Draft Notes: Bender, Labissiere, Pelicans
Dragan Bender has workouts scheduled with the Celtics, Suns and Wolves, international journalist David Pick passes along via Twitter. Pick notes that these workouts will take place in the United States. Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors named the Suns as the team most likely to select Bender in his Prospect Profile.
Here’s more from the upcoming draft:
- Skal Labissiere met with the Magic and the Rockets after his pro day workout and nearly every top-10 team has scheduled a workout with him, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Labissiere says being physical will be a major part of his game in the league, Kennedy relays via Twitter. “I’m back to 220 lbs. I take it very seriously. Getting stronger will help me,” the former Wildcat said. Will Joseph of Hoops Rumors listed strength and toughness as an area where Labissiere needs to improve in his Prospect Profile of the center.
- In addition to the No.6 overall pick, the Pelicans have the 39th and 40th pick in the draft and John Reid of The Times Picayune examines several prospects whom could be a nice fit for New Orleans in the second round. Anthony Barber of North Carolina State and DeAndre Bembry of St. Joe’s are among the players he mentions.
Suns Working Out Jaylen Brown
- Former California forward Jaylen Brown, projected as a potential top-10 pick, has a solo workout today with the Suns, who hold the No. 4 and No. 13 picks in this year’s draft (Twitter link).
Draft Notes: Zizic, Ellis, English
Ante Zizic will go straight to the NBA upon being drafted as opposed to becoming a draft-and-stash prospect and playing overseas, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter link). The 6’11” center is the 21st best prospect according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
Here’s more on the upcoming draft:
- Perry Ellis (Kansas) has worked out for the Bucks, Suns and Spurs in addition to participating in a Chicago pro day, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders passes along (Twitter links). Ellis will also work out for the Hawks, Kennedy adds.
- A.J. English (Iona) will work out for the Bulls, Magic and Raptors this week, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (Twitter link).
- DeAndre’ Bembry (St. Joe’s) worked out for the Warriors and the Clippers today, Zagoria tweets.
Tax Dispute May Hamper Arena Plans
Potential plans for a new arena in Phoenix for the Suns could take a hit as a result of a legal protest against a rental-car tax the city has used to fund various construction projects, Dustin Gardiner of The Arizona Republic writes. Three companies have filed a notice of claim demanding the city stop collecting the sales tax and refund approximately $34MM that they estimate has been collected from car-rental businesses citywide since 2012, Gardiner notes. “Our clients view it as an unconstitutional tax, and the government has no authority to keep an unconstitutional tax,” said Shawn Aiken, a Phoenix attorney representing the companies.
If the tax is ruled unconstitutional, the city could then be forced to find a new income source to help fund major downtown facilities. Losing the rental-car tax would also complicate efforts to potentially construct a new sports and entertainment arena for the Phoenix Suns — a prospect city officials and the NBA team are negotiating, the scribe adds.
- The Suns held a workout today for A.J. Hammons (Purdue), Shaquille Harrison (Tulsa), Eric McClellan (Gonzaga), Georges Niang (Iowa State), Diamond Stone (Maryland) and Guerschon Yabusele (France), the team announced.
Draft Updates: Dunn, Suns, Celtics, Pelicans
Last month, we heard that former Providence point guard Kris Dunn may refuse to release his medical records to the Celtics and Suns, since he prefers not to land with a team with a young point guard or two already in place. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM is hearing similar rumblings, tweeting that Dunn isn’t interested in working out for Phoenix or sharing his medical records with the Suns — Gambardo hears that the point guard would like to land with the Timberwolves.
Let’s check out a few more draft-related updates…
- While the Celtics may not be Dunn’s preferred destination, ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link) has the Providence product going to Boston at No. 3 in his latest mock draft, writing that he thinks the C’s will choose one of Dunn, Jamal Murray, or Marquese Chriss. Dragan Bender, who has also been viewed as a candidate for that No. 3 pick, goes sixth overall in Ford’s latest mock, with the ESPN.com scribe writing that the Pelicans are believed to be “pretty big fans” of the 18-year-old big man.
- Also within his mock draft, Ford writes that Kings GM Vlade Divac and owner Vivek Ranadive love Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, and suggests that the Raptors have been “secretly hoping” Chriss falls to them at No. 9, which appears increasingly unlikely.
