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Draft Notes: Sixers, Dunn, Bentil, Briscoe

May 22nd, 2016 at 8:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Fresh off securing the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft, the Sixers won’t limit their options to LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram, writes Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Philadelphia is planning workouts for California forward Jaylen Brown, Providence point guard Kris Dunn and Kentucky combo guard Jamal Murray, Spears reports. The Sixers may also offer invitations to Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield and Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Dragan Bender. “The media has their darlings and that is perfectly fine,” Brown said of the attention surrounding Simmons and Ingram. “I’m just here to prove that I’m in the conversation with those two, if not better.” Brown also issued a challenge to the projected top two picks, saying, “Do they want to work out [against] me? I think that’s the question.”

There’s more draft-related news as Wednesday’s deadline for underclassmen to return to school approaches:

The results of Tuesday’s lottery may push Dunn out of the top five, according to Derek Bodner of USA Today. Bodner believes the best scenario for Dunn would have been for the Lakers to drop to No. 4 and ship their pick to the Sixers, who need help at point guard. If Simmons and Ingram are the first players selected, the next three teams — the Celtics, Suns and Wolves — all have established point guards on their roster.
Providence power forward Ben Bentil, who announced earlier today that he is staying in the draft, will work out for the Pacers Monday, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The sophomore will have a session in Orlando later this week.
Kentucky freshman Isaiah Briscoe has a workout scheduled this week for the Hawks, Zagoria tweets. Briscoe hasn’t decided whether to stay in the draft or return to school.
Briscoe will work out for the Wolves Monday, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Joining Briscoe will be Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet, BYU’s Kyle Collinsworth, Florida’s Dorian Finney-Smith, Louisiana-Monroe’s Majok Deng and South Carolina’s Michael Carrera.
The Jazz believe in volume when it comes to workouts, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Utah hosted Oregon’s Tyler Dorsey, Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell, Finney-Smith, Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes, Xavier’s Jalen Reynolds and Mississippi State’s Gavin Ware on Sunday, and expects to work out dozens more before draft day. “We’re trying to find players, not only possibly for the Jazz but also for the [D-League Salt Lake City] Stars,” said vice president of player personnel Walt Perrin. “Get to know as many people as possible.”

And-Ones: Lakers, Shaw, Brown

May 19th, 2016 at 10:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers were able to keep their 2016 first-rounder when they landed the No.2 overall pick in Tuesday’s lottery. The team still owes Philadelphia and Orlando a first round pick each and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders breaks down the possible pick exchanges in a series of tweets. Los Angeles sends its 2017 first-rounder to Philly if it falls outside the top-3. If the Sixers get the 2017 pick, then the Magic receive the Lakers’ unprotected 2019 selection. If it doesn’t convey in 2017, then the Lakers send their 2018 unprotected pick to Philly and they wouldn’t owe Orlando a first-rounder at all. Instead, the Magic would receive a 2017 second-rounder and a 2018 second-rounder. Los Angeles is in this predicament because of its 2012 trade for Dwight Howard and its 2012 trade for Steve Nash.

Here are some notes on the upcoming draft:

The Lakers have offered Brian Shaw a spot on their coaching staff, but the former Nuggets coach is still weighing his options, reports Bill Oram of The Los Angeles Daily News.
Jaylen Brown, who’s a projected top-10 pick, won’t sign an agent. Instead, he will use the NBPA to advise him on his rookie deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets.
Memphis’ Dedric Lawson has withdrawn from the draft, as his father tells Gary Parrish of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
Abdul-Malik Abu will withdraw from the draft and return to NC State, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Jalen Moore will withdraw from the draft and return to Utah State, Goodman tweets.
The Bucks have worked out Tim Quarterman, Anthony Barber, Melo Trimble, Ron Baker, Anthony Gill and Devin Williams, per the team’s website.

And-Ones: USA Basketball, Richardson, Murray

May 15th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paring the USA Basketball roster from 20 to 12 players will be difficult and controversial, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Anthony Davis will sit out the Rio Olympics because of injuries but managing director Jerry Colangelo has added young players like Damian Lillard, Andre Drummond, DeMarcus Cousins, Kawhi Leonard, and Kyrie Irving to the mix, complicating the selection process. Colangelo told Washburn and other members of the media that players will be selected based on position need as well as their performance in recent NBA seasons.

