Central Notes: Pacers, Scola, Blatt
The Cavs are up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals and that’s thanks in no small part to their defense, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports writes. The Cavs lead the playoffs in points allowed per 100 possessions (98.1), points allowed (91.4), and blocked shots (7.0 per game).
“We understand that ultimately, if we want to win long term, we have to defend. It’s going to give us the best possible chance to win because the ball doesn’t go through the rim all the time, and you have to be able to get stops,” LeBron James said.
Here’s more from the Central Division..
- There’s mutual interest between Pacers president Larry Bird and veteran Luis Scola in a new deal, Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com tweets. “[There’s] this huge gap that we got to fill. We’ll see how it goes,” Scola said. Scola, 35, averaged 9.4 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 20.5 minutes per contest last season. Bird made it known back in April that he hopes to retain the forward.
- Cavs first year coach David Blatt is silencing the critics one meaningful win at a time, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes. Blatt sometimes takes a condescending tone with reporters, which meant that he got off on the wrong foot with many Cleveland beat writers. With the way the Cavs are playing now, however, it’d be hard to criticize the NBA newcomer.
- If the Pistons want to add a strong defender in this year’s draft, they should take Arkansas’ Michael Qualls at No. 38, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. “I look at the NBA, and for one, I see that no one really plays defense,” Qualls said. “There’s a couple defensive guys [on each team], but for the most part, everyone else is just offense. I’m fine on the offensive end, but I feel like I’ll be able to play the NBA game right away and be their defensive stopper.”
Q&A With Lottery Hopeful Jerian Grant
Throughout the spring and summer, Hoops Rumors will be talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in the 2015 NBA Draft. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant, whom Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks No. 14 in this year’s class and Chad Ford of ESPN.com rates 17th.
A team in need of a playmaking point guard would do very well to wind up with Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant. Blessed with tremendous size for the position, the 6’5″ athlete is a tremendous passer with exceptional ball handling skills. Grant also offers a level of maturity that the younger guards in this year’s class might not possess right out of the gate. Through five years with the Fighting Irish, Grant has developed on and off the court, blossoming into a high-upside NBA prospect. Last week, Grant took time out of his busy schedule to chat with Hoops Rumors about his strengths, where he might wind up getting drafted, and much more.
Zach Links: Your older brother, 76ers forward Jerami Grant, went through the draft process last year. What kind of advice has he given you?
Jerian Grant: Just do what you do. Don’t go out there trying to do things that you’re not supposed to be doing. They already know that you can play the game. Just go out there and reinforce what you do best. 
ZL: What would it mean for you to play alongside him at the next level?
JG: It’d be great. We got to play together a bit when we were younger. Both of our games have developed so much, so I think that we can be a dynamic duo together.
ZL: What teams have you worked out for so far?
JG: Just the Pacers on Monday [May 18th].
ZL: What team workouts do you have coming up?
JG: I have one scheduled with the Hornets on June 8th but that’s it for now.
ZL: You’ve been on the NBA radar for some time now and it seems like you could have gone pro earlier if you wanted to. Why was it important for you to stay in school and graduate?
JG: A few things, one is that I wanted to graduate. Also, I wanted to come back and take on more of a leadership role and I did that too. In the previous years I was at Notre Dame, I felt like I was one of the better players on the team but maybe not the No. 1 leader. As a point guard that’s a role you want to fill and I’m glad I got to do that last season.
ZL: You took a seismic leap forward in your senior year. What do you attribute that to?
JG: I think stepping into a leadership role really helped make me a more rounded player. I practiced even harder than before, I worked even harder than before, and I was more vocal.
ZL: Thanks to redshirting in your freshman year, you spent five total years in school. Do you think that allowed you to gain some additional maturity on and off the court as you look ahead to the NBA?
JG: Absolutely. i’ve been through a lot over those five years, I’m definitely seasoned. Now I know that I can go into the NBA and help right away. It’s not gonna take two or three years for me to acclimate myself.
