International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bam Adebayo, Jaylen Johnson Staying In Draft

April 24th, 2017 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of college underclassmen who were previously said to be testing the draft waters have decided to forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility by hiring representation, per various reports.

One of those players is Kentucky freshman big man Bam Adebayo, who will sign with an agent and won’t return to the Wildcats, sources tell Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Adebayo is considered likely to be drafted in the first round, so it makes sense that he’ll keep his name in the draft, joining former UK teammates De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Isaiah Briscoe, and Isaac Humphries among this year’s early entrants going pro.

Also going pro is Louisville junior forward Jaylen Johnson, who announced that he won’t return for his senior season. “I will miss my teammates and coaches, but it is really important that I help out my mom and family,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’m going to work incredibly hard to give it my best shot. I’ll be rooting for the Ville next year.”

Here are several more early entrants who are declaring for the draft in advance of this year’s deadline:

Jevon Carter, G, West Virginia, junior (announcement via school): Testing waters.
Matt Morgan, SG, Cornell, sophomore (Twitter link via Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com): Testing waters.
Nik Slavica, SF, Croatia (Twitter link via international reporter David Pick)
Leo Cizmic, SF, Israel (Twitter link via Eurohopes)
Ji Wei Zhao, PG, China (Twitter link via Zhang Duo)
Zou Yuchen, PF/C, China (Twitter link via Zhang Duo)

Beijing Ducks, Stephon Marbury Part Ways

April 24th, 2017 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

After winning three Chinese Basketball Association championships in six years with the Beijing Ducks, former NBA All-Star guard Stephon Marbury is no longer a member of the team, per Qiushi Li of ESPN. The Ducks held a 2017/18 team option on Marbury as a player or an assistant coach, but the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement on his role, prompting the club to terminate the contract.

“We agreed that I would leave this season and the door is always open to coach,” Marbury tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “They had the option for me to play or coach, and they wanted me to coach. It’s understandable at my age, but my age doesn’t dictate my game. This gives me strong desire to work hard and try my best to come back to help a team win a [championship].”

Marbury, who turned 40 in February, explained in a letter to fans on Weibo that Beijing has not yet decided on a head coach for next season, making it difficult for him to accept an assistant coaching role with the club. Marbury also wants to continue playing for at least one more season, having previously announced his plans to retire as a player in 2018, and he expects to draw interest from other CBA teams.

A former fourth overall pick in the NBA, Marbury hasn’t played in the Association since he appeared in 23 games for the Celtics during the 2008/09 season. However, he became an international sensation in China, particularly after joining the Ducks in 2011. He was perennially among the CBA’s scoring leaders, and has won the league’s Foreign MVP award and the CBA Finals MVP award.

Although Marbury has spent most of the last decade in China, he recently expressed a desire to return to the NBA down the road as a coach.

Draft Updates: Hartenstein, Flaccadori, Diallo

April 24th, 2017 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

German power forward Isaiah Hartenstein has entered the 2017 NBA draft, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. Hartenstein, who is ranked as the 19th-best prospect on DraftExpress’ big board, will be represented by agent B.J. Armstrong. At just 18 years old, Hartenstein is “clearly not ready for the NBA” yet, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford. However, assuming the big man remains in the draft, he could make an intriguing draft-and-stash project for an NBA team.

Here’s more news on early entrants for this year’s draft:

Lithuanian forward Arnoldas Kulboka is testing the draft waters, per international basketball reporter David Pick (via Twitter). Pick suggests that NBA general managers will head to Bamberg to scout the 6’9″ Kulboka, who has some long-term upside and currently ranks 50th on DraftExpress’ big board.
Italian shooting guard Diego Flaccadori has declared for the 2017 NBA draft, according to sports management and marketing firm Sigma Sports (Twitter link). Like other international early entrants, Flaccadori will have until June 12 to withdraw his name from this year’s draft pool.
18-year-old shooting guard Hamidou Diallo, a top recruit who enrolled early at the University of Kentucky, will test the NBA draft waters before playing his first game for the Wildcats, he announced in a statement (Twitter link).
Today is the deadline for early entrants to formally enter this year’s draft pool. Our early entrant list, which currently features 123 names, can be found right here.

