Henry Ellenson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Rumors: Ellenson, Bulls, Felder

June 27th, 2016 at 10:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy and his staff had Henry Ellenson ranked No. 10 on their draft board and were pleasantly surprised when the Marquette power forward slid to No. 18, he told the assembled media, including Hoops Rumors. Van Gundy was so sure that Ellenson would be chosen before Detroit’s turn came up last Thursday that he barely watched any film on him. “I didn’t even take notes,” he said. Detroit will still look to acquire another stretch four in free agency or via the trade route. “There’s no pressure on him, at least early on,” Van Gundy said of Ellenson. The Pistons are expected to pursue Hawks big man Al Horford but would have to clear cap space to offer him anything close to the max.

In other news around the Central Division:

Van Gundy, whose team made the playoffs last season as a No. 8 seed, is unfazed by recent trades made by the Pacers and Magic. Indiana acquired two veteran starters, point guard Jeff Teague from the Hawks and power forward Thaddeus Young from the Nets, while the Magic made a big trade with the Thunder to land power forward Serge Ibaka. “Indiana made a couple of good moves and got better. Obviously, Serge Ibaka is a really good, but I expect our guys to improve, too,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll come back as the same team, either. There’s no sense in worrying about what other teams do.”
Bulls power forward Bobby Portis and small forward Tony Snell have signed with CAA Sports, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Daily tweets. Portis had been a Mark Bartelstein client while Snell was represented by Mitchell Butler.
Point guard Kay Felder‘s chances of making the Cavaliers roster next season are enhanced by the fact that they paid the Hawks $2.4MM to draft him, Lev Facher of USA Today reports. The 5’9” Felder out of Oakland University was selected with the No. 54 overall pick. “That means a lot to give up all that money for one pick,” Felder told Facher. “Man — I owe them.” Felder’s would have an even better shot at making the opening-night roster if restricted free agent Matthew Dellavedova receives an offer sheet that Cleveland won’t match.

Pistons Notes: Ellenson, Free Agency, Gbinije

June 26th, 2016 at 7:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons aren’t counting on Henry Ellenson to contribute immediately, but his presence on the roster may alter the team’s strategy in free agency, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. Executive/coach Stan Van Gundy indicated that as a result of the draft, back-up point guard will be “a little more of the priority” once free agency begins.

Here’s more out of Detroit:

Van Gundy said on Detroit’s 97.1 radio station that the Pistons will look to add a younger veteran point guard in free agency, as Rod Beard of The Detroit News passes along on Twitter.
The Pistons had a first-round grade on Yogi Ferrell, but they had No.49 overall pick Michael Gbinije higher on their board due to his versatility, Beard writes in a full-length piece. “The trade-off is Michael can play three different positions, we think, and his size and everything else,” Van Gundy said. “How much point guard he can play and to the question of whether we only sign one point guard [in free agency], that’s something we’ll decide in summer league.”
Van Gundy believes prospects should be allowed to go to the draft and still return to college if they are not taken as high as expected, Beard adds in the same piece. Van Gundy also believes the prospects should be able to hire agents while still in college.

Central Notes: Noah, Walters, Draft

June 14th, 2016 at 5:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bulls center and unrestricted free agent Joakim Noah is looking forward to the free agent process and being recruited by interested suitors, as he told Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. When asked how involved he is in the free agent process, Noah said, “I’m very focused on free agency. I spent the last 10 years in Chicago, there were good moments and bad moments but now I have an incredible opportunity for a player, being recruited by a team, I definitely want to live that kind of experience. It’s new for me but it’s something very intriguing for a player. I’ll consider every offer on the table, no doubt.”

