And-Ones: Russell, Looney, Porzingis
Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell has made a strong case for the Lakers to select him with the No. 2 overall pick, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes. The young guard isn’t intimidated by playing alongside Kobe Bryant, and would embrace the chance if Los Angeles defies projections and selects Russell instead of Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, Wojnarowski adds. “If I went to the Lakers, I wouldn’t want anyone to hand me anything,” Russell told the Yahoo! scribe. “I wouldn’t expect Kobe to take me under his wing. I think he will want to see a resemblance of that hunger and fire that he came into the league with as a young kid. No one needs to be the nicest guy in the world, or pretend to be that. He will see through that, pick all that apart. I’ve got to be me.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- UCLA forward Kevon Looney has a workout scheduled with the Spurs prior to the NBA Draft, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post tweets.
- Indian big man Satnam Singh has worked out for a total of seven teams, including the Spurs, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com relays (on Twitter).
- Kristps Porzingis‘ workout scheduled for Tuesday with the Knicks had to be cancelled because the young Latvian was suffering from a muscle cramp, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal tweets.
- The league’s share of each team’s playoff gate receipts will shrink from 50% to 25% under action the Board of Governors recently approved, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reports. That means less money will go into revenue-sharing, a negative for small-market teams that miss the playoffs, as Lowe examines.
- The Knicks worked out Frank Kaminsky last week, and the former Wisconsin big man wouldn’t have scheduled the meeting if he didn’t believe that New York was seriously considering selecting him with the No. 4 overall pick, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. Of course, the Knicks, who are considering trading down in the draft, could be looking at Kaminsky as a target later in the lottery as well, Deveney adds.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Kings Have Strong Interest In JaVale McGee
With star center DeMarcus Cousins potentially heading out of Sacramento via a trade, the Kings have expressed strong interest in free agent big man JaVale McGee, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). McGee previously played for Kings head coach George Karl in Denver, so there is obviously some familiarity between the two sides. There have also been reports of mutual interest between McGee and the Celtics, so the Kings may have some competition for the seven-footer’s services. The Mavs also apparently had serious interest in McGee this spring but later dropped out, and he was also linked to the Rockets, Raptors and Heat.
I would speculate that the Kings could have interest in inking McGee even if Cousins remains with the team. Cousins has indicated his desire to be used at power forward more often, and Sacramento was indeed interested in acquiring a rim-protecting big man at the trade deadline this year. McGee, when he’s healthy and motivated, can certainly be an asset on the defensive end, though he has been plagued by maturity issues throughout his career. It’s unclear just how much the veteran would be seeking on a new contract, and for what length. A sticking point in his negotiations with the Celtics back in March was McGee’s insistence on a player option for 2015/16, though he later backed off of that request, but no deal was ever struck. He could be worth taking a flier on for Sacramento on a short-term, non-guaranteed minimum salary arrangement. It wouldn’t be entirely shocking to see McGee settle for the minimum, since Philadelphia’s obligated to pay $12MM to McGee next season after waiving him shortly after the trade deadline without agreeing to any sort of buyout arrangement.
The 27-year-old put up career lows this past campaign in several categories, including his 11.1 minutes per game across 23 appearances split between Denver and Philadelphia as he struggled to regain his health after missing all but five games during the 2013/14 season with a stress fracture in his left leg. His career numbers through 382 contests are 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. McGee’s career shooting numbers are .540/.200/.587.
Western Notes: Barton, Buycks, Blazers
The Nuggets have tendered Will Barton a qualifying offer worth $1,181,348, making the guard a restricted free agent this offseason, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). The move was expected since both sides have previously expressed a desire for the player to return to Denver next season. The 24-year-old saw sparse playing time with the Blazers over his first two and a half seasons in the league, but the deadline trade that sent him to Denver this February provided him with more opportunities to get on the court. He averaged 11.0 points in 24.4 minutes per game over 28 appearances for the Nuggets.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Warriors are exploring options regarding trading up from the No. 30 overall pick in the draft, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. Which player the team could be targeting with such a move is unknown, Howard-Cooper adds.
- The chances that the Lakers will select Duke big man Jahlil Okafor with the No. 2 overall pick have increased since last week, Chad Ford of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Ford pegged the odds at 70% last Friday, and now has them at 80% that Los Angeles nabs Okafor on Thursday night.