And-Ones: Nurkic, Durant, R. Allen, W. Bynum

April 18th, 2017 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers and Warriors will play Game 2 of their series on Wednesday night, and both sides may be missing a key player. Jusuf Nurkic, who continues to recover from a fractured leg, announced today that he won’t play in Game 2 for the Blazers, per Joe Freeman of The Oregonian (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Kevin Durant, who recently returned from a knee injury, is now battling a left calf strain and was listed as questionable on the Warriors’ injury report today (Twitter link).

As we wait to see if Durant is able to give it a go for Golden State, let’s round up a few odds and ends from around the basketball world…

Appearing over the weekend on ESPN’s The Jump, Ray Allen was asked about why he hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2013/14 season, and explained that contract offers he received since then wouldn’t have given him a chance to have a real role (link via Adam London of NESN). “Most of the inquiries I have received were how ready am I to accept my role as a veteran and sit on the bench and mentor the young guys,” Allen said. “I’d love to do that, it comes naturally to me, but I do want to play.”
Veteran point guard Will Bynum has reached a deal to play for Luoyang in China this summer, according to 24/7 Basketball (Twitter link). Bynum, who has had multiple stints in China, played with the Pistons for several seasons in the NBA.
Canton Charge swingman John Holland – who has spent time with the Celtics and Cavaliers – is also headed to China, having agreed to a contract with the Beijing Eastern Ducks, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net confirms. International basketball journalist David Pick first reported (via Twitter) that Holland was finalizing a deal with the Chinese club.
The Maine Red Claws and Raptors 905 are currently battling for the right to advance to the D-League Finals, and each team saw a key contributor take home a major award within the past few days. 2016 Celtics second-rounder Abdel Nader was the D-League’s Rookie of the Year, while Edy Tavares, who spent most of the season with the Raptors‘ affiliate, was named the NBADL Defensive Player of the Year. Tavares is now on the Cavaliers‘ roster, having been signed on the last day of the regular season.

Nets GM Talks International Scouting, Draft, RFAs

April 17th, 2017 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets finished with the NBA’s worst record, but the team was competitive down the stretch, and given how low expectations were for the Nets entering the regular season, 2016/17 wasn’t a total disaster for the team. Still, general manager Sean Marks acknowledged today that there’s still “a long ways to go” as the club continues to rebuild its roster, which remains a “work in progress” (link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com).

Here are a few of the other comments Marks made today during his end-of-season press conference:

Marks repeatedly referred to the international market – including Europe, Australia, and China -as a means of landing talent for the NBA roster (Twitter link via NetsDaily). Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson are heading to Europe soon to meet with owner Mikhail Prokhorov and to do some scouting (Twitter link via Youngmisuk). And while the Nets have been keeping a close eye on CSKA Moscow guard Milos Teodosic, Marks stressed that the club is looking at “a bunch” of different international players (Twitter link via Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily).
The Nets will have two first-round picks this year after acquiring one from Washington in February’s Bojan Bogdanovic trade. Marks suggested today that he’d be open to snagging a draft-and-stash prospect with one of those two picks (Twitter link via Fonseca).
Even if the Nets don’t necessarily expect to make a playoff run next season, Marks wants his roster to be balanced in terms of age and experience, since he believes a mix of veterans and young players is important (Twitter link via Fonseca).
Although the Nets swung and missed multiple times in restricted free agency last summer, Marks said that “doesn’t mean we are not going that route” this summer (link via Youngmisuk). We’ve heard in recent weeks and months that RFAs like Otto Porter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be among Brooklyn’s targets.

