Jakob Poeltl Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Draft, Sixers

June 21st, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Raptors own the No. 9 overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft, but the team doesn’t expect to land a player who can provide immediate help at that slot, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “I don’t know if it’s a draft where we can go and get somebody who will impact our team right away,” GM Masai Ujiri said. “And we have to take that . . . and look at it a different way. Is it a player that’s three, four years down the road and that player has a high upside? We have to look out for the organization that way.”

The team also holds the No. 27 overall pick and Ujiri is pleased with the opportunities owning two first-rounders will provide, Smith adds. “You continue to narrow and narrow [list of possible suggestions] and when you have a bunch of guys you have different options,” Ujiri said. “You can look at trading the pick, you can look at drafting a guy who doesn’t come right away, you can look at a player you can draft and develop slowly. We just feel it’s a great position for us to be in.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers have a group workout scheduled for Wednesday with Trevor Cooney (Syracuse), Quenton DeCosey (Temple), Alex Hamilton (Louisiana Tech), Brice Johnson (North Carolina), Devonta Pollard (Houston) and Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), the team announced via press release.
Former Arizona big man Kaleb Tarczewski will work out for the Celtics on Wednesday, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
The Raptors held a group workout on Friday that included potential lottery picks Jakob Poeltl and Skal Labissiere, the team announced.
While many have suggested that the Sixers trade away a number of their big men, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Inquirer argues that Philly should instead look to build around Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor. The scribe cites the small sample size of pairing Noel alongside Okafor, as well as Embiid’s in jury history as reason for his stance.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Poeltl, Thunder, Jazz

June 17th, 2016 at 7:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Utah big man Jakob Poeltl worked out for the Timberwolves earlier this week, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), who notes that the club has done its homework on every possible top-five prospect. Poeltl currently ranks eighth on DraftExpress.com’s big board and 12th on Chad Ford’s at ESPN.com.

Here’s more from around the NBA’s Northwest division:

With the NBA increasing its salary cap projection for 2016/17 to $94MM, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman explores what that would mean for the Thunder and Kevin Durant.
The Nuggets and Jazz are both holding pre-draft workouts on Saturday, according to announcements issued by the teams. Denver will be hosting Furkan Korkmaz (Turkey) and Tanner Samson (Elon Phoenix), while the Jazz (Twitter link) are taking a look at Ante Zizic (Croatia), Jordan Tolbert (SMU), and Gracin Bakumanya (Democratic Republic of Congo).
Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune examines why it has been a challenge for the Jazz to attract top-level prospects for pre-draft workouts over the last couple years.
Timberwolves CEO Rob Moor has stepped down from his position, the team announced today. Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune discusses the move, which shouldn’t have a real impact on Minnesota’s basketball operations.

Draft Notes: Sixers, Richardson, Cook, Forbes

June 15th, 2016 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As Sharon Katz and Paul Sabin of ESPN.com detail, ESPN Analytics’ projection model for draft prospects views Brandon Ingram as a safer pick than Ben Simmons. While the two players’ odds of developing into All-Stars are even, Simmons has a much higher bust potential than Ingram, according to the model. Jakob Poeltl, Deyonta Davis, Cheick Diallo, and Chinanu Onuaku are among the prospects viewed far more favorably by the ESPN Analytics model than by traditional scouts. This info won’t shake up teams’ big boards significantly, but it’s worth keeping in mind on draft night. Especially with Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo claiming that his team’s plan for the No. 1 pick “changes every day” (link via ESPN.com).

Here’s more on next Thursday’s draft:

ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has updated his top 100 rankings for this year’s draft now that 2016’s early entrant class has been finalized. Ford also broke down the first round and examined what a grade-A draft for each team would look like (Insider link).
Former Syracuse wing Malachi Richardson is taking part in workouts with the Bulls, Bucks, and Raptors this week, writes Mike Waters of Syracuse.com.
In addition to his previously reported workouts, Oregon’s Elgin Cook has gotten a look from the Hawks and Warriors, and still has workouts on tap with the Jazz, Mavericks, Kings, and Pistons, per Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
According to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link), Michigan State guard Bryn Forbes has also been busy in recent weeks, having worked out for the Celtics, Magic, Hawks, Bulls, Wizards, and Lakers in addition to four more teams that were previously reported. Forbes still has workouts with the Pistons and Spurs on his schedule.
French draft hopeful Boris Dallo has signed with Chris Patrick of Relativity Sports for representation as he looks to make the leap to the NBA, according to Sportando (Twitter link).

