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Mike James Agrees To Three-Year Deal In Italy

April 27th, 2018 at 4:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mike James, who spent time with the Suns and Pelicans this season, has signed a three-year deal worth more than $5MM with Olimpia Milano in Italy, tweets international writer Chema de Lucas (hat tip to Sportando).

James spent five seasons in Europe before agreeing to a two-way contract with Phoenix last July. That was converted to a full NBA contract in December, but he was waived two weeks later. James’ next stop was New Orleans, where he signed another two-way deal in mid-January. However, he was waived in February and finished the season with Panathinaikos in Greece.

James appeared in 32 games for the Suns and four more for the Pelicans, averaging 9.3 points and 3.5 assists in about 19 minutes per night.

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236 Early Entrants Declare For 2018 NBA Draft

April 24th, 2018 at 5:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has released the official list of early entrants for the 2018 NBA draft, announcing in a press release that 236 players have filed as early entry candidates. Of those prospects, 181 are from colleges, while 55 are international early entrants.

That number blows away the previous record for early entrants, established in 2017. Last year, 182 early entrants declared for the draft, though ultimately only 73 of those prospects remained in the draft by the final deadline.

This year’s total of 236 early entrants also figures to shrink significantly by May 30 and again by June 11, the two key deadlines for players to withdraw their names from the draft pool. But it still looks like that pool will remain crowded, with the eventual number of early entrants likely exceeding 60, the number of picks in the draft.

Our list of early entrants is now up to date and can be found right here. Here are today’s updates:

College underclassmen:

The following players were listed on the NBA’s official breakdown today, but weren’t yet noted on our own list. For now, we’re assuming they haven’t yet hired agents.

The following players reportedly declared for the draft or planned to, but weren’t named in the NBA’s official announcement today. As such, we’ve removed them from our list.

International players:

The following players were listed on the NBA’s official breakdown today, but weren’t yet noted on our list.

  • Berke Atar, C, Turkey (born 1999)
  • Laurynas Beliauskas, G, Lithuania (born 1997)
  • Rihards Berzins, F/C, Latvia (born 1997)
  • Etienne Ca, F, France (born 1997)
  • Sigfredo Casero-Ortiz, G, France (born 1997)
  • Berkan Durmaz, F, Turkey (born 1997)
  • Aleksander Dziewa, C, Poland (born 1997)
  • Stephane Gombauld, F, France (born 1997)
  • Yoan Granvorka, F, Switzerland (born 1997)
  • Michal Kolenda, F, Poland (born 1997)
  • Antonios Koniaris, G, Greece (born 1997)
  • Leon Kratzer, C, Germany (born 1997)
  • Shekinah Munanga, F, France (born 1997)
  • Williams Narace, F, France (born 1997)
  • Marcel Ponitka, G, Poland (born 1997)
  • Leonardo Tote, F, Italy (born 1997)
  • Martynas Varnas, G, Lithuania (born 1997)
  • Filip Zagrajski, G, Croatia (born 1997)
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Bogut To Play In Australia, Done With NBA

April 23rd, 2018 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

APRIL 23rd, 9:48pm: Bogut said he will play two seasons with the Sydney Kings and that he’s retired from the NBA, Olgun Uluc of Fox Sports Australia tweets. There are no outs in his contract to return to the NBA or play in Europe, Uluc adds.

APRIL 22nd, 9:02am: Andrew Bogut‘s comeback will continue next season in Australia, relays Jake Michaels of ESPN.

The Sydney Kings announced on social media overnight that they are signing the 33-year-old center, who played 13 NBA seasons. A press conference has been scheduled for Monday.

Bogut was never able to re-establish himself in the NBA after fracturing his left tibia in his lone game with the Cavaliers last season. He signed with the Lakers just before the opening of camp in September, but he got into just 23 games before being waived in January.

Bogut told Michaels last week that he turned down offers to join four playoff-bound teams late in the season. He opted to return to Australia at the time to deal with personal issues, including his wife’s high-risk pregnancy and his grandfather’s death.

“I had an offer from one in the east and I got an offer for a 10-day [contract] from a team in the west,” Bogut said. “The one out east was for the rest of the season but I just decided they weren’t great fits for me and the way I play so I just decided to wait it out.

“The other thing I had in my back pocket was there were two other teams that expressed a lot of interest but had some cap space issues and they wanted me to wait until late March, early April to sign so it wouldn’t affect their salary cap as much as it would by signing in January. Those teams called immediately after I was released from the Lakers.”