- Former Seton Hall point guard Isaiah Whitehead has workouts with the Nuggets and Pistons lined up for June 10th and 15th, respectively, and will work out for the Bulls and Nets after that, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- After working out for Philadelphia on Thursday, Daniel Hamilton (UConn) will work out for the Rockets, Warriors, and Bucks, while Alex Caruso (Texas A&M) will work out for the Knicks, Wizards, and Celtics, per Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter links).
Suns Open To Moving No. 13 Pick
- League sources tell Deveney that, while the 76ers and Lakers are expected to hang onto the top two picks in the draft, six other lottery teams may be looking to deal. The Timberwolves (No. 5), Raptors (No. 9), Bucks (No. 10), Magic (No. 11), Jazz (No. 12), and Suns (No. 13) are all believed to be open to trades involving their picks, per Deveney. Phoenix also holds the No. 4 overall selection, but likely wouldn’t want to move that one.
- Texas A&M prospect Danuel House has a busy workout schedule, according to Deveney. House has worked out for the 76ers and Celtics, and will work out for the Knicks, Hawks, Lakers, Mavericks, and Timberwolves within the next couple weeks. The Suns and Pistons are also expected to be added to his list of visits, per Deveney, who says House looked good against Cal freshman Jaylen Brown at his workout with Boston.
[SOURCE LINK]
Suns Working Out Several Draft Prospects
- The Suns worked out a six-player group of prospects today that included Ryan Anderson (Arizona), Zach Auguste (Notre Dame), Ron Curry (James Madison), Cheick Diallo (Kansas), Lester Medford (Baylor), and Codi Miller-McIntyre (Wake Forest). Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer tweets that Diamond Stone (Maryland) is also heading to Phoenix for his next workout, while Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic tweets that Gonzaga’s Domantas Sabonis has a solo workout with the team today.
Knicks Hire Jeff Hornacek
JUNE 2, 10:04am: The Knicks have officially confirmed the hiring of Hornacek as their new head coach (Twitter link).
JUNE 1, 10:50pm: The pact will pay Hornacek $15MM over three seasons, Ian Begley of ESPN.com confirms.
2:17pm: Nearly two weeks after first being offered the team’s head coaching job, Hornacek has reached an agreement on a three-year contract with the Knicks, sources tell Wojnarowski. A news conference to formally announce the hiring is expected to happen later this week.
MAY 19, 4:35pm: The Knicks have formally offered the job to Hornacek and the two sides are engaged in contract discussions regarding the length of the deal and annual salary, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter links).
MAY 18, 7:15pm: A source close to Hornacek confirms that negotiations are still ongoing and nothing has been finalized, tweets Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Jackson has apparently decided to hire Hornacek, Isola adds, but no contract is in place (Twitter link). Berman describes the process as “mutual interest,” but in the “very, very early stages.” (Twitter link).
6:43pm: Jeff Hornacek will be the next coach of the New York Knicks, tweets Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Hornacek, who was fired by the Suns in February, became a candidate late in the process after team president Phil Jackson reportedly pushed to keep interim coach Kurt Rambis.
Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt and recently fired Pacers coach Frank Vogel were believed to be the other finalists for the position. The Knicks didn’t contact Hornacek about the job until three weeks after the search began, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post.
The deal is not fully complete, Beck cautions, though a source tells him it’s “as close as humanly possible.” (Twitter link). Barring any last-minute complications, a formal announcement is expected soon.
Hornacek doesn’t fit the profile that would be expected of a Jackson coach. He’s not part of Jackson’s coaching lineage and he has never run the triangle. The hiring suggests that Jackson’s influence with owner James Dolan might be waning.
Hornacek comes to New York with a 101-112 career coaching record that he compiled in two and a half seasons in Phoenix. His only other coaching experience came in three years as an assistant in Utah. He had also talked to the Rockets about their head coaching position and was considered to be a candidate for the openings in Memphis and Orlando. ESPN’s Marc Stein reported this week that the Warriors had “strong interest” in hiring Hornacek as a lead assistant.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Suns
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue on with the Phoenix Suns, whose D-League affiliate is the Bakersfield Jam:
The Suns made just one assignment for the 2015/16 season, sending one player to the D-League for a total of seven days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Phoenix for the 2015/16 campaign:
February 10th: Assigned Jordan McRae (1st) — Recalled February 16th
Here’s how Phoenix’s players performed in the D-League this season:
- Jordan McRae: He appeared in a total of 29 D-League games this season and averaged 23.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 35.4 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .459/.318/.799.
Latest Draft News
- Former Marquette big man Henry Ellenson worked out for the Wolves on Tuesday and has workouts scheduled with the Lakers, Raptors and Suns next, Wolfson tweets.