James McAdoo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Zeller, Vonleh, Anderson, Wiz

June 18th, 2014 at 6:04pm CST by Alex Lee

Today’s news that Josh McRoberts has opted out of his contract, while widely expected, promises to make a busy offseason in Charlotte even busier. The Hornets have two first round picks and, as GM Rich Cho tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte observer, there are plenty of teams looking to make moves heading into next Thursday’s talent-rich draft (Twitter links).

Here are some additional updates from the Southeast division:

Bonnell also tweets that Cho is still very much committed to the development of Cody Zeller, who the Hornets took fourth overall in last summer’s draft. Should Charlotte select a power forward next Thursday, it would not be an indictment of Zeller according to Bonnell.
The Hornets were supposed to host one of the draft’s premier bigs today in Noah Vonleh, but Adam Zagoria of SNY tweets that the Indiana product pulled out of the workout. Vonleh is almost certain to be off the board by the time Charlotte is on the clock at No. 9.
Kyle Anderson will work out for the Hawks on Monday, reports Zagoria. It will be Anderson’s second workout in Atlanta. Zagoria reported a few weeks back that the Hawks had been trying to get the intriguing UCLA product back in town. Atlanta picks 15th.
The Wizards will work out Davion Berry, Andre Dawkins, Cory Jefferson, Shawn Jones, Wally Judge and James McAdoo on Thursday, the team announced today.
The Hornets officially announced via a team release that they have added Steve Hetzel as an assistant coach. Hetzel coached the Canton Charge of the D-League this season.

Draft Notes: Celtics, Lakers, Kings, Randle

June 11th, 2014 at 2:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

We rounded up the latest on draft workouts around the league this morning, but updates continue to pour in, so we’ll pass along draft-related news from this afternoon here:

Chad Ford of ESPN.com, in a chat with readers, identifies the Celtics, Lakers and Kings as the three teams most likely to trade their top-10 picks.
Julius Randle will have an individual workout with the Celtics, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
Nik Stauskas is set to work out for the Suns, in addition to previously reported workouts with the Hornets, Celtics, and Lakers, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, who hears that those will be the only auditions Stauskas will do (Twitter links).
Gary Harris, T.J. Warren, K.J. McDaniels are among those showing off for the Sixers today, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Jazz will interview Spencer Dinwiddie next week, a source tells Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Dinwiddie is recovering from a torn ACL and can’t work out, as Jones points out (Twitter links).
James Michael McAdoo, Jake Odum, Ronald Roberts Jr. and Scottie Wilbekin are scheduled to work out Thursday for the Pacers, the team announced (on Twitter).
Jordan Clarkson, David Stockton, Cameron Clark, Davante Gardner, Richard Solomon and Tyler Stone are auditioning for the Suns today, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press adds Jordan Bachynski and Dwight Powell to the list of players working out for the Pistons. Okaro White is also showing off for the Pistons, as well as the Warriors, as Natalie Pierre of the Tallahassee Democrat details (hat tip to Ellis).

Draft Notes: Smart, Randle, Jazz, Knicks

June 1st, 2014 at 9:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders cautions us not to overlook Julius Randle. Randle, a surefire lottery pick and possible top five selection, has the killer instinct and confidence that NBA talent evaluators love. That fire is something Randle has had dating back to his high school days and he continued that at Kentucky. Here’s a look at the latest draft news..

Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart knows that he’s a polarizing prospect heading into the NBA draft, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. A year ago, Smart might have been the No. 1 overall pick. Instead, he stayed in school and played out a sophomore season that raised more question marks than anything. Still, Smart is a talented point guard and a tenacious defender and appears to be a mortal lock for the lottery.
The Jazz will work out second-round candidates Aaron Craft, LaQuinton Ross, Roscoe Smith, and Cam Bairstow tomorrow morning, tweets Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. Ross and Smith will be the first two underclassmen that the Jazz have brought in (link). Ross has a connection to the state of Utah as his father, Chris Russell, played at Utah State.
UNC’s James Michael McAdoo and Middle Tennessee State’s Shawn Jones worked out for the Knicks today, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.

Eastern Notes: Bucks, Knicks, Bird

May 31st, 2014 at 10:35pm CST by Cray Allred

New Bucks owners Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens tell Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel that they know it will be difficult to turn around the franchise, but are optimistic they can do so over the long haul. “Our view is we’re going to try to do this over the next five years,” Lasry said. “We’ve got the best 23-and-under team, but that’s not the way it works.” Here’s more from the East:

The co-owners also revealed to Gardner that they used a coin flip to determine Edens would represent the Bucks in the role of primary owner.
Both James McAdoo of North Carolina and Shawn Jones of Middle Tennessee State worked out for the Knicks today, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. While McAdoo projects as a potential second round pick, Begley hears that Jones, who isn’t expected to be drafted, outplayed the Tar Heel.
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today argues that Pacers team president Larry Bird deserves a share of the blame for Indiana’s disappointing season. Zillgitt writes that Bird’s acquisitions ran counter to his chemistry-building efforts in years past, and he gave up assets without yielding the depth the Pacers needed.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel outlines the Magic‘s cap situation and provides an overview of the decisions that the team will be faced with once the draft and free agency periods are underway.

