Anthony Davis

Southwest Notes: Spurs, Mavericks, Cuban, Davis

Mike Monroe of Spurs Nation interestingly points out that eleven NBA teams either have a coach, general manager, or both that have strong ties to the Spurs franchise. Former San Antonio assistant GM and current Thunder GM Sam Presti acknowledged t RC Buford, Gregg Popovich, and owner Pete Holt and the important role they played in his development as a front office executive, saying, "(They) have created an infrastructure that has afforded many of us tremendous learning and development opportunities…It is important to acknowledge that they generally have an even more profound impact on their people on a personal level than simply professionally.” 

Here are other rumblings from the Southwest Division tonight…

  • Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW writes that both Chris Kaman and O.J. Mayo are ready to take advantage of their new opportunity with the Mavericks. Mayo has already started working out with head coach Rick Carlisle for the last month.  
  • Sefko also documented some thoughts from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who implied that it's refreshing to observe practices and finally see centers on the team, namely Kaman and Elton Brand, being able to knock down a mid-range jump shot. Cuban also commented on the Lakers, adding that he's not sure "if all their guys want to be there."
  • Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated relayed Maurice Evans' take on Hornets number one pick Anthony Davis, saying that the hype surrounding the former Kentucky star has been "over the top" (Sulia link). 

Hornets Sign Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers

The Hornets have officially signed first-round picks Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers, according to a team release. Rivers was selected 10th overall, with the pick acquired in the Chris Paul trade, while Davis was, of course, the first overall pick.

Terms of the deals weren't disclosed, but both players figure to receive the full 120% of the rookie scale amount for their slots. That would mean a $5,144,280 first-year salary for Davis and a $2,238,360 rookie salary for Rivers. Their contracts will include two guaranteed seasons and two team options.

Griffin Injured During Team USA Scrimmage, Davis Recalled

10:15pm: Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports that the injury is a meniscal tear that will require arthroscopic surgery. 

9:15pm: Yahoo's Marc J. Spears says that although Blake is done with the Olympics, he should be ready for training camp (Twitter link). 

4:32pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweeted earlier that Blake Griffin hurt his knee during a scrimmage with Team USA and will return to Los Angeles for further examination by team doctors. Just yesterday, Griffin signed a five-year maximum extension to remain with the Clippers. 

Team USA officials have summoned Anthony Davis back to Las Vegas immediately to fill in as Griffin's replacement, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter). 

Anthony Davis Out Of Olympics?

Tuesday 8:48pm: According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Anthony Davis will report to Las Vegas next week despite his ankle injury. 

Monday 12:23pm: A source that spoke to Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune classified Davis' ankle sprain as "light" and said it could sideline the big man for a week or two. Talking to SI.com's Sam Amick, Colangelo continued not to rule out Davis for the London games until he has more information.

"Just getting a report that his ankle is serious doesn't mean anything to me until we get an official doctor's report on what that means," Colangelo said. "Does it mean he can't practice for a week? Does it mean he's out for a month? You know what I'm saying. I don't like to speculate."

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Nine Assured Of Team USA Spot; Odom Withdraws

TUESDAY, 11:41am: Blake Griffin is expected to take Chris Bosh's spot on the U.S. roster, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. As Goodman adds in a second tweet, that would leave five players competing for the final two spots.

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Hornets Select Anthony Davis First Overall

To absolutely no one's surprise, the Hornets have officially selected Anthony Davis with the first overall pick in the 2012 draft. While rumors swirled about every pick in the draft from No. 2 to No. 60, the No. 1 pick was never in doubt, as Davis was considered all year to be the best college prospect available. The Hornets won the first overall pick in the draft lottery, despite having just the fourth-best odds (13.7%).

Davis, 19, led the Wildcats to an NCAA championship in his only year at Kentucky. In his freshman season, he averaged 14.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.7 BPG, and a ridiculous 35.71 PER. Marcus Camby is considered his NBA floor, while he's also drawn comparisons to Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and others. Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors profiled Davis here.

You can follow the rest of tonight's draft results right here.

NBA Invites 14 Players To Draft Green Room

The NBA has invited 14 players to the 2012 NBA Draft Green Room, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. The Green Room allows some of the draft's best prospects to sit with their agents and families just off the stage as they await to be selected by a team. Players are extended an opportunity to attend based upon how they are projected to be picked in the draft in order to avoid an awkward situation where a player finds himself sitting around deep into the first round. Notable omissions from the Green Room include UNC's Kendall Marshall and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, who has seen his stock drop due to health concerns.

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Draft Updates: Tuesday

In case you missed it yesterday, we published our first 2012 mock draft. Be sure to check out our projected first round and jump into the comments section to tell us which choices you like or dislike. In the meantime, we'll continue tracking the latest draft news and rumors. Tuesday's updates can be found right here, with the newest items added up top throughout the day….

  • John Reid of The Times Picayune writes that the Hornets will likely keep their 10th pick. GM Dell Demps says that he hasn't received any offers warranting any serious consideration to trade the pick and believes that they can come away with a good player at that slot.
  • Jared Sullinger will work out for the Cavaliers on Friday, writes Bob Finnan of The News-HeraldFab Melo is also scheduled for a workout this week and could join Sullinger.

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Draft Updates: Friday

Yesterday's roundup of draft links included a ton of updates on workouts and speculation on where certain players may land. We expect more of the same today, so we'll track today's draft notes right here, adding new items to the top of the list throughout the day….

  • Anthony Davis has decided to hire Wasserman Media Group to represent him, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The former Kentucky star will work out for the Hornets on Tuesday, tweets Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com.
  • The Jazz will host six players on Saturday for a pre-draft workout, according to a team press release. The participants will include Kim English, Jorge Gutierrez, Noah Hartsock, Robbie Hummel, Toure' Murry and Malik Wayns

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Draft Updates: Thursday

The countdown until the 2012 draft is down to two weeks, and this week has been heavy on workouts and trade speculation. We'll track the latest news and rumors on both fronts, along with a handful of other draft-related items, right here. New updates will be added to the top of the page throughout the day….

  • According to their official website, the Pacers will work out Evan Fournier, Ashton Gibbs, Travis Hyman, John Jenkins, Josh Owens, and Tony Wroten Jr. on Friday. 

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