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Draft Updates: Tuesday

June 4th, 2013 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Chad Ford has released version 4.0 of his 2013 mock draft (Insider-only link), and as usual, the piece is chock-full of rumors and rumblings he's heard from GMs, scouts, and other league sources. Let's dive in and round up some of the highlights from Ford's latest….

Nerlens Noel remains the default pick at No. 1, but the Cavaliers still haven't made a decision. Otto Porter and Alex Len would be the best bets to supplant Noel.
The Magic's decision at No. 2 is still extremely wide open, with nine players still under consideration, according to Ford.
If Porter and Anthony Bennett are still on the board at No. 3 for Washington, it will be a tough decision, since the Wizards' front office is split over which player it likes better.
The Pelicans will consider point guards with the sixth overall pick, but the team hasn't given up on Austin Rivers as its point guard of the future, so it may go in a different direction.
Ford is "hearing with increasing frequency" that the Pistons could target a point guard with the No. 8 pick.
Dario Saric appears to be a lottery pick, with Ford identifying the Blazers at 10 and the Sixers at 11 as real possibilities for the Croatian prospect, who is a "hot name" right now.
Shane Larkin's workout in Milwaukee was a "wow" for the Bucks, according to Ford, who has the point guard going at No. 15 to Milwaukee.

In addition to Ford's latest mock, there are plenty of other draft updates to pass along this afternoon. Here are a few of them:

Speaking to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, Dennis Schroeder and his agent downplayed reports that he has received a first-round guarantee from an unknown team, perhaps the Celtics. "I don’t know where that came from," agent Alex Saratsis said. "I don’t know anything about that."
The Knicks' workout on Wednesday will feature the following prospects, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday (via Twitter): Isaiah Canaan, Brandon Triche, Deshaun Thomas, Murphy Holloway, A.J. Matthews, and Norvel Pelle.
The Pistons will bring in Ray McCallum for a workout, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
After recently working out for the Jazz, Cody Zeller will work out for the Suns next, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Amico adds in another tweet that Mark Lyons, who averaged 24.3 PPG in three NCAA tournament contests in March, is working out for the Nuggets.
Ricky Ledo has already worked out for six teams, including the Nuggets, Bulls, Rockets, and Spurs (link via NBA.com).
Ledo will work out for his seventh team on Wednesday, when the Grizzlies hold a session that will also include Jud Dillard, Carrick Felix, Solomon Hill, Angelo Sharpless, and Tony Snell, according to a team release.

Draft Notes: Knicks, Larkin, Hardaway Jr., Bucks

June 1st, 2013 at 10:12am CST by Zachary Links

Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo, Ben McLemore, and Anthony Bennett will likely be among the candidates visiting with the Wizards in the second or third week of June, when the team will look at candidates for the No. 3 overall pick, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. For now, the team is concentrating on targets for its pair of second-round pick, and Lee lists more than a dozen such players scheduled for workouts with the team next week. The Wizards' pick may very well come down to a decision between who is left over between Porter and Nerlens Noel, but they'll leave no stone unturned when it comes to their top pick. Here's more draft news..

Former Miami point guard Shane Larkin won’t work out for the Knicks, his agent told Adam Zagoria of SNY. “Currently, Shane’s not scheduled to work out for the Knicks,” agent Steve McCaskill said. “And we don’t have any intentions of scheduling one. We don’t feel like he’s going to be on the board when they select.” The Knicks have the No. 24 pick in the draft and while some view Larkin as a mid-round talent, it's worth noting that DraftExpress currently has him going at No. 23 to the Pacers.
Tim Hardaway Jr. auditioned for the Bucks and told reporters, including Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, that he has already worked out for the Bulls and T'Wolves. The Michigan product is widely viewed as a fringe first-round talent.
Murray State's Isaiah Canaan says he has already worked out for the Spurs and he has more workouts scheduled with the Pacers, Knicks, Cavs, Suns, Mavs, and Jazz, Gardner writes. Canaan, who auditioned for the Bucks, could be a candidate for the club's No. 43 selection.
Former Creighton and Rutgers big man Gregory Echenique will work out for the Wizards, Suns, and Nets in the coming weeks, Zagoria writes. The 6-foot-9, 260-pound center has already worked out for the Celtics, Timberwolves, and Trail Blazers. At this time, Echenique figures to be a second round pick at best.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Draft Links: Bennett, Cavs, Schroeder, Crabbe

May 25th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA draft takes place one month from Monday, and that means teams and prospects will soon be entering the home stretch. We'll be hearing plenty about the draft in the coming weeks as clubs bring in players for workouts and discuss possible trades. Here's the latest:

