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Kennedy On Lin, Gordon, Mayo, Hibbert, Hill

By Luke Adams | at June 30, 2012 10:26 am

We keep hearing teams like the Mavericks, Nets, and Raptors named as potential suitors for Steve Nash, but if one of those teams misses out on both Nash and Deron Williams, its next target could be Jeremy Lin. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld hears from sources that one of those three clubs could sign Lin to an offer sheet, forcing the Knicks to match. Here are a few more free agent updates from Kennedy, with just over 12 hours left until the fun begins….

Odds & Ends: Rockets, Magic, Wolves, Green

By Chuck Myron | at June 30, 2012 12:32 am

With less than 24 hours to go until teams can officially begin negotiating with free agents, the focus has shifted from the draft and incoming rookies to where NBA veterans will end up. No free agent is more coveted than Deron Williams, but he's narrowed his choices to the Mavs and Nets. There are plenty of quality players left for other teams, however, including Roy Hibbert and Eric Gordon, whom the Rockets will target, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, adding that the team is also going after Omer Asik. Here's more on the free agent plans of teams around the league and other late-night news:

0 comments Boston Celtics Chicago Bulls Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets Indiana Pacers Minnesota Timberwolves New Orleans Pelicans New York Knicks Oklahoma City Thunder Orlando Magic San Antonio Spurs Eric Gordon Omer Asik Roy Hibbert

Draft Notes: Friday

By Luke Adams | at June 29, 2012 11:57 pm

Now that the 2012 draft is officially a thing of the past, we shouldn't require multiple posts to round up all the day's draft-related content, like we did on Thursday. But even with the draft over, a few updates continue to trickle in. We'll round up today's leftover draft notes here, adding any new items to the top throughout the day….

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News offers grades for each team's draft, and The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat shares his list of winners and losers.

Earlier updates:

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo said he may try to get teams that were interested in trading for the No. 8 pick to take something else in return. Colangelo also said a team offered $1.75MM to get pick No. 37, but the Raptors had three guys they liked too much to give up the pick, which they used on Quincy Acy, Wolstat also tweets.
Cavs coach Byron Scott compares No. 4 pick Dion Waiters to Dwyane Wade and isn't concerned that he never started a game in his two years at Syracuse, according to the Associated Press (via NBA.com). Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer believes the Cavs got better through the draft, but isn't sure exactly how that will show up in the won-lost column.
Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld looks at the draft's biggest losers.
According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, undrafted rookie Maalik Wayns will play for the Magic's summer league team (Twitter link).
Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo "tried hard" to move down in the draft, but most offers involved trading out of the draft entirely, which he didn't want to do, says Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter).
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com provides an interesting behind-the-scenes perspective of the Cavaliers' draft night.
The Thunder took steps in the days leading up to the draft to assure James Harden he wouldn't be dealt for a top-three pick, and then proved it, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
The Rockets were interested in trading up to No. 8 to take Andre Drummond, but the Raptors' asking price was way too high, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
It was a little surprising not to see Iona guard Scott Machado drafted last night, but he's already drawing interest as an undrafted free agent. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), Machado has the Raptors, Rockets, Bobcats, Cavaliers, Hawks, and Hornets calling him about playing in the Summer League.
Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside examines a few more of this year's top undrafted prospects.
Draft evaluations are already beginning to roll in, as ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) provides his grades for all 30 teams, while SI.com's Chris Mannix and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports are among those to name this year's winners and losers.
Proving it's never too early to look ahead to next year's, Ford (Insider link) also has a preview of the 2013 draft class, and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com publishes his first 2013 mock draft.

