Andrew Wiggins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Wiggins, Kings, Hinkie, Mavs

May 14th, 2013 at 9:30pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Knicks are staring at a 3-1 deficit after falling to the Pacers for the second game in-a-row tonight in Indiana, 93-82. The Pacers will look to close out the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Thursday in game 5 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup.

While the now-less exciting second round of the NBA playoffs trundles on with the Spurs back at the cozy confines of AT&T Arena in San Antonio for game 5 against the Warriors, we've got more Andrew Wiggins and Sam Hinkie news, and some reports from the predraft NBA combine starting in Chicago tomorrow and going through Sunday..

Andrew Wiggins announced he was attending the University of Kansas earlier today, but Adam Himmelsbach of USA Today Sports reports that Wiggins' parents weren't even aware of his final decision. The Canadian is projected to be the top pick in the 2014 draft.
Chris Daniels of Seattle's King 5 (Twitter link) reports that Kevin Johnson has landed in Dallas and the mayor calls a recent lawsuit filed by two Sacramento attorneys baseless and desperate, among other words. Johnson and Vivek Ranadive's group are continuing their fight to keep their club in California's capital.
More from Sam Hinkie via Tom Moore at PhillyBurbs including Hinkie's quote "I'm not afraid to push my chips to the middle." Hinkie recognizes that while the 76ers aren't in position to contend right away, he feels a sense of urgency to get the club back on track.
David Mayo of MLive lists of all 63 invitees (62 college and one D-League) to the NBA's Draft Combine this Wednesday through Sunday. Projected No. 1 pick Nerlens Noel will be in attendance as he works his way back from a torn ACL.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News says the Mavs have "71 draft-worthy" players to look at at the Predraft camp in Chicago.
Warriors coach Mark Jackson talked to San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami about Harrison Barnes' selection to the NBA's All-Rookie 1st Team, the status of David Lee, and more.

Andrew Wiggins To Attend Kansas

May 14th, 2013 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

Top high school recruit Andrew Wiggins has announced he'll attend the University of Kansas when he begins his freshman year in the fall, according to Keith Morehouse of WSAZ-TV (via Twitter). Wiggins, who ranked No. 1 on Rivals.com's list of this year's recruits, is widely considered the favorite to be drafted first overall in 2014, and could have even gone first overall in this year's draft if he were eligible.

"Everyone last year was trying to figure out a way to get him next year," a longtime NBA scout and ex-player told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports last month. "Teams are plotting and preparing for when he gets out of school. Character. Demeanor. Athleticism. Coachable. He makes the game look like it's insanely too easy. While everyone is sweating, he isn't and he jumps over your head. The total package."

We typically don't cover the college game too extensively on Hoops Rumors until the draft rolls around, but as Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com tweets, the 18-year-old Wiggins represents perhaps the best high school prospect since LeBron James, so it'll be worth keeping an eye on his progress as a Jayhawk next season. A year from now, there's a good chance we'll be referring to the draft lottery as the "Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes."

Wiggins, who was born in Canada, chose Kansas over a list of potential schools that included Kentucky, North Carolina, and Florida State. According to Morehouse (via Twitter), Wiggins' decision came down to Kansas and Florida State.

Draft Notes: Smith, Wiggins, 2014 Draft

April 23rd, 2013 at 8:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Yesterday, Luke Adams went over the owed draft picks for 2013 that won't be changing hands thanks to the protections tied to them. The Bulls have a first round pick from the Bobcats coming their way thanks to the 2010 Tyrus Thomas trade, but they won't see that pick, which has a ~20% chance at being the No. 1 selection in June, come their way this year. Chicago may have to wait a while as it is top 10 protected in 2014, top eight protected in '15, and not completely unprotected until '16. Here's today's roundup of draft news..

Russ Smith is feeling the tug of both Louisville and the NBA, writes Rick Bozich of WDRB. Smith, who is set to make his decision tomorrow, still quantifies the odds of him jumping into the 2013 draft at 50/50. Smith is ranked the 57th best prospect in this class by ESPN.com's Chad Ford but is projected to go No. 33 overall by DraftExpress.
Hoops prodigy Andrew Wiggins is ready to take Canadian hoops to the next level, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Meanwhile, teams are already salivating over the projected No. 1 pick of the 2014 draft. "Everyone last year was trying to figure out a way to get him next year," a longtime NBA scout and ex-player said. "Teams are plotting and preparing for when he gets out of school. Character. Demeanor. Athleticism. Coachable. He makes the game look like it's insanely too easy. While everyone is sweating, he isn't and he jumps over your head. The total package."
Earlier tonight, I profiled N.C. State forward C.J. Leslie in the latest installment of our Prospect Profile series.

Odds & Ends: LeBron, Kings, Draft, Wiggins

April 20th, 2013 at 12:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's today's look around the Association as we get set for the 2013 playoffs to get underway, starting with the Knicks and Celtics at 2pm central..

