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Donovan Mitchell To Hire Agent, Stay In Draft

May 6th, 2017 at 10:08am CST by Joshua Fischman

Louisville sophomore combo guard Donovan Mitchell will forgo his final two years of college eligibility and remain entered in the NBA draft, he announced via Instagram on Friday.

Previously, Mitchell said that he would test the draft process. After gathering sufficient information, he has decided to leave school. Multiple NBA executives say that Mitchell will likely be selected in the first round, Jeff Goodman of ESPN Insider reports.

As a sophomore, Mitchell averaged 15.6 PPG in 32.3 MPG, way up from his freshman averages of 7.4 PPG in just 19.1 MPG. Although Mitchell shot a mere 40.8% from the field in 2016/2017, he added the three-point shot to his arsenal, converting 35.4% of his 6.6 deep attempts per game. The Cardinal also averaged 4.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.1 SPG as a sophomore.

Mitchell will sign with agent Ty Sullivan of CAA, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (link via twitter).

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Poll: Who Should Be Drafted First Overall?

May 6th, 2017 at 9:02am CST by Joshua Fischman

With the NBA draft nearly a month and a half away, potential lottery teams like the Celtics, Suns, and Lakers, and basketball fans alike debate: who should be taken first overall? A pair of freshman point guards from Pac-12 schools, Lonzo Ball of UCLA and Markelle Fultz from the University of Washington, dominate the discussion.

In 25 games, Fultz averaged 23.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 5.7 RPG, while shooting 47.6% from the floor. Although Fultz’s Huskies finished 9-22 and did not qualify for the postseason, the 6’4″ prospect was named First Team All Pac-12 for his performance.

Ball, too, was named to the First Team, after averaging 14.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG on 55.1% shooting, while leading the nation with 7.6 APG. Ball’s Bruins finished 31-5 and were eliminated by Kentucky in the Sweet 16.

In an Insider-only piece at ESPN, Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton discuss potential sleepers to be selected first, but ultimately decide that it comes down to Fultz and Ball. After making the case for both players as the potential No. 1 pick, the duo diverges, with Ford leaning toward Fultz and Pelton preferring Ball.

What do you think? Should Ball or Fultz be drafted first? Or should someone else entirely go No. 1?

Vote below on which player you believe merits the honor of being the first name called on draft night. After placing your vote, share your thoughts in the comments section!

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Northwest Notes: Johnson, Lillard, Westbrook

May 5th, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by Austin Kent

Now 16 years into an admirable NBA career, Joe Johnson is happy to still be contributing significantly to a winning team. Marc Spears of ESPN recently wrote about the veteran’s career and the role he currently serves with the Jazz.

“It’s been 16 seasons. I’m still able to play at a high level. It says a lot because a lot of the guys in my draft class have come and gone. To be one of the dinosaurs still around, I’m happy for that,” Johnson said.

In a transcribed interview with Johnson, Spears asks the swingman about his life as a veteran in the locker room and how he came to sign with the Jazz last summer.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • If Damian Lillard can’t win a title with the Trail Blazers, he’s okay not winning one. The guard tweeted that staying in Portland is more of a priority.
  • One of the looming questions the Trail Blazers will get an answer to eventually is whether or not Jusuf Nurkic can be their anchor in the middle for a full season, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post writes. If he can, that’s one less building block they’ll need to add in the future.
  • If Russell Westbrook doesn’t sign a five-year extension when it’s offered to him this summer, he’ll almost inevitably leave the Thunder in the summer of 2018, says Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post. If that is the case, expect Oklahoma City to trade him rather than watch him leave for nothing.
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Central Notes: Marjanovic, Payne, George

May 5th, 2017 at 10:04pm CST by Austin Kent

Expect Pistons big man Boban Marjanovic to get more of an opportunity to shine next season. Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes that fans can expect current backup center Aron Baynes to explore free agency by turning down his player option, leaving Marjonvic as the next man up behind Andre Drummond.

In limited action Marjanovic showed flashes of excellence, no surprise considering he did just that with the Spurs in 2015/16. Per 36, his 23.5 points and 16.0 rebounds make him a particularly compelling option for a Pistons team that often has to bench Drummond on account of his poor free-throw shooting.

Unfortunately, as the Pistons struggled and eventually failed to sneak into the postseason, Marjanovic was rarely used in 2016/17.

