Emmanuel Mudiay Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jeff Adrien To Play In China

January 18th, 2015 at 7:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jeff Adrien has reached agreement on a deal to play in China for the rest of the season, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Adrien is headed to Guangdong, Charania says, and it appears as though that’s the Guangdong Southern Tigers rather than the Guangdong Foshan Dralions, since Charania also tweets that he’ll be joining Will Bynum, who plays for the Tigers. There’s no word on specific financial details, but it’s a lucrative arrangement and his salary is guaranteed, according to Charania.

Adrien’s addition to the Tigers would be an ominous sign for marquee draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay, who also plays for the team. Teams in the Chinese Basketball Association are allowed to have only two healthy American players. Mudiay has been planning to remain in China all season as he works his way back from a sprained ankle that he suffered in November, but it appears Guangdong isn’t going to wait on him as the Chinese playoffs approach.

Adrien was drawing interest from NBA teams before agreeing to the Chinese deal, Charania reports. The Timberwolves waived Adrien earlier this month, shortly before his prorated minimum salary would have become guaranteed for the rest of the season. The Aaron Mintz client is poised to go back on the market after his Chinese team is eliminated, and thanks to the accelerated Chinese schedule, that should happen with enough time left for him to attract NBA teams looking to bolster their rosters in the final weeks in the regular season.

And-Ones: Cooley, Ford, Upshaw

January 8th, 2015 at 10:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

ESPN.com draft guru Chad Ford (Insider subscription required) opines that two tiers of talent appear to be forming in the lottery portion of the upcoming NBA draft. The upper tier includes Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis, all of whom are currently projected as top five selections, Ford notes. The second tier consists of Kevon Looney, Justise Winslow, Willie Cauley-Stein, Myles Turner, Kelly Oubre, Mario Hezonja, Stanley Johnson and D’Angelo Russell, and they will make up the likely No. 5 to No. 12 overall selections, Ford adds.

Here’s more from around the league and the college ranks:

Ford has also released his most recent “Big Board,” which has Oubre cracking the top 10, and has Jerian Grant of Notre Dame making a big leap from No. 27 to No. 19.
A league source told Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (Twiitter link) that there is a lot of NBA interest in Jack Cooley, and there is a strong possibility that he could be inked to a 10-day contract shortly. Cooley currently plays for the Idaho Stampede, the Jazz‘s D-League affiliate.
Former Pistons assistant GM George David was hired as director of basketball operations for Wasserman Media Group, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports (Twitter link).
One college player starting to catch the eye of NBA scouts is Washington’s Robert Upshaw, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “I would agree that he was a sleeper to start this season, maybe,” one league scout told Deveney. “He is not a sleeper anymore.” The 7’0″ center is averaging 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds so far this season, and he is drawing interest as a potential first-rounder, Deveney notes.
The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced in a press release. This will be Kuzmic’s fourth trek of the season to the D-League.

Emmanuel Mudiay To Stay In China

January 7th, 2015 at 7:57am CST by Chuck Myron

Marquee draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay plans to stay in China all season, as he and his family have told Chinese media, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). The point guard recently took part in his first full team practice with China’s Guangdong Southern Tigers after suffering a sprained ankle in November, Givony also tweets. It appeared a month ago that Mudiay was on his way out as the team signed Will Bynum, ostensibly to serve as his replacement. Now, Mudiay says he’s in no hurry to leave China, and the team has no reason to cut him, since the Tigers have to pay his $1.2MM salary either way, Givony notes (on Twitter).

Bynum joined the team on a temporary basis, as the club was to decide whether to keep him based on Mudiay’s recovery and Bynum’s performance. The Tigers are 14-0 since Bynum began playing for them, Givony points out (Twitter link), and the former Pistons point guard is averaging 19.7 points and 6.7 assists per contest. Mudiay hadn’t been making as much progress with the ankle as the team would have liked when Bynum came on board, and there was disagreement over his timetable for a return. Now that Mudiay is practicing again, the team faces a tough decision, since Chinese Basketball Association clubs can only suit up two healthy Americans, and Guangdong employs former Texas A&M Corpus-Christi center Chris Daniels as its starting pivotman.

