By Michael Pina |
at October 28, 2012 2:50 pm
The Pistons enter this season as a young team looking for an identity, writes MLive.com's David Mayo. Can they compete for a playoff spot this early in the rebuilding process, or do the young pieces need much more time to get acclimated and be competitive?
By Ryan Raroque |
at October 14, 2012 11:05 pm
Here are tonight's rumblings out of the Eastern Conference:
By Michael Pina |
at October 14, 2012 4:19 pm
A bit of news and notes from around the league on this Sunday afternoon.
By Michael Pina |
at October 8, 2012 4:17 pm
Here are a few notes coming out of Detroit:
By Alex Lee |
at September 7, 2012 10:23 pm
It has been a busy day and night for the Lakers on this early-September Friday, which is certainly nothing new considering the influx of material since they landed Dwight Howard. Today they signed their second round pick, finalized their offseason coaching staff overhaul and their GM, Mitch Kupchak, spoke with SI.com's Sam Amick about all things Lakers. In addition to the earlier stories, Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles gives his take on three of the small, but meaningful issues facing the team.
But there are 29 other teams in the NBA, so let us round up some of the odds and ends from around the Association here tonight:
- Chauncey Billups is way ahead of schedule in his recovery from a left Achilles injury, writes Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times. Billups hasn't set a target return date yet, but said, "When my body feels right, that's when I'll be back. That being said, I'm far ahead of schedule. It's not even like I had a summer. I've been on the whole time, doing rehabbing and other work every day. I'm looking forward to getting back to playing and being with the guys and resuming my normal life as a player."
- Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld, via USA Today, writes that with the moves that the Knicks made – getting older and wiser – the team should be better equipped to compete and that the window to win is now. One interested tidbit from Beer – there are only five active NBA players over the age of 38 and the Knicks acquired three of them this offseason in Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd and Kurt Thomas.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News evaluates the chances of the Mavericks ending up with Kevin Martin and/or Josh Smith next summer, both of whom are free agents. After striking out this summer in free agency, the Mavericks should be in position to try again in a year with a similar level of financial flexibility.
- Dei Lynam of CSN Philly is doing a player by player breakdown of the revamped 76ers roster, and today she tackles swingman Thaddeus Young. The small forward position is much less crowded in Philadelphia after the departure of Andre Iguodala, and Young has made it an offseason goal to slide into that position as a starter.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside says that while the D-League has been increasingly effective as an NBA farm system, there is additional room for growth. He uses Andre Drummond as an example of a guy who would never be a D-League candidate, but for his development's sake, should be.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel addresses a few questions about the world champion Heat, including his thoughts on what roles of Rashard Lewis and Udonis Haslem may play on the Miami bench.
- The NBA coaching carousel continues as the Warriors have reportedly hired Bob Beyer as an assistant coach, who spent the last five years in Orlando on Stan Van Gundy's staff, says Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area. Beyer will replace Wes Unseld Jr., who joined Jacque Vaughn's staff in Orlando.
By Michael Pina |
at July 15, 2012 3:08 pm
With ongoing uncertainty surrounding Jeremy Lin's tenure with the Knicks, ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling took the liberty of comparing the former Harvard point guard's skill set with the incoming Raymond Felton, who was acquired in a sign-and-trade with Portland last night. According to a few advanced statistics it's evident that Lin would be the better basketball option for New York, but the decision to let him go would be more of a financial one.
As we dig into this Sunday afternoon, here are a few more tidbits from around the league.
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By Daniel Seco |
at July 10, 2012 6:51 pm
The Pistons have signed first-round pick Andre Drummond, reports Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (via Twitter). Detroit selected the former UConn star with the ninth overall pick in the June draft.
Drummond will earn approximately $2.4MM during his first year in the league if he signs for the full 120% allowed by the rookie scale amount. The 18-year-old center averaged 10 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in his lone season with the Huskies.
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….
Earlier updates:
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- 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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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:
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- 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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By Luke Adams |
at June 28, 2012 5:05 pm
Well, we're here. After weeks of following draft rumors and speculating on which player will be picked by which team, we're just hours away from the 2012 draft. Before things get underway tonight though, we're sure to hear plenty more draft rumors, so be sure to follow this page for the latest updates throughout the day. And to fully immerse yourself in tonight's draft, you can also check out our most recent mock draft, the complete draft order, our Prospect Profiles series, and all the rest of our draft content. Here are today's updates, with the latest up top:
- The Kings and Warriors will make decisions on whether to trade their picks while they're on the clock, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says (Twitter link).
- It's highly unlikely the Grizzlies use the 25th pick on a point guard, the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets.
- The Grizzlies, Rockets and Celtics are all interested in Royce White, says Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Warriors may trade up from No. 30 to land him, Rothstein also tweets.
- The Bobcats are "getting closer" to trading the No. 2 pick, tweets ESPN.com's Andy Katz (hat tip to Tom Ziller of SBNation).
Earlier updates:
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- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets the Rockets aren't as close to a deal with the Kings for the fifth pick as an earlier report suggested (see below). Sam Amick of SI.com agrees, as has the Kings taking Harrison Barnes at No. 5 in his latest mock.
- The Warriors will likely keep the No. 7 pick after talks with the Rockets broke down, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, via Twitter.