Draft Notes: Labissiere, Poeltl, Murray

June 8th, 2016 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here are the latest news and notes regarding the 2016 NBA Draft, which will be held on June 23rd in Brooklyn, New York:

The Nuggets have workouts scheduled on Thursday for Josh Adams (Wyoming), Kay Felder (Oakland), Brice Johnson, (North Carolina), Chris Obekpa, (UNLV), Malachi Richardson, (Syracuse) and Guershcon Yabusele (France), the team announced via press release.
The Suns held a group workout today for Johnson, Richardson, Alpha Kaba (France) and Maodo Lo (Columbia), the team announced in a series of tweets. Working out individually for Phoenix today was Skal Labissiere (Kentucky) and Jakob Poeltl (Utah).
Kentucky combo guard Jamal Murray said he intends to work out for just four teams: the Celtics, Suns, Timberwolves and Pelicans, Jay King of MassLive tweets. The teams on Murray’s list hold picks No. 3 to No. 6 in June’s draft, King notes.
The Wolves will bring in Damion Lee (Louisville) and Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova) as part of a group workout on June 14th, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN notes (Twitter links).

Central Notes: Bucks, Lue, Bulls, Pistons

June 1st, 2016 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s a busy Wednesday for the Bucks, who are hosting seven prospects for workouts in Milwaukee, according to the team’s website. Utah big man Jakob Poeltl is getting a close look from the team in an individual workout, while the other six prospects are participating in a group workout. Those players are Jameel McKay (Iowa State), Alex Poythress (Kentucky), Wayne Selden (Kansas), Angel Rodriguez (Miami), Andrew Andrews (Washington), and Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova).

Here’s more from out of the Central division, including a couple more pre-draft workout updates:

In an interesting piece at Cleveland.com, Chris Haynes details a phone call that took place between Tyronn Lue and Cavaliers general manager David Griffin earlier this year, when Lue tried to convince Griffin that David Blatt shouldn’t be fired. However, the GM had already up his mind, and by the end of the call, Lue had agreed to become Cleveland’s new head coach. Now, Lue is preparing his team for the NBA Finals, while Blatt has signed a two-year contract to coach a team in Turkey.
Florida State guard Malik Beasley is scheduled to visit the Bulls on June 8th and 9th, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Chicago currently holds the 14th and 48th overall picks in this year’s draft.
Within his latest mailbag, David Mayo of MLive.com explains why he doesn’t think Ryan Anderson is a realistic target for the Pistons, and looks into Andre Drummond‘s long-term ceiling.

Draft Workouts: Bembry, Long, Cousins, Bentil

May 16th, 2016 at 5:26pm CST by Luke Adams

After participating in Philadelphia’s group workout today, St. Joe’s forward DeAndre’ Bembry has workouts lined up with two more Atlantic teams, tweets Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. Per Camerato, Bembry will work out for the Celtics on Wednesday and the Raptors later in the week. Here are more updates on pre-draft workouts, including a couple more courtesy of Camerato:

Two more players who worked out for the Sixers today – Louisiana-Lafayette forward Shawn Long and VCU guard Melvin Johnson – are getting looks from a handful of other teams too. Per Camerato (Twitter links), Long has the Bucks on Wednesday, the Nuggets on Saturday, and the Rockets and Mavericks next week. Johnson, meanwhile, will work out for the Cavaliers, Nets, and Celtics this week after having worked out for the Spurs and Rockets as well.
Oklahoma guard Isaiah Cousins has his first workout tomorrow with Indiana, but he has several more on tap after that, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, who tweets that Cousins will work out for the Nuggets, Spurs, Rockets, and Suns.
Providence forward Ben Bentil will audition for both Los Angeles teams this week, working out for the Lakers and Clippers on Wednesday and Thursday, a source tells Zagoria (Twitter link).
Potential lottery pick Jakob Poeltl said during the combine that he has met with the Bucks, Magic, Hawks, and Spurs, in addition to his previously reported sitdowns with New Orleans and Boston (Twitter link via Zagoria). It sounds like all of those meetings were just interviews, so we’ll see in the coming weeks if Poeltl visits any of those teams – or others – for workouts.

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.

Draft Combine Update: Friday Evening

May 13th, 2016 at 8:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kansas freshman power forward/center Cheick Diallo intends to sign with an agent and remain in the 2016 NBA Draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports. “My time at Kansas was hard; the beginning was really hard,” Diallo said. “The NCAA stuff made it difficult for me, but even though I didn’t always play a lot, I loved being at Kansas and loved supporting my teammates. This is the time for me to go to the next level. And I’m trying to show the NBA the things I do well: block shots, rebound and run the floor. I can guard multiple positions.”

The 19-year-old is currently ranked No. 32 overall by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, but Diallo is likely to climb in those rankings in the near future based on his strong showing during the combine, though that is merely my speculation. Here’s more from Chicago’s big event:

A number of scouts still aren’t sold on Kentucky big man Skal Labissiere despite the reports he wowed teams with his solo workout at the combine, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “A guy makes shots in an empty gym?” a league executive told Deveney. “That makes him top 10? I don’t think so. We know he is a pretty good shooter. I think he has a lot of potential. He could go in the lottery, and maybe top 10. But he has a lot to prove in workouts.“
Former Providence point guard Kris Dunn said he’d love to play for the Pelicans if they were to select him this June, citing the presence of power forward Anthony Davis as his primary reason, Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com relays. “[It’s] definitely [appealing],” said Dunn. “For any point guard who’s going there. Who wouldn’t want to play with [Davis]? He’s definitely a superstar, up there with LeBron James, Kevin Durant and all those guys. To be able to play with a guy like that, it’s only going to help me. He makes the game a lot easier for point guards.”
Both Jaylen Brown (California) and Gary Payton II (Oregon State) described their interviews with Kings executive Vlade Divac as “fun,” with Brown also noting that the mood was lighter and less stressful than other interviews he has participated in, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (Twitter links).
The Lakers interviewed Marquette freshman center Henry Ellenson today, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News tweets.
Utah sophomore center Jakob Poeltl interviewed with the Pelicans, Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate (Twitter links). New Orleans also sat down with Diallo, the scribe adds.

