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Jaron Blossomgame

Workout Notes: Nets, Bulls, Evans, Dorsey

June 7th, 2017 at 9:09pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Nets worked out several prospects today, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Jaron Blossomgame, Devin Robinson, Wesley Iwundu, Damyean Dotson, London Perrantes and Tarik Phillip all participated in drills for Brooklyn.

There’s more news on prospects meeting with teams. Here’s the latest:

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Pacific Notes: J. Jackson, Isaac, Tatum, Thompson

May 30th, 2017 at 9:47pm CST by Joshua Fischman

The Suns potentially have a difficult decision to make when they find themselves on the clock with the fourth overall pick, writes Doug Haller of AZCentral Sports. Three talented freshman small forwards could be available: Josh Jackson, Jonathan Isaac, and Jayson Tatum. Defense and three-point shooting are likely the Suns’ two most glaring weaknesses, and one of these athletes could certainly help.

Haller writes that Jackson’s real impact could come defensively. The scribe adds that, while Tatum is nowhere near the defender that Jackson is, the Duke freshman may be the most polished scorer in the draft. As for Isaac, he can play both forward positions, with many believing that he will also be able to man the center position when his body fills out. Furthermore, the departing Seminole would contribute defensive versatility, having defended all over the floor for Florida State.

Here are some more pertinent notes from the Pacific division:

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Draft Notes: Simmons, Fultz, Fox, Evans

April 5th, 2017 at 10:05pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kobi Simmons has declared for the draft and won’t return to Arizona, according to journalist Adam Zagoria (Twitter link).

“Kobi Simmons, with the support of his family, has decided to declare for the 2017 NBA Draft,” Wildcats coach Sean Miller said. “All of us here at Arizona thank him for his freshman season and wish him continued success as he pursues his professional career.”

The 6’5″ guard hired Aaron Turner of Verus Team Management to be his agent, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. Goodman adds that Simmons will work out for teams as a point guard. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express has Simmons as the 67th best prospect in the draft.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

  • Markelle Fultz, who attended Tuesday’s Sixers game, wouldn’t mind playing for Philadelphia, Jordan Hall of Comcast Sportsnet relays. “I think it would be a great atmosphere, so it would be cool,” Fultz said of playing home games at the Sixers’ home arena. The former Washington guard, who said he believes he’ll be the first player to come off the board in June, added: “I always trust the process.”
  • De’Aaron Fox has chosen an agent. He’ll be represented by Happy Walters of Catalyst Sports, Givony reports (Twitter link).
  • Jawun Evans will be represented by ASM Sports, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the Oklahoma State product 37th among this year’s prospect.
  • ASM has also signed Xavier’s Edmond Sumner and Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame, Daniels reports (Twitter link).
  • Fred Sims of Chicago State has declared for the draft, Goodman reports (Twitter link). Sims is currently not ranked by Draft Express.
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Jaron Blossomgame Withdraws From Draft

May 25th, 2016 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Clemson forward Jaron Blossomgame has decided to withdraw from the 2016 NBA draft, sources tell Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The decision comes in advance of tonight’s deadline for NCAA underclassmen to remove their names from the draft and retain their college eligibility.

Blossomgame, who will return to Clemson for his senior season, had a strong junior year with the Tigers, averaging 18.7 points per game to go along with 6.6 boards per contest. He ranked 38th overall on Chad Ford’s list of 2016’s top 100 prospects, and placed just outside the top 50 on Jonathan Givony’s list at DraftExpress, at No. 51.

Before deciding that he would return to Clemson for another year, Blossomgame worked out for the Suns, Sixers, Clippers, Jazz, and Grizzlies, so he likely received a good deal of feedback from teams about his draft prospects.

