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And-Ones: Johnson, Williams, Draft

May 18th, 2014 at 12:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kevin Johnson has made it a point to include Player Agents in the search for the new head of the NBA Player’s Association, writes Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. This approach differs from former NBAPA head, Billy Hunter, who was known to exclude agents from the decision making process.

More from around the league:

  • The rapid turnover in coaches and executives is thinning out the candidate pool and forcing teams to get creative in their searches, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. This trend is leading to more coaches getting hired without previous experience, and fewer coaches getting second chances if they didn’t succeed at their first job, opines Lloyd.
  • Terrence Williams has reached an agreement to play in the Philippines with the Meralco Bolts, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). The former NBA player has played this season with Turk Telekom Ankara, Guayama and the L.A. D-Fenders of the NBA D-league. Williams’ career numbers are 7.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 19.1 minutes per contest.
  • Heading into the draft, the player with the biggest mystery surrounding his game is Dante Exum, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Exum said, “I guess they all have an idea of what I’m about. They’ve seen some of the college players play 40 game seasons, and they haven’t seen me a lot. So I guess when they are trying to look at tape, they can’t see a lot of me.” Exum is projected as an early lottery pick.
  • Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com profiles draft prospects Markel Brown and Nick Johnson.
  • More than ever, team executives are looking for prospects with solid character when making their draft selections, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Talent still rules the decision making process, but if all things are considered equal, teams will seek out the player destined to provide them with the “fewest headaches,” notes Ellis.
  • Mark Snyder of The Detroit Free Press looks at Kentucky swingman James Young‘s path to the pros and his thoughts on the draft process. You can also check on my draft profile on Young here.
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Western Notes: Suns, Lawson, Jazz

May 18th, 2014 at 11:17am CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the presence of Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic, the Suns might consider drafting a point guard this year, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Coro cites the uncertainty regarding the team re-signing Bledsoe, as well as Dragic being able to opt out of his contract next summer as the reasons the team could consider selecting another point guard. The team is seriously looking at Dante Exum and Marcus Smart, notes Coro.

More from out west:

  • In a season filled with injuries, Ty Lawson was the Nuggets best player. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post takes a look back at Lawson’s season, as well as where the player goes from here.
  • The Timberwolves coaching search won’t really begin until after Tuesday night’s NBA Draft lottery, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. Once the team knows where it is selecting, it will have a better idea of what kind of roster the team will have as well as a better idea if they intend to keep Kevin Love or if the Wolves will attempt to trade him this summer, opines Zgoda.
  • Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey is open to trading the team’s first-round draft pick, reports Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). Lindsey said, “I don’t think with where we’re at anything is sacred. You have to listen to everything.“
  • Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee examine the risks and rewards of the Kings arena deal which is set to be voted on by the city this Tuesday.
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And-Ones: Coaches, Wolves, Cavs

May 17th, 2014 at 10:45pm CST by Cray Allred

A league executive tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that Dante Exum, who considers himself a point guard, will be taken high as a potential point guard despite his uncommon size and skill set for the position. The executive believes Exum will wind up a shooting guard, but says that Michael Carter-Williams‘ standout rookie performance as a 6’6″ point guard makes Exum more enticing for teams at the top of the draft. Here’s more from around the league:

  • Flip Saunders has conducted the Wolves coaching search with stealth, and Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune reveals that Saunders interviewed rumored candidate Lionel Hollins three weeks ago.
  • Zgoda describes Hollins as “in the running” for the Cavs job. Hollins was named in earlier reports as a potential candidate.
  • Zgoda reports that Saunders also had informal discussions with Tom Izzo, Fred Hoiberg, and Stan Van Gundy, but the talks stalled in each case.
  • Izzo was first offered the five-year, $35MM offer to run the Pistons that Van Gundy eventually accepted, opting to stay in the college ranks, writes Zgoda.
  • Saunders isn’t interested in George Karl, who would prefer to coach the Cavs or, if Randy Wittman were fired, the Wizards over the Wolves, according to Zgoda.
  • Zgoda mentions Nate McMillan, Scott Skiles, and Sam Mitchell as intriguing possibilities for the Wolves head coaching vacancy in a separate piece. There hasn’t been any reported interest from the team toward McMillan or Skiles, and Minnesota is reportedly not interested in Mitchell.
  • During the combine, the Wolves met with enough power forwards and prospects projected in the top tier of the draft to make Zgoda wonder if a Kevin Love trade is a possibility (via Twitter). The Wolves have very little chance of moving above 13th in the first round, and obviously have no pressing need at power forward so long as Love is on the team.
  • LaQuinton Ross is scheduled to work out for the Cavs on Monday, reports Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal.
  • Tomas Satoranksy will join the Wizards summer league team for the second consecutive year, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (H/T Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). The shooting guard was selected as a “draft and stash” player in the second round of the 2012 draft, and could find his way onto the team next season if Washington loses perimeter talent to free agency, Michael writes.
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Draft Rumors: Harris, Smart, Jazz, Magic

May 17th, 2014 at 7:58pm CST by Cray Allred

With the Chicago predraft combine wrapping up, Jeremy Bauman of Sheridan Hoops looks at a number of prospects that increased their draft stock with their performances. These players include Zach LaVine, Kyle Anderson, Elfrid Payton, James Young, and Jordan Clarkson. More on the draft front:

  • The athletic testing results from the combine are in and Draft Express runs them down.
  • Gary Harris was invited to the Draft Lottery broadcast by the NBA as part of a 10-player group deemed the top-10 prospects, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The inviation, which Harris declined, could signify a boost in his draft stock. Some projections, including Jonathan Givony’s at DraftExpress, have had Harris well outside of the top 10.
  • In a combine wrap-up, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes that Marcus Smart stood out as an exceptional physical specimen and hard worker among the point guards in attendance.
  • Dante Exum fared well during interviews at the combine, a team official who met with the Aussie tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. “He seems like a really good kid,” the official said. “He’s confident, but not cocky. Now we have to see if he can play.” With far less exposure than the other prospects at the top of the draft, Exum hopes to impress teams during his individual workouts.
  • If Joel Embiid doesn’t clear medically prior to the draft, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets that the big man could drop out of the top five. Embiid sat out of combine activities as he recovers from a back injury suffered late in his season at Kansas.
  • Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey told Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune that he “has to listen to everything” when asked about whether he was willing to trade Utah’s draft picks (Twitter link).
  • The Magic aren’t trying to trade away their extra first round pick, according to Kyler (on Twitter).
  • Tommy Dee of Sheridan Hoops looks at some of the older draft prospects, laying out why each could follow in Damian Lillard‘s footsteps in making an impact exceeding many of the younger, more well-known players from the same talent pool.
  • Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops released his second mock draft of the year.
  • Earlier, we passed along word that we could be in for a busy pre-draft trade season.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

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Draft Combine Updates: Friday

May 16th, 2014 at 2:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

We gathered a slew of reports connecting draft prospects with teams yesterday on the first full day of the Chicago draft combine, and we’ll do the same today with this post. The latest updates will be on top as we follow the action throughout.

  • Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders adds the Pistons, Kings and Suns to the list of teams interviewing Noah Vonleh (Twitter link).
  • The Pistons met with Rodney Hood, Ellis tweets, and the Thunder also met with him, Holmes notes (on Twitter).
  • Thanasis Antetokounmpo sat down with the Nets, Knicks, Pacers, Cavs, Wizards and Pelicans, according to Woelfel (Twitter link).

2:00pm updates:

  • The Pistons have met with Smart and Zach LaVine, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, respectively (Twitter links).
  • Smart is also among the players interviewing with the Celtics tonight, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, and the C’s spoke with Aaron Gordon, too, fellow Globe scribe Baxter Holmes notes (Twitter links).
  • Gordon also met with the Magic, who are set to meet with James Michael McAdoo, as well, according to Robbins (Twitter links).
  • Tyler Ennis is meeting with the Bucks today after interviewing with the Bulls on Thursday, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times and Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com report (Twitter links).
  • Jarnell Stokes already worked out for the Raptors, according to Wolstat (on Twitter).

