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And-Ones: D-League, Clippers, Beal, Draft

January 18th, 2016 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The recent call-ups of J.J. O’Brien by the Jazz and Keith Appling by the Magic could represent a new trend in how NBA teams use the D-League, according to D-League Digest. They are the first call-ups of the season directly from a franchise’s minor league affiliate, and their familiarity with the parent teams’ systems made them an easy fit. With 10-day contracts limiting the amount of instruction time for new players, it helps to have someone who already understands how a team approaches the game.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

NBA veteran Henry Sims is one of three D-League centers identified as top prospects by Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. Undrafted out of Georgetown in 2012, Sims played 121 games with New Orleans, Cleveland and Philadelphia. He is currently averaging 14.1 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Grand Rapids Drive. Also on Reichert’s list are 28-year-old Alex Stepheson of the Iowa Energy and 26-year-old Jordan Bachynski of the Westchester Knicks.
Dennis Wong, a former college roommate of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, has bought a small percentage of the team, tweets Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. The sale amounts to less than 4% of the franchise.
Bradley Beal is slowly easing back into the Wizards‘ rotation and hopes to have his minutes restriction raised soon, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Beal, who is headed toward free agency, recently admitted that he may have to deal with restricted playing time for the rest of his career.
California’s Ivan Rabb, Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin and Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield were the biggest risers in the latest mock draft from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv details. His top five remains the same with Ben Simmons of LSU, Brandon Ingram of Duke, Dragan Bender of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Kris Dunn of Providence and Skal Labissiere of Kentucky.

And-Ones: Jones, All-Stars, Draft Picks, Inglis

December 5th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves have assigned rookie point guard Tyus Jones to the D-League, the team tweeted tonight. The former Duke star was drafted 24th overall by the Cavaliers in June and then shipped to Minnesota in a draft-night trade. He has played just 14 minutes in two games with the Wolves, with 1 point, 1 rebound and 1 assist. Minnesota officials had previously announced their intention to have Jones spend part of the year in the D-League to get more playing time. Jones will be sent to the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Jazz. Wolves GM Milt Newton will address the situation Sunday, according to a tweet from the team.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

Pistons center Andre Drummond heads a list of most likely first-time all stars compiled by Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. With Drummond averaging more than 18 points per game and leading the league in rebounds, Brigham considers the fourth-year center a shoo-in for the February 14th contest in Toronto. Potentially joining him from the Eastern Conference are Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis, the Hornets‘ Kemba Walker, the Celtics‘ Isaiah Thomas and the Heat’s Hassan Whiteside. Brigham’s five picks for the Western squad are the Warriors‘ Draymond Green, the Spurs‘ Kawhi Leonard, the Suns‘ Eric Bledsoe and/or Brandon Knight and the Jazz’s Derrick Favors.
LSU’s Ben Simmons looks like the clear No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, Brigham writes in a separate story analyzing the top six contenders for that honor. Brigham cites the Australia freshman’s versatility on offense, where he possesses the skills of a point guard but the 6’10” frame of a power forward. Also on Brigham’s list are Kentucky freshman Skal Labissiere, California freshman Jaylen Brown, Duke freshman Brandon Ingram, Providence junior Kris Dunn and Utah sophomore Jakob Poeltl.
The Bucks recalled Damien Inglis from the Canton Charge of the D-League, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He was sent to Canton on November 22nd.
The Raptors recalled Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright from Raptors 905, the team tweeted today. Neither was active for today’s game with the Warriors.

And-Ones: Karl, Rondo, Thibodeau, Dunn

December 1st, 2015 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kings coach George Karl met last week with Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins at the players’ request, and all parties describe the interaction as being extremely positive, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports. “It was a powerful meeting for all three of us,” Rondo told Spears. “We asked him to just sit with us so we can pick his brain and share our thoughts. What I love about [Karl] is he’s very open. George is not a dictator. ‘What can we do positively? What can we do to improve?’ If you can come into a meeting with no egos and everyone was humble, it just works out for the better.”

Rondo is also trying to impart some of the wisdom he received from former teammate Kevin Garnett to Cousins, Spears adds. When discussing the tirade Cousins unleashed upon Karl a few weeks ago, Rondo told the big man, “There is always a time and place. “[Cousins] saying what he was saying in front of the team. … The concept of what he was saying may not have been wrong, it’s just the delivery. I’ve had a lot of blowups and I’ve learned from them. I told him, ‘You’re wrong on how you did it. Your [message] might be right, but that’s when you go in his office and talk to him.’”

