Draft Notes: Lamb, Workouts, Power Forwards
Draft night is still over six weeks away, but a number of important draft-related dates are inching closer. The NBA's first official draft workout is schedule for this weekend in New Jersey, while the May 30th lottery will take place two weeks from Wednesday. Here are today's draft updates and links:
- Like Kentucky teammate Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb has hired Arn Tellem as his agent, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
- In an Insider piece, Chad Ford of ESPN.com previews this weekend's workout and lists the players in his top 100 who have accepted invites.
- TNT's David Aldridge continues his draft preview on NBA.com by looking at this year's deepest position: Power forward.
- Agent David Falk tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that there's a giant gap between Anthony Davis and the rest of the draft class. Falk predicts that many teams with top picks will try to trade down, because the difference between the second-best prospect and eighth-best prospect is "minuscule."
Anthony Davis To Be Added To Team USA Pool
12:43pm: Monroe won't be the second addition to the U.S. Olympic pool, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
12:18pm: Anthony Davis will be one of the two finalists added to the Team USA pool, according to SI.com's Sam Amick. Along with Monroe, Al Jefferson is a candidate to be the second finalist, says Amick.
11:08am: Lamar Odom hasn't been ruled out for the 2012 Olympic roster yet, Colangelo tells Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Colangelo also said that Cousins won't be added to the player pool this year, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
WEDNESDAY, 8:09am: DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, and Anthony Davis are among the big men being considered for the Team USA pool, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Hibbert, unfortunately, is ineligible to play for the U.S. team because he played for Jamaica's senior national squad during the 2010 Centrobasket tournament. FIBA rules prevent players from representing two different countries at the senior level.
TUESDAY, 8:29pm: Jerry Colangelo told reporters (Associated Press link via ESPN.com) that he is leaning towards adding a couple of players to the pool from which the final Olympic team will be drawn. He gave no indication as to who those players might be, however.
7:30pm: With the U.S. Olympic team's projected roster increasingly depleted due to injuries, Jerry Colangelo is reportedly reconsidering his stance against adding new players. According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Pacers center Roy Hibbert has expressed interest in joining the team should they look to add new talent.
“It would be nice to be able to do something like that,” Hibbert said. “I always said I wanted to play in the Olympics for the US. I played with Team Jamaica last year. Hopefully I can get a quick release. It would mean the world to me to be able to participate for Team USA.”
With Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge out for the summer, the frontcourt rotation for Team USA is looking thin outside of Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, and Tyson Chandler. If Colangelo does decide to bring on new players, Hibbert, who made his first All-Star appearance in 2011/12, would appear to be a logical candidate.
Draft Notes: Amick, Goodman
The latest news and notes regarding the NBA Draft on Tuesday evening:
- SI.com's Sam Amick says that Kentucky's Anthony Davis has drawn high reviews from scouts and general managers. Davis is expected to be drafted first overall.
- Amick also says there is plenty of talent in the draft beyond Davis, singling out Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, and Andre Drummond as names to watch.
- CBSSports.com's Jeff Goodman has posted his latest mock draft. Goodman has Davis going first and Florida's Bradley Beal going second.
Poll: Which UK Prospect Will Be The Best Pro?
On Tuesday, NCAA champion University of Kentucky's full starting five declared for the 2012 NBA draft. Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, and Marquis Teague will all be going pro, with Davis expected to be the first pick overall. Which of these highly-touted prospects do you think will have the best NBA career?
Which Kentucky Player Will Have The Best NBA Career?
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Anthony Davis 57% (434)
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Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 32% (241)
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Terrence Jones 5% (39)
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Doron Lamb 3% (23)
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Marquis Teague 2% (18)
Total votes: 755
Five Kentucky Players Enter NBA Draft
Five players from the NCAA Champion Kentucky Wildcats declared for the 2012 NBA Draft in a press conference on Tuesday (Associated Press link via ESPN.com). As expected, Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Marquis Teague, and Doron Lamb, the entire Kentucky starting five, will all turn pro.
Davis, the winner of the 2012 Naismith College Player of the Year award, is the overwhelming favorite to go first overall in June's draft, with Kidd-Gilchrist and Jones also expected to be lottery picks. HoopsRumors writers have previously covered Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist in our Prospect Profile series.
Kentucky Players To Announce Decisions Tuesday
TUESDAY, 9:41am: The press conference for the five Kentucky underclassmen has been delayed until Tuesday evening at 7:00pm local time due to travel issues and class schedules, tweets Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal.
MONDAY, 4:09pm: Five Kentucky underclassmen expected to declare for the NBA draft will announce their decisions at a Tuesday afternoon press conference, according to Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. Barring a surprise, Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Marquis Teague, and Doron Lamb will all officially declare for the NBA draft.
Earlier today, it was reported that Davis, Teague, and Jones will be entering the draft pool, though Kidd-Gilchrist's and Lamb's final decisions were still unknown. The five underclassmen made up most of the core of a Wildcats team that won the 2012 NCAA national championship.
Davis, a freshman, will likely be picked first overall, while Kidd-Gilchrist (freshman) and Jones (sophomore) are also expected to be lottery picks. Teague (freshman) is also a likely first-rounder, while Lamb (sophomore) could crack the first round as well.
Hoops Rumors' full list of early entrants for this June's draft can be found here.
Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague To Enter Draft
Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Marquis Teague will join teammate Terrence Jones in entering this year's NBA draft, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (via Twitter). Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Doron Lamb are also expected to forgo their remaining college years, though nothing is official yet.
