Jabari Parker Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Ennis, Randle, Hairston

January 29th, 2014 at 2:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford of ESPN.com Insider and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com have updated their lists of the top draft prospects, with both in agreement that Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker are first, second and third, respectively. Embiid has begun to pull away from the pack in the eyes of scouts and GMs in recent weeks, according to Ford, who shares plenty of thoughts about his latest rankings, as we highlight below amid today’s draft chatter:

Some scouts who’ve spoken to Ford believe that Tyler Ennis of Syracuse may have eclipsed Australia’s Dante Exum and Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart as the best point guard prospect. Ennis is No. 10 in Ford’s rankings and No. 13 for Givony.
Teams have stopped discussing Julius Randle as a potential No. 1 pick, Ford writes. The Kentucky power forward checks in at No. 5 for Ford and is at No. 4 with Givony.
P.J. Hairston explains to Jim Hlavac of DraftExpress.com what he’ll say in pre-draft interviews with NBA teams about the transgressions that led to the end of his college career. Hairston, playing for the Texas Legends of the D-League, is draft-eligible this year. He’s No. 28 on Givony’s board and No. 33 in Ford’s eyes.

Draft Rumors: Exum, Parker, Embiid, Wiggins

January 28th, 2014 at 4:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The latest significant rumble regarding this year’s draft happened this morning, when news broke that Australian point guard Dante Exum will enter the draft this June. He can’t officially declare for the draft until April, but even before today’s report, it seemed quite a long shot that he would choose to attend college instead. There’s plenty more on Exum, as we pass along in our latest look at the draft:

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress believes that Rob Pelinka, whom Exum has chosen as his agent, will shroud the point guard come draft time, limiting his exposure in workouts as he did with Dion Waiters in 2012 (Twitter link).
A number of GMs have told Chad Ford of ESPN.com Insider that they would be comfortable taking Exum No. 1, even though reliable data on his performance is hard to come by. That echoes the comments of an NBA executive who tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Exum will ultimately be “in the mix” to go first overall.
Still, a Western Conference GM tells Chris Mannix of SI.com that Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins are “a cut above everyone else” likely to be in the draft this summer. Parker, Embiid and Wiggins make up the top three, in that order, in Mannix’s rankings. Exum is fourth.

Ford’s Latest: Bucks, Wiggins, Sixers

January 22nd, 2014 at 1:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford of ESPN.com unveiled his latest Insider-only mock draft today, and it has the Bucks taking Joel Embiid first overall. Much could change over the more than five months between now and draft night, of course, and recent reports suggest Embiid and fellow top prospect Jabari Parker might not be available. There are plenty of significant developments going on that will affect what happens when soon-to-be commissioner Adam Silver steps to the podium on June 26th. Here’s the latest, culled from Ford’s mock and his weekly chat:

The Bucks, who have the best shot at the No. 1 overall pick, probably won’t pull off a major trade at the deadline, sources tell Ford.
There are a few GMs who don’t consider Andrew Wiggins a top-three prospect, but all of those executives are habitually risk-averse, according to Ford.
The Sixers have Wiggins and Parker at Nos. 1 and 2 on their board, Ford writes.
Ford figures that Parker’s Mormon faith makes it much less likely he’d leave Utah as a free agent if the Jazz were to draft him, increasing the likelihood that the Jazz would take him No. 1 overall if they have the chance.

Execs Think Jabari Parker Won’t Enter Draft

January 21st, 2014 at 8:18am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 8:18am: Parker’s father, Sonny Parker, tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that his son has yet to make up his mind about the draft and will wait until after the college season to announce his intentions. The elder Parker says he doesn’t think his son spoke to Smith, though Smith’s news appears to have come from conversations with NBA executives and not Jabari Parker himself. Still, an executive tells Zagoria that he thinks there’s no way that Parker will stay in school. “Please,” the exec said. “He’s going top 3 and he’s coming out. Anything to the contrary is the ramblings of someone who couldn’t fit his column inches.”