The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer takes a close look at UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett, whose left rotator cuff surgery this month doesn't appear to be hurting his draft stock. Bennett sits atop her rankings of the top power forwards available.
Boyer answers plenty of draft-related questions about the Cavaliers in her latest mailbag column. She theorizes that if the Cavs draft Nerlens Noel, that means they'll end their pursuit of Greg Oden.
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy chronicles German point guard Dennis Schroeder's unconventional path to becoming a first-round prospect. Schroeder's long arms and wide hands have led him to be compared to Rajon Rondo.
Shooting guard Allen Crabbe was surprised when he found out the Wizards wanted to meet with him, as he tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The Wizards would likely have to trade into the late first round to take the Cal junior.
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com has more on the dozen prospects the Celtics have brought in for workouts the past two days.

Odds & Ends: Nets, C’s, Bennett, Pacers, Mavs

May 7th, 2013 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

There are plenty of names being thrown into the mix for the Nets' head coaching opening and seemingly just as many being taken out of the equation. Sam Amick of USA Today is the latest to chime in on the subject, reporting that Scott Skiles is among Brooklyn's candidates, but that the chatter about a Jerry Sloan/Deron Williams reunion probably shouldn't be taken seriously. Here are a few more Tuesday odds and ends from around the NBA:

As he tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Celtics president Danny Ainge hasn't sat down with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Doc Rivers yet to talk about their respective futures. "I don’t really pay much attention to what anybody says in the first week after the season," said Ainge, referring to comments made by the Celtics leaders immediately after last week's elimination.
Likely lottery pick Anthony Bennett will undergo rotator cuff surgery on his left shoulder tomorrow, agent Jeff Schwartz tells ESPN.com's Chad Ford. Bennett, who will miss about four months, becomes the third top prospect that will miss the summer with an injury, along with Nerlens Noel and Alex Len. However, two GMs who spoke to Ford don't think the procedure will affect Bennett's draft stock.
Pacers president Donnie Walsh told Marc Berman of the New York Post that he's unsure whether he'll remain in his current role next season. According to Berman, Walsh still believes there's a chance Larry Bird will unretire and assume his old position for the Pacers.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com examines the ways in which the Mavericks could add a maximum-salary free agent without breaking up their veteran core.
With the Thunder and Grizzlies squaring off in the Western Conference Semifinals, Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth wonders if either team will end up regretting its blockbuster trade — James Harden for the Thunder and Rudy Gay for the Grizz.

Draft Notes: Zeller, Ford’s Mock Draft, Bennett

April 9th, 2013 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

With the nets in Atlanta cut down and this year's NCAA season in the books, focus now turns to which players will enter 2013's draft class and which will return to school. Here are the latest updates on what has already been a busy day for draft news:

Indiana's Cody Zeller has scheduled a press conference tomorrow to announce whether he'll go pro or return to school, tweets Ronnie Ramos of the Indianapolis Star. I expect Zeller will enter the draft, but we'll wait for official word.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has unveiled his first official mock draft of 2013, based on the NBA's current reverse standings.
Ford's top five includes Ben McLemore and Victor Oladipo, both of whom will announce later today that they're going pro.
Last month, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reported that Mike George, formerly of CIA Bounce, was set to become an NBA agent. Today, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has the details on George's new role, reporting that he'll join Jeff Schwartz at Excel Sports Management. How does this relate to the draft? Surefire lottery pick Anthony Bennett of UNLV is expected to come aboard as George's first client (Twitter links).
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld examines the respective draft stocks of many of the players involved in last night's Louisville/Michigan national championship game.

Prospect Profile: Anthony Bennett

April 7th, 2013 at 1:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Last week, UNLV star Anthony Bennett officially announced that he'll forego his sophomore season and enter the 2013 draft. In his freshman year for the Runnin' Rebels, Bennett averaged 16.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG and shot 53.3% from the floor in 27.1 minutes per contest, but doesn't have the household name of other top prospects like Kentucky's Nerlens Noel and Kansas' Ben McLemore. If you're not among those that are familiar with Bennett, now is a good time to start.

The Canadian import stands at 6'7" but you wouldn't know it based on the way that he pushes around taller opponents. At the same time, he has a more diverse offensive skillset than most big men out there as well. Bennett is comfortable with the ball in his hands and can slash to the basket, shoot from the perimeter, and score in the paint. While he doesn't have the same ceiling, his offensive range at the power forward position is reminiscent of former Syracuse standout Derrick Coleman. He still has a great deal of potential in his own right, however, and his offense get even stronger if he can develop a back-to-the-basket game.

