Myles Turner Announces He’s Entering Draft
Texas freshman center Myles Turner has decided to enter the draft, as he announced in a YouTube video (hat tip to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com). The 19-year-old is a lottery prospect, checking in 10th in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings and 12th on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress list.
The 6’11” Turner blocked an eye-popping 2.6 shots per contest this season, but he otherwise didn’t put up impressive numbers for the Longhorns, posting just 10.1 points and 6.5 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game. Still, Ford and Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM pinned blame for Turner’s shortcomings on Texas coach Rick Barnes, who’s since been fired.
Turner helped the school to an 11th seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Turner had just two points to go along with 10 rebounds off the bench as Texas lost its first game of the tournament to Butler. The Texas native was No. 6 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index coming out of high school last year, but his stock didn’t change much over the course of his lone college season, as Ford had him ninth prior to tipoff while Givony had him 16th. Turner will take a while to develop in the NBA and his odd style of running is an injury concern, but the rangy scorer has too much upside for lottery teams to ignore, writes Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors in our most recent Draft Prospect Power Rankings.
Western Notes: Beverley, Nuggets, Kanter
Rockets coach Kevin McHale told reporters, including Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, that injured point guard Patrick Beverley will “probably” miss the rest of the season. Beverley tore ligaments in his left wrist in a game against the Pacers on Monday. Beverley has been seeking opinions of specialists to determine whether he can play with the injury or would need surgery, Feigen added. Multiple sources close to the situation told Feigen on Sunday that no decision has been made.
Here’s more on the Rockets and the Western Conference:
- Rockets rookie Nick Johnson has seen an uptick in minutes because of injuries like Beverley’s and his role in the point guard rotation will likely continue, Feigen writes in a separate story.
- Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post believes the Nuggets could make a run at acquiring Nets big man Brook Lopez after the season if Lopez decides to opt out of his $16.7MM player option for the 2015/16 season. The Nets reportedly made attempts to trade Lopez at the deadline. The Nuggets had interest in landing Lopez before the deadline, Dempsey added.
- Enes Kanter, who will become a restricted free agent this summer, is back to enjoying basketball because the Thunder have the big man playing to his strengths, Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. Kanter was traded from the Jazz, at his request, in a deadline-day move. Kanter is averaging 17.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 17 games with the Thunder as opposed to 13.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game in 49 games with the Jazz earlier this season. Elhassan writes that the improved production with the Thunder is a result of fewer spot-up opportunities in Oklahoma City, more offensive rebound opportunities and a much higher pick-and-roll efficiency.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Aldemir, Smart
The Knicks were ranked last in the ESPN Forecast panel’s ranking of the league’s front offices. The management team of Phil Jackson and Steve Mills was ranked 29th; coach Derek Fisher was ranked 30th and owner James Dolan also came in at No. 30. Good times might be on the horizon, however, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes in his analysis of the panel’s rankings. The Knicks will have at least $25MM to spend and could have a high first-round pick in this year’s draft, Begley noted while also adding that things could also change because Dolan is a willing spender.
Here’s more on the Knicks and the Atlantic Division:
- It would be unwise for the Knicks to sign Kevin Durant when the reigning MVP is expected to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News opines. Isola believes that acquiring the superstar would be a risk the Knicks cannot afford to take, especially after the Thunder announced Durant will need another surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot and will miss the rest of the season.
- Furkan Aldemir, a native of Turkey who is in the first year of a four-year deal worth about $12MM with the Sixers, has struggled to adapt to life in the NBA, but is expected to get more playing time as the season winds down, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News writes. Aldemir, 23, has played in five straight games.
- Clippers president of basketball operations and coach Doc Rivers is reminded of himself — albeit a better version, he said — when he watches Celtics rookie point guard Marcus Smart, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “He’s a really good defensive player,” said Rivers, who played 13 seasons in the NBA. “On the ball, off the ball. Yet he’s making plays offensively. I like him a lot.”
And-Ones: Lakers, Robinson, Draft
Opposing players, according to Byron Scott, have told the Lakers head coach that they’d love to play in the purple-and-gold, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Scott would not name any players because of tampering rules and did not say how many potential free agents expressed interest to him in joining the Lakers, Medina noted. Still, Scott believes the Lakers “will have a real good summer,” in terms of free agency, according to Medina.
“You have a lot of free agents out there who would love to play for us. They’ve been making it pretty clear,” Scott said. “You have guys during the games come by the bench saying, ‘Hey Coach, I would love to be in L.A. next year.’ That makes you feel good there are players out there that want to be here. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we’re taking it in a different direction. They know this organization and the history of the organization is going to be back.”
