International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Updates: Govindy, Pansa, Faye, Seaborn

April 19th, 2018 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

The list of international prospects declaring for the 2018 NBA draft as early entrants continues to grow. As ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports (via Twitter), three 1997-born big men currently playing in France are entering this year’s draft pool, per their agency Comsport. Those players are Melvyn Govindy, Jean-Marc Pansa, and Ibrahima Fall Faye. They’ll have until June 11 to decide whether to remain in the 2018 draft or withdraw their names. If they pull out of this year’s event, they’ll be draft-eligible in 2019.

Here are a few more draft notes:

Givony has updates on two more international early entrants declaring for the draft, reporting that Turkish forward Muhaymin Mustafa and Congolese center Viny Okouo have both made themselves eligible (Twitter link). While Okouo was born in 1997, Mustafa was born in 1999, which means he’d have two more chances to enter the draft early if he withdraws his name this year.
Slovenian shooting guard Blaz Mesicek has elected to enter the draft as an early entrant, per agent Misko Raznatovic (Twitter link). The 1997-born prospect has averaged 9.7 PPG and shot 40.8% on three-pointers in 26 games for Brindisi in the Italian League.
Monmouth junior guard Micah Seaborn announced in a post on Instagram that he has opted to enter the NBA draft without hiring an agent. Seaborn established new career highs in 2017/18 with 13.7 PPG and a .436/.442/.887 shooting line.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders breaks down the 2018 NBA draft class in tiers, with a three-player top tier of “potential future All-Stars” leading the way.

Dzanan Musa Enters 2018 NBA Draft

April 12th, 2018 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

Bosnian swingman Dzanan Musa has elected to enter his name in the 2018 NBA draft pool, according to a tweet from agent Misko Raznatovic (hat tip to Sportando).

Musa, a 6’9″ scorer who is currently playing for Cedevita Zagreb in the Croatian League, is considered the No. 22 player in the 2018 draft class by Jonathan Givony of ESPN. In his most recent mock draft, Givony had Musa coming off the board 21st overall, writing that the youngster’s “size, scoring instincts and aggressiveness could be intriguing” in the second half of the first round.

When he scouted Musa earlier this year, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz suggested that the 18-year-old is “in the conversation” for 2018’s best international prospect outside of Luka Doncic. In Schmitz’s view, Musa projects as a productive bench scorer for an NBA team, though his medical reports will be important — Musa has dealt with back issues since he was young, per Schmitz.

Born in 1999, Musa would have a few more opportunities to enter the draft in future years if he decides to withdraw this spring. With no NCAA eligibility to worry about, he’ll have until June 11 to make that call.

Elie Okobo Enters 2018 NBA Draft

April 11th, 2018 at 10:25am CST by Luke Adams

French guard Elie Okobo has become the latest top international prospect to enter his name in the 2018 NBA draft pool, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Agent Herman Manakyan informs Givony that Okobo has submitted the necessary paperwork to make himself draft-eligible for 2018.

“This was not a difficult decision for me. I am confident in my abilities, and I am focused on my goal of playing in the NBA,” Okobo told ESPN. “As I look at the field, I am confident I am one of the best point guards in the draft.”

While Givony ranks several point guards ahead of Okobo on his big board, the 20-year-old comes in at No. 38, giving him a chance to be a first-round pick this June. Okobo has had a very productive season for Pau-Orthez in the French League, averaging 13.0 PPG and 4.3 APG in 27 games (26.4 MPG). He has also knocked down 38.9% of his three-point tries.

As Givony details, Okobo has excellent size and scoring instincts, and has attracted “significant attention” this year from NBA scouts. In 2017, Okobo entered the draft and later withdrew his name, but he looks like a good bet to remain in this year’s class, Givony writes.

“I am confident this is the right time for me, and I am already receiving very strong feedback from the teams that have come to see me play this season,” Okobo said. “I hope to land with a team that is serious about player development that will help me to continue improving my skills.”

