Ricky Ledo To Enter Draft
Freshman guard Ricky Ledo didn't appear in a single game for Providence College this season due to failing to meet the NCAA's academic requirements. However, despite the lack of game action, he will enter this year's NBA draft, according to Jim Donaldson of the Providence Journal.
Ledo was rated a top-25 high school prospect in 2012, and according to Donaldson, is still viewed as a player with first-round potential by NBA scouts. One veteran NBA scout confirmed as much to Joshua Newman of SNY.tv (Twitter link), suggesting that Ledo could be selected late in the first round or early in the second. Back in January, ESPN.com's Chad Ford said the 20-year-old has lottery upside, but almost certainly wouldn't be selected that high after sitting out this season. As Ford indicated, Ledo's eventual landing spot may depend in large part on his pre-draft workouts.
For a complete list of the underclassmen to declare for this year's draft, check out our list of early entrants right here.
Mark Friedman Joins Sacramento Bid For Kings
If the Sacramento investment group angling to buy the Kings is successful, business magnate Ron Burkle will no longer be a part of team ownership, but the group added another big name today. Sacramento developer Mark Friedman has joined the bid for the Kings, according to Dale Kasler and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee.
Friedman will be a part of the bid to buy the Kings and build a new arena, as well as participating in the non-arena development that has been proposed for the Downtown Plaza site. He indicated to the Bee that he has been considering joining the bid for some time, having talked to lead investors Mark Mastrov and Vivek Ranadive over the last "couple of months." While Friedman didn't specify how much he's investing in the project, he said his commitment would be "substantial."
We shared a few more of the latest updates on the Kings saga earlier today.
Draft Notes: Zeller, Ford’s Mock Draft, Bennett
With the nets in Atlanta cut down and this year's NCAA season in the books, focus now turns to which players will enter 2013's draft class and which will return to school. Here are the latest updates on what has already been a busy day for draft news:
- Indiana's Cody Zeller has scheduled a press conference tomorrow to announce whether he'll go pro or return to school, tweets Ronnie Ramos of the Indianapolis Star. I expect Zeller will enter the draft, but we'll wait for official word.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has unveiled his first official mock draft of 2013, based on the NBA's current reverse standings.
- Ford's top five includes Ben McLemore and Victor Oladipo, both of whom will announce later today that they're going pro.
- Last month, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reported that Mike George, formerly of CIA Bounce, was set to become an NBA agent. Today, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has the details on George's new role, reporting that he'll join Jeff Schwartz at Excel Sports Management. How does this relate to the draft? Surefire lottery pick Anthony Bennett of UNLV is expected to come aboard as George's first client (Twitter links).
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld examines the respective draft stocks of many of the players involved in last night's Louisville/Michigan national championship game.
D-League Moves: Jones, Lamb, Liggins, Ohlbrecht
Here are today's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb, and DeAndre Liggins have been assigned to the D-League by the Thunder, the team announced today in a press release. Jones, Lamb, and Liggins, who all rank among this season's most-assigned players, are expected to be in uniform tomorrow night when the Tulsa 66ers open up their playoff series against the Canton Charge.
Earlier updates:
- The Rockets have assigned Tim Ohlbrecht to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced today in a press release. As I noted last month, no NBA team has assigned more players to its D-League affiliate than the Rockets — Ohlbrecht becomes the eight player to be sent to Rio Grande Valley this season. The big man, who played with the Vipers for a good chunk of the season, will presumably be in uniform when the team begins its first-round playoff series with the Maine Red Claws on Thursday.
Sacramento/Seattle Updates: Tuesday
We're a little over a week away from this year's NBA's Board of Governors meetings, which will be crucial for the future of basketball in both Sacramento and Seattle, as the league's owners consider whether or not to approve the sale of the Kings to Chris Hansen's Seattle group. As a final decision continues to inch closer, let's check in on the latest developments in the saga:
- The removal of Ron Burkle from the potential Sacramento ownership group isn't viewed as a major factor, since his proposed contribution to the team and arena was relatively small, says Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com (Twitter link). Burkle's contribution and participation have "barely changed," according to Bruski (Twitter link).
- Even in a smaller role, Burkle is considered a vital participant in the development around the proposed arena, according to Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
- With Burkle taking a back seat, the Jacobs family's proposed stake in the team figures to increase. But since the NBA is confident that any of the potential investors could carry the bid on their own, shifting smaller amounts from one to another isn't a concern, says Bruski (Twitter links).
