Draft Updates: Green, Beal, Kabongo, Cunningham
The Associated Press announced its All-America team today (link via ESPN.com), with Thomas Robinson of Kansas leading the way as the only unanimous selection. Kentucky's Anthony Davis, Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, Michigan State's Draymond Green, and Creighton's Doug McDermott rounded out the AP's picks. Three of those players are still alive in the NCAA Final Four, but most prospects with NBA aspirations are looking ahead to the June draft. Here are the latest draft updates:
- Michigan State's Green has signed with agents Ron Shade and Herb Rudoy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). ESPN.com's Chad Ford had the Spartan senior going 28th overall in his first mock draft.
- Ford also takes a look at how the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight may have affected a number of players' draft stocks (Insider link). Not good news for Harrison Barnes.
- Like Ford, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld recaps the weekend action for a few top prospects. He also adds that the Wizards are "enamored with" Bradley Beal.
- Freshman Myck Kabongo will return to Texas for his sophomore season, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports.
- Jared Cunningham of Oregon State will test the draft waters, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com. Cunningham won't officially declare or hire an agent right away, so he'll have until April 29th to make his decision. For more details on the deadlines facing underclassmen, click here.
Management Rumors: Bird, Grunfeld, Petrie
We've got plenty of rumors and notes today involving coaches, GMs, and team presidents, so let's round them all up in one place:
- Pacers president Larry Bird is set to retire at season's end, reports Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. Speaking to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Bird denied that he'd made a decision one way or the other yet.
- Vecsey also wrote that Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld turned down a three-year, $4.5MM extension offer, but Michael Lee of the Washington Post says that's not true. One source told Lee the report was "made up," while multiple sources said Grunfeld has not been offered an extension.
- "Word has it" that Kings president Geoff Petrie will sign a new deal soon, according to Vecsey. So far, Petrie hasn't refuted this one.
- Amidst rumors that Vinny Del Negro is on the hot seat in Los Angeles, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that Del Negro is miscast coaching the current Clippers squad. Arnovitz cites a "profound disparity" between the pre-Chris Paul and post-Chris Paul goals for the Clippers, and argues that the team may need a new coach for its new era. For his part, Del Negro refuted reports that suggested he'd lost the team.
- Recently retired T.J. Ford will become a volunteer assistant coach for the Spurs' D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, says Kevin Robbins of the Austin American-Statesman.
Buyout Updates: Hickson, Hollins, Cook
Boris Diaw is the latest player to be bought out by his team, as he and the Bobcats parted ways today. Rumors continue to swirl about where he and other free-agents-to-be could land, with the latest report suggesting Diaw could be headed for San Antonio. Here are the most recent updates on where bought-out players could sign, and who might receive a buyout next:
- J.J. Hickson is still expected to sign with the Warriors if and when he clears waivers, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick.
- In addition to sharing a few notes on what the Cavaliers' offseason could bring, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio provides an update on Ryan Hollins in his weekly chat — the big man is drawing interest from the Celtics and Mavericks, according to Amico.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star adds the Pacers to the list of potential suitors for Hollins (Twitter link).
- Brian Cook is unlikely to pursue a buyout from the Wizards, his agent tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Odds & Ends: Draft, Bynum, Howard, Wizards, Heat
The 2012 NBA Draft is still more than three months away, but draft junkies will be happy to know ESPN.com's Chad Ford, NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper and Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico have released their first mock drafts of the year. Ford's Insider-only piece has Anthony Davis going first overall, followed by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Bradley Beal, and Harrison Barnes. Howard-Cooper has Barnes, Andre Drummond, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Jared Sullinger rounding out the top five after Davis. Amico has it as Davis, Barnes, Robinson, Kidd-Gilchrist and then Drummond.
Here are a few more Tuesday afternoon links from around the NBA:
- In another draft-related item, South Florida small forward Victor Rudd has declared for the draft, according to Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports. The 6'7" junior, who isn't on the draft board of Ford, Howard-Cooper or NBADraft.net, has said he won't hire an agent yet, leaving open the possibility he'll return to school.
- The Lakers plan to exercise their team option on Andrew Bynum for next season, but Bynum wouldn't mind a longer-term commitment. The center told Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he'd be amenable to discussing a contract extension.
- If Dwight Howard didn't opt in to the final year of his contract, the Magic were prepared to trade him to the Nets for Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Mehmet Okur's expiring contract, and first-round picks, according to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post.
- The Wizards are looking forward to taking an extended look at Edwin Ubiles, who signed a 10-day contract with the team this weekend, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. In a separate column, Lee says the Wizards have shut down Andray Blatche until he works his way into better condition. SI.com's Zach Lowe would be surprised if Washington doesn't amnesty Blatche before next season (Twitter link).
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks Mike James or Anthony Carter would be better fits for the Heat than Derek Fisher.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Northwest Notes: Fisher, Jazz, Nene, Okur, Blazers
The Thunder are reportedly among the favorites to sign Derek Fisher for the remainder of the season, so Royce Young of Daily Thunder explores whether Fisher would be a worthwhile acquisition for Oklahoma City, eventually concluding that having him on board "probably would do a lot more good than bad." Kevin Durant seems to be in agreement, telling Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman that he'd support the move if the team signed Fisher.
While we wait to see where the veteran point guard lands, let's check out a few more items from out of the Northwest….
- The Jazz don't plan to make use of their empty roster spot to add another player this season, GM Kevin O'Connor tells Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Nuggets president Josh Kroenke was frustrated by reports that suggested Denver signed Nene with the intention of trading him, writes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. "I want to squash that right now," Kroenke said. "This organization is not in a situation where we can take a $60-plus million gamble like that…. Our initial plan was to have Nene around for quite a while. It hurt me to see that [people] thought that I would view someone like that."
