2016 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Seattle, Cavs, Whiteside, Draft

May 3rd, 2016 at 3:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Seattle City Council dealt a major blow to hopes that the city will be the home of an NBA team any time soon, voting 5-4 against a measure that would have given developer Chris Hansen control of an alley on the spot where he’s seeking to build an arena, reports Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. The chances of a revival for the SuperSonics within the near future have seemed remote anyway, though we invited your discussion on the idea of expansion in Monday’s Community Shootaround. See more from around the NBA:

Trade acquisition Channing Frye has given the Cavaliers a “breath of fresh air,” GM David Griffin told Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal amid an interview last week in which he disputes the idea of chemistry problems in the locker room. Frye has seen sharply limited playing time in the postseason but had his best game of the playoffs Monday, scoring eight points in nine minutes of action. “He’s been a huge, huge plus,” Griffin said. “We needed someone who was truly joyful to be part of the process to remind everybody how blessed we are to be together.”
Griffin also lauded soon-to-be free agent James Jones for his leadership, calling him a special player, Ridenour notes.
Hassan Whiteside doesn’t harbor ill feelings toward the Raptors for declining to bring him to training camp after he played for Toronto’s summer league team in 2014, believing the July stint, which was his first brush with the NBA in two years, led to other opportunities that helped revive his career months later, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Heat center is No. 10 in our latest 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings.
Draft prospects Brice Johnson, Malik Beasley, A.J. Hammons, Fred VanVleet, Kaleb Tarczewski and Rasheed Sulaimon have all signed with Andy Miller’s ASM Sports agency, as Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
Spanish small forward Santiago Yusta is officially eligible for this year’s draft despite his absence from the list of early entrants the NBA sent out last week, the league announced. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress pegs the 6’7″ 18-year-old as the 32nd-best overseas prospect among those born in 1997.

Kris Jenkins Pulls Out Of Draft

May 3rd, 2016 at 10:22am CST by Chuck Myron

MAY 3RD, 10:22am: Jenkins has withdrawn from the draft as planned, the school announced.

APRIL 15TH, 8:16am: NCAA Tournament hero Kris Jenkins plans to withdraw from this year’s draft and return to Villanova, as he said to Stephen Rocco Disangro this week at the Philadelphia Big 5 Banquet (YouTube link; hat tip to Chris Lane of SB Nation’s VU Hoops blog and Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com). The junior combo forward confirmed he’s decided to go through the predraft process, as new NCAA rules allow him to do, but he’ll pull out before the May 25th NCAA draft withdrawal deadline and won’t hire an agent. That will allow him to retain his college eligibility even as he participates in workouts with NBA teams and, if invited, the NBA combine.

Jenkins wouldn’t stand much chance of getting drafted if he were to stay in. He’s the 128th-best prospect in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com listings. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress doesn’t include the junior in his rankings. The 6’6″ 22-year-old was 78th in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index coming out of high school, and while he overhauled his conditioning during his three years at Villanova, he’s yet to emerge as a top-level pro prospect.

Still, the buzzer-beating shot he made in the NCAA Tournament final to give the Wildcats the national championship earlier this month earned him no shortage of name recognition, and he played a major role for Villanova throughout the season, his first as a starter. He put up 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game with 38.6% 3-point shooting. The Wildcats won the title despite a highly unusual lack of surefire NBA talent.

Prospect Profile: Demetrius Jackson (Part Two)

May 2nd, 2016 at 9:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

PROJECTED DRAFT RANGE: There’s an unusually wide gap between where Jackson lands on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board and DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 Prospect list. Ford currently ranks him as a mid- to late first-round prospect at No. 23 overall and No. 5 among point guards. Jamal Murray, Kris Dunn, Dejounte Murray and Tyler Ulis are slotted ahead of Jackson on Ford’s Big Board. Givony has a much more optimistic view, pegging Jackson at No. 11 overall and third among point guards behind only Dunn and Murray. According the updated point guard rankings by NBA.com’s David Aldridge, Jackson ranks sixth among point guards with Kay Felder also ahead of him.

RISE/FALL: As the disparity in his draft range suggests, Jackson could go in the lottery or drop all the way to the second round, depending upon what he shows in predraft workouts. Jamal Murray and Dunn are solidly in the Top 10 but teams are likely to bring in the next level of point guard prospects and see how they fare against each other. Jackson has to show he can overcome his lack of height defensively by using his strength and quick feet. He also has to prove to coaches and executives that he’s an above-average shooter from deep. His stock could simply be dictated by how much teams value a second-unit point guard, since few view him as a starter-quality player, at least for right now.

