Josh Jackson Cancels Celtics Workout
Kansas swingman Josh Jackson cancelled his scheduled workout with the Celtics, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets.
Goodman didn’t elaborate why the workout was nixed by Jackson and his camp. On the surface, it seems like a curious decision to back out of a workout with the team holding the No. 1 pick.
There has been speculation that some members of the Lakers front office are enamored with Jackson and perhaps that’s where, like Lonzo Ball, he’d rather land. It could also signal that Jackson doesn’t believe Boston has a serious interest in using the top pick on him.
The news of Jackson’s cancelled workout comes on the heels of the revelation that Markelle Fultz, the favorite to be chosen No. 1, will meet with the Lakers this week. Los Angeles has the second pick.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Mason, Clippers, Reed
A Lakers backcourt of D’Angelo Russell and Lonzo Ball might be potent offensively but a liability defensively, as Eric Pincus examines in a Bleacher Report piece. Russell could run pick-and-rolls, while Ball would excel in transition and ball movement, though neither tends to attack off the dribble, Pincus continues. The biggest concern would be on the defensive end because of quickness issues, which would require the Lakers to have a speedy, defensive-minded guard to rotate with both players, Pincus adds.
- Kansas point guard Frank Mason III will work out for the Kings for a second time on Wednesday, according to the team’s website. Mason is considered a second-round prospect — he’s currently ranked No. 45 on Chad Ford’s Big Board. Sacramento, which has the No. 34 overall pick in the second round, will also bring in Kentucky point guard Isaiah Briscoe, UCLA shooting guard Isaac Hamilton, Florida shooting guard Canyon Barry, Indiana center Thomas Bryant and Miami forward Kamari Murphy.
- The Clippers will bring in FIBA small forward Howard Sant-Roos for workouts later this week, international journalist David Pick tweets. The Cuban-born Sant-Roos, 26, has been playing for CEZ Nymburk in the Czech league, where he averaged 13.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 3.4 APG in 40 games this season.
- Kansas State shooting guard Wesley Iwundu and Vanderbilt big man Luke Kornet headed the list of six draft hopeful that the Lakers brought in on Monday, the team’s website reported. Iwundu is ranked No. 53 overall by Draft Express, while Kornet comes in at No. 67. The Lakers do not have a second-round pick.
- Miami shooting guard Davon Reed headlined a group of six players that the Clippers worked out on Monday, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tweets. Reed is pegged as the No. 76 prospect by Draft Express. Murphy also participated in the workout.
Bucks GM Search Down To Two Candidates?
The Bucks will likely choose between their assistant GM, Justin Zanik, and Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas as their next GM, league sources informed Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Milwaukee could announce its choice as early as this week, Stein adds (Twitter links).
The position opened up when John Hammond was named the Magic’s GM last month. Zanik was hired as Hammond’s assistant last season after serving as an assistant GM in the Jazz organization for three years. Hammond had been the Bucks’ GM since 2008 after serving as the top assistant to former Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars.
Karnisovas was hired by Denver in 2013 and is currently working under Nuggets GM Tim Connelly. He was a candidate for the Nets’ GM job last season but Brooklyn ultimately chose Sean Marks.
Markelle Fultz To Meet With Lakers
Projected top pick Markelle Fultz is expected to meet this week with the Lakers, who hold the No. 2 pick, a source told Adam Zagoria of The 4 Quarters Podcast (Twitter link).
Fultz spent two days with the Celtics earlier this month and it’s generally assumed the University of Washington point guard will be Boston’s choice on draft day. The fact that Fultz is willing to meet with the team holding the next pick at this stage suggests that the Celtics may not be completely sold on Fultz, or at least haven’t made any promises that he’ll be their pick. It’s noteworthy that Fultz is only scheduled to meet with the Lakers and not work out for them, though that obviously could change.
The Fultz meeting the Lakers could also be a hedge by his representatives in case Boston decides to swap the pick in a blockbuster deal.
The Lakers did meet with Fultz at the scouting combine in Chicago last month. While most projections have Los Angeles taking UCLA passing wizard Lonzo Ball, the Lakers are covering all their bases. Some members of their front office are supposedly bullish on Kansas small forward Josh Jackson, and they will hold a closed workout for Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox on Tuesday morning, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets.
