Perry Jones III To Enter Draft
Baylor coach Scott Drew has confirmed Baylor sophomore power forward Perry Jones III will enter the draft, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Goodman tweeted earlier that sources indicated the move was forthcoming.
The 6-foot-11, 220-pound Jones averaged 13.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG for the Bears this season after missing the first six games because of an NCAA suspension for accepting impermissable benefits. ESPN.com's Chad Ford has him ranked ninth in his latest list of the Top 100 prospects based on his versatility, size and athleticism. NBA teams have questioned his toughness and intensity, Goodman says, but he's unlikely to fall out of the lottery. He was widely expected to enter the draft last year.
Draft Notes: Burke, Jones, McCollum
Earlier we passed along that Kansas junior Thomas Robinson is announcing his decision to enter the draft today. Here's more on the draft front:
- Freshman point guard Trey Burke is headed back to Michigan, the school has announced, as Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link). He would have been a second-round pick, according to NBADraft.net.
- Goodman also tweets that sources say Baylor sophomore power forward Perry Jones III will enter the NBA Draft. Jones is projected to go ninth overall by Draft Express and 13th by NBADraft.net.
- Lehigh junior C.J. McCollum writes on The Sporting News website that he will return for his senior season. He declared his intent to enter the draft last month, but did not hire an agent. Tomorrow is the deadline for collegians who've declared for the draft to withdraw and still maintain their college eligibility. The hero of 15th-seeded Lehigh's win over No. 2 seed Duke in the NCAA Tournament this year has been projected as the 28th overall pick in this year's draft by NBADraft.net, while Draft Express looks ahead and sees him as the 22nd best prospect for 2013.
- TNT's David Aldridge, writing for NBA.com, takes a look at the point guards in the draft this year, which has plenty of question marks after North Carolina's Kendall Marshall. With McCollum, whom Aldridge calls his sleeper, off the board, it looks even thinner.
- In his NBA.com Morning Tip column, Aldridge also says the league and the NCAA have money in mind when they talk about requiring players to spend more time in college before entering the draft. Schools would benefit from keeping their stars around, and the league wouldn't have to pay them as they develop.
Hornets Looking To Quickly Sign Point Guard
The Hornets want to find a backup point guard who'll be ready to play in the team's game scheduled for 7:00pm Central Time tonight against the Lakers, reports Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com. The team announced earlier today that starter Jarrett Jack will miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot. Greivis Vasquez is the only other point guard on the roster, and coach Monty Williams suggested the team may have to go with point guard by committee at times tonight.
Lester Hudson, who's scored 23 and 26 points in his last two games with the Cavs, is a free agent after his 10-day contract with the Cavs expired last night, so the Hornets could look to sign him if Cleveland doesn't beat them to it. Another option could be Jeremy Wise, who led the D-League in assists this year and was in training camp with the Heat.
Southwest Notes: Jack, Arenas, Diaw, Jackson
The most pressing news out of the Southwest Division is Lamar Odom's departure from the Mavs, but there are a few more items of note as the Spurs, with an eight and a half game lead over the Grizzlies, close in on the title:
- Jarrett Jack's season is over with a stress fracture in his right foot, the team confirms on its website. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports originally reported the news via Twitter. The Hornets guard enters the final season of a four-year, $20MM contract next year, when he's scheduled to make $5.4MM. The team currently has 14 players on its roster, so they wouldn't have to let anyone go to bring in an extra point guard for the season's final weeks.
- Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal looks at how recent Grizzlies signee Gilbert Arenas has reinvented himself to fit in with the team.
- Boris Diaw, who signed with the Spurs after the Bobcats bought him out, got his first start with San Antonio on Sunday in the team's win over Utah as coach Gregg Popovich continues to tinker with the lineup, notes Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News. Stephen Jackson, acquired at the trade deadline, did not play.
Magic GM Otis Smith’s Role Shrinking?
10:06am: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wonders whether Shaquille O'Neal's support for Dwight Howard is tied to his desire to become the next Magic GM. O'Neal is difficult to take seriously at times, Bianchi notes, but recalls the comments Orlando's original "Superman" had on Bianchi's radio show last week.
“I would love to be the general manager of the Orlando Magic,” O'Neal said. “(Magic CEO) Alex Martins, you’ve got my number. Call me!”
9:07am: After breaking down some second-tier free agents, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reports that Magic GM Otis Smith has been "removed from the process" with Dwight Howard, and that sources say Adonal Foyle, the Magic's director of player development, was in charge of the team's talks at the trade deadline. According to Kyler, Smith still would have to approve all transactions, but his role has been "radically scaled back."
Howard's front-office interaction comes almost exclusively with CEO Alex Martins, Kyler says. ESPN's Marc Stein wrote in his Weekend Dime that Magic executives look fondly upon Foyle and he's being groomed for a "future role of front office prominence." Kyler's report suggests he's already starting to take charge.
Just last week, we passed along a HoopsWorld report that Smith sat down with Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy, so it's clear Smith isn't completely disconnected from the team or its star player. If Kyler's report is true, though, it points to more turmoil in Orlando and greater power for Howard. While Smith, unlike Van Gundy, has not acknowledged that Howard has asked the team to fire him, reports have suggested D12 wants to be able to determine the fate of his GM as well. Regardless of who's said to be in charge, it increasingly appears as though Howard is by far the most powerful figure in Orlando.
Mavs Part Ways With Lamar Odom
The Mavs and Lamar Odom have mutually agreed to part ways, ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting. The team is not releasing him, and will simply make him inactive for the rest of the season, Stein says. That way, the Mavs can still try to trade his contract in the offseason.