- Although it's not expected to be the deciding factor in the NBA's decision, Vivek Ranadive's presence in the Sacramento group, and his potential make an impact in India, makes him a "game-changer," one source tells Bruski (Twitter link).
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee has more on Ranadive and the NBA's interest in India.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com takes a look at how, in the future, the league can avoid another situation that pits two cities against one another in direct competition for an NBA franchise.
Draft Notes: Hairston, Burton, Wolters, Greek Freak
With a blank slate tonight in the professional ranks, expect most NBA fans to turn their attention to the NCAA title game between Michigan and Louisville. Both teams are loaded with future NBAers. Let's round up all draft-related news and notes from tonight here:
- Per the Associated Press (via ESPN), New Mexico guard Tony Snell will enter the NBA draft. There were reports a few weeks back that Snell was leaning towards the draft and on Monday he made it official, stating at an on-campus news conference, "in my heart, I feel like it's a good decision to leave now."
- Mitch McGary's NBA draft stock is soaring, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY. Quoting a pair of pro scouts, Zagoria implies that McGary needs to at least consider leaving Ann Arbor because it is unlikely that his stock will ever be this high again.
Earlier updates:
- Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports tweeted yesterday that North Carolina sophomore guard P.J. Hairston will be returning to Chapel Hill. However, Hairston's mother says that they are still in the process of making that decision, writes Andrew Carter of the Charlotte Observer. Hairston emerged as a legitimate scoring threat once he was inserted into the starting lineup for the Tar Heels in mid-February. According to Carter, Roy Williams is optimistic that Hairston, James McAdoo and Reggie Bullock will all return, though he cautioned that no announcement will be made by the school until all three decide.
- Nevada's Deonte Burton will return for his senior season, reports Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal. The point guard, who averaged 16.3 points and 3.6 assists per game as a junior for the Wolf Pack, was projected anywhere from a late second-rounder to undrafted.
- South Dakota State senior Nate Wolters has signed with agent Jared Karnes, tweets HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy, who adds that the Jack Rabbits star is expected to be an early second round pick. Wolters has been one of the best mid-major players in the country in his career, averaging 19.5, 21.2 and 22.3 points-per-game from his sophomore to senior seasons.
- Giannis Antetokoumpo, a 6-foot-10 point guard from Greece with a giant wingspan, is shooting up NBA draft boards, reports Chris Sheridan in a video courtesy of Sheridan Hoops. As we've seen, the "Greek Freak" is drawing a ton of interest from NBA teams and Sheridan opines that Antetokoumpo could end up being a lottery pick if he decides to enter this June's draft.
- Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops shares his latest NBA mock draft here, adding that Antetokoumpo could end up being this year's Bismack Biyombo.
Kevin Love To Have Left Knee Scoped
Kevin Love, who has been out for three months with a hand injury, will now undergo a "minor arthroscopic procedure" on his left knee, according to the Timberwolves Twitter feed. The procedure is intended to remove the buildup of scar tissue in the knee, according to the team, and has a typical recovery time of 4-6 weeks.
Love was expected back in March but was unable to get doctor clearance for contact. Whispers that he would be shut down until next season began to proliferate a few weeks ago and this announcement from the Wolves confirms it. The 2012-13 campaign will go down as one to forget for the 24-year-old. In only 18 games, Love averaged 18.3 points and shot a miserable 35.2 percent from the field.
In a series of tweets from the team's Twitter feed, general manager David Kahn said the following about the Love situation:
"Disappointing news, but the only course of action we could take. Kevin tried very hard to get back. It was causing him enough pain and concern that the decision was made to do it now. We waited to the last possible moment. You feel so bad for Kevin. He feels very badly about it, too. As time went on, and as he began ramping up his workout with the intent of playing, the knee started to hurt more. The knee was starting to impact the way he runs and we decided that it was time to do this now," Kahn said, adding that there is no long-term concern over the injury and that Love should be cleared for contact in June. (Full series of Twitter links here)
Odds & Ends: Mack, Suns, Favors, Smith, Dirk
While there are no games on the NBA docket tonight, there are still plenty of news items to pass along. Here are some odds and ends from around the league:
- Shelvin Mack has finally found a home in Atlanta, writes NBA.com's Jon Cooper. Mack, who re-signed with the Hawks after the expiration of his second 10-day contract on March 26, has received a bump in minutes of late and has responded with a handful of solid performances.
