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2014 NBA Draft

Western Notes: Suns, Lawson, Jazz

May 18th, 2014 at 11:17am CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the presence of Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic, the Suns might consider drafting a point guard this year, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Coro cites the uncertainty regarding the team re-signing Bledsoe, as well as Dragic being able to opt out of his contract next summer as the reasons the team could consider selecting another point guard. The team is seriously looking at Dante Exum and Marcus Smart, notes Coro.

More from out west:

  • In a season filled with injuries, Ty Lawson was the Nuggets best player. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post takes a look back at Lawson’s season, as well as where the player goes from here.
  • The Timberwolves coaching search won’t really begin until after Tuesday night’s NBA Draft lottery, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. Once the team knows where it is selecting, it will have a better idea of what kind of roster the team will have as well as a better idea if they intend to keep Kevin Love or if the Wolves will attempt to trade him this summer, opines Zgoda.
  • Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey is open to trading the team’s first-round draft pick, reports Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). Lindsey said, “I don’t think with where we’re at anything is sacred. You have to listen to everything.“
  • Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee examine the risks and rewards of the Kings arena deal which is set to be voted on by the city this Tuesday.
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And-Ones: Coaches, Wolves, Cavs

May 17th, 2014 at 10:45pm CST by Cray Allred

A league executive tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that Dante Exum, who considers himself a point guard, will be taken high as a potential point guard despite his uncommon size and skill set for the position. The executive believes Exum will wind up a shooting guard, but says that Michael Carter-Williams‘ standout rookie performance as a 6’6″ point guard makes Exum more enticing for teams at the top of the draft. Here’s more from around the league:

  • Flip Saunders has conducted the Wolves coaching search with stealth, and Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune reveals that Saunders interviewed rumored candidate Lionel Hollins three weeks ago.
  • Zgoda describes Hollins as “in the running” for the Cavs job. Hollins was named in earlier reports as a potential candidate.
  • Zgoda reports that Saunders also had informal discussions with Tom Izzo, Fred Hoiberg, and Stan Van Gundy, but the talks stalled in each case.
  • Izzo was first offered the five-year, $35MM offer to run the Pistons that Van Gundy eventually accepted, opting to stay in the college ranks, writes Zgoda.
  • Saunders isn’t interested in George Karl, who would prefer to coach the Cavs or, if Randy Wittman were fired, the Wizards over the Wolves, according to Zgoda.
  • Zgoda mentions Nate McMillan, Scott Skiles, and Sam Mitchell as intriguing possibilities for the Wolves head coaching vacancy in a separate piece. There hasn’t been any reported interest from the team toward McMillan or Skiles, and Minnesota is reportedly not interested in Mitchell.
  • During the combine, the Wolves met with enough power forwards and prospects projected in the top tier of the draft to make Zgoda wonder if a Kevin Love trade is a possibility (via Twitter). The Wolves have very little chance of moving above 13th in the first round, and obviously have no pressing need at power forward so long as Love is on the team.
  • LaQuinton Ross is scheduled to work out for the Cavs on Monday, reports Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal.
  • Tomas Satoranksy will join the Wizards summer league team for the second consecutive year, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (H/T Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). The shooting guard was selected as a “draft and stash” player in the second round of the 2012 draft, and could find his way onto the team next season if Washington loses perimeter talent to free agency, Michael writes.
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Draft Rumors: Harris, Smart, Jazz, Magic

May 17th, 2014 at 7:58pm CST by Cray Allred

With the Chicago predraft combine wrapping up, Jeremy Bauman of Sheridan Hoops looks at a number of prospects that increased their draft stock with their performances. These players include Zach LaVine, Kyle Anderson, Elfrid Payton, James Young, and Jordan Clarkson. More on the draft front:

  • The athletic testing results from the combine are in and Draft Express runs them down.
  • Gary Harris was invited to the Draft Lottery broadcast by the NBA as part of a 10-player group deemed the top-10 prospects, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The inviation, which Harris declined, could signify a boost in his draft stock. Some projections, including Jonathan Givony’s at DraftExpress, have had Harris well outside of the top 10.
  • In a combine wrap-up, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes that Marcus Smart stood out as an exceptional physical specimen and hard worker among the point guards in attendance.
  • Dante Exum fared well during interviews at the combine, a team official who met with the Aussie tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. “He seems like a really good kid,” the official said. “He’s confident, but not cocky. Now we have to see if he can play.” With far less exposure than the other prospects at the top of the draft, Exum hopes to impress teams during his individual workouts.
  • If Joel Embiid doesn’t clear medically prior to the draft, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets that the big man could drop out of the top five. Embiid sat out of combine activities as he recovers from a back injury suffered late in his season at Kansas.
  • Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey told Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune that he “has to listen to everything” when asked about whether he was willing to trade Utah’s draft picks (Twitter link).
  • The Magic aren’t trying to trade away their extra first round pick, according to Kyler (on Twitter).
  • Tommy Dee of Sheridan Hoops looks at some of the older draft prospects, laying out why each could follow in Damian Lillard‘s footsteps in making an impact exceeding many of the younger, more well-known players from the same talent pool.
  • Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops released his second mock draft of the year.
  • Earlier, we passed along word that we could be in for a busy pre-draft trade season.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

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League Primed For Pre-Draft Trading Surge

May 17th, 2014 at 6:28pm CST by Cray Allred

League executives and scouts tell Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com that there could be an unusually high number of pre-draft trades this year. Howard-Cooper’s sources say that some of the lottery teams have grown impatient with continued struggles, and would rather acquire proven talent than wait on the development of more young players. These “aggressive sellers” have enough interest from teams looking to add assets that a spike in pre-draft trading is a distinct possibility.

One potential seller is the Celtics, currently projected to pick at No. 5. GM Danny Ainge has regularly commented on the weaknesses of the 2014 class. Ainge has said that he doesn’t want to endure another losing season, and is willing to trade the team’s first round pick. He has also acknowledged that Boston needs to improve sooner rather than later to convince his star point guard, Rajon Rondo, to remain with the team beyond his current contract. Cleveland, projected at No. 9 currently, has used four top-4 selections in just three drafts following the departure of LeBron James.  GM David Griffin is looking to move from “asset accumulation mode” to “target acquisition mode,” which could signal a willingness to deal away draft picks.

It should be noted that this past trade season was expected to include heightened activity, but after some early-season deals, the deadline came and went without any true blockbuster moves. No first round picks changed hands in-season, either. Many have pointed to the tightening cap and tax restrictions from the CBA as a reason many teams have been unwilling to part with draft picks for high-priced veterans. However, uncertainty about teams’ final lottery position for a hyped 2014 draft class could also have been a factor in cooling the market for draft picks. After the lottery settles the final draft order, teams will have a much clearer idea of which players will be available for any potential pick, which could make the prospect of moving up in the draft more appealing.

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And-Ones: Aldridge, Assistants, Cavs

May 17th, 2014 at 1:41pm CST by Cray Allred

Clippers players told reporters, including Dan Woike of The Orange County Register, that they’re unsure what they would do if Donald Sterling isn’t removed from ownership by next season. Still, they expressed hope that the issue will be resolved sooner rather than later. “It appears that this will be a long process. Things will be in flux for a while,” J.J. Redick said. “I can’t imagine a scenario where we start the season next year and he’s the owner and all is kosher.” Here’s more from around the league:

  • The players union won’t demand a timetable on Sterling’s ouster as long as the league is acting “in good faith” on its promise to remove the Clippers owner, acting union executive director Ron Klempner told reporters, including Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link).
  • Extending LaMarcus Aldridge is the Blazers’ first priority moving forward, as Portland GM Neil Olshey tells Erik Gundersen of The Columbian (Twitter link).
  • Bobcats assistant coach Bob Beyer is a strong candidate to become Stan Van Gundy‘s top assistant on the Pistons bench, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • Andy Greer and Nick Nurse are possibilities to become Steve Kerr‘s assistant coaches with the Warriors, per another Wojnarowski tweet. Greer and Nurse are currently on staff as assistants with the Bulls and Raptors, respectively.
  • Mark Jackson won’t be a serious candidate for the Cavs head coaching job, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com hears.
  • James Posey could be an assistant coaching candidate for the Cavs, Pluto writes. Posey has been an assistant with Cleveland’s D-League affiliate, and GM David Griffin holds him in high regard.
  • Pluto adds that Griffin would love to find a shooter in the draft, and mentions Doug McDermott, Nik Stauskas, and Rodney Hood as intriguing prospects where the Cavs will be drafting.
  • In a series of tweets, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News casts doubt on an earlier report that Phil Jackson had “low balled” Kerr. Isola insinuates that if the Knicks played “hardball” with Jackson’s only coaching target, it would have been a result of ownership’s influence, not Jackson’s.
  • In another tweet, Isola relays an accusation from a person involved in the Kerr talks that Knicks owner James Dolan “sabotaged” the negotiations.
  • Chris Mannix of SI.com weighed in with a tweet of his own, agreeing with Isola that a tough negotiation strategy would have come from Knicks ownership, not Jackson.
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Draft Notes: Ross, Adams, Gordon, McAdoo

