2013 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Ford’s Latest: Bargnani, Kings, Granger, Draft

January 23rd, 2013 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Chad Ford's latest chat at ESPN.com includes a handful of trade-related inquiries along with plenty of draft questions. Let's dive in and check out the highlights from both categories….

While the Raptors would likely move Andrea Bargnani for any decent offer, Ford hasn't spoken to any general managers that are excited about making an offer for the former first overall pick.
The Kings could still be active before the trade deadline, but the Maloofs are still in charge of any decisions until the NBA Board of Governors makes a decision on the sale of the franchise. As such, most rival teams view the Kings' assets as "essentially frozen" for now.
Danny Granger is receiving assurances from the Pacers that he won't be traded, but Ford thinks Indiana would change that stance if the right offer came along. A young power forward or point guard could interest the Pacers, says Ford.
Ford spoke to five different NBA GMs this week who said they'd take Kansas guard Ben McLemore first overall next June.
Ford also adds that McLemore would be at the top of his personal top-five list for 2013, with UNLV's Anthony Bennett and Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State right behind him.

Odds & Ends: Raptors, Grizzlies, Mavs, Bynum

January 18th, 2013 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

As we look forward to an evening slate that includes a pair of contests between Eastern Conference contenders (Hawks/Nets and Bulls/Celtics), let's check in on a few odds and ends from around the NBA….

Appearing on Sportsnet 590 The Fan in Toronto yesterday, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said no trades are imminent for the team, but that he, president Bryan Colangelo, and executive VP Ed Stefanski talk about potential moves "every day." Kevin Nielsen has the quotes from Casey at Sportsnet.ca.
Mike Conley tells Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld that he hopes the trade rumors surrounding the Grizzlies don't amount to anything, since it would "hit us all hard" if anyone was dealt.
In a pair of Insider-only pieces for ESPN.com, Chad Ford examines 10 potential trade candidates, and breaks down some draft options for the Bobcats.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News suggests that finding a legit point guard is one of the Mavericks' top priorities, and says Jose Calderon wouldn't be a bad trade target for the team.
For the first time this season, there appears to be serious progress happening in Andrew Bynum's recovery, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider link) tries to find the most logical fit for Josh Smith, should the Hawks decide to trade him.

Odds & Ends: Seattle, Finley, Heisley, Arenas

January 17th, 2013 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing the media in London today, commissioner David Stern didn't share many new details about a possible sale of the Sacramento Kings, but he did confirm that the NBA hasn't been informed of any sale agreement with Chris Hansen's Seattle group, according to Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. As Stern watches the Knicks and Pistons play at the O2 Arena, let's round up a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

Following up on his piece yesterday in which he argued the NBA should give Seattle an expansion team rather than moving the Kings, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com addresses the arguments against expansion.
Michael Finley's agent has been in touch with 5-10 NBA teams that have expressed some level of interest in his client, Finley tells BasketUSA.com (link via Sportando). It's not clear how serious any of that interest is, but it seems Finley is still attempting to make an NBA comeback.
Although he says he hasn't had any conversations with team owners who may be interested in selling, former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has expressed some interest in buying another NBA team, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. "At least some people around the NBA know I am interested," Heisley said. "David Stern called me and asked if that was the case, and told him, 'Yeah.'"
Gilbert Arenas will explore his NBA options upon returning from China this season, but suggests that he may play in the CBA again next year, according to a Hupu.com report (translation via HoopsHype).
In their latest Insider-only draft preview piece on ESPN.com, Chad Ford and Jay Bilas discuss the current frontrunner to be picked first overall in June.
In another Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard talks to executives and scouts about John Wall's current stock.

Odds & Ends: Europe, Draft, Harden, Blatche

January 16th, 2013 at 9:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Recently, NBA commissioner David Stern said that he could see a franchise in Europe sometime in the next couple of decades. While the idea of a team on the other side of the pond, perhaps in England, remains a possibility, it won't happen right away, writes Oliver Holt of the Daily Mirror. “We have more intensity,” Stern said. “We play 82 games in 171 days. For us, it would not work unless we had multiple teams in Europe who could play against each other regularly…There are long-term strategic issues that mean it will not be happening any time soon. But the UK remains a very intriguing market to us.” Here's tonight's look around the league..