Davis is, of course, a near-lock to be the first overall pick in June. The AP Player of the Year averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.7 blocks per game during his first and only season at Kentucky. While Davis is considered the number one prospect by both DraftExpress and ESPN.com, his teammate Teague is ranked 18th and 25th respectively. Both freshmen helped lead the Wildcats to a national championship.
Earlier today, it was reported that Jones would enter the draft, with an official announcement coming as early as tomorrow. Players have until April 29th to formally declare their intent to enter the draft pool. Hoops Rumors' full list of early entrants can be found here.
Draft Notes: Kentucky, Leslie, Taylor, Drummond
Two lottery picks officially entered the draft today, in Andre Drummond and Bradley Beal. As the 2012 class continues to expand, let's round up a few of today's draft-related items….
- At Rivals.com, Brett Dawson writes that Kentucky coach John Calipari is anticipating losing five underclassmen to the NBA draft — Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Doron Lamb, and Terrence Jones.
- Sophomore C.J. Leslie, ranked 34th among this year's prospects by DraftExpress.com, is undecided on his future, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. People close to Leslie think he's a good bet to return to N.C. State.
- Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor has signed B.J. Armstrong as his agent, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter). The senior point guard is ranked 68th by DraftExpress.
- A lot of teams rank Kentucky's Davis as a better prospect than former first overall pick Blake Griffin was, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Howard-Cooper spoke to one executive who cited "substance over style" when comparing Davis to Griffin (Twitter link).
- Drummond has "other-worldly" potential and will be a top-five pick, an NBA scout told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Draft Links: Davis, MKG, Robinson, Sleepers
Chad Ford of ESPN.com has released the third version of his NBA mock draft (Insider only), and Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist continue to occupy the top two spots. Of course, those two players haven't even officially entered the draft yet, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer notes (via Twitter). Kentucky coach John Calipari is only paying attention to the NBA's early-entry deadline, so Kentucky players will have until April 29th to make a decision on their futures.
Here are a few more of today's draft-related links:
- Chad Ford and FOX Sports Ohio's Sam Amico both answered plenty of draft questions in their respective chats today.
- If they don't win the lottery and land Davis, the Bobcats' best pick would be Thomas Robinson, according to ESPN.com's David Thorpe.
- Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld identifies five potential sleepers in this year's draft: Darius Miller, Jae Crowder, Will Barton, Khris Middleton, and Kevin Jones.
Prospect Profile: Anthony Davis
What better player to kick off our "Prospect Profile" series than the 2012 NBA Draft's consensus number one overall pick? As we noted earlier today, Anthony Davis was named AP Player of the Year. While the Kentucky big man has not yet officially declared for the draft, it's hard to imagine his draft stock getting any higher. Davis leads the Wildcats into the Final Four tomorrow against Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals.
Labeling Davis as "long" is almost misleading. Seemingly every draft prospect with size gets that label these days. Davis defines long. He is 6-foot-10, but he has a 7-foot-6 wingspan. Davis just turned 19, and in only his freshman year at Kentucky, has averaged 4.6 blocks-per-game. That is not a typo. In addition to his length, Davis is incredibly athletic and agile for someone his height. He can cover ground quickly and once he gets there, he is a quick (and excellent) leaper who has showed good shot-blocking instincts. For the same reasons, Davis excels as a rebounder as well. Defensively, he is a game-changing talent.
There is plenty to get excited about with Davis on the offensive end too. His athleticism and length makes him an ideal target for entry passes or alley oops and most importantly, he is very coordinated. Davis was a 6-foot-3 guard at age 16, and the early development of those skills is evident. Davis has a good looking shot and can hit from three. His handle and passing are light years ahead of what you would expect from someone who averages nearly 5 blocks-per-game. He is truly a unique talent.
Davis has drawn comparisons to Marcus Camby, which is understable given his propensity for blocking shots. But as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer notes, some people, including Davis, can see him developing into a shot blocking version of Kevin Durant. Are you starting to understand why there is little debate as to who will go number one overall? Here is what Davis said regarding the Durant comparisons:
"He plays how I play – go in the post, shoot the ball, dribble. I love the way he plays: Not afraid of anything and takes on all challenges. That’s the mark of a great player.”
Former NBAer and Kentucky star Jamal Mashburn, who has gotten a close look at Davis calling Wildcats' games on the radio, had the following to say:
“The way he shoots, the way he passes – he throws alley-oops. You don’t teach that. The NBA game has really changed. You only have one dominant center (Dwight Howard). You see more of the Kevin Garnetts and Dirk Nowitzkis dominate the game. A guy like Anthony Davis fits that mold.”
So what exactly are Davis' weaknesses? There aren't many. If he truly wants to be more than just an interior presence in the NBA as the Durant comparisons suggest, he will obviously have to continue to develop his perimeter game and jumper. His post game could use some polish as well, as his overwhelming athleticism masks some of his deficiencies in the college game. Without those two things, it will be tough for him to be a go-to type scorer at the next level. But with his dominance on defense, that would hardly stop him from being an elite player.
The knock on Davis is his size. He is listed at 220 pounds and at 6-foot-10, that is rail thin. He will have to bulk up to bang with NBA big men but his frame seems big enough to do so. The question is, if he does so, will he be less able to play on the perimeter? Finding that balance between ideal size and style of play is the big question for Davis heading towards June's draft. And it may be the only one.