Glenn Robinson III

And-Ones: Draft, Celtics, Pistons

Joel Embiid‘s medical worries make it a risk for the Sixers to select the talented Kansas big man with the third pick, opines Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey acknowledges that if healthy, Embiid might turn out to be the best player in the draft, but Philadelphia would be safer selecting Julius Randle or Noah Vonleh if Embiid is still available when they pick.

More from around the league:

  • Each of the three former Michigan players who are draft prospects took a different approach to the combine week and each emerged with an upward trend, writes Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press.  Guard Nik Stauskas is a lottery candidate while Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III could be first round picks.
  • Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald makes the case for the Celtics selecting Marcus Smart with the sixth overall pick in this June’s NBA Draft.
  • Now that the Hornets own the Pistons first round pick, Detroit’s focus will turn to finding productive players in the second round, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Ellis looks at some of the franchise’s past second round successes and breaks down which players might be available with the 38th overall pick.
  • The Pelicans gave away too much in the trade for Jrue Holiday last year, opines Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. This puts added pressure on the team to get production out of Pierre Jackson next season, who is in essence this year’s draft choice for the team, notes Smith.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Draft Rumors: Harris, Young, Robinson, Smart

NBA executives are gathered in Southern California for a series of workouts involving draft hopefuls, and Chad Ford of ESPN.com passes along some intel in an Insider-only piece. Gary Harris has used hot shooting to impress and he’s a likely top-10 pick, Ford believes. He’ll work out for the Celtics and Bulls. among other teams, according to Ford. James Young is drawing interest from a slew of teams, including the Hornets, Sixers, Nuggets, Magic, Timberwolves and Suns, while many clubs are high on Glenn Robinson III after he performed well in a workout for the Bulls this past Monday, Ford writes. Here’s more on the draft:

  • Marcus Smart has workouts scheduled with the Magic and Celtics, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
  • Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times adds the Nuggets to the list of teams that interviewed Aaron Gordon at last week’s draft combine in Chicago.
  • The Clippers, Pacers, Pistons and Wizards are among the clubs interested in Virginia swingman Joe Harris, Woelfel writes in the same piece, reiterating that the Bucks are eyeing him, too. Harris spoke to Zach Links of Hoops Rumors recently for our Prospect Profile series.
  • Chane Behanan will work out for the Mavs next month, Goodman also tweets.

Central Notes: LeBron, Cavs, Hammond, Pistons

The Cavs appear to face an uphill battle if they’re to sign LeBron James this summer, but they still intend to try, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who points to the team’s interest in Heat assistant David Fizdale as evidence. Still, Fizdale tells Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel that he’s had no contact with Cleveland and that his only ties to the team were through Mike Brown, whom the team fired last week (Twitter link). Here’s more on Cleveland’s coaching search and the team’s rivals from the Central Division:

  • Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is enamored with Pistons guard Chauncey Billups, though Billups, who’s yet to retire from playing, prefers a future as an NBA GM as opposed to a coach, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. Vinny Del Negro, Alvin Gentry, Lionel Hollins and Mark Jackson are more likely candidates for Cleveland’s head coaching vacancy, Boyer believes.
  • Adrian Griffin seemed like the early favorite for the Cavs coaching job, but it’s unclear whether he’s a high on Cleveland’s list, as Boyer writes in the same piece.
  • Bucks GM John Hammond will remain with the team at least through the draft, Bucks co-owner Wesley Edens said Tuesday, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel observes. Edens gave no assurances that the GM will last longer than that in spite of Hammond’s contract, which runs for two more seasons, Gardner notes.
  • The Pistons and Hornets had discussions about a deal during the season that would have allowed Detroit to keep its first-round pick regardless of where it ended up in the order, but they never got serious, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Charlotte wound up with Detroit’s first-rounder for next month when the Pistons fell to ninth in Tuesday’s lottery.
  • Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III, Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson are among the players the Pistons will consider with the 38th overall pick, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (on Twitter).
  • We rounded up more on the Cavs earlier today.

Draft Combine Updates: Thursday

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 Nuggetstweets 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).

Glenn Robinson III Declares For Draft

TUESDAY, 2:42pm: Robinson has formally announced that he’s entering the draft, the school confirms via Twitter.

