Furkan Korkmaz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Four Overseas First-Round Prospects Enter Draft

April 11th, 2016 at 11:51am CST by Chuck Myron

11:51am: Raznatovic client and first-round prospect Ante Zizic has also entered the draft, as the agent says and Eurohoops.net confirms (Twitter link). Zizic, a 6’11” center who plays for Croatia’s KK Cibona, is No. 22 on Ford‘s list and No. 26 on Givony‘s. The 19-year-old’s athleticism and frame offer promise, but his offensive skills need work, as Givony examined in February.

8:58am: Swingman Timothe Luwawu, shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz and center Ivica Zubac are the first-round prospects among a group of nine overseas players who’ve entered the draft, as their agent, Misko Raznatovic, revealed (Twitter links). Small forwards Marko Guduric and Rade Zagorac, point guard Ognjen Jaramaz, forward/center Alpha Kaba and centers Emircan Kosut and Jordan Shako are the others who’ve declared. All of them have until June 13th, 10 days before the draft, to withdraw.

Luwawu, a 6’7″ 20-year-old from France, has a decent shot to become a lottery pick as the No. 12 prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings. Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists him 19th. His strengths include an emerging 3-point game, passing and intriguing defensive skill, while ball-handling and a lack of willingness to finish inside are his weaknesses, as Givony observed in February. Luwawu plays for Serbia’s KK Mega Vizura.

Korkmaz appears poised to be drafted in the same range. Ford ranks him 13th while Givony has him at No. 18. The 6’7″ 18-year-old combines a well-honed 3-point stroke with impressive athleticism, but his defense lags behind, as Givony also examined in February. Korkmaz is with Anadolu Efes of Turkey.

The analysts are split on Zubac, with Givony pegging him 25th while Ford has him all the way down at 71st. The physical tools of the 7’1″ 19-year-old, along with his offensive upside and productivity, are his strengths while his defensive fundamentals, lack of polish and history of injuries are the trouble spots, as Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress examines in a pair of videos. Zubac is a teammate of Luwawu’s on KK Mega Vizura.

The 6’8″, 20-year-old Zagorac, another KK Mega Vizura player, has the highest ranking among the other prospects, coming in 72nd in Givony‘s rankings, though Ford doesn’t list him. The 6’10”, 20-year-old Kaba is Ford‘s 83rd-ranked prospect and 49th in Givony‘s 2017 mock draft, though Givony doesn’t list him among the top 2016 hopefuls. He along with Jaramaz, who’s 6’4″ and 20 years old, also play for KK Mega Vizura. Guduric, a 6’6″ 21-year-old, plays for a rival Serbian team, KK Crvena Zvezda. Shako, a 6’10” 19-year-old, is with Torrelodones of Spain.

And-Ones: Morris, Dunleavy, Korkmaz, Labor

February 4th, 2016 at 1:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

Markieff Morris said he “never had a problem” with former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The incident in which he threw a towel that connected with Hornacek after the pair exchanged words during a game in December, prompting a two-game suspension for the power forward, was “misperceived,” Morris said. With trade rumors continuing to surround the Suns, see more from around the NBA:

Mike Dunleavy is poised to make his season debut Saturday and play his first game since signing a three-year, $14.4MM deal to remain with the Bulls in the offseason, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. A setback he suffered in November cost him several additional weeks as he fought to return from offseason back surgery. Nikola Mirotic is still targeting a return after the All-Star break in spite of an unexpected second procedure that came in the wake of his recent appendectomy, according to fellow Vertical scribe Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Euroleague shooting guard and 2016 draft prospect Furkan Korkmaz has a dead-eye stroke from behind the 3-point line and plenty of hops, but he has a long way to go on defense, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and the Vertical on Yahoo Sports examines. Givony ranks him 12th among the players expected to be in this year’s draft.
Using the lockout as a means to force the players union to make concessions is the true legacy of former commissioner David Stern, SB Nation’s Paul Flannery asserts amid a piece with fellow SB Nation scribe Tom Ziller analyzing the first two years of Adam Silver as Stern’s successor. It’s difficult to envision the union making concessions in 2017 without the threat of a lockout, Ziller writes.

And-Ones: Porzingis, Pistons, Harrington

September 7th, 2015 at 10:29pm CST by Will Joseph

Kristaps Porzingis has gained 11 pounds so far this summer after Knicks president Phil Jackson expressed concern over the rookie’s frame last month, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Jackson previously told ESPN.com’s Charley Rosen that he was concerned Porzingis may have trouble putting on enough muscle to play in the low post. Porzingis has shown a strong work ethic in trying to alleviate those concerns, Berman adds after speaking with Audie Norris, who coached Porzingis last season in Spain.

In other news around the league:

Eric Griffin, who reportedly agreed to a deal with the Pistons, expects to see some minutes in Detroit, Seth Ferranti of Slamonline.com writes. It won’t be easy for the 25-year-old to remain on the roster for the beginning of the regular season, however. Detroit currently has 18 players on its roster aside from Griffin.
Croatia’s Dragan Bender is the most highly-touted international player in the 2016 draft class, according to Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. The 7’1” power forward has a nice mix of back-to-the-basket moves and outside range and could be a top five pick, Brigham continues. Bender is expected to play in a battle of Euroleague powers in two exhibition games on American soil next month. Shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz of Turkey could also be a lottery pick, according to Brigham, who writes that Korkmaz plays with a swagger and can shoot from virtually anywhere on the floor.
Longtime NBA power forward Al Harrington is still looking for work as a coach, J. Michael of the Wizards Insider reports. Harrington had a brief stint with the Nuggets late last season, serving under interim coach Melvin Hunt, but was not retained when Michael Malone was hired as head coach. Harrington last played in the NBA with the Wizards two seasons ago.

Dana Gauruder contributed to this report.