Possible First-Rounder Kurucs Withdraws From Draft
Rodions Kurucs has withdrawn his name from the 2017 NBA draft, FIBA agent Alturs Kalnitis tweets.
This is a surprising development in that Kurucs was considered first-round material. The 19-year-old Latvian forward, who currently plays for Barcelona 2, was ranked No. 18 overall by DraftExpress, while ESPN.com’s Chad Ford ranked Kurucs at No. 33. Ford noted that Kurucs is a long, athletic shooter with good size for his position.
The Nets were reportedly high on Kurucs and perhaps even willing to move up in the first round to snare him.
Kurucs played 24 games for the Barcelona team this season, averaging 9.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 1.4 APG in 21.2 MPG. The 6’8” Kurucs shot 31.9% on 3-point attempts.
Atlantic Draft Notes: Dorsey, Dozier, Meeks, Dotson
Oregon shooting guard Tyler Dorsey will work out for the Sixers on Wednesday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Dorsey is considered second-round material by both DraftExpress, which currently rates him 46th overall, and ESPN.com’s Chad Ford, who pegs him at No. 47. Philadelphia owns four second-round picks.
In other draft-related news around the Atlantic Division:
- South Carolina shooting guard P.J. Dozier was among the prospects worked out by the Raptors on Monday, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Dozier is ranked No. 51 by DraftExpress and No. 56 by Ford. North Carolina center Kennedy Meeks was also present at the workout. Meeks isn’t ranked among DraftExpress’ Top 100 prospects but Ford has him at No. 67. The Raptors have the No. 23 overall pick but don’t own a second-rounder, so this would be a case of doing due diligence or perhaps an indication they’re interested in trading for a second-round pick.
- Georgia point guard J.J. Frazier will be among the prospects the Raptors will work out on Tuesday, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Damyean Dotson will work out for the Knicks on Tuesday and the Nets on Wednesday, Scotto reports in another tweet. DraftExpress ranks the Houston swingman at No. 64, while Ford has him slightly higher at 58.
- The Knicks will bring in Meeks on Wednesday, according to Scotto (Twitter link).
De’Aaron Fox Works Out For Kings; Suns Next
Projected high lottery pick De’Aaron Fox worked out for the Kings on Monday and will visit three other teams with a Top 5 pick over the next week, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. The University of Kentucky point guard will work out for the Suns, who hold the No. 4 pick, later this week, Howard-Cooper continues. Fox will work out next week for the Sixers, who have the No. 3 pick, and the Lakers, slotted at No. 2, Howard-Cooper adds.
Fox, who averaged 16.7 PPG and 4.6 APG in his lone season with the Wildcats, is ranked No. 5 by DraftExpress and ESPN’s Chad Ford. That’s where the Kings sit on the draft board, and they certainly have a need at the position. The same could be said about the Lakers and Sixers, though most mock drafts predict Los Angeles will go with UCLA point man Lonzo Ball and Philadelphia will target Kansas small forward Josh Jackson.
Fox could improve his stock during his tour and perhaps even get picked at the No. 2 spot. It’s not a lock that the Lakers will draft Ball, according to another tweet from Howard-Cooper. Fox’s maturity and intelligence will blow the Lakers away, Howard-Cooper predicts.
If Fox makes a big impression on the Lakers or Sixers, there may be more mystery and intrigue to the top of the draft than currently projected.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons were a massive disappointment this season and enter the offseason with plenty of tough decisions to make.
Coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy committed to the core group of players he assembled the past two years by handing out multiyear contracts to his two top players, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, and adding some expensive pieces.
The Pistons, who made the playoffs for the time since the 2008/09 season the previous year, sank out of contention as virtually everyone on the roster underachieved. Their longest winning streak was a meager three games. Drummond and Jackson both had subpar seasons and heard their names bandied about in trade rumors.
Van Gundy now heads into a pivotal summer seeking to make roster upgrades despite an unpalatable cap situation.
Here’s a look at the major questions confronting the club this offseason:
1. Should the Pistons hold onto restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at all costs?
It’s expected that locking up Caldwell-Pope will require a contract in excess of $20MM per year.
Caldwell-Pope is the team’s best perimeter defender and he’s entering his prime years. If the team’s curve continued on an upward arc this season, it would a pretty easy decision to match any offer.