Odom is scheduled to receive $8.2MM in the last year of his deal next season, but if he's released by June 29, the team that holds his rights is only on the hook for $2.4MM. The Mavs acquired Odom from the Lakers in December for a first-round pick, but his tenure in Dallas has been marked by controversy and poor play. Still, the Mavs have gone 0-7 without Odom this year, including the nearly two weeks he missed while dealing with his ailing father in late February and early March.
Odom is averaging career lows in points (6.6), rebounds (4.1), minutes (20.5), field goal percentage (35.2%) and three-point percentage (25.2%). His minutes dwindled even further in the past week, and after he played just four minutes Saturday in a loss to Memphis, both coach Rick Carlisle and Dirk Nowitzki refused to answer questions about Odom.
Odom was reportedly "desperate" to return to Los Angeles at one point this season, and another report has suggested Kobe Bryant wants the Lakers to bring him back this summer. Even if the Mavs were to formally let go of Odom, he would be ineligible to play for another team in the playoffs this year.
Odom issued a statement to ESPN.com, saying, "The Mavericks and I have mutually agreed that it's in the best interest of both parties for me to step away from the team. I'm sorry that things didn't work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs' organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship."
Thomas Robinson To Enter Draft
Kansas junior power forward Thomas Robinson will announce at a press conference today he is entering the NBA draft, Kansas coach Bill Self told Andy Katz of ESPN.com. Robinson, who measures 6'9" and 240 pounds, is slated to go second overall in NBADraft.net's latest mock, and fourth according to Draft Express and ESPN.com's Chad Ford.
He put up 17.9 PPG and 11.8 RPG for the Jayhawks, who fell in last week's national championship game to Kentucky. He trailed only Anthony Davis, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick, in voting for the Wooden Award and Associated Press Player of the Year.
In the Hoops Rumors Prospect Profile of Robinson, Daniel Seco writes that his 7'1" wingspan and rebounding ability are his greatest assets as he heads into the NBA. Ford lists his weaknesses as a lack of size (wingspan notwithstanding) and too much of an infatuation with the perimeter game.
Prospect Profile: Fab Melo
Before announcing that he would be entering the NBA Draft, the last we heard from Syracuse center Fab Melo was when he was being deemed ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. The Orangemen still made a decent run without him before falling to Ohio State in the Elite 8.
Melo makes for an interesting prospect study. His draft stock and his game would probably have benefited if he decided to return to Syracuse for his junior year. But he did enjoy a breakout season as a sophomore that resulted in him being named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Further clouding things are ineligibility questions and the fact that he is from Brazil, potentially making his thought process a bit different from your average college player.
It isn't hard to figure out Melo's primary asset. At 7-foot and 250 pounds, Melo has legitimate NBA center size. His 7-foot-3 wingspan enables him to alter shots effectively – he averaged 2.9 blocks-per-game in his sophomore season. Melo was a big recruit coming into Syracuse and was expected to contribute right away. Unfortunately, he struggled to assimilate to the college game and lacked conditioning.
Melo worked to right the latter of those issues heading into his sophomore year and it showed. He was more in shape and it helped his leaping and quickness on the defensive end both blocking shots and rebounding. Syracuse employs their famous zone defense so projecting how Melo fits in an NBA system will be crucial to teams considering him. Melo pulled down 5.8 rebounds-per-game this season, mostly through size alone. He doesn't yet have the instincts to be a volume rebounder, but again, it's hard to evaluate how he will transition from the zone. Instincts and "feel for the game" are things he has to continue to improve, but he made great strides between his freshman and sophomore seasons.
What will prevent Melo from getting anywhere near the lottery is his complete lack of an offensive game. This is clearly the last piece of his development as a player. He averaged 7.8 points as a sophomore and shot over 56 percent from the field, but most of points came on dunks and put backs from offensive boards. While his size enabled him to get by offensively at the college level, Melo has no semblance of a jumpshot and inconsistent evidence of a post game.
It's not all bad on offense for Melo though. He has shown good hands, solid footwork and a nice touch around the rim. These things suggest that there is at least some hope that through hard work, he can develop into enough of a threat on offense that it will justify him getting on the court.
Overall Melo projects as a late first round pick. He is never going to be a great offensive player, but he has the tools to impact games on the defensive end. As the saying goes, you can't teach size and Melo has it. There will always be a place for guys who can protect the rim in the NBA. Whoever takes him will be taking on a project that will require patience. As we saw in the similar case of Hasheem Thabeet, that is easier said than done.
Poll: Where Will Deron Williams End Up?
Deron Williams has made it clear he will test free agency this offseason. There will be no opting back in, unlike a certain other player we know. Williams is already talking about his options come summer and if one thing is clear, it’s that he will be the offseason’s biggest prize.
It sounds like Williams will consider resigning with the Nets if they are able to put together a contender-worthy supporting cast. Whether they are able to do that remains to be seen. So I ask the readers, where do you think Deron Williams will end up?
Feel free to offer any alternatives to options provided in the comments.
Where Will Deron Williams End Up?
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Mavericks 53% (539)
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Lakers 19% (193)
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Nets 13% (128)
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Somewhere else 10% (101)
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Blazers 3% (35)
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Pacers 3% (28)
Total votes: 1,024
Hudson May Be Playing His Way Into Contract
Lester Hudson, signed by the Cavaliers to a 10-day contract on March 30, has been excellent off the bench in the wake of Kyrie Irving's shoulder injury. According to Tom Reed and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, head coach Byron Scott told the team's front office that Hudson "was doing great."
Headed into tonight's matchup against the Nets, Hudson has averaged 10 points, 4 assists and over 3 boards in the 5 games since signing. Today is the last day of that contract and Hudson is making it hard for the Cavs not to re-up him. Hudson already has 26 points in 24 minutes on 9-of-18 shooting and just sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Reed and Schmitt think it's likely, given his performance, that Hudson gets at least another 10-day look from Cleveland.