The big man was also asked if the culture of the team changed under Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg this season, with Noah telling Cauchi, “I don’t think so. I mean, Hoiberg is a good coach, the locker room is something that the players need to make work. It’s on us, not on the coach.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pacers have their sixth pre-draft workout scheduled for Wednesday, the team announced. Attendees will include Kellen Dunham (Butler), Jordan Loyd (Indianapolis), Taurean Prince (Baylor), Alex Poythress (Kentucky), Diamond Stone (Maryland), and Goodluck Okonoboh (UNLV), according to the release.
The Pistons are expected to name Rex Walters as head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest relays. Walters previously served as the head coach at the University of San Francisco from 2008-16, compiling a record of 126-125 during his tenure. Otis Smith, the current coach of the Drive, is expected to be promoted to a front office position with the Pistons, Johnson tweets.
The Bucks held a group workout this morning for Max Landis (IPFW), Carrington Love (UWGB), Tyrone Wallace (California), Kyle Collinsworth (BYU), Derrick Jones (UNLV) and Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), the team announced. Milwaukee also held an individual workout this afternoon for Marquette big man Henry Ellenson, the team relayed in the same announcement.

Eastern Draft Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Pistons

June 13th, 2016 at 10:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LSU forward Ben Simmons may not work out for the Sixers or any other team prior to the draft, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Media Network reports. Philadelphia, which has the top pick, is trying to get Simmons in for a workout, Pompey continues. Simmons is expected to be the Sixers’ choice over Duke forward Brandon Ingram. “It’s not a red flag,” Sixers president of basketball operation Bryan Colangelo told Pompey. “Everybody deals with the draft process differently.” The Sixers did not work out Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid or Jahlil Okafor before selecting them in the last three drafts, Pompey notes.

In other draft developments around the Eastern Conference:

The Sixers will bring in California small forward Jaylen Brown for a workout on Tuesday afternoon, the team announced via press release. Brown could be a darkhorse candidate for the top pick in the draft. He could also be an option if Philadelphia trades down in the lottery, or if they package their two late first rounders to acquire another lottery selection. He’s ranked No. 8 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board and No. 5 by Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony. The Sixers will bring in six second-round hopefuls earlier in the day, including Iowa State forward Georges Niang, Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff, UC Santa Barbara guard Michael Bryson, Iona guard A.J. English, Mississippi forward Tomasz Gielo and Dayton swingman Dyshawn Pierre.
The Celtics worked out two projected lottery picks on Monday, Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield and Washington power forward Marquese Chriss, ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman tweets. The workouts were held in California, Goodman adds. Ford slots Hield at No. 7 and Chriss at No. 6 on his Big Board, while Hield is rated No. 7 and Chriss is ranked No. 11 by Givony. The Celtics have three first-rounders, including the No. 3 pick.
The Pistons worked out six players on Monday, the most prominent being Notre Dame point guard Demetrius Jackson, according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News (Twitter links). The Pistons, who hold the No. 18 pick, need a backup point gaurd and Jackson is ranked No. 26 by Ford and No. 16 by Givony. Washington point guard Andrew Andrews and a quartet of big men — Greece native Georgios Papagiannis, Clemson’s Landry Nnoko, Purdue’s A.J. Hammons and Maryland’s Diamond Stone — also participated in the workout, Beard adds.
Marquette power forward Henry Ellenson will meet with the Bucks on Tuesday, Gery Woelfel of Woelfelspressbox.com reports. The Bucks have the No. 10 pick and the 7’0” Ellenson is rated No. 11 by Ford and No. 13 by Givony.

Central Notes: James, Wiggins, McMillan, Pistons

June 11th, 2016 at 8:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James is falling in the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers team that he built, writes Dave Hyde of The Sun-Sentinel. It was James’ decision to leave Miami for Cleveland two years ago because he saw a franchise with younger talent, Hyde notes, and he pushed for the deal that sent Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota for Kevin Love. James also approved the trade with New York that brought J.R. Smith and supported the hiring of Tyronn Lue, who had no previous experience as a head coach. Cavs managment has given James everything he wanted since his return, Hyde writes, saying it shows the danger of letting a player make too many personnel decisions.