And-Ones: Melli, Sonics, Teodosic

April 13th, 2017 at 11:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Nicolo Melli is drawing interest from Real Madrid in the Euroleague, but he also has the attention of several NBA teams. Niki Bakouli of Sport24 reports (Twitter links) that the Rockets and Nets are among the teams interested in adding the power forward.

Melli said playing in the NBA is “a dream,” but added that his decision on where to go will depend on what kind of offers he receives.

“I don’t rule out any possibility but I don’t like to talk about the future” Melli said, (via E. Carchia of Sportando). “It is great to draw interest from other teams [Real Madrid is one of the teams] but I did not talk with anyone. My agent and I will think about the future after the season talking with Bamberg. NBA? It is a dream. But it will depend on the offers because I love too much being on the court and playing.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Two different groups are each preparing to spend over $500MM to renovate the Key-Arena in Seattle with hopes of attracting an NBA or NHL team, Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times reports. “Today is an important day in our goal of bringing the Sonics home and the NHL to Seattle,” Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said. “Two well-known organizations submitted proposals to redevelop KeyArena, totaling more than $1 billion in investments between them. Their interest shows how Seattle has become one of the most desirable cities in America for sports and entertainment.”
Nets GM Sean Marks is heading back to Moscow to get another look at Milos Teodosic, sources tell international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). It was previously reported that the point guard was unlikely to sign with Brooklyn since the team has not been competitive.
Amy Trask has been named the CEO of the BIG3, according to the league’s website. Trask previously spent nearly 30 years working the Oakland Raiders organization.
Mo Alie-Cox, who played basketball at VCU, is trying to break into the NFL and he’s scheduled to meet with six teams, as Zach Links of Pro Football Rumors writes. Be sure to stay tuned to PFR for the latest news and notes on the NFL.

Draft Updates: Fall, Adams, Egbunu, Ilic, Arar

April 5th, 2017 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

UCF sophomore Tacko Fall has decided to test the draft waters, announcing today (via Twitter) that he’ll enter his name into the draft pool without initially hiring an agent. Fall will have until May 24 to get a sense of his draft value and make a decision on whether or not to return to school for his junior year.

A 7’6″ center from Senegal with an eight-foot wingspan, Fall has earned a spot on DraftExpress’ big board, coming in at No. 96 on the site’s top 100 list. The 21-year-old ranks 112th on Chad Ford’s ESPN board. Fall remains a raw prospect, but nearly averaged a double-double in his second year at UCF, finishing the season with 10.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG to go along with a .715 FG%.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

Ford’s fourth mock draft is up at ESPN.com (Insider link), and there aren’t many changes at the top — Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Jackson are still the first three prospects to come off the board. Still, there are a few interesting picks further down in Ford’s mock, including the Trail Blazers snagging multiple international players.
For agents who represent NBA players, this is one of the most interesting times of year, as they look to lock up potential lottery picks. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News has some details on which agencies this year’s top prospects are choosing for representation.
St. Bonaventure junior guard Jaylen Adams has opted to declare for the 2017 draft without hiring an agent, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Florida head coach Mike White said this week that he anticipates junior center John Egbunu will also test the draft waters. Neither player is on DraftExpress’ top 100 list, though Egbunu ranks 24th on the site’s list of juniors.
A pair of international prospects have entered the draft, according to agent Misko Raznatovic, who tweets that Buducnost power forward Aleksa Ilic and Galatasaray big man Ege Arar will go through the process. Both players were born in 1996.

Four International Prospects Enter 2017 NBA Draft

March 31st, 2017 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

Four international prospects have declared for the 2017 NBA draft, according to agent Misko Raznatovic. Kostja Mushidi, Vlatko Cancar, Alpha Kaba, and Borisa Simanic will enter the draft pool, as Raznatovic tweets.

All four players are on Serbian teams, with Mushidi, Cancar, and Kaba representing Mega Leks and Simanic playing for BC Red Star in Belgrade. They all also earn spots on Jonathan Givony’s top 100 list at DraftExpress.com.