MONDAY, 3:40pm: Executives around the NBA increasingly believe that ballyhooed draft prospect Jabari Parker will choose to stay an extra year at Duke rather than enter the NBA draft this June, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com. Parker, who grew up in Chicago, is No. 3 on both the DraftExpress and ESPN Insider prospect rankings, and his absence from this year’s draft would deal a blow to teams banking on a top pick in what’s supposed to be one of the best classes in years.

The presence of Jahlil Okafor, a former AAU teammate of Parker’s who’ll enter Duke next season, is weighing heavily on Parker’s mind, the executives believe. Parker also places a high value on education and feels he owes it to Duke to contribute to a better season than the Blue Devils are having so far this year, Smith hears. Parker has also seen the benefits that staying in school has provided to NBA stars in the past.

Recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv in November, when Okafor revealed he would go to Duke, that he thought the decision might influence Parker to stay in college another year so they could play together. The idea seemed far-fetched at the time, but now it appears it could indeed come to fruition. Parker, a 6’8″ freshman forward, won’t have to make his call on this year’s draft until the spring, so there will be plenty of time for him to go back and forth.

Ford’s Latest: Embiid, Wiggins, Jazz

January 15th, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford has made the season’s first change to the top spot of the Insider-only Big Board for ESPN.com, bumping Andrew Wiggins from the No. 1 one spot in favor of Kansas teammate Joel Embiid. Wiggins doesn’t fall far, landing at No. 2, right in front of Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Dante Exum. Ford joined readers to chat about the new projected No. 1 overall pick and other draft topics, and we’ll run down the highlights:

Wiggins hasn’t demonstrated that he’s a franchise player capable of immediately turning around a moribund team, and neither has anyone else in this year’s draft class, Ford observes.
Parker is a “lock” to go to the Jazz if they wind up picking first, Ford writes. The Celtics also prefer him to Embiid, but they’re more open to changing their minds. The Magic and Sixers still prefer Wiggins, but they, too, seem flexible enough to switch to Embiid over time.
Most people around the league think the Celtics would like to end up with a top three pick in this year’s draft, but Ford isn’t so sure, noting that GM Danny Ainge isn’t as high on this year’s prospects as other teams are.
The Kings would probably choose between Parker and Embiid with the No. 1 pick, though their urgency to win soon could turn them off from Embiid, according to Ford, who adds that Sacramento also regards Exum highly.
There’s a significant drop-off in talent after the top five prospects, and another after the top 10, according to Ford, who says the middle of the first round isn’t as deep as in years past.

Draft Notes: Exum, Wiggins, Selden

January 13th, 2014 at 6:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The 2014 draft class is expected to be one of the strongest in modern basketball history and Dante Exum is a virtual lock to join in. The Australian guard, who is projected to be a top five pick, has been meeting with agents for the past few weeks. Here’s tonight’s draft news..

Exum finished his meetings with eight marquee agencies, leaving the representatives confident that he’ll enter this year’s draft rather than attending college, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. That echoes what we heard about the Australian point guard last week.
Not everyone is head over heels about Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins, who was thought to be the top talent in this class pretty recently. “There’s zero chance of any team taking anybody before Jabari Parker,” an Eastern Conference official told Mark Heisler of Forbes.com. “And there’s zero chance of any team taking Wiggins before [Kansas center] Joel Embiid.”
Fellow Kansas standout Wayne Selden is doing well, but scouts say he should stay in school, writes Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Lowry, Brown, Rodriguez

January 9th, 2014 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com’s Chad Ford spoke to multiple sources from the NBA’s current lottery teams to attempt to determine which player those clubs would select first overall in the 2014 draft, if given the opportunity. Detailing the results in an Insider-only piece, Ford reveals that the majority of the 13 clubs (Denver currently has two lottery picks) would likely take Jabari Parker. The Nuggets, Sixers, and Magic would probably lean toward Andrew Wiggins, while the Cavs and Lakers may prefer Joel Embiid, in Ford’s view.

