2014 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Austin, Melo, Celtics, Cavs

June 22nd, 2014 at 10:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Isaiah Austin‘s decision to jump to the NBA was questioned by scouts but strangely enough, it’s the NBA’s medical tests that may have saved his life, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Earlier today we learned that the Baylor center won’t be able to play in the NBA after being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. Here’s more from around the league..

Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) expects Carmelo Anthony to take a pay cut regardless of where he lands, even if it’s a return to the Knicks. To Beck, it’s not a matter of if, but how much Melo is willing to lop off.
Beck (Twitter links) doesn’t see a sign-and-trade as being all that likely for the Knicks if Melo leaves. The Knicks would be interested in expiring deals and draft picks, but it’s hard to see them taking on any salary commitments beyond 2014/15 that would handcuff their flexibility.
Celtics assistant Ron Adams is heading west to join the Warriors‘ staff, writes Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe.
The Cavs‘ hire of David Blatt as head coach might seem like a bit of a gamble, but Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio is all for it. Vinny Del Negro wouldn’t have been a bad hire for Cleveland, but Blatt represents a bold, out-of-the-box choice for the club.
The Pacers will work out Mike Moser, Roscoe Smith, Eric Moreland, Tyler Stone, David Stockton, and Nick Kellogg on Monday, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.

Woelfel On Ilyasova, Henson, Knight, Love

June 22nd, 2014 at 10:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The most likely member of the Bucks to be dealt is Ersan Ilyasova, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. The general consensus among some NBA personnel is that Milwaukee could get a late first-round choice for the 27-year-old and there are teams in the back half of the draft looking for an impact power forward. Woelfel mentions the Suns, Thunder, and Rockets as possibilities. Here’s more from Woelfel’s column..

Bucks forward John Henson is also available and some team insiders claim that new owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens have given their blessing to possibly trading point guard Brandon Knight. Both would undoubtedly would bring back at least a mid-first round pick if dealt.
Bucks center Larry Sanders, who has been saddled by off-court issues and had a disappointing 2013/14, will be entering the first of a fully-guaranteed four-year, $44MM contract next season, making him virtually untradeable. However, some team may be willing to take him on if Ilyasova, Henson, or Knight were involved.
The Bucks hold the No. 2 overall pick plus Nos. 31, 36 and 48, but Woelfel cautions that we shouldn’t expect that to be the case on draft night.
When asked where they thought Wolves star Kevin Love would end up, two execs picked the Lakers, even though the Warriors seem to be the frontrunners
It’s generally assumed the 76ers will pick guard Dante Exum with the third overall pick, but a person close to Philly said Indiana forward Noah Vonleh is drawing interest as well.

Austin Diagnosed With Career-Ending Condition

June 22nd, 2014 at 5:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Baylor center Isaiah Austin, once considered a first round prospect in this year’s draft, has been diagnosed with a career-ending condition, according to a press release published on Baylor University’s website.

Austin was set to make history as the first player with partial blindness to make it to the NBA. Now that he has been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic mutation, the center will instead focus his efforts on living a healthy and productive life.

“This is devastating news, but Isaiah has the best support system anyone could ask for, and he knows that all of Baylor Nation is behind him,” head coach Scott Drew said. “His health is the most important thing, and while it’s extremely sad that he won’t be able to play in the NBA, our hope is that he’ll return to Baylor to complete his degree and serve as a coach in our program.”

Marfan syndrome can leads to problems in connective tissues throughout the body and results in aortic enlargement, which can be life-threatening. Baylor went a combined 49-26 during Austin’s two years on campus, winning the 2013 NIT Championship and advancing to the 2014 NCAA Sweet 16. Hoops Rumors wishes nothing but the best to Austin in all of his future endeavors, both in and out of basketball.

Knicks Have Just $1.8MM To Offer For Pick

June 22nd, 2014 at 3:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Knicks, like their crosstown rivals, are without a pick heading into Thursday night’s draft and would like to acquire one, preferably in the first round. However, that could be easier said that done given what they have to work with. The Knicks can offer only $1.8MM to another club in a trade thanks to the $1.4MM they gave the Raptors in the Andrea Bargnani deal, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com in an update to yesterday’s column.

Just $1.8MM in cash compensation wouldn’t be enough to buy a first-round pick off of a club in a thin draft, let alone one of the deepest in NBA memory. Teams are placing a high value on those late first-round picks and Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (via Twitter) surmises that they might not be able to even land an early second-round choice with that amount of money. The silver lining for Knicks fans, however, is that they probably couldn’t have landed a first-round pick even with the max $3.2MM at their disposal (link).