FIT: Several teams projected at the bottom half of the lottery could take a long look at Jackson. The Kings, who might lose soon-to-be free agent Rajon Rondo, would fit that group if Dunn and Jamal Murray are off the board. The Bulls might bring in a young point guard to back up Derrick Rose, especially with Rose entering his walk year. There’s also some uncertainty about the Bucks’ point guard situation. Outside the lottery, the Pistons are clearly in the market for a second-stringer behind Reggie Jackson. The Grizzlies may need to protect themselves from the possible free agency loss of Mike Conley and the Rockets need a complementary piece to starter Patrick Beverley.

FINAL TAKE: There seems to be little doubt that Jackson can carve out a career as an energetic second-unit point guard. He might be the most athletic point guard on the board. But a lack of upside could cause him to drop to the bottom third of the first round, or even slide to the second round. As Ford puts it in his most recent take on Jackson, he doesn’t have one skill that stands out, but he has very few weaknesses.

For Part One of our Demetrius Jackson Prospect Profile, click here.

Prospect Profile: Demetrius Jackson (Part One)

May 2nd, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anthony Gruppuso / USA Today Sports Images

OVERVIEW: Demetrius Jackson took over as Notre Dame’s floor leader as a junior and emerged as a first-round prospect. Jackson led the Irish to the Elite Eight despite some struggles offensively during the latter stages of the season. He finished his college career with a 26-point performance against North Carolina and averaged 15.8 points, 4.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals for the season. Jackson played steady minutes as a sophomore, though current Knicks point guard Jerian Grant was the team’s primary ballhandler. Jackson was also a rotation player as a freshman after being a highly touted prep star, ranking No. 33 overall in his class, according to the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. At 6’1”, the 21-year-old Jackson is smaller than the prototypical NBA point guard.

STRENGTHS: Like most smaller point guards, Jackson relies on his quickness and athleticism. He’s got superior explosion, allowing him to get into the paint and create havoc. That will serve him well in a pick-and-roll reliant NBA scheme. It also works well in the transition game, where he’s nearly impossible to catch as he converts layups or finds trailers for dunks. ESPN Insider Chad Ford credits Jackson for his pass-first mentality, decision-making and a knack for making his teammates better. DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony notes that while Jackson is small, he’s powerfully built and can finish through contact. His outstanding leaping ability allows him to be on the receiving end of lobs. He also moves well without the ball and is a solid shooter off the catch, with Givony pointing out that he made 41% of his shots with his feet set. Turnovers were not a big issue for Jackson, as he averaged 2.2 as a junior while playing 36 minutes per game. Jackson has also impressed talent evaluators with his competitiveness, according to NBA.com’s David Aldridge.

WEAKNESSES: Jackson’s 3-point shooting dropped off dramatically when tasked with running Notre Dame’s methodical offense this season. He made 33.1% of his long-range shots as a junior, compared to 42.9% in his sophomore year. Jackson’s lack of height could obviously be an issue when he’s guarding tall point guards, and he’ll be an even bigger liability when he’s forced to switch. Jackson can also be over-reliant on his quickness, rather than playing at a more controlled pace. As one NBA executive told Aldridge, “He always tries to blow by you. It’s like a pitcher that keeps throwing 100 miles an hour.” In contrast to Ford’s evaluation, Givony believes that Jackson has displayed average court vision and misses some easy reads. That’s due to Jackson still searching for the right balance between running the offense and finding his own shot.

For Part 2 of our Demetrius Jackson Prospect Profile, click here.

And-Ones: Benson, Scott, Timberwolves

May 2nd, 2016 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A judge’s ruling last year that Pelicans owner Tom Benson is mentally competent to run the team has been affirmed by the Louisiana Supreme Count, reports Katherine Sayre of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The higher court refused to hear an appeal Monday by his estranged family members to have the 88-year-old declared incompetent to run his affairs. Those family members have tried to convince the courts that Benson, who also owns the NFL’s Saints, has been unduly influenced by his third wife, Gayle, and a group of Saints executives.