Here’s more from around the NBA:
- There’s still a chance that the Clippers could sign Nate Robinson for the rest of the season after a 10-day evaluation of Lester Hudson, according to Arash Markazi of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Naturally, their decision on what to do with Robinson will hinge heavily on how Hudson performs.
- France’s Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot said he would withdraw his name from the 2015 Draft if he deems workouts with teams after the NBA season unsuccessful, as he told the French outlet Be Basket and as Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia transcribes. The 19-year-old is averaging 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 19 minutes per contest for the Olympique Antibes, according to Carchia. The swingman announced in February he planned to enter this year’s draft.
- Daemen College big man Gerald Beverly, who was recently named a Division II All-American, signed with agent Roger Montgomery of the Montgomery Sports Group, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Hoops Links: Celtics, Hezonja, Love
On this date in 1996, the Jazz beat the (Vancouver) Grizzlies, 105-91, increasing the Grizzlies’ record losing streak to 20 games. Vancouver would extend its losing streak to an NBA record 23 games. The 23-game mark would later be tied by the Nuggets during the 1997/98 season and eclipsed by the 2010/11 Cavs and last season’s Sixers, who each lost 26 straight games.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…
- Posterized Basketball looked at the surprising Celtics.
- Road To The Association previewed Mario Hezonja.
- Legion Report looked at Kevin Love‘s upcoming free agency decision.
- House Of Houston is glad that Dwight Howard won’t make James Harden change his game.
- Green Street says the C’s can make some real noise in the playoffs.
- Slam Dunk Zone looked at lottery teams with bright futures.
- Hoops In The Holland House checked the panic meter.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Magic To Seek Extension With Rob Hennigan
The Magic will soon attempt to try and extend GM Rob Hennigan‘s contract beyond the 2015/16 season, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins cited an industry source with knowledge of the team’s plans in his story. Contract talks between the team and Hennigan or his agent will likely occur when the season ends, Robbins reports.
The DeVos family, which owns the team, and CEO Alex Martins are “pleased” with the job Hennigan has done since the 33-year-old was hired in June 2012, Robbins added. According to Robbins, Martins believes it’s dangerous to have such an important executive be a lame-duck because uncertainty about job status can lead to risky decisions for short-term gains. When the team originally hired Hennigan, it signed him to a three-year deal with a team option for a fourth year. The team exercised its option for the 2015/16 season last May.
In his first big move, Hennigan shipped superstar Dwight Howard to the Lakers in a four-team deal that netted the Magic Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless and Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Josh McRoberts, a first-round draft pick in 2014 and conditional future draft picks. An important aspect of the trade was who the Magic actually didn’t get in return. Hennigan declined an offer that would have included Andrew Bynum, a player with a long injury history. The decision to pass on Bynum proved to be wise, as Robbins wrote in the aforementioned story.
During the 2014 Draft, Hennigan pulled the trigger on a trade that brought in exceptional rookie point guard Elfrid Payton. The GM would have his hands full this summer because the team is in need of a head coach after firing Jacque Vaughn. Making things more interesting for the rebuilding franchise that won’t make the playoffs is that emerging star Tobias Harris could become a restricted free agent this summer. Either way, the Magic also seem likely to be active in free agency, Robbins reports. If the team doesn’t keep Ben Gordon, Willie Green and Luke Ridnour, and if the salary cap for next season is set at $68MM, the Magic would have almost $17MM in cap space if it receives the fifth overall pick, Robbins noted.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Whiteside, Jefferson
Better late than never. Over the weekend, Shaquille O’Neal expressed regret about the way he left the Magic nearly two decades ago. “We won games and then I made a business decision,” O’Neal said, according to Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press. “It’s never personal. The [team owner Rich] DeVos family knows that. And I accomplished [a championship] somewhere else. It’s not like I didn’t think they weren’t going to be upset or anything. But it’s business. It was all business. Do I regret it? I never fully answer it. I regret it sometimes. Is this where I started and should have stayed? I actually wish they made it a law that whoever drafts you, you gotta stay there your whole career.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division..
- The Heat are concerned that Hassan Whiteside could miss significant time thanks to a hand injury, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald writes. The big man split his right hand between his forefinger and ring finger during the Heat’s game against the Bucks on Tuesday and his injury required 10 stitches. There is no timetable for Whiteside’s return, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the team’s center likely would be back for the playoffs.
