2012 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: John Henson, Hawks, Perkins

June 17th, 2012 at 12:30pm CST by Daniel Seco

Kevin Durant and the Thunder take on the Heat in a pivotal Game 3 this evening in Miami with the series tied at one game a piece. With his 68 points through the first two games of the Finals, Durant trails only Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan for the most points in a player's first two career Finals games. Let's check in on the latest news and stories making headlines from around the league as the Heat look to improve on their 1-2 record in Games 3s during the 2012 playoffs…

Bobcats’ Success Predicated On Top 5 Picks

June 17th, 2012 at 10:09am CST by Daniel Seco

Selecting in the top five of the draft is nothing new for the Bobcats as they find themselves in such a position for the fourth time in franchise history this year, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Unfortunately for Charlotte, none of its previous three top-five selections remain with the team as Emeka Okafor, Raymond Felton and Adam Morrison are all either with another franchise or out of the league. With all of their former potential franchise players elsewhere, the Bobcats finished the 2011/2012 season with a 7-59 record, which amounted to the worst winning percentage in league history.

Draft Updates: Saturday

June 16th, 2012 at 8:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Harrison Barnes and Bradley Beal go head-to-head in a workout today for the Cavs that could determine who the team takes with the fourth overall pick. We'll be keeping an eye on that, as well as all other draft-related news with a dozen days to go until teams make their selections. Already today we've heard some news regarding teams shopping their picks from Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, and there's plenty more to share here. We'll update this post throughout the day, with the latest news on top.

Earlier updates:

Syracuse center Fab Melo tells HoopsWorld's Stephen Litel that he is emulating Tim Duncan in his style of play.
Morley Quatroche of WEEI.com looks at Miles Plumlee as a potential draft target for the Celtics.
Paul Coro of AZCentral.com says that the Suns are looking to improve their offense in the draft.
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel looks at a handful of guards who have worked out for the Bucks recently.
Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.com talks to Iona's Scott Machado, who is attempting to raise his profile ahead of the draft.

Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge provides a transcript of Andre Drummond's comments after his workout with the Blazers today.
Agent Mark MacGillivray says big man Reeves Nelson, who was dismissed from the UCLA basketball team this past season, worked out Thursday for the Lakers, HoopsHype reports.
WEEI.com continues its series on prospects and how they'd fit with the Celtics, with Morley Quatroche profiling Tyler Zeller and Jashvina Shah looking at Kim English.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld shares a number of draft rumors in his chat, including his thoughts on several sleepers, with shooting guard Orlando Johnson chief among them.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has a list of the half dozen players who worked out for the Magic today. That group didn't include injured power forward Kevin Jones, who interviewed with the team instead.
Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com says Bradley Beal emerged with a slight edge over Harrison Barnes after today's one-on-one workout for the Cavs, but cautions that it doesn't mean the team has made up its mind about the fourth pick (Twitter links).
Small forward Quincy Miller has added 17 pounds to his 6'10" frame since the end of his season at Baylor, bringing his weight up to 220 pounds, tweets Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Noah Hartsock has only an outside shot to get drafted, and he's still recovering from ankle surgery in late March, as Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. The 6'8" forward has a deal lined up with a team in Belgium, but he a handful of other players took part in a workout for the Jazz today, Luhm says, and Hartsock will participate in a group workout for the Warriors tomorrow, according to Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets the latest workout schedules for players near the top of the draft board. Damian Lillard will audition Sunday for the Warriors. The Bobcats will look at Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bradley Beal on Monday, and Harrison Barnes will work out Tuesday for the Wizards.
Andre Drummond, one of a group of players working out today for the Blazers, goes in front of the Wizards on Monday and the Bobcats and Cavs after that, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports. (Twitter links)
During his workout for the Hornets, Arnett Moultrie connected with coach Monty Williams, and now the Mississippi State big man is "openly rooting" for New Orleans to take him with the No. 10 pick, writes Scott Howard-Cooper on NBA.com.
In the same piece, Howard-Cooper profiles Perry Jones III, explains why 7'4" Turkish center Dusan Cantekin could be passed over on draft night, and notes that John Henson is slowed by an ankle injury.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identifies 10 teams trying to trade either up or down in the draft.
Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com unveils the latest version of his mock draft, which encompasses both the first and second rounds.
Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld ranks the draft's small forwards, beginning with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
In Sacramento for a workout with the Kings, Terrence Jones invoked comparisons to Lamar Odom and Marvin Williams in describing his versatility as an asset, writes Matt Kawahara of the Sacramento Bee.
In his mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star says there's "very little chance" the Raptors will find a starter with the eighth pick, which leads Smith to speculate that the team will use the selection to fill its need for a backup guard.
David Mayo of MLive compares three North Carolina prospects with whom the Pistons have had contact: Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller.
John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks at Moe Harkless and Hollis Thompson, two players who worked out Friday for the Sixers, and how they'd fit in with the team.
In a pair of Celtics-themed features for WEEI.com, Morley Quatroche breaks down point guard Damian Lillard and Jashvina Shah looks at small forward Kris Joseph.
Second-round longshot Larry Anderson, a shooting guard from Long Beach State, will participate in a workout for the Bucks today, according to the team's website.

