Draft Rumors: Monday
With the NBA draft just 17 days away, we're guaranteed to be following daily rumors and rumblings for the next two and a half weeks. We'll try to make it as easy as possible to follow the latest updates by including most of our draft-related items in a single daily post. Consider this Monday's post, and check back throughout the day for more draft notes, with the newest additions up top:
- In a tweet, AZCentral.com's Paul Coro has wrangled up some news from CBSSports.com's Jeff Goodman and SI.com's Sam Amick. North Carolina teammates Kendall Marshall and John Henson will reportedly work out for the Suns this week.
Draft Rumors: Pistons, Leonard, Bobcats, Rockets
The NBA combine continues in Chicago today, with the buzz this morning surrounding the official measurements of the prospects in attendance. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal provides the complete list. According to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, a handful of players saw their stock rise a little due to the results, but Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress heard from scouts that there weren't many big surprises (Twitter link). A handful of rumors and rumblings have also emerged from the combine today, so let's round up some of them….
Kings Not Expected To Offer Evans Extension
Like Blake Griffin, James Harden, and other members of the 2009 draft class, Tyreke Evans is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and will be eligible for a contract extension starting in July. Unlike Griffin and Harden, however, Evans is not expected to receive an extension offer this summer, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
Draft Rumors: Hornets, Barnes, Cavs, Bobcats
The Nets may be looking to find a way into the first round of this month's draft, but a number of teams are considering moving their first-rounders. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter), every club besides the Cavs that has multiple first-round picks is trying to trade one of them for a young player. The Blazers, Celtics, Warriors, Rockets, and Hornets all fit the bill, with two first-rounders each. Let's round up a few more of today's draft rumors….
- Teams inquiring on the 10th overall pick are being told by the Hornets that taking on a contract like Emeka Okafor's or Trevor Ariza's won't be enough to land the pick, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Odds & Ends: Bucks, Grizzlies, Gay, Wizards, Suns
The Bucks may be in need of a big man following their trade of Andrew Bogut to the Warriors, but Milwaukee is also taking a hard look at the guards in this year's draft, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel. While the club is expected to target size with their No. 12 pick, they could go after a guard with size at No. 42 in support of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. Marquette's Darius Johnson-Odom and Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor were among those auditioned yesterday. Here's a look at tonight's links..
Draft Rumors: Bobcats, Cavs, Kings, Blazers
Following the Hornets' lottery win, ESPN.com's Chad Ford published his newest mock draft, which includes a handful of interesting scenarios, including Dion Waiters jumping to eighth overall and Austin Rivers slipping to 18th. With less than four weeks until draft day, Ford continues to talk to sources and visit workouts to get a better sense of how things will play out on June 28th. His latest draft blog (Insider link) explores potential options for the top 10 picks and is chock-full of interesting tidbits. Let's round up some of the highlights….
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Hill, Ebanks, Clippers
The general consensus among NBA writers after the Lakers' second round loss against the Thunder was that Los Angeles needed to move Pau Gasol this offseason in an effort to shake up the roster and gain cap flexibility. However, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News believes the next move for the Lakers should be trading Andrew Bynum in a deal for Dwight Howard. Bonsignore points out that the worst-case scenario would be Howard leaving after a year, in which case, at least the team's cap situation would be a little more manageable going forward.
Here are a few more links related to the Lakers and their Pacific Division rivals:
- As the Kamenetzky brothers relay on ESPNLosAngeles.com, unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill was positive in his exit interview about his time with the Lakers, expressing a desire to return: "It's definitely one of, if not the best organizations in the league and I had great time here, with the short time I was here. The staff, players, everybody. I just enjoyed it."
- Restricted free agent Devin Ebanks is also open to returning to the Lakers, telling Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, "They seem pretty interested in me."
- Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com poses eight questions facing the Clippers as the team prepares for the offseason.
