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2012 NBA Draft

Draft Notes: White, Rivers, Jones, Drummond

March 21st, 2012 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

As ESPN.com's David Thorpe (Insider link) looks back to June 2011 and re-drafts the top 20 based on what we know now, we'll look ahead to this June, with the latest updates on the upcoming NBA draft:

  • Iowa State's Royce White has hired an agent and will enter the draft, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Goodman hears from several NBA execs that White has likely worked his way into the first round of the draft, though only one of the three mocks we looked at yesterday had White coming off the board in the top 30.
  • One of those mock drafts came from ESPN.com's Chad Ford, who has received feedback from NBA GMs on his top 30 (Insider link).
  • This draft may not be as deep as it looks, since many of the underclassmen who would go in the first round aren't locks to come out of school, says Ford.
  • Multiple GMs told Ford they have Austin Rivers ranked considerably higher than where Ford had him in his mock (21st).
  • Point guards may end up going a few spots higher than they should this year, since it appears there'll be a dearth of point guards in the 2013 draft, says Ford.
  • Perry Jones III and Andre Drummond are viewed as high-risk, high-reward picks. "They get you fired either way," one GM told Ford. "Don't take them and they blow up, everyone asks you what you were thinking. Do take them and they underachieve and everyone says you shouldn't have taken the risk. It's a no-win situation so … you just take them. It's better to swing for the fences and miss than to bunt and miss the chance to hit a home run."
  • Ford also answered plenty of draft-related questions in his ESPN.com chat today.
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Odds & Ends: Draft, Bynum, Howard, Wizards, Heat

March 20th, 2012 at 5:34pm CST by Luke Adams

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:

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Draft Notes: Harkless, Davis, Leonard, Paul

March 19th, 2012 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NCAA tournament through its first two rounds, all but sixteen teams have seen their seasons come to an end. For some players, that means looking ahead to the NBA draft, so let's check out some of the latest draft-related links from around the web….

  • Moe Harkless of St. John's officially declared his intent to hire an agent and enter the draft, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Harkless said he was "fully committed" to his decision and plans to hire an agent within a week or so.
  • In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Chad Ford looks at a few players who have seen their stocks rise or fall during March Madness.
  • If any rumors between now and June 28th suggest a player besides Anthony Davis could go first overall in the draft, don't believe them, says Ric Bucher of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Scouts and GMs say Davis is in a category of his own, according to Bucher.
  • Illinois underclassmen Meyers Leonard and Brandon Paul have submitted their names to NBA’s undergraduate advisory committee to receive feedback on their draft stock, writes Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com.
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Odds & Ends: Fisher, Bayless, Morey, Draft

March 18th, 2012 at 9:04pm CST by Alex Lee

With Derek Fisher being bought out by the Rockets after being acquired from the Lakers, there is plenty of speculation of where the veteran guard will end up.  No longer a difference maker, Fisher's value would likely be as a leader for a contender or as a role model for the younger players on a rebuilding team.  David Alridge tweeted that Fisher is not sure what he will do and that he wants to see if his "heart is still in it."

Here are some other notes from around the league on this Sunday night:

  • Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun examines the effect that Jerryd Bayless' recent play will have on the Raptors' decision making.  Wolstat speculates that Bayless could replace the aging Jose Calderon, who has been solid but is not exactly an exciting option for a lottery-bound team.  Bayless is a restricted free agent after the year while Calderon is under contract for one more year.
  • Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle analyzes Rockets' GM Daryl Morey's thusfar-unsuccessful quest to land an All-Star caliber player.  Morey, whose shrewd decision making is lauded in many NBA circles, has upgraded Houston's roster repeatedly via trade but has yet to hit a home run.
  • Moe Harkless, St. John's forward and Big East Rookie of the Year, will reportedly file for early entry to June's NBA Draft, according to ESPN via the Associated Press.  It is unclear whether Harkless will hire an agent immediately or is just testing the waters, but the program has scheduled a press conference for Monday.
  • Jonathan Tjarks from RealGM takes a look at the apparently skyrocketing value of late first round picks.  Tjarks points to this year's trade deadline as an example of how the new CBA and a deep draft class caused teams to value picks in the 20s.
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Odds & Ends: Buyouts, Thunder, Williams, Camby