“This is a fault of ours that we really didn’t build anything around him, either offensively or defensively,” Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy said last month. “We have to do some defensive things to help him and we’ve got to get him the ball even more offensively, but he was our third center, so we didn’t build enough around him. Certainly we will, going forward.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Bulls are still very high on Cameron Payne, Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago writes, despite the fact that the guard wasn’t featured as heavily as some thought he would be following the deal in which they acquired him.
  • While they may be exploring their trade options, the Bulls mean no disrespect to starting swingman Jimmy Butler, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes. “Don’t misunderstand: We think the world of him. You can’t say enough good things about how this young man has made himself the player that he is,” team executive vice president John Paxson said.
  • A panel of NBA.com columnists discussed what they would do with Paul George this offseason and how big of a priority retaining him would be if they stepped into the role of incoming Pacers president Kevin Pritchard.
  • The Bucks worked out a handful of NCAA seniors today, with the full list of players available at the team’s official website. Milwaukee will pick No. 17 in this year’s draft.
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Hoops Rumors Accepting Best Blog Links

May 5th, 2017 at 9:08pm CST by Austin Kent

As you’ve surely heard by now, we’ve revamped our weekly Hoops Rumors link dump. Now more than ever we want to shine on a light on the best original content that comes out of the blogosphere. Think you know of a blog post that deserves recognition? Submit them for possible inclusion in next week’s post.

There is no shortage of sports content available on the internet but there’s something about the blog community that stands out. What we want to spread is original, entertaining content, the perfect blend between quality and fan passion.

The next time you come across a great article – even if you, ahem, wrote it yourself – let us know. You can mention @AustinKent on Twitter or even send an email to HoopsRumorsTips@Sports.ws.

Here’s a look back at our Hoops Links posts from the last three weeks.

May 4 – Vol. 3: Traditional Big Men, Puppies, More
April 27 – Vol. 2: The Next MJ, McGee’s Reign, More
April 20 – Vol. 1: Unpopular Raptors, Kobe GIFs, More

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Inquiries For Porzingis After Skipped Exit Meeting

May 5th, 2017 at 8:13pm CST by Austin Kent

Multiple teams reached out to the Knicks about possible Kristaps Porzingis trades after it was reported that the Latvian big man skipped his exit meeting with the franchise, Ian Begley of ESPN reports. The 21-year-old has been displeased with New York’s inability to field a winner during his first two years in the league.

Though there’s no indication that any specific deals surfaced as a result of the conversations, the fact that teams could be attempting to establish parameters with the Knicks is a sign of the sophomore’s value around the league and how serious his expression of frustration was interpreted to be.

Through two years with the underachieving club, Porzingis has shown a unique combination of skill and length. This year, the sharp-shooting 7’3″ forward improved upon an impressive rookie season with averages of 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. In Year 3, Porzingis is slotted to make $4.5MM before a fourth and final year with a team option worth $5.7MM.

Begley reports that Porzingis hasn’t been in touch with the franchise since his decision to forego the meeting, quickly leaving for Latvia with plans to play for their national team in the European Championship over the summer.

Per Begley, Porzingis has said on multiple occasions that he would prefer to remain in New York, but sources say that the forward has grown frustrated with the drama and dysfunction surrounding the team.

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Celtics Notes: Horford, IT’s Value, IT’s Teeth

May 5th, 2017 at 6:56pm CST by Austin Kent

From the get-go, Al Horford was told to focus on helping the Celtics win rather than look to justify his max deal with big numbers, Ian Thomsen of NBA.com writes.

The C’s opted to let the 30-year-old focus on getting comfortable with the franchise and his versatility and intangibles have helped fuel one of the best Celtics squads in years.

“You don’t take a guy that’s averaging 14 points a game and expect him to average 25,” Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said. “You don’t take a .270, 20-home-run guy and expect that he’s going to hit .330 and 40 home runs. We knew what Al was, and I think he’s even been better than what we thought.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

  • Few considered that the Celtics were getting a star when they acquired Isaiah Thomas at the trade deadline in 2014/15 but the point guard has established himself worthy of the praise. Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider recently took a skeptical look at the 28-year-old and was pleased with what he found.
  • An impressive postseason has shown that the Celtics can build around Thomas, says Chris Mannix of the Vertical. The journalist told CSN New England that, though much of the franchise’s direction heading forward could depend on their lottery pick, anchoring a lineup with Thomas is certainly possible.
  • After initially injuring several teeth in Game 1, Celtics guard Thomas re-injured his mouth in Game 3, the team reports in a press release. When the guard was struck in the head Thursday, the bridge that was installed to facilitate the recovery was re-broken. Another temporary bridge has been put in until the guard can get a permanent bridge at some point in the future.
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Southwest Notes: Roberson, Parker, Randolph

May 5th, 2017 at 5:21pm CST by Austin Kent

Unable to come to terms with the Thunder on a rookie extension last fall, Andre Roberson will look to test the market this offseason, Erik Horne of the Oklahoman writes.

