Draft Rumors: Napier, Age Limit, Stauskas
Tim Kawakami of Bay Area News Group disagrees with the notion that a player like Aaron Gordon of Arizona should stay longer in college to develop his game. Kawakami argues that a player can develop their skill just as well or better in the NBA, but does think that personal maturation can be a benefit of staying in school longer. Here’s more on the draft:
- Kawakami also clarifies that the league’s proposal to raise the age limit to 20 years old would also restrict players less than two years removed from high school from entering the draft. This would truly end the one-and-done process bemoaned by many.
- Kawakami doesn’t see the value in such a proposal, writing that depriving the NBA from an extra year of transcendent talents like Anthony Davis is too high a price to pay to get an extra year of evaluation on potential draft busts.
- Scouts tell Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News that Michigan’s Nik Stauskas is comparable to a taller, more athletic J.J. Redick (Twitter link).
- A panel of Basketball Insiders writers all believe tanking in the NBA is an issue.
- A veteran NBA scout tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that UConn’s Shabazz Napier is a first round talent. Napier is currently projected by both DraftExpress’s Jonathan Givony and ESPN Insider Chad Ford to go in the second round.
- In the same article, former and current UConn coaches tell Zagoria that it isn’t fair to compare Napier to Kemba Walker, who won a championship with UConn while Napier was a freshman.
Cavs Won’t Re-Sign Seth Curry
A source tells Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beach Journal that the Cavs will not re-sign Seth Curry to a second 10-day contract (Twitter link). The rookie point guard’s current 10-day deal with Cleveland expires today, and he will again become a free agent. Curry only appeared in one game for the Cavs, racking up 3 points, 2 steals, and 1 rebound in 9 minutes of action.
Curry’s only other time in the NBA this season came on a non-guaranteed contract with the Grizzlies, which Memphis eventually waived. Curry only saw the floor once in Memphis as well. The younger brother of Warriors star Steph Curry has averaged 19.4 points and 5.9 assists per game in the D-League while trying to earn his way into the NBA.
The Octagon Sports client will look to catch on with another team and prove his worth. The Cavs appeared to be a better opportunity for Curry to play considering their dwindling playoff hopes and an injury to starting poing guard Kyrie Irving, but the team has hung around in the playoff race behind strong play from both Dion Waiters and Jarrett Jack at the point. Coach Mike Brown said he felt no obligation to offer minutes to young players in need of development, which proved true in the case of Curry.
Knicks Notes: Love, Calipari, Stoudemire
Yesterday we learned that Kevin Love still considers the Knicks an appealing destination, and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com looks ahead to the summer of 2015 to see what kind of fit Love might have within New York’s roster and salary cap. Here’s more from New York:
- Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com wonders whether it would be worth it for new Knicks president Phil Jackson to commit to a full-on tanking effort next year, citing some Sixers fans’ patience with Philadelphia’s rebuilding process despite their ugly losing streak.
- A friend of Kentucky coach John Calipari tells Steve Serby of The New York Post that Calipari hasn’t indicated that he’s looking for an NBA job, but Serby thinks the Knicks should pursue him anyway.
- The Knicks didn’t expect much from Amar’e Stoudemire this season and acquired Andrea Bargnani as frontcourt insurance in a costly trade, but the former All-Star tells Al Iannazzone of Newsday that he’s had more hope about his long-term health than many of his doubters. “Last year was a very frustrating year. Knowing how much I trained and worked on being a dominant player and then receiving those injuries and coming off the bench, it was one of the hardest years I’ve endured in my career,” Stoudemire said. “I still stayed positive, I stayed optimistic about things and I’ve been an example for a lot of the youth out there that no matter what the situation might be, always continue to work. You have the goals in mind and you know what type of player you want to become; just keep working.”
Hoops Rumors Originals
Let’s round up the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this week:
- Have a look at the important deadlines for this year’s draft, courtesy of Chuck Myron.
- We’ll be keeping track of all of this year’s early entrants.
- Chuck took a look at Greg Monroe‘s free agent stock.
- Zach Links examined Kris Humphries‘ stock as a free agent.
- Eddie Scarito profiled Arizona stud Aaron Gordon.
- I profiled Duke’s Jabari Parker.
- Eddie explored Noah Vonleh‘s potential.
