2013 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Links: Oladipo, Wiggins, Noel, Gordon

April 2nd, 2013 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

UNLV's Anthony Bennett is the latest NCAA underclassmen to be added to our list of 2013 early entrants, and with a number of deadlines on the calendar for April, that list figures to continue growing exponentially in the coming weeks. Here are the latest updates and stories on the 2013 NBA draft:

Indiana's Victor Oladipo remains noncommittal on whether he'll enter this year's draft, as he tells Andy Katz of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Jeff Rabjohns of Peegs.com): "I haven’t even really thought about that yet." I'm guessing that when he eventually does think about it, Oladipo will decide to go pro.
Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com agrees that Oladipo should and will go pro, and takes a look at another 30+ underclassmen, weighing whether or not they should stay in school.
NBA executives tell Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (writing for SheridanHoops.com) that this year's draft would look entirely different if not for the NBA's age restrictions. Zagoria breaks down how the lottery might play out with no age limit, suggesting that Andrew Wiggins and three other prep players could be selected in the top five before Kentucky's Nerlens Noel. A pair of scouts also share their hypothetical mock lotteries, with Wiggins first and Noel second.
Aaron Gordon, one of the prep stars in Zagoria's top four, announced today that he'll attend Arizona, as Jeff Borzello of CBSSports.com details.
For underclassmen projected to be selected in the first round this year, returning to school is a high-risk, low-reward move, argues Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Aran Smith of HoopsHype.com has updated his 2013 mock draft.

Anthony Bennett To Enter Draft

April 2nd, 2013 at 7:48am CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 2ND: Bennett officially announced yesterday in a press conference at UNLV's Mendenhall Center that he will enter the 2013 NBA draft.

MARCH 25TH: UNLV's first-round loss to California last week in the NCAA Tournament last week may be the last game Anthony Bennett plays as a Runnin' Rebel. Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports reports that the Canadian forward is expected to officially announce later this week that he'll enter the NBA draft.

In his freshman year at UNLV, Bennett averaged 16.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 27.1 minutes per contest, shooting 53.3% from the field. The 20-year-old is widely considered a lock to be a lottery pick if he enters the 2013 draft, and is currently ranked fifth overall among '13 prospects by both ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.

So far, Tony Mitchell of North Texas and Eric Moreland of Oregon State are the only underclassmen to formally declare their intent to enter the NBA draft, though plenty will follow in the coming weeks.

Odds & Ends: Free Agency, Draft, Marketability

April 1st, 2013 at 4:50pm CST by Alex Lee

As more teams are eliminated from playoff contention, fans will undoubtedly turn some of their attention to this summer's free agent crop and draft, looking for a quick-fix that will land their team back in the playoffs next year. As a result, we are sure to see an increase in the publication of free agency and draft rankings. Let's look at a few lists here, as well as some other notes from around the league:

Amin Elhassan, formerly of the Suns front office, ranks this summer's top 30 free agents for ESPN Insiders based on the average annual value (AAV) that he believes the player deserves. Among other things, Elhassan says that he considered the following factors: age, injury history, value of recent comparable player contracts, irreplaceability of skill set, contribution to winning, history of production, fit with style and culture, marketability and current cap situation.
Also from ESPN, Israel Gutierrez and a panel from the TrueHoop Network break down how some of the offseason's top free agents compare to one another. Of the five presented comparisons, the only consensus is that Brandon Jennings is more valuable than his teammate Monta Ellis.
We saw a pair of underclassmen declare their intent to enter the draft earlier today. Jeff Goodman of CBS gives his take on which of the other underclassmen should follow suit. The players have until April 16 to reverse their declaration if they want to maintain their college eligibility. Also, Goodman links to his early entry tracker.
Jonathan Givony tweets that his Draft Express Top 100 was updated today, with the players headed back to school removed. Hoops Rumors' Prospect Profile series page is sorted based on Givony's rankings, and should become more complete every week as we approach the June 27 draft date.
David Aldridge of NBA.com gives his take on the point guards that will be available in June's draft, concluding that while there isn't a Kyrie Irving-type of star within the crop, there are plenty of solid pros available. The strength of this draft has consistently been downplayed throughout the year, but we are now starting to see more experts, like Aldridge, suggest that what it lacks in star power, the crop makes up for in depth.
Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops releases his first mock draft, projecting a top three of Nerlens Noel, Marcus Smart and Ben McLemore.
There's uneasiness among executives regarding
the marketability of the NBA going forward, along with a "healthy"
level of doubt about incoming commissioner Adam Silver, according
to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who wonders
whether tanking and side stories are overshadowing the games.

