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2016 NBA Draft

Atlantic Notes: Diallo, Rooks, Cobb

June 7th, 2016 at 6:41pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks team president Phil Jackson believes the team can compete for a playoff spot next season in the Eastern Conference, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays. When asked if it was realistic to expect New York to make the postseason in 2016/17, Jackson responded, “I think so. I think we’re getting experience. Kristaps Porzingis is still a young player; he may need another year of experience. But we have some experienced guys who can play.” The executive was also asked if the team could potentially make some noise in the postseason rather than merely settling on making it there, Jackson told the media, “Why not? I don’t know what’s so great about what’s out here in the East. We can fill that role.”

The executive also admitted that the triangle offense would need to be tweaked to account for the emphasis the league now places on three-point shooting, Begley adds. “The 3-point line has become our affection, because it means more when we make a 3-point shot. So the spacing has changed dramatically,” Jackson said. “So the triangle can still be a part of that, but it has to adapt.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Ex-NBA center and former Sixers assistant Sean Rooks passed away today at the age of 46, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reports (on Twitter). The cause of death was not relayed by the scribe. Our condolences go out to Rooks’ family and friends.
  • The Nets are aggressively trying to acquire a pick in this year’s NBA Draft, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. The scribe also confirms earlier reports that indicated the Knicks are pushing hard to land a pick via trade. Brooklyn has $3.4MM it can spend to purchase a pick from another team, while New York has $3.3MM remaining to use for the same purpose.
  • The Celtics have a workout scheduled on Wednesday with former Kansas big man Cheick Diallo, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (via Twitter). Diallo could be in play for Boston at pick No. 16, or if the team trades down in the first-round, though that is merely my speculation.
  • Also slated to work out for the Celtics in the near future is former Cincinnati guard Farad Cobb, Kennedy tweets. Cobb, who isn’t currently among those predicted to be selected this June by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, had an impressive showing at the Elite Skills Training pro day, Kennedy notes.
  • Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek once again noted his preference that the team upgrade at the point guard position this summer, Begley relays (ESPN Now link). “The point guards we have, Jerian Grant is just a young player who is learning his way. He’s going to get better and better as the years go on with the experience. And Jose Calderon is on the later side of it” Hornacek said on “The Hahn and Humpty Show” on ESPN 98.7 FM. “So if we can find a point guard who, that’s the 27, 28-year-old guy who has the experience and still has a lot of juice left, sure that would make us better. And the more shooters you can get, the better also.“
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And-Ones: USA Basketball, Ingram, Lakers, Turiaf

June 7th, 2016 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of reports earlier this week that Stephen Curry and other stars won’t be playing for Team USA this summer in Brazil, USA Basketball announced today that there are plenty of young players set to participate in next month’s training camp as part of a 25-man select team. The select team will train with the Olympic squad as it prepares for the 2016 Olympics, and is made up of players with three years or less of NBA experience, as well as a handful of incoming rookies.

The full roster of Team USA’s select team can be found right here. Among the most interesting names? Top prospects Brandon Ingram and Kris Dunn; dunk contest standouts Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon; and former top picks Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell, and Jahlil Okafor.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from across the NBA…

  • Within a piece that focuses on D’Angelo Russell and his NBA future, Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times writes that Brandon Ingram – the favorite to be selected second overall in this year’s draft – is scheduled to have dinner with Lakers officials on Wednesday night and to work out privately for the club on Thursday.
  • In an interview with BasketUSA.com (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando), former NBA big man Ronny Turiaf expressed some interest in returning to the court following a hip injury that has sidelined him since 2014. According to Sportando’s translation, Turiaf is leaving the door open to a possible return to the NBA or to a major European club.
  • Coming off a season in which he won the D-League’s MVP award, Jarnell Stokes is looking forward to trying to get another shot from an NBA team this offseason, as he tells Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders. Since being selected in the second round of the 2014 draft, Stokes has been traded three teams and has yet to find a good NBA fit.
  • Former Sixers guard Pierre Jackson will work out this week at the Knicks‘ free agent mini-camp, and is lined up to work out for the Trail Blazers and Mavericks later this month, sources tell Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
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Suns Notes: Chandler, Workouts, J. Brown

June 7th, 2016 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns are taking a closer look at candidates for that fourth overall pick, having hosted former California forward Jaylen Brown for a workout on Monday. We also heard yesterday that Phoenix has a workout lined up with Dragan Bender, who will be traveling stateside to meet with a handful of teams with top picks.