It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what the defensive-minded two-guard is worth, and the extra year of research didn’t help as much as the two parties may have hoped when the Thunder decided to let the 25-year-old become a restricted free agent.

Roberson is among the league’s best perimeter defender but his offensive shortcomings are hard to ignore. That, of course, muddies the waters when it comes to figuring out what the Thunder will (or should) pay to retain him.

“I don’t think anybody takes for granted a defensive specialist. All the GMs, the coaches, I think they see the work, so I’m not worried about free agency. I guess you could say I’m letting it take care of itself,” the Thunder guard said.

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And-Ones: ASM, Free Agency, Leonard, G. Smith

May 5th, 2017 at 3:34pm CST by Luke Adams

A Thursday report from Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical isn’t exactly a traditional “Woj bomb,” but it’s one of the more unusual stories to find its way onto the pages of The Vertical so far this year. According to Wojnarowski, Christian Dawkins – an employee at prominent player agency ASM Sports – has been fired for repeated use of an unknown NBA player’s credit card.

As Wojnarowski reports, between July 2015 and May 2016, Dawkins racked up approximately $42K in charges on the player’s personal credit card via an Uber account — a probe by the National Basketball Players Association determined that worked out to 1,865 Uber rides, and “all but a small number” of those charges were made without the player’s permission.

The player wasn’t an ASM client, and after investigating the matter, the NBPA found “no evidence that any ASM employee knew about Mr. Dawkins’ conduct until after it was discovered in May 2016,” Wojnarowski writes. The player was reimbursed at the conclusion of the probe.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

  • It has been a busy week for Bobby Marks of The Vertical, who has ranked and taken a closer look at the pending free agent point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards. We’ll have our own rankings of free agents by position a little closer to July 1.
  • With free agency less than two months away, Eric Pincus of Baskeball Insiders takes stock of salary cap situations around the NBA. Based on Pincus’ calculations, seven teams already project to have no cap room, and many more clubs will join that list if they re-sign one or two of their own players. The Kings could create the most cap space of any team, at $60MM+.
  • Is Spurs star Kawhi Leonard the best non-lottery draft pick of all-time? Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com examines that question and others in his latest mailbag feature.
  • Former Rockets big man Greg Smith isn’t just playing basketball in the Philippines these days — he may also represent the country’s national team as a naturalized player, as Rey Joble of BusinessWorld Online details (hat tip to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando).
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David Griffin, Joe Dumars On Hawks’ Radar?

May 5th, 2017 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Having restructured their front office, the Hawks are in the market for a new top basketball executive, and according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter), league sources suggest that David Griffin and Joe Dumars are expected to emerge as candidates for that job.

Mike Budenholzer had previously served as the president of basketball operations in Atlanta, but relinquished that title and will simply be the club’s head coach going forward. Meanwhile, Wes Wilcox was the Hawks’ general manager, but will now serve as a special advisor to team ownership. Both Budenholzer and Wilcox are expected to have a say in personnel decisions, but the Hawks are on the lookout for someone who will have the final say.

Griffin has emerged as the most popular front office target around the league early in the 2017 offseason. Despite playing a significant role in building the Cavaliers’ roster, the GM is on an expiring deal with the defending champs, and contract talks between the two sides have reportedly stalled. That has opened the door for rival suitors to prepare pitches for Griffin. In addition to the Hawks, the Magic are believed to have the Cavs GM high on their wish list, though those teams won’t be able to talk to him until Cleveland’s season ends.

As for Dumars, the Pistons’ former president of basketball operations stepped down from that role in 2014. During his time in Detroit, he helped lead the club to a 595–536 (.527) regular-season record, 73 postseason wins, and an NBA championship in 2004, and was named Executive of the Year in 2003. In recent years, he has been linked most frequently to the Pelicans’ front office, should New Orleans decide to shake things up.

As Stein observes (via Twitter), Hawks minority owner Grant Hill, who was expected to have a hand in the team’s search for a new executive, has ties to both Griffin and Dumars. Griffin worked in the Suns’ basketball operations department when Hill was in Phoenix as a player, and Dumars played with Hill in Detroit.

Earlier today, Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler said that he hopes to have a GM in place before June’s draft, though he has confidence in the current basketball operations department to handle things in the coming weeks. Ressler added that he hopes Wilcox remains with the Hawks in his new role, admitting that the former GM will have many other options around the NBA (all Twitter links via David Aldridge of NBA.com).

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