Ryan Anderson Out For Season
MARCH 25TH: Anderson will indeed miss the rest of the season, the Pelicans announced.
JANUARY 14TH: It’s doubtful that Ryan Anderson will return this season after he suffered a herniated disk in his neck on January 3rd, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune. Anderson spoke to reporters last night and said doctors have advised him to rest for about two months before they determine whether he’ll need surgery to repair the disk, as Brett Martel of The Associated Press details.
“Obviously, I want to get back as soon as possible, but this is something that if I got hit again, it could be more than just career ending. I want to be careful about it,” Anderson said. “We’re going to find out pretty soon how it’s healing and depending on if it’s healing (on its own), then we’ll just keep going with that. But if not, we’ll do the surgery.”
Anderson is nonetheless optimistic that he’ll be able return to action at some point, if not this season. The injury occurred when he collided with Gerald Wallace during a game against the Celtics, forcing Anderson to be taken off the court in traction.
It’s a tough blow for the Pelicans and Anderson, who was having his best season, putting up a career-best 19.8 points per game and leading the NBA in free-throw percentage. Anderson’s name had come up in a few trade rumors over the past several months, though New Orleans was in no hurry to move him, as I noted when I examined his trade candidacy. His injury makes it highly unlikely he’s dealt this season. The 25-year-old is under contract through the 2015/16 season.
Draft Deadlines Facing NCAA Underclassmen
College players, college coaches, NBA personnel and members of the media continue to be confused about the parameters of NCAA eligibility and the NBA draft, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Rule changes instituted for 2012 severely limited the amount of time underclassmen have to decide about entering the draft and the amount of contact they can have with NBA teams if they wish to retain the ability to pull out and return to college. Givony authored a definitive piece on the altered landscape in 2012, and he did the same last year. Since the process still remains unclear to many, Givony has followed up once more. Givony lays out the key dates involved, which are as follows:
April 9: NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee Application Deadline
April 14: NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee Response Deadline
April 15: NCAA Early Entry “Withdrawal” Deadline
April 27: NBA Draft Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (10:59 pm CT)
May 2: NBA Draft early entry candidates released — Contact with underclassmen permitted
May 14-18: NBA Draft Combine (Chicago)
May 20: NBA Draft Lottery
June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline (4:00 pm CT)
June 26: 2014 NBA Draft
It’s the April 15th date that’s at the heart of the recent changes. That deadline typically came in early May until 2012, and the extra time gave prospects a chance to work out with a couple of NBA teams and allowed for a week of direct access to NBA executives. Under the new rules, an underclassman can’t work out or speak with NBA teams at all if he wishes to retain the ability to return to college. Only the player’s college head coach may have any contact with NBA front offices, and that contact may only be with the primary executive in charge of basketball operations, typically the general manager. That means there’s no such thing as “testing the waters” anymore, as Givony puts it.
The change incentivizes players to wait to officially declare their intent to enter the draft until the NBA’s April 27th deadline to do so, which is almost two weeks after the April 15th date to withdraw and head back to college. That way, if a player were to suffer an injury or have a change of heart in that 12-day period, he could still go back to school, Givony explains. There’s little or no advantage to declaring early, given the limited amount of information-gathering allowed.
Underclassmen may seek advice from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee, which consists of executives from 20 NBA clubs. Still, their projections tend to be conservative about a player’s draft stock, and executives admit they don’t have a clear picture of how the draft will go until long after the committee makes its recommendations. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge recently told Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that most mock drafts aren’t accurate until June. The committee response deadline of April 14th leaves underclassmen with as little as one day to consider the advice before the deadline for withdrawing and retaining college eligibility. Still, a player can receive feedback from the committee without ever declaring for the draft, as Givony points out.
The NCAA says it instituted these changes to give college teams greater certainty about their rosters for the coming season and to keep prospects focused on academics, but not all coaches are in favor of the measure, Givony notes. The NCAA’s motivation instead appears to be aimed at protecting its business interests and keeping prospects in school, as Givony argues. Still, a long list of underclassmen wound up declaring for the draft last year and not returning to college. Of course, many of the players on that register of early entrants didn’t come from the NCAA. Prospects who are playing overseas or in the D-League aren’t bound by the NCAA, so they can withdraw as late as 10 days before the draft.
College players receive back-channel communication from teams throughout the year in spite of the rules, but this dialogue can be unreliable, as Givony explains. He suggests, for instance, that a team with multiple second-round picks would have motivation to convince as many prospects as possible to come out.
R.J. Hunter Won’t Enter 2014 Draft
Georgia State shooting guard R.J. Hunter will stay out of the draft and remain in school for the 2014/15 season, as his father Ron Hunter, who doubles as Georgia State’s coach, tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The 20-year-old is No. 59 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com doesn’t list him on his big board, perhaps because Hunter has been expected to remain in school. Givony has him in his 2015 mock draft, rather than his 2014 version.
