Draft Rumors: Embiid, Parker, Wiggins, Ennis
Several around the league believe Joel Embiid will only work out for the Cavs and Bucks as confidence grows that he won’t slip to the Sixers at No. 3, according to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins will likely audition only for the teams with the top three picks, a source tells Holmes, though that’s much less noteworthy than the Embiid news, which signals that concerns about the health of his back are abating. Still, it appears as though Nuggets GM Tim Connelly would prefer Parker to Embiid and Wiggins if he somehow managed to have a choice, observes Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post (on Twitter). Here’s more from a busy afternoon of draft-related news:
- Toronto native Tyler Ennis will work out for the Raptors on Thursday, the team announced.
- Glenn Robinson III is auditioning for the Hawks today and the Hornets later this week, and he expects to do so for the Spurs, Bulls and Bucks sometime soon, as he tells MLive’s Brendan F. Quinn (hat tip to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution).
- Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com adds T.J. Warren, Cleanthony Early and K.J. McDaniels to the players working out on June 3rd for the Celtics (Twitter link).
- The Bulls will play host to workouts for Jordan McRae, Devyn Marble and C.J. Fair on Wednesday, Goodman tweets, adding their names to Rodney Hood‘s, which Goodman reported Monday.
- Marble pulled out of his workout with the Bucks today, but the two sides will reschedule, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (on Twitter).
- The Suns are auditioning Keith Appling, Alec Brown, Deonte Burton, Artem Klimenko, Jakarr Sampson and Jamil Wilson today, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Appling will also show off this week for the Pistons, Raptors and Wolves, agent Michael Silverman tells Matt Charboneau of The Detroit News.
- The Knicks will work out Ian Chiles, a source tells Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia.
- Xavier Thames auditioned for the Heat today, and he’s set to do so with the Bucks, Bulls, Celtics, Hornets, Knicks, Jazz, Mavericks and Pacers, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
Draft Notes: Hairston, Clarkson, Cotton
Memorial Day brought no shortage of updates on NBA draft prospects and teams as they schedule workouts, and today promises still more clues about the June 26th draft. Here’s the latest:
- P.J. Hairston will work out for the Suns, Celtics and Hornets in addition to today’s previously reported audition for the Heat, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
- Jordan Clarkson is also on the agenda for the Heat, according to Goodman, who reiterates that Miami will put Jordan Adams and Jarnell Stokes through workouts, too (Twitter links).
- Bryce Cotton will also show off for the Heat, as well as the Spurs, his agent tells Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel adds seniors Chris Crawford of Memphis and Drew Crawford of Northwestern to the list of the prospects working out today for the Bucks.
- Jermaine Marshall of Arizona State is working out for the Rockets today, Carchia reports.
- It appears as though Nedim Buza will audition for the Bucks, Timberwolves and Nuggets, while Adin Vrabac has a workout with the Wolves on tap, according to agent Alexander Raskovic (Twitter links; hat tip to Sportando).
Draft Rumors: Hood, Stokes, Fair, Hairston
The draft takes place one month from tonight, and teams are beginning to ramp up their schedule of workouts with prospects. Busy draft hopefuls include Rodney Hood, who’ll audition for eight lottery teams, and Jarnell Stokes, who’s working out for 11 teams drafting in the back half of the first round, as Zach Links of Hoops Rumors has learned (Twitter links). One of those teams is the Magic, as we passed along Sunday, and Hood will also work out for the Sixers and Bulls, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. The Wolves are on Hood’s schedule, too, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Stokes will show off for the Heat and Sixers, Goodman also tweets. Here’s more on an evolving draft landscape:
- Stokes will also audition for the Hawks and Bulls in addition to Miami and Philadelphia, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
- The Bucks will audition Washington’s C.J. Wilcox, Iowa’s Devyn Marble, Pittsburgh’s Lamar Patterson, Virginia’s Joe Harris, and Missouri’s Jabari Brown on Tuesday, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Journal-Times.
- C.J. Fair will work out for the Bulls on Wednesday, the Bucks on Thursday, and the Hornets on Friday, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
- P.J. Hairston, DeAndre Kane and Markel Brown are also among those auditioning for Minnesota, Wolfson reports in the same tweet in which he passed along the Hood news. Nick Johnson will join that group, and the Wolves are eyeing Melvin Ejim and Chane Behanan for workouts, too, Wolfson adds (on Twitter).
- Behanan will audition for the Sixers and Wolves, as well, Goodman reports via Twitter, seconding his earlier dispatch about Behanan’s workout with the Mavs. Russ Smith, Behanan’s former Louisville teammate, is slated to work out for the Heat, Thunder and Suns, Goodman tweets.