ZL: You had a ton of memorable moments at Notre Dame, including leading your team to an Elite Eight appearance this past season. If you had to pick your favorite game or one highlight from your career at Notre Dame, what would it be?
JG: I think just winning the ACC championship. We went down there to Carolina and to beat Duke and Carolina to win the ACC championship – the first conference championship for our school – it meant so much.
ZL: At 6’5″, what kind of things can you do on the court that smaller point guards typically can’t?
JG: I think my vision is definitely helped by my height. I can see over defenses and make better passes on certain players. Smaller guys can’t do it because they don’t have the length. My vision and my playmaking ability at 6’5″ is that much better because of my height.
ZL: What’s the ideal kind of offense for you to thrive in at the NBA level?
JG: It’s tough to say. I definitely like to get up and down the court, I make a lot of plays there. But, I think my strong suit is in the ball stance in the half court.
ZL: What specific areas of your game do you feel like you want to improve on most?
JG: Being able to knock down shots consistently, that’ll go a long way for me. Being able to spot up and nail those shots. I also want to develop different types of one-on-one moves. I used the step back a lot in college, but I want to have a wider variety of ways to attack the defense.
ZL: Where have you been working out since the end of the season?
JG: I’m back home in Maryland, working with my old teammate Victor Oladipo and my brother Jerami. It’s real competitive.
ZL: What led you to choose IAM Sports to represent you?
JG: Victor is my best friend and he uses the same agency. I met with them and felt like it was the right place for me. I asked about them, Victor told me all about them and he only had positive things to say. There are only like seven players in the agency, so it has a family feel and they give every client a ton of attention.
ZL: Do you have an idea as to where you’ll be drafted? What’s your floor and what’s your ceiling?
JG: My agent and I have been hearing anywhere from No. 8 to No. 20, anywhere around that range. They don’t see me going past No. 22 and they say the ceiling is around No. 8 or 9. It’s a wide range right now.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Southeast Notes: Grant, Hornets, Heat
Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant tells Hoops Rumors (Twitter link) that he’ll be working out for the Hornets on June 8th. That audition will mark just the second team workout for Grant, who previously worked out for the Pacers.
Grant and his agent are hearing (link) that he could go as high as No. 8 with teams estimating his range to be somewhere between No. 8 and No. 20. He added that based on those rumblings, it sounds unlikely that he’ll be available for teams selecting beyond No. 22. Stay tuned for Grant’s entire conversation with Hoops Rumors as a part of our Draft Prospect Q&A series which also features conversations with Cameron Payne, Richaun Holmes, and more.
Here’s today’s look at the Southeast Division..
- Historically, the No. 10 pick — owned by the Heat this year — has produced plenty of high-caliber, rotation-worthy players, as Couper Moorhead of Heat.com writes. Some of the most notable players to come off the board at No. 10 include Paul Pierce, Eddie Jones, Jason Terry, and Joe Johnson. In recent years, Brook Lopez, Andrew Bynum, Paul George, and Brandon Jennings have heard their names called at No. 10.
- Heat president Pat Riley has indicated that he’ll be looking for perimeter defending and three-point shooting in the draft, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald writes. In a perfect world, Riley has said he would like a player similar to Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson, who was the 11th pick of the 2011 draft.
- The Magic weren’t thrilled to land at No. 5, but GM Rob Hennigan and CEO Alex Martins put a positive spin on it, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “We feel good about it,” Hennigan said. “We stayed where we expected to stay. Luckily, we didn’t move back, so we’ll take the hand that was dealt to us and certainly make the most of the pick we have.”
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel is less bullish about the talent available at No. 5 and he feels that the Magic should dangle the pick in a trade.
- More from Schmitz, who looked back at Kyle O’Quinn‘s season. Fellow Sentinel scribe Josh Robbins reported last month that the Magic will make O’Quinn the qualifying offer necessary for them to be able to match offers for him in free agency this summer.
