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2014 NBA Draft

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Love, Perkins

June 1st, 2014 at 3:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Syracuse star Jerami Grant is feeling confident after his workout today for the Wolves, according to the team’s Twitter account.  Meanwhile, he says he needs to work on his shooting consistency to take the next step (link).  The small forward is currently slated to go No. 25 in DraftExpress’ mock draft.  The Wolves own the No. 13 pick in the first round.  More out of the Northwest Division..

  • Kevin Love may be vacationing in Boston, but Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders told reporters, including The Associated Press, that he expects the All-Star back in Minnesota next season.  Love declined comment when asked if he was scouting out the city as a possible destination, but that hasn’t helped to quell any of the speculation that he wants to join the C’s.
  • When asked if it’s time to turn the page on Kendrick Perkins, Thunder coach Scott Brooks replied, “That remains to be seen. There’s a lot of work to be done this summer,” tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.  Perkins is entering the final year of his deal and is set to earn $9.15MM.
  • Pending free agent Thabo Sefolosha says that he has “no clue” if he’ll be back with the Thunder next year, Mayberry tweets.
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And-Ones: Hairston, Embiid, Draft

June 1st, 2014 at 12:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

P.J. Hairston‘s journey to the NBA is a unique one, and may open the door for others to take a similar path in the future, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. On leaving North Carolina to play in the NBA D-League, Hairston said, “It wasn’t my choice to play in the D-League. I ended up there, and I wanted to be able to graduate, so I was in the D-League and took all of my courses. For some guys, it’s there for them if they want to. Some guys want to stay in college and graduate. It’s up to that person.”

More from around the league:

  • With the NBA moving toward smaller lineups, the traditional center position is changing, but Joel Embiid might be able to reverse the trend, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post.
  • Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com proposes five tweaks for the NBA Draft lottery that could improve the process.
  • With the Thunder falling short of the NBA Finals again, Bradford Doolittle and Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) look at the roster moves the team might make this summer, as well as opine on the team’s ideal rotation.
  •  Steve Ballmer’s $2 billion offer for the Clippers is nearly four times the record sale for an NBA team, and has experts puzzled over how the former Microsoft chief plans to make any money on the deal, write Charles Fleming, Walter Hamilton, and Andrea Chang of The Los Angeles Times.
  • Roscoe Smith will have pre-draft workouts this week with the Jazz, Bulls, and Suns, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Smith is projected as a second-round pick in this June’s draft.
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Eastern Notes: Cavs, LeBron, Hornets

June 1st, 2014 at 11:33am CST by Eddie Scarito

Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (hat tip to Henry Green of Fox Sports Ohio) doesn’t think the Cavaliers will hire a new head coach prior to the NBA Draft. Amico also believes that GM David Griffin is looking to hire an offensive minded coach and that the team will select Joel Embiid with the first-overall pick in the draft.

More from the east:

  • There is no good reason for LeBron James to opt out of his contract with the Heat this summer, opines Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News. Lawrence believes the success of Miami will make it easier for James to continue to recruit free agents and would allow him the best opportunity to continue to win championships.
  • The Hornets haven’t been successful in the draft, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Despite having eight lottery picks in the past eight years, including three in the top five, they have yet to draft a player good enough to build a team around or to become an NBA All-Star, opines Bonnell.
  • The Hawks want Kyle Anderson back for a second workout, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Atlanta currently owns the 15th overall pick in June’s draft.
  • Pistons forward Luigi Datome believes he can improve enough this offseason to become a regular part of the team’s rotation next season, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. In 34 games this season, Datome averaged 2.4 PPG and 1.4 RPG.
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Atlantic Notes: Love, Sixers, Knicks