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Draft, Yao, LeBron

May 27th, 2014 at 10:44pm CST by Cray Allred

James McAdoo, Roscoe Smith, James Bell, Chris Fouch, Luke Hancock, and Niels Giffey all worked out for the Sixers today, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. All project to be selected in the second round at best, where Philadelphia owns five draft picks. Here’s a roundup of the night’s news, including plenty from the draft:

The Bucks are having some difficulty scheduling pre-draft workouts with Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, and Jabari Parker, director of scouting Billy McKinney tells Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel. “I still think there’s a lot of thinking on their agents’ part of, ‘Hey, he’s not going to be there [at No. 2].'” McKinney said. “We’re going to have to be a little creative…which you have to do certain times to go out and get your private discussion and workouts in. That’s all part of it.”
C.J. Fair will workout for the Bucks and Hornets this week, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Wally Judge will work out for the Jazz, tweets Zagoria.
A front office executive tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest that P.J. Hairston is expected to go either late in the first round, or early in the second.
Former Pelicans forward Lance Thomas will be among players participating in a mini-camp at the Nets facility next week, Zagoria reports (via Twitter).
Yao Ming earlier denied reports that he was assembling an investment group to purchase the Clippers, but told news outlets including ChinaDaily USA that he won’t rule out the possibility he will. “I know there are a lot of rumors, but I don’t think I have time to clarify the rumors one by one,” Yao said. “Nowadays, sports are globalized, and anything is possible, but so far, there is nothing substantial.”
In the case that LeBron James decides to opt out and leave the Heat in the offseason, Dwyane Wade doesn’t want the blame to be laid on his performance or health issues, he told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. “Just don’t solely put it on me,” Wade said, laughing. “That’s what I’m saying. Don’t put the X on me… There’s a lot that goes into [the decision], so just don’t say, ‘If Dwyane Wade doesn’t have the year that we’re accustomed to, it’s over.'”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Ross, Adams, Gordon, McAdoo

May 17th, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Cray Allred

Celtcis GM Danny Ainge tells Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald that he isn’t sure that the team could find a premier scorer in this year’s draft. “There are a lot of good players in this draft, guys that can be starters and guys that can play major roles on really good teams,” Ainge said. “But I’m not sure that there are those 20-to-25-point-a-game guys.” Here’s more from the draft:

Adi Joseph of USA Today notes some of the more remarkable measurements taken at the combine. Joseph thinks LaQuinton Ross‘s draft stock will take a hit due to his poor conditioning being evident in drills and tests
UCLA guard Jordan Adams interviewed with the Magic at the combine today, reports Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
NBA scouts are high enough on Aaron Gordon for Paul Coro of azcentral.com to consider the forward a “surefire” lottery pick.
Numerous NBA sources lead Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com to believe that James McAdoo could slide out of the draft completely. McAdoo is currently projected as a late second-rounder.
Noah Vonleh has been generating positive buzz during the combine, but Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets that he hasn’t gotten the sense that Julius Randle is in danger of being surpassed by the fellow big on teams’ draft boards.
Mark Deeks of Hoop365.com looks at the factors leading a player like the 7’5″ Sim Bhullar to leave school early and declare for the draft, despite not being projected to be selected.
While some of the scouting benefits of the pre-draft combine are diminished when elite prospects skip the event, Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer says that the gathering still holds value as a networking event for front office executives looking to discuss trades and make hires.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Draft Combine Updates: Friday

May 16th, 2014 at 2:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

We gathered a slew of reports connecting draft prospects with teams yesterday on the first full day of the Chicago draft combine, and we’ll do the same today with this post. The latest updates will be on top as we follow the action throughout.

Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders adds the Pistons, Kings and Suns to the list of teams interviewing Noah Vonleh (Twitter link).
The Pistons met with Rodney Hood, Ellis tweets, and the Thunder also met with him, Holmes notes (on Twitter).
Thanasis Antetokounmpo sat down with the Nets, Knicks, Pacers, Cavs, Wizards and Pelicans, according to Woelfel (Twitter link).

