Kyle Anderson

Southeast Notes: Chalmers, Oden, Hornets

Mario Chalmers has struggled mightily for the Heat lately, but he doesn’t attribute his on-court woes to his looming free agency, reports Sean Deveney of Sporting NewsI am not even thinking about that,” Chalmers said today. “Whatever happens this summer, happens.” Here’s more on Miami and the Southeast:

  • The Heat are expected to work out Kyle Anderson, C.J. Wilcox, Joe Harris, Jordan Bachynski and Markel Brown, a source tells Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link).
  • Greg Oden admits he was disappointed at his lack of playing time for the Heat this season, but it won’t discourage him from signing a new contract this summer, be it with Miami or another club, passes along Chris Haynes of Comcast Sportsnet.
  • Jeff Adrien, whom Charlotte dealt to the Bucks at the trade deadline this year, joined several Hornets veterans for a workout in Charlotte today, notes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Adrien becomes an unrestricted free agent in July.
  • Shabazz Napier and Elfrid Payton auditioned for the Magic today, according to Scotto (Twitter link). Isaiah Sykes also worked out for the club, as Sykes revealed via Twitter (hat tip to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel).
  • The Wizards will bring in Billy Baron, Jerrelle Benimon, Justin Cobbs, Josh Huestis, Lamar Patterson, and Davon Usher, the team announced.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Wiggins, Exum, Anderson

Andrew Wiggins has auditions for the Sixers and Bucks on his agenda in the next couple of weeks, but the Cavs will work him out closer to the draft, preferring to hire a coach before taking a look at key prospects, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Ford and others have plenty more as draft prospects criss-cross North America to put themselves on display for teams, as we detail below:

  • Ford adds the Sixers to the list of teams working out Dante Exum, but it looks like he won’t be headed to any team that doesn’t possess a top-four pick, Ford adds (Twitter links). The Cavs are the only top-four team without a workout on Exum’s docket.
  • Kyle Anderson will work out for the Jazz, according to Anderson’s Twitter account (hat tip to Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune).
  • Roscoe Smith is auditioning for the Rockets and Warriors, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
  • Travel issues prevented Jordan Adams, Markel Brown and Joe Harris from attending today’s workout with the Hornets as planned, prompting the team to add former University of North Carolina shooting guard Leslie McDonald as a substitute. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer has the details via Twitter.
  • The Hornets will also take a look at Cory Jefferson this week, as Boston Globe correspondent Jake Fischer reports, adding that the power forward from Baylor will perform for the Wolves and Wizards, too (Twitter link).
  • The Wizards, Pacers and Heat are on Keith Appling‘s workout schedule, Fischer also tweets. Fischer adds the Cavs and Wizards to the teams working out Bryce Cotton (Twitter link).
  • Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Sam Dower and Markel Starks will join Jefferson and Appling in working out for the Wizards today, the team announced. Jamil Wilson will also take part, confirming an earlier report indicating that he was expected to work out for Washington.
  • Chaz Williams will show off for the Jazz, Warriors, Bucks and Cavs over the next eight days, sources tell Josh Newman of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: Lakers, LeBron, Suns, Warriors

The Lakers haven’t been in a rush to find a replacement for Mike D’Antoni since the team still maintains hope that they have a shot at signing one or more superstars this summer, a source tells Sam Amick of USA Today. Management fears hiring a particular coach right now might dissuade superstars such as Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James from signing in LA this summer, hears Amick. Let’s take a look at more from around the Pacific:

  • Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders sees the Suns as a much more viable trade partner for the Wolves in a Kevin Love deal than the Bulls.  Phoenix has Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and three first-round picks in this year’s draft (No. 14, No. 18, and No. 27) to offer.
  • Today’s Suns workout included UCLA’s Kyle Anderson and Travis Wear, Syracuse F C.J. Fair, Ohio State forward LaQuinton Ross, Cal guard Justin Cobbs, and Oregon forward Mike Moser, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
  • The Warriors don’t have any selections in the 2014 draft, and it’ll be difficult for the team to purchase or trade for one, says director of scouting Larry Riley on KGO-TV (h/t Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group)In 2011, the W’s bought second-round pick Jeremy Tyler for $2 million, and last June, they traded for the rights to first-round pick Nemanja Nedovic.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Cavs, LeBron, Hornets

Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (hat tip to Henry Green of Fox Sports Ohio) doesn’t think the Cavaliers will hire a new head coach prior to the NBA Draft. Amico also believes that GM David Griffin is looking to hire an offensive minded coach and that the team will select Joel Embiid with the first-overall pick in the draft.

More from the east:

  • There is no good reason for LeBron James to opt out of his contract with the Heat this summer, opines Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News. Lawrence believes the success of Miami will make it easier for James to continue to recruit free agents and would allow him the best opportunity to continue to win championships.
  • The Hornets haven’t been successful in the draft, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Despite having eight lottery picks in the past eight years, including three in the top five, they have yet to draft a player good enough to build a team around or to become an NBA All-Star, opines Bonnell.
  • The Hawks want Kyle Anderson back for a second workout, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Atlanta currently owns the 15th overall pick in June’s draft.
  • Pistons forward Luigi Datome believes he can improve enough this offseason to become a regular part of the team’s rotation next season, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. In 34 games this season, Datome averaged 2.4 PPG and 1.4 RPG.

Draft Rumors: Hood, Stokes, Fair, Hairston

The draft takes place one month from tonight, and teams are beginning to ramp up their schedule of workouts with prospects. Busy draft hopefuls include Rodney Hood, who’ll audition for eight lottery teams, and Jarnell Stokes, who’s working out for 11 teams drafting in the back half of the first round, as Zach Links of Hoops Rumors has learned (Twitter links). One of those teams is the Magic, as we passed along Sunday, and Hood will also work out for the Sixers and Bulls, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. The Wolves are on Hood’s schedule, too, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Stokes will show off for the Heat and Sixers, Goodman also tweets. Here’s more on an evolving draft landscape:

  • Stokes will also audition for the Hawks and Bulls in addition to Miami and Philadelphia, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
  • The Bucks will audition Washington’s C.J. Wilcox, Iowa’s Devyn Marble, Pittsburgh’s Lamar Patterson, Virginia’s Joe Harris, and Missouri’s Jabari Brown on Tuesday, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Journal-Times.
  • C.J. Fair will work out for the Bulls on Wednesday, the Bucks on Thursday, and the Hornets on Friday, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
  • P.J. Hairston, DeAndre Kane and Markel Brown are also among those auditioning for Minnesota, Wolfson reports in the same tweet in which he passed along the Hood news. Nick Johnson will join that group, and the Wolves are eyeing Melvin Ejim and Chane Behanan for workouts, too, Wolfson adds (on Twitter).
  • Behanan will audition for the Sixers and Wolves, as well, Goodman reports via Twitter, seconding his earlier dispatch about Behanan’s workout with the MavsRuss Smith, Behanan’s former Louisville teammate, is slated to work out for the Heat, Thunder and Suns, Goodman tweets.
  • Johnson will also work out for the Magic, Goodman notes (via Twitter). He’ll join Smart and Hood in Orlando, as previously reported.
  • The Lakers are set to work out Marcus Smart and Noah Vonleh, while Vonleh will also audition for the Celtics and Kings, according to Goodman (Twitter links).
  • Goodman adds the Raptors to the teams working out Kyle Anderson (Twitter link).
  • The ESPN.com scribe also reports additional workouts for DeAndre Daniels, who’s set to get a look-see from the Hornets and Hawks (Twitter link).
  • The Bulls, Suns and Grizzlies are on the workout agenda of Scottie Wilbekin, Goodman reports (on Twitter). The Suns, along with the Bucks and Lakers, are also among the trio of teams auditioning Joe Harris, Goodman tweets.
  • Johnny O’Bryant III will work out for the Hawks, Raptors, Suns and Spurs, according to Goodman (Twitter link).

