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Reactions To The Hornets/Wizards Trade

June 20th, 2012 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards and Hornets finalized the first trade of draft season this afternoon, with Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza heading to Washington in exchange for Rashard Lewis and a second-round draft pick. The deal could be a win-win, as the Wizards acquire two solid veteran rotation players that could help them become a playoff club in the near future, while the Hornets clear two expensive contracts from their books and create excellent long-term cap flexibility.

If I had to pick a winner, I like the Hornets' side a little more. Clearing out their two biggest contracts without giving up any other assets means the Hornets will be in great position to build around Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, and the No. 10 pick in this year's draft, and could be a player on the free agent market this year or next. For Washington, I'm not sure if Okafor and Ariza are enough to put the team over the top in the short-term, and their contracts will make it difficult to make any other impact moves.

Here are a few more reactions and quotes on the deal….

Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld on the trade: "We are pleased to add two more solid pieces as we continue to build our roster with a balance of proven veterans and the core of young talent that we have developed. Emeka's defensive presence and rebounding ability will combine with Trevor’s versatility to add new dimensions to our frontcourt, and both players fit in very well with the type of team-first culture that we have been working to establish."
Asked why he dealt Rashard Lewis for two lengthier contracts rather than simply buying out the veteran, Grunfeld told Michael Lee of the Washington Post (Twitter link) that the buyout money would have gone toward a player who didn't contribute anything. Okafor and Ariza may be overpriced, but they should still be solid contributors.
Grunfeld added (Twitter link) that the move doesn't affect the team's draft plans, though the widely-held belief is that it opens the door for the Wizards to draft Bradley Beal at No. 3.
Hornets GM Dell Demps on the trade: "We are rebuilding our team and this is one step in our new direction. This trade will provide an opportunity for our young players to develop and create flexibility to add to our core group moving forward."
Zach Lowe of SI.com doesn't love the trade for the Wizards since he doesn't think Washington is good enough to play the "win now" game and believes the move limits the team's ceiling.
The move is much riskier for the Wizards than the Hornets, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, who says Grunfeld and the Wizards were under pressure to improve the roster by the team John Wall is eligible for an extension.
Trading Okafor could open the door for the Hornets to draft big man Tyler Zeller at No. 10, says John DeShazier of the New Orleans Times Picayune.
Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops thinks the move could allow the Hornets to pursue players like Ersan Ilyasova, Kris Humphries, Lou Williams, or Jamal Crawford in free agency. I'd be surprised if the Hornets pursue many major outside free agents this summer — I think they'll hold onto their cap space until next summer, when they'll be in position to clear even more room.

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Wizards Acquire Okafor, Ariza For Lewis

June 20th, 2012 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The New Orleans Hornets have traded Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Rashard Lewis and the No. 46 pick in the draft, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter). The Wizards have officially announced the swap in a press release.

Draft Updates: Tuesday

June 19th, 2012 at 10:22pm CST by Luke Adams

In case you missed it yesterday, we published our first 2012 mock draft. Be sure to check out our projected first round and jump into the comments section to tell us which choices you like or dislike. In the meantime, we'll continue tracking the latest draft news and rumors. Tuesday's updates can be found right here, with the newest items added up top throughout the day….

John Reid of The Times Picayune writes that the Hornets will likely keep their 10th pick. GM Dell Demps says that he hasn't received any offers warranting any serious consideration to trade the pick and believes that they can come away with a good player at that slot.
Jared Sullinger will work out for the Cavaliers on Friday, writes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. Fab Melo is also scheduled for a workout this week and could join Sullinger.

