his first, no enhancement in attitude or change in style.

Jones has unbelievable talent, but which team selects him could be a larger factor in determining what type of career he has than his ability to exercise that once in a generation type of skill. His upside is scary but so is his basement.

Perry Jones III is the 2012 draft's most delicate flower, and right now the sun isn't shining in Charlotte, Toronto, Washington D.C., or any other cities that are most likely to scoop him in a move of pure desperation.

Draft Update: Mitchell, Jenkins, Cheek, Plumlee

April 9th, 2012 at 2:31pm CST by Michael Pina

In what's somewhat of a surprising decision being that he was projected to be a first round pick, North Texas freshman Tony Mitchell will return to school, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle's Brett Vito. Mitchell averaged 14.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG and was named the Sun Belt Conference's Freshman of the Year.

According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, sources say Vanderbilt junior John Jenkins and Villanova junior Dominic Cheek will soon declare for the draft, but Duke junior Mason Plumlee will go back to school.

Jenkins averaged 19.9 PPG on 43.9% shooting from beyond the arc last season and is projected to be an early second round pick. Cheek put up averages of 12.5 PPG and 3.9 RPG. In a separate report, Steve Wiseman of The Herald Sun writes that Plumlee still has not decided whether or not he'll enter the draft. Plumlee has until April 29th to make a decision.