By Luke Adams |
at June 21, 2012 3:12 pm
Reports continue to suggest that the Trail Blazers are enamored by Damian Lillard, enough to draft him sixth overall. Such a move would mean that one of the players initially viewed as a consensus top-six pick, Andre Drummond, could be available when the Warriors picked seventh overall. According to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, there could be a very interesting debate among Warriors execs if Drummond was on the board at No. 7. For what it's worth, our mock draft earlier this week had Lillard to Portland at six and Drummond slipping to the Raptors at eight.
Let's round up a few more Warriors-related rumors from Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group….
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- The Warriors haven't talked to the Bulls about the possibility of acquiring Luol Deng, but Deng would be on the team's short-list of veteran small forward targets. Thompson suggests Golden State could offer a package centered around the 7th pick and Richard Jefferson.
- Even though Klay Thompson is already on board as the starting shooting guard, the Warriors like Dion Waiters and Terrence Ross a lot. The club figures to target the best player available, so the roster overlap shouldn't be a major factor, says Thompson.
- Some teams at the end of the first round, such as the Thunder and Heat, may have interest in trading out of the first round to avoid adding a guaranteed contract. Thompson speculates that perhaps a package of the Warriors' two second-rounders (Nos. 35 and 52) would interest the clubs at the back of round one.
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By Luke Adams |
at June 20, 2012 6:32 pm
With eight days left until June 28th, mock drafts continue to roll in, with the latest coming from Tom Zeller of SBNation.com, who projects surprisingly high selections for Kendall Marshall and Evan Fournier, among others. You can find Hoops Rumors' mock draft right here, and you can follow today's draft notes in this post, with the newest updates added up top throughout the day….
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Earlier updates:
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford makes some slight adjustments to his latest mock draft in the wake of today's trade.
- Ford also points out (via Twitter) that Austin Rivers only worked out for teams in the 3-11 range, meaning he may not slip to a team like the Suns at No. 13.
- If Harrison Barnes isn't available when the Warriors pick at No. 7, there's a good chance Golden State selects Tyler Zeller, according to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.
- Fran Fraschilla of ESPN.com (Insider link) suggests ways in which this year's lottery picks can improve their games and turn into stars.
- SI.com's Sam Amick released his latest mock draft today, albeit before this afternoon's Wizards/Hornets swap that could alter the lottery landscape.
- In his weekly chat, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio fielded mostly draft-related questions, and mentioned that the Lakers are exploring the possibility of trading into the first round.
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link) has the list of potential second-round prospects the Knicks will work out on Thursday.
- Could the Bucks be thinking about trading up in the draft? Director of scouting Billy McKinney hinted at the possibility while talking to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about how much the team liked John Henson: "Obviously, we like him, but he's not going to be there at 12 when we select. It's a matter of whether it's practical for us to move up or the teams ahead of us would value him as much as we would."
- Terrence Jones, Perry Jones III, and Arnett Moultrie headline the list of players working out for the Bucks today, as Bucks.com outlines.
- The Suns' interest in a shooting guard is as strong as this draft's crop of two guards, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, examining some potential candidates for Phoenix at No. 13.
- Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post has the full list of players the Nuggets worked out yesterday, along with the prospects the team will host today.
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By Alex Lee |
at June 17, 2012 9:20 pm
We've already heard today from Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer about the Bobcats' draft history and how important it is to capitalize on top five picks when you have them. In an Odds & Ends post, the Pistons and Hawks draft prospects were also discussed. As tonight's start time for Game 3 of the NBA Finals approaches, we will keep all draft-related links in this post, with the latest news on top.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com examines the possibility of Austin Rivers being drafted by the Celtics and playing for his father. While he deems the chances remote, it sounds like something both parties would be up for.
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Earlier Updates:
- Stephen Hewitt from WEEI.com takes a look at Leon Radosevic, a Croatian big man that will likely be available when the Celtics pick in the second round.
- Harrison Barnes has impressed NBA teams in the pre-draft process, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Barnes has been frequently linked to Cleveland at pick number four.
- According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld on Twitter, the Thunder will trade the 28th pick. Apparently, they're satisfied with their core and don't want to get locked into any guaranteed contracts.
