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Mavs Notes: Curry, Noel, Hammons, Harris, Cuban

April 14th, 2017 at 4:36pm CST by Milo Taibi

On the heels of a 33-49 season, the Mavericks will focus on improving their roster via free agency and the draft. Eddie Sefko of Dallas Morning News suggested two veteran FAs to provide an immediate boost: Serge Ibaka and J.J. Redick. Sefko explains that Ibaka is a “big-time rebounder” who is still relatively young, while Redick would help shore up the team’s mediocre shooting.

Sefko cautions against hoping for a point guard improvement through the draft. Unless the Mavs “get lucky” and secure one of the top two picks, they’re unlikely to obtain a top-shelf guard. In the event Dallas winds up with the 8, 9, or 10 pick, Sefko cites Jonathan Isaac, Miles Bridges, and Lauri Markkanen as potential fits.

More from Dallas…

  • Seth Curry, who missed the season’s final seven games due to a left shoulder injury, hopes to avoid undergoing surgery over the offseason. “It’s still a possibility, but I don’t think it’s necessary at this point,” Curry told Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
  • Former Purdue Boilermaker A.J. Hammons got his feet wet in the NBA this past season, scoring 43 points with 36 rebounds over 22 games. While Hammons’ contract is guaranteed over the next two seasons, Eddie Sefko of Dallas Morning News is skeptical of his role on the team in 2017/18. “I like the big guy, but I haven’t seen a passion for wanting to improve,” Sefko writes. “He loves to sit out there and launch jump shots. But I think his calling in this league has to be as a strong rebounder and rim protector. My bottom line: doubtful that he is here next season.”
  • While he appears set to enter the market as a restricted free agent, Nerlens Noel‘s recent remarks to Brad Townsend of Dallas Morning News imply he’d like another season in Dallas. “I love Dallas,” Noel said. “In my short time here, I’ve really enjoyed it. With the pieces that we have, and the opportunities we’ll be seeing in the near-future, I think there’s a lot to be excited for.” 
  • While Devin Harris isn’t a lock to start next season with Dallas, one thing is certain: the 34-year-old isn’t retiring. “Definitely not retiring,” Harris told Adam Grosbard of Dallas Morning News. The Mavs are unsure whether they will exercise Harris’ $4.4MM option for 2017/18. Harris averaged 16/7 minutes in 2016/17; the lowest total since his rookie season. “Ball’s in their court. I just let the chips fall where they may and try to make the best decision possible with the information that I have.”
  • In a 109-91 loss to the Nuggets- the Mavs’ penultimate game of the season- coach Rick Carlisle gave six players 25-years-old or younger significant playing time. Mark Cuban spoke to Adam Grosbard of Dallas Morning News, explaining the strategy of giving younger players minutes down the stretch. “When we were playing for it, we obviously had some bad games but it’s obvious our young guys are getting better. And that’s all you can ask for,” Cuban said. Dirk Nowtizki seconded Cuban’s remarks, adding “It’s been fun to watch these kids.”
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Miles Bridges Returning To Michigan State

April 14th, 2017 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 14: Bridges officially announced on Thursday night that he’ll return to Michigan State for at least one more year, as Larry Lage of The Associated Press details. While Bridges’ mother made it clear she’d go pro if she were in his shoes, the young forward said he has some “unfinished business” at MSU.

APRIL 12: Michigan State forward Miles Bridges is leaning strongly toward returning to school for his sophomore year, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links). According to Wojnarowski, Bridges has cancelled meetings with agents, but is expected to meet with MSU head coach Tom Izzo before finalizing his decision.

If Bridges does elect to return to Michigan State for at least one more year, it would shake up the 2017 NBA draft lottery a little. ESPN’s Chad Ford ranks Bridges 10th on his big board, while the 6’6″ forward comes in at No. 11 on the DraftExpress board.

