2013 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: McGary, Burke, Smith, Bennett

April 7th, 2013 at 4:21pm CST by Zachary Links

After looking at UNLV's Anthony Bennett in the latest installment of Hoops Rumors' Prospect Profile series earlier today, here's a roundup of today's draft news..

Mitch McGary's performance in the NCAA tournament for Michigan is solidifying the freshman center's stock as a first-round pick in the eyes of NBA scouts, notes Aran Smith of NBADraft.net (Twitter link). McGary has turned a lot of heads in recent weeks, but there's no indication yet that he'll jump into this year's draft.
Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld released his latest mock draft and has Michigan point guard Trey Burke climbing all the way to No. 5 on his board. Meanwhile, Bennett falls outside of the top ten in this mock draft, despite the fact that many talent evaluators see him as a top five prospect.
Louisville guard Russ Smith says that he's leaning towards staying in school, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The 6-foot guard is currently busy getting set for tomorrow night's championship clash with Michigan.
McGary's stock is through the roof, writes Zagoria.

Odds & Ends: Rockets, Wilkins, Llull, Hornets, Draft

April 5th, 2013 at 11:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

The remaking of the Rockets started not with the acquisition of James Harden but the hiring of coach Kevin McHale, writes Beckley Mason of ESPN.com. In a lengthy piece that examines Houston's philosophy, Mason points to Josh Smith and Andrew Bynum, the two free agents he sees as most likely to change teams in the offseason, as the sort of players the Rockets don't usually target. Yet fellow ESPN.com scribe Amin Elhassan, in an Insider piece, pegs Smith as a perfect fit in Houston. Elhassan looks at ideal destinations for four other marquee free agents, and as many teams start to ponder the summer in the last days of the regular season, here's the latest from around the Association:

Damien Wilkins' minimum-salary deal with the Sixers is up at the end of the season, but the 33-year-old tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that he has no intention of retiring and wants to play until he's 40 (Twitter link).
Spanish point guard Sergio Llull is considering heading to the NBA at some point but still has unfinished business with Real Madrid, as he tells Eurosport (translation via HoopsHype). The Rockets own his NBA rights.
The Hornets will look for a small forward and depth in the draft this year, tweets Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com.
Scouts generally see center Alex Len as a project, but they haven't been thrown by his up-and-down play for Maryland this season, valuing his athleticism and shooting range, according to Don Markus of The Baltimore Sun.
The rosters are out for this year's Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which features college seniors, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com analyzes the field. Only four players within Givony's top 100 are taking part, led by No. 45 prospect Solomon Hill.

Draft Updates: Thomas, Saric, Burke, Final Four

April 5th, 2013 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

In our latest round of draft updates, one potential first-rounder has declared for the draft, while another appears unlikely to do so and a third remains undecided. Let's dive in….

Ohio State forward Deshaun Thomas will forgo his senior year of NCAA ball and declare for the draft, the school announced today in a press release. Thomas, who averaged 19.8 PPG for the Buckeyes this season, is ranked 48th among this year's prospects by ESPN.com's Chad Ford and 57th by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, but at least one veteran NBA scout thinks the 21-year-old could be picked late in the first round, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
In a conversation with Esteban Novillo of Marca.com (English link via Sportando), international prospect Dario Saric indicated that he's not expecting to enter this year's draft, despite reports to the contrary. Saric wants to spend more time improving his game and hopes to eventually be a top-15 pick.
Trey Burke's mother, Ronda Burke, tells Eric Adelson of Yahoo! Sports that her son hasn't made a decision about entering this year's draft yet. It's no surprise that the Michigan guard and his family would want to delay any announcements until after this weekend's Final Four to avoid any distractions.
Burke will be one of the prospects to watch this weekend in Atlanta, according to ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link), who takes note of a few players who have a chance to increase their respective draft stocks in the Final Four.

Draft Updates: Thomas, Smart, Nash, Saric, Burke

April 4th, 2013 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

As we look forward to what should be a fun Final Four in the NCAA Tournament this weekend, let's check in on the latest updates on the 2013 NBA draft….

Memphis forward Adonis Thomas will forgo his last two years of NCAA eligibility and enter the draft, coach Josh Pastner confirmed to L. Jason Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Thomas, who will hire an agent, is ranked just outside of Chad Ford's top 100 list at ESPN.com, and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) questions his decision to leave Memphis.

