Ford’s Latest: Len, Oladipo, McLemore, Schroeder
Chad Ford's latest big board at ESPN.com sees Alex Len leap into the top five after being ranked at ninth in Ford's previous update. According to Ford, of the two injured big men near the top of draft boards, Len is viewed as being more polished offensively and having more upside than Nerlens Noel. Len is in the discussion for the Cavaliers' No. 1 pick, and is also drawing serious interest from the Bobcats, Suns, and Pelicans, says Ford. Here's more from the ESPN.com draft expert:
- Victor Oladipo has moved into the Cavs' conversation for first overall, along with Noel, Len, and Otto Porter, according to Ford.
- Porter will work out for the Cavs, Magic, and Wizards in the coming days, and that's it. It seems he's confident he won't slip out of the top three — if he does, there's "no way" he gets past the Pelicans at No. 6, says Ford.
- Virtually every team near the top of the draft is still considering Ben McLemore, but during a workout with the Suns, he declined to compete against Oladipo and Shabazz Muhammad, which didn't sit well with some evaluators. "He needs to compete," said a GM whose team has a lottery pick. "Or it's only going to reinforce our biggest fears about him. There is no consensus in this draft. He's got to come and earn it."
- The Kings may prefer Michael Carter-Williams to Trey Burke, if they draft a point guard.
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a "terrific" workout with the Timberwolves, and could be the team's sleeper at No. 9 overall, says Ford.
- Dennis Schroeder's stock may have been negatively affected by his workouts. "He looked frustrated," said a scout for one team that worked out Schroeder. "His body language wasn't great. He's a very good talent and I wouldn't read too much into the workout, but it didn't really help him."
- The Knicks are "especially high" on Tony Mitchell, according to Ford.
Draft Notes: Blazers, Muhammad, McCollum
Here's a look at the latest draft news as we close in on June 27th..
- The Trail Blazers took a gamble on a mid-major guard last season when they drafted Damian Lillard and Joe Freeman of The Oregonian wonders if they might do the same in 2013 with Lehigh's C.J. McCollum. Portland, who owns the No. 10 pick, worked McCollum out earlier today.
- On paper, Shabazz Muhammad is just the type of player that the Kings need, but the outside issues could dissuade them from taking him at No. 7, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
- Today's Suns draft workout featured North Texas small forward Tony Mitchell, Duke center Mason Plumlee, Murray State point guard Isaiah Canaan, USC center DeWayne Dedmon, Delaware power forward Jamelle Hagins, and Temple shooting guard Khalif Wyatt, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
- The Nets released the workout lineup for their workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday. Jeff Withey of Kansas, Ray McCallum of Detroit, and Vincent Council of Providence are among the players who will audition in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Draft Notes: McLemore, Saric, Nogueira
If today's reports are to be believed, then things aren't looking so great for Nerlens Noel. The Cavaliers, under pressure from owner Dan Gilbert to make the playoffs this year, could be leaning against drafting Noel since he will be sidelined for several months as he recovers from an ACL tear. On top of that, the Kentucky big man's injury could be worse than once thought with one observer saying that he could fall to the No. 6 pick or lower. Here's more draft news..
- The Suns greatest needs are perimeter shooting and athleticism, which is why Ben McLemore would be the perfect pick for them at No. 5 in the opinion of the Arizona Republic's Paul Coro. However, he could very well be off the board by the time Phoenix picks. The Magic could be a fit at No. 2 as well as the Bobcats at No. 4.
- Dario Saric's reported decision to withdraw from the draft has drawn the ire of some league scouts, writes Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. A scout of one team picking in the teens opined, “[Saric was] not as accessible as he needed to be during the draft process; information hasn't been forthcoming outside of one draft blog. We can't draft a guy like that without getting him in our gym and without a physical or interview."
- Lucas “Bebe” Nogueira is looking more and more like a first round draft pick, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. The big man needs to add some size but he is modeling his game after Marcus Camby, who came into the league at 223 pounds in 1996.
Suns Have Explored Adding Draft Pick
The Suns have two first round picks, but that may not be enough to satisfy them in the upcoming draft. General Manager Ryan McDonough spoke openly about exploring the addition of another first-round pick beyond their No. 5 and No. 30 slots, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
“We’ve talked to a few teams about getting in the draft at different ranges,” McDonough said. “We have good assets to do that. We have to evaluate all of these guys, figure out where they’re going to go. And then if we can get in at a particular range where a guy is undervalued, we’ll try to get in and get him there.”
The Suns are still doing their homework on the No. 5 pick and recently spoke with UNLV forward Anthony Bennett. Bennett was unable to workout for the club, however, thanks to a rotator cuff injury.