The team’s cap situation and Caldwell-Pope’s spotty offense changes that dynamic. They’ll be perilously close to the luxury tax threshold if they re-sign him to a big number and he’s not a consistent offensive threat. In 31 of the 76 games he played this season, Caldwell-Pope scored 10 or fewer points.
Van Gundy wants to keep Caldwell-Pope, but he shouldn’t take an “at any cost” approach to the shooting guard’s free-agency foray.
2. Should Reggie Jackson be given a mulligan or do the Pistons need to trade for another point guard?
Central Rumors: Butler, Garrity, Griffin, Pacers
Jimmy Butler held a meeting with Bulls management on Monday to discuss the team’s direction, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Butler had only met with team officials briefly after the season, the tweet adds. Chicago isn’t looking to move the three-time All-Star swingman but will listen to any offers, Johnson wrote in an earlier story. Butler had been training in Los Angeles and will leave for Europe later in the month to train there, Johnson adds.
In other developments around the Central Division:
- Pistons assistant GM Pat Garrity interviewed for the Hawks GM position and will soon interview for the Bucks‘ GM opening, according to Tony Paul of the Detroit News. Atlanta chose Warriors executive Travis Schlenk. Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy confirmed to Paul that Garrity will interview for the job formerly held by new Magic GM John Hammond.
- There are several more hurdles to clear before the Pistons can move into a new downtown arena next season, the Detroit Free Press reports. The Detroit City Council on Tuesday will vote on a package of agreements that would allow the move, while the lease agreement with Little Caesars Arena has not been finalized, the report continues. The league also has to give its final approval. The franchise hopes to have all the elements completed in time for the annual July board of governors meeting in Las Vegas, the report adds.
- Cavaliers GM David Griffin will seek a significant raise from owner Dan Gilbert, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reports. Griffin is making less than $2MM annually, according to Vardon’s sources. The two sides have not yet discussed financial terms on a new contract for Griffin, whose current contract expires at the end of the month. The Magic and Hawks were denied permission to interview Griffin for front-office openings and the Bucks appear to be moving away from Griffin in their GM search, Vardon adds.
- The Pacers will bring in six players for a pre-draft workout on Tuesday, according to the team’s website. That group includes Antonio Blakeney (LSU), Isaac Hamilton (UCLA), Zak Irvin (Michigan), Naz Long (Iowa State), Johnathan Motley (Baylor) and Rashawn Thomas (Texas A&M-CC). It’s a group of second-round hopefuls, headlined by Blakeney, a shooting guard ranked No. 85 by DraftExpress.
Community Shootaround: Game 3
The third installment of the Warriors–Cavaliers Finals promised plenty of drama and tight finishes. Instead, it’s looking more like a Golden State coronation, as the Western Conference champions dominated the first two games.
Cleveland seems helpless in slowing down the Warriors and their turbo-boost attack, fueled by Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Curry is averaging 30 PPG, 8 RPG and 10.5 APG, while Durant is posting 35.5 PPG, 11 RPG and 7 APG in the series.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have a multitude of issues, particularly regarding the role players around their Big 3. Two of their starters, shooting guard J.R. Smith and center Tristan Thompson, have provided nothing but angst for Cavaliers supporters. Smith has scored three points in 42 minutes and is still looking for his first assist and steal. Thompson has grabbed a total of eight rebounds in 43 minutes and hasn’t blocked a shot.
Cleveland’s bench, fortified by a variety of front office moves this season, has also not helped the cause. Veteran point guard Deron Williams has not scored in 33 minutes. Long-range specialist Kyle Korver is 1-for-6 on 3-point attempts. None of the other reserves have made a significant impact.
LeBron James has 12 turnovers, a sign that he may be trying to do too much while his teammates are doing too little. However, fans must be reminded that the Warriors only did what they were supposed to do — win at home. With the series shifting to Cleveland, the Cavaliers should put up much more resistance.
In any case, no team with LeBron James should be underestimated. The Cavaliers were counted out by virtually everyone last year after falling behind 3-1 in the series.
There are rumblings that Smith will be replaced in the lineup by Iman Shumpert for Game 3. It could be just one of several tweaks coming for the Cavs.
That brings us to today’s question: What moves should Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue make for Game 3 of the Finals in order to get his club back on track?
Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.