- Johnson will also work out for the Magic, Goodman notes (via Twitter). He’ll join Smart and Hood in Orlando, as previously reported.
- The Lakers are set to work out Marcus Smart and Noah Vonleh, while Vonleh will also audition for the Celtics and Kings, according to Goodman (Twitter links).
- Goodman adds the Raptors to the teams working out Kyle Anderson (Twitter link).
- The ESPN.com scribe also reports additional workouts for DeAndre Daniels, who’s set to get a look-see from the Hornets and Hawks (Twitter link).
- The Bulls, Suns and Grizzlies are on the workout agenda of Scottie Wilbekin, Goodman reports (on Twitter). The Suns, along with the Bucks and Lakers, are also among the trio of teams auditioning Joe Harris, Goodman tweets.
- Johnny O’Bryant III will work out for the Hawks, Raptors, Suns and Spurs, according to Goodman (Twitter link).
Tyronn Lue To Interview With Cavaliers
Tyronn Lue is scheduled to interview for the Cavaliers vacant head coaching position late next week, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Lue is currently an assistant with the Clippers, and was also on Doc Rivers‘ staff when the coach was with the Celtics. Lue, 37, played 10 seasons in the NBA, and won two championships while with the Lakers, and is regarded as one of the league’s most well-respected young head-coaching prospects, according to the article.
The Cavs had been examining the college ranks for their next coach, and are now searching through the NBA’s assistant coaching ranks, writes Wojnarowski. The job may have a stronger appeal now that the team has secured the top pick in the NBA Draft for the third time in the last four seasons.
Another member of the Clippers’ coaching staff, Alvin Gentry, is also a candidate for the Cavaliers job. Gentry has a strong relationship with Cavs GM David Griffin extending back to their days together with the Suns, notes Wojnarowski.
Northwest Notes: Love, Nuggets, Blazers
Tim Bontemps of The New York Post ranks eight potential suitors in the Kevin Love sweepstakes, speculating that the Cavs and Suns have the best shot to pry the All-Star from the Wolves. Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Sources close to the Lakers tell Sam Smith of Bulls.com that they still believe Love wants to play in L.A., in spite of his rumored affection for other teams. Smith covers plenty of other Love topics in his latest mailbag column.
- Nuggets president Josh Kroenke tells Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post that he thinks Denver’s roster is already good enough to make the playoffs if healthy, and doesn’t feel an urgent need to overhaul the team after a disappointing 36-46 season. “I’ll be disappointed if we stay healthy and we’re not in the playoffs next year,” Kroenke said. “This roster, we’re always open for business and we’re always looking to improve our team, but sometimes the best thing you can do is just have continuity.”
- Kroenke also told Dempsey that the team has hopes of fully recovering from the departure of Carmelo Anthony in the next couple years. “That situation was so big at the time that it was going to have a ripple effect of probably four to five years,” Kroenke said. “Next year is going to be a very crucial year. It will be four years out, we’ll have had the guys for three years. And so it’s going to be a telling year. It’s a big year on a lot of levels for a lot of people.”
- The Blazers are not bringing back Mike Born as their Director of NBA scouting, sources tell Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Draft Rumors: Harris, Young, Robinson, Smart
NBA executives are gathered in Southern California for a series of workouts involving draft hopefuls, and Chad Ford of ESPN.com passes along some intel in an Insider-only piece. Gary Harris has used hot shooting to impress and he’s a likely top-10 pick, Ford believes. He’ll work out for the Celtics and Bulls. among other teams, according to Ford. James Young is drawing interest from a slew of teams, including the Hornets, Sixers, Nuggets, Magic, Timberwolves and Suns, while many clubs are high on Glenn Robinson III after he performed well in a workout for the Bulls this past Monday, Ford writes. Here’s more on the draft:
- Marcus Smart has workouts scheduled with the Magic and Celtics, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
- Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times adds the Nuggets to the list of teams that interviewed Aaron Gordon at last week’s draft combine in Chicago.
- The Clippers, Pacers, Pistons and Wizards are among the clubs interested in Virginia swingman Joe Harris, Woelfel writes in the same piece, reiterating that the Bucks are eyeing him, too. Harris spoke to Zach Links of Hoops Rumors recently for our Prospect Profile series.
- Chane Behanan will work out for the Mavs next month, Goodman also tweets.