March 16th, 2012 at 11:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

A few teams got a first look at their new acquisitions tonight, while others still await players to arrive and take physicals in their new cities. It's a league that's still in flux less than 36 hours after the trade deadline. Let's take a look at what's going on as everyone gets settled:

  • Marquis Daniels of the Celtics and Brian Cook of the Wizards are buyout candidates, says agent Mark Bartelstein via Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. (Twitter link) 
  • The Thunder have assigned forward Ryan Reid to the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, via Twitter. Oklahoma City signed the undrafted 25-year-old forward to a partially guaranteed two-year contract before the season, but he's only appeared in five games so far, scoring a total of eight points in 17 minutes. The 6'8", 232-pound Reid played 48 games with Tulsa last year, averaging 8.5 points and 5.8 rebounds while posting a 14.7 PER.
  • According to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld, Nets GM Billy King is confident his team can re-sign Deron Williams this summer, even though the point guard said today he will not opt in to the final season of his deal, a la Dwight Howard. 
  • Marcus Camby, who sees himself playing four more years, wants to finish his career with the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Tommy Dee of Sheridan Hoops takes a look at the NBA prospects of Cincinnati's Yancy Gates.
  • ESPN's Chad Ford believes NCAA tournament hero C.J. McCollum of Lehigh is a "serious draft sleeper" (Twitter link). Ford reported a few weeks ago that scouts had McCollum pegged as a late first-round or early second-round selection (Insider only). 
  • J.A. Adande of ESPN looks at what we've learned from the trade deadline. The most significant takeaway is that it pays to have a Plan B, Adande says.

 

 

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Atlantic Notes: Lin, Carmelo, Nets, Wallace, 76ers

March 16th, 2012 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks' roster didn't undergo any changes at the trade deadline, but the team did make a major change in replacing coach Mike D'Antoni with Mike Woodson. Woodson's offense will de-emphasize the role of Jeremy Lin, focusing more on isolation plays, as Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. For his part, Lin appears ready to embrace the changes, even if it means a major reduction to his minutes, says the Post's Tim Bontemps. Here are a few more Friday morning notes on the Knicks and a couple other Atlantic Division squads:

  • While at one point it seemed like a lock that the Knicks would use their mid-level exception to re-sign Lin this summer, that isn't such a sure thing now. Howard Beck of the New York Times and Marc Berman, in his piece linked above, both suggest that the chances of Lin remaining a Knick long-term have taken a hit with the departure of D'Antoni.
  • Carmelo Anthony is ready to take the blame for D'Antoni's offense not working for the Knicks, but not for the coach's departure. "I do everything in my power to try not to get the coach fired," Anthony tells Berman, in a separate column.
  • The Nets sent a top-three protected draft pick in yesterday's Gerald Wallace trade, and Chad Ford of ESPN.com explains the logic (via Twitter): There are apparently only three players the Nets love in the upcoming draft, in Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Thomas Robinson. I'm not sure about this logic — those guys aren't necessarily the consensus top three picks, for one.
  • Another detail of the Wallace trade, per Mike Tokito of The Oregonian (via Twitter): the Nets put no precondition on Wallace opting in or out of the final year of his deal. Tokito called New Jersey "desperate," which is rarely an adjective you hear describe a team that just made a good trade.
  • Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News likes what the 76ers did at the deadline, making only a small move to acquire Sam Young.
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Odds & Ends: McGee, Lee, Bradley

March 15th, 2012 at 12:01am CST by Chuck Myron

Tick, tock. Just hours to go before tomorrow's 2:00pm trade deadline. No deals went down today, but there's been no shortage of news. Here are the latest tidbits on trades and other NBA action:

  • Marc J. Spears reports the Wizards are actively trying to trade JaVale McGee, but a GM says Washington is "asking for the world" in return. (Twitter link) Tom Ziller of SB Nation adds detail. 
  • Alex Kennedy tweets that the price also appears to be too high for Courtney Lee, whom the Rockets are trying to move.   
  • Sean Deveney of the Sporting News passes along a nugget about the Celtics in a larger roundup, reporting that the team would be willing to trade Avery Bradley for a big man. Perhaps that's the player they have in mind in a potential deal for J.J. Hickson. 
  • With the NCAA tournament getting in full swing tomorrow, ESPN's Chad Ford breaks down the top NBA draft prospects in the Midwest Region. He's also looked at the East and the South, with the West sure to come next. (Insider only) 
  • Adam Zagoria of SNY looks at likely lottery picks Andre Drummond and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as they gear up for the postseason.
  • In a basketball-baseball crossover story, Warriors co-owner Peter Guber has joined forces with Magic Johnson in a bid to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to a Bloomberg News report by Scott Soshnick. 
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Draft Notes: Harkless, Barnes, 2013

March 10th, 2012 at 6:52pm CST by Ryan Raroque
Along the impending excitement surrounding March Madness lies the opportunity for college players to solidify or increase their stock in the eyes of NBA scouts. We take a look at a few names that could be headlining the draft on June 28 as well as introduce you to the hoopla surrounding one name to consider for 2013.  
  • Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com writes that St. John's freshman forward Moe Harkless is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks concerning whether or not he will leave for this year's NBA Draft. Harkless is currently projected to be the 21st pick by DraftExpress.com. 
  • Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer provides her take on Harrison Barnes of North Carolina and lists her projection of the top 10 players of this year's draft. 
  • Rick Bonnell of CharlotteObserver.com takes a more comprehensive look at Kentucky's Anthony Davis, who appears to have a great chance at being this year's #1 pick if he turns pro. 
  • Pete Thamel, writing for the New York Times, examines the fevered world around high school senior Nerlens Noel, projected by Draft Express as the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft. He's surrounded by college recruiters aplenty and is being sought by a representative with Creative Artists Agency.
  • Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com gives you his updated list of the top 100 prospects of the upcoming draft.

 

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Draft Notes: Lillard, Moser, Calipari

March 9th, 2012 at 5:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

With less than 48 hours to go before the NCAA tournament brackets are revealed and conference tournaments nearing their climaxes, many basketball fans are turning their attention to the college game, even with the NBA trade deadline looming. NBA diehards, not to mention plenty of NBA scouts, will be taking a hard look at draft prospects the next few weeks. With that in mind, here are a few draft-related notes:

  • The NCAA tournament is always full of top prospects, but several are on teams that won't be a part of it, notes ESPN's Chad Ford. Weber State point guard Damian Lillard, Illinois center Meyers Leonard and North Texas forward Tony Mitchell all fall into this category. (Insider only)
  • Tommy Dee of Sheridan Hoops takes a look at UNLV forward Mike Moser.
  • Kentucky coach John Calipari has met with Billy Hunter, executive director of the players union, to see what it would take to get the union to agree to do away with one-and-done players in college, reports Steve Wieberg of USA Today. Calipari is seeking a two-year waiting period between high school and the NBA for players, instead of just one.
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Odds & Ends: Randolph, Carter, Bulls, Vazquez

March 6th, 2012 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

While the returns of J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler from the Chinese Basketball Association grabbed more headlines over the last month or so, there are other former NBA players still returning from overseas in search of NBA gigs. One such player is former 76ers forward Shavlik Randolph, who averaged 24.7 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in China this season. According to Sportando, Randolph is "in serious talks" with two NBA clubs and could sign a deal soon. While we wait to see if the Duke product can find his way back to an NBA roster, let's check out a few more links from around the league….

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