In other news around the league:

Former Lakers coach Byron Scott admitted on Dan Patrick’s radio show that he was “a little blindsided” by their decision to let him go after the season (YouTube link). Scott was under the impression he would have “two or three years” to get the team headed in the right direction but added he didn’t have “any ill-will feelings towards the organization.”
The Timberwolves have never enjoyed more reason for optimism in the franchise’s history than now, opines Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. They have hired a top-level coach in Tom Thibodeau, possess a wealth of young talent and practice in a new, state-of-the-art facility, Souhan points out. All those factors provide real hope that the team will soon be a powerhouse in the Western Conference, Souhan concludes.
Power forward Trevor Booker, center Jeff Withey and small forward Chris Johnson have a cloudy future with the Jazz, writes Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News. None of those players has guaranteed contracts for next season and GM Dennis Lindsey strongly hinted that he expects Booker to sign with another team, Sorensen continues. Point guard Shelvin Mack is another player without a guaranteed deal, but the Jazz are expected to retain him on his salary of about $2.433MM.
Florida State combo guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes has opted to return to school, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Rathan-Mayes, who was not considered a Top 100 prospect by either ESPN Insider Chad Ford or DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony, decided to test the draft waters in early April.

Notre Dame’s V.J. Beachem To Withdraw From Draft

May 1st, 2016 at 8:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

V.J. Beachem, a junior small forward, will withdraw from the draft and return to Notre Dame next season, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, citing Irish coach Mike Brey’s Twitter page. Last month, Beachem announced his intent to enter the draft without hiring an agent, giving him until May 25th to make a final decision.

The 21-year-old had projected as a possible second-round pick, with ESPN’s Chad Ford listing him at No. 58 in his latest rankings and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress pegging him 60th in his list of the top 100 prospects. Givony places Beachem 20th among college juniors and projects him 42nd in his 2017 mock draft.

The 6’8″ Beachem averaged 12.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game in his first year as a starter with the Irish. He is an excellent outside shooter, connecting on 44% of his 3-point shots this season and averaging 5.5 attempts per game. Ford says he may have the ability to play both forward spots in the NBA, but he projects as a stretch four.

Western Notes: Malik-Abu, Catanella, Ollie

April 29th, 2016 at 7:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

N.C. State power forward Abdul Malik-Abu has a predraft workout scheduled for May 7th with the Timberwolves, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The 20-year-old is a potential second-round pick this June, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranking him as the No. 26 sophomore overall. Malik-Abu appeared in 33 games for the Wolfpack and averaged 12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 28.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the campaign was .490/.000/.630.

Here’s more from out West:

Ken Catanella, who was named the Kings‘ assistant GM on Thursday, will be Sacramento’s salary cap specialist in addition to assisting with personnel decisions and day-to-day operations, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Catanella said he’s excited to work with executive Vlade Divac and assist in his vision for the franchise, Jones adds. “For me it’s all a part of wanting to be bigger part of something bigger than ourselves,” Catanella said.
Despite the competition between franchises for available head coaches, the Rockets don’t intend to rush their search, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “We’re going to get the coach search right. We’re not going to do something quickly,” GM Daryl Morey told reporters.
Morey also told the media that unnamed NBA teams have put out negative information about the Rockets in order to hurt them in free agency, while downplaying the chemistry issues Houston has reportedly had this season, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link).
UConn coach Kevin Ollie, who is reportedly interested in the Lakers’ vacant coaching post, told Christian Vital, a player he is recruiting, that he intends to remain at the university next season, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays. “Basically [Ollie], he’s texted me before 9 every day this week,” Vital told Scout.com. “Just letting me know about he Lakers situation and that he loves me and he’s staying at UConn. That really means something to me, to have that kind of relationship with the head coach, knowing he has a million things to do.“

And-Ones: Maxiell, Sixers, Simmons

April 28th, 2016 at 10:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Much of the Sixers‘ offseason strategy depends on where the team’s picks end up after the draft lottery is held next month, but the franchise believes it has the opportunity to land a steal near the bottom of the first round, writes Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly. “We’ve got multiple options with what to do with those picks, and I do think though there will be some opportunity to find a player,” GM Bryan Colangelo said. “That’s what you have an extensive scouting staff for, that’s what the numbers and analytics team can sometimes derive, perhaps a diamond in the rough. You look for the player that’s going to be a sleeper at that number and you think about what that player might be a couple years down the road.”

Regarding free agency, Colangelo believes the availability of playing time, coupled with the team’s new practice facility, will be selling points to prospective targets, Camerato notes. “You have to differentiate yourself somehow, someway,” Colangelo said. “Some people could be looking for an opportunity to go somewhere and be a key player as opposed to being a complementary player. We’ve got that opportunity because we’ve got an open slate right now in that regard.”