If the Cavs really want to make a run at bringing LeBron James back to Cleveland in the 2014 offseason, it will be interesting to see how they replace coach Byron Scott, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. If John Calipari somehow winds up as the Cavaliers' choice, then it might be time to at least consider how deep the James-Calipari connections run.
Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times is displeased with how commissioner David Stern has handled the Seattle-Sacramento battle over the Kings. Brewer opines that it's frustrating to see Stern continue to defend the Sacramento offer while inferring that it does not fully match the Chris Hansen deal.
The latest mock draft from HoopsWorld still has Nerlens Noel going No. 1 but has some changes elsewhere in the lottery. Victor Oladipo is at No. 3 in the latest mock while Georgetown's Otto Porter is projected to go No. 6.
Despite rumblings to the contrary, Canadian high school standout Andrew Wiggins says that he won't be announcing his college choice anytime soon, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Wiggins is universally projected to be the top pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Draft Rumors: Noel, Zeller, McLemore, Porter

April 1st, 2013 at 3:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

A pair of underclassmen declared their intentions to enter the NBA draft today, with N.C. State's C.J. Leslie and Kentucky's Archie Goodwin entering the mix. Here's more of what we're hearing with the draft now less than three months away:

The tournament bracket makes it clear which NCAA teams are winners, but Ben Standig of CSNWashington sorts through the March Madness winners and losers as it pertains to the draft.
Standig cites Kentucky center Nerlens Noel as a winner, and Sean Deveney of The Sporting News agrees, even though Noel has been out since February with a torn ACL (Twitter link). Other contenders to be the No. 1 overall pick, like Cody Zeller, Ben McLemore, Otto Porter and Marcus Smart all faltered, Deveney observes.
Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com unveils the initial version of his mock draft, and has Noel going first overall, followed by Smart and McLemore.
A Western Conference GM tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that six or seven members of the 2014 draft class would be in the mix for the No. 1 pick if they were eligible this year (Twitter link).
A GM who spoke to Dave Telep of ESPN.com echoed that sentiment, citing five potential All-Stars who could be in next year's draft: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle and Andrew Harrison (Twitter link).

Draft Notes: Kentucky, Wiggins, Muhammad

March 23rd, 2013 at 12:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at some draft news as we get set for another day of NCAA hoops..

While many are knocking the 2013 draft class, Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link) talked to one evaluator who believes there will be multiple players in the class who will have solid 10-year careers. Projections for players can also change as they have been watched by scouts up until this point but will now be evaluated by GMs.
The 2014 draft figures to be stronger than this year's and one director of scouting tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that Kentucky could have as many as eight first round picks. Freshmen Willie Cauley-Stein, Archie Goodwin, and Alex Poythress are all projected to be first round pick's in this year's draft but they plan on returning to the Wildcats next season. Commits Julius Randle, Andrew Harrison, and Aaron Harrison will also be in the mix next season and UK could still net Andrew Wiggins and Aaron Gordon.
UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad is dogged by the baggage surrounding his age discrepancy and his sliding play, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.

Odds & Ends: Luxury Tax, Mavs, Draft, Wiggins

February 18th, 2013 at 7:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Tonight's look around the Association as we approach Thursday's trade deadline..

In his latest blog entry on CBA FAQ, Larry Coon looks at the cumulative effects of the luxury tax on teams. Going back to 2002, the Warriors, Bobcats, and Bulls have been the biggest beneficiaries of the tax pool. Meanwhile, the Mavericks and Knicks have been amongst the most penalized in the league, paying $192.8MM and $150.4MM, respecitvely.
The 2013 NBA Draft class is so weak that more than a half dozen prospects from the 2014 Draft class would go No. 1 this year, one NBA GM told Adam Zagoria of SNY. “It’s a historically weak draft that, as a result, you’re going to see a lot more guys putting their name in knowing they’ll go higher in this draft, even though they may not be ready, just because next year’s class has such incredible depth that they could actually play better and improve and drop their draft status next year,” said the GM.
Speaking of the 2014 draft, Canada's Andrew Wiggins figures to be the top selection. The 6-foot-8 forward could just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to strong talent from north of the border, Zagoria writes.

HoopsWorld On 2013 NBA Draft

January 13th, 2013 at 3:04pm CST by Sean Highkin

Several writers for HoopsWorld.com weighed in on the 2013 NBA Draft in a new roundtable column debating who will be the top overall pick.

Joel Brigham argues in favor of UCLA guard Shabazz Muhammed, praising his poise and saying he has the demeanor to be a star in the NBA.
Steve Kyler thinks Kentucky center Nerlens Noel is worth the gamble that he will polish his game and become a game-changing big man.
Susan Bible likes Anthony Bennett, writing that the UNLV power forward has been a surprise and played as well as some more high-profile prospects.
Alex Kennedy thinks Indiana center Cody Zeller is the most NBA-ready prospect in the game, although he doesn't have as high a ceiling as some of the other prospects.
Yannis Kotroupis doesn't think there's a clear-cut top pick, arguing that the NBA should abolish the age limit so Andrew Wiggins would be eligible for this year's draft instead of having to wait until 2014.