- Acting Trail Blazers GM Chad Buchanan said that releasing Mehmet Okur is a possibility if the team needs to clear a roster spot. Given Okur's season-long back injury, the contract will qualify for about $2MM insurance coverage (Twitter links via Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge).
- In a piece for Blazer's Edge, Jeff Kramer of Storytellers Contracts explains how the Blazers' trades last week affected their potential cap room this summer.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Fisher, Magic, Diaw
Let's get you caught up on some items out of the Southeast division on a busy night in the Association..
- Count Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel among those who thinks the Heat should make a play for both Derek Fisher and Ronny Turiaf. Earlier today, LeBron James told reporters that he wouldn't mind playing alongside Fisher.
- However, Winderman (via Twitter) doesn't see J.J. Hickson as a good fit for the Heat. He believes that the forward would be redundant for the team and while he has upside, Miami is likely looking to make a move for the present rather than the future.
- DeSagana Diop was activated in favor of Boris Diaw tonight, but there's nothing new regarding Diaw's potential buyout, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. The Bobcats would like to rid themselves of the forward's contract.
- Even without a major acquisition at the trade deadline, are the Magic still good enough to contend this season? The players seem to think so, writes Chris Tomasson of FOXSportsFlorida.com.
- Forward Brian Cook says that he'll play hard for however long he's with the Wizards, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Washington is willing to accomodate Cook if he wants to play elsewhere and his agent Mark Bartelstein is set to have buyout discussions with the club this week.
Teams With Open Roster Spots
After the flurry of trades, signings, and releases around the league in the last week, it's gotten challenging to keep track which clubs still have the flexibility to make roster moves. To make things a little easier, here's our list of teams who currently have fewer than the maximum 15 players on their rosters, and could add a player without releasing anyone:
- 76ers: 14
- Bulls: 14. When Mike James' second 10-day contract expires, the Bulls will have two open roster spots. They also reportedly have some interest in Leon Powe.
- Clippers: 14. The Clips are still deciding whether to sign Bobby Simmons for the rest of the season with their final roster spot.
- Grizzlies: 13. Memphis is looking at Gilbert Arenas for one of its openings.
- Heat: 14. Miami could fill its final roster spot with a player who is bought out of his contract this week.
- Hornets: 13. 14th man Jeff Foote just had his 10-day contract expire.
- Jazz: 14
- Kings: 14
- Lakers: 14
- Pacers: 14
- Pistons: 14
- Raptors: 13
- Rockets: 14. Houston will open up a second roster spot when Derek Fisher clears waivers.
- Spurs: 13. San Antonio is expecting to add Patrick Mills with one of its open roster spots. Even if the Spurs finalize Mills' deal, they'll still have a pair of open spots after Eric Dawson's second 10-day deal expires.
- Suns: 13
- Warriors: 13
- Wizards: 14. 14th man Edwin Ubiles is on a 10-day contract.
Note: The Nets currently have 15 players on their roster, but will open up a spot when Jerry Smith's 10-day contract expires.
Wizards Sign Edwin Ubiles
SUNDAY: The Wizards made it official today, announcing the signing of Ubiles to a 10-day contract.
FRIDAY: The Wizards will sign Edwin Ubiles to a 10-day contract this weekend, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside.
Ubiles, 25, has spent the season with the Dakota Wizards of the D-League, averaging 20.4 PPG on 50% shooting in 35 games for Dakota. The former Siena swingman has never been part of an NBA roster, though he was invited to Warriors' camp in December. Schroeder identified him earlier this week as a player who could get a shot at the NBA after the trade deadline.
The Wizards had a pair of open roster spots, so they won't have to make a corresponding move to clear room for Ubiles.
Southeast Notes: Augustin, Heat, Magic, Wizards
Just one team from the Southeast division was in action tonight – the Bobcats. Charlotte outscored the Raptors 38-14 in the third quarter to power their way to a 107-103 victory at home. Here's a look at the rest of the division..
- Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin told reporters that the trade deadline wasn't a distraction for him because his name has been in rumors since he was a rookie, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
- In today's mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if Derek Fisher would be a good fit for the Heat. Winderman won't rule Fisher out as a possibility for the Heat if he is bought out of his deal, though he wouldn't be a great fit due to his lackluster defense.
- The Magic will be fighting an uphill battle as they look to surround Dwight Howard with the talent he seeks, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. GM Otis Smith will have to be extremely creative with his roster this summer and every player outside of D12 and Ryan Anderson will surely be shopped.
- At his introductory press conference in Los Angeles, Nick Young sounded relieved to be traded from the Wizards, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Young says he was bothered not only by the losing but the ridicule he and his former team received on a national level.
- The Bobcats players and coach Paul Silas seem to trust Michael Jordan's vision for the club, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld.com. While Gerald Henderson and D.J. Augustin are optimistic about the future in Charlotte, the club has received a great deal of criticism from the outside.
Kennedy On Williams, Buyouts, Nets, Magic
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld chatted with readers this afternoon, and passed along a few intriguing nuggets. Here are the highlights:
- He rounded up the buyout candidates, listing Chris Kaman, Derek Fisher, Jermaine O’Neal, Shawne Williams, Boris Diaw, Marquis Daniels, Brian Cook and Ronny Turiaf.
- Kennedy says he's been told free agent-to-be Deron Williams wants to play in Dallas, he and predicts the point guard winds up with the Mavs.
- Since Dwight Howard's option only covers one more season, Kennedy wouldn't rule out the Nets pursuing D12 again next year.
- The Magic won't go after Derek Fisher if he's bought out by the Rockets, but they may try to work a sign and trade with restricted free agent Ryan Anderson this summer as they try to get creative to bring in the talent necessary to appease Howard.