12:02pm updates:

  • Dante Exum‘s interview with the Magic went well, he said, adding that the team would like to bring him to Central Florida for a workout, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins, in a full piece, added Marcus Smart to the list of top prospects who’ve interviewed with the Magic.
  • Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge expressed a fondness for Smart today in an interview with ESPN’s Andy Katz on the network’s coverage of the combine, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes (on Twitter).
  • Gary Harris told Katz he met with the Raptors, Nuggets, Grizzlies and Pistons, as Zagoria once more passes along via Twitter.
  • The Raptors will interview Jordan Adams today, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who says the team also spoke with James Young (Twitter links).
  • Zagoria adds the Sixers, Spurs, Clippers, Mavs, Nuggets, Warriors and Bulls to the list of teams that Kyle Anderson either met or is slated to meet (Twitter link).
  • Markel Brown said he’ll talk with the Celtics today, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link).
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Draft Combine Updates: Thursday

May 15th, 2014 at 10:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Chicago draft combine is underway, and teams can meet with up to 18 players. With 30 teams, that means there could be as many as 540 interviews this week. We’ll try to keep track of as many as possible here, and we’ll update this post throughout the day as news filters in. Here’s the latest:

  • Ennis will meet with the Bobcats and at least four other teams in addition to the organizations listed below, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports.
  • Vonleh interviewed with the Wolves, Bucks, Lakers, and Blazers, tweets Robbins, who adds that the big man is scheduled to meet with the Sixers.

Earlier updates:

  • LaVine shot very well, and Seth Davis of SI.com hears that he may have helped his stock more than any other prospect today (Twitter link; H/T Wolstat).
  • In Exum’s extended quotes transcribed by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News regarding the point guard’s willingness to pressure certain teams not to draft him, Exum said he doesn’t see any of his potential destinations as a bad fit, and is willing to play behind an established point guard.
  • LaQuinton Ross will work out for the Cavs on Monday, tweets Jason Lloyd of Akron Beacon Journal.
  • The Raptors plan to meet with K.J. McDaniels, McDermott, Payton, Anderson, McDaniels, and possibly Hood, reports Wolstat (via Twitter).
  • Hood will meet with the Bulls on Friday, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
  • Randle interviewed with the Cavs and will do so with the Bucks, too, as the Plain Dealer and Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel note (Twitter links).
  • Patric Young spoke with the Pelicans and has a sit-down with the Grizzlies scheduled, according to Robbins (Twitter links).
  • Blakely adds Hood and Noah Vonleh to the Celtics interview list, while Randle and T.J. Warren are talking to Boston, too, according to Holmes (All Twitter links).
  • Vonleh says he also has an interview scheduled with the Magic, Robbins notes, adding that Orlando wanted to interview Stauskas, but his meeting schedule is too full (Twitter links). The Magic sat down with Randle on Wednesday, Robbins adds (on Twitter).
  • Aaron Gordon met with the Sixers on Wednesday, Pompey tweets.
  • Exum will also interview with the Kings, according to Howard-Cooper (on Twitter).
  • Julius Randle is meeting with the Sixers today, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
  • Doug McDermott said he met Wednesday with the Bulls, Hawks and Timberwolves, Robbins observes, and McDermott added that he’s looking forward to a meeting with the Cavs, as Robbins and the Plain Dealer observe (Twitter links).
  • Rodney Hood is set to interview with the Wolves tonight, Zgoda tweets. Hood interviewed with the Bobcats on Wednesday, as Bonnell details (Twitter links).
  • Kyle Anderson met with the Celtics and he’ll also see the Wolves tonight, Washburn and Zgoda note (Twitter links).
  • The Pistons met with Glenn Robinson III on Wednesday, as he tells Langlois (Twitter link).
  • Add the Celtics and the Bucks to Exum’s interview agenda, as Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe and Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel report (Twitter links). Exum thinks he’ll sit down with the Cavs, too, the Plain Dealer notes (on Twitter).
  • The Wolves will interview Lavine on Friday after having spoken with James Young on Wednesday, Zgoda tweets.
  • The Bobcats have expressed interest in P.J. Hairston, as he tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
  • Dante Exum‘s wingspan measured out at nearly 6’10”, and he’ll draw consideration for the No. 1 overall pick from some teams, ESPN’s Chad Ford said on the network’s combine coverage today, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes (Twitter link). He denied that he’s angling for the Lakers in the draft, but he wouldn’t rule out pressuring some teams not to take him, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Exum met with the Sixers, Pistons and Suns on Wednesday, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The Celtics, Lakers, Magic and Jazz will also speak with him, report Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel and Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune (All four Twitter links).
  • Marcus Smart has interviewed with the Rockets, Raptors, Lakers, Suns and Nuggets, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Cavs, Jazz and Bucks are also on his agenda, as the Plain Dealer, Falk and Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times report (All Twitter links). The Timberwolves won’t interview Smart in Chicago, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears the team is hoping to get him to come to Minnesota for a workout (Twitter link).
  • Ontario native Tyler Ennis is excited about the idea of playing for the Raptors and has interviewed with them, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. He’s also met with the Bobcats, Kings, Suns, Thunder and Nuggets, according to Kennedy (on Twitter).
  • Nik Stauskas has met with or will meet with the Kings, Pistons and Raptors, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com and Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (All Twitter links).
  • The Nuggets, Spurs, Warriors and Nets have met with Shabazz Napier, Kennedy tweets.
  • The Hawks, Spurs, Thunder, Raptors, Magic, Cavs and Timberwolves met Elfrid Payton, Kennedy reports (Twitter link).
  • Zach LaVine interviewed with the Celtics, among others, Wednesday, he tells Blakely (Twitter link).
  • Russ Smith sat down with the Suns, Celtics and Blazers, according to Kennedy (via Twitter).
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Eastern Notes: Boycott, LeBron, Draft