May 17th, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Cray Allred

Celtcis GM Danny Ainge tells Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald that he isn’t sure that the team could find a premier scorer in this year’s draft. “There are a lot of good players in this draft, guys that can be starters and guys that can play major roles on really good teams,” Ainge said. “But I’m not sure that there are those 20-to-25-point-a-game guys.” Here’s more from the draft:

  • Adi Joseph of USA Today notes some of the more remarkable measurements taken at the combine. Joseph thinks LaQuinton Ross‘s draft stock will take a hit due to his poor conditioning being evident in drills and tests
  • UCLA guard Jordan Adams interviewed with the Magic at the combine today, reports Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
  • NBA scouts are high enough on Aaron Gordon for Paul Coro of azcentral.com to consider the forward a “surefire” lottery pick.
  • Numerous NBA sources lead Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com to believe that James McAdoo could slide out of the draft completely. McAdoo is currently projected as a late second-rounder.
  • Noah Vonleh has been generating positive buzz during the combine, but Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets that he hasn’t gotten the sense that Julius Randle is in danger of being surpassed by the fellow big on teams’ draft boards.
  • Mark Deeks of Hoop365.com looks at the factors leading a player like the 7’5″ Sim Bhullar to leave school early and declare for the draft, despite not being projected to be selected.
  • While some of the scouting benefits of the pre-draft combine are diminished when elite prospects skip the event, Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer says that the gathering still holds value as a networking event for front office executives looking to discuss trades and make hires.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

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Draft Notes: Smart, Adams, Vonleh, Gordon

May 16th, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Marcus Smart doesn’t regret returning to college for his sophomore season, writes Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Smart said, “The reason I came back is my freshman year was the first time I played point guard. I wanted to embrace that role and become a better point guard, learn the position before I take my talents to the NBA where guys have been playing that role their whole life.“

More on the draft:

    • Two big winners of the Draft combine so far are Noah Vonleh and Aaron Gordon, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
    • Teams need to remember Doug McDermott‘s statistics when observing him at the combine, writes Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. McDermott doesn’t have the type of measurements or athletic ability that jumps out scouts in combine settings, notes Brigham.
    • Marc D’Amico of NBA.com breaks down some of the best individual draft combine numbers of the day.
    • The Bulls are looking for shooters in this year’s NBA Draft, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Two names being mentioned in connection with the team are McDermott and Rodney Hood, per the article.
    • Thanasis Antetokounmpo interviewed with the Nets, Pacers, Pelicans, Wizards, Bobcats, Cavaliers, and Knicks while at the combine, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
    • Patric Young interviewed with the Knicks, Pelicans, and Grizzlies, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. On speaking with Phil Jackson, Young said, “He didn’t say much the first 20 minutes. He was just being calm and being himself. He would eat some chips while everyone else was asking questions. Then he popped in a question every now and then and made some comments. But it was good. It was great. They seemed to really like me and be really intrigued by me as a person.”
    • UCLA guards Zach LaVine and Jordan Adams did enough athletically at the combine to improve their draft stocks, writes Michael O’Brien of The Chicago Sun-Times.
    • The key to the Lakers offseason will be the draft lottery, writes Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. GM Mitch Kupchak said the team wouldn’t base their lottery selection by positional need, but rather the best overall player, notes Oram. Kupchak also said, “When you only have four or five guys on your roster, you really need seven to eight players, so we need to bring in players at every position really.”
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Western Notes: Lakers, Blazers, Jazz

May 16th, 2014 at 9:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak says the team might look to acquire an additional first-round pick in this year’s NBA Draft, reports Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Kupchak said, “We may look to get a pick some other way because we have guys we interviewed who aren’t going to be gone before the second round, but they’ll be around after [our current pick]. You only get so many assets in this league. Draft picks are an asset. There’s cap room, draft picks and players. Those are assets you can use to rebuild a team.”