- The Lakers have informed free agent guard Dwight Buycks that they are interested in re-signing him for next season, David Pick of Eurobasket.com tweets. Buycks, who inked a single 10-day deal with the team this past season, was reportedly set to be signed for the remainder of the 2014/15 campaign before a hand injury knocked him out for the remainder of the team’s contests.
- The Blazers will work out UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn on Wednesday, reports Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times.
- Woelfel adds the Warriors to the list of teams that have worked out UNLV big man Christian Wood.
- Working out for Portland today were Darion Atkins (Virginia), Javonte Green (Radford), Charles Jackson (Tennessee Tech), Jordan Railey (Washington State), Satnam Singh (India), and Gary Bell Jr. (Gonzaga), the Blazers announced.
- Virginia swingman Justin Anderson is scheduled to work out for the Grizzlies on Wednesday, Chris Vernon of ESPN 92.9 FM relays (Twitter links). Vernon also dispels the notion that Memphis made a draft promise to LSU big man Jarell Martin, and says that Martin shut down scheduling any further workouts for other reasons.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Southeast Notes: Ferry, Elie, Heat
Former Hawks GM Danny Ferry is relieved at this weekend’s release of the findings of a team-commissioned investigation that found no wrongdoing on his part, though he indicates that the team held onto the results for months, despite his request that they make them public, as he tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Indeed, the team knew the results of the investigation in September, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, a couple of days before Ferry took his leave of absense, and the public release was one of the terms of his buyout, according to Shelburne.
Ferry admitted to Shelburne that he made a mistake when he read racially charged comments about Luol Deng from a scouting report that an outside service had prepared, and while he considered ending his leave at points during the season, he ultimately decided that doing so would have been too much of a distraction. He also told Vivlamore that even as Hawks higher-ups acknowledged the situation was unfair, they pressured him to quit in the immediate wake of the crisis. “They didn’t see a way I could survive this,” Ferry said. “That was hard to take. Fortunately, Wayne Embry, the Rev. Toussaint Hill, Lance Blanks and others were telling me, ‘You can’t quit. If you quit now, you’re admitting you are a racist and you are not a racist.’ Those are people who have experienced racism. My father also was a good voice for me through all of this. I am glad I followed their advice and I am so grateful for the support from them and many others.”
Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- The Magic, who own the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, are considering trading down for a lower first-rounder and a veteran to add to their young core, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “I would say we’ve talked to at least a half-dozen teams about it,” Orlando GM Rob Hennigan told Robbins. “So it’s something we’re definitely considering and weighing sincerely: potentially moving back.” You can view Hennigan’s complete draft history as an executive here.
- The tense contract relations the Heat organization is currently experiencing with star Dwyane Wade will influence the team’s approach to the NBA Draft, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post writes.
- Mario Elie is a strong frontrunner to be hired as an assistant on coach Scott Skiles‘ staff with the Magic, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Elie has previously been an assistant for the Mavs, Kings, and Nets.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Draft History: Danny Ainge
The 2015 NBA draft is just two days away, and the speculation as to which player each franchise will pin its hopes on for the future is nearly over. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors have been taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ve been examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.
Celtics (May 2003-Present)
2003 Draft
- No. 13 Overall — Marcus Banks*: 348 games, 5.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 2.1 APG. .432/.327/.768.
- N0. 27 Overall — Kendrick Perkins*: 744 games, 5.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.2 BPG. .530/.000/.597.
- No. 56 Overall — Brandon Hunter: 67 games, 3.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.3 APG. .476/.000/.488.
*Acquired from Grizzlies in exchange for the No. 16 overall pick (Troy Bell) and the No. 20 overall pick (Dahntay Jones).
Notable players available: David West (No. 18), Steve Blake (No. 38), Mo Williams (No. 47), and Kyle Korver (No. 51).
2004 Draft
- No. 15 Overall — Al Jefferson: 766 games, 17.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.6 APG. .499/.129/.710.
- No. 24 Overall — Delonte West: 432 games, 9.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.6 APG. .448/.372/.826.
- No. 25 Overall — Tony Allen: 663 games, 8.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.4 APG. .479/.271/.723.
- No. 40 Overall — Justin Reed: 136 games, 3.5 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.5 APG. .404/.000/.752.
Notable players available: J.R. Smith (No. 18), Jameer Nelson (No. 20), Kevin Martin (No. 26), Anderson Varejao (No. 30), and Trevor Ariza (No. 43).