Here are a few more updates on this year’s underclassmen draft decisions:

  • USC big man Nikola Jovanovic will remain in the 2016 NBA draft, reports Rothstein (via Twitter). Jovanovic, a junior in 2015/16, will forgo his final year of college eligibility.
  • Stanford’s Rosco Allen will keep his name in the 2016 NBA draft, sources tell Rothstein (Twitter link). Although Allen is technically coming off his senior year, he had one more year of college eligibility remaining, which he’ll forgo.
  • ESPN’s Jeff Goodman previously reported that Malik Newman‘s father, Horatio Webster, told him Newman would withdraw his name from the draft and return to college. However, Goodman follows up with another comment from Webster, who says, “We haven’t made a decision yet. Right now he’s still enrolled at Mississippi State” (Twitter link).
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Draft Workouts: Nuggets, Suns, Clippers, Jazz

May 24th, 2016 at 4:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets are well-armed heading into this year’s draft, holding three picks in the top 20 and another two in the second round. With so many selections under team control, Denver figures to take a closer look at a wide variety of prospects in the next few weeks. The team announced today in a press release that they’re bringing in the following six players for a Wednesday workout: Vanderbilt guard Wade Baldwin, Providence forward Ben Bentil, Virginia forward Anthony Gill, UNLV forward Derrick Jones, Colorado-Mesa center Ryan Stephan, and California guard Tyrone Wallace.

Denver is hardly the only NBA team with a full workout schedule, so let’s round up several more updates…

  • The Suns are conducting workouts with six forward prospects on Tuesday, and announced the full list of participants, via Twitter. Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson), Shaq Goodwin (Memphis), Jake Layman (Maryland), Taurean Prince (Baylor), Pascal Siakam (New Mexico State), and Jarrod Uthoff (Iowa) are working out for Phoenix.
  • In addition to A.J. English, whose scheduled workout was previously reported, the Clippers will take a closer look at Gary Payton II, Malcolm Brogdon, Danuel House, Marshall Plumlee, and Josh Scott on Wednesday, tweets Dan Woike of The Orange County Register.
  • The Jazz will also hold a six-player workout on Wednesday, with four guards and two big men taking part. According to the team (via Twitter), Georgia Tech’s Marcus Georges-Hunt, Gonzaga’s Eric McClellan, Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson, UNC’s Marcus Paige, Virginia’s Mike Tobey, and Australian Thon Maker will be in attendance for that workout.
  • Former St. Joe’s wing DeAndre’ Bembry was among the players to work out for the Hawks on Tuesday, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
  • Alex Kirshner of Testudo Times adds the Nets and Mavericks to the list of teams that have recently worked out Maryland junior power forward Robert Carter.
  • The Celtics will work out Weber State’s Joel Bolomboy a week from Wednesday, sources tell A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
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Sixers Notes: Embiid, Workout, Carlesimo, Brown

May 20th, 2016 at 1:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Don’t expect to see Sixers center Joel Embiid in this year’s summer league, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Moore said a source called Embiid’s participation “unlikely,” even though new GM Bryan Colangelo mentioned it as a possibility late last month. Embiid underwent bone graft surgery on his right foot last August, and the source said summer league action isn’t “practical” at this point. The Sixers don’t want to take any chance that Embiid might suffer a setback before next season begins. Embiid expects to begin playing two-on-two games this week and is optimistic that he will be ready for opening night.

There’s more out of Philadelphia:

  • The Sixers are holding a predraft workout today with St. Joseph’s Isaiah Miles, Baylor’s Taurean Prince, Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet, Columbia’s Maodo Lo, San Diego State’s Winston Shepard and Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame, Moore writes in the same story.
  • If top assistant Mike D’Antoni lands the head coaching job in Houston, P.J. Carlesimo would be a potential choice to replace him on the Sixers’ bench, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The 66-year-old last coached with the Nets in 2013.
  • Sixers coach Brett Brown says the team isn’t leaning toward Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram or anyone else as the No. 1 pick in the draft, tweets Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. “This is a massive decision,” Brown said. “It comes with a lot of responsibility. It will receive the time that is required.” 
  • Brown’s connections with Simmons’ family date back to 1988 when he was an assistant coach with the Melbourne Tigers, writes Henry Abbott of ESPN.com. “Each of the teams in Australia were allowed to have two American imports,” Brown said Thursday on ESPN’s TrueHoop podcast. “And one of the American imports we had was a player named David Simmons, from Harlem, New York — who is Ben Simmons’ father. The cheerleader — you can’t make this stuff up — the cheerleader that was the head cheerleader of that team ended up marrying David Simmons, our import, who I coached for five years with Lindsay Gaze, and had Ben Simmons, their son.”
  • Colangelo is looking forward to another shot at the No. 1 pick after taking Andrea Bargnani first overall in 2006, relays Dave Feschuk of The Toronto Star. “There’s no comparison of the draft classes [of 2006 and 2016],” said Colangelo, who was GM of the Raptors at the time. “Going into that [2006] draft, there was no consensus No. 1 pick. I think this year, if you poll league-wide, there are two consensus No. 1 picks.”
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Draft Notes: Lee, Williams, Bluiett

