Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein could be climbing his way into top five of the 2015 Draft, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders writes. Cauley-Stein has been projected as a mid-to-late first round pick in the last two years but each time opted to stay in school for more seasoning. It seemed unlikely that he could boost his stock further, but he has done just that this season. DraftExpress currently has the junior at No. 4 in their 2015 mock draft. More from around the league..
- The Warriors announced that they have recalled center Ognjen Kuzmic from their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Kuzmic recorded six points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in last night’s 98-83 victory over the Canton Charge. The brief trip was Kuzmic’s third assignment of the year.
- Since the Rajon Rondo deal, the Celtics have seen a significant dip in rebounding, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Prior to the trade, Boston was ranked eleventh in the league in rebounding with 44.2 per game. In the eight games since, the C’s are down to 41.9 rebounds, which ranks 21st in the league.
- Trade season is fast approaching and EJ Ayala of Basketball Insiders looked at six players to keep an eye on over the next several weeks. Nets guard Deron Williams, who has been bumped from the starting lineup in favor of Jarrett Jack, tops the list.
- The Bulls‘ 2011 draft is shaping up to be one of the most influential in franchise history, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The 2011 draft brought the Bulls both Nikola Mirotic and Jimmy Butler, two players who are pillars of their current squad.