Chad Ford of ESPN.com revealed his first big board for the 2013 NBA Draft and placed Kentucky's Nerlens Noel at the top of the list. Maryland center Alex Len, who some have speculated could be the No. 1 pick in the draft, checks in at No. 4 on Ford's list.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld runs down the best moves so far as we approach the midway point of the season. The best trade acquisition of the year goes to the Rockets for the James Harden trade while the Nets get the nod for best free agent pickup for big man Andray Blatche.
Count former NBA big man Shaquille O'Neal amongst those who is against the current "one-and-done" system in college basketball for players ascending to the pros, writes the Associated Press. If it were up to O'Neal, there would be a "three-and-done" mandate in place before college players could enter the NBA.

Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Suns, Draft

January 15th, 2013 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Western Conference's current seventh and eighth seeds face tough matchups tonight, as the seventh-place Rockets host the Clippers, while the eighth-place Trail Blazers play the Nuggets in Denver. Losses for one or both clubs could give the Lakers, who host the Bucks, a chance to pick up a game in the standings, as they attempt to claw their way back into the playoff picture. While we look forward to tonight's games, let's check out a few links from around the league:

Dirk Nowitzki is glad to hear that the "Bank of [Mark] Cuban" will be open as the trade deadline approaches, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes.
Following up on Cuban's comments, Derek Page of HoopsWorld wonders if Rudy Gay could be a fit for the Mavericks, and examines some of the Mavs' trade candidates.
In a mailbag, Ian Thomsen of SI.com explores which NBA coach might be the next on the hot seat. Although Thomsen eventually lands on the Suns' Alvin Gentry, he argues that Gentry is not the problem in Phoenix.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic looks at the potential consolation prize for the Suns' disappointing season, outlining which players could interest the club at the top of the 2013 draft. As our tentative draft order shows, Phoenix is currently in line to have a top-five pick.
Replying to a Twitter question about whether Kentucky's Alex Poythress might remain a Wildcast past this season, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress says Poythress is "100% gone." ESPN.com's Chad Ford projects Poythress as a top-10 pick in June, though ESPN.com's Jay Bilas (Insider link) wrote yesterday that the young forward hasn't lived up to the hype so far.

Tentative 2013 NBA Draft Order

January 15th, 2013 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

We're not quite at the halfway mark of the 2012/13 season yet, but it's already fairly safe to assume that a handful of teams won't be making playoff runs this season. For the sake of those teams' fans, and the draft-crazy Hoops Rumors readers who are eyeing June 2013, we've brought back a feature we introduced last season: Our tentative NBA draft order.

The list is based on this year's "reverse standings" and will be updated every morning for the rest of the season. Draft pick trades have been included via footnotes, and teams who are tied in the standings are marked with asterisks (tiebreakers are eventually determined via coin flip). A lottery team's odds to land the first overall pick are also included in the chart.

Besides the obvious fluctuations that are still to come in the standings, May's draft lottery also figures to shake things up a little at the top of the draft, but our tentative draft order represents how things will look next June 27th if everything holds to form. You can check out the up-to-date list anytime using the link under Hoops Rumors Features on the right sidebar.

Categories:
2013 NBA Draft

Odds & Ends: Oden, Elson, McAdoo, Draft

January 14th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

As we prepare for an eight-game evening slate that includes the Hawks and Bulls jockeying for Eastern Conference positioning in Chicago, let's check out a few odds and ends from around the NBA:

No one team tops Greg Oden's wishlist, including the Heat, says TNT's David Aldridge on NBA.com. Oden isn't even planning to compile a list of possible destinations until he's 100% healthy — if he can't get there, he won't come back, according to Aldridge.
The next stop for veteran NBA big man Francisco Elson could be in Iran, according to a MehrNews.com report (hat tip to HoopsHype). The sporting director for Mahram, a team based in Tehran, Iran, says Elson will train with the team this week and possibly sign a contract later this month.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jay Bilas both identify UNC's James Michael McAdoo as one of the most overrated prospects in college basketball in their latest Insider-only piece.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer also explores the 2013 draft class, hearing from two scouts that work for teams with potential top-10 picks. Neither scout was overly impressed with this year's prospects, with one opining: "I don’t think this is a good draft. This is the year you should consider trading your draft pick — no matter where it is."
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/01/13/3786420/scout-recommends-charlotte-bobcats.html#storylink=cpy