May 17th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kentucky junior power forward Marcus Lee has cancelled at least three scheduled workouts with NBA teams, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes. Lee told reporters that he was still weighing his options regarding the NBA Draft and wasn’t concerned about fighting for playing time on a stacked Wildcats squad next season if he does return to school, Zagoria adds. “I’m definitely weighing my options, it’s definitely a process,” Lee said. “Once I get back home I’ll be able to talk it through with my family and we’ll figure it out from there. We’ll kind of weigh the options and go from there knowing that there is a risk there in not knowing what might happen.” Lee is currently slotted as the No. 29 overall junior by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

Here’s the latest 2016 NBA Draft news and notes:

  • Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams is still undecided on whether or not he will remain in this year’s NBA draft, Scott Agness of VigilantSports tweets. Williams, who is the No. 86 overall prospect according to Givony, has upcoming workouts with the Lakers, Clippers, and Pelicans, Agness notes.
  • Xavier sophomore swingman Trevon Bluiett will work out for the Lakers on Friday, Zagoria relays (via Twitter).
  • The Timberwolves have workouts scheduled on Wednesday for Bryn Forbes (Michigan State), Amida Brimah (UConn), Angel Rodriguez (Miami), Williams and Tonye Jekiri (Miami), Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (Twitter link).
  • Working out for the Clippers on Wednesday will be Isaiah Taylor (Texas), Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson) and Robert Carter (Maryland), Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets.
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Sixers Notes: Colangelo, Long, Draft Plans

May 14th, 2016 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers are trying not to get too attached to any one player until they learn their fate in Tuesday’s draft lottery, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia earned a 26.9% chance at the top overall pick by posting the league’s worst record, but if the ping-pong balls bounce the wrong way, the Sixers could fall as far as fourth. They will get the Lakers’ pick if it drops out of the top three, so there are a lot of variables before the front office can form its draft strategy. Bryan Colangelo, Philly’s new president of basketball operation, said several teams have contacted the Sixers about dealing for one of their first-rounders. “With so much flexibility, we’re a team that everybody wants to talk to, because we’ve got good young developing pieces,” Colangelo said. “We’ve got draft picks, and those assets equal value.” Philadelphia also owns the Heat’s pick at No. 24 and the Thunder’s pick at No. 26.

There’s more pre-draft news out of Philadelphia:

  • Louisiana-Lafayette forward/center Shawn Long will work out Monday for the Sixers, Pompey relays in a separate piece. Memphis forward Dedric Lawson, St. Joseph’s swingman DeAndre’ Bembry, Villanova shooting guard Josh Hart and Seton Hall point guard Isaiah Whitehead will also participate in the Monday session, possibly along with North Carolina State point guard Cat Barber, whose is questionable after suffering a bruised thigh at the draft combine on Thursday.
  • The Sixers are improving their reputation with draft prospects, Pompey writes in another story. Syracuse shooting guard Malachi Richardson, Clemson forward Jaron Blossomgame and Providence point guard Kris Dunn are the latest prospects to say they would enjoy playing for the Sixers, who have won 19, 18 and 10 games over the past three seasons. “I could tell just by meeting everyone they were really into winning,” Richardson said. “It may not show on the court, but they’re definitely building pieces to get things done.”
  • Colangelo plans to put a heavy emphasis on character as he evaluates draft prospects, according to Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com. It’s a term that Colangelo has emphasized since his first day on the job. “Respecting the game of basketball is something that I think leads to success on the court for some individuals,” Colangelo said Friday at the draft combine.
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Atlantic Notes: Dunn, Ulis, Jackson

