Wiggins, Mirotic, Noel Lead All-Rookie Teams
Andrew Wiggins was a unanimous All-Rookie First-Team selection, the league announced as it revealed the media voting results for the honors. Nikola Mirotic was the second-leading vote-getter, followed by Nerlens Noel, Elfrid Payton and Jordan Clarkson, all of whom comprise the first team. Marcus Smart, Zach LaVine, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jusuf Nurkic and Langston Galloway make up the second team.
Wiggins far outpaced all other contenders for Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 16.9 points in 36.2 minutes per game this season for the Timberwolves, who acquired the 2014 No. 1 overall pick in the Kevin Love trade. Minnesota, which finished with the league’s worst record this season and has a 25% chance to win the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, is the only team to place two players on the All-Rookie teams, with LaVine on the second team despite having garnered 22 first-team votes. Every member of the second team received at least three first-team votes.
Payton, the 10th overall selection, is the only first-round pick from 2014 to appear on the first team. Mirotic was a draft-and-stash selection from 2011, Noel was the sixth overall pick in 2013 but qualified as a rookie this season because he sat out all of 2013/14 with injury, and Clarkson was the 46th pick last year, having gone overlooked through all of the first round and half of the second.
Galloway made the second team despite having gone undrafted and not having made his debut until January 7th, after he had signed a 10-day contract with the Knicks. New York followed up with another 10-day deal and finally a multiyear pact for the surprisingly effective point guard.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Knicks
The Sixers‘ long rebuilding process could get a boost Tuesday night, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. With a little luck in the draft lottery, Philadelphia could acquire two new starters to go with Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. The Sixers have a 17.2% chance to land the Lakers’ top-five protected selection and a 9% shot at the Heat’s top-10 protected pick. Philadelphia’s own pick is currently slotted at number three and is guaranteed to fall in the top six.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers interviewed Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant about the possibility of playing with his older brother, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Jerami Grant just completed his rookie season in Philadelphia and is under the team’s control through 2017/18.
- Arkansas forward Michael Qualls will have a pre-draft workout for the Sixers on Tuesday, Pompey tweets. Connecticut’s Ryan Boatright will work out for the team on the same day, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
- Rakeem Christmas of Syracuse will work out for the Celtics later this month, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- The Knicks are among 14 teams to meet with Kentucky’s Trey Lyles, Zagoria tweets. Also, Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky met with team president Phil Jackson this week, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post. Kaminsky quipped that even though he is only 22 years old, teams are treating him like he is 65. Duke’s Justise Winslow also met with Jackson and the Knicks, according to Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link).
- Bojan Bogdanovic gave the Nets plenty to like in his first NBA season, according to Reed Wallach of netsdaily.com. Brooklyn signed the Croatian forward last summer after Paul Pierce left for Washington. Bogdanovic proved to be an effective shooter and won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for April. He is under a three-year contract and is scheduled to make more than $3.4MM next season and nearly $3.6MM in 2016/17.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Draft, Sixers
While teams with lottery picks such as the Magic, Kings, Nuggets, and Pistons may be willing to consider trading down in the draft, the Celtics don’t have the assets necessary to entice those franchises to make a deal, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) opines. The only player on Boston’s roster who could be used to move into the five to eight range of picks is Marcus Smart, but the point guard is considered virtually untouchable, Ford notes.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Philadelphia also interviewed Texas center Myles Turner, Pompey adds.
- The Celtics also sat down for an interview with Wood, as well as Arizona forward Stanley Johnson, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe relays (Twitter links).
- Arizona defensive ace Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has an interview scheduled with the Celtics, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets. You can check out our full prospect profile for Hollis-Jefferson here.
- Most of the Celtics heavy lifting at the draft combine will be done at the hotel where the team will conduct its interviews, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. This is because most of the players whom Boston has interest in will not be participating in the on court portion of the activities, Forsberg adds.