June 1st, 2014 at 10:33am CST by Eddie Scarito

Kevin Love was in Boston this weekend, as Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune details. Love wasn’t officially there to meet with the Celtics, but the team has shown interest in possibly acquiring the player if the Timberwolves decide to trade him. Of his visit, Love said, “I’m here to just check out the city and see what it’s like.” When asked about the possibility of playing for Boston, Love said, “I’m sorry man. I can’t do nothing. I can’t.” He was referring to his inability or unwillingness to talk publicly about the purpose of his visit, Zgoda notes.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Knicks currently have no picks in this June’s NBA Draft, but Phil Jackson may attempt to buy a second round pick, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Two teams that Jackson might try to swing a deal with are the Bucks and the Sixers, notes Pompey. Philadelphia has five second-rounders and Milwaukee has three.
  • Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines the different draft scenarios for the Sixers based on what the Cavs and Bucks do picking ahead of them.
  • Marc Berman of The New York Post thinks that Carmelo Anthony should put the team first and opt in this summer. This would allow the ‘Melo a chance to make a better educated guess as to the direction the Knicks franchise will take under Jackson, as well as demonstrate his willingness to be a team player and a leader, opines Berman.
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Draft Notes: Knicks, Suns, Raptors, Randle

May 31st, 2014 at 4:47pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Knicks find themselves without a selection in the upcoming draft, but Phil Jackson admitted he will try to buy a second-round pick from the Bucks or the Sixers, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Teams are allowed to exchange draft picks for cash, and Jackson sees Milwaukee and Philadelphia as the two teams who could most easily stand to part with some of their selections. Let’s round up the latest on the draft:

  • We already heard that the Suns worked out Lamar Patterson, De’Mon Brooks, and Kendall Williams yesterday, but the team watched another three seniors show their skills off as well, writes Paul Coro of AZ Central. Phoenix also observed Dwight Powell, Russ Smith, and Andre Dawkins.
  • Stephen Holt, John Bohannon, Eric Moreland, and Brendan Lane are scheduled to work out for the Kings, according to a team press release. Moreland has the most potential in the group according to the rankings of Chad Ford from ESPN, who has the Oregon State big man slotted at No. 77 on his list of top prospects.
  • Although Masai Ujiri considers second-round selections to be valuable, the Raptors GM said he would consider all of his options on draft night, ostensibly implying he wouldn’t be opposed to trading one or both of his second-rounders to move up. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun has the full story.
  • League scouts and executives tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that Julius Randle is a safe bet to be a solid contributor in the league and that he has the potential to “wreak havoc” and excel in the post at the level of Zach Randolph.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

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Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic

May 31st, 2014 at 11:57am CST by Cray Allred

The Heat are headed to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals, looking to pull off a three-peat. It’s possible that the outcome of the Finals could sway Miami’s big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in their decision to stick together or move on. Here’s a rundown from the Southeast Division:

  • A league executive expects the Heat to have a definitive plan in place with James, Bosh, and Wade well before their early-termination deadline of June 30, telling Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel that the league isn’t interested in investigating whether teams breach negotiation limits if it helps them retain their own players. “There are plenty of rules,” the long-time executive said, “but the legacy that [David Stern] left, and I believe [commissioner Adam Silver] will adhere, is there are two priorities: making as much money as possible for the league and keeping players with their current teams.”
  • Word around the Magic is that there are no untouchable players on Orlando’s roster, although Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders hears that GM Rob Hennigan wouldn’t easily part with core players like Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless or Tobias Harris.
  • In the same piece, Taylor surmises that the Suns and Bulls could make for a draft-night trade partner with the Magic, since both own multiple first round picks and Orlando might be looking to move down if the player they want doesn’t fall to them at No. 4.
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Central Rumors: Pacers, Cavs, Bucks

May 31st, 2014 at 10:14am CST by Cray Allred

When asked about bringing Lance Stephenson back to the Pacers next season, Paul George‘s immediate response was, “You know, I don’t know,” tweets Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal. George went on to say that the decision lies with the front office, and that it “would be great” if Stephenson made his way back. Here’s more from the Central Division:

  • For his part, Stephenson said he hopes to be back with the Pacers, tweets Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star.
  • Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders believes president Larry Bird and the Pacers front office will find a way to straighten out the roster and locker room problems in Indiana (via Twitter).
  • Earlier, we passed along the latest from Marc Stein of ESPN.com on the futures of Frank Vogel, Stephenson, and Roy Hibbert.
  • Erik Spoelstra spoke in support of Vogel after the Heat’s series clincher, telling reporters including Simon Evans of Reuters that the coaching landscape is “absurd” for placing so many coaches on the hot seat.
  • Tom Withers of The Associated Press writes that the Cavs could expand their coaching hunt if they aren’t sold on any of the current candidates, possibly circling back to the college ranks for new candidates.
  • Bucks director of scouting Bill McKinney tells Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel that Milwaukee is weighing its options with its three second round draft picks, including selling or packaging them to move up. “We have limited roster spots again this year,” said McKinney. “We could package those picks; we could sell a pick. And if there’s a player there that we like, that’s always a possibility, too.” The Knicks are one team looking to purchase a second round pick.
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Draft Notes: Robinson III, Gordon, Williams