Mudiay is the No. 2 prospect in the rankings of both Givony and Chad Ford of ESPN.com, and he’s No. 3 in the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Power Rankings that our Eddie Scarito compiles. The 18-year-old signed in China after deciding against attending SMU for what would have been his freshman season this year. He put up 17.7 PPG and 5.9 APG while also averaging 6.0 rebounds and 3.1 turnovers in 30.0 minutes per game in his 10 contests with the Tigers before the injury. The ankle injury kept some NBA teams from getting an in-person look at him this year, but that appears poised to change.

Will Bynum Signs To Replace Mudiay In China

December 5th, 2014 at 8:32am CST by Chuck Myron

Will Bynum has officially signed with China’s Guangdong Southern Tigers, the team announced (translation via Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, via Twitter). The guaranteed deal is worth more than $1MM, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote overnight. Bynum will replace marquee draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay while he recovers from his sprained ankle, initially on a temporary basis, and the team will decide later whether to make the move permanent based on how the ankle responds and the way Bynum plays, Givony notes (Twitter link). Wojnarowski first reported the sides were nearing a deal late Thursday.

Mudiay’s timetable for recovery is three to four weeks, according to the club, and with 13 games this month, Guangdong wants to have a capable replacement, while Mudiay wants to take a cautious approach, as Givony explains (Twitter links). Mudiay hasn’t been making as much progress as Guangdong would have liked with the injury, which has kept him out since November 24th, and there was some disagreement over his recovery timetable, according to Givony (on Twitter). The 18-year-old played 10 games before the injury, averaging 17.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists, and NBA executives told Wojnarowski that his performance helped his draft stock. Mudiay, who abruptly scuttled plans to play for Southern Methodist University this season to sign a one-year deal worth $1.2MM with Guangdong this past summer, is No. 2 in the prospect rankings of both Givony and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The Spurs and Suns were among several teams to scout Mudiay early in the season, but the ankle injury kept others from traveling to observe the 6’5″ point guard, Wojnarowski writes.

Bynum, a Mark Bartelstein client, is landing an attractive overseas deal after the Celtics waived his guaranteed contract, worth nearly $2.916MM, in a crunch for roster space shortly after acquiring him from the Pistons in a preseason trade. The Chinese deal should allow Boston to recoup a small portion of that amount through set-off rights, though that amount wouldn’t be nearly as much as what Bynum’s new contract gives him. The seven-year NBA veteran will presumably be eligible to return stateside for the stretch run of the regular season, if not sooner.

Will Bynum In Talks With Chinese Team

December 4th, 2014 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

10:26pm: Mudiay is reportedly leaving China because of his injury, and his family wants him to fully recover in order to be ready for the 2015 NBA draft, according to Hupu.com (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).

9:49pm: Will Bynum is nearing a deal with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Bynum would be brought in to replace Emmanuel Mudiay, who has been out with an ankle injury since November 24th. It is unclear if this would mean Mudiay would be released from Guangdong, or if Bynum is simply being brought in to bolster the roster until Mudiay is able to return to action.

Bynum was waived by the Celtics back in October after Boston had acquired him via trade from the Pistons, though the Celtics had made attempts to trade his fully guaranteed salary rather than simply release him. In 353 career games in the NBA, Bynum has averaged 8.2 points and 3.3 assists, while logging 18.5 minutes per contest. His career slash line is .443/.280/.800.

Mudiay is widely projected to be a top-five pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and he has the potential to be selected No. 1 overall. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the rankings of both Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Prior to his injury, Mudiay was averaging 16.4 points, 6.1 assists and 6.0 rebounds per contest.

There has been some talk that Mudiay was planning to leave China prior to the end of the CBA season in order to keep his draft stock high, which would keep an aura of mystique around him similar to what surrounded Dante Exum last year. Mudiay denied such claims, but it remains to be seen how his ankle injury will affect his thinking in this regard.

And-Ones: Labor, Mudiay, Prospects, Cobbs

November 28th, 2014 at 3:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The sharp exchange between Adam Silver and Michele Roberts of late has seemingly served as indication that a work stoppage is on the way in 2017, but Roberts is optimistic that the sides will be able to settle their differences, as she explains to Chris Mannix of SI.com.