Hunter averaged 18.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 39.5% three-point shooting this season for the Panthers, who compete in the Sun Belt Conference. He popped for 41 points, including a 12 for 19 performance from beyond the arc, against Texas-San Antonio, but he went just 4 for 16 from the field in his final game, a loss to Clemson in the NIT.
Givony lists Hunter at No. 42 in his 2015 mock, suggesting he’s not far off from first-round consideration for next year. Goodman calls him an underrated prospect, so perhaps he’ll be a player to watch in 2014/15.
Atlantic Rumors: World Peace, Fisher, Ainge
The Atlantic Division title race is shaping up to be fairly compelling, with the Raptors just two games up on the Nets as both teams battle the Bulls and Wizards for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Yet most of the off-court chatter around the division involves the three clubs playing out the string or, in the case of the Knicks, trying to pull off a miracle run to the playoffs. Here’s the latest:
- Metta World Peace wouldn’t have agreed to a buyout deal to free himself from the Knicks last month if he knew Phil Jackson would join the franchise, as the former Ron Artest said during his appearance Monday on the “Max & Marcellus Show” on ESPNLA 710 Radio (transcription via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com).
- Sam Amick of USA Today wouldn’t be surprised if the Knicks pursue Derek Fisher to coach the team next season, given the mutual respect between Jackson and the 39-year-old guard, who plans to retire at season’s end (video link).
- The Celtics are in line for a top-five pick this year, as our Reverse Standings show, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge doesn’t think that he’ll draft a franchise player with the selection, as he tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe. “I think it’s maybe a little bit better [than last year’s draft] by comparison, but it’s not even close to one of the best draft classes in the last 10 years,” Ainge said.
- Sixers 10-day signee Casper Ware has a reputation for tough defense, but coach Brett Brown is also high on his scoring ability and calls him a “true point guard,” notes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Artem Klimenko To Declare For Draft
Russian center Artem Klimenko will enter the 2014 NBA draft, his agent tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 20-year-old is the fifth-rated International prospect born in 1994 on Jonathan Givony’s list at DraftExpress, and though he’s not listed in Givony’s top 100 overall prospects, he’s ahead of No. 76 overall prospect Mouhammadou Jaiteh in the International rankings. No. 4 on the same list of international prospects is Vasilije Micic, who checks in 41st overall, so it appears as though there’s a decent chance Klimenko is drafted in June.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com nonetheless has Klimenko way down at No. 236 in his Insider-only rankings, so it appears as though NBA scouts don’t have a solid read on the 7’1″ prospect who’s playing for BC Avtodor Saratov this season. He’s averaging 15.1 points and 7.1 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game.
Klimenko, like all overseas prospects, has extra time to decide whether to back out of the draft. He can withdraw on June 16, just 10 days before the draft, while American college players only have until next month to withdraw without losing their NCAA eligibility.
Montrezl Harrell, Rodney Hood To Enter Draft
Duke small forward Rodney Hood and Louisville power forward Montrezl Harrell will declare their intent to enter this year’s draft, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Zagoria also confirms a weekend report from Chad Ford of ESPN.com that West Virginia point guard Juwan Staten is headed for the draft. The SNY.tv scribe also suggests Ohio State small forward LaQuinton Ross is draft-bound as well, although Ross said yesterday that he remains undecided.
Hood’s sophomore season ended in stunning fashion with Duke’s upset loss to Mercer in the NCAA tournament last week, but he spent most of the year rocketing up draft boards. He went from No. 67 in the preseason on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress prospects lists to No. 16, the same position he occupies on Chad Ford’s big board at ESPN.com. The 6’8″ 21-year-old averaged 16.1 points per game and made 42% of his three-point attempts this season.
There’s some divergence on just how hot Harrell’s stock is, with Ford pegging him 11th and Givony listing him as the 20th best prospect. He’s the same height as Hood but bulkier, enabling him to play inside. Harrell is nonetheless small for his position, though he grabbed 8.4 rebounds per game to go with 14.0 points per contest. His Cardinals are still alive in the NCAA tournament.
Sasha Vujacic Signs To Play In Italy
Former Lakers, Nets and Clippers shooting guard Sasha Vujacic has signed with Reyer Venezia of Italy, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Massimo Oriani of La Gazzetta dello Sport originally reported the deal. The contract covers the rest of the season for the 30-year-old, who had briefly returned to the NBA last month on a 10-day contract with the Clippers. Doc Rivers said shortly after the deal expired that the club might re-sign Vujacic at some point this season if there was a roster spot available, and though the Clippers have just 14 players at this point, it looks like a reunion won’t materialize.