Draft Notes: Heat, Celtics, Magic

With the draft roughly one month away, let’s keep track of today’s latest news here..

  • Jordan Adams will work out for the Heat on Thursday, a source told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  The shooting guard out of UCLA is currently slated to go to the Heat at No. 26 in DraftExpress’ mock.
  • The Celtics will host Kyle Anderson and DeAndre Daniels for a workout on June 3rd, a source tells Goodman (Twitter link).  Anderson will also workout for the Hawks on Thursday (link).
  • The Magic will workout Oklahoma State star Marcus Smart tomorrow, tweets Goodman. Orlando will also meet with Duke’s Rodney Hood (link).  Earlier this month, I talked with the shooting guard about his NBA goals and where he sees himself going in the draft.
  • The Heat will host a draft workout on Tuesday that will include P.J. Hairston, Cleathony Early, and Daniels, a source tells Goodman (link).

Draft Rumors: Harris, Smart, Jazz, Magic

With the Chicago predraft combine wrapping up, Jeremy Bauman of Sheridan Hoops looks at a number of prospects that increased their draft stock with their performances. These players include Zach LaVine, Kyle Anderson, Elfrid Payton, James Young, and Jordan Clarkson. More on the draft front:

  • The athletic testing results from the combine are in and Draft Express runs them down.
  • Gary Harris was invited to the Draft Lottery broadcast by the NBA as part of a 10-player group deemed the top-10 prospects, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The inviation, which Harris declined, could signify a boost in his draft stock. Some projections, including Jonathan Givony’s at DraftExpress, have had Harris well outside of the top 10.
  • In a combine wrap-up, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes that Marcus Smart stood out as an exceptional physical specimen and hard worker among the point guards in attendance.
  • Dante Exum fared well during interviews at the combine, a team official who met with the Aussie tells Chris Mannix of SI.com“He seems like a really good kid,” the official said. “He’s confident, but not cocky. Now we have to see if he can play.” With far less exposure than the other prospects at the top of the draft, Exum hopes to impress teams during his individual workouts.
  • If Joel Embiid doesn’t clear medically prior to the draft, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets that the big man could drop out of the top five. Embiid sat out of combine activities as he recovers from a back injury suffered late in his season at Kansas.
  • Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey told Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune that he “has to listen to everything” when asked about whether he was willing to trade Utah’s draft picks (Twitter link).
  • The Magic aren’t trying to trade away their extra first round pick, according to Kyler (on Twitter).
  • Tommy Dee of Sheridan Hoops looks at some of the older draft prospects, laying out why each could follow in Damian Lillard‘s footsteps in making an impact exceeding many of the younger, more well-known players from the same talent pool.
  • Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops released his second mock draft of the year.
  • Earlier, we passed along word that we could be in for a busy pre-draft trade season.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Draft Combine Updates: Friday

We gathered a slew of reports connecting draft prospects with teams yesterday on the first full day of the Chicago draft combine, and we’ll do the same today with this post. The latest updates will be on top as we follow the action throughout.

  • Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders adds the Pistons, Kings and Suns to the list of teams interviewing Noah Vonleh (Twitter link).
  • The Pistons met with Rodney Hood, Ellis tweets, and the Thunder also met with him, Holmes notes (on Twitter).
  • Thanasis Antetokounmpo sat down with the Nets, Knicks, Pacers, Cavs, Wizards and Pelicans, according to Woelfel (Twitter link).

2:00pm updates:

  • The Pistons have met with Smart and Zach LaVine, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, respectively (Twitter links).
  • Smart is also among the players interviewing with the Celtics tonight, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, and the C’s spoke with Aaron Gordon, too, fellow Globe scribe Baxter Holmes notes (Twitter links).
  • Gordon also met with the Magic, who are set to meet with James Michael McAdoo, as well, according to Robbins (Twitter links).
  • Tyler Ennis is meeting with the Bucks today after interviewing with the Bulls on Thursday, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times and Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com report (Twitter links).
  • Jarnell Stokes already worked out for the Raptors, according to Wolstat (on Twitter).