St. John’s Phil Greene Gunning For NBA
If you looked only at his box scores, you would never know that Phil Greene played hurt for the bulk of his four-year career at St. John’s. His teammates, however, knew what he was dealing with. Not wanting to let his locker room down, Greene refused to sit out and heal up, choosing instead to battle through the pain. True to his demeanor, Greene didn’t make a lot of noise about his injuries either.
“I call him the quiet assassin,” former St. John’s coach Steve Lavin said between sips of coffee at a cafe in lower Manhattan. “That’s because he plays within the framework of our schemes and, yet, he had a propensity to step up in crunch time. He made game changing plays, whether it was dagger three-point shots, driving to the basket, or outside shots.”
The guard gave those kinds of performances throughout his tenure in New York, but he really showed what he could do in his senior season when he was 100% healthy. Up until that point, Greene was like a live action Operation board. First, the guard hurt his shooting wrist in his freshman year. Then, as a sophomore, he suffered a hip labrum tear. Prior to his junior year, Greene went under the knife to fix that tear, but he admits that he rushed himself back to action a little too fast.
More than once, Lavin went to Greene and encouraged him to consider a taking a medical redshirt year. The coach also involved Greene’s parents in the conversation, but the guard couldn’t bear to spend a season on the sidelines. Ultimately, Lavin left the decision in Greene’s hands, and he decided to play through the pain.
When asked, Greene wasn’t sure how to quantify how banged up he was, but he knows he was well under 100% for his first three Red Storm seasons. In hindsight, Greene wishes that he wouldn’t have tried to play the hero. The guard might have been playing at MSG, but no one expected him to put on a Willis Reed impersonation.
“Of course, I probably would have taken some time off if I could have done it over again. I should have had my surgery done sophomore year and come back 100%,” Greene explained. “But, now, I’m 100%. I haven’t had a single thing bother me all year long and I’m ready for what’s ahead of me.”
Even with his setbacks in those three years, Greene still managed to be one of the top contributors on a talented St. John’s team. In his senior campaign, Greene got to show the world what he’s truly capable of when healthy. The 22-year-old went out on a high note, averaging 12.9 PPG with a 39.4% rate of success beyond the arc. He was even stronger in conference play, leading the Big East in intra-conference three-point percentage (45.8%) with 14.5 PPG against Big East foes.
Greene had too many big games to count in his last collegiate season, but Lavin and the guard produced the same two answers when asked to list his very best performances. One came against Syracuse when he led the charge on a late game 17-2 run to help St. John’s down the Orange at the Carrier Dome for the first time in 16 years. The other was Greene’s final regular season college game at MSG, when he dropped 26 points on rival Georgetown.
“We hate Georgetown. We hate them. We don’t like them at all,” said Greene, not wanting to leave any ambiguity on the subject. “So, to be at the Garden for my last game and put up 26 points, it was an amazing night.”
Lavin, too, fondly remembers that game.
“Georgetown beat us bad the last time, so we absolutely smashed them there,” the coach said.
With brilliant scoring performances, late game heroics, and a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, Greene closed out his St. John’s career in style. And, it turns out, NBA teams have taken notice. According to agent Keith Kreiter, Greene has already secured multiple workout invitations and a couple of teams are already showing intense interest in him. As of today, Greene is not featured on ESPN’s or DraftExpress’ mock drafts, but come June, he could very well find a place on the only big board that really counts.
Lavin describes Greene as a player who boasts shot making as his “greatest strength,” but also a player with a very well-rounded skill set. In his senior year, he improved upon his ability to attack the basket and draw fouls, which made him even more dangerous on the offensive end. The Chicago native is also a keen ball distributor and Lavin cites his low assist-to-turnover ratio as one of his most impressive stats. In a league where the ability of a point guard to shoot and score is more important than ever, Lavin sees a bright future for his former pupil.
