Cavs Notes: Draft, Alonzo Gee, Harrison Barnes
The Cavaliers will have the opportunity to rebuild their roster this offseason as they currently hold the fourth and #24 picks in the upcoming NBA draft. However, the Cavs aren't content with the fourth pick as they had their eyes on the draft's top spot and are currently exploring a variety of trade opportunities. Bob Finnan of The News-Herald has the latest news and rumors out of Cleveland with the draft looming mere weeks away…
Brigham On Bobcats, Thomas Robinson, Cavs
The Bobcats suffered a setback to their offseason as they came up short on Wednesday during the NBA draft lottery and lost out on the top pick to the Hornets. Team owner Michael Jordan and his front office are now tasked with maximizing the value of the second pick in the draft especially when there are at least six prospects who could be deemed worthy of being selected after Anthony Davis come June. HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham has the latest news and rumors surrounding the draft including which player the Bobcats could take second and end up with a key piece to build around moving forward…
Trail Blazers Rumors: GM Finalists, Draft, Canales
The Trail Blazers' search for a general manager became more difficult this week as we reported on Friday that Clippers GM Neil Olshey was being retained by Los Angeles. With the draft drawing closer and the team still without a permanent head coach, the Trail Blazers are expected to make a decision on both positions in the coming weeks. CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes has the latest news and rumors from Portland that sheds light on the future of the front office and sideline…
Odds & Ends: Raptors, Bobcats, Wroten
With the eighth, 37th, and 56th selections in this upcoming NBA Draft, the Raptors could potentially draft three rookies in addition to bringing last year's draft pick, Jonas Valanciunas, into the fold for next season. Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld spoke with GM Bryan Colangelo, who is looking to explore multiple scenarios with his second round picks. Colangelo admits that bringing in three rookies may not be the best scenario, and that he will consider packaging picks in order to move up the draft board or possibly make a second round selection with the intention of developing that prospect in Europe for a few years. Here's more of what we're hearing from around the league this evening, including an update of the Bobcats head coaching search.
Fournier Won’t Participate In Draft Combine
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (via Twitter) confirmed that Evan Fournier will not participate in this year's NBA Draft combine (Fournier's agent, Bouna Ndiaye, first tweeted the news). The 19-year-old, 6'7'' wing player is currently rehabbing an ankle injury, but will still attend EuroCamp.
Fournier recently finished his second season in the Pro-A French League, averaging 14 PPG, 42.5% shooting, and 1.2 steals per game in 30 games. He is currently slotted to go #22 overall on the DraftExpress mock draft board.
Amick On Perry Jones III, Small Forwards, Plumlee
At 6'11'', 235 lbs, and the ability to play either forward position, potential-lottery pick Perry Jones III from Baylor stands out as one of the most intriguing prospects among this year's NBA Draft crop. Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated takes a closer look at Jones' draft stock, acknowledging that it can significantly change depending on the impression he makes in his upcoming workouts and interviews. Amick adds that Jones and his representatives aim to put an emphasis on his small forward skills during workouts in order to better market himself to talent evaluators. In an interview, Jones elaborated about his newfound confidence, his current training at UC Santa Barbara, and the belief that he was not properly utilized at Baylor.
Here are some more tidbits from Amick's article, including a brief rundown of this year's top small forward prospects, Miles Plumlee's workout in Minnesota, and a guard prospect from Vanderbilt to keep an eye out for…
Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Gay, Hornets, Mavs
The Spurs are two wins away from the NBA Finals. The Mavs are courting Deron Williams in an attempt to get back into championship contention. The Rockets want to make a splash by going after a star player this summer. The Grizzlies have been a playoff team for two years in a row. The Hornets have the No. 1 and the No. 10 picks in the draft. The Southwest Division could be the league's toughest next season, particularly if the Hornets can re-sign Eric Gordon. Here's what's happening around the Southwest now.
McMillan, Shaw Vying For Magic Coaching Job
4:35pm: Brian Shaw is waiting to hear from the Magic as the Bobcats are out of the picture for him, tweets Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz also tweets a quote from a league source who believes Shaw is the only coach capable of reaching Dwight Howard.
Draft Notes: Robinson, Hummel, Sixers
This year's draft is generally regarded as a deep one, but several teams outside the lottery are looking to trade their first-round picks so they can avoid making financial commitments to players who won't contribute right away, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes. That should make for an interesting month ahead as the June 28 draft approaches.
Atlantic Rumors: King, Nets, Knicks, Raptors, Nash
Last year, Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor picked up the phone to console former Sixers front-office colleague and current Nets GM Billy King on his inability to work out a deal to bring Carmelo Anthony to New Jersey. While they were on the line, King suggested a deal involving Deron Williams, and soon thereafter the blockbuster was a reality. That's just one of the tidbits that Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reveals in a must-read piece about King.