- Kennedy also tells us via Twitter that the Nets are looking to acquire a first round pick. The Nets forfeited their first rounder to Portland in the Gerald Wallace deal.
- Derek Page of HoopsWorld put together a profile on potential lottery pick Terrence Ross, who HoopsWorld has going 18 to Minnesota in their latest mock.
- Damian Lillard, an Oakland native, worked out for the Warriors today and said that he would love to play for his hometown team, via Jimmy Durkin from the Bay Area News Group. Lillard is expected to fall right around Golden State's pick number seven.
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By Chuck Myron |
at June 16, 2012 8:15 pm
Harrison Barnes and
Bradley Beal go
head-to-head in a workout today for the
Cavs that could determine who the team takes with the fourth overall pick. We'll be keeping an eye on that, as well as all other draft-related news with a dozen days to go until teams make their selections. Already today we've heard some news regarding
teams shopping their picks from Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, and there's plenty more to share here. We'll update this post throughout the day, with the latest news on top.
Earlier updates:
- Syracuse center Fab Melo tells HoopsWorld's Stephen Litel that he is emulating Tim Duncan in his style of play.
- Morley Quatroche of WEEI.com looks at Miles Plumlee as a potential draft target for the Celtics.
- Paul Coro of AZCentral.com says that the Suns are looking to improve their offense in the draft.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel looks at a handful of guards who have worked out for the Bucks recently.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.com talks to Iona's Scott Machado, who is attempting to raise his profile ahead of the draft.
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- Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge provides a transcript of Andre Drummond's comments after his workout with the Blazers today.
- Agent Mark MacGillivray says big man Reeves Nelson, who was dismissed from the UCLA basketball team this past season, worked out Thursday for the Lakers, HoopsHype reports.
- WEEI.com continues its series on prospects and how they'd fit with the Celtics, with Morley Quatroche profiling Tyler Zeller and Jashvina Shah looking at Kim English.
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld shares a number of draft rumors in his chat, including his thoughts on several sleepers, with shooting guard Orlando Johnson chief among them.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has a list of the half dozen players who worked out for the Magic today. That group didn't include injured power forward Kevin Jones, who interviewed with the team instead.
- Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com says Bradley Beal emerged with a slight edge over Harrison Barnes after today's one-on-one workout for the Cavs, but cautions that it doesn't mean the team has made up its mind about the fourth pick (Twitterlinks).
- Small forward Quincy Miller has added 17 pounds to his 6'10" frame since the end of his season at Baylor, bringing his weight up to 220 pounds, tweets Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Noah Hartsock has only an outside shot to get drafted, and he's still recovering from ankle surgery in late March, as Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. The 6'8" forward has a deal lined up with a team in Belgium, but he a handful of other players took part in a workout for the Jazz today, Luhm says, and Hartsock will participate in a group workout for the Warriors tomorrow, according to Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets the latest workout schedules for players near the top of the draft board. Damian Lillard will audition Sunday for the Warriors. The Bobcats will look at Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bradley Beal on Monday, and Harrison Barnes will work out Tuesday for the Wizards.
- Andre Drummond, one of a group of players working out today for the Blazers, goes in front of the Wizards on Monday and the Bobcats and Cavs after that, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports. (Twitterlinks)
- During his workout for the Hornets, Arnett Moultrie connected with coach Monty Williams, and now the Mississippi State big man is "openly rooting" for New Orleans to take him with the No. 10 pick, writes Scott Howard-Cooper on NBA.com.
- In the same piece, Howard-Cooper profiles Perry Jones III, explains why 7'4" Turkish center Dusan Cantekin could be passed over on draft night, and notes that John Henson is slowed by an ankle injury.
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identifies 10 teams trying to trade either up or down in the draft.
- Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com unveils the latest version of his mock draft, which encompasses both the first and second rounds.
- Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld ranks the draft's small forwards, beginning with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
- In Sacramento for a workout with the Kings, Terrence Jones invoked comparisons to Lamar Odom and Marvin Williams in describing his versatility as an asset, writes Matt Kawahara of the Sacramento Bee.
