Ford’s Latest: Cavs, Bobcats, Waiters, Rivers
We'll be following most of today's draft notes here, but the latest column from ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) featured enough items of interest that it required its own post. Here are some of the highlights from ESPN.com's draft guru:
Odds & Ends: O’Neal, Warriors, Lillard, Bosh
Former Celtics center Jermaine O'Neal is in Germany to undergo platelet-rich plasma therapy on his knee, the same procedure Kobe Bryant had last summer, tweets Hoopsworld.com's Alex Kennedy.
Latest On Olshey Move, Clippers GM Search
The Clippers were offering former vice president of basketball operations Neil Olshey a one-year contract worth $750K when the Blazers countered with the three-year, $3.6MM offer to become their general manager, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The Blazers deal, which Olshey took last week, includes team options for two additional seasons. Olshey had been making $450K per year on a month-to-month deal with the Clippers since August.
Odds & Ends: Spoelstra, Lakers, Krstic, Marshall
The Heat are certainly in better position to advance to the NBA Finals than they were 24 hours ago, but they aren't out of the woods yet, with a Game 7 looming. Given the high expectations in Miami, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter link) polled 27 NBA executives on 20 clubs on whether they'd fire Erik Spoelstra if the Heat lose the series to the Celtics — 17 said no, while 10 said yes. While we await tomorrow's winner-take-all matchup and prepare for a night without NBA action, let's check in on some other updates from around the Association….
Kyler On Bobcats, Combine, Warriors, Magic
Earlier today, we passed along tweets from HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler on Dion Waiters' possible draft-day guarantee. Kyler is hearing that the Suns may have made promised Waiters they'll draft him at 13th overall, resulting in the Syracuse guard shutting down his workouts. That wasn't Kyler's only update of interest this morning, however, as he tweeted a few more notes from the draft combine. Let's round them up….
Odds & Ends: Magic, Warriors Arena, Roy Hibbert
LeBron James' tour-de-force performance in the first half of Game 6 proved to be the catalyst the Heat needed to push the Celtics to a series-deciding Game 7 on Saturday in Miami. With 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in the Heat's 98-79 victory, James became the first player to notch such prolific numbers during the playoffs in over 15 years. Let's check in on the latest news and headlines from around the league…
Draft Rumors: Hornets, Barnes, Cavs, Bobcats
The Nets may be looking to find a way into the first round of this month's draft, but a number of teams are considering moving their first-rounders. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter), every club besides the Cavs that has multiple first-round picks is trying to trade one of them for a young player. The Blazers, Celtics, Warriors, Rockets, and Hornets all fit the bill, with two first-rounders each. Let's round up a few more of today's draft rumors….
- Teams inquiring on the 10th overall pick are being told by the Hornets that taking on a contract like Emeka Okafor's or Trevor Ariza's won't be enough to land the pick, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Warriors Rumors: Howard, Watson, Malone
The next few weeks figure to be eventful for the Warriors, who have four picks in this year's draft and should be active in exploring deals. Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle writes in his latest piece that Golden State may face some trade competition from the Raptors, who pick one spot after the Warriors in the draft and are seeking the same thing in a potential trade — an athletic veteran small forward. Here are a few more notes from Simmons' article for the Chronicle….
Odds & Ends: Hornets, Bobcats, Smith
In his exit interview with the Knicks, J.R. Smith was told by his coach that the number one thing he needed to work on was his mid-range game. According to Newsday's Al Iannazzone, the guard still doesn't know if that improved part of his offensive attack will take place in New York.
Draft Rumors: Suns, Warriors, Barnes, Cavs
The league is holding a two-day draft combine starting tomorrow in Chicago, but the event isn't likely to reveal much about the top prospects. Sam Amick of SI.com reports that Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond, Dion Waiters, and Harrison Barnes will not take part in running and shooting drills, and Matt Moore of CBSSports.com takes this as a sign that the league should either force players to participate fully or scrap the event entirely. Fellow CBSSports.com scribe Jeff Goodman nonetheless identifies some of the key issues surrounding prospects that the combine is likely to resolve. Here's more draft-related news from around the Association.