Ford recently wrote that Bridges can “be a bit wild on the court,” but suggested that the 19-year-old might be one of the more underrated prospects near the top of draft boards. As Ford notes, Bridges did a little bit of everything for Michigan State in his freshman season, averaging 16.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG, and 2.0 3PT.

If Bridges doesn’t enter this year’s draft, he would likely be penciled in as at least a top-10 prospect on 2018 big boards. Next year’s draft class has some major talent at the very top, but isn’t considered to be as deep as the 2017 class.

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Draft Notes: Tatum, Smith, Bridges, Alkins

April 12th, 2017 at 9:41pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Jayson Tatum is rising up draft boards and Chad Ford of ESPN.com believes he could be a dark horse for the No.1 overall pick. Ford notes that Tatum is widely regarded by scouts as being the most NBA-ready right now. The Duke product sits at No. 4 in the scribe’s latest Big Board.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

  • Dennis Smith‘s stock is falling with teams questioning how he handled himself in the midst of disappointing college season, Ford writes in the same piece. The scribe adds that Smith has elite athletism, so his stock could rise after individual workouts take place.
  • Miles Bridges is undecided on whether or not he’s going to return to MSU, but Ford notes that he appears to be a “lock” for the lottery should he opt to declare for the draft.
  • Arizona’s Rawle Alkins will test the draft waters, but won’t yet sign with an agent, according to his Twitter feed. The shooting guard is the 79th best prospect in the draft, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
  • Kansas’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has declared for the draft, but will also not hire an agent, according to University’s website. The junior is the 68th best prospect in the draft, according to Givony.
  • PJ Dozier will declare for the draft, but will not hire representation, according to the University of South Carolina’s website. Dozier, who Givony pegs as the 65th best prospect in the draft, helped lead the school to its first-ever Final Four this past season.
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Draft Notes: Williams, Kuzma, Wilder, Ball

March 21st, 2017 at 9:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Texas A&M freshman forward Robert Williams decided to remain in college because he wants to be the top pick, a source told Evan Daniels of Fox Sports and Scout.com (Twitter link). Williams also believes he’s not mature enough yet to enter the league, the tweet adds. Williams averaged 11.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.5 BPG during his freshman season for the Aggies. The 6’9” Williams was considered a late lottery pick, ranked as the 10th-best overall prospect by DraftExpress and 13th in Chad Ford’s top 100 at ESPN.com.

In other news involving the draft:

  • Utah forward Kyle Kuzma will enter the draft but won’t hire an agent, Kyle Goon of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Kuzma is ranked No. 73 among the top 100 prospects by DraftExpress and doesn’t make Ford’s top 100 list. The 6’9” Kuzma averaged 16.4 PPG and 9.3 RPG for the Utes in his junior season.
  • Western Michigan’s Thomas Wilder will also test the draft waters, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. The 6’3” guard averaged 19.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 3.8 APG in his junior season. He is not rated among the top 100 by either DraftExpress or Ford.
  • Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington will also enter the draft without hiring agents, Jon Rothstein of FanRagSports.com reports. Delgado, a 6’10” junior forward, averaged 15.2 PPG and 13.1 RPG this past season while Carrington, a 6’4” junior guard, averaged 17.1 PPG. Neither is considered a top 100 prospect.
  • Former Virginia and Memphis forward Austin Nichols has declared for the draft and hired an agent, according to Evan Daniels of Scout.com. The 6’9” Nichols played two seasons at Memphis, sat out a year, then played one game for the Cavaliers before he was dismissed from the team.
  • UCLA freshman point guard Lonzo Ball and Kansas freshman small forward Josh Jackson have solidified their status as two of the three top prospects with their performances in the NCAA tournament, Ford writes in a stock watch column. Arizona freshman forward Lauri Markkanen and Michigan State freshman forward Miles Bridges are among the players who have improved their draft stock during the first two rounds of the tournament, according to Ford. Villanova senior guard Josh Hart and Duke sophomore guard Luke Kennard are among the players that Ford believes hurt their draft status with subpar tournament outings.
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