May 14th, 2014 at 10:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Heat‘s James Jones, who is also the secretary treasurer of the NBAPA, shot down the notion of a LeBron James led boycott next season if Donald Sterling was still the owner of the Clippers, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Jones said, “There is no boycott. There isn’t a lot of talk about a boycott. The union wanted to see the league step up and did what they did what we felt was appropriate – which was to remove Donald Sterling. They did that. It’s a process and we know it’s going to take time. But there is total trust between the union and the league and commissioner and the owners, knowing that eventually it will all play out the way we agreed – which is Donald Sterling no longer being the owner of an NBA team. We’re all on the same page. The Donald Sterling situation is a league situation. It’s not basketball.”

More from the east:

  • Roger Mason clarified his previous statement that James would lead a players boycott next season. Mason tweeted, “LBJ never said anything about boycotting. He’s a friend and I would never want to imply something he didn’t say.”
  • The Celtics are set to interview Marcus Smart and Dante Exum at the Chicago Combine this week, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (twitter link). Blakely also tweets that Boston is “really big” on Exum.
  • Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at the Sixers approach to this year’s Draft Combine, as well as speculates on who the team might select with their multitude of draft picks.
  • With the Nets being eliminated from the playoffs this evening, the focus turns to whether or not Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will return to the team, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
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And-Ones: Hairston, Wolves, Draft

May 14th, 2014 at 10:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

One player whose draft stock might benefit from the pre-draft interview process is P.J. Hairston, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. In 26 games this past season with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League, Hairston averaged 21.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.8 APG, and 1.5 SPG in 32.3 minutes per contest.

