Keifer Sykes Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Brooks, Cook, Jazz, Blazers

June 7th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

Kendrick Perkins didn’t see the firing of his former coach Scott Brooks coming, Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman writes.

“I was surprised. I was surprised. You can have all the talent you want. But one thing about Scotty is he won games,” Perkins said. “A lot of people talk about the offense, but he allowed KD and Russ to play their games. He let them play with a lot of freedom. But sometimes, I guess, you just gotta roll with a new voice. I wish them nothing but the best.”

Here are some notes from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz will bring in Quinn Cook for a workout, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Cook believes he is better prepared for the NBA than some of the other guys in this year’s draft class thanks to spending time under coach Mike Krzyzewski, as he tells Zach Links of Hoops Rumors.
Utah will also work out Terran Petteway, Montrezl Harrell, Kenny Chery, Darrun Hilliard and Maurice Walker, according to the the team’s Twitter feed. The Jazz own the No. 12, No. 42 and No. 54 selections in the draft, as our Draft Order page shows.
The Blazers will work out Delon Wright, J.P. Tokoto, Jordan Mickey, Norman Powell, Vince Hunter and Keifer Sykes, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Hornacek, Aldridge, Lakers

June 4th, 2015 at 2:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Steve Kauffman, who is Suns coach Jeff Hornacek‘s agent, denied the reports that his client declined to interview for the coaching vacancy at Iowa State, Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com writes. A source confirmed to Parrish that it was Kauffman who posted on a message board linked to the initial report, “We represent Jeff Hornacek. Rarely do I post but I will simply say this story is inaccurate. Jeff loves his alma mater and the facts are simply wrong here. Under contract is the key. School knew they had to request permission in a certain manner from the Phoenix Suns. I do not wish to allocate the blame as to the parties at fault here. But it’s a shame.” Iowa State hopes to have a replacement in place for Fred Hoiberg, who was recently named coach of the Bulls, by next week, Parrish adds.

Here’s more doings from around the Western Conference:

The Suns held workouts Wednesday for Sam Dekker (Wisconsin), Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), Juwan Staten (West Virginia), Bo Barnes (Arizona State), and Daniel Bejarano (Colorado State), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
Scheduled to work out for the Suns today are Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin), Trey Lyles (Kentucky), Kelly Oubre (Kansas), Daniel Mullings (New Mexico State), Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), and Greg Whittington (Georgetown), Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter link).
The Lakers held workouts on Wednesday for Aaron Thomas (Florida State), Tyler Haws (BYU), Rashad Vaughn (UNLV), Sykes, Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), and Chris Walker (Florida), the team announced (on Twitter).
Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge has put his Portland area home up for sale, Amy Schwartz of 750 The Game tweets. Aldridge is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and while his real estate dealings could be strictly a coincidence, they could also be interpreted as a harbinger of the 29-year-old’s intent to sign elsewhere this summer.
LSU forward Jarell Martin is scheduled to work out for the Blazers today, Scotto relays (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Booker, Clippers, Sanders

June 1st, 2015 at 10:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker will work out for the Thunder on Tuesday, Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman tweets. Oklahoma City owns the No. 14 overall pick. The Suns, who have the No. 13 pick, brought in Booker for a workout on Monday. according to a tweet from Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com. Dez Wells, Josh Richardson, Derek Cooke, Vince Hunter and Jarvis Summers also participated in Phoenix’s workout, according to Scotto.

In other news around the league:

The Clippers, who don’t have a pick in the draft, nonetheless brought in several prospects for workouts on Monday, including Chris Walker, Dwayne Polee, Ralston Turner, Keifer Sykes, Shannon Scott and Richaun Holmes, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reports.
Trevor Lacey, Dakari Johnson, Rayvonte Rice, Corey Hawkins, Kenneth Smith and Alpha Kaba worked out for the Lakers on Monday, according to the Lakers’ Twitter feed.
Jerian Grant and Delon Wright participated in the Wizards’ first pre-draft workout, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.
Larry Sanders has no regrets walking away from the Bucks and the NBA, he tells Gus Turner of Complex.com in a lengthy feature article. Sanders left approximately $27MM but has found peace and happiness outside of basketball, Turner adds. “I couldn’t function outside of the gym and my studio,” he told Turner. “I couldn’t be around my family; I couldn’t be around anybody else. I was creating from a place of anxiety and fear, suffering. I wasn’t creating from a place of joy or happiness or freedom. Everything I did was pure avoidance.”
Alvin Gentry’s four-year deal to coach the Pelicans is worth a total of $13.75MM, and that includes a team option of $4MM for the final season, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Wells, Celtics

May 30th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Eddie Scarito

In a letter sent to Nets season ticket-holders regarding the team’s future, CEO Brett Yormark and GM Billy King failed to mention Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, or Jarrett Jack, which could be a major sign that the franchise intends to part ways with the trio this offseason, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily writes. “We are committed to keeping our core leadership together by re-signing Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young. At the same time, we will continue to build on our emerging young core of players, such as Mason Plumlee, Bojan Bogdanovic, Markel Brown, and Sergey Karasev,” Yormark and King wrote.