Here’s more from around the NBA on a Thursday afternoon:

Kyle Lowry certainly doesn’t look like the trade candidate he did a month ago, with Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star suggesting that Raptors management has confidence that the point guard will be willing to re-sign in Toronto this summer. Toronto may reconsider its options if it starts losing, but a Raps source tells Kelly that the club isn’t expecting to backslide.
The 76ers re-assigned Lorenzo Brown to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Brown was recalled from the Delaware 87ers on Monday and saw some playing time in Philadelphia’s last two games, recording seven points and seven rebounds in 27 total minutes of action. Sixers coach Brett Brown expects the 23-year-old to be brought back to the NBA tomorrow after playing with the 87ers today, tweets Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Spanish team Real Madrid announced today that the club has extended the contract of Sergio Rodriguez through 2018 (Twitter link). Rodriguez was selected 27th overall in 2006, but returned to Spain when his rookie contract expired, and it appears he’ll remain there for the foreseeable future.
Jazz guard Diante Garrett was nervous about Tuesday’s contract guarantee date, but tried not to think about it and ultimately survived the cut, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News details.

Ford On Young, Cavs, Lakers, Bulls, Draft

January 8th, 2014 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

As usual, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford devoted half of his weekly chat to NBA talk and the other half to draft chatter. He provided a handful of interesting tidbits this week on both subjects, so let’s check in on several of the highlights….

According to Ford, the Cavaliers flirted with acquiring Thaddeus Young from the Sixers in a deal for Andrew Bynum, but Philadelphia wanted Cleveland’s own 2014 first-rounder, which was a non-starter.
Danny Ainge keeps saying the 2014 draft class is overrated, which Ford interprets to mean that the Celtics GM actually loves it.
The Lakers are “living in a fantasy land” when it comes to their asking price for Pau Gasol, says Ford, adding that L.A. wanted more from the Cavs for Gasol than what the Bulls got for Luol Deng.
Ford doesn’t think the Bulls are done dealing, noting that there have been a lot of trade whispers about Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer. I imagine Chicago would be much more inclined to part with Boozer and/or Hinrich than Noah.
NBA execs who value advanced metrics are concerned about Julius Randle‘s lack of steals this season (one in 385 minutes). While NBA teams still like Randle a lot, no GM or scout has suggested recently to Ford that his team would take the Kentucky big man first overall.
The Magic and Kings “really like” Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart.
“Virtually every GM in the league is in love” with Joel Embiid, who remains in the mix for the first overall pick.
Ford hears that a Mormon mission after this season isn’t out of the question for Jabari Parker, which prompted him to ask several GMs where they’d take the Duke forward if he declared for the draft and announced he was going on a two-year mission. Surprisingly, a few still said they’d take Parker first overall, says Ford.

Odds & Ends: Robinson III, Wiggins, Kidd

December 5th, 2013 at 8:53pm CST by Ryan Raroque

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.

Draft Rumors: Parker, Wiggins, Randle, Smart

November 27th, 2013 at 7:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

The draft is seven months away, but it’s clearly on the minds of Bucks fans who are raising money for a billboard that would encourage their team to tank, as we noted earlier today. Milwaukee is 2-11, already 10-and-a-half games behind the Pacers in the Central Division, and at least a segment of the team’s faithful is already prepared to chalk it up as a lost season and focus on whom the Bucks might take in June. Here’s the latest on a few top prospects:

Jabari Parker probably won’t stick around an extra year at Duke to play with top recruit and former AAU teammate Jahlil Okafor, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, but Parker is at least giving thought to the idea, Zagoria notes. “Oh, it would be great,” Parker said. “I would just work off him. A lot of attention would come up towards him and a lot of attention will come towards me, so we can work hand-in-hand with each other depending on where we are on different spots on the floor.”
Chad Ford of ESPN.com chatted with readers today, writing that he’s not sure there’ll be a consensus No. 1 pick. It may come down to need for whichever team scores the top draft choice, Ford opines, pointing to Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle and Marcus Smart as possibilities.
The top eight players in Ford’s rankings are unchanged, with Wiggins still at No. 1. Indiana power forward Noah Vonleh and Michigan State shooting guard Gary Harris are newcomers to the top 10.