The top-ranked player of the group, Mushidi comes in at No. 51 on DraftExpress’ big board, and ranks 10th among international players born in 1998. The 18-year-old shooting guard averaged 9.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 24 ABA games this season. According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, who ranks Mushidi 38th on his big board, the Belgium native has a combination of strength, athletic ability, and aggressiveness on both ends of the floor that has intrigued scouts.

Mushidi’s Mega Leks teammates are slightly less highly regarded by draft experts, but are still solid prospects. Cancar, a 6’8″ small forward, comes in at No. 63 on the DraftExpress top 100, while Kaba, a big man with an outside shot, ranks 74th. Kaba entered the draft a year ago, but withdrew his name before June’s deadline.

As for Simanic, the 6’10” power forward comes in at No. 59 on DraftExpress’ big board, though he played very sparingly for Red Star this season.

Our full list of early entrants for this year’s draft can be found right here.

And-Ones: Stackhouse, Porter Jr., EuroHoops

March 26th, 2017 at 8:14pm CST by Milo Taibi

Sam Fortier of The Ringer detailed Jerry Stackhouse‘s decision to coach in the D-League as opposed to working as an NBA assistant coach. Stackhouse, coaching Raptors 905, often works in front of small crowds with little fanfare, but the two-time All-Star doesn’t mind.

“Until I got this job this year, I hardly even knew the D-League existed,” Stackhouse said. “I’m a pro. I’m an NBA guy, and I’m not wasting time, you know? I get it when people don’t understand the D-League. It’s part of it. But I’m here to tell ’em it’s a gem. A hidden gem.”

Stackhouse explained the frustration of watching Jason Kidd and Derek Fisher seamlessly transition from their playing career to a head coaching job. After a stint as a TV analyst covering the Pistons, Stackhouse pursued a coaching job with the 37-11 Raptors 905.

“Seeing [Fisher and Kidd] get those head-coaching jobs, I was like, I know I’m — you hate to say better — but I know I’m damn as good as those guys when it comes to coaching,” Stackhouse said. “I wouldn’t have been ready [to be a head coach] in 2012–13, but Jason Kidd came in and my mind was like, ‘I have more of a pulse of this team than he could ever have. They respect me.’ I look at all of the other relationships you have to have to make it work, and the people you need to know in organizations. … It’s hard to get that.”

Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Grant, Goodwin, Bradley

March 23rd, 2017 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets are taking a close look at European shooting guard Edwin Jackson while scouting overseas, international journalist David Pick tweets. Jackson, 27, plays for Movistar Estudiantes in the Spanish league and is averaging 22.9 PPG in 24 games while shooting 38.6% on his 3-point attempts. The 6’3” Jackson participated in the team’s free agent mini-camp in 2014, NetsDaily.com notes.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Former Sixers forward Jerami Grant still regards his former team as family, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com writes. Grant was dealt to the Thunder the first week of the season in exchange for Ersan Ilyasova and a protected draft pick. Grant expressed happiness that the Sixers have improved this season and said he had no time to say goodbye when the trade occurred, Camerato adds. “I had to pack my bags and things in two hours,” Grant told Camerato. “I had to get a physical so I could play the next day in L.A. At first it was a little shock, but once you settle down, it’s OK.”
There’s a good chance the Nets will retain shooting guard Archie Goodwin once his first 10-day contract expires, according to a tweet from the New York Post’s Fred Kerber. Coach Kenny Atkinson told Kerber “it’s trending very positive” for Goodwin, who signed a 10-day on March 15th. Goodwin, who also played three games for the Pelicans this season, is averaging 7.0 PPG and 2.5 APG in 16 MPG through two outings for the Nets.
Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley is the league’s most underrated player, Chris Mannix of The Vertical opines. Bradley has developed into an elite two-way player who earned strong consideration for an All-Star spot before he was sidelined by an Achilles’ injury, Mannix continues. Bradley’s development has made his once-derided four-year, $32MM contract ,which expires after next season, one of the league’s biggest bargains, Mannix adds.