More from around the league:

  • The Timberwolves plan on interviewing Aaron Gordon, Gary Harris, and James Young this week at the Chicago Combine, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). All three players are projected lottery picks and you can check out our prospect profiles on each here.
  • RealGM takes a look at the Lakers lottery history.
  • The draft combine is crucial to the Magic despite the big names not showing up, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. The Magic are set to interview the league maximum 18 players while in Chicago, the article notes. These names will likely include Dante Exum, Julius Randle, Gordon, Noah Vonleh, and Marcus Smart, per Robbins.
  • Chad Ford of ESPN.com (video link) breaks down draft prospect C.J. Wilcox. The senior guard from Washington averaged 18.3 PPG this season and is a projected second-round pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
  • The Thunder, Bobcats, Lakers, and Cavaliers were among the teams that met with Rodney Hood at the draft combine, reports Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
  • Jarnell Stokes met with the Knicks and the Hawks today, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Stokes is projected as a second-round pick.
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Eastern Notes: Sixers, Brand, Celtics

May 11th, 2014 at 12:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

If the Sixers pull the trigger on a trade of Michael Carter-Williams, their point guard of the future might be Dante Exum, writes Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Many believe that Exum has a higher upside than Carter-Williams, Ford notes, pointing to Carter-Williams as one of the Sixers’ most appealing trade chips.

More from the east:

  • In a separate article, Ford looks at the scenarios and reasons for the Sixers to trade Carter-Williams.
  • Hawks big man Elton Brand might be leaning towards retiring, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Brand said, “I’m going to rest for a while. Rest. Talk to the family and see what is going on with my kid. My son is an avid basketball fan. He loves it. He wouldn’t mind seeing me playing. My wife, we’ll see. Definitely looking forward to seeing how I feel in a few months and making another run at it.”
  • Celtics GM Danny Ainge doesn’t think the pre-draft workouts are as valuable for NBA teams as they used to be, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. The growing reluctance of agents to allow their players to risk a bad workout has lessened the importance of the event, notes Murphy.
  • Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders looks at the free agent situation of Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry.
  • Add Marv Albert to the ranks of those who believe Steve Kerr will be a good head coach, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Albert’s one concern with Kerr taking the Knicks position is owner James Dolan, notes Begley. “Dolan has to let them, leave them alone. That’s No. 1. And it hasn’t happened in the past,” Albert said.
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And-Ones: Sterling, Stackhouse, Warriors, Jazz

May 6th, 2014 at 10:27pm CST by Charlie Adams

The NBA’s legal strategy for ousting Donald Sterling has been revealed, writes Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. According to Rovell, the NBA constitution states that grounds exist to remove any owner that “fail(s) or refuse(s) to fulfill its contractual obligations to the Association.” Among other “morals clauses,” Sterling has signed a document stating he would not “take any position or action that will materially and adversely affect a team or the league,” says Rovell. There’s still expectation that Sterling or his wife will fight the NBA in court, but the league at least has a starting point for Sterling’s removal. Here’s tonight’s look around the NBA:

  • The Knicks will interview Jerry Stackhouse for a position within the organization, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. It’s not entirely clear what position Stackhouse will interview for, but he expressed interest in coaching at some capacity. It seems highly unlikely his interview would be for anything more than an assistant position, given New York’s strong pursuit of Steve Kerr.
  • Many around the league think that if the Pacers lose to the Wizards and Roy Hibbert continues to struggle, Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird will “do everything he can” to trade the All-Star center, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard. Broussard made his comments on the Mike & Mike Show (Audio link).
  • The Jazz will work out draft prospects Taylor Braun, Akil Mitchell, Bryce Cotton, Mike Moser, Stephen Holt, and Ronald Roberts Jr, the team announced (via Twitter).
  • James Nunnally has signed a contract to play for the Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico, the team announced (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Nunnally spent most of 2013/14 in the D-League but did see NBA action on 10-day deals with the Hawks and Sixers.
  • Each member of Mark Jackson‘s coaching staff has been relieved of their duties, the Warriors announced (hat tip to Diamond Leung of Bay Area News).
  • The decision to fire Jackson means that Warriors‘ management will face pressure to win big next season in order to prove they made the right call, opines Tim Kawakami of Mercury News.
  • In his latest Insider piece, Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the top point guard prospects in the 2014 draft. To no surprise, Dante Exum sits atop his list. Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links recently profiled the Australian slasher.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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