- Along with their own first round pick, which figures to be high, the Suns will also have another selection in round one – either the Lakers pick if they miss the playoffs or the Heat's pick if L.A. sneaks in. Jay Dieffenbach of AzCentral takes a look at the top, middle and back of the past four NBA draft's to give Suns fans an idea of what they should expect.
- Jazz big man Derrick Favors has made the most of the increased playing time that has resulted from Enes Kanter's season-ending injury, writes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune. According to Luhm, Favors is also completely settled in as a member of the Jazz after being dealt to Utah two years ago as a teenager.
- Here is a transcript of a J.R. Smith interview on ESPN Radio New York, courtesy of SportsRadioInterviews.com, within which Smith details the keys to his breakout season with the Knicks. Smith is the owner of a $2.93MM player option this offseason. If declined, he will become a free agent coming off a career year.
- In HoopsWorld's NBA PM column, Bill Ingram writes that it won't be a surprise if Dirk Nowitzki's patience runs out should the Mavericks strike out once again this offseason. Nowitzki has repeatedly professed his loyalty to the Dallas organization, despite the dismantling of the 2010-11 title team and the disappointment of what was supposed to be a huge summer in 2012. The Mavs are again ideally positioned to make an impact this summer, but it remains to be seen what players make it to free agency.
Ron Burkle Won’t Be Part Of Kings’ Ownership
5:36pm: Per NBA.com's David Aldridge, Burkle will not be directly linked with the building of a downtown arena for the Kings, but rather will only be involved in the economic development of the surrounding area. Aldridge adds that the "conflict" over Burkle's small stake came up at last week's meeting in New York City. Despite Burkle's stake being minimal, this development will increase the chances of a successful sale to the Sacramento group if the league rejects the Seattle bid because the Maloof's were uninterested in selling to Burkle "in any form." Aldridge speculates that Jacobs could step in and fill the void left by Burkle's departure from the group. (Aldridge Twitter links here)
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reminds us, via Twitter, that Burkle cannot be involved with the Kings for the same reason that Jay-Z would have to divest his ownership stake in the Nets if his newly formed agency began to represent NBA players. Here is the statement from the NBA, courtesy of Sports Business Journal's Liz Mullen on Twitter:
"Ron Burkle is no longer part of the Sacramento group because his ownership interest in Relativity Media which has a division that represents NBA players – would violate NBA rules."
3:44pm: Ron Burkle, one of the investors in the Sacramento group trying to keep the Kings in the city, won't take an ownership stake in the franchise if Sacramento keeps the team, according to Dale Kasler and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. Due to a conflict of interest, Burkle will instead focus exclusively on building a downtown arena for the team.
A source tells Kasler and Lillis that NBA officials expressed concern about a potential conflict of interest for Burkle last week, since he is a part-owner of Relativity Sports. Relativity, the home of prominent NBA agents Dan Fegan and Happy Walters, represents Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, and John Wall, among other NBA stars.
With Burkle removed from the ownership picture, Mark Mastrov, Vivek Ranadive, and the Jacobs family (led by Paul Jacobs) will head the group. According to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), the development doesn't hurt Sacramento's pitch to the NBA; in fact, it could be a positive sign for Sacramento that the league went to "great lengths" to resolve the potential conflict.
Jason Collins Wants To Return To Celtics
Jason Collins enjoyed his time in Boston and Celtics coach Doc Rivers never wanted to let him go, but his tenure with the C's came to an end this season when the club had to acquire backcourt help in the wake of injuries to Rajon Rondo and Leandro Barbosa. He declined to comment when asked if he wanted a buyout of his deal in order to finish his career with a contender, but said he told Michael Lee of the Washington Post that he would "definitely" consider signing with Boston next season.
"[I] might put a no-trade clause in there," joked Collins, who was traded to Washington after Chris Wilcox refused to forfeit his Bird rights to facilitate the deal. "What an honor it was to play for a great organization that has so much history. Great group of guys in that locker room. The leadership with Doc, [Kevin Garnett] and [Paul] Pierce. Nothing but good memories."
For his career, Collins has averaged 3.6 PPG and 3.8 RPG while providing tough, physical defense off the bench. The big man will be a free agent this summer after earning the veteran's minimum for 2012/13.
Though he's far from a star player, Collins is accustomed to winning in his NBA career after time with Boston and the Jason Kidd-led Nets. For his part, Rivers says that he wouldn't mind having Collins back in green and white.