Defensively, Bennett has a ways to go. He has the athleticism to be a strong defender but never seemed to apply himself to it while at UNLV. Whether that's due to the scoring that was demanded of him or just a matter of attitude, it's something that will have to change at the next level, especially when Bennett is charged with guarding full-sized frontcourt players. In UNLV's first round defeat to Cal this year, backup center Robert Thurman gave Bennett trouble on both sides of the floor as he used his size and muscle to his advantage. NBA scouts will certainly test Bennett with bigger opponents in workouts but if he gets by without too much trouble, the forward should be a top ten selection.

Anthony Bennett To Enter Draft

April 2nd, 2013 at 7:48am CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 2ND: Bennett officially announced yesterday in a press conference at UNLV's Mendenhall Center that he will enter the 2013 NBA draft.

MARCH 25TH: UNLV's first-round loss to California last week in the NCAA Tournament last week may be the last game Anthony Bennett plays as a Runnin' Rebel. Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports reports that the Canadian forward is expected to officially announce later this week that he'll enter the NBA draft.

In his freshman year at UNLV, Bennett averaged 16.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 27.1 minutes per contest, shooting 53.3% from the field. The 20-year-old is widely considered a lock to be a lottery pick if he enters the 2013 draft, and is currently ranked fifth overall among '13 prospects by both ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.

So far, Tony Mitchell of North Texas and Eric Moreland of Oregon State are the only underclassmen to formally declare their intent to enter the NBA draft, though plenty will follow in the coming weeks.

Ford’s Latest On 2013 NBA Draft

February 28th, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

We may still have nearly a third of the NBA regular season left to play, but it won't be long before talk of this summer's draft starts to increase exponentially. With just three weeks until March Madness and the June draft less than four months away, the busy season is around the corner for ESPN.com's Chad Ford, who has a number of draft-related items up for us today. Let's round them up….

Ford's mock draft tool, which provides mock results for 2,184 different lottery scenarios, is up and running for the 2013 draft.
There doesn't seem to be a consensus No. 1 pick this year yet, as one veteran general manager tells Ford (ESPN Insider link): "As you look at the guys atop your Big Board, I'm struck with how depleted the talent pool is this year at the top. This is a pretty good draft if you want to talk depth. I just don't see a player who turns our franchise around at the top. I could be wrong. I didn't see Kyrie Irving doing what he's doing for the Cavs right now. But this year is especially troubling."
Based on his conversations with GMs, Ford says six players appear to be in contention for the first overall pick: Ben McLemore of Kansas, Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart, Anthony Bennett of UNLV, Indiana's Victor Oladipo and Alex Len of Maryland. Cody Zeller of Indiana and UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad have fallen out of contention for now, according to Ford.
McLemore is currently atop the Suns' big board, according to Ford.
In a separate Insider-only piece, Ford and ESPN.com's Jay Bilas discuss which players top their respective big boards, with Ford choosing Smart and Bilas going with McLemore.

Draft Notes: Bennett, Smart

February 2nd, 2013 at 5:51pm CST by Michael Pina

NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper interviewed one NBA executive who believes UNLV's freshman forward Anthony Bennett could end up as the number one pick in the 2013 draft, and that several decision makers believe it could happen.

In the same Sulia link, Howard-Cooper goes on to discuss the number one pick, and how it's expanded beyond three players (Nerlens Noel, Shabazz Muhammad, and Ben McLemore) to include Bennett.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets that Oklahoma State freshman point guard Marcus Smart has established himself as the top point guard in the draft after an impressive performance against Kansas.

Ford’s Latest: Bargnani, Kings, Granger, Draft

January 23rd, 2013 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Chad Ford's latest chat at ESPN.com includes a handful of trade-related inquiries along with plenty of draft questions. Let's dive in and check out the highlights from both categories….

While the Raptors would likely move Andrea Bargnani for any decent offer, Ford hasn't spoken to any general managers that are excited about making an offer for the former first overall pick.
The Kings could still be active before the trade deadline, but the Maloofs are still in charge of any decisions until the NBA Board of Governors makes a decision on the sale of the franchise. As such, most rival teams view the Kings' assets as "essentially frozen" for now.
Danny Granger is receiving assurances from the Pacers that he won't be traded, but Ford thinks Indiana would change that stance if the right offer came along. A young power forward or point guard could interest the Pacers, says Ford.
Ford spoke to five different NBA GMs this week who said they'd take Kansas guard Ben McLemore first overall next June.
Ford also adds that McLemore would be at the top of his personal top-five list for 2013, with UNLV's Anthony Bennett and Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State right behind him.