The team also relayed in the letter that it will try to purchase additional draft picks to use this June, Windrem adds. The organization wrote, “[W]e are pleased to own the No. 29 and No. 41 picks. While we are identifying potential selections, we are even open to purchasing additional draft picks if the right opportunity presents itself. Furthermore, this summer, we are planning to be active in pursuing trades that would fill important needs.”

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Maryland guard Dez Wells relayed that he has a workout scheduled with the Nets in June, Windrem tweets.
The Celtics held workouts on Friday for Corey Walden (Eastern Kentucky), Gerard Coleman (Georgetown-Kentucky), Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), Scott Eatherton (Northeastern), Travis Trice (Michigan State), and Yanick Moreira (SMU), Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com notes (Twitter link).
Wyoming forward Larry Nance Jr. said that he will work out for the Nets in the coming weeks, Windrem notes ((via Twitter).

Atlantic Notes: Russell, Sixers, Nets

May 18th, 2015 at 9:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

D’Angelo Russell could wind up as a top-two pick if the Knicks or Sixers are that position after the results of the draft lottery on Tuesday, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. While it’s widely assumed that Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor will go 1-2 in the draft, there was some speculation by rival executives at the draft combine that Philadelphia or New York may opt instead to transform to its backcourt with the Ohio State guard, Berger reports.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Michael Qualls (Arkansas), Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), Ryan Boatright (Connecticut) and Terry Rozier (Louisville) are scheduled to work out with the Sixers on Tuesday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Philadelphia brought in Julian Washburn (Texas-El Paso), Seth Tuttle (Northern Iowa), Terran Petteway (Nebraska), Marcus Thornton (Georgia), Stanton Kidd (Colorado State), Juwan Staten (West Virginia) and Shannon Scott (Ohio State) for workouts on Monday, Pompey adds.
Mike Conley and Kevin Love, if he does not opt out this summer, are potential free agent targets for the Nets in 2016, according to NetsDaily.com. The Nets will undergo many changes this offseason as they try to get under the luxury tax but they need to remain a playoff-caliber team to attract future free agents, the story adds.
A shakeup of Dwane Casey’s staff is underway as the Raptors parted with assistants Bill Bayno and Tom Sterner today, sources told Berger (Twitter links).

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Raptors, Knicks

May 15th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers fans may want to hope that the team doesn’t land the top pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News opines. Cooney’s reasoning is that if Philly nabs the No. 1 overall pick the team will either select another big man, or quite possibly trade the selection for more future assets, which could further delay the team’s rebuilding process. Conversely, if the Sixers fall to third or fourth the team will be more likely to select D’Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay, and thus land its point guard of the future, Cooney adds.

Here’s more from the NBA’s Atlantic Division:

The Raptors have six free agents whom they need to decide the futures of, and Holly MacKenzie of NBA.com examines the situation for each. These players include Amir Johnson, Landry Fields, and Lou Williams.
Knicks team president Phil Jackson met with Russell at the draft combine today, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (Twitter links). Also meeting with the Knicks, though the Zen Master wasn’t present, was Kansas big man Cliff Alexander, Zagoria adds
The Knicks also met with Duke’s Justise Winslow and Jerian Grant of Notre Dame, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal relays in a series of tweets. Kentucky big man Willie Cauley-Stein said that he is scheduled to work out for the team in New York this Sunday, Herring adds.
Cauley-Stein also sat down with members of the Sixers’ front office, and he came away with the impression that the team was genuinely interested in him, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
Arkansas power forward Bobby Portis has a workout scheduled with the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports (Twitter link).
The Sixers have scheduled workouts on Tuesday for Keifer Sykes and Terry Rozier, both of whom are guards, Pompey tweets.

Draft Notes: Combine, Montero, Osman

May 9th, 2015 at 3:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Turkish swingman Cedi Osman indicated that he is most likely two years away from joining the NBA, and that he wishes to gain more experience by continuing to play overseas, Mertkan Üçüncüoğlu of TalkBasket.net relays. “I’m moving in line with my targets,” Osman said. “Hopefully I’ll be selected from a very good place. If I don’t get selected the first round this is not a problem for me. Because I’ll stay here for two more years. I want to go to the NBA in a ready way . That’s what matters. I’ve always dreamed of playing in the NBA.” The 20-year-old is ranked by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) as the No. 34 overall prospect and he occupies the No. 44 slot on Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress‘ top 100 players in the 2015 NBA draft.

Here’s more draft related items:

Bowling Green product Richaun Holmes will participate in the NBA Draft combine in Chicago, according to Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links (via Twitter). Zach spoke with Holmes late last month to kick off the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series.
Westchester Community College swingman Luis David Montero has qualified to enter the 2015 NBA draft, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The NBA league office relayed that Montero’s early entry letter was received prior to the declaration deadline, Spears notes. The 6’7″ Dominican isn’t currently projected to be selected come June.
With the NBA Draft combine set to begin next week, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders runs down six potential sleeper picks who will be participating in Chicago. According to Koutroupis, these players are Larry Nance Jr. (Wyoming), Norman Powell (UCLA), Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), Chris Walker (Florida), and Joseph Young (Oregon).
Utah point guard Delon Wright would be a solid draft selection this June for a contending team looking for a role-player who could contribute almost immediately, Ford, Kevin Pelton, and Fran Fraschilla of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) write in their profile of the 23-year-old. Wright is the No. 26 ranked prospect according to both ESPN.com and DraftExpress.