- Keep track of this year’s prospect profiles right here.
- Be sure to check out Chuck’s weekly chat if you missed it.
- Review our commenting policy, and remember to play nice.
Warriors Sign Armstrong To 10-Day Contract
4:38pm: The Warriors have officially announced the signing.
11:20am: The Warriors have signed Santa Cruz center Hilton Armstrong to a 10-day contract, bringing him back to the team at a time when they are short on big men heading into today’s game against the Knicks, reports Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group. Armstrong, 29, played in eight games for Golden State this season and will be on his third stint with the team. He previously was signed in December before being waived later that month. In February, he signed a 10-day contract with the Warriors and returned to Santa Cruz after it expired and the team chose not to re-sign him.
Starting center Andrew Bogut was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam Saturday after suffering a pelvic contusion the previous night in a win against Memphis. and power forward David Lee is also questionable to face New York due to a strained right hamstring suffered eight days ago in a loss to the Spurs.
Armstrong averaged 12 PPG and 7.4 RPG in 32 appearances for Santa Cruz and had 19 points and 13 rebounds in a loss at Los Angeles on Saturday. For the year, Armstrong has averaged 0.8 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 4.4 minutes per contest with Golden State.
Cavs Rumors: Draft, Irving, Bynum
It’s becoming increasingly less likely that the Cavs play their way into the East’s eighth and final playoff spot. If they fail to sneak into the postseason, they’ll find themselves in the lottery again for the fourth straight year. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal thinks it’s definitely possible that the Cavs ship off their first-rounder this offseason in an attempt to score some valuable assets that would help make an immediate impact. Here’s more on the Cavs:
- Lloyd doesn’t rule out the notion that Kyrie Irving could be traded this summer but says it’s only likely to happen if the All-Star point guard rejects an extension, which would signal he didn’t want to be in Cleveland anyway. Irving’s rookie deal expires after the 2014/15 campaign, and he becomes eligible to sign an extension this summer.
- Mike Brown admits he was disappointed that Andrew Bynum didn’t fit into the Cavs’ plans, reveals Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. “Any time something doesn’t work out, you’re disappointed… You want every move you make to work out,” Brown said. “Sometimes it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t you have to move on in the next best way you can.’‘
- Fellow Plain Dealer scribe Bill Livingston opines that the Cavs’ best bet is to continue losing and get a high lottery pick to turn their franchise around. This season’s especially deep draft class should provide even more incentive to land a high pick, suggests Livingston.
Week In Review: 3/24/14 – 3/30/14
The Sixers put a stop to their extended losing streak last night, besting the Pistons 123-98. Philly’s historical 26-game skid ties them with the 2010/11 Cavs for the NBA record of most consecutive losses. Here’s more from the week that was:
- We heard Dario Saric was going to forego the draft and sign in Europe. His former agent disagreed with the decision, but word now is Saric’s likely to declare.
- Noah Vonleh says he’ll declare for this year’s draft.
- Count Vasilije Micic in for the draft as well.
- T.J. Warren is heading for the NBA too.
- JaKarr Sampson will leave SJU and put his name in the draft.
- Montrezl Harrell, Rodney Hood, and Juwan Staten are entering the draft too.
- Artem Klimenko will also enter the draft.
- R.J. Hunter is staying at Georgia State.
- Mark Jackson sought a coaching gig with both the Clippers and Nets.
- Despite the controversy, Jackson isn’t worried about an extension with the Warriors.
- There’s mutual interest between Mike D’Antoni and Marshall.
- French center Mouhammadou Jaiteh entered his name in the draft.
- The Nets want to re-sign Paul Pierce.
- The Kings held off on re-signing Royce White.
- Chris Bosh said he and LeBron James would be in Miami next season.
- The Pistons are getting their own D-League club.
- It’s likely the Pistons will go after Tom Izzo.
- D.J. Stephens got a second 10-day deal from the Bucks.
- It looked like the Kings were set to sign Chris Johnson, but the deal fell through.
- Rodrigue Beaubois will play in Belgium.
- Metta World Peace wants to re-join the Knicks.
- We heard Joel Embiid would officially declare for the draft this week, but he says he still hasn’t made up his mind.