In other news around the league:

Syracuse freshman forward Malachi Richardson saw his stock rise higher than any other player during the draft combine, ESPN Insider Chad Ford reports. Richardson is one of the few wings in this draft with the size, speed and skills to get his own shot, according to Ford. He also has potential as a long-range shooter and that’s why his draft stock has elevated to the 12-20 range, Ford continues. On the other end of the spectrum, California forward Jaylen Brown made have damaged his chances of going in the top 10 with poor interviews, Ford adds.
There’s still very little separation between LSU forward Ben Simmons and Duke small forward Brandon Ingram regarding the No. 1 overall pick, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. Some teams are leaning toward Simmons, while others favor Ingram heading into the lottery, Howard-Cooper adds.
Kentucky point guard Jamal Murray interviewed with the Timberwolves during the draft combine, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets. Murray is currently rated No. 6 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 3 on Ford’s Big Board.
Iowa State power forward Georges Niang interviewed with the Nets, according to NetsDaily.com (Twitter link). Niang is considered a late second-round prospect.

Southeast Notes: Skiles, Wade, Combine

May 14th, 2016 at 2:56pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Scott Skiles has likely damaged his reputation around the league after resigning from his post as head coach of the Magic after one season, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. But even if another NBA team were interested in hiring Skiles, his contract with Orlando included a non-compete agreement that would prevent such a move for approximately two seasons, Schmitz notes. Thunder coach Billy Donovan had a similar arrangement with the team after he backed out of an agreement to coach Orlando in 2007, the scribe adds.

One of the major issues between Skiles and the team was the lack of personnel input the coach had, Schmitz relays. GM Rob Hennigan has a clear plan in mind for the direction of the franchise, one that wasn’t apparently endorsed by the former coach, though the executive notes that communication was solid between the pair, Schmitz writes. “We had good dialogue throughout the course of the season and good dialogue means lots of different things,” Hennigan said. “It means disagreements, arguments, debates and jokes. We certainly had all of that.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Dwyane Wade‘s solid 2015/16 campaign and postseason makes it unlikely once again that he would agree to a discounted annual salary in the range of $12MM, which was the Heat‘s initial offer to the veteran last May, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. Wade, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, ended up inking a one-year, $20MM deal with Miami.
Kentucky sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis interviewed with the Hawks at the NBA combine in Chicago, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter). Also interviewing with Atlanta was California freshman forward Jaylen Brown, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets.
Maryland junior power forward Robert Carter met with representatives from the Wizards at the combine this week and the player noted that one of the team’s focal points was him having a solid character, Daniel Martin of CSNMid-Atlantic relays. “They’ve seen me a lot. They say they’ve seen me play a lot,” Carter said. “Everybody was in there, pretty much everybody. The whole staff, GM, president, everybody was in there and they just talked to me about what type of person I am and I said, ‘Hopefully a good person.’ But they just talked to me about my game and that was pretty much it.“

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.

Draft Combine Update: Friday Morning

May 13th, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

Skal Labissiere‘s impressive private workout on Wednesday didn’t quite measure up to the hype, contends Chad Ford of ESPN.com in an Insider-only piece, who pegs the draft range for the Kentucky big man as No. 9 to No. 20. The Suns and Kings are among the teams Labissiere has interviewed with at the combine, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, echoing previous reports about interviews with Philadelphia and New Orleans. Ford’s sources remain solidly in the camp of Ben Simmons over Brandon Ingram for the top overall pick, while it appears it’s a battle between Jamal Murray and Kris Dunn for the No. 3 pick, Ford hears. Still, no one had a more impressive combine showing Thursday than Cheick Diallo, a high second-round prospect, according to Ford. Both his strengths and weaknesses were on display, as Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress detail. The Kansas center/forward says he’ll probably remain in the draft, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv details, adding the Warriors, Mavericks, Nets, Sixers, Knicks and Raptors to the list of teams he’s interviewing with at the combine.