- In his mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star says there's "very little chance" the Raptors will find a starter with the eighth pick, which leads Smith to speculate that the team will use the selection to fill its need for a backup guard.
- David Mayo of MLive compares three North Carolina prospects with whom the Pistons have had contact: Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller.
- John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks at Moe Harkless and Hollis Thompson, two players who worked out Friday for the Sixers, and how they'd fit in with the team.
- In a pair of Celtics-themed features for WEEI.com, Morley Quatroche breaks down point guard Damian Lillard and Jashvina Shah looks at small forward Kris Joseph.
- Second-round longshot Larry Anderson, a shooting guard from Long Beach State, will participate in a workout for the Bucks today, according to the team's website.
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By Daniel Seco |
at June 15, 2012 10:18 pm
The Lakers made history on this day 11 years ago when they beat the Sixers 108-96 to claim the NBA championship with the highest playoff winning percentage of all time at 93.8%, according to Hoopedia. Led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles went 15-1 in the playoffs by sweeping the Trail Blazers, Kings and Spurs before losing just once to Philadelphia. Let's take a look around the league to catch up on the latest news and stories making headlines…
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- With uncertainty surrounding Ray Allen's future with the Celtics, Boston may be best served considering the services of Jamal Crawford in its search for a veteran shooting guard, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com explains why small forward isn't as much of a concern for the Warriors as compared to other positions on the roster.
- Thousands gathered on Thursday in Seattle to show support for the proposed construction of a new basketball arena to attract an NBA franchise, reports the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com says the Bulls will work out as many as 50 players as the team's front office determines how to approach the upcoming draft.
- Derek Fisher's difficult season both on and off the court could end in surprising success for the veteran as he's played a major role for the Thunder since joining the team, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
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By Luke Adams |
at June 13, 2012 11:16 pm
With 15 days remaining until draft night, we'll round up today's notes on draft workouts, stock watches, and potential selections right here, with the latest up top:
Earlier updates:
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- Morley Quatroche of WEEI.com breaks down Michael Kidd-Gilchrist from a Celtics perspective.
- HoopsWorld's Stephen Brotherston looks at whether Kentucky sixth man Darius Miller can be just as valuable as a key reserve in the NBA.
- Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times has the latest on the Bucks' search for a big man.
- Portland native Terrence Jones talks about his workout for the Blazers today in a video posted by Sean Meagher of The Oregonian.
- Warriors.com shares mock drafts put together by broadcasters and well-known bloggers.
- Thomas Robinson worked out for his hometown Wizards today, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post chronicles.
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld looks at Andre Drummond as teams try to get a handle on his boom-or-bust potential.
- A number of beat writers have updates on draft workouts for the Trail Blazers, Wizards, and Bucks.
- Don't expect the Jazz to make a trade to get back into the first round of the draft. GM Kevin O'Connor tells Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune that the asking price for first-round picks will be high, and he doesn't anticipate his team will make a move "unless we find something we really like."
- SI.com's Sam Amick shares the list of participants for the Warriors' workout tomorrow.
- The Sixers announced via press release that they'll work out Quincy Miller, Terrence Ross, and Mike Scott tomorrow morning.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com becomes the latest draft scribe to release an updated version of his mock draft today.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford has provided a ton of draft content today, publishing his new mock draft and answering a number of readers' questions in a chat. Among the highlights of Ford's chat: He believes the Bobcats will trade the No. 2 pick for either multiple picks or a pick and a player.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio also conducted a chat heavy on draft-related inquiries.
- Harrison Barnes and Damian Lillard were among the lottery prospects to boost their stock in athletic testing, while Jared Sullinger and John Henson's scores didn't help them, says Chad Ford (Insider link).
- Anthony Davis isn't the only player in this draft class with star potential, writes Jay Bilas in an Insider piece for ESPN.com.
- Fab Melo and Andrew Nicholson highlighted the group of prospects in attendance at the Suns' first workout yesterday, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld and SI.com's Sam Amick each released updated versions of their mock drafts today.
- The Raptors worked out six more players today, including Canadian forward Kris Joseph, according to a team press release.