- Point guards Delon Wright and Jerian Grant were among the players the Nets interviewed today at the combine, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily reports. Both Wright and Grant fit the Nets’ draft model under GM Billy King, who prefers veteran players from big programs, Windrem adds.
Draft History: Billy King
The 2015 NBA draft is less than two months away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. The exact draft order won’t be known until the May 19th lottery, when the simple bounce of a ping-pong ball can alter the fate of a franchise. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by former Sixers and current Nets GM Billy King…
Sixers (May 1998-December 2007)
1998 Draft
- No. 8 Overall — Larry Hughes: 727 games, 14.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.1 APG. .406/.309/.757.
- No. 37 Overall — Casey Shaw: 9 games, 0.2 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 0.0 APG. .125/.000/.000.
Notable players passed over: Dirk Nowitzki (No. 9), Paul Pierce (No. 10), and Al Harrington (No. 25).
1999 Draft
- No first-rounder. Pick No. 19 (Quincy Lewis) owned by Jazz.
- No. 47 Overall — Todd MacCulloch: 223 games, 6.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 0.8 BPG. .541/.000/.642.
Notable players available at draft slot or passed over: Andrei Kirilenko (No. 24) and Manu Ginobili (No. 57).
2000 Draft
- No. 20 Overall — Speedy Claxton: 334 games, 9.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 4.3 APG. .409/.193/.762.
Notable players passed over: Morris Peterson (No. 21), Eduardo Najera (No. 38), and Michael Redd (No. 43).
2001 Draft
- No. 26 Overall — Samuel Dalembert: 886 games, 7.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.7 BPG. .521/.083/.706.
- No. 37 Overall — Damone Brown: 39 games, 2.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.5 APG. .336/.286/.667.
- No. 57 Overall — Alvin Jones: 23 games, 1.1 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.1 APG. .400/.000/.500.
Notable players passed over: Tony Parker (No. 28) and Gilbert Arenas (No. 31).
2002 Draft
- *Traded No. 16 overall pick (Jiri Welsch) to Warriors for 2004 second-rounder (Viktor Sanikidze) and a 2005 first round pick (Joey Graham).
Notable players passed over: John Salmons (No. 26), Carlos Boozer (No. 35) and Luis Scola (No. 56).
2003 Draft
- No first-rounder. Pick No. 20 (Dahntay Jones) owned by the Celtics.
- No. 41 Overall — Willie Green*: 731 games, 8.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 APG. .425/.346/.765.
*Acquired in a trade with the Thunder (Sonics) in exchange for the No. 50 overall pick (Paccelis Morlende).
Notable players passed over: Boris Diaw (No. 21), Kendrick Perkins (No. 27), and Kyle Korver (No. 51).
2004 Draft
- No. 9 Overall — Andre Iguodala: 835 games, 14.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.7 APG. .461/.333/.717.
Notable players passed over: Al Jefferson (No. 15), Josh Smith (No. 17), J.R. Smith (No. 18), Jameer Nelson (No. 20), Kevin Martin (No. 26), and Trevor Ariza (No. 43).
2005 Draft
- No first-rounder. Pick No. 16 (Joey Graham) owned by Raptors.
- No. 45 Overall — Lou Williams: 634 games, 11.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.9 APG. .416/.341/.816.
- No. 60 Overall — Alex Acker*: 30 games, 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.5 APG. .370/.320/.500.
*Acquired in a trade with the Jazz in exchange for 2008 second-rounder (Ante Tomic).
Notable players available at draft slot or passed over: Danny Granger (No. 17), Gerald Green (No. 18), David Lee (No. 30), Monta Ellis (No. 40), and Marcin Gortat (No. 57).
2006 Draft
- No. 16 Overall — Rodney Carney*: 299 games, 5.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.4 APG. .422/.338/.704.
*Acquired from the Bulls along with cash and a 2007 second-rounder in exchange for the No. 13 overall pick (Thabo Sefolosha).
Notable players passed over: Sefolosha (No. 13), Rajon Rondo (No. 21), Kyle Lowry (No. 24), and Paul Millsap (No. 47).