There’s more from the Central Division:

James’ desire to have Love as a teammate instead of Wiggins shaped the Cavaliers‘ destiny, contends Shaun Powell of NBA.com. Wiggins’ defensive prowess would have been much more valuable against the Warriors, Powell argues, noting that he is also capable of creating offense with his dribble, in contrast to Love, who has settled into a role as a 3-point shooter since he arrived in Cleveland. Wiggins also could have eased the Cavaliers’ financial burden with a rookie contract instead of the maximum deal that Love got last summer.
The Cavs’ bench has been letting them down in the finals, points out Marc Berman of The New York Post. Channing Frye, who was acquired in a February deal with the Magic, only has two points in the series. Iman Shumpert has been held to 11. Love came off the bench to score 11 in Game 4, but the rest of the reserves combined for just four points. Berman says depth will need to be the focus of Cleveland’s offseason moves.
New Pacers coach Nate McMillan will keep Dan Burke and Popeye Jones as part of his staff, tweets Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. Agness says McMillan seems to have decided on a third assistant, but no announcement has been made.
The Pistons may concentrate on power forwards with the 18th pick in the draft, writes David Mayo of MLive. Detroit traded that pick to Houston for Donatas Motiejunas in a February deal that was later rescinded, so it’s clear that Pistons management recognizes the need for help at the four spot. Mayo lists Michigan State’s Deyonta Davis, Gonzaga’s Domantas Sabonis, Marquette’s Henry Ellenson and Kansas’ Perry Ellis as four possibilities.

Northwest Notes: Burks, Griffin, Nori

June 9th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jazz combo guard Alec Burks underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to clean out debris in his left knee and ankle, the team announced. The 24-year-old is expected to be recovered in time for the start of training camp after averaging 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in just 31 appearances this season. Burks, who still has three years and approximately $32.53MM remaining on the extension he inked in 2014, has struggled with injuries during his brief NBA career, also missing 55 games in 2014/15 due to shoulder woes.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Thunder intend to hire Adrian Griffin as lead assistant to replace the departed Monty Williams on coach Billy Donovan‘s staff, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. Griffin served as an assistant coach on Scott Skiles‘ staff in Orlando this past season and was under consideration by the Magic to replace Skiles before Frank Vogel nabbed the post.
Timberwolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau was interested in adding Griffin to his staff but Oklahoma City was financially aggressive in its offer to the assistant, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN relays (Twitter links). Griffin also met with Vogel, who was interested in keeping the coach in Orlando, Wolfson adds.
In other coaching news, the Nuggets have elevated Micah Nori to an assistant coach on Michael Malone‘s staff, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays (Twitter link). Nori replaces Chris Fleming, who departed to joing the Nets’ coaching staff.
The Jazz released the full roster of participants at the free agent mini-camp they are holding this week and some notable attendees include Adonis Thomas, Greg Stiemsma, C.J. Fair and Jordan Bachynski.
The Nuggets hosted a private workout today for former Marquette big man Henry Ellenson, the team announced.

Draft Notes: Ellenson, Yusta, Stone, Whitehead

June 1st, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s the latest news and notes from around the league regarding the upcoming 2016 NBA Draft:

The Sixers are holding pre-draft workouts tomorrow for Isaia Cordinier (France), Alex Caruso (Texas A&M), Daniel Hamilton (Connecticut), Brandon Austin (Northwest Florida State), Rosco Allen (Stanford) and Alex Poythress (Kentucky), the team announced via press release.
Former BYU point guard Kyle Collinsworth worked out for the Nets today, Jarom Jordan of BYU SportsNation tweets.
The Hornets have workouts scheduled on Thursday for Montay Brandon (Florida State), Retin Obasohan (Alabama), Goodluck Okonoboh (UNLV), Tim Quarterman (LSU), Adam Smith (Georgia Tech) and Diamond Stone (Maryland), the team announced.
The Pacers will bring in Robert Carter (Maryland), Julian Jacobs (USC), Marcus Paige (North Carolina), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Dyshawn Pierre (Dayton), and Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall) on Thursday for pre-draft workouts, the team announced.
Former Boise State small forward James Webb III worked out for the Wolves today, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
Spanish small forward Santiago Yusta has withdrawn from the 2016 NBA Draft, Encestando.com relays (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
Former Marquette big man Henry Ellenson worked out for the Wolves on Tuesday and has workouts scheduled with the Lakers, Raptors and Suns next, Wolfson tweets.