Earlier updates:

ESPN.com's Chad Ford isn't ruling out the possibility that the No. 2 prospect on his board, Marcus Smart, returns to Oklahoma State, but Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com says Smart is leaning toward declaring for the draft. Within the same tweet, Goodman adds that Smart's teammate, LeBryan Nash, will remain in school.
Croatian prospect Dario Saric will enter the draft, reports Ford. The 18-year-old is being eyed as a "potential sleeper" by a number of teams, according to the ESPN.com scribe.
Michigan's Trey Burke is up to 7th on ESPN.com's big board, and could continue to rise with a strong performance against Syracuse this Saturday, according to Ford.
Gary Harris of Michigan State is believed to be leaning toward returning to school and undergoing shoulder surgery this summer, says Ford.
Multiple sources tell Ford that Kelly Olynyk is expected to declare for the '13 draft, though the Gonzaga big man hasn't made it official yet.
College coaches and players are aware that the NCAA's April 16th withdrawal deadline is relatively meaningless, writes ESPN.com's Andy Katz. Last month, we passed along Jonathan Givony's explanation for why that's the case.
Isaiah Sykes of Central Florida will declare for the draft, but won't hire an agent, giving him an opportunity to withdraw, tweets Goodman.

Allen Crabbe To Enter Draft

April 3rd, 2013 at 4:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Junior forward Allen Crabbe has elected to forgo his remaining year of college eligibility and enter the NBA draft, the University of California announced today in a press release.

"It has been a dream of mine to play at the next level for a long time and I feel deep down in my heart this is the right decision," Crabbe said in a statement. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Cal and learned a lot from my coaches and teammates. I will miss a lot of people at this University both in basketball and in school. I will always be a Golden Bear at heart."

Crabbe, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, is ranked 34th on Jonathan Givony's big board at DraftExpress.com and 29th by ESPN.com's Chad Ford, making him a candidate to go in the first round in June. Crabbe, who turns 21 tomorrow, averaged 18.4 PPG and 6.1 RPG in his final season with the Golden Bears.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Carlesimo, Kings, Mbakwe

April 3rd, 2013 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

One general manager of a playoff-bound team tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that he's happy his team won't have to deal with the draft lottery this season. While the GM stopped short of calling the 2013 draft class weak, he suggested that there won't be many immediate-impact guys, but that there could be some value picks later in the first round.

"This is the perfect draft for that type of situation — guys drafted later who go to good organizations and surprise," the GM said. "It always seem to happen whenever there’s a so-called 'bad' draft. That’s because the talent level among prospects seems to be very similar. No one’s really separated themselves."

Here are a few more Wednesday odds and ends from around the Association:

P.J. Carlesimo and the Nets have yet to discuss a contract extension for the interim head coach, which is okay with Carlesimo, as he tells Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. "The impression from Day 1 is that when the year is over, we’ll sit down and talk," Carlesimo said. "There was no expectation (for me) given."
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com presents a primer on the current status of the battle between Sacramento and Seattle for the Kings. The two investments groups vying for the franchise are currently in the process of making their presentations to the NBA.
Former New York Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum has joined Mark Bartelstein's Priority Sports & Entertainment agency. Tannenbaum will head the agency's new Coaches, Front Office & Broadcasters division, and will oversee contract negotiations for college and professional basketball and football coaches (Twitter links via Jeff Zilgitt of USA Today).
Lang Greene of HoopsWorld takes a look at some teams still owing significant money to players who are on the decline.
Minnesota senior Trevor Mbakwe has signed with agent Andy Miller of ASM Sports, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter).

Sergey Karasev To Enter Draft

April 3rd, 2013 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Russian forward Sergey Karasev will enter the 2013 NBA draft, the 19-year-old revealed to R-Sport today. Vladimir Spivak first reported (via Twitter) that Karasev was expected to declare his intent, with an official announcement on the way.

"I was thinking for a long time with my father and agent and we finally made the decision that I will put myself on the draft list this year," Karasev told R-Sport. "I've decided that I won't lose another year."

As Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com notes (via Twitter), Karasev isn't bound by NCAA restrictions, since he's an international prospect. So unlike NCAA underclassmen, Karasev will have the opportunity to gauge his stock up until 10 day before the June draft. If he withdraws his name by June 17th, he'd be eligible to re-enter next year.

While ESPN.com's Chad Ford rates Karasev as this year's 46th-best prospect, Givony appears more bullish on the Russian's potential, placing him 27th on his top 100 list. In the Russian Professional Basketball League this season, Karasev averaged 18.5 PPG in 11 contests. He also averaged 16.1 PPG in 11 Eurocup games, shooting 49.0% on three-pointers.

International Notes: Mbenga, Pruitt, Karasev

April 3rd, 2013 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The only official NBA roster move so far today saw Jannero Pargo ink a rest-of-season deal with the Bobcats. However, a handful of teams overseas have been active, so let's check in on a few transactions of note….

