Western Notes: Embiid, Calathes, Spurs, Nuggets
NBA history has shown that big men who suffer serious knee, ankle, or foot injuries will have a difficult time having productive careers, and Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee opines that this is why the Kings should avoid selecting Joel Embiid in the draft.
More from the west:
- Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News breaks down the Spurs roster heading into the offseason and what the future might hold for each player.
- There have been rumors about the Grizzlies‘ Nick Calathes possibly playing overseas next season. One team that had been mentioned as a possibility, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, has denied any interest in signing the player, the team announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
- There are many different directions the Nuggets could take in this year’s NBA Draft, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Dempsey breaks down some of the possibilities, including if the team drafts for need or based on future potential.
Eastern Notes: Pistons, Celtics, Blatt, Sixers
According to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News, the Pistons need to find a small forward in the draft who would allow coach Stan Van Gundy to move Josh Smith into a role as the sixth man. This would maximize Smith’s potential by making him the best player on the floor when both teams play their second units, opines Goodwill.
More from the east:
- The Celtics would like to nab a small forward who can score, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. In the article he breaks down what players that fit that description might be available when Boston is on the clock at picks No. 6 and No. 17.
- Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders chimes in on why he thinks that David Blatt was the right hire for the Cavaliers.
- Joel Embiid‘s injury has complicated the lottery picture. Tom Moore of Calkins Media runs down the Sixers’ scenarios now that the draft’s landscape has changed.
- Serbian point guard Vasa Micic could be a draft possibility for the Hornets at No. 24, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
Western Notes: Grizzlies, Harris, Wolves
The Grizzlies need to find a small forward this summer, opines Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal in a subscription-only piece. Coach Dave Joerger said, “It’s becoming much more of a playmaking position. Used to be your shooting guard was a guy you ran off of picks and spot up to make shots. Point guard brought it up and your small forward was a defender and athletic runner. That’s not the case anymore. Teams are playing smaller and small forwards are like having another point guard. They’re having to make plays, create shots for other people and just do more than, say, 10 years ago.” Tillery notes the players the Grizzlies are looking at in the draft to fill this need are Kyle Anderson, K.J. McDaniels, Jerami Grant, Glenn Robinson III and Cleanthony Early.
More from the west:
- All signs point toward the Grizzles and Zach Randolph agreeing on a long-term contract, and the process appears to be a mere formality, writes Tillery in a separate article. GM Chris Wallace told Tillery, “It’s going forward. We’re very excited about what Zach’s done in the past and hope to have him here in the future. This has really been a terrific boon for both sides. He’s obviously meant a great deal to us on and off the court. And Memphis has worked for him. This has been, by far, the best stop for him since he’s been in the NBA. So we’re working towards that goal.”
- Devin Harris is looking for security in his next contract, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Harris becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, and is seeking a three-year deal according to the article. When asked what the chances were of him returning to the Mavericks, Harris said, “Pretty good. This is where I want to be, so, we’ll see. As long as things make sense.”
- Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune asked Flip Saunders what kind of players would be available when the Timberwolves pick at No. 13, and Saunders said, “There’s a good player. I think there’s rotation players, probably all the way to 18 or 19, guys that will be able to come in and be in teams’ top eight [next season]. There’s a box of a lot of good players at that spot.”
Berger’s Draft Notes: Cavs, Saric, Magic
The Cavs are leaning towards selecting Jabari Parker with the first-overall pick, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. He cites Parker being more NBA ready as the reason behind that pick.
More from Berger’s article:
- The biggest beneficiary of Joel Embiid‘s injury could be Australian shooting guard Dante Exum. Berger reports that the Magic are interested in Exum, who could be off the board prior to them selecting at number four. But Orlando’s dilemma is that they also want a frontcourt player to pair with Nikola Vucevic and may not be able to get one they’re comfortable with at No. 12. If that is the case, Berger has the Magic taking Noah Vonleh.
- Two players who are rising on teams’ draft boards are Jusuf Nurkic and Elfrid Payton. Nurkic could be a stash option for the Bulls at 19, opines Berger.
- The Knicks are trying to purchase a late first round pick, and Phil Jackson is interested in Tyler Ennis or P.J. Hairston, according to the article.
- Berger reports that Dario Saric‘s invitation to the draft-night green room might be the result of a promise from the Nuggets to grab him with the 11th pick. The article also notes that teams in the mid-to-late lottery have tried to get Saric to work out for them, but have been told he’ll be gone by the time they pick.
- With Kyle Lowry an unrestricted free agent and Greivis Vasquez becoming a restricted free agent, the Raptors are believed to be considering Ennis or Shabazz Napier with the 20th pick.
- The Bucks are looking at selecting Mitch McGary with the 31st pick, according to Berger. They are the only team known to have worked out McGary, notes Berger.
Eastern Notes: Hornets, Draft, Bulls
The Hornets‘ top priority this offseason is finding players who can shoot from the outside, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte GM Rich Cho said, “I think shooting is hard to find – especially mid-range shooting. You don’t see a lot of kids practicing that. Shooting is at a premium now because a lot of teams want to take threes instead of long twos, just from an efficiency standpoint. In an ideal world you want a shooter who can also really defend. But in the real world, there’s not a lot of that.”