12:02pm updates:

  • Dante Exum‘s interview with the Magic went well, he said, adding that the team would like to bring him to Central Florida for a workout, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins, in a full piece, added Marcus Smart to the list of top prospects who’ve interviewed with the Magic.
  • Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge expressed a fondness for Smart today in an interview with ESPN’s Andy Katz on the network’s coverage of the combine, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes (on Twitter).
  • Gary Harris told Katz he met with the Raptors, Nuggets, Grizzlies and Pistons, as Zagoria once more passes along via Twitter.
  • The Raptors will interview Jordan Adams today, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who says the team also spoke with James Young (Twitter links).
  • Zagoria adds the Sixers, Spurs, Clippers, Mavs, Nuggets, Warriors and Bulls to the list of teams that Kyle Anderson either met or is slated to meet (Twitter link).
  • Markel Brown said he’ll talk with the Celtics today, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Draft, Sterling, Pippen

Doug McDermott came in at just over 6’6″ in height and 6’9″ in wingspan at the combine, measurements that a league executive tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News are “potentially disastrous” for the projected top-10 pick. Deveney thinks the forward will slip into the late lottery or worse. The measurements increase the concerns over his ability to defend at the wing we noted in our prospect profile of the Creighton All-American. Here’s a roundup of more of tonight’s notes from around the league:

  • Julius Randle, Noah Vonleh, Jerami Grant, Kyle Anderson, and DeAndre Daniels all turned out average or better measurements in wingspan, per Deveney. Randle’s length was of particular concern prior to the combine, as we noted in our prospect profile of the Kentucky forward.
  • Nik Stauskas unexpectedly sat out combine drills today, telling reporters including Brendan F. Quinn of MLive.com that he had little to gain by demonstrating his established shooting skills. Instead, the shooting guard hopes to prove his stock through physical testing and interviews at the combine.
  • The league likely won’t take action to strip the Clippers from Donald Sterling until after the season, reports Michael McMann of SI.com in a piece outlining the steps the NBA will take to perform the ouster.
  • McCann says that a divorce between the Sterlings, or any other attempts to complicate the legal process, likely won’t hinder the league’s efforts based on straightforward CBA provisions for ownership transition.
  • Donald Sterling’s lawyer sent a letter to the league, threatening to sue the NBA and informing the league of his client’s refusal to pay the $2.5MM fine levied against him by Adam Silver, McCann reports in a separate piece.
  • The fine was already past due, and failure to pay should actually bolster the league’s case, tweets Larry Coon of Basketball Insiders.
  • Scottie Pippen is considering an offer to work for the Knicks, possibly as an assistant coach, according to a report from Marc Berman of The New York Post.

Draft Combine Updates: Thursday

The Chicago draft combine is underway, and teams can meet with up to 18 players. With 30 teams, that means there could be as many as 540 interviews this week. We’ll try to keep track of as many as possible here, and we’ll update this post throughout the day as news filters in. Here’s the latest:

  • Ennis will meet with the Bobcats and at least four other teams in addition to the organizations listed below, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports.
  • Vonleh interviewed with the Wolves, Bucks, Lakers, and Blazers, tweets Robbins, who adds that the big man is scheduled to meet with the Sixers.

