2012 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Links: Harkless, Drummond, Zeller, Owens

May 28th, 2012 at 6:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

With 48 hours to go until the draft lottery, here's the latest from the draft front:

Kyle Nelson of Draft Express speaks with St. John's freshman Moe Harkless, the site's 18th-ranked prospect who says he's putting in 12-hour days in advance of the draft.
TNT's David Aldridge, writing for NBA.com, ranks Andre Drummond as the top center in the draft but says Tyler Zeller is the only center most teams would feel safe taking high in the lottery.
Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group passes along observations from the Warriors pre-draft workout Monday, centering around Stanford power forward Josh Owens, whose "incredible" athleticism, according to one NBA executive, has helped him move from anonymity into the second-round picture.

Warriors, Jazz Working On Draft Pick Trade

May 28th, 2012 at 3:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 3:25pm: The trade discussions between the two teams don't include a player, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group confirms (via Twitter).

SATURDAY, 3:24pm: The Warriors are seeking a deal that would wipe out any possibility of having to cede their first-round pick to the Jazz, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports. Currently, Golden State is in line to pick seventh, but the selection goes to Utah if Wednesday's draft lottery bumps the pick down to No. 8 or lower. Stein says the Warriors would like to get the deal done before Wednesday, but are reluctant to trade players, offering cash and future draft considerations instead.

The Warriors originally traded the pick, with protection, to the Nets for Marcus Williams in 2008. The Nets sent their shot at the pick to the Jazz in the Deron Williams trade last year. As it stands now, even if the Jazz misses out on the pick this year, Utah would get Golden State's first-round pick in 2013 or 2014 if the Warriors don't have continued lottery luck.

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob first expressed an interest in March about making sure that pick didn't go to the Jazz, and we heard at the same time that talks surrounding that pick had been going on for months. That was long before the season ended and the Warriors won a tiebreaker for the seventh slot in the lottery, meaning there's just a 28 percent chance the Jazz gets the draft choice this year. Still, one source tells Stein a deal is likely to go through before Wednesday, and one reason is because the Warriors would have a hard time trading for another pick in the top 10 if they were to lose their own selection, Stein says.

Barring a trade, the only way the Warriors lose this year's first-rounder is if they miss out on one of the top three picks and one of the seven teams slotted behind them in the lottery — the Raptors, Pistons, Hornets, Blazers, Bucks, Suns and Rockets — wins one of the top three picks instead. It seems like the Warriors are too eager to prevent a situation that probably wouldn't happen. The Warriors will have at least one first-round pick no matter what happens in the lottery, since they have the rights to San Antonio's choice at No. 30.

Draft Notes: Marshall, Lillard, Nets

May 26th, 2012 at 2:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

With just four days to go until the NBA draft lottery, the Memorial Day weekend might be filled with anxiety for teams hoping to land a high pick. It's not a restful time for many prospects, either, as they continue to try and impress future employers. Here's the latest on the draft:

North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall says that he broke his elbow, but hopes to be cleared for contact in time for the NBA combine, as documented by Dan Tierney of the IMG Basketball Academy Blog. Zach Links took a look at Marshall's draft stock as a part of our Prospect Profile series earlier this week.
Marshall's competition for top point guard honors in the draft is Damian Lillard, who looked impressive in a public workout today, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (All Twitter links).
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News believes landing the top pick in the draft could be transformative for the Nets. Lawrence says adding presumptive No. 1 pick Anthony Davis could persuade Deron Williams to re-sign and would eliminate the need to pursue Dwight Howard.

Odds & Ends: Motiejunas, Bradley, Draft, Frye

May 25th, 2012 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Friday afternoon's odds and ends:

Donatas Motiejunas, Houston's 20th overall pick in 2011, spoke to Jakub Wojczynski of Przeglad Sportowy about his future and his plan to join the Rockets. While Motiejunas cautioned that it's "not 100%" he'll be in the NBA next season, he seems like a good bet to sign this summer.
Doc Rivers and the Celtics confirmed today that Avery Bradley will undergo shoulder surgery and miss the rest of the playoffs (Twitter link).
Hornets coach Monty Williams tells John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune that he doesn't think this draft class is as deep as advertised. "I don’t think you’re going to find a [Manu] Ginobili at 52," Williams said. "The last few weeks I’ve had a chance to look at all these young guys on tape and I’m not jaded by the hoopla as everybody else is. I think there are good players, but I don’t see this deep draft."
One GM told ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) that he'd have "no concerns" drafting Perry Jones III in the top five.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com discusses trade candidates Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol in his "Friday 5" feature.
Channing Frye's availability for the start of next season is in doubt as the Suns forward rehabs a shoulder injury, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Sam Smith fields plenty of Bulls questions in his latest mailbag for Bulls.com.