HoopsWorld On 2013 NBA Draft

January 13th, 2013 at 3:04pm CST by Sean Highkin

Several writers for HoopsWorld.com weighed in on the 2013 NBA Draft in a new roundtable column debating who will be the top overall pick.

Joel Brigham argues in favor of UCLA guard Shabazz Muhammed, praising his poise and saying he has the demeanor to be a star in the NBA.
Steve Kyler thinks Kentucky center Nerlens Noel is worth the gamble that he will polish his game and become a game-changing big man.
Susan Bible likes Anthony Bennett, writing that the UNLV power forward has been a surprise and played as well as some more high-profile prospects.
Alex Kennedy thinks Indiana center Cody Zeller is the most NBA-ready prospect in the game, although he doesn't have as high a ceiling as some of the other prospects.
Yannis Kotroupis doesn't think there's a clear-cut top pick, arguing that the NBA should abolish the age limit so Andrew Wiggins would be eligible for this year's draft instead of having to wait until 2014.

Odds & Ends: Redick, Turkoglu, Lakers, Livingston

January 11th, 2013 at 4:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up some Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:

Although J.J. Redick doesn't want to be traded by the Magic, he's not exactly thrilled with the team's 10-game losing streak, as Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida tweets.
Tomasson also spoke to Hedo Turkoglu, who said he's not actively trying to be bought out by the Magic, though he understands if the team decides to trade him.
After telling Sheridan Hoops earlier this week that he doesn't expect to coach again, Phil Jackson reiterates the point to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), writing in an email that there's no chance he returns to the Lakers.
A collection of SI.com writers discuss what's next for the Lakers, including potential pre-trade-deadline moves, and the team's chances of re-signing Dwight Howard this summer.
Shaun Livingston tells Richard Hardy of HoopsWorld that he's hoping to stay with the Cavaliers for longer than just this season.
Having recently parted ways with agent Joel Bell, Trail Blazers guard Nolan Smith has replaced him with former Bull B.J. Armstrong of the Wasserman Media Group, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
David Mayo of MLive.com explores whether the Pistons should attempt to trade for Rudy Gay, while multiple Celtics writers discuss whether Boston should take a flier on Greg Oden (link via CSNNE.com).
In an Insider piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford looks at some potential fits in June's draft for the Hornets.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Amare, Varejao, Heat

January 5th, 2013 at 12:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Most people seem to think that Kentucky's Nerlens Noel will be the top pick in the 2013 Draft but Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops believes that it's still wide open. UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad has the Bruins on a six-game winning streak following his return to action and the guard is impressing scouts with his outside shooting. Maryland center Alex Len has injected himself into the conversation with surprisingly strong play so far this season. Indiana big man Cody Zeller could even find himself in the mix with a strong finish to the 2012/13 season. Here's more from around the Association..

Amare Stoudemire made waves this week when he said that Knicks coach Mike Woodson has him playing defense for the first time in his career, but the forward walked those comments back somewhat. Stoudemire told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he meant it as a compliment to Woodson and not a shot at former coach Mike D'Antoni.
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (on Twitter) thinks that the Cavaliers might have to give some more thought to moving Anderson Varejao given the strong play of Tristan Thompson in his place. The Cavs' asking price for Varejao at the moment is said to be quite high.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel doesn't see free agent Kenyon Martin as the solution to the Heat's rebounding woes as they need a taller big man to help clean the glass.
The D-League Showcase gets underway on Monday and Ryan Ripley of Ridiculous Upside previews some of the top players auditioning for ten-day contracts. Mike James, who hooked on with the Texas Legends this week, is among the players to watch.