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By Chuck Myron |
at June 13, 2012 8:04 pm
Blazers owner Paul Allen was among the team executives in attendance for the second of two pre-draft workout sessions today, and got a chance to see Perry Jones III, John Henson and Jared Sullinger, among others, according to tweets from Joe Freeman of The Oregonian and Chris B. Haynes of CSNNW.com. Allen shot down rumors that he's looking to sell the team, as Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge writes, and CSNNW.com has more of the owner's comments to the media in two videos. Blazers beat writers have delivered plenty of news in the last hour, as we round up here. …
- The team hasn't contacted the Warriors about permission to interview assistant coach Michael Malone or the Pacers about assistant Brian Shaw, leading Haynes to surmise that interim coach Kaleb Canales is the frontrunner to take over the job on a permanent basis.
- In the same piece, Haynes also cites an earlier report from fellow CSNNW.com writer Dwight Jaynes that the team hasn't spoken to Jerry Sloan about an interview, either.
- Haynes relays general manager Neil Olshey's comments on the slow search. "Free agent wise, Yeah, I think it affects it a little bit. But, like I said, we're going to have a process here," he said. "We're going to build this thing the right way … We'll find the right coach to coach the roster."
Earlier updates:
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- General manager Neil Olshey spoke about the team's interest in signing Joel Freeland and Victor Claver, two international players whose NBA rights belong to the Blazers, and Freeman rounds up his comments in a full story. According to Freeman on Twitter, Olshey was noncommittal about Freeland, the 6'10" British player whom the Blazers drafted 30th overall in 2006. Olshey said he'll know more after a meeting with Freeland, which is to take place next week in Houston, Haynes tweets.
- Olshey seems to have a stronger interest in Claver. “Lot of interest in Victor,” the GM said to Freeman. “I think he’s a good fit. I think the roster is in position now where he would be a good addition. We can’t start negotiating with his agent until after July 1st. Clearly if there was a ever a time when there was enough opening for him to come in an make the team, with a lot of other young players he can grow with, this is probably the time.”
- Most teams are "digging in" this week, but Olshey expects trade talk to heat up next week, The Oregonian's Jason Quick reports. Olshey says other clubs are still trying to get a feel for which prospects they like before putting veterans into trade discussions, as Quick also notes (All Twitter links).
- Interim coach Kaleb Canales was in attendance at the workouts, but none of his staff was, as Freeman tweets.
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By Zachary Links |
at June 12, 2012 5:52 pm
Grit and determination got the Celtics to the doorstep of the Finals, but the team now has some serious decisions to make this summer, writes Sam Amico of FOXSportsOhio.com. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are free agents while Paul Pierce celebrates his 35th birthday in October. Plenty of other contracts will be coming off the books leaving the C's with a good deal of flexibility and back-to-back draft picks (Nos. 21 and 22) in this year's draft. Here's Amico on what might be in store for Boston and others this offseason..
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- It's too early to tell what the Celtics might do, but early buzz suggests that they'll stay the course with Garnett, Pierce, and Rondo while rebuilding through free agency and the draft. “I think they’ll re-sign Garnett, but let Allen walk,” said one Western Conference GM. “Then, they’ll spend some money in free agency. They’re a respected franchise. They’ll draw some interest from the available bigger names. But the key will be to keep Garnett first.”
- The GM wasn't sure of who the Celtics may target in free agency, but suggested that they could look at Jason Terry, Andre Miller, Carlos Delfino, Nick Young, Eric Gordon, O.J. Mayo, and Shannon Brown.
- The Celtics are also said to be looking to package their picks to move up five or six spots in the draft.
- According to a source familiar with their thinking, the Warriors are looking into trading the seventh pick for a veteran at practically any position. The source suggested that their pick plus a player could net them someone like Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay.
- The Kings might be interested in moving their pick for a big man if Andre Drummond doesn’t fall to them at No. 5, says a source. Sacramento has plenty of perimeter players and are anxious to get another big man to pair with DeMarcus Cousins. The source "wouldn't be the least bit surprised" if they shopped Marcus Thornton or Tyreke Evans and their pick to see what they could get.
- The 76ers and Rockets are open to trading out of the first round for a veteran. Philadelphia has the No. 15 pick while Houston would use their second first-rounder at No. 16.