- The Spurs 2013 first-rounder, Livio Jean-Charles, will stay overseas next season.
- James Nunnally hooked on with the Sixers for a second 10-day pact.
- Tyler Ennis is moving on from Syracuse for the draft.
- Kyle Anderson will enter his name in the draft, as will his teammate Zach LaVine.
- Reggie Williams got a second 10-day contract from the Thunder.
- Willie Reed signed with the Kings for the remainder of the year.
- Semaj Christon will leave Xavier for the draft.
- Steve Kerr is the frontrunner to get the Knicks coaching gig.
- LaQuinton Ross will be entering the draft.
- Shane Battier is almost certainly going to retire after this season.
- Kevin Love is interested in the Bulls.
- The Nets inked Jorge Gutierrez to a two-year deal.
- Josh Powell will play in the Philippines.
- The Warriors are bringing in Hilton Armstrong on a 10-day deal.
- We heard Patrick Beverley was likely sidelined for the year, but he believes he might be able to return.
- The Bucks opted not to re-sign Chris Wright to a second 10-day deal.
- The Sixers inked Casper Ware to a second 10-day pact.
- Sasha Vujacic signed in Italy.
- The Pelicans confirmed Ryan Anderson would miss the remainder of the season.
Draft Notes: Staten, Gordon, Wiggins, Parker
Juwan Staten is going to return to West Virginia for his senior year, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Staten’s father, Billy, told ESPN.com that Staten, who averaged 18.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 5.8 APG, that his son would come back to Morgantown. Staten had started his college career at Dayton before transferring to West Virginia after his freshman season. He averaged 7.6 PPG as a sophomore, but had a breakout campaign this past season, writes Goodman. Chad Ford of ESPN.com had Staten slotted as a late second round pick or going undrafted in June.
More from the college ranks:
- Barring a last second change of heart, Arizona freshman Aaron Gordon is likely to declare for the NBA Draft, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Gordon is currently ranked seventh on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s Big Board, and you can check out our prospect profile on Gordon here.
- Spears also ran down his top ten NBA prospects that competed in the NCAA Tournament in a separate article.
- Andrew Wiggins‘ last game wasn’t a very impressive performance. He only scored four points, and made one out of six shot attempts. Tom Moore of Calkins Media doesn’t think it will hurt Wiggins’ draft stock amongst NBA scouts. Moore believes the player will be judged on his overall body of work and future potential. The article uses the final game of Michael Carter-Williams as an example, where the potential Rookie of the Year only scored two points and missed five of six shots. If you want a better look at Wiggins, you can check out his prospect profile.
- Another player we have profiled, Jabari Parker, might not enter the draft this year despite being a guaranteed top three selection. If he doesn’t, it will weaken this year’s draft significantly, as well as lower the margin for error for teams picking in the lottery, writes Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News.
Prospect Profile: Noah Vonleh
Underclassmen are expected to dominate the lottery of the upcoming 2014 NBA draft. On Monday, Indiana freshman Noah Vonleh officially announced his intention to be one of them. This will make Vonleh the first player under Tom Crean to leave Indiana for the NBA after his freshman season. The last Hoosier to be “one-and-done” was Eric Gordon back in 2007.
Vonleh’s decision to enter the draft was widely expected. The 2013 McDonalds All-American came to Bloomington with his eyes on joining the NBA, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo, two former Hoosiers who were selected in the top four of last year’s NBA draft. Only 18 years old and with the skills to play the three and four, Vonleh is expected to have plenty of teams interested in him leading up to the draft. In recent mock drafts, Draft Express has him being taken sixth, CBSSports.com has him fifth, HoopsHype has him going sixth, and he sits at #7 on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s “Big Board”.
Despite Indiana’s (17-15) struggles this season, Vonleh managed to shine, although he was never the focal point of the team’s offense. Vonleh was only utilized in 22% of his team’s offensive possessions. He averaged 11.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 0.6 APG, and 1.4 BPG in 26.5 minutes per game. His slash line was .523/.485/.716.
While being recruited, Vonleh was listed at 6’8” and only weighing anywhere from 210-215 pounds. At that point, most scouts were predicting that his most probable future position would either be at small or power forward, but after just one year at Indiana, he’s put on 30 pounds. and also grown two inches. Now, according to Draft Express, he’s 6’10” and weighs 242 pounds, and has a 7’3″ wingspan. He still projects as a power forward, but could play center for stretches against teams with smaller lineups.
