Poll: Who Will Be The Number One Pick?
Now that the college basketball season is officially over, who do you think will be selected with the number one overall pick in this summer’s draft?
Odds & Ends: Gasol, Harris, Zeller, Machado
A few random notes from around the NBA:
- In an interview with 710 ESPN Radio in Los Angeles, Pau Gasol says he'd like to stay with the Lakers long-term but understands why his name is always popping up in trade rumors, writes L.A. Times reporter Eric Pincus.
- Second year Magic forward Tobias Harris reflects on the new opportunity he's had since being involved in a mid-season trade from the Bucks for J.J. Redick, writes Orlando Sentinel reporter Brian Schmitz.
- Cavaliers forward Tyler Zeller isn't sure what his younger brother, Cody Zeller, is going to announce at his press conference, but wouldn't be surprised if the potential lottery pick decides to go back to school, reports the Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Mary Schmitt-Boyer.
- Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser wonders if some other NBA teams may have been interested in Scott Machado before he was plucked by the Warriors.
Western Notes: Mavericks, Warriors, Dragic
A few notes from around the NBA's Western Conference on this Tuesday night.
- Dallas Morning News reporter Eddie Sefko believes the Mavericks need to target a big man with their cap space this summer. The wish list includes Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Andrew Bynum, and Nikola Pekovic.
- MercuryNews.com columnist Mark Purdy writes that Warriors general manager Bob Myers is always thinking about the future as much as he's thinking about the present.
- The Suns are headed for what will likely be their worst record since their very first year in the league, back in 1968/69, but last summer's major free agent signing, Goran Dragic, has been a silver lining for the team, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Rick Adelman Considering Retirement
Last week, Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman won his 1000th game, joining an extremely small group filled with some of the best coaches in basketball history.
But according to NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper, Adelman is likely to retire during the offseason if doctors aren't able to make a diagnosis and then successfully treat his wife's ongoing illness.
Adelman took a leave of absence from the team earlier this season, and says he won't do the same thing again next season, despite having two more years left on his contract.
Hickson, Trail Blazers Likely To Part Ways
According to a report from The Oregonian's Jason Quick, the Trail Blazers and center J.J. Hickson, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, will part ways at the end of the season.
With roughly $11.8MM in cap space this summer, Portland is preparing to spend it on a defensive-minded starting center. Hickson isn't that player, according to the team's general manager Neil Olshey.
“For us to make a jump next season, J.J. can’t be our starting center,’’ he said. “I’m not saying he can’t be part of the roster. But we need to find a starting-caliber center who protects the rim and gets defensive rebounds at a high rate and that has a presence. And we have to do a better job at defending the paint. So you have to ask: Is it likely there is enough minutes to commit the kind of dollars J.J. will command, when clearly there are other positions that need to be upgraded? Probably not.’’
Conversely, Hickson would like to be a starter somewhere, and at just 24 years old he'll also be looking for a pay grade increase from the $4MM he's making this season.
Introducing The Hoops Rumors Agency Database
Hoops Rumors is proud to introduce our brand new Agency Database. Over the last several months, we have attempted to identify and confirm the representation for each current NBA player, as well as many players who have appeared in the league recently and others who will enter this year's draft.
Our Agency Database can be found anytime on the right sidebar under the "Hoops Rumors Features" menu. It can also be sorted and filtered by player, team, and agency to easily find a variety of information.
We are continuing to work toward making the database 100% complete and accurate, so if you have any corrections or omissions, please email us at hoopsdatabase@gmail.com.
Eastern Links: Randolph, Jay-Z, Maxiell, Casey
After a very productive year in China, Shavlik Randolph is playing some of the best ball of his NBA career for the Celtics, but as he tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, he's not about to take his current role for granted.
"I’m not the kind of player who can even think about relaxing," Randolph said. "I’m not really gifted enough or talented enough to relax and still go out there and perform. Some guys are, but I’m not. And, look, this can all change in any game. Washington played big (in Sunday’s win by the Celtics), so we needed size. Maybe that got me more time. But I’m going to be ready whatever my role is."