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0 comments 2012 NBA Draft Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Hornets Cleveland Cavaliers Houston Rockets New Orleans Pelicans Oklahoma City Thunder Orlando Magic Toronto Raptors Andre Drummond James Harden Maalik Wayns Scott Machado

More Draft Rumors: Thursday

By Luke Adams | at June 28, 2012 9:16 pm

Our previous round-up of Thursday's draft rumors was getting a little unwieldy, so here's a new post for the evening's rumors. Even with the draft underway, the rumors continue to pour in, so we'll round up the latest updates right here. Here's the latest draft buzz, with the newest items up top:

After trading three picks for one to land Tyler Zeller, the Cavs are trying to trade back into the draft, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
The Grizzlies intend to keep Tony Wroten, the 25th overall pick, but are working on a trade, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Earlier updates:

The Mavericks shopped the No. 24 pick they acquired from Cleveland and were "very open" to moving it, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. However, Stein adds in a second tweet that the Mavs will draft Jared Cunningham for themselves with the pick.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com says he wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics packaged their picks to trade for Royce White, who the Rockets selected at No. 16 (Twitter link). According to Givony, Boston was "very worried" about another team drafting White.
The Celtics' interest in Austin Rivers was fueled more by GM Danny Ainge than Doc Rivers, says Chris Mannix of SI.com (via Twitter).
The Cavaliers are still "aggressively pursuing" a second lottery pick, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Warriors GM Bob Myers says his phone "almost blew up" with teams trying to trade up to No. 7 to draft Harrison Barnes, says Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link).
While Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was a surprise pick for the Bobcats at No. 2, multiple reporters, including David Aldridge of TNT and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com tweet that Charlotte isn't expected to trade MKG. However, Givony adds in a second tweet that that door isn't entirely closed.
Though they couldn't complete a trade with the Kings, the Rockets are still trying to get into the top 10, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Despite plenty of talks, the Bobcats and Cavaliers "never had anything close," tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
If Austin Rivers and Damian Lillard come off the board within the first nine picks, the Hornets are "strongly leaning" toward Meyers Leonard, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Cavs and Bobcats are still engaged in "deep discussions" involving the No. 2 pick, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
The Rockets are talking to the Bobcats and Kings and pushing hard to acquire a top-five pick, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
If the Cavs trade up to No. 2 to land Bradley Beal, the Wizards will likely decide between Harrison Barnes and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at No.3, with Barnes having the slight edge, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
Teams interested in Fab Melo may be looking to trade into the late teens, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
The Pistons may attempt to trade back into the end of the first round, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Detroit has its eye on a couple players that could slip.
Several teams believe that there is starting-caliber talent in the second round and are trying to buy second-rounders, tweets SI.com's Chris Mannix.
The Wizards (No. 3), Kings (No. 5), and Blazers (No. 6) all appear likely to stand pat, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
The Cavaliers are offering the Bobcats the 4th, 24th, and 33rd picks for Charlotte's 2nd and 31st picks, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link), the Bobcats still appear set on making Cleveland take a contract in the deal.
The Blazers are putting out "serious signs" that they might draft Dion Waiters over Damian Lillard at No. 6, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
The Rockets are showing interest in guards like Austin Rivers and Terrence Ross, along with centers like Andre Drummond and Meyers Leonard, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. Berman adds in a separate pair of tweets that the Rockets are also interested in high-upside players like Perry Jones III, and that Houston doctors don't believe Jones' health concerns are serious.
If the Bobcats can't find a trade partner who will take on Tyrus Thomas' contract, they may look to move Matt Carroll's deal instead, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Speaking of the Bobcats, they've narrowed their five offers for the second overall pick to just two offers, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Marc Stein). The Rockets and Cavaliers are still in the mix for the No.2 pick.
The Cavs have also talked to the Warriors at No. 7 and the Rockets at No. 12 about trades involving Anderson Varejao, says Broussard (via Stein on Twitter).
Austin Rivers tops the Hornets' wish list for the 10th overall pick, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

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0 comments 2012 NBA Draft Boston Celtics Charlotte Hornets Cleveland Cavaliers Dallas Mavericks Detroit Pistons Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Pelicans Portland Trail Blazers Sacramento Kings Washington Wizards Anderson Varejao Andre Drummond Austin Rivers Damian Lillard Dion Waiters Fab Melo Harrison Barnes Jared Cunningham Matt Carroll Meyers Leonard Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Perry Jones III Royce White Terrence Ross Tony Wroten Tyrus Thomas

Hornets Select Anthony Davis First Overall

By Luke Adams | at June 28, 2012 6:37 pm

To absolutely no one's surprise, the Hornets have officially selected Anthony Davis with the first overall pick in the 2012 draft. While rumors swirled about every pick in the draft from No. 2 to No. 60, the No. 1 pick was never in doubt, as Davis was considered all year to be the best college prospect available. The Hornets won the first overall pick in the draft lottery, despite having just the fourth-best odds (13.7%).