Here’s more from around the league:

Despite Rondo being eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the season ends, Cousins expects the point guard to re-sign with the Kings and remain in Sacramento, Spears also relays in the same piece. “He ain’t going nowhere. I will kidnap him myself,” Cousins told Spears.
The Rockets must make a run at former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau this offseason if the franchise hopes to maximize the roster’s potential, opines Chris Mannix of SI.com. Despite the obvious questions regarding how well Thibodeau’s coaching style would mesh with James Harden and Dwight Howard, the team needs a change of direction, especially on the defensive side, Mannix notes.
Providence senior point guard Kris Dunn is solidifying himself as a potential top 10 selection in the 2016 NBA draft, with some scouts noting that Dunn belongs in the top five, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. The biggest knock on Dunn is his age, 21, which potentially lowers his ceiling in relation to some of the younger players who will be available, but Dunn’s maturity level could be seen as a positive by some NBA executives, Kennedy adds. Dunn is currently ranked as the No. 7 prospect overall by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

Kris Dunn Plans To Pass Up Draft

April 22nd, 2015 at 2:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn is planning to pass up a strong chance to become a lottery pick this year to return to school, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the 13th best prospect for this year, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com pegs him 19th.

The 21-year-old would be well-advised to seek to improve his shot selection and cut down on turnovers, but with versatility, quickness and slashing ability, he’s already a strong prospect, as Ford’s scouting report indicates. He surged to the forefront for the Friars this season after missing all but four games in 2013/14 because of surgery on his right shoulder, averaging 15.6 points, 7.5 assists and 2.7 steals in 34.0 minutes per game. Those numbers in assists and steals were the best for anyone in the Big East, and his assists per game were third in the nation.

Still, the 6’4″ Dunn probably won’t end up any more highly rated among next year’s prospects, Givony tweets, pointing to the shoulder injury, which also limited him in 2012/13, as reason why Dunn’s apparent decision carries risk. Dunn was No. 20 on the Recruiting Services Consensus Index coming out of high school in 2012, so while his stock has improved somewhat over the course of his time at Providence, it appears scouts feel more or less the same about his potential.

Draft Notes: Stanley Johnson, Kris Dunn, 2016

April 13th, 2015 at 12:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sunday was the NCAA’s deadline for early entrants to the 2015 NBA draft to withdraw and retain their college eligibility, though that deadline isn’t one that spurred a lot of action. That’s because players who haven’t formally declared or signed with an agent don’t need to make a final decision until April 26th, the deadline the NBA has set for underclassmen to enter. In essence, prospects can just hang low until that deadline even if they’ve made up their minds so that they can turn back if they have a change of heart. Here’s the latest on a couple of players still weighing their options:

Arizona freshman Stanley Johnson is looking for assurances that he’ll be a top-10 pick this year before he declares for the draft, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress hears (Twitter link). Still, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com would be shocked if he stayed in school (Twitter link). Johnson, who was reportedly “really torn” as he pondered the decision last week, is Givony‘s ninth-ranked prospect while Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists him 11th. Jay Z has met with Johnson to try to recruit him to his Roc Nation Sports Agency, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.
Providence is pressing sophomore point guard Kris Dunn to return to school, telling him that he’d go late in the first round this year but would be a top-five pick in 2016, as Givony hears (Twitter link). NBA executives nonetheless view Dunn as a late lottery pick this year, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, backing up Givony‘s ranking of the 21-year-old as the 14th-best prospect. Ford has him 20th.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, in a pair of pieces, profiles the versatile and deft-passing combo forward Ben Simmons and the slick-shooting forward/center Skal Labissiere, two of the prime contenders to become the No. 1 overall pick in 2016.

Draft Notes: Harrell, Poeltl, Dunn, Portis

March 30th, 2015 at 10:50pm CST by Charlie Adams

We heard this afternoon that Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier, a pair of Louisville standouts, would be entering this summer’s draft. As the NCAA season nears its finish, we’ll see plenty more announcements of players forgoing the remainder of their college eligibility to declare for the draft early. Chad Ford of ESPN (Insider link) rounds up the players who have officially thrown their names into the ring, as well players who might return to school next year. Ford hears that among others, potential lottery picks Jakob Poeltl, Kris Dunn, and Bobby Portis are still undecided about declaring. Still, there’s plenty of time before players must make up their minds, so we’ll have to wait to see if any top flight prospects return to school in an attempt to bolster their stock even further.

Here’s more on the draft:

Ford takes a look at Harrell’s stock in the upcoming draft in another ESPN Insider piece. While there are concerns about the Louisville big man’s size, he could go as high as No. 15 if he performs well in pre-draft workouts, according to Ford, who notes that teams are impressed by his motor and ability to finish at the basket.
Yannis Koutroupis and Cody Toppert of Basketball Insiders run down a list of players who have seen their draft stock potentially affected by their tournament performance. Karl-Anthony Towns and Sam Dekker find their names on both scribes’ lists of studs, while the duo isn’t so high on how the bunch from Arizona performed, particularly freshman Stanley Johnson.
Despite the presence of both Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel on the Sixers’ roster, Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer thinks Philly should still take Towns or Jahlil Okafor this June if the team gets a chance.