Draft Updates: Eurocamp, McCollum, Kings
The Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy just completed its first day showing off the best players Europe has to offer NBA teams in this month's draft. Sports Illustated's Chris Mannix said that executives were raving about Giannis Antetokounmpo. According to Mannix, one executive said the 18-year-old Nigerian born "Greek Freak" point forward had "Kevin Durant-like ability" (Twitter).
Here are a couple more links detailing what went down during the first day of Adidas' Eurocamp:
- HoopsHype video on Raul Neto.
- Draft Express and European Prospects detail the good and the bad from day 1.
Despite some excellent play at Eurocamp, ESPN.com's college basketball analyst, Fran Fraschilla, doesn’t think there are a lot of European prospects that will go in the second round. He does see a lot of NCAA candidates for possible second round selections (Twitter), so lets go through the rest of the draft updates with an emphasis on the college prospects:
- Taylor Starer at Sixers.com has a draft profile up for Lehigh senior guard, C.J. McCollum.
- Alex Kramer at The Kings Blog with a report on the Kings' workouts with Michael-Carter Williams, McCollum and others.
- Kings.com also has Kings predraft workout updates on Trey Burke and Abdul Gaddy.
- The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat says that according to new GM Masai Ujiri, the Raptors don't have any predraft workouts planned right now as they've been at group workouts and combines (Twitter link).
- The Oklahoman's John Rohde has a predraft numbers assessment of 7'1" Ukranian import and Maryland sophomore center, Alex Len. Rohde also writes that Len has made great strides in his two years with Maryland.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has been going through the various positions covered in this year's draft. Today she went through the available shooting guard prospects, highlighted by Kansas freshman and possible number 1 pick for the Cavs, Ben McLemore.
- The Arizona Republic's Paul Coro says the Suns have lots of options to choose from at the number 5 spot in this month's draft.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Van Gundy, Paul, Suns
Here’s a look at the latest out of the Pacific Division..
- Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated ran down the remaining coaching vacancies and the best fit for each one, including the Clippers. In Mahoney’s estimation, Jeff Van Gundy is the best fit for the other L.A. job as he can unlock the defensive potential resting in the club’s frontcourt. George Karl has also been linked to the opening and Mahoney feels that he would be a solid alternative if something can’t be worked out with JVG.
- Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld explains how the Clippers can hang on to Chris Paul this summer. While the Clippers are the odds-on-favorites to sign CP3, they can help lock things up with the right coaching hire. Brian Shaw would be one quality candidate, but Ingram feels that Karl would give them the best chance of retaining their star guard.
- The Suns might consider a backcourt upgrade in the draft later this month, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The Suns, of course, hold the No. 5 pick in the draft.
Draft Updates: Saric, Cavs, McLemore, Workouts
Yesterday, ESPN.com's Chad Ford reported that Croatian forward Dario Saric was leaning toward withdrawing from this year's draft, a surprising stance given how much his stock has risen in recent weeks. Today, Michael McNamara of Bourbon Street Blues passes along an email he received from Saric's agent, Robert Jablan, which reads:
"We make decision this morning that we will withdraw Dario from the 2013 draft."
We have yet to hear officially that Saric has pulled his name out of this year's draft class, and it's possible something was lost in translation. But it certainly appears as if Saric is leaning in that direction. He still has 10 days to make a final decision, so while we wait for the official word on the potential lottery pick, let's check out a few more draft-related updates:
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reports that the Cavaliers are "seriously dissecting" the possibility of drafting Ben McLemore first overall, though he cautions that the team is far from decided on what it'll do with the pick (Twitter links). I'd be surprised if Cleveland eventually decided on McLemore — it sounds to me as if the team is just covering all its bases.
- The latest Insider-only blog from Ford at ESPN.com is full of good info, including updates on Saric, Nerlens Noel, Trey Burke, and a handful of other prospects.
- Anthony Bennett is unable to work out due to a rotator cuff injury, but he will meet with the Wizards next week, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
- Lorenzo Brown, Myck Kabongo, Allen Crabbe, Jeff Withey, and Mike Muscala will work out for the Knicks on Monday, according to the team's official PR Twitter feed.
- The Suns' workout today included C.J. Leslie, Matthew Dellavedova, Ian Hummer, Korie Lucious, Rodney McGruder, and Phil Pressey, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
- Michael Carter-Williams intends to visit the Magic soon for a meeting and workout, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Larry Drew II, E.J. Singler, Ian Clark, Ed Daniel, Trevor Mbakwe and Glen Rice Jr. worked out for the Trail Blazers today, according to a tweet from Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, who also reports that Cody Zeller is having an individual workout with Portland today.
