DeAndre Daniels

And-Ones: Draft, Sterling, Pippen

Doug McDermott came in at just over 6’6″ in height and 6’9″ in wingspan at the combine, measurements that a league executive tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News are “potentially disastrous” for the projected top-10 pick. Deveney thinks the forward will slip into the late lottery or worse. The measurements increase the concerns over his ability to defend at the wing we noted in our prospect profile of the Creighton All-American. Here’s a roundup of more of tonight’s notes from around the league:

  • Julius Randle, Noah Vonleh, Jerami Grant, Kyle Anderson, and DeAndre Daniels all turned out average or better measurements in wingspan, per Deveney. Randle’s length was of particular concern prior to the combine, as we noted in our prospect profile of the Kentucky forward.
  • Nik Stauskas unexpectedly sat out combine drills today, telling reporters including Brendan F. Quinn of MLive.com that he had little to gain by demonstrating his established shooting skills. Instead, the shooting guard hopes to prove his stock through physical testing and interviews at the combine.
  • The league likely won’t take action to strip the Clippers from Donald Sterling until after the season, reports Michael McMann of SI.com in a piece outlining the steps the NBA will take to perform the ouster.
  • McCann says that a divorce between the Sterlings, or any other attempts to complicate the legal process, likely won’t hinder the league’s efforts based on straightforward CBA provisions for ownership transition.
  • Donald Sterling’s lawyer sent a letter to the league, threatening to sue the NBA and informing the league of his client’s refusal to pay the $2.5MM fine levied against him by Adam Silver, McCann reports in a separate piece.
  • The fine was already past due, and failure to pay should actually bolster the league’s case, tweets Larry Coon of Basketball Insiders.
  • Scottie Pippen is considering an offer to work for the Knicks, possibly as an assistant coach, according to a report from Marc Berman of The New York Post.

DeAndre Daniels To Enter Draft

Connecticut junior DeAndre Daniels is headed into the NBA draft, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The small forward is No. 28 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress list of the top prospects, while he checks in 34th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com, putting him squarely on the bubble to become a first-round pick.

Daniels, who turned 22 earlier this month, was a key part of UConn’s title-winning team this year, averaging 13.1 points and 6.0 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game. His three-point shooting has improved consistently over his college career, vaulting from 24.0% accuracy as a freshman, to 30.9% last season, and 41.7% this year.

A lack of consistency has plagued Daniels, who followed a season-high 31 points against Temple with just seven against Rutgers. He sprung for 20 points and 10 rebounds versus No. 1 overall seed Florida in the Final Four, then put up only eight points and six boards in the championship game against Kentucky.

Draft Notes: Dekker, Daniels, Kaminsky

Wisconsin lost a nail-biter to Kentucky last night. After the game, both Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky stated they would be returning to the Badgers next season, writes Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Dekker, who averaged 12.4 PPG and 6.1 RPG was rated a potential first round selection. The 7-foot Kaminsky averaged a team-high 14.1 PPG and 6.4 RPG. He is viewed as a second rounder by scouts.

More from the college ranks:

  • DeAndre Daniels‘ play in the NCAA Tournament has raised his draft stock, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The UConn forward has taken himself from a possible 2015 second round pick to a potential first round selection this year, opines Zagoria.
  • UConn’s Shabazz Napier has had his draft stock enhanced by playing for Kevin Ollie, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. According to the article, one NBA GM said, “Ollie runs all NBA plays for him and that’s going to help Napier when he comes into the league.” Napier is seen as a late first-round pick, but his lack of size has some scouts worried about his ability to defend in the NBA.
  • This year’s draft class is receiving all the hype because of its strength in comparison to recent drafts, not because there are multiple franchise saviors amongst the possible selections, writes Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer.

And-Ones: Oladipo, Rice, Daniels, Ollie

UConn is headed to the NCAA championship game under second-year head coach Kevin Ollie. Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times thinks that the Lakers should try and pry Ollie away from Connecticut to become their next head coach. Pincus believes Ollie would be a good fit, with the added bonus of being a potential draw for Kevin Durant down the road, since Durant has an affinity for Ollie since his time spent as an assistant with the Thunder. Here’s a roundup of the rest of the night’s notes:

  • The Wizards have recalled rookie Glen Rice Jr. from their D-League affiliate, per a team release. Rice has spent multiple stints with both the D-League and NBA clubs, and has averaged 2.9 points and 9.9 minutes played in 11 games with the Wizards.
  • An NBA scout tells Adam Zagoria that UConn’s DeAndre Daniels ought to declare for this summer’s draft (Twitter links). “He’s playing the best he’s ever played, he might as well go for it,” the scout said. “It elevates his draft stock. He is taking a big step on the biggest stage.”
  • The Magic could have Rookie of the Year candidate Victor Oladipo play on their summer league team in the coming months, coach Jacque Vaughn tells John Denton of Magic.com. While it’s unusual for a player as established as Oladipo to see summer league action, it is being considered as an option in case Orlando decides to continue experimenting with him as a point guard.
  • After going undrafted and spending time in the D-League, Carlon Brown has improved his game overseas, leading the Israeli league in scoring. Brown tells Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders that the path he hopes will lead to an NBA opportunity has been worth it. “Going from college to the D-League to here has definitely been a learning experience, a humbling experience, gratifying to know that my patience and my hard work has paid off,” says Brown. “For me as a person it just lets me know that I’m headed in the right direction, that if I really put my mind to it like I did this summer to change my ways and habits that I can improve and I can dramatically improve my stats and be a better player. Hopefully I can continue to do that.”