Gabe Olaseni Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Jackson, Bucks, Draft

June 23rd, 2015 at 7:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

If Emmanuel Mudiay were to fall to the Pistons, who hold the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the team would consider selecting him and letting Reggie Jackson depart as a free agent, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes. “They’re not 100 percent sold on Reggie,” a league source told Berger. Detroit also likes Duke’s Justise Winslow and Croatian swingman Mario Hezonja at that spot, Berger’s sources also informed him. Jackson can become a restricted free agent this offseason if the Pistons tender him a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683.

Here’s the latest from the NBA’s Central Division:

Rumors persist that the Bucks would give up Michael Carter-Williams in a package that nets a top-10 pick, writes Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, who suggests the Bucks could dangle John Henson, too, but strong indications are the Bucks are resistant to trading either, as Chris Mannix of SI.com hears (Twitter link). Milwaukee considers both core players, Mannix adds.
The Pistons held pre-draft workouts today for Gabe Olaseni (Iowa), Tekele Cotton (Wichita State), Aaron Harrison (Kentucky), Tyler Harvey (Eastern Washington), Mateusz Ponitka (Poland), and Arturas Gudaitis (Lithuania), Keith Langlois of NBA.com relays (Twitter links). Gudaitis was the headliner at the workout, Langlois notes, and he could be an option for Detroit with the No. 38 overall pick.
With the Bucks still unclear on what kind of player Jabari Parker can be in the NBA, the franchise could benefit by adding more frontcourt depth through the draft, Genaro C. Armas of The Associated Press writes. Milwaukee has narrowed its draft wish list to four or five players, Armas notes. The team’s top needs are a big man who can rebound and defend, as well as an outside shooter, according to the AP scribe. “You know you hope you can maybe get a rotation player,” Bucks GM John Hammond said. “Sometimes in that range you can get a little luckier, maybe get a starter in a bit. Hopefully it’s a keeper piece and a player that can be a contributor.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Calathes, Jazz, McCullough

June 12th, 2015 at 10:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Grizzlies guard Nick Calathes has insisted that he prefers to remain in the NBA, but rumors continue to signal that his camp is soliciting his services overseas, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com hears that he’s seeking a $3.5MM annual salary from international clubs (Twitter link). Calathes can become a restricted free agent this summer if Memphis tenders him a qualifying offer worth $1,147,276.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Jazz have two sets of workouts scheduled for tomorrow, the team announced (Twitter links). The first group consists of Jonathan Holmes (Texas), Gabriel Olaseni (Iowa), Charles Jackson (Tennessee Tech), Kenneth Smith (Louisiana Tech), J.J. O’Brien (San Diego State), and Marcus Thornton (William and Mary).
The second group working out for the Jazz on Saturday will be comprised of Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Trey Lyles (Kentucky), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Mouhammadou Jaiteh (France), Cady Lalanne (UMass), and Myles Turner (Texas).
The Mavericks brought in Syracuse forward Chris McCullough for an interview on Thursday, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
The Thunder will bring in Tennessee swingman Josh Richardson on Saturday as part of a group workout, Scotto relays (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Okafor, Suns, Jazz

June 9th, 2015 at 10:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Lakers are looking at more than just basketball ability in their evaluations of draft prospects, and one of the most important intangibles to Los Angeles’ front office is overall character, Kevin Ding of BleacherReport writes. Duke big man Jahlil Okafor has impressed the Lakers in this regard, Ding notes. Mike Krzyzewski, Okafor’s coach with the Blue Devils, sings the praises of his former player’s off the court demeanor, saying, “He’s going to be a franchise player. And he’s going to be a franchise person.”

Here’s what else is happening around the Western Conference:

The Suns held pre-draft workouts for Treveon Graham (VCU), Ryan Harrow (Georgia State), Sir’Dominic Pointer (St. John’s), Corey Hawkins (UC-Davis), Yanick Moreira (SMU), and Gabriel Olaseni (Iowa), Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter links).
The Jazz will host a free agent minicamp on Thursday for 27 players, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes. Attendees will include Brock Motum, Jarvis Varnado, Fuquan Edwin, and former Bulls first-rounder Marquis Teague, Genessy notes.
Former Kansas swingman Kelly Oubre may be too tempting for the Thunder to pass up with the No. 14 overall pick, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman opines. One aspect of Oubre’s physique that is garnering him attention is his 7’2″ wingspan, Mayberry adds. “Bringing length to a team is definitely something that can be one of my strong suits,” Oubre said. “And just being able to lock in on defense. My lateral movement is pretty good.” You can check out Hoops Rumors’ full prospect profile for Oubre here.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Wizards, Carroll

June 9th, 2015 at 7:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy had the opportunity to veto the team’s hire of Arn Tellem as the vice chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment, David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. “[Team owner] Tom [Gores] told me, if you’re not comfortable with this, you can veto this,” Van Gundy said. “And I had no intention of doing that. I have 100 percent confidence in Tom. I respect his intellect. I respect his integrity.”