2007 Draft
- No. 12 Overall — Thaddeus Young: 592 games, 13.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 APG. .495/.323/.693.
- No. 20 Overall — Jason Smith*: 413 games, 6.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.8 APG. .462/.300/.782.
- No. 42 Overall — Derrick Byars**: 2 games, 5.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.5 APG. .273/.000/1.000.
- No. 55 Overall — Herbert Hill***: No NBA regular season appearances.
*Acquired from the Heat for the No. 21 pick (Daequan Cook), a 2009 second round pick (Nick Calathes), and cash.
**Acquired from the Trail Blazers along with cash in exchange for the No. 30 overall selection (Petteri Koponen).
***Acquired from the Jazz in exchange for the No. 38 overall pick (Kyrylo Fesenko).
Notable players passed over: Arron Afflalo (No. 27) and Josh McRoberts (No. 37).
Nets (July 2010-Present)
2011 Draft
- No. 25 Overall — MarShon Brooks*: 164 games, 7.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.4 APG. .442/.326/.748.
- No. 36 Overall — Jordan Williams: 43 games, 4.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.3 APG. .507/.000/.652.
*Acquired from Celtics in return for No. 27 overall pick (JaJuan Johnson) and a 2014 second-rounder (Russ Smith).
Notable players passed over: Jimmy Butler (No. 30), Chandler Parsons (No. 38), and Isaiah Thomas (No. 60).
2012 Draft
- No first rounder. No. 6 overall pick (Damian Lillard) went to Blazers as part of Gerald Wallace trade.
- No. 57 Overall — Ilkan Karaman: No NBA regular season appearances.
Notable players available at draft spot or passed over: Lillard (No. 6), Andre Drummond (No. 9), Draymond Green (No. 35), and Khris Middleton (No. 39).
2013 Draft
- No. 22 Overall — Mason Plumlee: 152 games, 8.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 0.9 APG. .606/.000/.545.
Notable player(s) passed over: Rudy Gobert (No. 27).
2014 Draft
- No first rounder. No. 17 overall pick (James Young) was included in the trade with the Celtics that brought Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn.
- No. 44 Overall — Markel Brown*: 47 games, 4.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.8 APG. .362/.266/.825.
- No. 59 Overall — Xavier Thames**: No NBA regular season appearances.
- No. 60 Overall — Cory Jefferson***: 50 games, 3.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.3 APG. .449/.133/.574.
*Acquired from Timberwolves in exchange for cash.
**Acquired from Raptors in exchange for cash.
***Acquired from Sixers in exchange for cash.
Notable players available at draft spot or passed over: Young (No. 17), Rodney Hood (No. 23), Shabazz Napier (No. 24), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).
Draft Notes: Lyles, Anderson, Wood
The 2015 NBA Draft combine is underway in Chicago and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) offers up a primer for all of the scheduled events. The return of five-on-five play to the event has scouts and GMs excited, but that anticipation is tempered by the fact that only one player ranked in the top 30 — Terry Rozier, will be participating in the scrimmages, Ford notes.
Here’s more regarding the 2015 NBA Draft:
- Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal caught up with ESPN’s Chad Ford to talk about the Kentucky Wildcats’ seven NBA Draft hopefuls. Ford spoke highly of Trey Lyles, but says that he needs to prove himself in workouts between now and the draft.
- Former Virgina swingman Justin Anderson met with the Celtics today, and the player has a workout scheduled with the team on June 1st, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.
- The Wolves interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood, and are also expected to sit down with Texas center Myles Turner, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets.
- Arizona forward Stanley Johnson interviewed with the Hornets today, and Johnson touted himself as “the best two-way player in the draft,” Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer notes (Twitter link).
- Former Syracuse forward Rakeem Christmas met with the Bucks, Magic, and Suns today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Christmas is also scheduled to workout for the Sixers, but he will not interview with the team at the combine, Pompey notes.