And-Ones: I. Thomas, BIG3, Rice, Bolomboy

April 10th, 2018 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

After his career year for the Celtics in 2016/17, Isaiah Thomas was traded to the Cavaliers before struggling in Cleveland being sent to the Lakers. Of those three teams, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype views the Lakers as the most likely to offer Thomas a new contract for 2018/19 this summer. However, L.A. won’t be the only potential fit for the high-scoring guard.

Urbina identifies the Bulls, Spurs, and Knicks as other teams that could potentially be landing spots for Thomas in free agency this offseason. In each case, Urbina views Thomas as a potential one- or two-year stopgap at the point guard position. For the Spurs, Urbina explains, Thomas could help bridge the gap between Tony Parker and Dejounte Murray, while in Chicago or New York, he could mentor youngsters Kris Dunn or Frank Ntilikina, respectively.

As we look forward to seeing which direction Thomas’ free agency takes, let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Ice Cube’s three-on-three BIG3 league is increasing its reach on the court, but the league has faced turmoil off the court within the last year. Rick Maese of The Washington Post breaks down the bizarre story of the BIG3’s off-court drama that includes Qatari investors, a fired commissioner (Roger Mason Jr.), and a billion-dollar lawsuit.
Top Israeli team Hapoel Holon has cut star player Glen Rice Jr. after he punched a teammate in the face, according to an Associated Press report. Rice, the son of former Heat star Glen Rice, had been the Israeli League’s leading scorer with more than 24 PPG this season.
Last week, Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports presented a list of NBA assistant coaches who are viewed as potential head coaches by executives around the league. Former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale gave Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated a list of his own suggestions for head coaching candidates, with a focus on black assistants around the NBA.
Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow has shown interest in acquiring former NBA big man Joel Bolomboy for next season, a source tells Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Bolomboy, who saw limited action for the Jazz and Bucks over the last two seasons, has also received interest from China, per Cauchi.

Draft Notes: Adel, Doncic, Derrickson, Sims

April 9th, 2018 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

After announcing last month that he would test the 2018 NBA draft waters, Louisville forward Deng Adel has decided he won’t be withdrawing his name. Adel tells Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) that he’ll remain in the 2018 draft pool and will be hiring an agent as he begins his professional career.

Adel, who tested the draft waters in 2017, improved his numbers across the board in his junior year with the Cardinals, averaging 15.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 2.8 APG with a .448/.350/.786 shooting line. However, he doesn’t rank within the top 100 on Jonathan Givony’s 2018 big board at ESPN.com.

Here are a few more of today’s draft updates:

Speaking of Givony, he has a brand-new mock draft up at ESPN.com today (Insider-only link). The names at the top are familiar, with Deandre Ayton going No. 1 to the Suns and Luka Doncic going No. 2 to the Grizzlies. However, there are more changes further down in the first round, with this year’s draft class beginning to take shape.
Elsewhere at ESPN.com, Mina Kimes has an excellent in-depth feature on Doncic, the top international prospect in this year’s draft class. While Doncic hasn’t officially made an announcement indicating he’ll enter the 2018 draft, it’s viewed as a given, with his mother having previously said the Real Madrid star will be eligible.
Georgetown junior forward Marcus Derrickson announced today on his Instagram page that he will go pro. Derrickson, who averaged 15.9 PPG and 8.1 RPG with an impressive shooting line of .505/.465/.863 in 2017/18, intends to forgo his senior year and will hire an agent to make it official.
Chicago State guard Fred Sims Jr. has informed ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link) that he’ll enter the draft and will seek out an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility. In his junior year, Sims put up 14.2 PPG, but struggled with his shot, making just 32.2% of his attempts from the floor.

Cavaliers Notes: Lue, Rotation, White, Blatt

April 8th, 2018 at 11:40am CST by Arthur Hill

Tyronn Lue is the latest example of a coach who expects his players to keep themselves in top shape, but doesn’t do the same for himself, writes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. Lue returned to the Cavaliers’ sideline Thursday after missing nine games with health-related issues. Twice this season, he hasn’t been able to come out of the locker room for the second half because of his health.

Lue had been experiencing severe anxiety and sleep deprivation. He admitted having a poor diet and not working out to stay fit. Doctors wouldn’t have let Lue start coaching again if they weren’t convinced his physical problems were under control, Pluto adds, but he says Lue and other coaches with access to trainers and healthy meals shouldn’t let themselves get in such bad condition.