During his first season in New York, Bargnani only appeared in 42 games, averaging 13.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 29.9 minutes per game. To land the former top pick, the Knicks gave up a future first-round pick, two second-round picks, and – as we learned today – a nice chunk of change that could hurt their flexibility this offseason.

Sixers Very Interested in Joel Embiid At No. 3

June 22nd, 2014 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Joel Embiid‘s unfortunately timed foot injury probably means that he won’t be a top two pick in the draft. For all of his talent, the KU big man, who was already grappling with back issues, could be in for one serious slide on Thursday night. Or, perhaps not. Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter) hears that the Sixers are very much interested in grabbing Embiid at No. 3 should be fall to them.

Despite the concerns about his bad back, Embiid was very much in the mix for the Cavs at No. 1 until the news of his injury broke. The early prognosis is that Embiid could be sidelined for four to six months, which would mean that he’d miss the start of the regular season. Selecting Embiid at the top of the draft would be a sizable risk for any team, but it’s a particularly touchy issue for the Sixers. Philly used a top ten pick last season on Kentucky star Nerlens Noel last June and they’re still awaiting his NBA debut after a torn ACL cost him his entire rookie season.

Of course, it’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to draft rumors this time of year. Just last week it was reported that Philly was hoping to trade for the Cavs’ No. 1 pick in order to land Embiid’s teammate, Andrew Wiggins.

And-Ones: Pistons, Draft, LeBron

June 22nd, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Stan Van Gundy doesn’t necessarily view the Pistons lack of a first round pick as a negative, writes David Mayo of MLive. Van Gundy believes that the cap room that would have gone to a first-rounder can be used to acquire useful veterans, notes Mayo. Van Gundy wants to find what he termed, “winning players.” Van Gundy expanded on that saying, “I’ve had the good fortune to be around a lot of them, and they’re not winning players because they’re the most talented guys. I had Udonis Haslem in Miami and he’s still helping teams win championships. He’s a good player but he’s not the most talented guy in the world. I had a lot of those guys in Orlando — Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick — who help you win a lot of games, and they’re very good, but they’re not the most talented guys. But they’re winning guys.”

Western Notes: Hairston, Suns, Thompson

June 22nd, 2014 at 11:26am CST by Eddie Scarito

P.J. Hairston is this draft’s best-kept secret, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Hairston has already caught Knicks president Phil Jackson’s eye, and the Knicks are desperately trying to find a way into the first round in order to have a chance to grab him, notes Dempsey. But Dempsey believes that the Nuggets should consider selecting Hairston with the 11th pick, citing his lottery-level talent and the added experience of having already played in the NBA D-League.

Draft Notes: Exum, Mock Drafts, O’Bryant

June 22nd, 2014 at 10:26am CST by Eddie Scarito

Dante Exum is one of the draft’s most talented, but riskiest prospects, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. One major question surrounding Exum is whether he’s better suited to play shooting guard than point guard, notes Robbins. A talent evaluator for an NBA team told Robbins, “He’s got to learn how to play point guard in the NBA. He’s somewhat similar to a lot of point guards working their way into the league now — guys who are looking to score the ball as well as pass the ball. Are they real point guards? In the traditional sense, no. But he’s the kind of point guard we’re getting into the league now.”

More draft notes and news:

In a separate piece, Robbins released his mock draft, which is topped by Andrew Wiggins going to the Cavaliers.
The staff over at Basketball Insiders released their updated mock draft, and also have Wiggins as their consensus top-pick.
In his mock draft, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has Wiggins being selected first as well, and predicts a number of trades, including the Lakers shipping the seventh pick to the Pacers for Roy Hibbert, and the Magic selecting Joel Embiid and trading him to the Celtics for Exum.
Johnny O’Bryant had a strong workout for the Bucks, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Embiid, Calathes, Spurs, Nuggets

June 22nd, 2014 at 9:31am CST by Eddie Scarito

NBA history has shown that big men who suffer serious knee, ankle, or foot injuries will have a difficult time having productive careers, and Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee opines that this is why the Kings should avoid selecting Joel Embiid in the draft.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Celtics, Blatt, Sixers

June 22nd, 2014 at 8:11am CST by Eddie Scarito

According to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News, the Pistons need to find a small forward in the draft who would allow coach Stan Van Gundy to move Josh Smith into a role as the sixth man. This would maximize Smith’s potential by making him the best player on the floor when both teams play their second units, opines Goodwill.