“But of course I think it’s avoidable,” Roberts said of a work stoppage. “Does anyone really expect Adam and I will sing kumbaya every day? We’re grown ups. He has a constituency, and I do. We disagree. But that’s the world. You know what we do agree on? We don’t want a work stoppage. Neither one of us wants to see that happen. We have said it to each other. We have said it out loud. Our teams are all smart, we all have the same goals and we should be able to sit down and avoid it. I’d be surprised, frankly, if we had one, but I’m ready if we do.”

While NBA fans hope that Roberts is right about that, here’s the latest from around the league:

About half of the league’s teams plan to send either scouts, executives or both to China to check out highly touted draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay, and teams are calling almost daily for information about the point guard, a source tells Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling (Twitter link). Mudiay, who signed with China’s Guangdong Southern Tigers rather than attend SMU for what would have been his freshman season this year, is No. 2 in the rankings of both Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
Errick McCollum, who worked out for the Cavs, Kings and Rockets this summer, is one of several overseas prospects who are making a mark after having gone undrafted, as David Pick examines for Basketball Insiders.
German club VEF Riga has let go of Hornets camp invitee Justin Cobbs after what amounted to a one-month tryout, the team announced (Twitter link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Cobbs signed with Riga earlier this month shortly after the Hornets released him in advance of opening night. The 23-year-old point guard averaged just 2.0 points in 13.7 minutes per game across seven overseas appearances.

And-Ones: Mudiay, Gordon, Parsons

November 22nd, 2014 at 2:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Emmanuel Mudiay, a surefire lottery pick in next year’s NBA draft, has denied reports that he’ll leave China prior to the end of the CBA season in order to boost his draft stock, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports. Unnamed NBA sources were quoted as saying that Mudiay could opt to leave China early to keep his draft stock high if he’s playing well there, which would keep an aura of mystique around him similar to what surrounded Dante Exum last year, notes Zagoria. “This is all rumors, it’s completely false,” Mudiay said. “The media are the ones that like to come out with these things, but it’s not the reality.” Mudiay is currently projected as the No. 2 overall pick next year by Draft Express.

Here’s more from around the league:

In his weekly mailbag column, Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune addressed the possibility of the Pelicans dealing Eric Gordon. New Orleans still views Gordon as a key piece of the team and value continuity as they try to build a contender around Anthony Davis, notes Hogan. But Hogan also adds the caveat that if a deal came about that would make the franchise immediately better and help their future cap situation, then moving Gordon would be considered.
Hogan also believes that New Orleans should think twice about considering a deal for the Nets‘ Andrei Kirilenko, despite the Pelicans‘ need for depth at small forward. The Times-Picayune scribe cites Kirilenko’s possible off the court issues, as well as his ineffectiveness when he has played this season, as reasons New Orleans should pass on the Russian veteran.
In advance of Chandler Parsons‘ first visit to Houston since signing with the Mavs, the Rockets James Harden went on record saying the team was better off with Trevor Ariza, who replaced Parsons in Houston, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reports. “His [Ariza’s] leadership, his defensive abilities, his shot-making — all three of those things are something that we were lacking last year,” said Harden. “[Ariza] brings that ability to the table this year.” The Rockets’ significant improvement on the defensive end certainly lends credence to Harden’s statement, notes MacMahon, with Houston lowering their points allowed per 100 possessions to 94.3, down from last season’s number of 103.1.

Eastern Notes: Mudiay, Pacers, Kidd, Melo

November 17th, 2014 at 9:44pm CST by Alex Lee

With the Sixers well on the way to their 10th straight loss to start the 2014/15 season tonight, they’re undoubtedly keeping tabs on top prospect Emmanuel Mudiay, who recently recorded a triple double in China. Mudiay is a consensus top-five pick according to NBA scouts, says Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher, who adds that the 18-year-old has displayed the type of skills in his time with the Guangdong Tigers that has some talent evaluators thinking he can play point guard in the NBA right now.

