Olivier Hanlan Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Thibodeau, Bulls, Draft

May 17th, 2015 at 9:28pm CST by Will Joseph

If coach Tom Thibodeau is let go by the Bulls, the Magic would be willing to pay Thibodeau anywhere from $7MM to $9MM annually, reports The Journal Times’ Gery Woelfel, who cited two league sources. The Magic have not started formal interviews yet for their coaching vacancy. Woelfel reported earlier this month that the Magic’s top choice is seemingly Thibodeau. Thibodeau, 57, has led the Bulls to five straight playoff appearances. He has two years left on his contract with the team. Despite that, it’s nearly a foregone conclusion that Thibodeau will be coaching elsewhere because of a strained relationship with Chicago’s management. The Pelicans have been rumored as a favorite to land Thibodeau’s services, should he be let go by the Bulls.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Speaking of the Bulls, they are counting on the backcourt duo of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler to lead them toward another playoff run next season, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes. This summer will mark Rose’s first offseason in which he’s not rehabilitating or preparing to return from a knee injury since 2011 and the star guard is under contract for two more seasons, as Johnson notes. The Bulls will offer Butler, who will be a restricted free agent, a maximum contract this offseason, Johnson adds.
One NBA general manager told The Journal Times’ Gery Woelfel that Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky could go as high as six in the draft. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks Kaminsky No. 10, but he is the No. 14 overall player according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required).
NBA executives were left impressed with Boston College guard Olivier Hanlan following interviews with the draft prospect, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
Kings coach George Karl is likely to add Nets assistant John Welch to his coaching staff, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. Welch was on Karl’s staff with the Nuggets, and he specialized in player development.

Central Notes: Hoiberg, Pacers, Draft

May 15th, 2015 at 7:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The frontrunner to replace Tom Thibodeau if he is let go by the Bulls as expected, is reportedly Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg. This interest in Hoiberg isn’t a recent development, since according to league sources the team had already spoken with Hoiberg about his potential interest in coming to Chicago earlier this season, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays. It’s unclear if Hoiberg’s health concerns would prevent him from accepting the position if offered, but he certainly hopes to join the pro coaching ranks at some point. “He has always said from day one that his lifelong goal has been to coach in the NBA,” Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said of Holberg. “It’s for him to decide when that part of his life he wants to activate. Now it’s just strictly a decision for him and their family personally, not what he wants to do because he’s made that clear. [The NBA is] what he wants to do. It’s a matter of when he wants to do it.”

Here’s what else is happening around the Central Division:

The Pacers interviewed a number of former Kentucky players at the draft combine, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star tweets. Indiana sat down with Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson, Trey Lyles, and Devin Booker, Buckner notes.
Cauley-Stein said that Pacers president Larry Bird told him, “I think you’re a $100MM player,” Buckner relays (Twitter links). Booker wasn’t given a dollar value by the team, but did note that there was a “great vibe” during his interview, Buckner adds.
The Pacers will hold their first pre-draft workout this Monday, and in attendance will be Cameron Payne, Olivier Hanlan, Jerian Grant, Rakeem Christmas, Richaun Holmes, and Joseph Young, Buckner tweets.
Lastly from Buckner (via Twitter), the Pacers will be one of the teams attending a private workout in Los Angeles next Friday for forward Kevon Looney and guard Norman Powell.
Looney met with the Pistons while at the draft combine, Keith Langlois of NBA.com reports (Twitter links). Also meeting with Detroit was Booker, who believes his outside shooting would be the perfect complement to Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, who is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, Langlois adds.

Olivier Hanlan To Declare For Draft

April 13th, 2015 at 12:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

Boston College junior combo guard Olivier Hanlan will declare for this year’s draft, sources tell Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has already begun preparing for predraft workouts, Givony notes, and it seems his performance in those auditions would be key if he is to hear his name called at the June 25th draft. He’s the 60th-best prospect on Givony‘s board, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him 75th.

The 6’4″ Hanlan led the ACC in scoring at 19.5 points per game, and he also recorded 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.7 turnovers per contest. He carried a heavy workload, leading the conference in minutes per game at 37.6 while putting up the ACC’s second highest total of shots from the floor for a Boston College team that finished only 13-19. He’s a versatile scorer, but his free-throw attempts per game dipped from 7.1 last year to 4.5 this year, and while Ford’s profile pegs him a good shooter, he’s made only 35% of his three-point attempts the last two seasons put together.

Hanlan has been the leading scorer for the Eagles in each of his three college seasons, but none of those teams finished with a winning record. The last time Boston College finished above .500, in 2010/11, its leading scorer was Reggie Jackson, a combo guard like Hanlan. Jackson was a first-round pick, but he’s proven more valuable than most selected at No. 24, where the Thunder grabbed him in 2011.