Earlier updates:

James Ham of NBA.com tweeted earlier that Harrison Barnes cancelled his upcoming Friday workout with the Kings, speculating that the former Tar Heel may have been given a draft promise from a team in the top 4. However, Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (Sulia link) was told that Barnes will reconsider working out for Sacramento after his workout with the Bobcats later this week and does not believe that Barnes was given a promise.
Sean Meagher of Oregon Live comprised a draft link roundup of Arnett Moultrie, who recently called himself the "sleeper of the draft."
Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer provides a breakdown of this year's draft crop of point guard prospects. Damian Lillard tops the list, follwed by Kendall Marshall, Tony Wroten, Marquis Teague, and Tyshawn Taylor.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star tweeted that those who watched Fab Melo during his workout with the Pacers came away very impressed.
WEEI.com continued their series of prospect profiles, this time focusing on Jeffery Taylor out of Vanderbilt.
Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times says (via Twitter) that the Bucks will host Perry Jones III and Terrence Jones for a workout on Wednesday.
This USA Today article via the Associated Press described Anthony Davis' visit with the Hornets today.
Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle has the full list of prospects that withdrew from the draft before yesterday's deadline. We've updated our list of early entrants here.
After working out for the Pacers today, Fab Melo talked about the academic issues that kept him from playing for Syracuse in this year's NCAA tournament. An Associated Press report (via NBA.com) provides the details and quotes.
Chad Ford fielded a handful of draft questions in a chat for ESPN.com this afternoon.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) is back with his newest mock draft, version 8.0. Ford's top four remain unchanged from his last mock, but there's plenty of movement after that, including Harrison Barnes to the Kings, Dion Waiters to the Warriors, and Damian Lillard to the Raptors.
Evan Fournier is on the Grizzlies' radar at No. 25, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Anthony Davis will be in New Orleans to meet with Hornets brass today, but he won't work out for the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer thinks the Bobcats should draft Michael Kidd-Gilchrist second overall.
Draymond Green is working out for the Hawks today, according to the team (via Twitter).
Bucks.com has the details on today's workout in Milwaukee, which features John Henson, while Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines some of the Bucks' draft options as they look to replace Andrew Bogut.

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Hornets To Part Ways With Hugh Weber

June 18th, 2012 at 7:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Hornets will not retain president Hugh Weber, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. New Orleans Saints president Dennis Lauschawill be now be president of both organizations and oversee the operations of both franchises. Saints GM Mickey Loomis will also oversee the Hornets' basketball operations in addition to his current football responsibilities.

Categories:
New Orleans Pelicans

Draft Updates: Monday

June 18th, 2012 at 4:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this morning, we unveiled the first version of our 2012 mock draft, projecting every pick from No. 1 (Anthony Davis) to No. 30 (Quincy Miller). We'll publish one more mock next week, before draft day, and until then, we'll be keeping tabs on all the latest draft-related news and rumors. Here are today's updates, with the newest items added at the top throughout the day….

The Pistons have a big workout scheduled for next Monday, with Jared Sullinger, Tyler Zeller, Meyers Leonard, John Henson, Terrence Jones, and Perry Jones III expected to attend, tweets ESPN.com's Chad Ford.
Harrison Barnes and a pair of possible second-round candidates will work out for the Wizards tomorrow, the team announced.

Earlier updates:

Spanish point guard Josep Franch will stay in the draft, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
Renardo Sidney is "getting trashed" by a number of teams and there's a good chance he'll go undrafted despite his talent, tweets says Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (via Twitter).
The Bucks are considering John Henson with their first pick and will work him out tomorrow, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (on Twitter).
Czech wing Tomas Satoransky has decided to remain in the draft pool, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Satoransky now projects as an early second-round pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
In an Insider piece at ESPN.com, John Hollinger looks for potential sleepers and busts in the draft, using PER projections.
A pair of local products were among the six prospects the Pacers worked out today, as Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star writes.
The Knicks will work out six players tomorrow, including Jordan Taylor, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Joffrey Lauvergne (France, 1991) has pulled out of draft consideration, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. Maximilian Kleber (Germany, 1992) has also withdrawn, Givony adds in a separate tweet.
Nemanja Nedovic (Serbia, born in 1991) and Sertac Sanli (Turkey, 1991) have both withdrawn from the draft, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
International prospect Mindaugas Kupsas has withdrawn from draft consideration, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 1991-born Lithuanian big man will spend the season overseas.
We rounded up a few draft updates from ESPN.com's Chad Ford in a separate post.
The Bulls may be open to moving Luol Deng for a package that includes a lottery pick, according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. McGraw cites sources saying Chicago is considering such a move and points to concerns about the luxury tax and about Deng's decision to postpone wrist surgery until after the Olympics. Still, this seems like a long shot to me.
A report yesterday suggested the Thunder would look to trade its first-round pick, but Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld is hearing that's not the case (Twitter link). Kyler hears from Thunder sources that there's plenty of late-first-round talent that the team likes (Twitter link).
Speaking to Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, agent Mark Bartelstein passes along a glowing report of Bradley Beal's weekend workout for the Cavaliers.
Perry Jones III and Jared Sullinger are working out for the Hornets this morning, tweets Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com.
Bucks.com has profiles for the four prospects working out for the Bucks today.