- As we've heard, the Cavaliers’ reported offer of all four of their draft picks (Nos. 4, 24, 33, and 34) was never really considered by the Hornets. One Eastern Conference GM said that the offer didn't entice New Orleans in part because everything beyond the 10th pick appears to be a crapshoot. The GM went on to praise Cavs GM Chris Grant for his aggressiveness.
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By Luke Adams |
at June 12, 2012 3:47 pm
We'll track the day's draft-related news and rumors here, with the newest updates up top:
- Jonathon Givony of DraftExpress has measurements from Chicago's draft combine, including max verticals for all the prospects in attendance.
- Neither Perry Jones III or Terrence Jones blew away Warriors management when they worked out for Golden State, writes Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. The Warriors continue to hope they can use their lottery pick to upgrade at small forward, and both Joneses project as power forwards.
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Earlier updates:
- Doron Lamb, Moe Harkless, Royce White, Fab Melo, and Quincy Miller are among the prospects scheduled to work out for the Hawks, the team announced today.
- David Thorpe of ESPN.com (Insider link) identifies the Hornets, Bobcats, and Celtics as three teams who could see an immediate impact from their draft picks this year.
- Jared Sullinger is among the prospects the Trail Blazers are working out tomorrow, while Tony Wroten will work out with the team next Wednesday, says Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- Kentucky's Darius Miller tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that he'd love the chance to play with former Wildcat teammate John Wall on the Wizards.
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By Luke Adams |
at June 11, 2012 8:12 pm
With the NBA draft just 17 days away, we're guaranteed to be following daily rumors and rumblings for the next two and a half weeks. We'll try to make it as easy as possible to follow the latest updates by including most of our draft-related items in a single daily post. Consider this Monday's post, and check back throughout the day for more draft notes, with the newest additions up top:
- In a tweet, AZCentral.com's Paul Coro has wrangled up some news from CBSSports.com's Jeff Goodman and SI.com's Sam Amick. North Carolina teammates Kendall Marshall and John Henson will reportedly work out for the Suns this week.
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Earlier updates:
- On Tuesday, the Wizards will hold a workout to help decide what direction they want to go with their two second round picks (as of today, the team holds both the 32nd and 46th picks in the draft), tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Some notable names Washington plans to workout are Syracuse's Scoop Jardine, and Duke's Miles Plumlee.
- The Trail Blazers will work out North Carolina's John Henson on Tuesday, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick.
- Also from Amick, the Kings will work out several players, including North Carolina's Tyler Zeller, on Tuesday. Sacramento currently holds picks 5 and 36.
- The Hornets plan on bringing in several point guards and shooting guards when they resume workouts next week, writes Nola.com's John Reid.
- After predicting the top 15 picks in the draft last week, TNT's David Aldridge takes a crack at the rest of the first round in this week's NBA.com column.
- Royce White and Jordan Taylor are among the six prospects scheduled to work out for the Timberwolves on Tuesday, says Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- The Pistons are eyeing potential fits for the second round, working out Miles Plumlee and Kyle O'Quinn, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
- Perry Jones III tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that he'd love to play on the Trail Blazers alongside LaMarcus Aldridge.
- The Magic will be prepared for the draft no matter how long it takes to hire a GM, but a lengthy GM search could have other negative effects, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- If the Hornets decide to deal their tenth overall pick, gaining future draft assets is more important to them than ditching bad contracts, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Kyler doesn't expect the Hornets to include players like Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza with the pick in a deal that merely creates cap space. According to Kyler, New Orleans could seeking a 2012 second-rounder along with a future first-rounder in any deal.
- Within the same piece, Kyler adds that the Warriors and Knicks have expressed some interest in Alabama's Tony Mitchell.
- In a pair of tweets, Kyler says Harrison Barnes did not officially meet with the Bulls, and that a brief chat with coach Tom Thibodeau was blown out of proportion.
- The Sixers met with Andre Drummond at the draft combine and could be trying to trade up, since Drummond will be long gone at No. 15, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com makes some changes in his latest post-combine mock draft.
- The Kings will need some help if they want a shot to land Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
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