Western Notes: Hollins, Clippers, Iguodala, Love
Following up on her report this morning which indicated that negotiations between the Grizzlies and Lionel Hollins had become "dormant," Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com took to Twitter to add a couple more details.
According to Shelburne, talks between the two sides never really even got to money or terms, since there was a sense that the short-term deal the team wanted was a sign to Hollins that he wasn't really wanted back. Although Hollins wanted to return, coming back on a two-year contract with increased expectations and perhaps a lesser roster was a problematic scenario, says Shelburne.
Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:
- One source told Shelburne that Hollins was scheduled to speak with the Clippers this afternoon (Twitter link).
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweets that the Suns have named Pat Connelly – the former Wizards' director of player personnel – as an assistant GM. Ken Berger of CBS Sports added that Phoenix also hired Ronnie Lester – formerly the scouting director of the Lakers – as a scout along with promoting Trevor Bukstein as another assistant GM (Twitter links).
- According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the Clippers' front office loves Brian Shaw as a head coaching candidate, while owner Donald Sterling may prefer George Karl.
- Asked by TNT's David Aldridge what effect Karl's ouster in Denver would have on his odds of re-signing with the Nuggets, Andre Iguodala replied, "Good question. Need some time to let it sink in."
- Ten years after the Spurs nearly landed Jason Kidd in free agency, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports looks back on a summer that would have changed the futures of two points guards, one (Kidd) who retired this week, and another (Tony Parker) who is playing in his fourth NBA Finals.
- Appearing on ESPN's Sportscenter today (link via ESPN.com), Kevin Love said he had "absolutely" moved past any negativity he felt toward the Timberwolves and is looking forward to seeing what Flip Saunders will do as the team's new head of basketball operations.
- John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune wonders if Danny Granger would make sense as a trade target for the Pelicans.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Jent, World Peace, Suns
While we look forward to Game One of the 2013 Finals, let's check in on the NBA's Pacific Division, rounding up the latest news and notes:
- As they continue to search for their next general manager, the Kings have requested permission to speak to Nuggets assistant GM Pete D'Alessandro, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Denver has yet to grant the Kings permission, which may not be a surprise, considering D'Alessandro is viewed as the frontrunner for the Nuggets' GM job, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
- Following up on a report indicating the Kings have spoken to Larry Bird, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee writes that Bird joining Sacramento's front office is unlikely, but not impossible.
- One more Kings note from Wojnarowski, who tweets that Michael Malone has extended a three-year offer to Ohio State's Chris Jent to be the top assistant in Sacramento.
- 14-year NBA veteran Metta World Peace told TWC SportsNet he hopes to extend his playing career to 20 seasons before retiring, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).
- Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek and GM Ryan McDonough are on the same page as the draft approaches, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Odds & Ends: Hollins, Nets, Allen, Raptors, Pacers
Game One of the NBA Finals will be ending about 24 hours from now, and while the Spurs will provide more evidence for the rest-versus-rust debate, many expect them to find their rhythm before long. The majority of Hoops Rumors readers who voted in today's poll say San Antonio will beat the Heat. While we wait to see if they're right, here's more from around the NBA:
- The Grizzlies rebuffed the Nets when they asked for permission to interview Lionel Hollins the day after the Western Conference Finals ended, but Memphis would likely grant that permission now if Brooklyn inquired again, TNT's David Aldridge hears (Twitter link).
- Ray Allen feels his return to the Finals with the Heat provides a measure of vindication for his decision to sign with Miami last summer, observes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun looks at what Tim Leiweke and Masai Ujiri have done and said since arriving in town and concludes that the Raptors will soon be rebuilding.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, writing for USA Today, details five key questions the Pacers must answer this summer.
- The shakeup continues for the Kings, as Jerry Reynolds will step down as the team's director of player development, he tells Chris Riva of KCRA-TV.
- The Knicks worked out Deshaun Thomas today and will get another look at him Friday, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link), who also notes that Cody Zeller will work out Thursday for the Suns. Thomas will also work out later this month for the Timberwolves, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, apparently clearing up earlier confusion involving Adonis Thomas.
- The Sixers auditioned Steven Adams, Colton Iverson, Alex Oriakhi, Mouhammadou Jaiteh and Jamelle Hagins today, tweets Jake L. Fischer of SLAM Online.
- Ray McCallum, who will work out sometime this month for the Pistons, has also worked out with the Spurs, Rockets and Pacers, notes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.