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Ford’s Latest: Draft Trades, Drummond, Waiters

June 18th, 2012 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

With draft night fast approaching, a number of trade possibilities are still in play, says Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link). According to Ford, the Bobcats (2), Kings (5), Trail Blazers (6, 11), and Raptors aren't entirely sold on the options available to them, and are open to moving their picks. The Bobcats are seeking multiple assets, the Kings and Raptors are targeting veteran talent, and the Blazers are open to "anything and everything," writes Ford. Here are the rest of the highlights from the ESPN Insider piece….

Draft Updates: Saturday

June 16th, 2012 at 8:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

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.

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 (Twitter links).
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. (Twitter links)
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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Draft Updates: Friday

June 15th, 2012 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday's roundup of draft links included a ton of updates on workouts and speculation on where certain players may land. We expect more of the same today, so we'll track today's draft notes right here, adding new items to the top of the list throughout the day….

Anthony Davis has decided to hire Wasserman Media Group to represent him, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The former Kentucky star will work out for the Hornets on Tuesday, tweets Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com.
The Jazz will host six players on Saturday for a pre-draft workout, according to a team press release. The participants will include Kim English, Jorge Gutierrez, Noah Hartsock, Robbie Hummel, Toure' Murry and Malik Wayns.

Earlier updates:

Perry Jones III, Terrence Jones, Arnett Moultrie, and John Henson will work out against one another for the Suns tomorrow, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld explores whether John Henson is a perfect fit for the Pistons at No. 9.
Andre Drummond has an individual workout with the Wizards scheduled for Monday, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
In a series of tweets, Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News lists the prospects the Pistons have worked out this week.
We rounded up a handful of draft rumors from ESPN.com's Andy Katz in a separate post.
Damian Lillard to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (Twitter link) on the possibility of being drafted by the Trail Blazers: "I could see it happening. And I hope so. I think I really fit in here."
The Nuggets have a six-player workout scheduled for Monday, according to a team press release. Will Barton, Royce White, Andrew Nicholson, Marquis Teague, Tyshawn Taylor, and Kevin Murphy are the participants.
Evan Fournier and Will Barton will work out for the Bucks tomorrow, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter).
ESPN.com's David Thorpe (Insider link) examines potential targets for the 76ers at No. 15, concluding that Terrence Jones could be the best fit.
The Wizards will work out Harrison Barnes next Tuesday, tweets Michael of the Washington Post.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist believes the Wizards would be a playoff team if they drafted him third overall, he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Kidd-Gilchrist is working out alone for Washington, with Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross, and Tomas Satoransky in a group workout, tweets Lee.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com has published his latest mock draft for Yahoo! Sports.
SI.com's Sam Amick takes a look at Andre Drummond's stock, and says the Hornets haven't made a draft-day promise to Austin Rivers.
At Raptors.com, Jay Satur has the list of prospects working out for the Raptors today.

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Sale Of Hornets To Tom Benson Now Official

June 15th, 2012 at 6:18pm CST by Daniel Seco

Saints owner Tom Benson can now officially add owner of the Hornets to his resume as the team released a statement confirming the finalization of the sale. The NBA's Board of Governors approved the sale of the team to Benson on Wednesday after the New Orleans businessman reached an agreement to purchase the franchise from the league in April for $338MM. Benson expressed his excitement over completing the purchase of the team on Friday and the opportunity to make the Hornets as competitive as his Saints.

Categories:
New Orleans Pelicans

Board Of Governors Approves Hornets Sale

June 13th, 2012 at 6:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA's Board of Governors has approved the sale of the Hornets to Tom Benson, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. The sale will become official later this week, according to Smith.

Categories:
New Orleans Pelicans