May 30th, 2014 at 9:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2014 NBA Draft is less than a month away. Here are the latest notes:

  • The Timberwolves will be holding pre-draft workouts for Keith Appling, Nedim Buza, Jabari Brown, Jerami Grant, Dwight Powell and Scottie Wilbekin, the team tweeted.
  • Aaron Gordon tweeted that he’d be returning to Boston in a “couple of weeks” for a pre-draft workout with the Celtics. The forward out of Arizona is a projected lottery pick and Boston holds the sixth and 17th overall picks in June’s draft.
  • Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders runs down the worst first-overall draft choices in NBA history.
  • Kendall Williams participated in a pre-draft workout for the Suns today, reports Zac Walberer of NBA.com. The point guard out of New Mexico is projected as a possible late second round draft pick.
  • Glenn Robinson III has workouts scheduled for next week with the Rockets and Suns, reports Mark Snyder of The Detroit Free Press. Robinson is projected as a late first round selection.
  • HoopsHype released their latest Mock Draft.
  • Noah Vonleh, Elfrid Payton, Tyler Ennis and Marcus Smart are scheduled to work out for the Kings next week, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links).
  • Ronald Roberts worked out for the Sixers today, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The power forward out of St. Joe’s is a projected second rounder in this year’s draft.
  • Chaz Williams is scheduled to work out for the Raptors next Wednesday, reports Josh Newman of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
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Pacific Notes: Thompson, Clippers, Kings

May 30th, 2014 at 6:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Warriors GM Bob Myers said that Klay Thompson is a “top-5 shooting who will be paid a lot of money in the future“, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. Thompson has one more year remaining on his rookie deal, and has also been mentioned to possibly be included in trade discussions with the Timberwolves involving Kevin Love.

More from out of the Pacific Division:

  • Jon Krawczynski of USA Today examines the Clippers worth and the factors that may have contributed to Steve Ballmer’s $2 Billion dollar bid for the team.
  • The huge price that Steve Ballmer is willing to pay for the Clippers doesn’t make a lot of sense for someone who is such an astute businessman, writes Paul Newberry of USA Today. Newberry also believes that Ballmer will eventually try and move the team to Seattle.
  • The Kings own the eighth overall pick in this June’s NBA Draft. Steven Wilson of NBA.com rounds up who the various mock drafts have Sacramento selecting.
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Draft Notes: Vonleh, Stauskas, McDermott, Harris

May 30th, 2014 at 11:57am CST by Chuck Myron

Indiana big man Noah Vonleh looked impressive in a workout this week, and Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com adds the Magic to the list of teams auditioning the potential top-five pick (Twitter link). There’s news on a few other projected lottery selections among the latest on the draft:

  • Nik Stauskas will work out for the Lakers and Celtics, Goodman reports, adding that the same two teams are on Doug McDermott‘s agenda (Twitter links).
  • Gary Harris will show off for the Suns and Lakers, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
  • Adreian Payne is set to audition for the Celtics, Suns and Jazz, Goodman hears (Twitter link).
  • The Hawks worked out Nick Johnson on Thursday, notes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • Jahii Carson, Justin Cobbs, Cory Jefferson, Artem Klimenko and Akil Mitchell are all performing for the Bucks today, the team announced (on Twitter).
  • The Suns will audition Lamar Patterson today, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Phoenix is also getting a look at De’Mon Brooks, according to agent Keith Kreiter (Twitter link).
  • The Sixers worked out Patterson, Semaj Christon, Devon Saddler, Casey Prather and Langston Galloway, reports Tyler R. Tynes of the Philadelphia Daily News. The Pacers had a look at Galloway, Jabari Brown, Markel Starks and C.J. Wilcox, as Tynes also writes.
  • The Celtics and Bulls will audition Kadeem Batts, Sportando’s David Pick tweets.
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