More from the east:
- In a separate article, Bonnell examines the Hornets‘ top-10 franchise assets, which include the presence of Al Jefferson, Coach Steve Clifford, and abundant cap space.
- Bonnell also writes that the Hornets need frontcourt depth and a backup point guard. If the team uses a first round pick on a point guard, the names to watch, according to Bonnell, are Elfrid Payton, Zack LaVine, and Shabazz Napier. In the frontcourt, possibilities would be Aaron Gordon, Adreian Payne, or Jusuf Nurkic.
- The Bulls first round draft choices have been a series of hits and misses, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. In the article he looks back at the 10 first rounds of the John Paxson–Gar Forman era.
- The Bulls are offering players with non-guaranteed contracts in most of their trade talks, writes Johnson in a separate article. Johnson mentions Mike James, Ronnie Brewer and Louis Amundson as the players the team has been trying to include. If some or all of them were needed to acquire Arron Afflalo, this could limit the Bulls’ preferred scenario of acquiring Carmelo Anthony via sign-and-trade discussions with the Knicks, notes Johnson.
Latest On Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid had been the prohibitive favorite to be the first-overall pick in this year’s draft, but his foot injury and subsequent need for surgery has placed his likelihood of being a top-3 pick in serious doubt, as executives worry that he could be the next in a long line of talented big men to have their careers cut short by injury, Here’s the latest on Embiid…
- Initial concerns about Embiid centered on a stress fracture in his back — an injury that caused him to miss the final several weeks of the college season, including the NCAA tournament, but the foot injury is an even worse concern now, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. A Western Conference executive said, “The back thing wouldn’t have bothered me as much, to be quite honest. But big men and bad feet are a bad combination. And big men with two injury concerns (back and foot) are a worse combination. No way (the Cavs) take him. It costs people money and jobs.“
- In the same article, a Western Conference coach had a different opinion, telling Amico, “Embiid is a top-three overall talent. He’s the best big in the draft. I wouldn’t rule him out.”
- Another executive weighed in on the talents of Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, telling Amico, “How do you draft Embiid and his bad foot when you have two guys like (Parker and Wiggins) sitting there? If you take an injury-prone big man to pass on a healthy and talented wing … you could really set the franchise back. The Cavs want to start winning. Draft the healthy guy.” That same executive then said he wouldn’t risk taking Embiid prior to the sixth pick.
- J.A. Adande of ESPN.com thinks that Embiid fits what the Lakers need. Adande opines that with Kobe Bryant under contract for two more seasons, the team doesn’t need to think long-term right now. Rather, they need to maximize what’s left of Kobe’s career, which makes the possibility of Embiid having his career cut short by injury not as big a risk as it would be for many of the other teams drafting in the top-10.
- Embiid might fall to the Celtics who own the sixth pick, and GM Danny Ainge has a history of taking players with injuries in their backgrounds, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7 FM. The article cites Ainge’s selections of Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley as examples.
Western Notes: LeBron, Gentry, Honeycutt
If LeBron James opts out of his contract with the Heat, the Rockets will have as an enticing a situation to offer him as any team in the league, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Beck lays out what options Houston has to fit James’ salary in, plus notes the team views Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh as secondary options if they fail to land James, provided Bosh and Anthony also exercise their ETO’s.
More from the wild west:
- Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman hands out the grades for Andre Roberson’s 2013/14 season with the Thunder.
- Alvin Gentry will make more than $800K as a Warriors assistant this season, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). That’s a raise on his salary from the Clippers this season but not nearly as much as he would have made if he’d become head coach for the Cavs or Lakers, two jobs for which he was a leading candidate.
- Free agent small forward Tyler Honeycutt will be auditioning for the Rockets and Warriors, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Honeycutt last saw NBA action with the Kings during the 2012/13 season when he averaged 0.9 PPG and 1.1 RPG in nine appearances.
- The Lakers will bring in Shabazz Napier on Sunday for a workout, reports Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link).
- The Grizzlies have a workout scheduled on Saturday for Walter Tavares, reports Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Tavares, Kings, Embiid
Be sure and spend Thursday night’s NBA Draft with us here at Hoops Rumors. Beginning at 6pm CDT, I will be hosting a live chat where I answer your questions, provide up-to-the-minute updates on all the picks, as well as weigh in with my thoughts and opinions on all the moves and selections. So save the date and join us for what is shaping up to be an exciting night.
Here’s the latest draft news and notes:
- The extension that first-round draft prospect Walter Tavares signed with his team in Spain gives him greater flexibility to join the NBA this year, agent Andy Miller tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). That suggests that the club lowered the amount of his buyout clauses in exchange for securing him for more years should he remain overseas, though that’s just my speculation.