And-Ones: Garnett, Williams, Longabardi
Here’s what else we’ve heard from around the Association tonight:
- Despite his drop in production, all indications still point to Kevin Garnett returning to the Nets in 2014/15 for his 20th NBA season, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
- With Deron Williams scheduled to undergo dual ankle surgery soon, it obviously complicates Brooklyn’s chances of moving him this summer, says Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- It’s difficult to understand why Suns assistant Mike Longabardi hasn’t been on the radar of any NBA teams with head coaching openings right now, opines Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Longabardi, who previously served as an assistant coach to both Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau, is credited for improving Phoenix’s defense last season (Twitter link).
- Mannix suggests (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies should consider surrendering a first round draft pick in exchange for Thibodeau.
- The Knicks were not one of the teams that contacted Florida coach Billy Donovan about their coaching vacancy, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post.
And-Ones: LeBron, Love, Garnett, Donovan
People around the league told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal that didn’t think the Cavs had any shot at re-signing LeBron James going into Tuesday’s draft lottery, but Cleveland’s third lottery victory in four years casts the idea in a new light, Lloyd figures. The Cavs have long believed that acquiring Kevin Love would be central to the team’s pursuit of the four-time MVP, and they thought all season that the Wolves would eventually trade their power forward. Still, Lloyd has heard from no one who believes that Love would stay in Cleveland long-term if the team can’t land James, so trading for Love before knowing what James wants to do would be a supreme gamble. There’s more on the Love sweepstakes amid the latest from around the NBA:
- The Warriors are confident they can wind up with Love, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle hears. Love is reportedly high on Golden State, and the team has been resourceful in acquiring players in spite of a lack of cap flexibility, Simmons notes.
- Next season’s $12MM salary and a productive stretch run lead Tim Bontemps of the New York Post to believe that Kevin Garnett will return next season for the Nets, even though he hasn’t dismissed talk of retirement.
- Billy Donovan admitted contact with a couple of NBA teams, but he said he’s content as the coach at the University of Florida and “all but guaranteed” he’ll remain there for next season, observes Mark Long of The Associated Press (Twitter links; hat tip to Marc Stein of ESPN.com). The Wolves reportedly sought him for their vacancy earlier this spring.
- The Warriors were one of five teams that reached out to Steve Kerr about their coaching vacancies, as Kerr said on ESPN Radio’s The Dan Le Batard show, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. The Knicks and Jazz were his other known suitors.
- Draft hopeful Andre Dawkins will work out for the Bulls, Suns, Hornets, Pacers, Pistons and Mavericks, his agent tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Dawkins is No. 92 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com doesn’t have him among his top prospects.
Western Notes: Wolves, Fournier, Warriors
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor says the team doesn’t intend to trade Kevin Love, reports Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Actually, I haven’t had any offers. I’m waiting!” GM Milt Newton joked. According to the article, Newton also said that now that the draft lottery was completed it would accelerate the team’s search for a new head coach.
More from the west:
- Former NBA coach Scott Skiles has not been contacted by the Timberwolves for their coaching vacancy, writes Greder in a separate article. Skiles has a lifetime 443-433 record and six playoff appearances across tenures with the Suns, Bulls and Bucks.
- Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post takes a look back at the season that Nuggets shooting guard Evan Fournier had and what the player needs to work on this summer. In 76 games, Fournier averaged 8.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.5 APG in 19.5 minutes per night.
- New Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is impressed with Michigan guard Nik Stauskus, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. Golden State doesn’t currently hold any picks in this draft, and Stauskus is projected as a late lottery pick.
- With the Lakers coveting a top-three draft pick and instead ending up with the seventh overall pick, this puts the team in a difficult position as to whether or not they should trade the pick or retain it, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report.
Draft Notes: Ennis, Love, Sixers, Jazz
The draft lottery is just a day away, and in addition to finding out which teams have the best shot at a franchise-changing talent, the results could help foster a pre-draft trading spree. Here’s the latest on the draft front:
- Tyler Ennis has been invited to the NBA’s Draft Lottery Show, tweets Fran Fraschilla of ESPN.com (H/T Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv). The invitation reinforces the perception of Ennis as a lottery pick.
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News looks at how favorable lottery results could help the Lakers, Celtics, and Suns boost their chances of landing Kevin Love.
- Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at the strategy of Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, who has made a multitude of moves to tank the roster and acquire draft picks for the coming years. While the severe measures might not pay off and have raised some eyebrows in a league built on competition, Ford writes that Hinkie has been justified in his approach considering Philadelphia’s limitations and the league’s lottery system.
- The Jazz will work out Melvin Ejim and Niels Giffey, among other players, on Tuesday, according to Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Randy Hollis of Deseret News writes that the next few weeks could be the most critical time in the history of the Jazz, starting with how the team fares in the draft.