Here’s more on the Suns:

  • Veteran center Tyson Chandler isn’t getting any younger, and may not want to remain in Phoenix if the team plans to undergo a major rebuilding effort. For now though, Chandler is content to take a wait-and-see approach and won’t seek out a trade, as he tells ESPN’s The Jump with Rachel Nichols. “If there is a decision and they want to go young and stay young, then we’ll have that conversation. But we’re not there,” Chandler said. “I’m happy where I am. I feel like the Suns have a bright future if we continue to build and build the right way. It’s all about building the right way.”
  • The Suns have a six-man pre-draft workout group lined up for today, according to the team (Twitter link). The prospects participating in that session are Josh Adams (Wyoming), Gerry Blakes (Arizona State), Petr Cornelie (France), Juan Hernangomez (Spain), Mamadou Ndiaye (UC Irvine), and Georgios Papagiannis (Greece).
  • Former Syracuse guard Malachi Richardson is also scheduled to work out for the Suns this week, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
  • Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic takes a look at whether Jaylen Brown would be a fit in Phoenix, talking to Suns assistant GM Pat Connelly and Brown himself.
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And-Ones: USA Basketball, Felder, Bentil, Draft

June 6th, 2016 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Following this morning’s report that Stephen Curry would skip the 2016 Olympics in Brazil for health reasons, the Warriors and Curry issued a statement confirming that decision. And, as ESPN’s Marc Stein tweets, Curry isn’t the only USA Basketball star who won’t be available this summer due to injury. Stein says that Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis, John Wall, and LaMarcus Aldridge, who is dealing with a recent finger/hand injury (Twitter link), also won’t be a part of Team USA’s roster.

As we wait to see which other players may drop out of the 2016 Olympics due to health or safety concerns, let’s round up some odds and ends from around the NBA…

  • Former Oakland University point guard Kay Felder is working out for the Lakers today, and has a workout with the Pistons lined up for next Wednesday, tweets Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press.
  • Former Providence forward Ben Bentil will work out for the Magic this Friday after having worked out for the Hawks and Bulls, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
  • Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon and Louisville’s Chinanu Onuaku are among the draft prospects whom Sam Vecenie of CBSSports.com views as potential second-round steals later this month. Vecenie also identifies three other players who fit that bill.
  • Former Michigan State forward Deyonta Davis has hired BDA Sports for representation, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link). Hoops Rumors readers voted on Sunday to send Davis to Chicago with the 14th overall pick in our community mock draft.
  • In other player representation news, Serbian bigs Miroslav Raduljica and Ognjen Kuzmic have hired agent Chris Patrick of Relativity Sports for representation, per HoopsHype (Twitter link).
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Pacific Rumors: Curry, Olympics, Clippers, Suns

June 6th, 2016 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

Stephen Curry is just two wins away from his second consecutive NBA championship, but whether or not the Warriors finish off the Cavaliers, this year’s MVP reportedly won’t try to add a 2016 Olympic gold medal to his résumé. According to Marcus Thompson of The Bay Area News Group, Curry has decided not to play in this year’s Olympics in Brazil, opting instead to let his right knee heal.

While Curry’s decision to get healthy doesn’t come as a surprise, it remains to be seen how many other NBA players will back out of the Olympics in Brazil due to health or safety concerns. Thompson writes that other Warriors players like Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson could opt out due to concerns about the Zika virus epidemic, but neither has informed USA Basketball of such a decision at this point. For his part, Draymond Green tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) that he “would love to play” in Rio this summer.

Let’s check out a few more updates from out of the Pacific…

  • The Clippers are telling player agents that they’re trying to move up in the first round of the draft, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s not clear whether or not Los Angeles, currently slated to pick 25th and 33rd, is eyeing a particular prospect.
  • Former California forward Jaylen Brown, projected as a potential top-10 pick, has a solo workout today with the Suns, who hold the No. 4 and No. 13 picks in this year’s draft (Twitter link).
  • Manhattan’s Jermaine Lawrence‘s pre-draft workout with the Warriors was originally scheduled to take place today, but it has been pushed back to June 11th, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
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Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Raptors, Knicks, Draft

June 6th, 2016 at 10:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics are extremely unlikely to use all eight picks they hold in this year’s NBA draft, but the fact that they have all those picks, including five in the second round, means Boston will be diligent about evaluating all sorts of prospects. The club is hosting 12 players for pre-draft workouts today, and the two six-man groups feature a handful of less recognizable names. Here’s the full list of the participants, per Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com (Twitter link): Isaia Cordinier (France), Perry Ellis (Kansas), Nick Faust (Long Beach State), Pascal Siakam (New Mexico State), Jarrod Uthoff (Iowa), Guerschon Yabusele (France), Kellen Dunham (Butler), Roosevelt Jones (Butler), Hunter Mickelson (Kansas), Dyshawn Pierre (Dayton), Tanner Plomb (Army), and Jordan Sakho (Spain).