He added that he was “blindsided” by his release in L.A. and speculated that Lakers management didn’t want to deal with a potential buyout situation.

Bogut spent seven seasons in Milwaukee after being taken with the first pick in the 2005 draft. He was traded to the Warriors in 2012 and became a defensive anchor of their 2015 championship team. He was shipped to the Mavericks in 2016 as Golden State cleared cap room to sign Kevin Durant.

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Ex-Clippers Forward Wilson Signs With Italian Team

April 22nd, 2018 at 2:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Clippers small forward Jamil Wilson has agreed to a contract for the remainder of the European League season with Italian Serie A team Virtus Bologna, according to Daniele Labanti of Corriere di Bologna, as relayed by Sportando.

Wilson had a whirlwind season. He signed a two-way contract with the Clippers during the offseason and appeared in 15 games with them, including 10 starts, while averaging 7.0 PPG in 18.3 MPG. The Clippers decided to waive him in early January, rather than converting his deal to a standard contract.

The Lakers were on the verge of signing him to a 10-day contract, then changed their mind. A TMZ report surfaced around that time, revealing Wilson had been named in a civil suit involving sexual battery and fraud. Wilson eventually joined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers’ G League team.

The 6’7” Wilson, 27, spent time in training camp with the Suns and Mavericks in past years, but this season marked his first NBA experience. He played in Italy last season with Torino, according to Sportando.

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Vander Blue Leaves Italian Team

April 22nd, 2018 at 11:50am CST by Arthur Hill

Vander Blue, who spent part of this season as a two-way player with the Lakers, is no longer with Fiat Torino in Italy, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando.

Blue played five games for L.A. before being waived in January, seeing just nine total minutes of court time. He was much more effective for the Lakers’ South Bay affiliate in the G League, averaging 19.0 points in 15 games.

Blue was MVP of the Italian Cup in February, but had difficulty adjusting to the new league after that. He averaged 3.1 points per game while shooting 12% from the field and 10% from 3-point range.

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Rodions Kurucs To Enter 2018 NBA Draft

April 21st, 2018 at 2:16pm CST by clarkcrum

Latvian forward Rodions Kurucs is declaring for the 2018 NBA draft, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The 6-foot-10 combo forward is now projected as a possible second-round selection after seeing his stock plummet because of a lack of playing time with Barcelona this season.

Kurucs, 20, is currently slated to be picked 39th in the latest ESPN mock draft, as his combination of size, skill, and versatility is coveted in today’s NBA.

Kurucs’ ability to attend private workouts will be a key factor for his chances of being drafted, as few teams have been able to scout him thoroughly because it’s been hard to make a trip out to watch him not knowing whether he’ll see any minutes. Regardless, many scouts consider him to be the third-best international prospect in this year’s draft.

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Draft Updates: Sedekerskis, Kulboka, Azubuike

April 20th, 2018 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of international prospects that rank within the top 100 on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com have declared for the 2018 NBA draft, Givony reports.

Tadas Sedekerskis, a 6’10” Lithuanian combo forward, is one of those two prospects declaring for the draft as an early entrants, according to Givony, who refers to Sedekerskis as “one of the most decorated players of his generation in Europe.” Although his rights were acquired by Spanish powerhouse Baskonia, Sedekerskis has been on loan in his native Lithuania for Nevezis this season. The 1998-born forward is the No. 86 prospect on Givony’s big board.

Meanwhile, Givony’s 76th-ranked prospect, Lithuanian wing Arnoldas Kulboka, is also entering the 2018 draft (Twitter link). Kulboka, a 1998-born forward who entered the draft a year ago but ultimately withdrew from consideration, is currently averaging 8.3 PPG for Italian team Capo D’Orlando.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • Kansas sophomore center Udoka Azubuike has decided to test the 2018 NBA draft waters without hiring an agent, the school announced today in a press release. “I’m going to wait and see where I stand among other bigs out there,” Azubuike said in a statement. “I appreciate everyone’s support, but I’m not saying goodbye. I’m saying I want to find out. Like many other players, I’m curious.” The seven-footer enjoyed a breakout sophomore season in 2017/18, averaging 13.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.7 BPG, and a .770 FG% for the Jayhawks.
  • Over at ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony has put out an early mock draft for 2019 (Insider link). Among the players picked: Azubuike, who goes 48th overall.
  • Kent State guard Jaylin Walker is also entering the 2018 draft without hiring an agent, per a press release. In his junior year, Walker averaged 16.6 PPG, but struggled a little with his efficiency (.380 FG%, .328 3PT%).
  • Marshall junior forward Ajdin Penava has elected to forgo his senior year and go pro, according to an announcement from the school. After posting modest numbers in his first two years at Marshall, Penava set career highs in PPG (15.6), RPG (8.5), BPG (3.9), and several other categories in 2017/18.
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Draft Updates: Govindy, Pansa, Faye, Seaborn

