Within the last week, both Sam Smith of Bulls.com and Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com concocted trade scenarios in which the Bulls acquire Tyreke Evans from the Kings, increasing speculation about such a deal. But Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio hears from multiple sources that there's nothing to the idea, and that it's not something that's being discussed by the two teams. That tidbit comes from Amico's Thursday column, and he's back with another piece today, so let's take a look at the highlights:
The countdown until the 2012 draft is down to two weeks, and this week has been heavy on workouts and trade speculation. We'll track the latest news and rumors on both fronts, along with a handful of other draft-related items, right here. New updates will be added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- According to their official website, the Pacers will work out Evan Fournier, Ashton Gibbs, Travis Hyman, John Jenkins, Josh Owens, and Tony Wroten Jr. on Friday.
The Trail Blazers have a pair of first-round picks, at No. 6 and No. 11, and back-to-back second-round picks, at No. 40 and No. 41. Four rookies would be a lot to carry on a roster, but earlier this week we passed along a report from Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com suggesting the Blazers would keep both lottery selections. Yesterday, Haynes tweeted that the Blazers have a workout scheduled with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist that could indicate they're looking to trade up. Haynes echoes that sentiment in a report today, and adds plenty of other draft-related news.
Tons of NBA executives have been in Chicago the past two days for the NBA pre-draft combine, and we've been following the updates throughout. Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com was on hand for the event, which wasn't nearly as revelatory as it could have been, he says, since several top prospects didn't participate in on-court action. Still, teams learned plenty about the draft-eligible field, and Goodman shares his list of winners and losers from the camp.
As usual, David Aldridge's weekly column at NBA.com is packed with items of interest, including discussions about declining salaries for head coaches and conspiracy theories surrounding the draft lottery. Leading off his piece this week though, Aldridge looks at the top 15 picks in the draft and predicts the players likely to be selected, based on what he's hearing. Alridge's column is just one of many draft-related links to round up today, so let's dive in….
The Southwest Division champion Spurs resume their series vs. the Thunder tonight, looking to hold serve at home in San Antonio. As ESPN.com's John Hollinger writes, the Spurs are very familiar with this situation, having entered a Game 5 with the series tied nine times already in the Tim Duncan era. Hollinger wonders what adjustments Gregg Popovich will make tonight, speculating that the team's changes could involve the use of Manu Ginobili and Matt Bonner. Here are a few more Monday updates out of the Southwest….
Following the Hornets' lottery win, ESPN.com's Chad Ford published his newest mock draft, which includes a handful of interesting scenarios, including Dion Waiters jumping to eighth overall and Austin Rivers slipping to 18th. With less than four weeks until draft day, Ford continues to talk to sources and visit workouts to get a better sense of how things will play out on June 28th. His latest draft blog (Insider link) explores potential options for the top 10 picks and is chock-full of interesting tidbits. Let's round up some of the highlights….
Out of all the probable lottery-bound prospects, you likely won't see any name as positionally scattered across mock drafts as that of UConn's Jeremy Lamb. In his latest insider mock, ESPN's Chad Ford has Lamb going at 17, though he admits that some NBA GMs have him as a top 7 or 8 talent. Draft Express ranks Lamb as the number 12 prospect in the draft. What a difference a year can make:
Last year at this time, Connecticut had just improbably won the NCAA Tournament largely due to the brilliance of Kemba Walker. But Lamb, then a freshman, played Robin to Walker's Batman and was a very hot name in draft discussions, even being mentioned as a top-5 candidate. Statistically, Lamb did nothing as a sophomore to drop his draft stock. He assumed the role of top dog for the Huskies and averaged over 17 points-per-game. But along the way, that top-5 luster wore off.
At about 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, Lamb has plenty of size to play the two guard position in the NBA, especially when considering his length. Lamb is impossibly long for his height, with a wingspan of over 7 feet. As a guard, this attribute alone makes him a good defender. Lamb is able to get his hands into passing lanes and contest jump shots unlike most players at his height and position. Lamb is also an excellent athlete which obviously helps on the defensive end of the floor.
Lamb's athleticism and elevation ability give him special potential on the offensive side of the ball. He can finish at the rim and score over bigger players because of his length. He also can rise up and shoot over defenders with ease. Essentially, while Lamb is only 6-foot-5, anyone playing against him would swear he is taller. He exhibits a smoothness on offense that, whether it tangibly matters or not, is impressive to watch.
Lamb's shooting ability is a contention point in many scouting circles. As a freshman, his lanky frame and long arms drew Reggie Miller comparisons. He also shot over 36 percent from three. But as a sophomore, that percentage dropped to 33.6, bringing up questions of shot selection (he took over 6 threes a game). Lamb's midrange jumper is likely his deadliest weapon, though he can tend to rely too heavily on it instead of attacking the rim. Overall, Lamb projects as at least a good NBA shooter, with the potential to be very good.
The questions on Lamb's shot selection may stem from his biggest question mark: his seemingly passive attitude. While Lamb has shown the killer instinct to take over games, he also at times seems disinterested. UConn had some chemistry issues this year which were only exacerbated by Jim Calhoun's medical leave. Without the luxury of a full season of Calhoun and the veteran presence of a guy like Kemba Walker, Lamb showed some immaturity. The interview portion of the draft process will likely be important for him.
From a physical standpoint, Lamb needs to put on weight fast to be able to take the pounding of an NBA season. He also needs work as a passer. As an NBA shooting guard, unless you're an elite scorer, passing is not a part of the game that you can just forego. When Lamb is interested and at his best, it isn't hard to see why his name was at the top of draft boards a year ago. Should he fall into the late lottery or beyond as Ford has projected, someone could be getting the steal of the draft. But it is more likely that he will go in the 9-12 range.
Today marks the NCAA's deadline for underclassmen to withdraw their names from consideration for this year's NBA draft. As we previously outlined, today isn't necessary a hard deadline, but plenty of prospects will be announcing their decisions today, if they haven't already. We'll track those decisions here, with the latest up top:
- B.J. Young, who previously entered the draft, has withdrawn his name from consideration, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com). The Arkansas freshman was able to back out because he hadn't hired an agent.
- Jeremy Lamb of Connecticut will enter the draft, according to UConn's assistant director of athletic communications Phil Chardis (via Twitter). The sophomore guard is ranked as the 12th-best prospect by both DraftExpress and ESPN.com.
- Junior forward Mason Plumlee has decided to return to Duke for his senior season, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
- Oregon State guard Jared Cunningham will forgo his senior year and enter the draft, according to Gary Horowitz of the Statesman Journal. The junior figures to be a second-round pick at best, ranking 66th on DraftExpress' top 100 prospects list and 96th on Chad Ford's ESPN.com list, but he must have liked what he heard when he tested the draft waters.
- Vanderbilt's John Jenkins announced Monday that he will enter the draft, according to The Tennessean. The junior guard ranks 36th on DraftExpress and 40th on ESPN.com.
- Junior forward Christian Watford will return to Indiana for his senior year, reports Jeff Rabjohns of Peegs.com (via Twitter). Watford's teammate, freshman Cody Zeller, will also return to school, the team announced today (hat tip to Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports via Twitter). The freshman was projected to be a potential lottery pick.