Earlier updates:

  • LaVine shot very well, and Seth Davis of SI.com hears that he may have helped his stock more than any other prospect today (Twitter link; H/T Wolstat).
  • In Exum’s extended quotes transcribed by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News regarding the point guard’s willingness to pressure certain teams not to draft him, Exum said he doesn’t see any of his potential destinations as a bad fit, and is willing to play behind an established point guard.
  • LaQuinton Ross will work out for the Cavs on Monday, tweets Jason Lloyd of Akron Beacon Journal.
  • The Raptors plan to meet with K.J. McDaniels, McDermott, Payton, Anderson, McDaniels, and possibly Hood, reports Wolstat (via Twitter).
  • Hood will meet with the Bulls on Friday, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
  • Randle interviewed with the Cavs and will do so with the Bucks, too, as the Plain Dealer and Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel note (Twitter links).
  • Patric Young spoke with the Pelicans and has a sit-down with the Grizzlies scheduled, according to Robbins (Twitter links).
  • Blakely adds Hood and Noah Vonleh to the Celtics interview list, while Randle and T.J. Warren are talking to Boston, too, according to Holmes (All Twitter links).
  • Vonleh says he also has an interview scheduled with the Magic, Robbins notes, adding that Orlando wanted to interview Stauskas, but his meeting schedule is too full (Twitter links). The Magic sat down with Randle on Wednesday, Robbins adds (on Twitter).
  • Aaron Gordon met with the Sixers on Wednesday, Pompey tweets.
  • Exum will also interview with the Kings, according to Howard-Cooper (on Twitter).
  • Julius Randle is meeting with the Sixers today, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
  • Doug McDermott said he met Wednesday with the Bulls, Hawks and Timberwolves, Robbins observes, and McDermott added that he’s looking forward to a meeting with the Cavs, as Robbins and the Plain Dealer observe (Twitter links).
  • Rodney Hood is set to interview with the Wolves tonight, Zgoda tweets. Hood interviewed with the Bobcats on Wednesday, as Bonnell details (Twitter links).
  • Kyle Anderson met with the Celtics and he’ll also see the Wolves tonight, Washburn and Zgoda note (Twitter links).
  • The Pistons met with Glenn Robinson III on Wednesday, as he tells Langlois (Twitter link).
  • Add the Celtics and the Bucks to Exum’s interview agenda, as Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe and Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel report (Twitter links). Exum thinks he’ll sit down with the Cavs, too, the Plain Dealer notes (on Twitter).
  • The Wolves will interview Lavine on Friday after having spoken with James Young on Wednesday, Zgoda tweets.
  • The Bobcats have expressed interest in P.J. Hairston, as he tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
  • Dante Exum‘s wingspan measured out at nearly 6’10”, and he’ll draw consideration for the No. 1 overall pick from some teams, ESPN’s Chad Ford said on the network’s combine coverage today, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes (Twitter link). He denied that he’s angling for the Lakers in the draft, but he wouldn’t rule out pressuring some teams not to take him, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Exum met with the Sixers, Pistons and Suns on Wednesday, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The Celtics, Lakers, Magic and Jazz will also speak with him, report Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel and Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune (All four Twitter links).
  • Marcus Smart has interviewed with the Rockets, Raptors, Lakers, Suns and Nuggetstweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Cavs, Jazz and Bucks are also on his agenda, as the Plain Dealer, Falk and Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times report (All Twitter links). The Timberwolves won’t interview Smart in Chicago, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears the team is hoping to get him to come to Minnesota for a workout (Twitter link).
  • Ontario native Tyler Ennis is excited about the idea of playing for the Raptors and has interviewed with them, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. He’s also met with the Bobcats, Kings, Suns, Thunder and Nuggets, according to Kennedy (on Twitter).
  • Nik Stauskas has met with or will meet with the Kings, Pistons and Raptors, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com and Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (All Twitter links).
  • The Nuggets, Spurs, Warriors and Nets have met with Shabazz Napier, Kennedy tweets.
  • The Hawks, Spurs, Thunder, Raptors, Magic, Cavs and Timberwolves met Elfrid Payton, Kennedy reports (Twitter link).
  • Zach LaVine interviewed with the Celtics, among others, Wednesday, he tells Blakely (Twitter link).
  • Russ Smith sat down with the Suns, Celtics and Blazers, according to Kennedy (via Twitter).