See more updates as the combine continues:

The Lakers interviewed Ingram, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
The Bulls, Hawks, Kings, Spurs and Rockets are among the teams interviewing Cal swingman Jaylen Brown, as he told reporters and as Basketball Insiders relays in a video. Also on the list are Boston and Minnesota, as we passed along earlier.
UNLV shooting guard Patrick McCaw listed the Raptors, Bucks, Hornets, Cavaliers and Heat, as well as a previously reported meeting with Boston, among his interviews, as Basketball Insiders relays in another video.
Wisconsin power forward Nigel Hayes will work out for the Suns, Celtics and Knicks, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link). Ford heard some negativity surrounding his performance Thursday.
The Pelicans, Knicks, Mavericks, Hornets and Lakers are the previously unreported teams on the interview list for Maryland point guard Melo Trimble, as J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic relays. Ford heard from NBA types down on Trimble’s showing Thursday.
Former Iona combo guard A.J. English met with the Pelicans and will do so with the Wizards and Nets, Zagoria tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
The Spurs, Warriors, Nuggets and Grizzlies are the previously unreported teams interviewing Seton Hall shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead, Zagoria relays (Twitter link). He’ll work out for the Sixers on Monday, the Pacers on Wednesday, the Celtics on May 20th and the Bulls on May 23rd, a source tells Zach Braziller of the New York Post (Twitter links). Boston, Indiana and Chicago are particularly interested in him, Braziller hears.

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.

Northwest Notes: Leonard, Diallo, Felder, Davis

May 12th, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Impending free agent center Meyers Leonard is making progress with his injured shoulder, according to The Oregonian. In a video interview posted on the paper’s website, Leonard discusses the torn labrum in his left shoulder and what he expects out of restricted free agency this summer. “The frustrating thing is I’m not in pain, but it just takes time for things to heal,” said Leonard, who faces a six- to eight-month timetable to return after undergoing surgery last month. He admits feeling jealous while watching his teammates during the playoffs. The injury could limit the offers for Leonard, who declined an extension from the Blazers in October.

There’s more news from the Northwest Division:

Kansas freshman big man Cheick Diallo will have an interview with the Jazz on Friday, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Oakland junior point guard Kay Felder had meetings with the Jazz and Nuggets, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
Freshman big man Deyonta Davis of Michigan State talked with the Jazz, according to Beard (Twitter link).
The Jazz also interviewed Purdue freshman power forward Caleb Swanigan, according to Nathan Baird of The Lafayette Journal & Courier.
The Wolves, who own the league’s fifth-worst record entering the draft lottery, held interviews with Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn and California freshman swingman Jaylen Brown, tweets Jerry Zgoda of The Star-Tribune.
Minnesota also interviewed Dunn’s teammate, sophomore power forward Ben Bentil (Twitter link). Bentil joined several other players in a workout for the Wolves last week.
Also meeting with the Wolves was Henry Ellenson, a freshman power forward out of Marquette, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.

Cal Swingman Jaylen Brown To Enter Draft

April 21st, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Cal freshman swingman Jaylen Brown will enter this year’s NBA draft, he announced in a press conference today, the school relays via Twitter. The 6’7″ 19-year-old is the fourth-best prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 9 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. It’s not immediately clear whether he’ll hire an agent right away, a move that would prevent him from returning to college ball if he were to withdraw from the draft by May 25th.

Brown is a slasher on offense and a long, skilled defender, according to Ford. His wingspan is more than 7 feet, according to the latest measurement Givony shows. The Georgia native didn’t put up flashy numbers, playing just 27.6 minutes per game, but his 6.4 free throws per contest show his ability to get to the rim. He averaged 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds a night, though his 29.4% 3-point shooting and 3.1 turnovers per contest are troublesome. His final game of the season was a four-point, seven-turnover nightmare in Cal’s first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Hawaii.

Still, he was already an elite prospect by the time he entered college. The Recruiting Services Consensus Index pegged him third, with only Ben Simmons and Skal Labissiere in front of him. Brown was a mainstay in competitions involving elite high school talent, and he had nine points in 21 minutes at the 2015 McDonald’s All-American game, the most well-known showcase.