JaKarr Sampson To Enter Draft
St. John’s University has announced that sophomore forward JaKarr Sampson will declare himself eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft. Sampson hasn’t had a ton of draft buzz this year, so it’s a rather surprising decision on his part.
Currently, DraftExpress does not have Sampson in their mock draft and Chad Ford of ESPN (Insider sub. req’d) ranks him all the way at No. 137 for this year’s class. Maurice Harkless left the Red Storm as a freshman in 2012 and was selected No. 15 overall, but unless Sampson knows something we don’t, he shouldn’t expect anything similar. “He is not close to the talent of a Moe Harkless when he came out,” one NBA scout told SNY’s Adam Zagoria (on Twitter).
In 29 minutes per contest this season, the 6’8″ forward averaged 12.8 PPG and 6.1 RPG.
Draft Rumors: Wiggins, Parker, Smart
Earlier today, we learned Ohio State small forward LaQuinton Ross is on the fence about entering the draft. While he’s not one of the top talents available this June, Ross was ranked No. 32 by ESPN’s Chad Ford and that’s no small feat given the depth of this year’s class. Here’s the latest draft news..
- Projected lottery picks Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Doug McDermott some of their worst during NCAA tournament action the past few days. Still, their performances haven’t discouraged NBA team executives, who tell Chris Mannix of SI.com that this weekend’s results will do little to alter their draft stocks (Twitter link).
- In today’s column, David Aldridge of NBA.com looks at the shallow pool of point guards in the 2014 draft. While there’s a significant drop-off after Australian prospect Dante Exum, Oklahoma State sophomore Marcus Smart, and Syracuse freshman Tyler Ennis, Aldridge rightfully notes that it’s not a huge problem for most NBA teams. The classic, pass-first floor general is nearly extinct thanks to rule changes over the years.
- NBA scouts told Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post that they regarded 6’6″ Colorado point guard Spencer Dinwiddie a late first-round pick, at least, before he tore his ACL in January. Concerns about his recovery and the absence of a chance to take part in predraft workouts will make it easy for Dinwiddie to decide against entering this year’s draft, Dempsey believes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Bucks Won’t Sign Wright To Second 10-Day
Chris Wright‘s 10-day contract is set to expire and a source tells Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter) that he won’t be signed to a second 10-day deal by the Bucks.
Wright, a Dayton product, played for the Maine Red Claws this season. The 25-year-old was in training camp with the Raptors over the summer and was in a heated three-way battle for the final spot on the roster, but he and Carlos Morais ultimately lost out to Julyan Stone. Wright spent 24 games with the Warriors during the 2011/12 season and averaged 2.9 PPG and 1.9 RPG across 7.8 minutes per game.
Over the course of his ten day deal with Milwaukee, Wright had seen a grand total of two minutes on the floor until tonight’s game, in which he scored nine points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists in 26 minutes.
Dario Saric To Sign In Europe
One of the top international prospects in the 2014 draft may take himself out of NBA consideration for multiple years. While Dario Saric hasn’t officially announced anything, multiple sources tell Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) that he has an agreement in principle with Efes Pilson that will pay him $8.27MM over the next three years.
There’s no word yet on what the NBA buyout clause in that contract looks like, Ford adds, but a deal like that would mean the forward won’t be able to come to the NBA next season. Sources also say it’s highly unlikely he’ll even declare for this year’s draft. Ford previously indicated that Saric’s stock could suffer since some clubs fear that his situation could resemble Nikola Mirotic‘s. While Mirotic has serious upside, the Bulls have waited on him for the past three years, meaning he’s no longer subject to the rookie scale and can demand higher salaries to join the team this summer.
The 19-year-old is currently projected to the No. 9 overall pick in the 2014 draft by DraftExpress. In the same piece, Ford notes that West Virginia point guard Juwan Staten has officially declared for the draft. Staten is outside the top 100 prospects at DraftExpress, and Ford calls him a second-round pick, at best. The ESPN.com scribe expects Staten will withdraw from the draft and return to the Mountaineers.
Hoops Links: Curry, Jennings, Jackson
On this date in 1979, the 76ers and the Nets replayed the final 17:50 of their contest that was originally played on November 8, 1978. In a bizarre wrinkle, Harvey Catchings and Ralph Simpson played for the 76ers and Eric Money and Al Skinner played for the Nets when the game began, but were traded to the opposing teams by the time the game was resumed. It’s the only time in the history of professional sports that any player played for both teams in the same game.
Got a great basketball blog post you want featured on Hoops Links? Email it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere..
- Street Team spoke with Seth Curry about his NBA dream.
- Six Championship Drive breaks down Brandon Jennings‘ shot chart.
- Legion Report looks at what Phil Jackson‘s next move might be.
- Keep It Cavalier breaks down Spencer Hawes‘ offensive impact.
- Sean Mason’s Sports Blog unveils their first big board.
You can send your submissions to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Chuck Myron looked at players who can earn higher qualifying offers.
- Eddie Scarito profiled Kentucky star Julius Randle.