Van Gundy will still make the final calls on personnel in Detroit, but he plans to use Tellem’s experience and knowledge in determining player values, Aldridge adds. “Clearly he has a lot of contacts and people that have a loyalty to him,” Van Gundy said. “And that’s what most people will focus on. But the other side that will help us even when it’s with people that Arn doesn’t have a relationship with is, Arn’s been through this so many times with so many clients, he knows what pushes players’ buttons in the recruiting process. He’s been on the other side of it to know what works and what doesn’t. He can bring to us the other side and educate us on the other side of things.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Wizards have workouts scheduled on Wednesday for Traevon Jackson (Wisconsin), Antoine Mason (Auburn), Gabriel Olaseni (Iowa), M.J. Rhett (Mississippi), Satnam Singh (India), and Maurice Walker (Minnesota), the team announced.
Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker and Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker will work out for the Hornets on Wednesday, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer tweets.
DeMarre Carroll reiterated past comments indicating that the Hawks will be his first choice in free agency this summer, adding that he’ll nonetheless keep his options open as he spoke in a radio interview on Paul Gant’s “Go For It” show (audio link; transcription via Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Hoiberg, Pacers, Martin

June 2nd, 2015 at 6:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the Bulls‘ current lack of financial flexibility, changing coaches was the best way for the franchise to shake things up after a disappointing playoff run, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com writes in his breakdown of what Fred Hoiberg brings to the team on both the offensive and defensive ends of the hardwood. Doolittle also opines that it would serve the team well if Hoiberg were to retain assistant coaches Ed Pinckney and Adrian Griffin, both of whom could maintain the roster’s defensive focus while Hoiberg revamps the offense.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Kansas swingman Kelly Oubre will work out for the Pacers today, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets. You can view our full prospect profile for Oubre here.
Also scheduled to work out for the Pacers today are Anthony Brown (Stanford), Cady Lalanne (UMass), Luis Montero (Westchester Community College), Jon Octeus (Purdue), and Gabe Olaseni (Iowa), the team announced.
Cartier Martin‘s teammates on the Pistons encouraged him to swallow his pride and exercise his player option worth nearly $1.271MM for next season, Terry Foster of The Detroit News writes. The forward was unhappy with his playing time this past season, having only appeared in 23 contests for Detroit.
The solid play of Tristan Thompson and the Cavs‘ success in the playoffs this season has changed the narrative regarding Kevin Love‘s player option for 2015/16, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes. Instead of wondering if Love would return, talk now centers around whether the team needs or wants him to return next season, Berger notes.

Eastern Notes: Skiles, Wizards, Varejao

May 29th, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The big news of the day is the Magic‘s hiring of Scott Skiles as the team’s new head coach. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports previously reported that Skiles’ arrangement with the team was for four years, and Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link) adds that the fourth year (2018/19) is a team option. Robbins also tweets that Skiles said he would like to keep former interim coach James Borrego on his coaching staff.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Wizards have workouts scheduled for this Monday with Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Darian Hooker (New York Institute of Technology), Cady Lalanne (UMass), Stefan Nastic (Stanford), Juwan Staten (West Virginia), and Delon Wright (Utah), Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports (via Twitter).
Cavs big man Anderson Varejao, who has been out of action since suffering a torn left Achilles tendon, could be activated for the NBA Finals if something were to “go bad” for Cleveland, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com said in an appearance on ESPN Cleveland radio (Twitter link).
Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t deserve the shots he took on the way out the door from the franchise, but he did deserve to be fired because of the team’s lack of offensive creativity and production despite having a potent roster and rotation, Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports opines.
Working out for the Sixers today were T.J. McConnell (Arizona), Chasson Randle (Stanford), Jarvis Threatt (Delaware), K.T. Harrell (Auburn), and Gabe Olaseni (Iowa), Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers.com relays (Twitter link).