- Projected second-rounder J.P. Tokoto interviewed with the Cavaliers, Clippers, and Pistons on Wednesday, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays (via Twitter). The guard met with the Hawks, Nets, and Mavs today, Gardner adds.
Nets Set To Pass On Qualifying Offer For Jordan
The Nets aren’t expected to make a qualifying offer to Jerome Jordan, according to Devin Kharpertian of the Brooklyn Game (Twitter link; hat tip to NetsDaily). Failing to tender what would be a one-year offer of slightly more than $1.147MM would mean the Nets wouldn’t have the right to match competing offers for the reserve center when he enters free agency in July. Still, that wouldn’t preclude the Nets from re-signing him, notes Robert Windrem of NetsDaily (Twitter link), and coach Lionel Hollins likes the two-year veteran, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
Jordan was a success story from training camp, having signed a one-year non-guaranteed deal that featured a partial guarantee of $100K only if he remained under contract through October 25th. He stuck for the whole season, earning his entire minimum salary of more than $816K as he averaged 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game across 44 appearances in the regular season. It was the Jamaican native’s first official NBA action since 2011/12, when he was with the Knicks, as he’d played in the D-League and overseas in the interim.
Extending the qualifying offer would leave the Nets vulnerable to having Jordan lock in a fully guaranteed salary at $200K more than the minimum for next season, a commitment that would be even more troublesome if the Nets end up having to pay repeat-offender tax penalties next year. Brooklyn can decline to make the qualifying offer and circle back later in the summer when the front office will ostensibly have a clearer picture of whether or not it’ll be in line to pay the tax, and the Nets can still retain Jordan’s Non-Bird rights in this scenario.
Atlantic Notes: Anderson, Iverson, Knicks
The Nets announced today that Alan Anderson underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle. The procedure was performed by Nets’ foot and ankle specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Anderson is expected to resume basketball-related activities in July, according to the official announcement. The 32-year-old reportedly intends to opt out of his player option worth $1,333,484, and GM Billy King has relayed that the team would like to re-sign the swingman.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Colton Iverson, the No. 53 overall pick in the 2013 draft whose rights are owned by the Celtics, hopes to finally make the team’s roster next season, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. “I just hope to be as aggressive as possible this summer and kinda show [the Celtics] what my role can be for this team,” Iverson said. “Show them that I am ready for this opportunity.” In 56 games this past season for Laboral Kuxta split between Liga ACB and Euroleague play, Iverson averaged 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds over 20.5 minutes per game.
- Iverson also indicated that he felt that he could have helped the Celtics this past season with his rebounding and toughness, Forsberg adds. “I thought there may have been an opportunity for me, but at the same time, they are still building right now, and maybe that was not the right time,” said Iverson. “They are still rebuilding — they’ve communicated that with me — that they are trying to get their main components, their starting five solidified, then they’ll build their roster after that. It’s kind of a waiting game right now for me and them. I just hope that the rebuilding process is as strong as possible right now.”
- Knicks president Phil Jackson has been vocal in his distaste for teams that rely on bombing away from beyond the three-point arc during the playoffs, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. New York had led the NBA in 3-point attempts during the 2012/13 campaign when it won 54 games, but fell the 21st this past season when the franchise only managed 17 wins.
Draft Notes: Russell, Booker, Towns, Okafor
The NBA’s draft combine in Chicago is underway as of today, and an increasing volume of draft rumors will follow until the event takes place June 25th at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Here’s the latest draft news:
- D’Angelo Russell and Devin Booker have chosen the Creative Artists Agency for their representation, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress passes along on Twitter. CAA’s Leon Rose, who’ll represent Booker as well as Karl-Anthony Towns, also signed with Dakari Johnson earlier this spring, Givony notes in another tweet. Russell’s agent will be Aaron Mintz, according to Givony (on Twitter). Charlie Adams of Hoops Rumors looked at Booker’s draft stock up close this week.
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune doesn’t get the sense that the Wolves will draft Karl-Anthony Towns first overall if they win the lottery, likely implying the team has its eyes set on Jahlil Okafor instead (Twitter link). Minnesota has a 25% chance of landing the top pick, as the lottery odds show.
- Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell received a last-minute invitation to the Chicago combine, Givony tweets. McConnell is Givony‘s 61st-ranked prospect while Chad Ford of ESPN.com has him 91st.
- Ford excoriates Nets GM Billy King for his willingness to trade so many of Brooklyn’s future draft picks, giving the team the worst chances of any to build through the draft for the next few years, Ford opines as he writes with fellow ESPN.com scribe Kevin Pelton in an Insider-only piece. Ford and Pelton also examine the needs for the Suns, Thunder and Celtics, believing that if Robert Upshaw improves his stock dramatically, he’d be the most logical rim-protector for the Celtics to grab at pick No. 16. However, Upshaw says he won’t take part in five-on-five scrimmaging at the combine, Givony reports (Twitter link).
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Love, Celtics, Nets, D-Will
Kevin Love harbors no long-lasting ill-will toward Kelly Olynyk or the Celtics, a source “authoritatively” told TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Love recently insisted he had moved on from the injury Olynyk caused him, and there’s apparently been legitimate fear in the Cavs front office that the soon-to-be free agent will sign a new deal with a different team this summer, perhaps even Boston. As we wait to see if Love moves on from Cleveland, there’s more to pass along from Aldridge in tonight’s look around the Atlantic:
- The Nets are not interested in reaching a buyout deal with Deron Williams, Aldridge writes in the same piece, explaining that management is not interested in paying D-Will while he doesn’t play for the team. Instead, Aldridge speculates Brooklyn will likely try to find a suitor for Joe Johnson’s hefty contract in order to lighten the team’s payroll.
- There’s “genuine uncertainty” about whether or not Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young will exercise their player options this summer, as Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes in his offseason outlook of the Nets. Although Lopez’s option figure is much higher than Young’s, both decisions will ultimately affect Brooklyn’s approach to free agency. Rumor has it Lopez will opt out in search of a bigger deal.
- Sports Illustrated’s Phil Taylor examines how Celtics coach Brad Stevens and Thunder coach Billy Donovan might be opening up the door for other college coaches to be hired by pro clubs, suggesting that previous failed NCAA-to-NBA hires were a result of big egos and/or poor organizational fits.
- Earlier today, we heard the Knicks are likely to sign Thanasis Antetokounmpo this summer.
Eastern Rumors: Lopez, Hawks, Stephenson
The Bucks could be in the mix for Nets center Brook Lopez if he opts out of his contract this summer, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Lopez’s strong relationship with former Nets coach and current Bucks coach Jason Kidd could factor in his decision if he enters the market, Woelfel adds. Lopez, who holds a player option of approximately $16.74MM on his contract, is likely to opt out but he’s expected to get a max offer from Brooklyn. Milwaukee finished the season with journeyman Zaza Pachulia as its starting center after buying out Larry Sanders in February.
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- The Hawks will swap first-round picks with the Nets, allowing Atlanta to move up to the No. 15 overall spot next month, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. The Hawks, who informed the league of their decision on Monday, had the option of swapping first-rounders with Brooklyn as part of the 2012 Joe Johnson trade. The Hawks declined that option last season. Brooklyn moves down to No. 29 as a result of the swap.
- Lance Stephenson will stay in the Charlotte area over the summer and work with the Hornets coaches to improve his jump shot, Sam Perley of Hornets.com writes. Stephenson wants to prove to the club that he was worth the three-year deal it gave him last summer, Perley continues. Stephenson shot 37.6% from the field and 17.1% on 3-point attempts in his first season with Charlotte. He is due $9MM next season with a team option of just over $9,4MM the following season. “I’m staying here during the offseason and going to have time to spend with the coaches and figure out how I can be successful here,” Stephenson said to Perley. “I’m going to have to come in and figure out how I’m going to be a better shooter. This summer is going to be huge for me [in terms of] getting back into my groove and helping this group.”