- Here are the teams with sunk costs for 2014/15, courtesy of Chuck.
- In the latest edition of the Free Agent Stock Watch series, Chuck profiled the biggest prize of them all: LeBron James.
- Marcus Smart is a prime example of how things can change from one season to the next for a draft prospect, Eddie writes.
- Andrew Wiggins has shown serious improvement over the course of his freshman season, writes Eddie.
- We featured the best comments on Hoops Rumors in our Featured Feedback.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, and RSS.
Draft Notes: Embiid, Ennis, Parker
While fellow freshman Andrew Wiggins will leave after the season, Kansas teammate Joel Embiid tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN that he will talk to the Jayhawks coaching staff and also his mentor, fellow Cameroon native and NBA player Luc Mbah a Moute, before making a final decision concerning his NBA future. “I’m not worried about that right now,” Embiid said, just moments after watching KU get knocked out of the NCAA tournament with a loss to Stanford. Here’s the latest draft news..
- When asked whether they’ll stay another year, Syracuse stars Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant said they haven’t thought about it yet and have no timetable on a decision, tweets Donna Ditota of The Post-Standard.
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com looks at how Mercer’s upset of Duke could affect prospects Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) is surprised that there isn’t more draft buzz surrounding Michigan Star Glenn Robinson III. One NBA scout told him he’d be a solid late first-round pick.
- The Cavs will have to move up in the order to get a franchise player in the draft, writes Bob Finnan of the News-Herald. However, even at their likely draft position (later in the lottery), they could still have guys like Aaron Gordon, Noah Vonleh, and Marcus Smart to choose from.
- The Sixers‘ misery today might pay off down the line, writes Maria Panaritis of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Week In Review: 3/17/14 – 3/23/14
If Carmelo Anthony ultimately decides to leave New York this summer, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski sees the Bulls and Rockets as the two free agent destinations that have emerged above all other alternatives, based on his conversations with people from around the league. Wojnarowski notes that while Chicago may have an easier time clearing enough cap space to sign Carmelo outright, Houston believes that they can shed the necessary contracts to be able to offer a near-max deal. One source tells Wojnarowski that the Knicks star ”will give New York every option (to convince him to stay)…But he has options – and he’s going to explore them all.” Here’s more from the week that was..
- The Grizzlies have “secondary” interest in a reunion with Pau Gasol.
- The Nets will prioritize re-signing Shaun Livingston.
- J.J. Hickson is done for the year.
- Phil Jackson was complimentary of Knicks coach Mike Woodson, but he won’t guarantee that he’ll be back.
- The Cavs signed Seth Curry and released Shane Edwards.
- The Celtics gave Chris Babb a partially-guaranteed three-year deal.
- The Bobcats signed D.J. White to a 10-day deal.
- Avery Bradley and the Celtics have mutual interest in a new deal.
- The Knicks signed Shannon Brown for the rest of the year.
- Mickael Pietrus has ruled out an NBA return in 2014/15.
- Larry Sanders is done for the year.
- Bucks owner Herb Kohl could sell his majority share.
- Tony Parker will buy a majority share in a French team.
Kyrie Irving Done For Season?
6:03pm: Kyrie Irving has been diagnosed with a biceps strain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). As of right now the Cavs have no plans to shut him down for the season tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
8:00am: The Cavs’ 102-80 loss to the Clippers last night is the least of their worries. Cleveland might have also lost star guard Kyrie Irving for the season, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer.
Irving exited the game with a left biceps injury late in the first quarter and left the arena with his left arm in a sling. While he is scheduled to have an MRI today in Cleveland, two NBA sources indicated the injury could be severe enough to end his season in the worst case scenario. That could turn out to be a death blow for the Cavs who are 4.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Hawks with 15 games to go.
The All-Star guard has been tough all season long, having missed just three games this year with a left knee contusion and even playing through a broken nose suffered back in November. In 64 games this season, Irving has averaged 21.2 PPG and 6.2 APG in 35.5 minutes per night with a PER of 20.0, a small step below the previous two seasons.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Magic Re-Sign Dewayne Dedmon For Season
2:05pm: The Magic have officially re-signed Dedmon, the team announced.
10:20am: Dedmon’s deal also includes team options for the next two seasons, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.
8:41am: The Magic will sign rookie center Dewayne Dedmon for the remainder of this season, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The big man’s second 10-day contract expired at 11:59 ET (10:59 CT) Sunday night.
Dedmon gives the Magic frontcourt depth, something they’ve needed since waiving Solomon Jones in January and buying out Glen Davis’ contract in February. Dedmon’s signing is expected to be made official today and Robbins writes that he will travel with the team for its four-game road trip to the West Coast.
While 24-year-old former USC Trojan’s skills are raw, he runs the floor well and he has shown the ability to improve during his time in Orlando. While they’re keeping Dedmon for the remainder of the season, they won’t be keeping rookie swingman Adonis Thomas, we learned over the weekend. With Dedmon staying put and Thomas headed elsewhere, the Magic have 13 men on their roster.