The bad news for Sixers fans, of course, is that they still have 72 games to endure until they can truly salivate over the 2015 draft class. Here are some other notes coming out of the East:

The Pacers have received clearance from the NBA to continue with 16 players on their roster, so A.J. Price remains with Indiana, the team announced. The allowance, which the Pacers merited because at least four players were expected to miss significant time, will provide for Price to stay with the club for at least three more games, according to Mark Montieth of Pacers.com.
Rumors indicated that Jason Kidd was angling for front office control before he jumped to the Bucks merely to coach this past summer, but Milwaukee GM John Hammond doesn’t feel threatened by Kidd’s presence, as he tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. “I wasn’t concerned,” Hammond said. “I am in a position in my life and professionally where I am secure in myself. I feel very fortunate about that, that I have been around the league for so long — this is my 25th year in the NBA. I know who I am and I know my abilities, so it is not about being concerned. You’re not looking over your shoulder, you’re just glad you have the opportunity. Obviously, you’d like to keep the opportunity, but I feel good about the chances I have.”
Carmelo Anthony recently had a helpful conversation with Knicks president Phil Jackson regarding his role in the team’s triangle offense, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Begley points out that, with triangle-enthusiasts Jackson and head coach Derek Fisher under contract through 2018/19 — the same season that Anthony’s deal ends — the forward knows the system is here to stay.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Spurs, Nowitzki, Thunder, Mudiay

November 15th, 2014 at 10:44pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Stability has been the key to the success of the Spurs, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The core of last year’s championship team remains the same with the only addition being rookie Kyle Anderson. Turner admits that while continuity is a huge part of their success, having Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker certainly has helped. Last week, they became the second trio in NBA history to win 500 games together, joining Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish of the Celtics, who won 540 games together.

Here’s more from around the Association:

By assembling the right talent around Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs have ensured that the future Hall of Famer will sustain success, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Nowitzki is shooting 55% from the field this season, up from his career average of 47.7%. He attributes this success to his confidence in the team around him. “I don’t feel like I have to take any bad shots, you know,” Nowitzki said. “I’m happy to be on a good team again.” Dallas leads the league in scoring with 107.1 points per game.
Injuries have gutted the Thunder’s roster but the team should benefit from its adverse experience, writes Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman. Slater argues that the rare stretch of games without its top stars has created a learning opportunity for the rest of the team’s roster. If the team is able to make the playoffs after its 3-7 start to the season, the experience afforded to the team’s depth may pay real dividends.
Emmanuel Mudiay has made China a destination on the scouting trail for the first time in years, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Howard-Cooper points out that there hasn’t been such an important scouting trip to Asia since the 2007 draft in which Yi Jianlian went sixth overall to the Bucks. Mudiay is the second-best 2015 draft prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, and he’s No. 3 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.

And-Ones: Mudiay, TV Deal, D-League

October 18th, 2014 at 2:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The league had better enjoy the windfall of their TV deal while it lasts, because big money deals like this are likely to disappear in the future, Steve Ginsburg of Reuters writes. Smith College sports economist Andrew Zimbalist warns that the point of sports saturation on television in the United States is rapidly approaching. “At the end of the day, we have a lot more sports programming than we’ve ever had,” Zimbalist told Reuters. “And we’ve had pretty much the same number of household television sets. Ultimately what has to happen is that supply and demand have to meet at a lower price.”

Here’s more from around the league:

David Arseneault Jr. was officially named head coach of the Reno Bighorns, the Kings‘ D-League franchise, the team announced.
With the NBA’s new $24 billion TV deal set to take effect in 2016 player salaries are likely to reach new heights. For now, the league’s star players will have to continue to make ends meet with the current CBA salary structure, and the crew at FOX Sports Ohio runs down the top 25 player salaries for the 2014/15 season. Topping the list are Kobe Bryant, Joe Johnson, and Amar’e Stoudemire.
One prospect who NBA franchises will be keeping an eye on this season is Emmanuel Mudiay, who chose to play over in China rather than attend college this season. Mudiay played his first game yesterday and notched 20 points and five assists in 27 minutes. One of his opponents was former NBA player Pooh Jeter, who relayed his impressions of the 18-year-old phenom to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. Mudiay is currently slotted second in Givony’s prospect rankings.