2:00pm updates:

The Pistons have met with Smart and Zach LaVine, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, respectively (Twitter links).
Smart is also among the players interviewing with the Celtics tonight, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, and the C’s spoke with Aaron Gordon, too, fellow Globe scribe Baxter Holmes notes (Twitter links).
Gordon also met with the Magic, who are set to meet with James Michael McAdoo, as well, according to Robbins (Twitter links).
Tyler Ennis is meeting with the Bucks today after interviewing with the Bulls on Thursday, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times and Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com report (Twitter links).
Jarnell Stokes already worked out for the Raptors, according to Wolstat (on Twitter).

12:02pm updates:

Dante Exum‘s interview with the Magic went well, he said, adding that the team would like to bring him to Central Florida for a workout, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins, in a full piece, added Marcus Smart to the list of top prospects who’ve interviewed with the Magic.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge expressed a fondness for Smart today in an interview with ESPN’s Andy Katz on the network’s coverage of the combine, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes (on Twitter).
Gary Harris told Katz he met with the Raptors, Nuggets, Grizzlies and Pistons, as Zagoria once more passes along via Twitter.
The Raptors will interview Jordan Adams today, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who says the team also spoke with James Young (Twitter links).
Zagoria adds the Sixers, Spurs, Clippers, Mavs, Nuggets, Warriors and Bulls to the list of teams that Kyle Anderson either met or is slated to meet (Twitter link).
Markel Brown said he’ll talk with the Celtics today, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link).

Draft Rumors: Embiid, Huestis, Agents

May 8th, 2014 at 8:30pm CST by Cray Allred

While the NFL draft has the sports world’s attention this evening, the NBA draft lottery is less than two weeks away. Here’s a look at all the latest surrounding the draft:

Joel Embiid is the No. 1 prospect in ESPN Insider Chad Ford‘s [subscription only] ranking of the top 10 big man players in this year’s draft.
Draft prospect Josh Huestis is being worked out by the Jazz, and says he would revel in an opportunity to play for Utah. Huestis tells Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune that he’s transitioning from a frontcourt player to a small forward to find a role in the NBA. “I’ve been trying to get my handle down, and I think it can still be tighter,” Huestis said. “I’ve gone from never leaving the paint in high school to playing strictly small forward. It’s been a process.” Huestis told Hoops Rumors more about his draft preparation last week.
Jabari Parker has signed with Wasserman Media Group, tweets Darren Rovell of ESPN.com (H/T Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv). He will work specifically with agents B.J. Armstrong and Arn Tellem, per another tweet from Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal. This contradicts an earlier report that the potential No. 1 pick had agreed to be represented by the Klutch Sports Group agency.
Both Patric Young and James McAdoo have signed with agent Jim Tanner of Tandem Sports, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

James Michael McAdoo Enters NBA Draft

April 3rd, 2014 at 1:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

North Carolina junior James Michael McAdoo has announced his decision to enter the NBA draft, according to the school’s website. The 6’9″ power forward is No. 60 in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings and No. 80 with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. ESPN.com scribe Jeff Goodman nonetheless hears from multiple NBA executives who consider him a late first-round pick who could fall into the early part of the second round.

The 21-year-old’s stock took a tumble this season, one in which he showed little, if any, improvement. He was a potential top-five pick to open his sophomore season, and was No. 18 in Givony’s rankings in the preseason this year. He averaged 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game this season, numbers almost identical to the ones he posted in 2012/13.

The father of the 6’9″ McAdoo is a second cousin of Bob McAdoo, a Heat assistant coach and Hall-of-Fame player. Both played at North Carolina, and James Michael’s college career presumably ended with a loss to Iowa State last month in the NCAA Tournament round of 32. The deadline for him to withdraw from the draft while still retaining his college eligibility is April 15th.

Draft Notes: McAdoo, Franklin, Smart

April 16th, 2013 at 9:04pm CST by Alex Lee

Let's keep track of all things NBA Draft from Tuesday night right here:

James McAdoo has decided to return to North Carolina for his junior season, reports Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports. Despite being a highly touted recruit who averaged of 14.4 points per contest this year, McAdoo was clearly not happy with his draft projection. Citing NBA executives, Goodman says that reports on the rangy Tar Heel label him as a man without a position in the NBA, not yet comfortable in the post and not a good enough shooter to play on the perimeter.
Before the announcement, McAdoo ranked 20th on the Draft Express Top 100 and projected as the 19th pick in the site's most recent mock draft. Three picks later, Draft Express pegs Jamaal Franklin as the Nets pick at 22. Franklin has the experience and polish to be an instant contributor for a contender that picks in the 20s, if he lasts that long. Franklin is the Draft Express NBA Draft Prospect of the Week, and Walker Beeken profiles him here.
Oklahoma State basketball has scheduled a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, tweets ESPN's Chad Ford, who suggests that the school may announce the plans of top-five hopeful Marcus Smart. Smart is ranked as the third best prospect in the draft by Draft Express. The last we heard from him, there were conflicting reports of his intentions regarding the draft.