- Signing Al Jefferson in the summer of 2013 has been a big reason for the Hornets‘ turn toward credibility, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders writes. In fact, helping them shed their old losing image is part of what motivated him to join Charlotte in the first place. “That’s most definitely the reason why I came here,” Jefferson said. “I saw the young talent that this team had with Kemba Walker and [Michael Kidd-Gilchrist] and Bismack Biyombo, but the main reason I came here was the coach. When Steve Clifford got the job, just sitting down talking to him on my visit, I knew that he was coming here to turn things around. I just wanted to be a part of that.“
- The Heat‘s Henry Walker (who formerly went by the name Bill Walker), after years of battling adversity, has earned the confidence of coach Erik Spoelstra, who has started him seven times and given him regular minutes at both forward positions, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes in a profile of the player. Miami signed Walker to two 10-day contracts, and then eventually to a longer deal which was a two-year, minimum salary arrangement, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). He is averaging 7.9 points and 3.6 assists per game.
Will Joseph contributed to this post.
Knicks Sign Ricky Ledo To Second 10-Day
The Knicks announced that they have signed Ricky Ledo to another 10-day pact, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets. Ledo signed his first 10-day with New York on March 19th.
Ledo was waived by the Mavs around the trade deadline to make room for Amar’e Stoudemire. He only appeared in five games with Dallas this season, spending the lion’s share of his time with the Texas Legends, the club’s D-League affiliate. The 22-year-old guard has seen 18.6 minutes per game with the Knicks across his five contests in New York, averaging 7.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG.
As Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) pointed out when Ledo was signed to his first 10-day pact, the guard’s presence decreases the likelihood of Thanasis Antetokounmpo being added to the Knicks’ roster in 2014/15. The athletic prospect has been playing for the team’s D-League affiliate in Westchester and has yet to be called up to the main roster, even though the Knicks are clearly playing with the future in mind.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Crowder, Lopez
The Knicks made the kind of history on Saturday that Phil Jackson probably wants no part of, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. The Knicks dropped their 60th game of the season against the Bulls on Saturday night, the highest loss total in the team’s 69-year history. The “good” news, meanwhile, is that the Knicks own the worst record in the NBA with a few games separating them and the T’Wolves for the league’s worst record. Finishing dead last will guarantee the Knicks to pick no lower than No. 4 in June with a 25% chance at the No. 1 choice, which is a silver lining in this frustrating season. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division..
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe expects the Celtics to extend an offer sheet to Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard this summer. Boston coach Brad Stevens has praised the pending restricted free agent’s defensive prowess in the past. Of course, there will be plenty of other teams in the mix for Leonard.
- Jae Crowder is becoming an indispensable member of the Celtics, opines A. Sherrod Blakely of CSSNE.com. Crowder, who was acquired as part of the Rajon Rondo trade, will become a restricted free agent after the season.
- Brook Lopez has stepped his game up recently and Tim Bontemps of the New York Post believes the center has been key to keeping the Nets in the playoff race. Lopez holds a player option worth slightly over $16.7MM for the 2015/16 season. If he continues to play at his currently level, it’s conceivable that he could decline that option in pursuit of a larger deal. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division..
- The Celtics are in the playoff chase and that’s thanks in no small part to the progression of second-year head coach Brad Stevens, as Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com writes.
- Stevens has full confidence in Celtics offseason pickup Evan Turner, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes.
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.
Thunder Rumors: Kanter, Durant, Brooks
Thunder center Enes Kanter offered no apologies for comments about his time in Utah, even after Saturday’s loss to the Jazz, reports Royce Young of ESPN.com. Kanter, who was traded from Utah to Oklahoma City on February 19th, was loudly jeered by the Salt Lake City crowd, starting in warmups. He had incited the crowd’s wrath with a statement that he didn’t enjoy his time in the NBA until he got to the Thunder. “The boos didn’t mean nothing to me,” Kanter said. “It was just a regular game. I never felt like I was a part of this thing, so it was just a regular game. We came and we leave and that is it. I am not taking nothing back.”
There’s more from Oklahoma City:
- The Thunder had a plan for keeping Kanter, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, when they brought him in from Utah, writes Jon Hamm of The Oklahoman. He expects Kanter to land a deal somewhere in the range of $88MM over five years.
- History hasn’t been kind to big men with foot problems like Kevin Durant‘s, according to Mike Monroe of The San Antonio Express-News. The Thunder announced this week that Durant will have bone graft surgery on his right foot and will be sidelined for four to six months. Citing Bill Walton, Sam Bowie and Yao Ming as examples, Monroe noted that foot injuries can be career killers.
- Durant isn’t the team’s only injury concern, Young writes in a separate story. Andre Roberson, Nick Collison and Serge Ibaka are all currently out of action, and every player on the team’s roster in training camp has missed games with injuries. “When you lose KD, Serge, Andre, Nick, you’re not a better team overnight,” said coach Scott Brooks, “but you still have to work on ways you can put yourself in position to win and our guys have done a good job of that.”