Davis, 19, led the Wildcats to an NCAA championship in his only year at Kentucky. In his freshman season, he averaged 14.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.7 BPG, and a ridiculous 35.71 PER. Marcus Camby is considered his NBA floor, while he's also drawn comparisons to Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and others. Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors profiled Davis here.

You can follow the rest of tonight's draft results right here.

0 comments 2012 NBA Draft New Orleans Pelicans Anthony Davis

Hornets Extend Qualifying Offer To Eric Gordon

By Luke Adams | at June 28, 2012 5:08 pm

The Hornets have officially extended a qualifying offer to Eric Gordon, the team announced today. The offer ensures that Gordon will be a restricted free agent and gives the Hornets an opportunity to match any offer sheets he signs.

Because Gordon missed most of the 2011/12 season, he failed to meet the starter criteria defined by the CBA, so his qualifying offer will only be worth $4,001,917. While Gordon could choose to accept the offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, it's more likely he'll sign a long-term deal this summer, probably with the Hornets.

0 comments New Orleans Pelicans Transactions Eric Gordon

Kyler On Gordon, Nash, Thunder, Randolph

By Luke Adams | at June 28, 2012 9:19 am

In an earlier post, we passed along the latest on the Rockets' pursuit of Dwight Howard, courtesy of HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler. Kyler's NBA AM piece at HoopsWorld has a few other items of note though, including updates on Eric Gordon, Steve Nash, and the Thunder. Let's round up the highlights….

0 comments Indiana Pacers Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Pelicans Oklahoma City Thunder Toronto Raptors Eric Gordon Kyle Lowry Rudy Gay Steve Nash Zach Randolph

Draft Rumors: Tuesday

By Luke Adams | at June 26, 2012 10:32 pm

With two days remaining until the 2012 draft, we've seen a first-round pick change hands for the first time this offseason, as the Timberwolves agreed to send the 18th overall pick to Houston in exchange for Chase Budinger and the rights to Lior Eliyahu. The general consensus is that the move is the precursor to a bigger deal for the Rockets, and Houston isn't the only team rumored to be shopping picks. Here are today's draft-related rumors, with the newest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day….

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweeted that the Bucks are looking to move into the top 10, and are supposedly targeting John Henson.
Kennedy says that the Rockets are still trying to acquire another first round pick, most recently in discussions with the Hornets about the 10th pick before talks broke down (Twitter link). He also tweeted that the Lakers and Nets are both looking to acquire a first rounder.

Earlier updates:

The Bulls are looking to add perimeter help in the form of a combo guard and shooter, says K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. John Jenkins, Will Barton, and Tony Wroten are possible targets.
Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel believes that the Bucks need to start adding talent instead of looking to add more veterans. Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel says that the team could consider taking a guard with their pick.
Michael Lee of the Washington Post documented Jay Bilas' thoughts on Harrison Barnes, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Bradley Beal. He believes that Beal is the second best prospect of this draft, discusses Barnes' outstanding athleticism, and marvels at Kidd-Gilchrist's versatility and ability to guard multiple positions.
Doug Smith of The Star explores the many different directions in which the Raptors could go on draft night, even hearing that GM Bryan Colangelo remains undecided on what he wants to do.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com views the second round as a chance to find perimeter depth and highlights the team's possible targets with their 39th and 44th picks. Among those mentioned are Darius Miller, Kevin Murphy, Kim English, Jae Crowder, Will Barton, and Jared Cunningham.
Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area examines the draft's shooting guard options for the Warriors.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists the 10 biggest questions heading into draft night (Insiders only).
Morley Quatroche of WEEI.com takes a look at J'Covan Brown as a possible second round target for the Celtics.
Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution profiled Jefferey Taylor and the impact that the three-time SEC All-Defensive team selection wants to make in the league.
Jonathan Abrams of Grantland provides an outside-the-lines perspective of Royce White and the first-round hopeful's battle with anxiety disorder.
Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune produced a mock draft of his own, focusing solely on the top-14.
Sean Meagher of Oregon Live performed a link roundup of Damian Lillard, who appears to be a realistic target for the Trail Blazers on draft night.
Jay Bilas projects Fab Melo as the 30th best available player in the draft (Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel provided a Sulia link). While he sees the 7-foot center as a good rebounder and improved shot blocker, Bilas thinks that Melo's less-than-ideal mobility was offset by playing zone defense at Syracuse and could struggle guarding the pick and roll at the NBA level.
76ers GM Rod Thorn feels content with having the 15th pick and doesn't see a situation where he tries to move up (Dei Lynam of CSN Philly reports). Thorn would like to add an athletic big man and believes he will have about two or three of his targets available by the time Philadelphia is on the clock. It should be no surprise that he mentioned Jared Sullinger as one of those targets (Tom Moore of Philly Blurbs tweets).
Tim Kawakami of Mercury News tweeted that the Warriors have not made any definitive judgments after the meetings/workouts with Andre Drummond and Harrison Barnes. In another tweet, Kawakami added that Golden State could consider trading down depending on who gets drafted ahead of their slot.
In his latest mock draft for Yahoo! Sports, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com shares a number of tidbits. Among them: He's hearing that the Cavaliers are more likely to takeMichael Kidd-Gilchrist than Harrison Barnes if Bradley Beal is off the board at No. 4.
Warriors GM Bob Myers and owner Joe Lacob flew to New York to watch Harrison Barnes and Andre Drummond in private workouts on Monday, according to Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com.
A pair of sources who witnessed Damian Lillard's individual workouts for the Blazers earlier this month raved to Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com about the point guard's performance. Lillard is a strong candidate for Portland's No. 6 pick.
SI.com's Seth Davis has a ton of interesting quotes from scouts and executives on this year's top prospects, while Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld spoke to execs who believe the best values in the draft could be found in the picks in the teens.
The Warriors don't appear to have the assets to move up and may simply opt to take the best player available at No. 7, says Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Damian Lillard and Dion Waiters are top contenders for the Warriors' pick.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post thinks the Nets will draft a European player to stash overseas with their No. 57 pick.
A swap involving the Bobcats' No. 2 pick and the Cavs' No. 4 pick could have enough momentum to get done, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com in a piece that includes a handful of other draft tidbits.
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times wonders whether the Bucks will consider drafting Fab Melo if Meyers Leonard and Tyler Zeller are off the board at No. 12.
Draymond Green is working out for the Pacers for a second time today and is a candidate to be picked at No. 26, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, another player working out for Indiana today, Will Barton, figures to be the team's pick if he's still on the board at 26, says Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (Twitter link).
ESPN The Magazine (Insider link) has released its annual players-only mock draft, in which a player representative from each team plays GM and makes his team's picks. Somewhat bizarrely, the players let Bradley Beal slip to J.J. Redick and the Magic at No. 19.
Washington guard Tony Wroten is drawing interest from a pair of teams with picks in the 20s. Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says Wroten has piqued the Grizzlies' interest, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com says the Hawks have become "enamored" of Wroten.
Within the same mock draft, Ford says the Hornets offered the Rockets the No. 10 pick for Nos. 14 and 16 last week, but that Houston turned them down.
The Warriors' No. 7 pick could be in play for the Rockets as they look to line up a big offer for Dwight Howard, tweets Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.
It appears unlikely the Raptors will trade the eighth overall pick, according to Eric Koreen of the National Post.
76ers president Rod Thorn doesn't expect the team to trade up from No. 15, tweets Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.
The Suns' interest in Arnett Moultrie is intensifying, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
There's a decent chance that the Kings will draft a player that didn't work out for the team, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