MONDAY, 12:44pm: Michigan sophomore Glenn Robinson III has hired an agent and will declare for the NBA draft this week, a source tells Boston Globe correspondent Jake Fischer (Twitter link). Robinson is the son of 1994 No. 1 overall draft pick Glenn Robinson, though the younger Robinson appears to be in line to become a second-round pick. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him as the 34th-best prospect in this year’s class, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him at No. 43.

Michigan’s Robinson averaged 13.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game this season. He upped his three-point attempts by more than a shot per game, but his accuracy dipped to 30.6% after he made 32.4% of his treys as a freshman. His overall field goal percentage and rebounding were lower this season, too, but it appears he’s still eager to see what he can do in the pro ranks.

The 20-year-old Robinson was part a Michigan team that went to the NCAA championship game in 2013, and the Wolverines were just a game short of a return trip to the Final Four this season. Robinson, a 6’6″ small forward, been surrounded by talented rosters that have included Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Nik Stauskas.

Draft Rumors: Wiggins, Robinson, Harrison

Chris Mannix of SI.com released a new mock draft, with Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, and Jabari Parker in the top three spots. Here are more rumors surrounding the draft:

  • Several executives tell Mannix that the poor tournament performances of Wiggins and Parker won’t impact their draft stock, but that concerns over Embiid’s back injury could significantly affect his value.
  • Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times discusses how Wiggins would fit with the Bucks in a video interview.
  • Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com thinks Zach LaVine is over-hyped as a prospect, saying that the guard out of UCLA looks like a D-League player despite his first-round projections (Twitter link).
  • Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com thinks that Michigan’s Glenn Robinson III needs to finish the tournament with a big performance, because his lack of assertiveness and spotty play has caused him to slip down draft boards from a potential lottery pick to a late first-rounder.
  • Scouts tell Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that Kentucky’s Andrew Harrison would go in the 25-30 range in the draft, and that he needs to stay for another year and improve his stock (Twitter link).
  • Chris Mannix agrees with that take, tweeting that Harrison has the tools to become a lottery pick in the 2015 draft.
  • An NBA scout tells Mannix that UConn’s Shabazz Napier already has better ball handling ability than a lot of NBA backup point guards (Twitter link).
  • An NBA executive tells Mannix that Baylor’s Isaiah Austin is another player who should stay in school for another year, pegging the center as a late first rounder at best in the 2014 draft class (Twitter link).
  • Louisville’s Russ Smith made the right choice to stay in college after last year’s national championship, writes Adi Joseph of USA Today. Smith will likely be selected in the second round of the draft, and Joseph envisions him as a bench player who could eventually earn a starting job in the NBA.

Draft Notes: Embiid, Ennis, Parker

While fellow freshman Andrew Wiggins will leave after the season, Kansas teammate Joel Embiid tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN that he will talk to the Jayhawks coaching staff and also his mentor, fellow Cameroon native and NBA player Luc Mbah a Moute, before making a final decision concerning his NBA future.  “I’m not worried about that right now,” Embiid said, just moments after watching KU get knocked out of the NCAA tournament with a loss to Stanford.  Here’s the latest draft news..

  • When asked whether they’ll stay another year, Syracuse stars Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant said they haven’t thought about it yet and have no timetable on a decision, tweets Donna Ditota of The Post-Standard.
  • Matt Moore of CBSSports.com looks at how Mercer’s upset of Duke could affect prospects Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood.
  • Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) is surprised that there isn’t more draft buzz surrounding Michigan Star Glenn Robinson III.  One NBA scout told him he’d be a solid late first-round pick.
  • The Cavs will have to move up in the order to get a franchise player in the draft, writes Bob Finnan of the News-Herald.  However, even at their likely draft position (later in the lottery), they could still have guys like Aaron Gordon, Noah Vonleh, and Marcus Smart to choose from.
  • The Sixers‘ misery today might pay off down the line, writes Maria Panaritis of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Draft Rumors: UCLA, Robinson III, Craft

Coach Steve Alford says NBA scouts have attended 88 of 100 UCLA practices this year, per Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets that the scouts would presumably be interested in projected first-round picks Kyle Anderson and Zach LaVine, along with Jordan Adams, who is projected as a second round selection. Here’s a roundup of draft rumors:

  • An NBA scout tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that Michigan’s Glenn Robinson III is a solid late first round pick (Twitter link).
  • Few front office executives expect Ohio State’s Aaron Craft to be drafted, according to Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal.
  • Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim tells Zagoria that college players base their decision to enter the draft solely on their expected draft position, not how they performed in the NCAA tournament. “I’m not going to be specific about anybody but my experience is guys look and if they see they fall where they’re favorable [they leave]…If you go 15th in the draft, you’re nothing. You might be out of the league in two years,” said Boeheim. “It used to be a first-round draft pick you had a chance. That’s nothing. Those guys are out of the league. Half the guys taken in the first round the last three years are not even in the league. You gotta be in the top seven, eight, 10 picks to make sure you’re going to be playing in the NBA.”
  • Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress points out that Boeheim’s estimates are pretty far off (Twitter links). Only 7% of first round picks from the last three years are out of the league today, and the No. 15 pick specifically has produced a good number of high-impact players in recent years.

Odds & Ends: Robinson III, Wiggins, Kidd

According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN, several “NBA guys” (presumably scouts and/or executives) who were in attendance for a recent matchup between Michigan and Duke were disappointed in Glenn Robinson III‘s lack of assertiveness. Goodman adds that they consequently wondered if the current Wolverine should be considered in the top 20 during the upcoming draft or could possibly fall out of the first-round, with one proposing that Robinson III needs one more year in school (Twitter links).

Here are more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:

  • Rajon Rondo doesn’t appear close to a return date, according to Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge“I don’t think he’s close…Meaning, I don’t think [his return is] going to happen the next few weeks. We’re not on pins and needles about it. We’re being very cautious with Rondo. I think he’s still got a little bit of a limp, his strength is not quite there, but he is making progress. We’re not close” (Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston).  
  • Although there may be a split between NBA executives on who they would choose between Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker for the number one overall pick, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com writes that the general consensus seems to associate Wiggins with the higher ceiling. Even after a less-than-stellar performance last week in the Bahamas, many are said to still be high on Wiggins’ potential.
  • During tonight’s matchup between the Knicks and Nets on TNT, one video segment included coach Jason Kidd‘s comments on Lawrence Frank’s recent re-assignment from his assistant coaching duties: “Philosophies, sometimes things don’t work out…You have to accept that. I could accept that. At the same time, there’s a brand, the Brooklyn Nets that has to move forward. I have to find a way to make them better. For coaches, it happens just like players. It could be a disagreement, or an understanding that we don’t get along. But I have to do what’s best for the brand, and that’s what I had to do” (hat tip to Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated).
  • Tom Haberstroh of ESPN looks at the rebirth of Michael Beasley‘s NBA career in Miami, as the Heat have presented the type of environment that will give the former lottery pick a chance to expedite his development (Insiders only).
  • RealGM’s Shams Charania takes a compelling look at Tre Kelley of the D-League’s Austin Toros, whose challenges in trying to fulfill his NBA dream over the last several years only pale in comparison to the tragedies he’s had to endure away from the court.

Robinson, McGary To Return To Michigan

3:40pm: Robinson and McGary both confirmed at this afternoon's press conference that they'll return to Michigan for the 2013/14 season, according to the school (Twitter links).

12:53pm: Robinson and McGary will both be returning to Michigan, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.

12:32pm: Michigan prospects Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary have a press conference scheduled for later this afternoon, according to the school (Twitter link). The duo will announce at 3:30pm CST whether they'll be declaring for the NBA draft or returning to the Wolverines for next season.

Robinson and McGary played large roles in helping the Wolverines advance to the NCAA championship game earlier this month against Louisville. McGary, in particular, had an impressive tournament that included a 21-point, 14-rebound games against VCU and a 25-point, 14-board game against Kansas.

Both players are ranked within the top 20 at ESPN.com, where Robinson is 14th and McGary is 15th, and at DraftExpress.com, where Jonathan Givony has McGary 16th and Robinson 19th. Nonetheless, Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com believes the two freshmen could be returning to Michigan for their sophomore years (Twitter link).

If both players enter the draft, it would be a significant blow for a Michigan program that has already seen Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. decide to go pro. Our complete list of 2013 early entrants is located right here.