- Part of the reason the Celtics are trying to move up into the lottery is because they'd like to draft Austin Rivers, son of coach Doc Rivers, Sam Amick of SI.com reports (Sulia link). Chad Ford and Marc Stein of ESPN.com say the team is pessimistic about its chances to get Rivers (Twitter link).
- If the Warriors trade down to No. 12 or lower, the team would consider Moe Harkless, tweets Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
- Thomas Robinson appears to be the preferred target of the Kings, who will wait as long as possible to decide whether to trade the No. 5 pick, Marc Stein and Chad Ford of ESPN.com report. If they do trade it, the Rockets are "in position" to acquire that pick, the report says. Stein and Ford suggest that means the Kings are in line to get even more thanKyle Lowry and a package of first-rounders if the deal is done.
- Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group hears the Warriors will take Dion Waiters at No. 7 if he's there.
- Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer passes on the latest on the Cavs' interest in Waiters and more from around the draft.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) and Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com have updated their mock drafts, both of which cover all 60 picks.
- The Warriors are leaning away from Andre Drummond, writes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
- The Blazers appear to be holding on to the sixth and 11th picks for now, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is in the process of selling the team, and he would also like to trade the team's first-round pick, at No. 25, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Twitter account. The team's execs, however, like Royce White and John Jenkins.
- There is a "growing expectation" the Bobcats will swap the No. 2 pick, Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets.
- Teams drafting before pick No. 20 have little interest in Jared Sullinger, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Sullinger is "falling like a rock," says Mannix (Twitter link).
- Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee looks at what the Kings can do to upgrade at small forward through the draft, and speculates via Twitter that the team could trade down to draft a player at another position and re-sign Terrence Williams.
- The Cavs are actively pursuing another lottery pick, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Sulia link). Discussions with the Warriors for No. 7 have stalled, but the No. 12 pick, held by the Rockets, is in play. Lloyd speculates it will be tough to trade for a pick that high without including Anderson Varejao in the deal.
- Jared Sullinger's stock was slipping even before word came out about the medical red flag on his back, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the league's recent small ball trend doesn't mean prospects like Fab Melo and Festus Ezeli won't be highly valued.
- The Nets could bundle Johan Petro and $3MM in cash to try to acquire a second-round pick and clear cap space, according to NetsDaily.com via Twitter.
- Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets that the Blazers are eyeing Damian Lillard and Dion Waiters with the No. 6 pick, with a "hard lean" toward Lillard. Smith also says the Jazz still have hopes of moving into the lottery, and may be targeting a "draft-and-stash" international player in the second round (Sulia link).
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com unveils the site's final top 100 ranking before the draft (Insider only).
- Vin Parise of NBC Sports is hearing that the Bulls intend to draft Tyshawn Taylor at No. 29 (Twitter link).
- Besides liking Thomas Robinson at No. 5, the Kings are also high on Harrison Barnes,tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Sam Amick shares a number of draft tidbits in his latest piece for SI.com, including items onJared Sullinger, the Kings, and the Rockets.
- According to ESPN's Chad Ford, the Cavaliers have narrowed their choices at No. 4 toBradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Harrison Barnes. While the team has interest in Dion Waiters (as linked below), that interest doesn't extend to the fourth overall pick, says Ford.
- As for the Cavs' second-round picks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says the team has "strong interest" in Turkish forward Furkan Aldemir (Twitter link). Aldemir doesn't have an NBA out clause until 2014.
- Temple center Michael Eric is drawing interest from teams in the second round, including the Warriors, Sixers, and Nuggets, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- The Kings won't decide whether or not to trade the No. 5 pick until they see who is available, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. According to Spears, the Kings loveThomas Robinson, so if he slips past the first four picks, Sacramento is unlikely to trade down.
- While Evan Fournier has long been considered the only international player that will go in the first round, interest in Greek forward Kostas Papanikolaou is intensifying. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Heat and Thunder are considering Papanikolaou with their late-first-round picks, and Al Iannazzone of Newsday says theKnicks could try to acquire another pick to draft him.
- Wojnarowski's piece also includes a few other updates, including the Bucks seriously considering Terrence Jones at No. 14, and Andrew Nicholson drawing interest from the Rockets and Nuggets.
- Perry Jones III may have a knee issue that's causing his slide down draft boards, reportsESPN.com's Chad Ford.
- The Bobcats have five "legit offers" for the second overall pick that they're considering, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
- Rumblings that the Cavaliers are seriously considering Dion Waiters at No. 4 continue to gain momentum. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Cavs are losing interest in dealing with the Bobcats if taking Tyrus Thomas is a requirement in any trade, and are leaning toward Waiters if Bradley Beal and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are off the board at No. 4.
- According to Wojnarowski, the Raptors are also looking into trading up for Waiters, and there's plenty of members of the Warriors' front office that like him a lot too.
- The Grizzlies have talked to a number of teams about trading the No. 25 pick, according toRonald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. However, Tillery tweets that there's a major internal push for Memphis to select John Jenkins or Royce White.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) has released version 10.0 of his 2012 mock draft. Ford also heard from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who explained to the ESPN.com draft expert why he shouldn't be down on Austin Rivers.
- In a pair of tweets, Ford reports that the Pistons conducted a last-minute workout withAndre Drummond and that Detroit would likely take the big man if he slips to them at No. 9.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post has the details on the players the Knicks are eyeing with their second-round pick.
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