“He’s fundamentally a very solid point guard, sure, but to me he’s a guard, period. You can put him on the floor and he can pass, catch, handle the ball, and he can create his own shot. One of his greatest strengths is his ability to create his own shot through footwork and his ball handling,” Lavin said. “In the NBA, you’re sometimes isolated with not a lot of room, so your ability to create separation from a defender and make shots is valuable. Phil has shown that he can do that.”
Lavin has also been impressed by Greene’s ability to heat up and take over a game. The coach explained that on several occasions, the guard has given St. John’s scoring stretches of 9 or 10 points at a critical juncture of the game and he does it without forcing offense.
“You could say he’s like a smaller Sleepy Floyd,” Lavin said when asked for an NBA comparison. “Sleepy might have a couple of inches on Phil, but in terms of the ability to knock down shots from a distance and beating opponents off the bounce and nailing mid-range shots, that’s what Phil can do.”
Greene can knock down shots from the outside, but he is also a gifted dunker. One of his latest highlight reel slams had him throwing down a picture perfect alley-oop off a bounce pass from teammate D’Angelo Harrison. The youngster’s primary focus is obviously on contributing in the NBA, but he also has a secondary goal on his check list.
“I’ve thought about being in the dunk contest,” Greene said. “I think I could win it.“
Draft Notes: Russell, Okafor, Staten
When asked why a team should select him on June 25th, D’Angelo Russell had a simple answer for reporters. “I’m the best player in the draft,” Russell said, as Henry Green of FOX Sports Ohio writes. Russell is expected to be a top-five pick, and many analysts have him as the No. 3 prospect in the 2015 draft class. Of course, it remains to be seen whether he can jump Jahlil Okafor and Karl Anthony-Towns for the top spot. Here’s today’s draft news..
- Okafor skipped the official draft combine, but he found himself in the Chicago area on Friday night and worked out at Quest Gym, as Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. One of the big knocks on Okafor is his conditioning, but trainer Rick Lewis says that the big man has shed 12 points of fat and his conditioning is improving every day. The trainer, who might be a tad biased, also tells Berman that the Duke offensive system didn’t allow Okafor to showcase everything he can do.
- West Virginia guard Juwan Staten is working out for the Sixers on Monday and roughly half the league is expected to work him out before the draft, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Staten is currently not in the top 100 rankings done by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress but he is the No. 79 overall player according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required).
- An NBA scout told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (on Twitter) that LSU’s Jordan Mickey and Louisville’s Terry Rozier “really helped themselves” by playing 5-on-5 at the Combine.
- Murray State guard Cameron Payne is finally getting the respect he deserves, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders writes. Payne also isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Recently, an NBA exec asked him who shouldn’t be ranked ahead of him in this year’s class and he answered truthfully. “Tyus Jones,” Payne said. “Just because he played on a great team. He had a lot of exposure through that team. He didn’t have to carry his team like I did, so I just felt I went through a lot of adversity and he had one of the best big men playing college basketball around him. He wasn’t a focal point.” (Recently, Payne spoke with Hoops Rumors about a wide range of topics, including where he thinks he might land).
Central Notes: Pistons, Thompson, Hunter
The Cavs are doing everything possible to make sure that Kyrie Irving will be ready for Wednesday night against the Hawks, including giving him rest. The point guard sat out of practice on Friday in an effort to heal up.
“We sat Ky out and he’s going through a lot of treatment and we’re monitoring and just hoping that he progresses from here until game time,” coach David Blatt said, according to Tom Withers of The Associated Press. “We’re very much on top of this obviously and Ky is doing everything he possibly can to get well.”
Here’s a look at the Central Division..
- Per the terms of the Ben Gordon deal, the Pistons sent their first-round choice to the Hornets last year. Considering the underwhelming rookie performance of the top-heavy 2014 draft class, that might have been for the best, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. Since the pick was only No. 1-protected for this draft, the Pistons likely would have lost it at Tuesday’s lottery if they had kept it last year.