More from out west:

  • Mike Tokito of The Oregonian looks at the busy summer a number of Trail Blazers have ahead of them. LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard will be occupied with Team USA, and at least six players on their current roster are expected to participate in the summer league.
  • The biggest improvement in the Blazers roster needs to come from within, writes Jason Quick of The Oregonian. The team needs growth from players like C.J. McCollum, Thomas Robinson, and Will Barton if they are to become serious contenders, opines Quick.
  • The Jazz will be looking to add a star with their lottery pick, but will look to add depth with their second pick in the first-round, as well as with their second-round pick, number 35 overall, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Jazz VP of Player Personnel Walt Perrin said, “Franchise players. All-Stars. That’s what we’re looking to get. But we also understand that we need depth. We need rotation players. And we have a lot of needs in terms of shooting, in terms of defense and rebounding.”
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Eastern Notes: Ariza, Rondo, Wizards

May 16th, 2014 at 7:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Trevor Ariza is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the Wizards have a good chance to re-sign the forward, notes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Ariza said, “My family is definitely the most important thing to me before basketball, everything. That plays a big factor into a log of things. But when you build something with people that’s hard to let go, too. What we built in this locker room this season, this is a beautiful thing to me. I really enjoyed playing with those guys. I love those dudes like they’re my brothers.” Ariza averaged 14.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG and shot a career-high 40.7% from three-point range this season.

More from the east:

  • The Wizards have a number of decisions to make this offseason, and besides John Wall and Bradley Beal, little else is guaranteed to be the same next year, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Team owner Ted Leonsis said that he won’t make any decisions until the “raw emotion” of the season has faded. This includes whether or not the team re-signs coach Randy Wittman, whose contract expires this summer.
  • Andre Miller said that he believes he has a few more years left in him and that he’d love to finish his career with the Wizards, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post (Twitter link).
  • Rajon Rondo might be more available than ever via a trade, writes Brian Robb from CelticsHub.com. The Celtics might be compelled to move the point guard this summer when his value will be higher than it will be during the season, opines Robb.
  • The Bobcats-to-Hornets name change will officially take place on May 20th, the team announced (Twitter link).
  • Unless the Pelicans land one of the top five picks in the lottery, their first-round pick goes to the Sixers. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at some of the players the Sixers might target with that selection.
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And-Ones: Watson, Love, Seattle, Isiah, Draft

May 16th, 2014 at 5:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earl Watson would like to coach the Jazz next season, and he’s picked up the endorsement of restricted free agent Gordon Hayward, as both Watson and Hayward tell Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Watson, who played with the Blazers this year, hasn’t ruled out playing again next season, but if he becomes Jazz coach, he’ll target Hubie Brown as an assistant, he says. Here’s more from around the league with an altered title picture now that Serge Ibaka is expected to miss the rest of the playoffs.

  • Kevin Love will have some say in who coaches him next season on the Wolves, owner Glen Taylor confirmed to Charley Walters of the Star Tribune. President of basketball operations Flip Saunders has spoken with eight candidates, but he hasn’t endorsed any of them to Taylor, Walters adds.
  • Taylor also said the Wolves lost “a couple million” dollars this year, Walters notes in the same piece.
  • Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who partnered with Chris Hansen on an ill-fated bid to buy the Kings and move them to Seattle, is open to purchasing any NBA team, but wouldn’t necessarily bring them to the Emerald City, as he tells Shira Ovide of The Wall Street Journal. He says he wouldn’t move the Clippers out of Los Angeles if he bought them.
  • Isiah Thomas and the Pistons are in preliminary talks about a deal for him to purchase a minority share of the team, reports Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.
  • Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey and Cavs GM David Griffin have said they’re open to trading their respective first-round picks for players who can help immediately, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
  • Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson has political aspirations that would make him reticent to accept the post of executive director of the players union, but the job increasingly appears to be his if he wants it, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
  • Hawks and Cavs officials will meet with draft prospect Alessandro Gentile of the Italian league, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia reports. The swingman is No. 66 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and 100th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
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