2005 Draft
- No. 18 Overall — Gerald Green: 428 games, 10.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.0 APG. .425/.368/.818.
- No. 50 Overall — Ryan Gomes: 487 games, 10.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.5 APG. .445./.349/.799.
- No. 53 Overall — Orien Greene: 131 games, 2.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.2 APG. .387/.212/.642.
Notable players available: David Lee (No. 30), Monta Ellis (No. 40), Louis Williams (No. 45), and Marcin Gortat (No. 57).
2006 Draft
- No. 21 Overall — Rajon Rondo*: 573 games, 10.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 8.3 APG. .470/.263/.609.
- No. 49 Overall — Leon Powe**: 239 games, 6.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.3 APG. .515/.000/.682.
*Acquired from the Suns along with Brian Grant in exchange for a 2007 first round pick (Rudy Fernandez).
**Acquired from Nuggets in exchange for a 2007 second-rounder (Aaron Gray).
***Traded the No. 7 overall pick (Randy Foye), Dan Dickau, and Raef LaFrentz in exchange for Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, and a 2008 second round pick (Trent Plaisted).
Notable players available: Rudy Gay (No. 8), J.J. Redick (No. 11), Kyle Lowry (No. 24), and Paul Millsap (No. 47).
2007 Draft
- No. 32 Overall — Gabe Pruitt: 62 games, 2.0 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.8 APG. .321/.283/.783.
- No. 35 Overall — Glen Davis*: 514 games, 8.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.9 APG. .447/.182/.700.
*Acquired from the Thunder along with Ray Allen in exchange for the No. 5 overall pick (Jeff Green), Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and Plaisted.
Notable players available: Joakim Noah (No. 9), Thaddeus Young (No. 12), Arron Afflalo (No. 27), Carl Landry (No. 31), Josh McRoberts (No. 37), and Marc Gasol (No. 48).
2008 Draft
- No. 30 Overall — J.R. Giddens: 38 games, 1.9 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.3 APG. .476/.000/.565.
- No. 60 Overall — Semih Erden: 69 games, 3.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.4 BPG. .546/.000/.594.
Notable players available: DeAndre Jordan (No. 35), Omer Asik (No. 36), and Goran Dragic (No. 45).
2009 Draft
- No. 58 Overall — Lester Hudson: 57 games, 4.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.2 APG. .375/.277/.806.
*First round pick, No. 28 overall, owned by Wolves and used to select Wayne Ellington.
Notable players available: Patrick Beverley (No. 42), Danny Green (No. 46), and Patty Mills (No. 55).
2010 Draft
- No. 19 Overall — Avery Bradley: 282 games, 10.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.5 APG. .434/.360/.781.
- No. 52 Overall — Luke Harangody: 70 games, 3.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.5 APG. .376/.241/.737.
Notable players available: Hassan Whiteside (No. 33) and Lance Stephenson (No. 40).
2011 Draft
- No. 27 Overall — JaJuan Johnson*: 36 games, 3.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.4 BPG. .446/.000/.667.
- No. 55 Overall — E’Twaun Moore: 248 games, 5.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.6 APG. .411/.349/.766.
*Acquired from the Nets along with a 2014 second round pick in exchange for the No. 25 overall pick (MarShon Brooks).
Notable players available: Jimmy Butler (No. 30), Chandler Parsons (No. 35), and Isaiah Thomas (No. 60).
2012 Draft
- No. 21 Overall — Jared Sullinger: 177 games, 11.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.6 APG. .440/.275/.762.
- No. 22 Overall — Fab Melo: 6 games, 1.2 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 0.3 BPG. .500/.000/.250.
- No. 51 Overall — Kris Joseph: 10 games, 0.9 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.1 APG. .143/.000/.625.
Notable players available: Draymond Green (No. 35) and Khris Middleton (No. 39).
2013 Draft
- No. 13 Overall — Kelly Olynyk*: 134 games, 9.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.6 APG. .471/.349/.744.
- Second round pick owned by the Trail Blazers, used to select Marko Todorovic.
*Acquired from Mavericks in exchange for the No. 16 overall pick (Lucas Nogueira) and 2 future second-rounders.
Notable players available: Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 15) and Rudy Gobert (No. 27).
2014 Draft
- No. 6 Overall — Marcus Smart: 67 games, 7.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.1 APG. .367/.335/.646.