- One of the biggest questions heading into draft night is where will Joel Embiid end up. Once a top-three lock, the news of him needing foot surgery has forced many a mock draft maker to revise their projections. One NBA GM who is picking in Top-10 said of Embiid: “My medical people told me flat-out not to take him,” reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- LaQuinton Ross, C.J. Fair, DeAndre Daniels, and JaKarr Sampson worked out for the Mavericks today, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- Kings Assistant GM Mike Bratz called Nik Stauskas and Doug McDermott the best two shooters in the draft, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Sacramento currently holds the eighth pick in the draft, one slot ahead of the Hornets, who have been linked to McDermott in numerous mock drafts.
- The Kings have workouts scheduled this Monday with Keith Appling, Deonte Burton, Mike Dixon Jr., DeAndre Kane, Jarred Shaw, and Aaric Murray, the team announced.
- Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel lays out the case for why the Magic should avoid selecting Embiid in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
- Markel Brown will work out for the Spurs on Saturday, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Draft, Heat, Hairston
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link) that the Lakers and the Sixers are discussing a deal that would send the seventh-overall pick to Philly, but it wasn’t known what the Lakers would receive in return. The Sixers most desirable player assets are Thaddeus Young and Michael Carter-Williams. Trading Carter-Williams would open the door for Philadelphia to grab Dante Exum with the third pick, but that’s pure speculation on my part.
More from the east:
- Speaking of Exum and the Sixers, he is scheduled to work out for them on Sunday along with Marcus Smart, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- If the Sixers do acquire the Lakers first round pick and fail to land Exum, the team is contemplating selecting Smart, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. On potentially going to Philadelphia, Smart said, “I think I will fit in well. You know the Sixers are slacking in some areas and the point guard role is one of them. They are looking for that type of leadership and toughness that will come in and handle it and take control of it.”
- The most recent CBA set the date for players to decide on their Early Termination Options (ETO’s) by June 29th, but the Heat‘s “Big-Three” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh are grandfathered in due to signing their deals prior to 2011, so they have until June 30th to decide, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The chances of Carmelo Anthony ending up with the Heat are remote, but Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders thinks that signing ‘Melo would be a bad move because it wouldn’t address the team’s biggest issue–lack of depth.
- P.J. Hairston has one more scheduled workout ahead of NBA draft, tweets Shams Charania of RealGm. He reports that the Bulls intend to bring in Hairston, who is a projected first round pick, sometime prior to Thursday night.
Bob Myers Press Conference Notes
At his pre-draft press conference today, Warriors GM Bob Myers addressed a number of rumors regarding his team’s efforts to obtain a pick in this year’s draft and the trade rumors swirling about the franchise. Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group transcribed the session. Here are some of the highlights:
Without any picks right now, how likely do you think it is that you’ll end up with a pick or two by Thursday?
“You know what? About a week before last year’s draft, I said it was unlikely and we ended up with one. I think it’s going to be harder this year because we don’t have a second-round pick and we don’t have the $3.2MM to spend on a pick. It’s possible. I think unlikely is how I’d gauge it. But everything’s pretty fluid so I never want to rule it out. I think it will be difficult to get one this year.“
You have zero to spend [on purchasing draft picks]?
“We don’t have any to spend, not until July 1st. And unfortunately the draft’s before July 1st, so we don’t have a ton of tools to obtain a pick.”
There was a report that you guys were looking at [Doug] McDermott and [Nik] Stauskas. Is that just due diligence, or is there some hope you can get that kind of pick?
“When I was an agent, it’s hard to get your players to the teams that have picks. It’s hard to even cover the range of picks you might be in. So for us, a team without any picks, the only option for us to go see players is to go see them, wherever they are. So we spent a good portion of May seeing a variety of players. But we did end up seeing most of the guys that are in the top 20. We actually sent a scout to the workout you might’ve been referring to. That’s the only way for us to see guys. And you never know on draft night, what may or may not occur. But what you can’t do is sit there and get presented with whatever pick it is and say, well, I haven’t seen that guy so I can’t make a decision. You have to make a decision, and that means you have to cover your bases the best you can.”
Not trying to make you address a specific trade rumor, but how much does this team value Klay Thompson? What is his value to the team?
“To the team? It’s extremely high. And well-deserved. I think his value to the entire league is very high. I ran into J.J. Redick after our series with them, and when you play against somebody in a playoff series, you really get an appreciation for him. We saw each other seven times. And he walked over to me and he said, you know, Klay’s a pretty good player. So that… I think respect from your peers is almost the most important thing as a player. He certainly has it. We think he’s been great. And the best thing about him that we’ve seen is improvement. I think everybody that watched him last year saw him, especially near the end of the season, really take a turn as far as getting to the basket and expanding his game. So he’s highly valued within the organization and within the team.”
What are the chances of you guys making a big trade from now until draft night?
“I’ll tell you this, I think probably right now unlikely. Best I can do for you. But I will say this, if you asked me last year at this time would we be in a situation to grab an Andre Iguodala, I would’ve said the same thing. I know it may be hard to believe, but I could get up from this little caucus and five minutes later my phone rings and it’s a deal that I hadn’t thought of, nobody had thought of, and all of a sudden you’re going down that path. But right now, I think it’s unlikely. Right now, today.”