- The Warriors' announcement of a new, privately-funded arena set to open in 2017 is a tough blow for Kings fans, who saw Sacramento arena plans fall apart earlier this year, writes Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
Odds & Ends: Kings, Batum, Bird, Ewing, Spurs
Let's keep track of some Thursday night odds and ends here as Heat-Pacers gets underway. The Clippers will look to rebound from a dissapointing game one loss later tonight in San Antonio.
- Aaron Bruski of NBC Sports writes a piece providing great detail about the unfortunate business practices of the Maloofs with regard to the NBA franchise situation in Sacramento. Bruski says the Maloofs actions could lead the NBA to force them into selling.
- The agent of Nicolas Batum will have all the leverage in negotiations with the Blazers this summer, writes John Canzano of the Oregonian. Batum will become a restricted free agent in the offseason.
- Conrad Brunner from Pacers.com extols Larry Bird in an in depth look at the Pacers' President. In light of Wednesday's announcement that Bird won the 2012 NBA Executive of the Year award, Brunner says that the former Celtic great is as discreetly brilliant as a roster builder as he was as a player and coach. He credits Bird with changing the organizational culture by drafting wisely with middle of the first round picks and carefully managing the salary cap.
- As we mentioned yesterday, Patrick Ewing interviewed for the vacant Bobcats' job today. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer says that Ewing, a prototypical NBA big man as a player, would be a coaching rarity should be get the job.
- According to the New York Post, Charlotte owner and Ewing friend Michael Jordan did not plan to sit in on the interview. The Post adds that the Bobcats will also interview Memphis assistant Dave Joerger on Friday and have already interviewed Michael Malone, Nate Tibbetts, Mike Dunlap, Stephen Silas and has expressed interest in Brian Shaw.
- A group of ESPN.com writers offered their take on the greatness of the San Antonio Spurs. The three popular picks for the biggest reasons for the organization's success are Tim Duncan, Greg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford, with honorable mention going to Tony Parker and owner Peter Holt. Teams should look no further than San Antonio for a blueprint on how to build a team.
Latest On Sacramento Arena Situation
The validity of a letter from Sacramento business leaders that asked the NBA to encourage the owners of the Kings to sell has been called into question, reports Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
Five of the 21 signatures on the letter were written by proxy, and not the person whose name is listed, according to Greg Hayes, one of the organizers of the letter-signing. Hayes said those five people told him they were supportive of the letter the night before the signing, but didn't show up to put pen on paper. Later, two of the people told Hayes they had "misgivings" about their names appearing on the letter.
Last week, Steve Large of CBS13 reported that the Maloof family, who owns the Kings, hired a retired FBI agent to investigate whether some of the signatures were forged. Bizjak writes that the leader of Think Big Sacramento, mayor Kevin Johnson's arena advocacy group, sent a letter this evening to the U.S. Attorney General's office requesting an examination of whether the Kings are violating any laws covering harrassment or intimidation of the people who signed the letter to the NBA.
According to a tweet from the Bee's Jason Jones, Maloof family spokesman Eric Rose says that Think Big Sacramento is built on "fabrication and deception" and the name of the group should be changed to "Think Big Fraud."
Latest On Sacramento Arena Situation
The group that originally built the Kings' current arena in Sacramento would like the chance to update it, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. Voisin reports that the group, led by architect Rann Haight and structural engineer Gerardo Calvillo, is requesting the opportunity to renovate the Power Balance Pavilion.
"We're asking for 90 days," Haight said. "We know the building better than anybody. We think that's enough time to note the deficiencies in the building, come up with a schedule of how long it would take to address them, while continuing to play in the current building."
Despite having argued against renovations for years, the Maloofs raised the possibility last month, as the agreement on a new Sacramento arena was falling apart. Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said this week that he's "receptive to anything that makes sense and isn't going to cripple us or the city," and some members of the Sacramento political and business community believe renovating the current arena could be the best course of action. However, it's unclear where the funding for such a project, which could cost in excess of $100MM, would come from, since the city has said it's not interested in paying for renovations.