Here's more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Jay-Z has begun the process of selling his small share of the Nets in order to be able to become a certified NBA agent, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, rival agents are anxious about the rapper's ability to attract top prospects and current stars, given his cultural standing.
- With Jason Maxiell facing unrestricted free agency this summer, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press suggests that the forward has likely played his last game with the Pistons. Maxiell, an eight-year veteran, has spent his entire NBA career with the club.
- One of basketball's newest Hall-of-Famers, Gary Payton, tells Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun that he thinks it's unfair to consider Raptors head coach Dwane Casey as on the hot seat. "I think he shouldn’t be under fire, but that’s just the way business goes," Payton said. "I think he understands that and I think he’ll be fine. Give him one more year, ’til you let Rudy [Gay] be there for a whole year and see what happens."
- In his latest piece for the Sporting News, Sean Deveney names the Bucks, Hawks, and Cavaliers as a few teams that could be hunting for a new head coach this summer.
- Writing for SheridanHoops.com, Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com wonders if Yi Jianlian could help a playoff-bound NBA team, listing the Celtics, Pacers, and Knicks among the potential fits.
Victor Oladipo To Enter Draft
3:20pm: Oladipo has officially announced his intent to enter the draft at this afternoon's press conference.
11:41am: ESPN.com's Chad Ford reported earlier today that Ben McLemore is expected to announce his decision to go pro this afternoon, but McLemore isn't the only likely lottery pick that will declare his intent today. According to Ford, (via Twitter) Indiana's Victor Oladipo will also officially enter the draft today at a 3pm CT press conference. Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com confirms Ford's report (via Twitter).
Oladipo, 20, averaged 13.6 PPG on 59.9% shooting in his junior year on a stacked Indiana team. Ranked as 2013's sixth-best prospect by Ford, Oladipo saw the No. 1 seeded Hoosiers fall to Syracuse in this year's NCAA tournament, but provided some late-game heroics a round earlier against Temple, when his late three-pointer sealed a victory for Indiana.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined Oladipo's draft stock last month.
Russ Smith To Enter Draft
3:12pm: Echoing his father's comments, Smith confirmed on SiriusXM radio today that he will enter the NBA draft, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
8:38am: Although junior guard Russ Smith didn't have his best game on Monday night, shooting just 3-of-16 from the floor, his Louisville Cardinals held on to top Michigan and win the national championship. And according to his father, Russ Smith Sr., that'll be the perfect note on which to end his collegiate career.
"When you go out, you want to go out with a national championship," Smith Sr. told SI.com's Michael Rosenberg. "He's got five rings: back-to-back Big East, back-to-back Final Four, national championship. What other way to go out?"
Asked specifically whether his son would be turning pro, Smith Sr. replied, "He's gone."
Assuming Smith does officially declare his intent for June's draft, he's a good bet to be drafted, albeit not necessarily in the first round. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com currently ranks him as the 39th-best prospect on the board, while ESPN.com's Chad Ford has him at No. 49. The 21-year-old averaged 18.7 PPG for Louisville in his junior year.
Ben McLemore To Enter Draft
2:50pm: McLemore has officially announced that he'll declare for this year's draft, as Ford tweets.
11:20am: Ben McLemore has a press conference schedule for 2:30pm CT today, at which point he is expected to announce that he'll enter this year's NBA draft, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
It comes as no surprise that the 20-year-old guard will go pro after just one season at Kansas. Projected as a lock to be a top-five pick in June, draft pundits have suggested McLemore could even go as high as first overall, depending on which team lands the No. 1 pick.
In his lone season with the Jayhawks, McLemore averaged 15.9 PPG on .495/.420/.870 shooting. He struggled in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, making just two of his 14 shots from the field, but looked good in the team's overtime loss to Michigan, scoring 20 points and making four three-pointers.
Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors profiled McLemore as a draft prospect in March.