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8 comments 2012 NBA Draft Atlanta Hawks Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets Charlotte Hornets Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets Indiana Pacers Los Angeles Lakers Memphis Grizzlies Milwaukee Bucks New Orleans Pelicans Philadelphia 76ers Phoenix Suns Portland Trail Blazers Sacramento Kings Toronto Raptors Andre Drummond Arnett Moultrie Bryan Colangelo Damian Lillard Darius Miller Dion Waiters Draymond Green Fab Melo Harrison Barnes J'Covan Brown Jae Crowder Jared Cunningham Jeff Taylor John Henson John Jenkins Kevin Murphy Kim English Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Royce White Tony Wroten Will Barton

Odds & Ends: Hornets, Nash, Magic, Bucks

By Luke Adams | at June 25, 2012 1:39 pm

The good news keeps coming for the Hornets in what's been a very successful offseason so far. Not only are they set to draft Anthony Davis on Thursday, but they've cleared out their two biggest contracts, and now, according to Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times Picayune, they're set to announce a new TV deal. Smith reports that the Hornets' new deal will be on a cable network called Fox Sports New Orleans, and will pay the team roughly $10MM annually for the next ten years. It could be announced as soon as today, says Smith.

Here are a few more Monday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:

0 comments Chicago Bulls Memphis Grizzlies Milwaukee Bucks New Orleans Pelicans Orlando Magic Toronto Raptors Adam Morrison Adonal Foyle Marco Belinelli Steve Nash

Draft Updates: Saturday

By Chuck Myron | at June 23, 2012 8:37 pm

We've already covered a few draft rumors today, and Zach Links went in-depth on West Virginia power forward Kevin Jones in our latest Prospect Profile. There's plenty more going on as the draft approaches, including news from John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Sixers put point guard Marquis Teague through an "exhaustive" individual workout this morning. Bookmark this post for the rest of the day's draft news, with latest on top.

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star has an article on the Pacers' scouting staff as they prepare to pick 26th overall in Thursday's draft.
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports looks at several players with the potential to become the second-best talents in the draft.
Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News suggests Meyers Leonard as a possible fit for the Warriors.
The Lakers are in talks to acquire a first-round pick, and could be after the Heat's selection at No. 27, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer offers his thoughts on the implications of a rumored swap of the second and fourth picks by the Bobcats and Cavs.
Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group thinks the Warriors could trade down from No. 7 and still get the player they want, unless it's Damian Lillard or Dion Waiters. He also believes the team will give serious consideration to Andre Drummond (Twitter links).
We have the latest from Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com in a separate post.

Earlier updates:

0 comments 2012 NBA Draft Charlotte Hornets Cleveland Cavaliers Dallas Mavericks Golden State Warriors Indiana Pacers Los Angeles Lakers Memphis Grizzlies Miami Heat New Orleans Pelicans Philadelphia 76ers Portland Trail Blazers Sacramento Kings Utah Jazz Andrew Nicholson Arnett Moultrie Damian Lillard Dion Waiters John Henson Kevin Jones Kyle O'Quinn Marquis Teague Maurice Harkless Meyers Leonard Mike Scott Perry Jones III Scott Machado Terrence Jones Tony Wroten Tyler Zeller Will Barton

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Headlines

New Orleans Pelicans News & Rumors

Kennedy On Lin, Gordon, Mayo, Hibbert, Hill

Odds & Ends: Rockets, Magic, Wolves, Green

Draft Notes: Friday

More Draft Rumors: Thursday

Hornets Select Anthony Davis First Overall

Hornets Extend Qualifying Offer To Eric Gordon

Kyler On Gordon, Nash, Thunder, Randolph

Draft Rumors: Tuesday

Odds & Ends: Hornets, Nash, Magic, Bucks

Draft Updates: Saturday