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Charlotte Observer On Bobcats, Draft, Free Agency

June 16th, 2012 at 5:30pm CST by Sean Highkin

The Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell and Tom Sorensen have published several new articles today, covering different aspects of the Bobcats' past and future as the 2012 NBA Draft approaches. The Bobcats hold the second overall pick in the draft.

Woelfel On Draft, Trades, Jennings

June 16th, 2012 at 8:53am CST by Chuck Myron

Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times tweeted last night about the workout the Bucks have scheduled today for wing players Will Barton and Evan Fournier, as we noted in our roundup of Friday's draft rumors. Woelfel has a full report today on those two and fringe draft pick Ramone Moore, who's also working out for the Bucks today. He also shares news from around the league on a possible extension for Brandon Jennings, teams willing to trade draft picks, and rising and falling draft stocks.

Draft Updates: Friday

June 15th, 2012 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday's roundup of draft links included a ton of updates on workouts and speculation on where certain players may land. We expect more of the same today, so we'll track today's draft notes right here, adding new items to the top of the list throughout the day….

Anthony Davis has decided to hire Wasserman Media Group to represent him, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The former Kentucky star will work out for the Hornets on Tuesday, tweets Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com.
The Jazz will host six players on Saturday for a pre-draft workout, according to a team press release. The participants will include Kim English, Jorge Gutierrez, Noah Hartsock, Robbie Hummel, Toure' Murry and Malik Wayns.

Earlier updates:

Perry Jones III, Terrence Jones, Arnett Moultrie, and John Henson will work out against one another for the Suns tomorrow, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld explores whether John Henson is a perfect fit for the Pistons at No. 9.
Andre Drummond has an individual workout with the Wizards scheduled for Monday, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
In a series of tweets, Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News lists the prospects the Pistons have worked out this week.
We rounded up a handful of draft rumors from ESPN.com's Andy Katz in a separate post.
Damian Lillard to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (Twitter link) on the possibility of being drafted by the Trail Blazers: "I could see it happening. And I hope so. I think I really fit in here."
The Nuggets have a six-player workout scheduled for Monday, according to a team press release. Will Barton, Royce White, Andrew Nicholson, Marquis Teague, Tyshawn Taylor, and Kevin Murphy are the participants.
Evan Fournier and Will Barton will work out for the Bucks tomorrow, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter).
ESPN.com's David Thorpe (Insider link) examines potential targets for the 76ers at No. 15, concluding that Terrence Jones could be the best fit.
The Wizards will work out Harrison Barnes next Tuesday, tweets Michael of the Washington Post.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist believes the Wizards would be a playoff team if they drafted him third overall, he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Kidd-Gilchrist is working out alone for Washington, with Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross, and Tomas Satoransky in a group workout, tweets Lee.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com has published his latest mock draft for Yahoo! Sports.
SI.com's Sam Amick takes a look at Andre Drummond's stock, and says the Hornets haven't made a draft-day promise to Austin Rivers.
At Raptors.com, Jay Satur has the list of prospects working out for the Raptors today.

