Glen Rice Jr.

Odds & Ends: Hawks, Iguodala, Pistons, Gallinari

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com doesn't think the Hawks will have much trouble if they want to trade Lou Williams to free up more cap space in the pursuit of two max free agents this summer. He also believes the team wouldn't hesitate to pull off other moves necessary to clear room (Twitter links). If the Hawks renounce all their cap holds and keep their pair of first-round picks, they'd be about $1.9MM shy of the cap space necessary to sign Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, providing next season's salary cap checks in at the projected $58.5MM. The Hawks might not be at the top of likely destinations for the rumored D12-CP3 pairing, but it appears that won't stop them from trying. With half a month to go until teams and free agents can start lining up agreements, here's more from around the Association:

  • Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who broke the news that Andre Iguodala will opt out and become a free agent, listed Detroit as a likely suitor, and Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press echoes that sentiment, writing that the Pistons like the veteran small forward.
  • Nuggets president Josh Kroenke cited Danilo Gallinari's lengthy recovery from a torn ACL when he explained the team's decision to let go of George Karl, but now it appears Gallinari could be back in December, not February, as Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports.
  • Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman makes a compelling case that the Thunder should trade the 12th pick in the draft to the Hawks for the 17th and 18th selections. Part of the financial side of the argument is based on Mayberry's expectation that OKC won't re-sign Kevin Martin and won't look to replace him via free agency.
  • Mark Singelais of the Albany Times Union profiles Siena forward O.D. Anosike, a second-round hopeful who joined Tim Hardaway Jr., Glen Rice Jr., Jackie Carmichael and others in a group workout Thursday for the Celtics
  • MLive's David Mayo passes along a list of players who worked out for the Pistons this week: Andre Roberson, Robert Covington, James Southerland, Adonis Thomas, Mareks Mejeris, A'uston Calhoun, Nick Minnerath and Kwame Vaughn.
  • Small-market owners may have been the prime movers behind the latest CBA, but they're still hamstrung by unbalanced local TV revenues. That could lead to another work stoppage and watered-down rosters across the league, ESPN's J.A. Adande argues.

Draft Updates: Saric, Cavs, Noel, Knicks

As I suggested last week when a report surfaced that Dario Saric was withdrawing from the 2013 draft, it sounds like he and his representatives have yet to make the decision official. Still, all signs are pointing to Saric pulling out of this year's class, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The Croatian forward has until next Monday at 4:00pm central time to make a formal decision.

Here are a few more of the latest draft-related updates:

  • ESPN.com's Chad Ford believes there's a good chance Saric would go in the top 10 if he remained in the draft, adding that scouts familiar with Europe don't think there's a huge difference between Saric and Otto Porter.
  • Speaking of Porter, Ford says he remains a possibility for the Cavaliers at No. 1, since Cleveland is still a couple weeks away from making up its mind.
  • Could Nerlens Noel be available for the Bobcats when they pick fourth overall? One player-personnel executive connected to a lottery team thinks so, telling Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he believes the first three picks in the draft will be, in some order, Anthony Bennett, Ben McLemore, and Porter.
  • Tim Hardaway Jr., Glen Rice Jr., and Phil Pressey, three sons of former NBA players, will work out for the Knicks today, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
  • Lucas Nogueira tells Brett Pollakoff of NBCSports.com that he's flexible about the possibility of returning to Europe if the NBA team that drafts him thinks he needs more time overseas to develop.
  • Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along a report indicating that Janis Timma will be heading stateside to work out for several NBA teams in hopes of securing a spot in the draft. Like Saric, Timma has until June 17th to decide whether to remain in the draft or withdraw his name.

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.

Draft Notes: McLemore, Magic, Saric, Bennett

Chris Mannix of SI.com hands out his draft superlatives, with an assist from scouts and executives. Anthony Bennett has the greatest superstar potential, Mannix writes, while Victor Oladipo could be the most resounding bust. It'll be a while before we can definitively say whether Mannix was correct on either account, but much more becomes clear with each passing day until June 27th. After passing along the latest this morning, we'll follow with with an evening draft roundup:
  • Ben McLemore has reportedly slipped behind Victor Oladipo in the eyes of the Magic, but Orlando will have McLemore in for a workout June 11th, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. (Twitter links). Keith Clanton, Erik Murphy, Michael Snaer and Kenny Boynton, all products of Florida colleges, are auditioning for the Magic either today or tomorrow, Robbins adds.
  • Chad Ford of ESPN.com chatted with readers, revealing that top-level scouts believe Dario Saric to be on par with Otto Porter and that the Wizards and Bobcats are especially high on Anthony Bennett.
  • Korie Lucious worked out for the Bucks today and did so for the Pistons earlier this week, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. D.J. Stephens, another participant in today's Bucks workout, has also drawn interest from the Pistons and Grizzlies.
  • Jody Genessy of the Deseret News had the news on six players working out for the Jazz today, and he tweets word of six more set to hit Utah on Thursday: Glen Rice Jr.,Vander BlueJack Cooley, Solomon Hill, Pierre Jackson and Trevor Mbakwe.
  • Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic adds second-round hopefuls E.J. Singler and Jared Berggren to the list of players who worked out for the Suns today (Twitter link).
  • B.J. Young, Brandon Paul, Reggie Bullock, Romero Osby, Kenny Kadji and James Ennis are among the prospects working out Thursday for the Knicks, the team announced via Twitter
  • Ennis, Steven Adams, Rudy Gobert, Mike Muscala, Cody Zeller, Jeff Withey, Shabazz Muhammad, Rodney Williams, Reggie Bullock, Kelly Olynyk and Tony Snell will all audition for Minnesota in the coming weeks, Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders tweets. He also lists "Thomas," likely in reference to Deshaun Thomas or Adonis Thomas.
  • The Wizards announced they'll put Deshaun ThomasKeion Bell, Laurence Bowers, D.J. Seeley, James Southerland and Khalif Wyatt through a workout tomorrow.