One of Vonleh’s biggest strengths right now is rebounding. He averaged 9.0 RPG which led the Big 10. Thanks to his tremendous wingspan and athleticism, Vonleh is able to move out of his area to chase down a lot of balls, and he’s particularly good as an offensive rebounder. At this stage of his development many of his baskets come off of misses near the hoop. Another aspect of Vonleh’s game scouts are in love with is his hustle. He’s not afraid to hit the deck for a loose ball, and he’s a very unselfish and team-oriented player, which is sometimes rare for young, heralded prospects like him. He’s also known as a gym rat and responds well to coaching, both of which are required for young players to achieve their full-potential.
Vonleh also looks very promising on the defensive end. He’s not afraid to bang in the post, and he’s able to get a lot of blocks thanks to his size and hands. He also has a lot of potential as a perimeter defender because of his wingspan and quickness. Vonleh can defend about any frontcourt position effectively. His defensive win shares was 2.0, good for ninth in the Big Ten, and his defensive rating was 91.7, good for fourth in the conference.
Offensively, Vonleh is much more of a work in progress. He still needs to expand and improve his overall offensive arsenal if he wants to become an effective scorer in the NBA. Most of his baskets right now come down near the hoop on drive-and-dish plays or off of misses, which is where his offensive rebounding skills come into play. As of now, Vonleh doesn’t have a go-to post move, but this isn’t that unusual for a player of his youth. In high school, Vonleh spent a lot of time playing on the perimeter where he dominated on straight line-drives to the hoop. He has also shown some potential with his jump shot. His form and mechanics could use some refining, but with proper coaching and effort he could become a decent jump shooter in the near future. Vonleh has shown the ability to knock down three-pointers, converting on 16 of 33 attempts. It’s his inside-outside potential that could make him an offensive threat in the league.
Vonleh has the tools to play a significant role in the NBA for many years to come, but it will likely take a few years before he can accurately be gauged as to whether or not he has the skill-level, assertiveness and offensive upside needed to develop into a star. But his size, length, and rebounding prowess, coupled with the fact that he won’t turn 19 until late August, will almost certainly mean that a team with a lottery pick will be happy to select him and wait to see how he develops in the NBA. His ceiling has been said to be comparable to Chris Bosh or possibly Al Horford. If he can approach the production of either player, whichever team drafts him will consider it a pick well spent. My best estimate is that he is off the board before Julius Randle (profiled here), and is taken in the four to six range.
Western Notes: Stotts, Gasol, O’Neal
Terry Stotts is on the last year of his contract, and management hasn’t said whether he’ll be back for a third season on the Blazers’ bench, writes Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News. Stotts’ staff is not feeling very good about their chances of returning after sliding down to fifth place in the West and in danger of finishing even lower, reports Lawrence. Since starting the season atop the West by winning 33 of their 44 games, the Blazers have been sub-.500, losing 16 of their last 29 games entering the weekend. In six seasons as a head coach with the Hawks, Bucks, and Blazers, Stotts has a record of 195-244.
More from the west:
- Robert Sacre is often overlooked when the Lakers future is discussed, even though he’s one of only four players under contract after June, but he might become an integral part of the team going forward, writes Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times.
- Pau Gasol told Marca.com (translation by Orazio Cauchi of Sportando) that he might stay with the Lakers after this season. His contract is set to expire after the season ends. Gasol said, “My priority is basketball. I want to be on a team with real chances of winning the championship next season. I don’t rule out staying in Los Angeles if the circumstances are appropriate.“
- Warriors veteran big man Jermaine O’Neal called any talk of firing coach Mark Jackson “ridiculous” and “unfair”, and said that if he plays another season it will be because of Jackson, writes Diamond Leung of The San Jose Mercury News. O’Neal said, “The No. 1 reason that I will come back and play another year is because of Coach Jackson. I’m absolutely, 100 percent positive about that. He makes it easy to come in this gym every day, and there’s not a lot of coaches that do that.” He also mentioned that he would choose Golden State despite the distance from family because Jackson has shown just how much he cares about his players, writes Leung.