- No. 17 Overall — James Young: 31 games, 3.4 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.4 APG. .353/.258/.552.
- Second round pick owned by Knicks, used to select Cleanthony Early.
Notable players available: Elfrid Payton (No. 10), Zach LaVine (No. 13), Rodney Hood (No. 23), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Alexander
The NBPA is looking into the Sixers for any possible breach of the league’s collective bargaining agreement, sources told Shams Charania of RealGM. During a meeting on Monday, the union informed agents that it will actively investigate Philadelphia’s salary distributions, use of the cap floor, and contract format loopholes, Charania notes. For the NBPA, the Sixers’ approach over the past several seasons may not be a technical violation of collective bargaining as much as it is one of the spirit of negotiating under the CBA, adds the RealGM scribe.
Over the past two seasons, Philly has compiled a 37-127 record, staying below the 90% salary floor for majority of the campaigns before making late season signings or trades to comply with the CBA rules, Charania writes. The Sixers frequently offering players four-year, non-guaranteed contracts has rubbed agents and the NBPA the wrong way, Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers tweets.
Here’s the latest out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics are confident they can find value with picks No. 16 and No. 28 in the draft, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “There are a lot of good players that are drafted later than the top few in the draft every year,” Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “You have to have some good fortune. You have to do a good job scouting. But most importantly you have to develop players, and you have to continually do that.”
- Raptors GM Masai Ujiri indicated that the team would consider purchasing a second-rounder in this year’s NBA Draft, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun tweets. “[You] can never have enough young talent,” Ujiri said.
- The Knicks are also looking to buy a second-rounder in the draft, according to team president Phil Jackson, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com notes (on Twitter).
- Jackson says point guard and small forward are two positions that the Knicks have “kind of covered,” but he wouldn’t rule out selecting one during Thursday’s draft, Al Iannazzone of Newdsay relays. “We’re taking a really good player, we know that,” said the Zen Master. “We don’t know who’s going to fall in our direction and yet we have needs on this team. The positions we’re kind of covered is lead guard and small forward. But that doesn’t matter. We can still take the best player that comes along at that position at No. 4 if we have an extraordinary pick.“
- Villanova swingman Darrun Hilliard worked out for the Sixers a second time on Monday, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link).
- Kansas big man Cliff Alexander cancelled his workout with the Nets on Monday due to an injury, but he did meet with team executives, Josh Newman of SNY.tv tweets.
Central Notes: Jackson, Bucks, Draft
If Emmanuel Mudiay were to fall to the Pistons, who hold the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the team would consider selecting him and letting Reggie Jackson depart as a free agent, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes. “They’re not 100 percent sold on Reggie,” a league source told Berger. Detroit also likes Duke’s Justise Winslow and Croatian swingman Mario Hezonja at that spot, Berger’s sources also informed him. Jackson can become a restricted free agent this offseason if the Pistons tender him a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683.
Here’s the latest from the NBA’s Central Division:
- Rumors persist that the Bucks would give up Michael Carter-Williams in a package that nets a top-10 pick, writes Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, who suggests the Bucks could dangle John Henson, too, but strong indications are the Bucks are resistant to trading either, as Chris Mannix of SI.com hears (Twitter link). Milwaukee considers both core players, Mannix adds.
- The Pistons held pre-draft workouts today for Gabe Olaseni (Iowa), Tekele Cotton (Wichita State), Aaron Harrison (Kentucky), Tyler Harvey (Eastern Washington), Mateusz Ponitka (Poland), and Arturas Gudaitis (Lithuania), Keith Langlois of NBA.com relays (Twitter links). Gudaitis was the headliner at the workout, Langlois notes, and he could be an option for Detroit with the No. 38 overall pick.
- With the Bucks still unclear on what kind of player Jabari Parker can be in the NBA, the franchise could benefit by adding more frontcourt depth through the draft, Genaro C. Armas of The Associated Press writes. Milwaukee has narrowed its draft wish list to four or five players, Armas notes. The team’s top needs are a big man who can rebound and defend, as well as an outside shooter, according to the AP scribe. “You know you hope you can maybe get a rotation player,” Bucks GM John Hammond said. “Sometimes in that range you can get a little luckier, maybe get a starter in a bit. Hopefully it’s a keeper piece and a player that can be a contributor.“
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Mavs Likely To Shop Monta Ellis If He Opts In
The Mavericks are likely to try and trade Monta Ellis if he exercises his player option for next season, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reports (Twitter link). The veteran guard has an option worth $8,720,000 for the 2015/16 campaign, and Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News reported earlier this month that the deadline for Ellis to make a decision was June 24th. The shooting guard is expected to opt out in search of a more lucrative contract. Dallas, without any player options taken into account, has roughly $28MM on the books for next season.