Northwest Notes: Stotts, Brown, Poeltl

May 13th, 2016 at 5:47pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mason Plumlee said Thursday that he’ll be “shocked” if the Trail Blazers don’t give Terry Stotts an extension, and Damian Lillard said a renewed deal for the coach “would mean everything to me,” notes Jay Allen of WPOJ-AM (Twitter links). Portland and representatives for the coach will reportedly explore the idea of an extension, and every Blazers player at exit interviews Thursday said they think Stotts is deserving of an extension and a raise, as KFXX-AM relays via Twitter.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Gerald Henderson confirmed hints that he’d like to re-sign with the Blazers, Allen tweets. “I can’t imagine a better place,” Henderson said. Maurice Harkless, headed for restricted free agency, also wants to return to Portland, KFXX-AM notes (Twitter link).
The Timberwolves interviewed Utah sophomore center Jakob Poeltl and UNLV freshman big man Stephen Zimmerman, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune relays (Twitter links).
The Jazz have scheduled a workout with Memphis small forward Dedric Lawson and are expected to set up one with Purdue freshman forward Caleb Swanigan, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune relays (Twitter links).
The Jazz interviewed Jaylen Brown (California) and Troy Williams (Indiana) today, and the team has scheduled meetings for Saturday with Malachi Richardson (Syracuse) and Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall), Jones relays in a series of tweets. The scribe also notes that Utah really likes freshman power forward Marquese Chriss (Washington), a potential lottery pick, and that the 18-year-old impressed the team during his interview.
The Wolves held a workout earlier this week that included Ben Bentil (Providence), Abdul Malik-Abu (North Carolina State), Abdel Nader (Iowa State), Trevon Bluiett (Xavier) and James Robinson (Pittsburgh), Zgoda tweets.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Dunn, Trimble, Wiltjer, Hart

May 12th, 2016 at 10:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Brett Brown has promised Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn a chance to play right away if the Sixers draft him, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Dunn met with Sixers officials Wednesday and both he and the team appeared to come away impressed. “They made me feel like they really wanted me there,” he said. “We all were very engaged. We talked about a lot of things. I appreciate them having me.” Philadelphia notched the NBA’s worst record this season and has a 26.9% chance at landing the top overall pick. That will probably be LSU’s Ben Simmons or Duke’s Brandon Ingram, but the Sixers will also get the Lakers’ pick if it falls outside the top three, which is where they might take Dunn.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers are interviewing a lot of guards, including Maryland sophomore point guard Melo Trimble, Pompey tweets.
Gonzaga senior power forward Kyle Wiltjer will work out for the Sixers later this month, Pompey tweets.
Villanova junior shooting guard Josh Hart plans a workout with the Sixers, tweets Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. Hart is undecided on whether to stay in the draft or return to school. Philadelphia will also work out freshman small forward Dedric Lawson of Memphis on Monday (Twitter link).
The Celtics have met with several top prospects, including Ingram, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Other projected top-10 players that Boston has interviewed include Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, Kentucky’s Jamal Murray and California’s Jaylen Brown. The team has also scheduled an interview with Utah center Jakob Poeltl. According to Himmelsbach, the Celtics have either met with or are planning interviews with Oakland’s Kay Felder, Maryland’s Diamond Stone, Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin, New Mexico State’s Pascal Siakam, Michigan State’s Deyonta Davis, China’s Zhou Qi, Syracuse’s Malachi Richardson, UNLV’s Patrick McCaw, Louisville’s Chinanu Onuaku, Vanderbilt’s Damian Jones, Mississippi State’s Malik Newman, North Carolina State’s Cat Barber, Kansas’ Cheick Diallo, Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes and high school prospect Thon Maker.
Seton Hall sophomore point guard Isaiah Whitehead, who has met with the Sixers, Celtics, Knicks and Nets among others, will “100%” leave college if a team offers him a first-round guarantee, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “You can’t give up opportunities like that,” Whitehead said. “I mean, when they tell you it’s time to go, you just gotta go.”
Assistant GM Allan Houston conducted the Knicks‘ meeting with Whitehead as team president Phil Jackson apparently skipped the draft combine, Zagoria writes in a separate piece.
Diallo is scheduled to meet with the Knicks, Celtics and Raptors on Friday, Zagoria tweets.