Odds & Ends: Haslem, Howard, Wizards, Lakers

May 24th, 2012 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Udonis Haslem will sit out Game 6 of the Heat/Pacers series tonight, serving a one-game suspension for his flagrant foul in Game 5. But Haslem and agent Henry Thomas intend to appeal the suspension nonetheless, hoping to regain the $35K the Heat forward will lose.

"We'll file an appeal to the union," Thomas told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. "This is a guy who has been in the league for nine years and he doesn't have the reputation of being a dirty player. He's a hard-nosed player. But he's not dirty, and he doesn't want this to follow him around. … He's disappointed (with the suspension). He feels he tried to make a play on the ball."

As Haslem waits for his appeal to be heard, here are a few more Thursday notes from around the NBA:

If Dwight Howard is available this summer, the Rockets are one team who might be willing to trade for him without assurances he'd re-sign, according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. I wrote earlier today that acquiring a star will be the Rockets' primary goal this offseason, and even coming off back surgery, Howard would certainly qualify.
The Wizards have yet to make a decision on coach Randy Wittman, but sources suggest to Michael Lee of the Washington Post that Wittman is a good bet to return to Washington.
Appearing on Colin Cowherd's radio show, Jerry West weighed in on the state of the Lakers, and Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com has the details.
One NBA GM told Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) that Dion Waiters might be the player besides Anthony Davis with the most superstar potential in this year's draft class.
Members of the Pistons' staff were upset that Greg Monroe wasn't named to this summer's U.S. Select Team, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Tom Ziller of SBNation.com explains why it will be difficult for the Mavericks to trade Lamar Odom next month.

Draft Notes: Robinson, Ford, Acy, Jones III

May 23rd, 2012 at 9:02pm CST by Alex Lee

We're down to six teams in the 2012 NBA playoffs. While none of them will have lottery picks in June's NBA Draft, good teams that supplement their rosters via end of the first round picks significantly add to the longevity of their success. Here are some draft links on this Wednesday night:

In an interview with HoopsWorld, Kansas' Thomas Robinson says he thinks he should be the first pick in June's NBA Draft. “I think I’m very capable of being the number one pick. No disrespect to Anthony Davis, he’s a great player. But at the same time, as a competitor, I do feel that I’m worthy of the number one pick," Robinson said. Robinson has impressed scouts with an improved jumper in workouts, but I can't see anyone unseating Anthony Davis for that honor.
Chad Ford (via Twitter) released an updated top 100 available to ESPN.com insiders. Ford fingers Syracuse guard Dion Waiters as the big mover on the updated list, who is now up to number eight overall.
Quincy Acy worked out for the Warriors on Sunday, and had some positive things to say about former teammate and projected lottery pick Perry Jones III, via Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle on Twitter. "He’s 6-foot-11, and he can do what the little guys do. It’s amazing. People criticize him, but it’s nonsense to me. He loves the game of basketball. He’s going to play hard and he’s going to compete. I play very hard, so it might look like he’s not playing hard. But he goes hard in practice, and he’s not a prima donna," Acy said. Acy is ranked 80th on the Draft Express top 100, while Jones III is 8th.

Draft Notes: Combine, Machado, Jones, Blazers

May 22nd, 2012 at 7:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Many members of last year's draft class received recognition for their first NBA seasons today, when the league announced its All-Rookie squads. Kyrie Irving, Ricky Rubio, Kenneth Faried, Klay Thompson, Brandon Knight, Iman Shumpert, and Kawhi Leonard all earned first-team honors due to a three-way tie for the fifth spot. The second team consisted of Chandler Parsons, MarShon Brooks, Derrick Williams, Tristan Thompson, and Isaiah Thomas. Here's the latest on the 2012 draft class that will be eligible for All-Rookie accolades a year from now:

HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy interviews Kansas forward Thomas Robinson, who says he believes himself worthy of the top overall pick.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio examines Jared Sullinger's potential to succeed at the NBA level.
The NBA announced all the players who will participate in the Chicago draft combine on June 7th and 8th, and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com passes along the list. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com points out (via Twitter) that, besides #58 Casper Ware, the top 67 prospects on DraftExpress' top 100 were all invited to Chicago.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) takes note of a few prospects who may have improved their stocks during the weekend workouts in New Jersey. Iona point guard Scott Machado tops Ford's list.
Teams need to be careful of being wowed by Perry Jones' individual workouts and drafting him too high, one scout tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
2012 represents the Trail Blazers' most important draft since they selected Greg Oden in 2007, writes Joel Odom of the Oregonian.
Don't forget to follow Hoops Rumors' Prospect Profile series, where we've taken a closer look at many of the players expected to be drafted in the first round next month.

Draft Updates: Cunningham, Ross, Jenkins

May 21st, 2012 at 11:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

The latest draft news as we count the days to next Wednesday's lottery:

Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com unveiled his latest prospect rankings by position. Here are the links to the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center lists.
Oregon State shooting guard Jared Cunningham, currently 35th on the Draft Express ranking of the top 100 prospects, impressed at a workout for low-level draft prospects held by the Warriors, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. A list of the participants is on Warriors.com.
Washington swingman Terrence Ross, ranked 16th on the Draft Express list, and Vanderbilt shooting guard John Jenkins, the No. 32 prospect, top the list of players working out for the Nuggets tomorrow, the team announced.
St. Bonaventure big man Andrew Nicholson, the 30th ranked prospect by Draft Express, headlines the list of prospects who will work out for the Celtics tomorrow, Goodman reports via Twitter.

Odds & Ends: Knicks, Bucks, Heat, Nicholson

May 21st, 2012 at 12:54pm CST by Daniel Seco

Here's the latest news and headlines from around the NBA…

There are five ways the Knicks' Big 3 can improve in their second season together, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Bradley Center will be now known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center in a step toward getting the Bucks a new arena in the near future.
The Heat's success is predicated on strong play by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade but also relies on a different role player stepping up each night, suggests Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the Thunder and the Celtics are the two most likely teams to draft St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson.
Teams from smaller markets are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to winning an NBA championship, writes Richard Florida of The Atlantic.
HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham gives his take on the top five comebacks in NBA playoff history.
Commissioner David Stern filled the NBA's Competition Committee with his own people so that changes can be made to existing rules, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com.
Kurt Helin of NBC's ProBasketballTalk blog says Mo Williams expects to pick up his player option of $8.5MM for the 2012/2013 season.
Mike D'Antoni isn't up to much these days after resigning as the Knicks head coach in March, writes SI.com's Jack McCallum.

Central Notes: Collison, Jones, Cavs, Bulls

May 21st, 2012 at 10:50am CST by Daniel Seco

With the Bulls falling to the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs, the Pacers are the lone representative out of the Central Division still doing battle as their series against the Heat continues Tuesday night in Miami. Here's the latest news and stories making headlines out of the Central Division.

Thanks to his speed and quickness, Darren Collison continues to show that Larry Bird made the right decision to acquire him two summers ago from the Hornets, writes Zak Keefer of The Indianapolis Star. The backup point guard for the Pacers scored 10 points during the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Heat in what could have been a less competitive effort for the Pacers if not for Collison. "As long as I try and be aggressive, I can create opportunities not only for myself, but for my teammates, too."
Brendan Savage of MLive.com says Perry Jones III might be a good fit for the Pistons thanks to his talent but his lack of desire may lead to a steep learning curve in the NBA. The 6-foot-11, 235-pound power forward has all the skills that make a player attractive teams especially with his ability to rebound and run the floor, but the former Baylor star showed little progress from his freshman to sophomore year in Waco. Simply put, the Pistons must be able to determine if they can get the most out of his boundless talents.
While it's all but certain that Anthony Davis will be the first pick of the NBA draft next month, the Cavaliers will have many different options to choose from if they end up selecting third, suggests Starting Blocks of Cleveland.com.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com wonders what star the Bulls need to add to their roster in order to remain competitive without Derrick Rose and how the team should go about making such an acquisition. Smith suggests the option of the Bulls looking to rebuild with eyes on adding a player or two from the 2014 free agent class to join Rose. Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Danny Granger headline the list of possibilities that could end up in Chicago two seasons from now.