May 12th, 2016 at 5:13pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the reports that interim coach Kurt Rambis is team president Phil Jackson‘s choice to lead the Knicks next season, league sources have informed Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the competition for the post is still wide open. It’s also notable that Rambis is in attendance at the scouting combine this week but Jackson is not in Chicago for the event, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays. “When Larry Bird took over for the Pacers, he was the first guy in the gym in Chicago,” a league executive told Zagoria. “Jerry West was always in the gym. Those guys are not on ranches in Montana. Phil obviously doesn’t worry or care about that.” While the Knicks don’t currently own a pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the team could look to acquire one from another team.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Celtics interviewed Duke freshman forward Brandon Ingram today, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com relays. Boston also interviewed Syracuse freshman swingman Malachi Richardson, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (via Twitter).
  • The Sixers interviewed Florida State freshman shooting guard Malik Beasley, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (via Twitter). The swingman noted that Philadelphia intends to bring him in for a workout, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com adds (Twitter links). The team has an interview scheduled for Friday with Michigan State freshman big man Deyonta Davis, Camerato also reports.
  • The Sixers met with Clemson junior small forward Jaron Blossomgame on Wednesday and have a workout scheduled with him on May 20th, Camerato tweets. Philly also met with former Weber State power forward Joel Bolomboy today, Camerato notes. Also sitting down with team personnel today were Providence junior point guard Kris Dunn and Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson, Camerato adds (Twitter links).
  • North Carolina State point guard Cat Barber has a workout scheduled with the Sixers on Monday, Pompey relays (on Twitter).
  • Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo indicated that the team is open to trading away some of its draft picks this year in exchange for veteran players, Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers tweets. “You can only have so many developing players,” Colangelo told Andy Katz of ESPN. “We may be in play with some of those picks.“
  • The Sixers met with Kentucky sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis today and intend to bring him in for a workout in the near future, Camerato tweets.
  • Vanderbilt sophomore point guard Wade Baldwin interviewed with the Celtics today, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets, Baldwin also met with the Sixers, Camerato notes (on Twitter).
  • Former Syracuse swingman Michael Gbinije will interview with the Sixers on Friday or Saturday, Pompey relays (via Twitter). Gbinije is also scheduled to meet with the Knicks, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal tweets.
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Western Notes: Scott, Nelson, Draft

May 4th, 2016 at 6:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers executive Jim Buss was effusive in his praise for the work Luke Walton did while coaching the Warriors in Steve Kerr‘s absence this season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays. “He was thrust into a situation. People might say, ‘Anyone could coach Golden State with their roster.’ No you couldn’t have,” Buss told Pincus. “There’s a lot of pressure in that. There’s a lot of preparation for that.”

Regarding the Lakers waiting 11 days prior to making a decision on former coach Byron Scott‘s fate, Buss told Pincus he thought he was simply being fair to Scott. “There was a lot to go through before that decision was made,” Buss said. “I’m not going to have a knee-jerk reaction because everybody says, ‘You won 17 games, he’s got to go.’  I made a promise to sit with him and [GM] Mitch [Kupchak] and give him a fair shake.”

Here’s more from out West:

  • The Jazz have workouts scheduled on Thursday for Ryan Anderson (Arizona), Trey Freeman (Old Dominion), Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson), Thomas Walkup (Stephen F. Austin), Matt Costello (Michigan State) and Andrew White (Nebraska), the team announced.
  • Former Oklahoma power forward Ryan Spangler has a workout scheduled with the Thunder on Thursday, Royce Young of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The contributions from Festus Ezeli, in particular, and Ian Clark were vital for the Warriors in their Game 2 victory over Portland on Tuesday, observes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. Both are poised for restricted free agency this summer.
  • Jameer Nelson still has two seasons remaining on his contract with the Nuggets, but he isn’t keen on remaining on the bench as the team’s third point guard for another campaign, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post in his analysis of the 12th-year veteran. Nelson wouldn’t hesitate to have his agent ask the Nuggets to trade him if it looks like he won’t get more playing time, Dempsey wrote previously. In 39 appearances, Nelson averaged 7.7 points, 4.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. He shot 36.8% from the field overall and 29.9% from beyond the 3-point line.
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