D.J. Mbenga, who was in camp with the Mavericks this fall and spent some time in China earlier in the season, has signed with Barako Bull Energy in the Philippines, the team announced on its Twitter account (hat tip to Sportando).
Former Celtic Gabe Pruitt has spent most of the season in the D-League, but is heading overseas to join Greek team AGOR Rethymno, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes.
Italian club Dinamo Sassari announced the signing of Drew Gordon, who went undrafted last summer (link via Sportando). The New Mexico product played with the Mavs in last July's Summer League, and started the 2012/13 season with Serbia's Partizan Belgrade.
Russian journalist Vladimir Spivak reports (via Twitter) that 19-year-old forward Sergey Karasev is expected to officially announce soon that he'll enter the 2013 NBA draft. Karasev, who is ranked as this year's 27th-best prospect by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, was said last month to be leaning toward not entering the draft, so we'll have to wait for official word from his camp.

Draft Notes: McGary, Risers, Adams, Thunder

April 2nd, 2013 at 9:31pm CST by Alex Lee

As more draft news pours in, be sure to check out our Early Entrants tracker which will be continuously updated as more underclassmen declare for the draft. Here are the latest news and notes on the NBA Draft:

Goodman also tweets that all signs still point toward Nerlens Noel entering the NBA Draft. Noel's rehab is "well ahead of schedule" according to Goodman, who adds that he doesn't envision Noel making an announcement by the April 16 NCAA deadline. Since he will likely sit out next season regardless, Noel has the luxury of being able to wait until the April 28 NBA deadline to make dis decision.

Earlier updates:

Despite his exploding draft stock, Michigan freshman sensation Mitch McGary will return to Ann Arbor for his sophomore season regardless of what happens in the Final Four, he told MLive.com's Kyle Meinke on Tuesday. McGary and Trey Burke have fueled the Wolverines run this March, and some draft experts think his performance was impressive enough to have moved him into the first round conversation.
In an Insiders Only piece, Chad Ford of ESPN included McGary in his list of five draft prospects who gave NBA scouts and GMs something positive to think about with their play in the NCAA Tournament. Also included are Louisville's Russ Smith, Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas and LaQuinton Ross, and Syracuse's C.J. Fair.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh 7-footer Steven Adams has decided to enter the NBA Draft, writes Jeff Goodman, adding that NBA executives have indicated to CBS Sports that Adams will be a first round pick. Adams, from New Zealand, averaged 7.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and two blocks per game as a freshman Panther. Goodman is told that Adams primary motivation is to provide for his family. Adams and his 18 siblings lost their father when he was 14.
Royce Young of Daily Thunder breaks down the draft odds for the Thunder, who stand an excellent chance of being able to utilize the protected pick they received in the James Harden deal now that the Raptors have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. The pick is top-3 and 15-30 protected and Toronto is currently tied for the seventh worst record. Young outlines who should be available at seven or eight, according to an assortment of big boards and mock drafts.
Here are a handful of early entry draft trackers, courtesy of Draft Express, ESPN and HoopsWorld.

Alex Poythress To Return To Kentucky

April 2nd, 2013 at 7:13pm CST by Alex Lee

Alex Poythress will return to Kentucky for his sophomore season, reports the Courier-Journal's Kyle Tucker (via Twitter). Yesterday, we heard that Poythress was leaning towards entering the draft. As Tucker points out via Twitter, Poythress' decision means the Wildcats will have at least eight McDonalds All-Americans and 10 top-40 recruits on the roster next year. Both of those numbers could go up by one if the Cats land Andrew Wiggins, who many believe is the front runner to be the No. 1 pick in 2014.

"I want to come back and do what we said we wanted to do and that's win a national title," Poythress said, adding, "I want to develop more as a player and the competition coming in next year should help me do that."

This decision is a curious one largely because Kentucky's roster is so insanely loaded next year. Per Tucker, John Calipari is quoted in the press release that he has "only scratched the surface" with Poythress. Yes, the 6-foot-7 forward could certainly improve under Cal for one more year. But those improvements may only be visible behind closed practice doors, as Poythress is likely to be buried on the bench unless he significantly improves, as Tucker points out.

According to Jeff Goodman of CBS, Poythress was told by NBA scouts he was a lock to be a first-round pick and could have even gone in the lottery had he come out. With that said, Goodman likes the decision, tweeting that even if Wiggins does commit to Kentucky, it only means that Poythress will stay for three years. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com agrees with the draft assessment of the NBA scouts, tweeting that Poythress' projection was the middle of the first round. Poythress's announcement comes only one day after teammates and fellow freshman Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer communicated their intent to return to Lexington.