Here’s more from around the Atlantic, including details on another team hosting a pre-draft workout today:

  • The Raptors will have an individual workout for Gonzaga big man Domantas Sabonis today, as Sportsnet’s Michael Grange tweets. Toronto will also be hosting a six-player workout that features Winston Shepard (San Diego State), Jake Layman (Maryland), Damian Jones (Vanderbilt), Diamond Stone (Maryland), and Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV). Brandon Austin, whose workout with the Raptors was previously reported, is also participating today.
  • In a weekend mailbag, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star tackles several Raptors-related questions, discussing potential outside free agent targets and predicting the odds of Toronto’s own free agents returning.
  • During an appearance on WFAN, new Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek confirmed that he’ll make the final call on his assistant coaches, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Kurt Rambis remains under consideration for one of the spots on Hornacek’s staff.
  • If the Celtics get a chance to make a pitch to Kevin Durant in free agency, they should play the history card, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (video link), who says Boston could give Durant the opportunity to be the next star in a long line of greats that includes Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, and many more.
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Knicks Notes: Lin, Lawson, Hornacek, Jackson

June 5th, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks will be looking for a point guard in free agency, but won’t consider Jeremy Lin or Ty Lawson, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. A source tells Berman the team isn’t impressed with Lin’s defense and thinks Lawson’s off-court problems, which include two DUI offenses, make him too much of a gamble. Mike Conley is considered the best free agent point guard on the market and will probably be the Knicks’ first target. Berman writes that Carmelo Anthony prefers Rajon Rondo, but many in the team’s front office believes he dominates the ball too much. Some other possibilities are Brandon Jennings, D.J. Augustin and Tyler Johnson.

There’s more this morning out of New York:

  • New coach Jeff Hornacek, who was officially hired this week, said his three-year contract was timed to coincide with team president Phil Jackson’s deal, Berman writes in the same piece. “He had three years left, so he wanted to make it as mine,’’ Hornacek said. “Phil wants to bring winning basketball back to New York. I’m excited he brought me along to help do that.’’
  • Another possible answer at point guard is Seton Hall’s Isaiah Whitehead, Ian Begley posts on ESPN Now. Whitehead worked out for the Knicks Saturday and reportedly had an impressive showing. Jackson prefers tall points guards, and Whitehead qualifies at 6’5″, plus he grew up in the New York area, so the pressure of playing in the city shouldn’t affect him. The Knicks are hoping to acquire a draft pick, and Begley speculates that they may have to trade into the late first round to land Whitehead.
  • Former Knick J.R. Smith, now in the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers, says he feels bad that Anthony is stuck in an unstable situation in New York, writes Fred Kerber of The New York Post. Hornacek will be Anthony’s fifth head coach in nearly seven seasons with the Knicks. “When he first got there, I’m sure he felt they were going to work toward something, which he did being the second team in the Eastern Conference at one point and then the drop-off,” said Smith, who was traded to Cleveland midway through the 2014/15 season. “I’m sure it was disappointing for him. But he’s a soldier. I’m sure he’ll get through it.”
  • The development of Kristaps Porzingis will determine how successful Hornacek is in New York, contends Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. Vaccaro says the new coach’s biggest challenge will be to ease Anthony into a second-fiddle role while building the team around Porzingis.
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Draft Notes: Zizic, Ellis, English

June 4th, 2016 at 9:50pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Ante Zizic will go straight to the NBA upon being drafted as opposed to becoming a draft-and-stash prospect and playing overseas, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter link). The 6’11” center is the 21st best prospect according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

  • Perry Ellis (Kansas) has worked out for the Bucks, Suns and Spurs in addition to participating in a Chicago pro day, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders passes along (Twitter links). Ellis will also work out for the Hawks, Kennedy adds.
  • A.J. English (Iona) will work out for the Bulls, Magic and Raptors this week, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (Twitter link).
  • DeAndre’ Bembry (St. Joe’s) worked out for the Warriors and the Clippers today, Zagoria tweets.
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Western Notes: Nowitzki, Ingram, Jazz

June 4th, 2016 at 8:38pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dirk Nowitzki still hasn’t made up his mind on whether he is going to opt out of his deal with the Mavericks, but he is leaning toward it and he addressed the topic on KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan (h/t to the Dallas Morning News for the transcript). “Is [opting out] best for the franchise? Just trying to find out from Donnie [Nelson] and Mark [Cuban] what’s out there, what the plan is,” Nowitzki said. “So, 100 percent, my mind’s not made up, but I’m leaning toward opting out and trying to help, and see what’s out there.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

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Draft Notes: Maker, Zimmerman, Richardson

June 4th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s the latest news and notes regarding the upcoming 2016 NBA Draft, which will be held on June 23rd in Brooklyn, New York:

  • The Wolves held a workout on Friday for Matt Costello (Michigan State), Ryan Spangler (Oklahoma) and  Mike Tobey (Virginia), Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN relays (via Twitter).
  • The Jazz have workouts scheduled for today with Michael Gbinije (Syracuse), Damion Lee (Louisville), James Robinson (Pittsburgh), Josh Scott (Colorado), Malachi Richardson (Syracuse) and Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), the team announced.
  • Working out for the Grizzlies on Sunday will be Petr Cornelie (France), Julian Jacobs (USC), Alpha Kaba (Mega Leks), Abdel Nader (Iowa State), Josh Adams (Wyoming) and Jarrod Uthoff (Iowa), the team announced via press release.
  • The Pistons held workouts on Friday for Thon Maker (Australia), Cornelie, Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV), Pascal Siakam (New Mexico State), Isaiah Taylor (Texas) and Cat Barber (NC State), Keith Langlois of NBA.com relays (Twitter links).
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