Vujacic spent most of this season attempting to revive his NBA career, which had been dormant since 2010/11, but his recent decision to join the Interperformances agency might have signaled a shift in plans. He spent 2011/12 and 2012/13 playing for Anadolu Efes in Turkey.
The Slovenian native last played in Italy before the Lakers drafted him 27th overall in 2004. He won a pair of championships with the purple-and-gold, but in parts of eight NBA seasons, he’s never averaged more than 9.8 points per game. He set that career high with the Nets in 2010/11, the only year he averaged as many as 20 minutes per contest.
Southeast Rumors: Oden, Exum, Hawks, Neal
Heat center Greg Oden will play against the Blazers tonight for the first time in his career, which began when Portland made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2007. Still, there are few emotions involved, as Oden tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
“I think it’s been two years since I was there. Guys move on,” Oden said. “It’s a business like that. I’m happy those guys are still there and doing their thing. [I’m] especially happy for LaMarcus [Aldridge] who is an All-Star and you know, you got to move on.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division, which is in line to send four teams to the playoffs:
- The Magic are probably locked into the third-worst record in the league, as our Reverse Standings show. Even if they don’t have any lottery luck and fail to move up, they’re in fine shape, since they’re most interested in Dante Exum, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who writes in his latest Insider-only “Tank Rank” column.
- The Hawks have received NBA approval for their sale of minority shares of the team to five investors, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The additions bring the number of stakeholders to 12, including primary owner Bruce Levenson.
- Since being traded to the Bobcats, guard Gary Neal has had a significant impact over the course of the last 12 games, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte was in desperate need of scoring and Neal has brought it. The former Buck is averaging 12.5 points per contest, which would be a career high for a full season.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Prospect Profile Series
There’s been an inordinate amount of attention paid to the 2014 draft class dating back to last June, and the focus will only sharpen as the time for teams to make their choices draws near. Hoops Rumors will continue to be on top of it all, and one of the ways we’ll cover the potentially franchise-altering event will be to take a closer look at many of the prospects in line to hear their names called on June 26th.
Our list of Prospect Profiles will continue to be updated in the weeks ahead as we build a comprehensive inventory of reports. They can be found anytime under “Hoops Rumors Features” on the right sidebar. The players we’ve profiled so far can be found below, sorted by their ranking on the DraftExpress list of top 100 prospects for 2014.
- Andrew Wiggins, Kansas (SF)
- Joel Embiid, Kansas (C)
- Jabari Parker, Duke (SF)
- Julius Randle, Kentucky (PF)
- Dante Exum, Australia (PG)
- Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State (PG)
- Noah Vonleh, Indiana (PF)
- Aaron Gordon, Arizona (PF)
- Doug McDermott, Creighton (SF/PF)
- Tyler Ennis, Syracuse (PG)
- Gary Harris, Michigan State (SG)
- Nik Stauskas, Michigan (SG)
- James Young, Kentucky (SG)
- T.J. Warren, North Carolina State (SF/PF)
- Kyle Anderson, UCLA (PG)
- Jerami Grant, Syracuse (SF/PF)
- Rodney Hood, Duke (SF)
- Cleanthony Early, Wichita State (SF/PF)
- Shabazz Napier, Connecticut (PG)
- Mitch McGary, Michigan (C)
- Jarnell Stokes, Tennessee (PF)*
- Josh Huestis, Stanford (SF)*
- Justin Jackson, Cincinnati (F)*
*Includes player interview
Atlantic Notes: Brown, Stevens, Thornton, Sims
Sixers coach Brett Brown is a former Spurs assistant, and he has the support of Gregg Popovich and members of the San Antonio roster as Philly endures a 24-game losing streak, observes Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
“It’s not easy for Brett,” Tony Parker said. “They’re trading everybody and their first-round pick [Nerlens Noel] didn’t even play, so it’s not a fair situation.”
Brown’s connection to the Spurs coaching tree, a popular source of sideline bosses among league executives lately, is at least one reason why the Sixers seem highly unlikely to cut ties with him after just one season, as the Bobcats did with Mike Dunlap last year. Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Brad Stevens believes that for players, specialization is more valuable than a broad repertoire, as he tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, who looks at the coach’s plan for his first full offseason with the Celtics.
- Nets trade deadline acquisition Marcus Thornton is experiencing a renaissance in Brooklyn, as Jeff Caplan of NBA.com examines.
- Henry Sims has benefited similarly from a trade last month, transforming from afterthought in Cleveland to a starter for the Sixers. Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News looks at what the big man has shown in his expanded playing time.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson has endured his share of criticism this season, but he deserves more credit than he’s receiving for New York’s recent eight-game winning streak, opines Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.