Draft Rumors: Noel, Zeller, McLemore, Porter

April 1st, 2013 at 3:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

A pair of underclassmen declared their intentions to enter the NBA draft today, with N.C. State's C.J. Leslie and Kentucky's Archie Goodwin entering the mix. Here's more of what we're hearing with the draft now less than three months away:

The tournament bracket makes it clear which NCAA teams are winners, but Ben Standig of CSNWashington sorts through the March Madness winners and losers as it pertains to the draft.
Standig cites Kentucky center Nerlens Noel as a winner, and Sean Deveney of The Sporting News agrees, even though Noel has been out since February with a torn ACL (Twitter link). Other contenders to be the No. 1 overall pick, like Cody Zeller, Ben McLemore, Otto Porter and Marcus Smart all faltered, Deveney observes.
Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com unveils the initial version of his mock draft, and has Noel going first overall, followed by Smart and McLemore.
A Western Conference GM tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that six or seven members of the 2014 draft class would be in the mix for the No. 1 pick if they were eligible this year (Twitter link).
A GM who spoke to Dave Telep of ESPN.com echoed that sentiment, citing five potential All-Stars who could be in next year's draft: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle and Andrew Harrison (Twitter link).

Goodwin To Enter Draft; Cauley-Stein, Wiltjer Won’t

April 1st, 2013 at 10:40am CST by Chuck Myron

Kentucky shooting guard Archie Goodwin will enter the draft, while center Willie Cauley-Stein will stay in school, the university announced, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Fellow CBSSports.com scribe Gary Parrish tweets that Kyle Wiltjer will also remain at Kentucky. Forward Alex Poythress, another Kentucky underclassman, is leaning toward entering the draft, though he has not finalized his decision, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link).

There's no word on Nerlens Noel, the most highly ranked prospect of the bunch, though he seems a decent bet to enter the draft, since he's still in the running for the No. 1 pick despite a torn ACL that prematurely ended his season. Goodwin, Cauley-Stein and Poythress hinted that they might return to school after a disappointing loss to Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT. That Wiltjer is returning is no shock, considering neither DraftExpress.com nor ESPN rank the sophomore in their top 100 prospect lists.

Goodwin is not hiring an agent, according to Kentucky's press release, so he can still withdraw before the NCAA's April 16th deadline to do so. He's ranked No. 24 on ESPN's list and No. 18 by DraftExpress, while Cauley-Stein checked in at No. 18 and No. 21, respectively. Even though the rankings for both freshmen are roughly equivalent, Goodman praised both for their decisions, citing what he feels is Cauley-Stein's need for another year of seasoning (Twitter link).

C.J. Leslie To Enter Draft

April 1st, 2013 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 9:44pm: The school formally announced via Twitter that Leslie will enter the draft (hat tip to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer).

TUESDAY, 12:52pm: Shortly after we heard news that Lorenzo Brown is expected to formally declare his intent for the NBA draft later this week, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (via Twitter) that Brown's N.C. State teammate C.J. Leslie will enter the draft as well.

Like Brown, Leslie played well in what figures to be his final game with the Wolfpack, scoring 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the team's loss to Temple last Friday. For the season, the 6'8" forward averaged 15.1 PPG and 7.4 RPG.

A year after deciding to return to N.C. State for his junior year, Leslie may find that his draft stock has slipped slightly. When Leslie made his decision last April, he was ranked 28th and 34th respectively on Chad Ford's and Jonathan Givony's lists of prospects for 2012. Currently, the 21-year-old is ranked 35th by Ford and 43rd by Givony for 2013.

Draft Notes: McLemore, McGary, Leslie, Smith

March 31st, 2013 at 7:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The list of 2013 early draft entrants continues to grow and its little surprise – in a weak talent pool, many players who would typically be keeping their fingers crossed in the second round are likely to go in the first and come away with guaranteed contracts. Staying in school and waiting for the 2014 draft doesn't just mean jumping into a tougher draft – it means being a part of one of the best draft classes in years. As March Madness continues, here's a look at today's draft news..

HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis released his latest mock draft today and still has Ben McLemore at No. 1, despite Kansas' early exit from the tournament. Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart is slated to go second with injured Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel going third.
C.J. Leslie is likely to announce his intentions to enter the draft tomorrow, sources tell Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). We heard last week that the 6'8" forward was planning to enter the draft like teammate Lorenzo Brown.
If Michigan big man Mitch McGary were to enter the draft, Goodman (on Twitter) hears from one NBA GM that he would be a late first-round choice. While NBA scouts might be high on the March hero, there's no indication yet that he'll be going pro this summer.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com (via Twitter) agrees that McGary would go in round one and also sees Louisville's Russ Smith as a guy who could go inside of the first 30 picks. Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. and Syracuse's C.J. Fair could also vault themselves up draft boards thanks to strong tournament play.