Suns Notes: Ellenson, Bogdanovic, Qi

May 23rd, 2016 at 7:55pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Henry Ellenson is an option for the Suns at No.4 or No. 13 should he fall that far and Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details how the 6’11” power forward turned himself into a perimeter threat. “I wasn’t always taller than [opponents]…I played point guard all the way up to eighth grade,” Ellenson said. Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors profiled the big man prior to the draft lottery.

Here’s more out of Phoenix:

Phoenix continues to monitor Bogdan Bogdanovic with the hopes of him joining the team next season, Coro writes in a separate piece. “Physically, he keeps getting stronger,” Suns Assistant GM Pat Connelly said of the 2014 first round pick. “His feel for the game keeps improving.”
The Suns worked out power forward Zhou Qi from China and former Arizona State center Eric Jacobsen over the weekend, Coro writes in a separate piece. Qi might be an ideal draft-and-stash candidate, Coro adds, but it’s undetermined whether Qi would be interested in such an arrangement.
The Suns will work out six more players today. Michael Bryson, Stacy Davis, Demetrius Jackson, Damion Lee, Abdel Nader and Retin Obasohan will all be in Phoenix, per the team’s Twitter feed.

Pistons Draft Notes: Jackson, Maker, Ellenson

May 15th, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Demetrius Jackson and Wade Baldwin head the list of point guards that might be available with the Pistons’ first-round pick, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. They are seeking a backup to Reggie Jackson and could find that player with the No. 18 overall pick, Langlois continues. At 5’9”, Tyler Ulis might be too small for the Pistons’ tastes but the 6’1” Jackson or 6’3” Baldwin would be prime candidates to fill that need, according to Langlois. That duo expressed excitement after interviewing with the Pistons’ brass at the combine, Langlois adds. Selecting a point guard is certainly a strong possibility but they could also deal the pick, according to David Mayo of MLive.com. The Pistons dealt a non-lottery pick to the Rockets at the trade deadline, only to void the deal because of concerns over power forward Donatas Motiejunas‘ back.

In other news regarding the Pistons:

Thon Maker interviewed with the Pistons and they may be intrigued enough by the 7-foot power forward to draft him if he slips to the second round, Mayo writes in a separate piece. GM Jeff Bower has said that the team would be willing to select a high-ceiling big man and Maker, who is making a preps-to-pros jump, projects as a range-shooting power forward with ball-handling skills, Mayo continues. Detroit has the No. 49 overall pick in addition to its first-rounder.
Power forward Henry Ellenson did not interview with the club but it would be delighted if he dropped out of the lottery and into their lap, Mayo relays in his latest combine story. Ellenson is the type of stretch four the Pistons covet, even though Ellenson shot just 28.8% from long range at Marquette in his only college season, Mayo continues. “I think I’m just a mismatch problem,” he told Mayo. “So whatever that night gives me, I feel comfortable playing all over.”
Shooting guards Malik Beasley and Josh Hart, combo guard Malik Newman, power forward Jake Layman and center Stephen Zimmerman and Ulis are among the players the Pistons interviewed at the combine, Mayo tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Poeltl, Selden, Ellenson

May 13th, 2016 at 10:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the annual NBA Draft Combine in full swing this week, here are the latest updates regarding the teams of the Atlantic Division:

Knicks team president Phil Jackson is still not among those representing New York at the combine, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets. Assistant GM Allan Houston and interim coach Kurt Rambis have been observing workouts and speaking with players in Jackson’s absence.
LSU junior combo guard Tim Quarterman has a workout set for May 20th with the Nets, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter links). The team interviewed former Oregon small forward Elgin Cook, Hamilton adds.
Former Gonzaga power forward Kyle Wiltjer has a workout scheduled next week with the Sixers, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly tweets.
The Knicks interviewed Kansas junior shooting guard Wayne Selden, Zagoria tweets. The interview was conducted by Houston, the scribe notes.
The Celtics have a workout scheduled on Wednesday with North Carolina State sophomore power forward Abdul Malik-Abu, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald tweets.
Utah sophomore center Jakob Poeltl met with representatives from the Sixers today, Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine relays (on Twitter).
Former Baylor small forward Taurean Prince has a workout set with the Sixers for May 20th, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter links). The scribe also notes that the team interviewed Marquette freshman big man Henry Ellenson.