There’s more today out of Cleveland:

The Cavs’ playoff rotation is virtually set, with George Hill and Rodney Hood projected to start in the backcourt, alongside LeBron James, Jeff Green and Kevin Love, Pluto adds in the same story. That assumes Hill, who is sidelined with a sprained ankle, can be ready for the start of the playoffs. If not, Jose Calderon will take over. Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance will likely be competing for the final rotation spot.
Okaro White‘s new contract includes a non-guaranteed $1.5MM for next season, according to a post from Bobby Marks on ESPN Now. The 25-year-old forward will get a partial guarantee if he is still with the team in early August and a full guarantee if he is on the roster for the season opener. He will earn a little more than $37K for the rest of this season, plus any playoff bonuses the team collects. In addition to reaching the NBA-mandated roster minimum, the main purpose of the deal is to give the Cavs a chance to evaluate White during summer league play.
Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt wants to be considered for an NBA job next season, relays Nicola Lupo of Sportando. “I want to get a position in the NBA again when this season ends,” Blatt said in an interview with TV channel Tivibu Sport in Turkey. “I want to get another chance in the NBA. If it happens, I’ll be thrilled. If it does not, I’ll still be thrilled because I’ll still be in Europe where I am comfortable and happy.” Blatt has been coaching Darussafaka in the Turkish Super League and the Euroleague since Cleveland fired him midway through the 2015/16 season.

Draft Updates: Vick, Travis, Harper, Charalampopoulos

April 6th, 2018 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Kansas guard Lagerald Vick appears set to forgo his senior year and begin his professional career, according to an announcement from the Jayhawks. Vick’s own statement indicates that he doesn’t plan to hire an agent at the moment, which would give him the opportunity to withdraw his name from the draft pool and play one more college season. However, the press release from the program makes it sound as if he won’t be back.

“I believe the time is right for him to move on, explore his options as a professional and see what develops,” coach Bill Self said of Vick. “We won a lot of games with Lagerald over the last three years and appreciate everything he’s done for Kansas and our basketball program. We are 100% supportive of his decision and wish him the very best in whatever path this takes him.”

Here are more of the latest updates on early entrants for the 2018 NBA draft:

Stanford forward Reid Travis is declaring for the 2018 draft without hiring an agent, the school announced today. Travis, who averaged an impressive 19.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG as a junior, will have until May 30 to withdraw his name and retain his NCAA eligibility.
Auburn sophomore guard Jared Harper is testing the NBA draft waters, according to a press release. Harper is coming off a season in which he averaged 13.2 PPG and 5.4 APG while shooting 35.5% on three-pointers.
Greek forward Vasilis Charalampopoulos is the latest international early entrant to join 2018’s draft pool, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. A veteran of Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, Charalampopoulos says it has “always been a dream” to play in the NBA. “Entering the draft gives me the opportunity to challenge myself outside of Europe,” he said. “This decision to enter the draft was not difficult. The difficult part was finding when the right time was for me.”
Texas A&M junior Admon Gilder is entering the draft without an agent, a source tells Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The 6’4″ guard averaged 12.3 PPG on .458/.395/.821 shooting in 2017/18.
Tyler Hall, a junior guard from Montana State, announced (via Twitter) that he’ll test the NBA draft waters this spring. The Bobcats’ leading scorer (17.5 PPG) will have the opportunity to return for his senior year if he removes his name from consideration by May 30.

Draft Updates: Metu, Kalaitzakis, Foster, Froling

March 26th, 2018 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

USC big man Chimezie Metu has decided to enter the 2018 NBA draft, he announced last week (via Twitter). As Joey Kaufman of The Orange County Register details, the decision was expected, since Metu had sat out this month’s National Invitation Tournament in order to avoid a potential injury as he prepares for his professional career.

Metu, a junior, is expected to graduate early this spring and will forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility. After deciding last spring to return to USC for another season, Metu averaged 15.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.7 BPG in 34 games. He currently comes in at No. 37 on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com.