- Before the season started, many thought Tristan Thompson was making a big mistake in turning down a massive contract offer from the Cavs. Now, it looks like his gamble will pay off, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes. Thompson could have chosen the safe route and accepted Cleveland’s offer, reported to be worth $13MM per year over four seasons. Now, after a good season and filling in admirably for Kevin Love in the playoffs, he stands to get at least that much and maybe more.
- Vince Hunter grew up watching the Pistons and he would relish the opportunity to return to play for his hometown team, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. “It would be a great opportunity for me to be in Detroit,” he said. The UTEP guard averaged 14.9 points and 9.2 rebounds, shooting 53% from the field last season.
Hoops Links: Blazers, Jordan, James
On this date in 1995, Jason Kidd of the Mavericks and Grant Hill of the Pistons were named co-winners of the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, marking the first time since 1971 that two players shared the trophy. Boston’s Dave Cowens and Portland’s Geoff Petrie were the last players to come away as co-winners of the award.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…
- Hoop Trends wonders if it’s time for the Blazers to rebuild.
- Zocco’s Modern Life addresses Hack-A-Jordan.
- Posterized Basketball discussed LeBron James‘ dominance.
- Six Championship Drive looked at some crazy trade ideas.
- Upside Motor says Clint Capela is developing nicely for the Rockets.
- Playbook takes LeBron over MJ in a game of 1-on-1 every time.
- OT Nation previewed the Eastern Conference finals.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Draft Notes: Payne, Sixers, Magic
In today’s chat, a reader asked Chad Ford of ESPN.com if he feels that Myles Turner getting out ahead of the story on his running style will alleviate the fears of GMs picking in the lottery. Ford feels that it’s a good start and notes that the reports from Turner’s camp are encouraging. If he can correct his running style, Ford could see him going as high as No. 5 or No. 6 in the draft. Here’s a look at the latest draft news..
- After Emmanuel Mudiay and D’Angelo Russell, ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla said that he views Murray State’s Cameron Payne, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant, and Utah’s Delon Wright as the top point guards in the draft, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. Fraschilla was particularly high on Payne, who he feels “has a chance to be a tremendous NBA player.” The Murray State star spoke with Hoops Rumors last week about his skill set and NBA goals.
- The Sixers will interview Eastern Washington guard Tyler Harvey on Thursday, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Pompey sees Harvey as a possible steal in the second round. The sophomore is currently ranked No. 35 overall by ESPN.com’s Chad Ford and No. 75 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
- One of the Magic‘s interviews Wednesday at the combine was with Anthony Brown of Stanford, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. DraftExpress.com ranks Brown as the No. 41 overall prospect and ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) places him 61st.
Celtics Eyeing Aldridge, Matthews
Celtics GM Danny Ainge has made it clear that he will explore every avenue to improve his team this summer and it sounds like he has at least one very bold idea in mind. The Celtics will be “open to putting together some type of package deal” for Blazers free agents LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews, according to A. Sherrod Blakely on CSNNE’s Celtics Talk TV (h/t Jay King of MassLive.com).
Many believed that Aldridge would wind up staying put in Portland, but speculation grew over the course of the season that he might look elsewhere. In particular, a pair of Texas teams – the Spurs and Mavericks – have been heavily connected to the big man. One has to imagine that playing in Boston would hold appeal for most players, but the C’s would also have to convince Aldridge that they’d be ready to compete for a championship in the immediate future. As Blakely notes, Aldridge is looking for a team that can give him a great chance of going deep in the playoffs.
When asked to handicap the odds of Aldridge donning green and white next season, Blakely handicapped the odds at 35-40%. That figure may sound optimistic, but Aldridge and Matthews are friendly and the guard’s inclusion could help convince the former No. 2 overall pick to join the C’s.
Matthews, meanwhile, could be a solid fit for the Celtics, independent of Aldridge. If his Achilles checks out, the Celtics might feel that the 28-year-old could provide them with the shooting that they need.