Bucks Links: Coaching Search, Drew, Workouts

At least eight NBA teams appear to be in the market for a new head coach, so the Bucks certainly aren't alone in what's becoming a crowded marketplace. However, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Milwaukee is in no rush to complete its search. Spears tweets that the team will likely conduct a second round of interviews at some point in the near future. Here's more on the coaching search and other Bucks-related notes:

  • Larry Drew, who is technically still under contract with the Hawks, interviewed for the Bucks' open position and said it "went well," tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
  • Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel takes a look at how the Bucks' coaching search compares to the searches being conducted by a handful of other teams.
  • The Bucks worked out a number of guards today, according to the team's official PR Twitter account. Junior Cadougan, Will Clyburn, Tyrone Gordon Jr., Glen Rice Jr., James Southerland, and Tony Snell were among the participants.
  • Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explains how Chris Hansen's huge $625MM bid for the Kings could ultimately have an impact on the Bucks.

Draft Combine Updates: Thursday Morning

11:56am: More A.M. updates out of Chicago:

  • Nerlens Noel told reporters that he hasn't completed any interviews so far, but that he's "pretty sure" he has one scheduled with the Magic. He's not quite so sure about the Cavaliers (Twitter links).
  • Steven Adams and Kelly Olynyk are among the prospects that have met with the Wizards so far and think they'd fit in well in Washington (Twitter links). Mason Plumlee is also on the Wizards' list, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
  • Olynyk has met with the Bobcats as well, says Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
  • Gorgui Dieng will work out for the Bucks, who will also interview Rudy Gobert and Plumlee, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter links).
  • A couple notes from SI.com's Chriss Mannix (via Twitter): Cody Zeller has spoken to the Raptors, Trail Blazers, Rockets, and Celtics, while Mike Muscala only has interviews lined up with the Spurs and Hawks, but will do "nine or 10" workouts later. One of those workouts will be with the Blazers, tweets Jason Quick of the Oregonian.
  • Shabazz Muhammad and Deshaun Thomas interviewed with the Timberwolves last night, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.

11:09am: With a number of reporters in attendance at the NBA's predraft camp in Chicago, we're expecting plenty of noteworthy tidbits to trickle in throughout the day. Here's a round-up of the first batch of updates on 2013's draft combine participants:

  • According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link), the Cavaliers aren't on Otto Porter's list of teams he's meeting with this week. That's a bit of a surprise, given the rumblings that he's high on the team's big board, though as Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer tweets, the Cavs drafted a pair of players they didn't interview last year.
  • Porter is scheduled to meet with the Wizards, who spoke to Victor Oladipo earlier this week, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Porter will meet with the Pistons as well, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The Bobcats, Thunder, and Suns have already met with Porter, according to Lee (via Twitter).
  • The Pistons are also prepared to meet with Shabazz Muhammad today, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link). Muhammad interviewed with the Trail Blazers yesterday and felt it went very well, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
  • Nate Wolters and Adonis Thomas were among the prospects who have met with the Lakers so far, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
  • Glen Rice Jr., who played in the D-League this past season, has been interviewed by the Bucks, Celtics, Warriors, Sixers, and Spurs, he confirmed to reporters (all Twitter links).

Draft Rumors: Blazers, Portsmouth, Rice

Trey Burke's decision to leave Michigan is the most significant draft news of the day, but, as will be the case more often than not between now and June 27th, there are plenty of other draft-related items to share. We'll keep you in the loop, and we'll also continue to update our list of early entrants until the final deadline. Here's the latest:

  • The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament might not be a hotbed for top draft prospects, but Blazers GM Neil Olshey still thinks it's worth his time for a visit, calling it a valuable source of hard-working second-round finds, as he tells HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham.
  • Illinois State combo guard Tyler Brown is outside of the 100 rankings on ESPN.com and DraftExpress.com, but he's been the most impressive prospect this week in Portsmouth, as far as Tommy Dee of SheridanHoops.com is concerned. 
  • Glen Rice Jr., son of the former All-Star, is on an unconventional path to the draft, having been dismissed from Georgia Tech last year. He didn't declare for the 2012 draft and spent this season in the D-League. He's eligible by default for this year's draft, and after some hot play down the stretch for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he's making a run at becoming a second-round pick, as Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser chronicles. Rice checks in at No. 75 on Jonathan Givony's DraftExpress.com list.