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Amico On Bulls, Sloan, Blazers, Crawford

June 15th, 2012 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Within the last week, both Sam Smith of Bulls.com and Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com concocted trade scenarios in which the Bulls acquire Tyreke Evans from the Kings, increasing speculation about such a deal. But Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio hears from multiple sources that there's nothing to the idea, and that it's not something that's being discussed by the two teams. That tidbit comes from Amico's Thursday column, and he's back with another piece today, so let's take a look at the highlights:

Bulls GM Talks Draft, Rose, Asik, Mirotic

June 15th, 2012 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

Despite an early and disappointing end to this year's season, Bulls GM Gar Forman remains optimistic about his team's long-term future. Forman appeared on BullsTV this week to answer fans' questions, and opened up a little on a few topics, including his plans for the draft, Derrick Rose's rehab, and the futures of a couple young big men. Here are some of the highlights from the GM, courtesy of Adam Fluck at Bulls.com….

On the draft and the Bulls' lone pick at No. 29:

"We feel pretty good about where we’re at with No. 29. It’s a deep draft and we’ll be able to address a need with our pick and get a player that’s going to fit into our team, both from a culture standpoint and from a strategic standpoint…. As always, we’re not looking at specific needs. We’ll draft who we feel is the best player available."

On Rose's recovery from ACL surgery:

"He’s been diligent in his rehab, he’s made tremendous progress, and the surgery, obviously, was a huge success. The biggest thing that’s been encouraging about Derrick has been his mentality towards the rehab. He’s working each and every day, putting a lot of effort into it, and we’re optimistic that if he continues to make the type of progress that he has, that we’ll see Derrick back on the floor at some point next season."

On restricted free agent Omer Asik:

"Omer is very, very important to us. We see him as a key piece of our team moving forward. We think he’s shown the potential to continue to improve. We’re looking forward to getting a chance to sit down with him on July 1st. But it’s certainly our intention to have Omer Asik in a Chicago Bulls uniform long term."

On 21-year-old Nikola Mirotic, whose NBA rights the Bulls hold:

"He’ll remain under contract with [Euroleague's] Real Madrid for the next couple years. But it’s certainly our goal and our expectation that Nikola will be in a Chicago Bulls uniform somewhere down the line. We’ll continue to monitor his progress and feel really good about the development that’s taking place…. He’s seeing major minutes for Real Madrid. When he does come over, we think he’s really got a chance to be a key piece to what we’re trying to put together."

On the team's long-term outlook:

"We’ve hit a bump in the road. We’re going to take a step back short term. But long term, we’re in as good of position as we feel we’ve ever been in. We’ve got some quality young players and we’ve got some assets on the horizon. We don’t have a lot of financial flexibility right now, but we will in the future."

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Draft Updates: Thursday

June 14th, 2012 at 8:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The countdown until the 2012 draft is down to two weeks, and this week has been heavy on workouts and trade speculation. We'll track the latest news and rumors on both fronts, along with a handful of other draft-related items, right here. New updates will be added to the top of the page throughout the day….

According to their official website, the Pacers will work out Evan Fournier, Ashton Gibbs, Travis Hyman, John Jenkins, Josh Owens, and Tony Wroten Jr. on Friday.

Earlier updates:

Charles F. Gardner Journal Sentinel reported that the Bucks hosted a pre-draft workout today which featured Tyler Zeller, Meyers Leonard, Fab Melo, and Kyle O'Quinn.
Aside from Anthony Davis, ESPN's Ric Bucher thinks that this year's draft still contains big men with star potential, focusing specifically on Andre Drummond, Meyers Leonard, and Thomas Robinson (Insiders only).
Sean Meagher of The Oregonian presents the video interview of Perry Jones III after his workout for the Trail Blazers.
Nate Mulberg of CSN Philly discusses the mutual interest between the 76ers and Terrence Ross.
Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld quoted an NBA executive who thinks that the lottery is loaded with impact rotation players, but not impact starters. Pincus also offered highlights from interviews with JaMychal Green and Kevin Jones.
Tomorrow's workout schedule for the Wizards includes Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross, and Tomas Satoransky, according to Michael Lee of The Washington Post (Twitter link). Gene Wang, also of The Washington Post, wrote about today's workout with Hollis Thompson.
Stephen Hewitt of WEEI.com provided a breakdown of Mitchell Watt, a 6'10'' forward out of Buffalo who could be a realistic target for the Celtics' second round pick (51st overall).
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com wrote an interesting piece on the mental toughness of 27-year-old draft hopeful Bernard James, a 6'10'' power forward who served in the Air Force and did tours in Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq before starring at Florida State. Howard-Cooper also tweeted an update on John Henson, saying that he has no plans to rest his injured ankle in the midst of upcoming workouts with the Suns, Rockets, Bucks, Cavaliers, Raptors, Pistons, and 76ers.
Darren Heitner of Sports Agent Blog briefly documents the separation of Renardo Sidney and his agent, Johnny Foster.
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld believes John Jenkins and the Bulls could be a perfect fit at pick No. 29.
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com published the second version of his mock draft today.
Thomas Robinson will work out for the Bobcats on June 22nd, according to SI.com's Sam Amick (Sulia link). Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com calls Robinson the "clear frontrunner" to be picked second overall (Twitter link).
Jeremy Lamb turned an ankle at his Raptors workout this morning, but it's not serious, tweets Sam Amick of SI. According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (via Twitter), the ankle is sprained, and Lamb will cancel at least his workout with the Blazers.
The Sixers announced in a press release today that they'll work out Moe Harkless and Hollis Thompson tomorrow.
Arnett Moultrie is the biggest name among the six players working out for the Trail Blazers today, tweets Joe Freeman of the Oregonian.
Harrison Barnes and Bradley Beal will work out against one another for the Cavaliers on Saturday, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The two players are the most likely candidates to be picked at No. 4 by Cleveland, so that will be an intriguing workout.
Discussing potential targets for the Bobcats if they trade their No. 2 pick, Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com names James Harden as a possibility. It's not clear of Goodman's source, who says Harden "could be in play," means the Bobcats will pursue Harden or the Thunder could make him available. Either way, I'm skeptical about how realistic that scenario is. Even with the long-term cap restraints facing the Thunder, overhauling the roster mere days after making the Finals seems unlikely.
SI.com's Sam Amick examines the question marks surrounding John Henson and the rising stock of Miles Plumlee in his latest draft piece.
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld compares Perry Jones III to Jordan Hamilton, who slipped to 26th overall last year because most teams thought the risk outweighed the upside. Within the same piece, Kyler also says the odds the Bobcats keep a player the select at No. 2 overall are "extremely slim."
The Raptors have a big day of workouts scheduled, with Jeremy Lamb highlighting the first session, Austin Rivers in the second, and Harrison Barnes in an individual workout. Jay Satur of Raptors.com has the details. Unfortunately, Eric Koreen of the National Post passes along a bit of bad news from the first session, tweeting that Lamb left the workout with an apparent injury.
Chad Ford tries his hand at predicting where the players on the first-round bubble will land in an Insider piece for ESPN.com.
Will Barton and five other prospects will work out for the Pacers today, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
The Pistons' workouts so far suggest they're eyeing big men not just with their first-round pick but in the second round as well, says Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
Bucks.com profiles the prospects that Milwaukee will be working out today.
Damian Lillard thinks he's ready to be an NBA starter, but he probably won't be a fit for the Kings at No. 5, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

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Woelfel On Bucks, Phil Jackson, Kwame Brown

June 14th, 2012 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

It was easy to miss in the midst of our flurry of draft updates on Wednesday, but Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times weighed in yesterday to discuss the Bucks' options with the 12th overall pick. According to Woelfel, Milwaukee has zeroed in on a short list of prospects, mostly big men, for pick No. 12 — Meyers Leonard, Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Perry Jones III, and Terrence Ross are among the team's targets.

Woelfel also shared a few more tidbits from around the NBA in his column, so let's dive in….