Washburn On Martin, Dooling, Draft

March 31st, 2013 at 12:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe delivers noteworthy news from around the Association in the latest installment of his weekly column, which blends a review of the top storylines from the past week with fresh news from league sources. We'll pass along the latter here:

Washburn wonders if Kenyon Martin's resurgence with the Knicks late this season will help his free agent stock in the summer, though the veteran big man isn't looking for a change of scenery. "I would love to stay a Knick," Martin said. "I don’t want to go nowhere. I am proving to this organization what I can be and who I am as a person on and off the court, and I think they see that. I’m here now and I’m going to make the best of this opportunity."
Keyon Dooling, whom the Grizzlies are reportedly considering, wanted to come out of retirement with the Celtics earlier this season, but he's barred from signing from Boston for a year after the team waived him in September, according to Washburn. I'm unaware of any such restriction under the collective bargaining agreement, but since the CBA isn't a public document, this could be a rule we're simply learning about for the first time.
Washburn expects several underclassmen who are on the fence about entering the draft to go ahead and do so, given the perceived weakness of this year's field. Of course, not everyone benefits from early entry. Washburn caught up with Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, who believes his brother, Bulls rookie Marquis Teague, should have stayed in college one more year.

Larkin Expected To Test Draft Waters

March 30th, 2013 at 5:41pm CST by Ryan Raroque

University of Miami guard Shane Larkin is expected to submit his name for this year's NBA Draft with the possibility of withdrawing, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.

After seeing about an 11 MPG increase in playing time in 2012-13, the 5'11 sophomore nearly doubled his scoring and assists averages relative to his freshman season, producing 14.5 PPG and 4.6 APG this year (compared to 7.4 and 2.5 in 2011-12). Larkin's field goal percentages (47.9% overall and 40.6% from long range) along with a two steals per game are worth noting as well.

Byron Larkin, Shane's uncle and adviser, spoke about the likelihood that his nephew tests the draft waters: “That’s probably what is going to happen…That’s what they’re going to do. You want to get as much information as possible. We’ll probably have (Miami coach Jim) Larranaga get some opinions on where he stands and he’ll sit down with Shane."

Larranaga, who has already spoken to some NBA personnel and hears that it's too early to determine where Larkin could be drafted, also agreed that Shane would likely submit his name into consideration. Though there is no final decision as of right now, the general feeling is that there is no harm in getting a feel for his standing as a draft prospect, whether or not Larkin decides to stay in Miami or leave for the NBA soon.

Prospect Profile: Ben McLemore

March 29th, 2013 at 10:16pm CST by Alex Lee

While his college career is likely over – Kansas lost in the Sweet 16 tonight to Michigan in overtime – the biggest of basketball games are still to come for Jayhawks freshman Ben McLemore. The 6-foot-5 silky-smooth shooting guard from St. Louis is one of a handful of candidates to be the first named called at June 27’s NBA Draft. Assuming he declares for the draft – and all indications are that he will – McLemore is a virtual lock to go in the top five.

McLemore, ranked second on the Draft Express Top 100, has everything you want in a shooting guard – elite athleticism, good size/length and picture-perfect form on his jump shot. Using his length, he has shown the ability to be a plus defender. Jayhawks head coach Bill Self described McLemore as the most talented kid he has ever coached. As a freshman, McLemore averaged 15.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2 assists per game.

But the path to get to those solid numbers has been anything but steady for the freshman, perhaps best evidenced by the four games prior to tonight’s contest against Michigan. Against North Carolina last Sunday, McLemore went 0-for-9 from the field and finished with 2 points. His three games before that – 11, 5 and 10 points – gave him a collective 8-for-26 effort from the field over that vital four game span.

It is this inconsistency that has fueled increasing skepticism about whether McLemore is worthy of the draft’s top selection. He clearly possesses all the tools for NBA stardom. In 37 games this year, McLemore topped the 23-point mark eight times, three times dropping 30. But he also scored in single-digits six times.

The looming question on McLemore has begun to proliferate. If this is McLemore against college competition, how long until he can score consistently at the NBA level? Because make no mistake about it, McLemore will have to be a consistent scorer in the NBA to justify where he will be drafted. To his credit, the freshman bounced back against Michigan tonight, hitting four treys en route to 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting in a losing effort.

McLemore’s faults really seem to typecast him in that “long on talent, short on feel” mold. His ball handling, particularly with regard to creating his own shot, needs work. Some question his competitiveness and his feel for the game, though he has shown above average shot selection. It is easy to point to these shortcomings to explain how it’s possible for such a gifted offensive player to disappear at times.

But regardless of the questions about him, those gifts are exactly what will land McLemore a top five selection come June 27. His form, quick release and athleticism give him a “perfect world” ceiling of Ray Allen. He is also likely to get compared to Bradley Beal since he is likely to be drafted in a similar spot and their obvious sharp-shooting similarities. But he has a few inches on Beal and is a more explosive athlete.

With reports of skepticism on the rise, expect McLemore to be a hot topic come the pre-draft workout period. He has tools that will make NBA talent evaluators drool, all he will have to do is convince one of them that he has the mental game to go with it and he will be one of the first names called.