Let’s round up a few more draft-related notes and news items…

Greek guard Georgios Kalaitzakis has joined the ranks of 2018’s international early entrants, telling Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he’s declaring for the draft. “I am very happy with Panathinaikos, but I decided to enter the draft because it’s my dream to play in the NBA,” Kalaitzakis told ESPN. “With hard work and commitment, I think I will achieve my goal.”
SMU swingman Jarrey Foster will test the draft waters without hiring an agent, he tells Givony (Twitter link). “This has been my dream ever since I started playing basketball,” said Foster, who averaged 13.2 PPG and 5.9 RPG in his junior year.
After Marquette announced that sophomore center Harry Froling wouldn’t be returning to the program next season, Olgun Uluc of FoxSports.com.au hears that the Australian will hire an agent and begin his professional career.
In a piece for NBA.com, TNT’s David Aldridge identifies 11 college prospects who impressed NBA scouts with their play during the NCAA tournament.

And-Ones: Andersen, Euroleague, Curry, Coaches

March 26th, 2018 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

It wasn’t long ago that Chris Andersen was suiting up for the NBA’s defending champions — he appeared in his last NBA game in December 2016 for the Cavaliers. Less than a year and a half later, however, having not played for an NBA team this season, Andersen is eyeing a move to the BIG3.

The professional three-on-three league, entering its second season, recently announced (via Twitter) that Andersen has joined the 2018 draft pool. The 15-year NBA veteran known as Birdman appeared in nearly 700 total regular season games for Denver, Miami, New Orleans, Memphis, and Cleveland, averaging 5.4 PPG and 5.0 RPG.

While he hasn’t officially announced his retirement as an NBA player, Andersen’s move to the BIG3 may signal that one last NBA run isn’t in the cards for the veteran big man.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

There’s no question that the NBA is the world’s best basketball league, but for many former NBA players, life in the Euroleague isn’t so bad. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated spoke to a handful of those veterans who are playing international ball to see why they’ve decided to continue their respective careers overseas. “I have had more than a couple opportunities to go back,” said Real Madrid big man Anthony Randolph. “For me personally, I have stated to the teams that I talk to that I would want to have a significant role when I come back and I wanted to play. … I don’t want to go back to the NBA to sit on the bench and kind of waste a year or two of my career. I enjoy playing. I enjoy competing against guys. The competition has gotten so much better over here that I’m challenged every night playing overseas. I’m 100% at peace if I don’t go back to the NBA.”
While returning from his knee injury is Stephen Curry‘s top priority at the moment, the Warriors star is “definitely” still interested in getting involved in an ownership group for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, Connor Letourneau of SFGate.com writes.
Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune examines how stress is taking a toll on head coaches around the NBA, including Steve Clifford of the Hornets and Tyronn Lue of the Cavaliers.
Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press explores the fine line between tanking and “player development” for some of the NBA’s worst teams.

And-Ones: T. Young, Cap Room, Two-Way Players

March 15th, 2018 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, ESPN.com examined how far 2018’s top draft prospects might advance in this year’s NCAA tournament. One potential top-10 pick, Oklahoma’s Trae Young, has already been eliminated from March Madness, as his squad fell in overtime to Rhode Island this afternoon. Young didn’t want to discuss his future today, but will likely declare for the NBA draft, as a source confirms to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

With the trade deadline behind us and the buyout period essentially over as well, Keith Smith of RealGM revisited his salary cap projections for 2018/19, estimating how much cap room each team might have available this summer.
The 2018 offseason will mark the first time that players on two-way contracts will reach free agency, as those two-players who signed one-year deals will become eligible to sign new deals. Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days recently previewed how free agency will work for those youngsters coming off two-way deals, suggesting that the rules aren’t exactly player-friendly. Teams will have to navigate with caution to ensure they don’t sour players on accepting two-way offers going forward, writes Johnson.
Former Hawks shooting guard Lamar Patterson and Italian team Fiat Torino reached an agreement this week to part ways, a source told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Patterson appeared in 40 total games for Atlanta between 2015 and 2017.
In an entertaining piece for HoopsHype, Alex Kennedy spoke to several players who have played in international basketball leagues, relaying some of their funniest, most interesting, and most unbelievable stories about their time spent overseas.