April 19th, 2018 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

The list of international prospects declaring for the 2018 NBA draft as early entrants continues to grow. As ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports (via Twitter), three 1997-born big men currently playing in France are entering this year’s draft pool, per their agency Comsport. Those players are Melvyn Govindy, Jean-Marc Pansa, and Ibrahima Fall Faye. They’ll have until June 11 to decide whether to remain in the 2018 draft or withdraw their names. If they pull out of this year’s event, they’ll be draft-eligible in 2019.

Here are a few more draft notes:

  • Givony has updates on two more international early entrants declaring for the draft, reporting that Turkish forward Muhaymin Mustafa and Congolese center Viny Okouo have both made themselves eligible (Twitter link). While Okouo was born in 1997, Mustafa was born in 1999, which means he’d have two more chances to enter the draft early if he withdraws his name this year.
  • Slovenian shooting guard Blaz Mesicek has elected to enter the draft as an early entrant, per agent Misko Raznatovic (Twitter link). The 1997-born prospect has averaged 9.7 PPG and shot 40.8% on three-pointers in 26 games for Brindisi in the Italian League.
  • Monmouth junior guard Micah Seaborn announced in a post on Instagram that he has opted to enter the NBA draft without hiring an agent. Seaborn established new career highs in 2017/18 with 13.7 PPG and a .436/.442/.887 shooting line.
  • Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders breaks down the 2018 NBA draft class in tiers, with a three-player top tier of “potential future All-Stars” leading the way.
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Dzanan Musa Enters 2018 NBA Draft

April 12th, 2018 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

Bosnian swingman Dzanan Musa has elected to enter his name in the 2018 NBA draft pool, according to a tweet from agent Misko Raznatovic (hat tip to Sportando).

Musa, a 6’9″ scorer who is currently playing for Cedevita Zagreb in the Croatian League, is considered the No. 22 player in the 2018 draft class by Jonathan Givony of ESPN. In his most recent mock draft, Givony had Musa coming off the board 21st overall, writing that the youngster’s “size, scoring instincts and aggressiveness could be intriguing” in the second half of the first round.

When he scouted Musa earlier this year, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz suggested that the 18-year-old is “in the conversation” for 2018’s best international prospect outside of Luka Doncic. In Schmitz’s view, Musa projects as a productive bench scorer for an NBA team, though his medical reports will be important — Musa has dealt with back issues since he was young, per Schmitz.

Born in 1999, Musa would have a few more opportunities to enter the draft in future years if he decides to withdraw this spring. With no NCAA eligibility to worry about, he’ll have until June 11 to make that call.

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Elie Okobo Enters 2018 NBA Draft

April 11th, 2018 at 10:25am CST by Luke Adams

French guard Elie Okobo has become the latest top international prospect to enter his name in the 2018 NBA draft pool, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Agent Herman Manakyan informs Givony that Okobo has submitted the necessary paperwork to make himself draft-eligible for 2018.

“This was not a difficult decision for me. I am confident in my abilities, and I am focused on my goal of playing in the NBA,” Okobo told ESPN. “As I look at the field, I am confident I am one of the best point guards in the draft.”

While Givony ranks several point guards ahead of Okobo on his big board, the 20-year-old comes in at No. 38, giving him a chance to be a first-round pick this June. Okobo has had a very productive season for Pau-Orthez in the French League, averaging 13.0 PPG and 4.3 APG in 27 games (26.4 MPG). He has also knocked down 38.9% of his three-point tries.

As Givony details, Okobo has excellent size and scoring instincts, and has attracted “significant attention” this year from NBA scouts. In 2017, Okobo entered the draft and later withdrew his name, but he looks like a good bet to remain in this year’s class, Givony writes.

“I am confident this is the right time for me, and I am already receiving very strong feedback from the teams that have come to see me play this season,” Okobo said. “I hope to land with a team that is serious about player development that will help me to continue improving my skills.”

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