Q&A With Draft Prospect Chris Walker
Throughout the spring and summer, Hoops Rumors will be talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in the 2015 NBA Draft. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with Florida product Chris Walker, whom Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks No. 52 in this year’s class and Chad Ford of ESPN.com rates 56th.
Chris Walker came to the University of Florida with a tremendous amount of hype behind him. Offered by top programs all over the country – including Kansas, Louisville, UNC, Ohio State, and many many more – Walker was arguably one of the most talented recruits ever brought into the fold by coach Billy Donovan.
How good was Walker? Top scouting services put the forward in their top ten nationally, ahead of names like Noah Vonleh, Joel Embiid, and James Young. Walker wasn’t an elite collegiate performer at Florida, but he showed glimpses of his tremendous talent over two years and NBA scouts know that the skills are still there. Now, Walker is gearing up for the workout circuit to convince a team to draft him and mine his vast untapped potential. Walker, a client of Travis King at Relativity Sports, spoke with Hoops Rumors about his time at Florida and what he hopes to do going forward.
Zach Links: You came out as sophomore this year. Did you wrestle with the decision to go pro early? What went into the decision? Were you hearing from NBA people that you had an excellent chance of getting drafted?
Chris Walker: It was a tough decision, but I wanted to focus on basketball and put 100% of my focus on my craft. Just from talking with my family and my agent, it was clear that everybody believed that I could do it and I did, too. I felt like if I could focus on basketball exclusively, then I could achieve great things in this sport.
ZL: You have the ability to drive to the basket and you don’t see that too often in a 6’10” big man. Have you always been strong at slashing to the hoop?
CW: That’s something that I’ve always done but I was actually told not to do that as much at Florida, because it didn’t fit in with the offense there. I’m excited to show that off now.
ZL: Do you have any regrets about how things played out at Florida?
CW: Of course I wish I could have done better, but I don’t know, I just feel like if I wanted to get better, I needed to go up a notch in competition to get better. I feel like everything happens for a reason and I have a great future ahead of me.
ZL: Are you a more mature person than you were when you came out of high school?
CW: I feel like I’m a way more mature person right now; I’ve grown physically and mentally. Mainly, I feel like I’ve grown a lot. I think some of the struggles actually woke me up a bit and humbled me and made me a tougher guy both on and off the court.
ZL: You’re fairly skinny at 6’10”, 220 pounds. Do you plan on getting bigger? How much bigger?
CW: I plan on getting bigger and getting up to the 235-240 pound range. At the same time though, I’m trying to keep my athleticism, explosiveness, and lateral movement. Right now I’m just being disciplined with how I eat and how I work out and taking all my supplements. I make sure that I take my creatine every day.
ZL: If you had to write your own scouting report, what would you say about yourself and what you can do on the court?
CW: I’m going to be a player in the NBA that is an energy guy. I’m going to give 110% every time. When the coach comes to me on the floor during practice I’m going to work out as hard as I can, pay attention to the veteran guys, and follow their lead. I want to learn from the best guys out there and I really feel that the sky is the limit for me.
ZL: While you’re writing your own scouting report, how about an NBA comparison for yourself?
CW: Right now I think I’m sort of an Anthony Davis type player, even if i’m not as polished as he is. He put on a lot of weight and I feel like we have the same frame and that’s who I want to pattern my game around.
ZL: So you must really pride yourself on your defense.
CW: I really enjoy playing D, even more than offense. I like blocking shots, rebounding the ball, and helping. Don’t get me wrong, I like the offensive end too and getting up and down the floor in transition. I want to work on post moves even more though so that I can really be effective in the halfcourt set.
ZL: What are you hearing about where you might get drafted?
CW: I’m not really hearing much specifically, but whatever team wants to take a shot at me, they won’t regret it.
ZL: Why did you choose Travis King and the folks at Relativity Sports to represent you?
CW: They’re like family to me. They have my back and it feels like a family connection, so that’s why I chose them.