An Ellis opt-out would present the Mavs with a difficult decision. He led the team in scoring but slumped in the second half and shot just 16.9% from three-point range in regular season games after the All-Star break. However, he did make 11 of 30 three-point attempts during the playoffs. Ellis has probably played his way into making eight-figure salaries again after two years of pulling in an average of a little more than $8MM with the Mavs, Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron wrote in his offseason outlook for the team.
The benefit of Ellis opting out and becoming an unrestricted free agent is that it would free up additional cap space for the team to pursue free agent LaMarcus Aldridge and retain Tyson Chandler. That potential series of moves would give Dirk Nowitzki a role off the bench, which is something he is willing to consider. Though, if he did opt in and the team were to trade him for a player whose contract packs a lower cap hit, or one who is on a non-guaranteed deal, this could aid Dallas in its free agent dealings this summer.
The 29-year-old appeared in 80 games for the Mavs last season, averaging 18.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 33.7 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .445/.285/.752.
Q&A With NBA Draft Prospect Norman Powell
In advance of Thursday’s draft, Hoops Rumors has been talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s class. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with UCLA guard Norman Powell, who is ranked No. 41 in this year’s class by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 53 by Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
After four years at UCLA, guard Norman Powell is battle tested and ready to take the next step. While he doesn’t have the prototypical size for a shooting guard, Powell more than makes up for that with his tenacity and athleticism. In his final year on campus, Powell showed that he can score with his jump shot, and he also put up points by slashing to the basket. In total, Powell averaged 16.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 34.6 minutes per contest as he impressed NBA scouts and helped lead his team to the Sweet Sixteen. Last week, Powell took some time out of his schedule to talk to Hoops Rumors about his skill set and how it’ll translate at the next level.
Zach Links: You really seemed to come into your own in your junior year. What factors led to you breaking out?
Norman Powell: It was just the opportunity that was presented to me. Coach [Steve] Alford, when he got hired, he came to me and told me I was going to be his guy. He told me my junior year was going to be my breakout year and he was right. I was finally able to show what I was capable of.
ZL: How close were you to going pro last year?
NP: A lot of people thought I wouldn’t return for my senior year given that I had a strong year. But, I was really focused on graduating and getting my degree.
ZL: You made a lot of strides with your jump shot this season. Do you feel like that addition to your arsenal is going to make you an even more dangerous offensive threat?
NP: Yeah, definitely, I always felt like I had a strong mid-range pull-up game. I’ve also shown that I can get to the basket and score. Increasing my range is something that I’m definitely working on and that needs improvement. I need to stay focused on that to get it to the level that it needs to be.
ZL: With a 6’11” wingspan, do you feel like you have a greater defensive potential than people realize?
NP: Yeah, definitely. I think a lot of people are questioning me because of my size. People always told me I was undersized, but with my length and athleticism, it gives me an added edge out there. That’s something that people are counting out. My length makes up for a lot of that. I think I have the potential to be a lockdown defender at the next level. The sky is the limit for me, honestly, especially because I have that tough mentality and that wingspan.
ZL: Do you have any last minute workouts scheduled?
NP: I’ll actually be working out for the Lakers on Wednesday, June 24th, the day before the draft. That’ll be my second workout with them.
ZL: What led you to choose Todd Ramasar as your agent?
NP: Todd is a UCLA guy, so he has a similar background to me. He also understands my mindset. I was being slept on by a lot of people when it comes to what I can do at the next level. I feel like I have a lot to prove, I have a chip on my shoulder, and I want to show that I’m one of the top talents in the draft. We want to put people on notice that have been counting me out. We both have the mentality of an underdog that wants to succeed.
Give Us Your Scorecard
Our team works hard to bring you the rumors that you crave. We are thankful to you and all of our loyal readers. We want make sure that we are doing everything we can to keep you coming back. Rate this site to let us know what you like and what we could improve. It only takes 4-6 minutes. Thanks!