Here’s more from around the NBA:

Former NBA player Jason Maxiell has inked a one month deal to play in Saudi Arabia, international journalist David Pick relays (via Twitter). The 33-year-old power forward last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign when he appeared in 61 games for the Hornets and averaged 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per outing.
LSU freshman Ben Simmons remains atop the latest mock draft from Chad Ford of ESPN.com, though the scribe does note that the combo forward’s grip on the No. 1 overall spot is being eroded by the rise of Duke’s Brandon Ingram, who is slotted second. Simmons could reclaim a firm hold on being the consensus top pick if he impresses teams during his predraft workouts and interviews, Ford writes.

And-Ones: D’Antoni, Eversley, Walton

April 27th, 2016 at 9:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former NBA player Nate Robinson, when asked who was the worst coach he had played for in the NBA, had some unkind words for Mike D’Antoni, who coached the diminutive guard when both were with the Knicks, international journalist David Pick relays. “Mike D’Antoni was a cool coach, but he was just a bad person,” Robinson told Pick. “He can coach. He was just mean for no reason. He had no reason to be a certain way toward players he liked and didn’t like. As a man, you would talk to somebody if you had a problem with them. You would tell them. He never told me exactly what his problem was with me. I didn’t know how to change it. I’d talk to him every day, but he would ignore me. It was crazy.”

Here’s more from around the league:

The Lakers have asked for and been granted permission to interview Warriors assistant Luke Walton for their vacant coaching post, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (on Twitter). Golden State’s allowance for Los Angeles to speak with Walton did come with the caveat that it occur when the team is between playoff series, Spears adds.
Marc Eversley, who is currently the Wizards‘ VP of scouting, interviewed with the Sixers this week for a post that would make him GM Bryan Colangelo‘s second in command, relays Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post (via Twitter).
Heat power forward Chris Bosh, who hasn’t played since February 9th because of concerns about reported blood clots in his left calf, is lobbying for the team to activate him so he can contribute in the playoffs, The Toronto Sun relays via the Sports Xchange. Bosh’s wife, Adrienne, even took to Twitter with the message #BringBoshBack, but the organization still maintains its stance that the veteran is out indefinitely, according to the post.
LSU freshman shooting guard Antonio Blakeney won’t be testing the draft waters this season despite his name appearing on the league’s official early entrants list, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (Twitter links). “Just a case of formality of the paperwork not reaching the NBA office prior to the preparation of the list,” LSU coach Johnny Jones said of Blakeney’s inclusion among the draft entrants, Goodman notes.

And-Ones: Taylor, Ridley, Robinson

April 26th, 2016 at 10:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Glen Taylor has brought two minority-share investors into the Timberwolves ownership group, according to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link), but the 75-year-old Taylor said today that he’s committed to remaining in charge of the team for at least the next five years, observes Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. That aligns with the length of the contracts for new coach/executive Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden. Taylor has been in talks to sell 30% of the team to Grizzlies minority-share owner Steve Kaplan, and they were reportedly discussing a plan to have Kaplan eventually succeed Taylor as primary owner. Presumably, no such plan exists for new Wolves part-owners Meyer Orbach, a New York real estate mogul, and John Jiang, who, according to Walters, is believed to be the first NBA investor from China.

See more from around the NBA:

Dave Joerger would like to see Lance Stephenson back with Memphis for next season, the Grizzlies coach said Monday, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Memphis has a $9.405MM team option on Stephenson. “He’s had a lot of success here and the guys accepted him,” Joerger said.
Agents Matt Babcock and Adie von Gontard of APAA Sports Group have signed Texas senior Cameron Ridley, a source told Hoops Rumors. The 6’10” center was a McDonald’s All-American Game starter in 2012 and ranked 14th in the 2012 Recruiting Services Consensus Index, two spots ahead of current Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris. Ridley will look to regain that form in predraft workouts with NBA teams and climb his way into the top 100 lists that Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress compile.
Kentucky coach John Calipari said in March that all 14 underclassmen on his roster would enter this year’s draft, at least to test the waters, but only five Wildcats appear on the NBA’s official list of early entrants released earlier this evening. Florida small forward Devin Robinson was reportedly going to enter the draft and doesn’t appear on the official list either, though that’s no shock, since he’s had major foot surgery since the report that he was draft-bound emerged.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.