Marcus Smart Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Rumors: Gordon, Parker, Wiggins

March 17th, 2014 at 1:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford of ESPN.com has used his insider-only “Tank Rank” column to pass along rumors connected the plans that teams have for this season, but this week’s edition is all about how clubs view the top prospects for the draft. We’ll pass along the highlights from Ford here:

The Celtics and Jazz are high on Arizona power forward Aaron Gordon, according to Ford.
Ford consistently hears that the Pistons would draft Jabari Parker No. 1 overall if they scored the No. 1 overall pick. That seems to assume that Joe Dumars would still be in charge of the team’s basketball operations, which isn’t a given.
The Pelicans believe Parker would be the “perfect fit” for them, Ford writes.
The Cavs envision using Andrew Wiggins, a small forward, as a shooting guard next to Kyrie Irving if they’re able to land the Kansas star, Ford suggests.
If the Magic wind up with the No. 1 overall pick, they’d probably use it on Wiggins, Ford writes, identifying Dante Exum and Marcus Smart as others the team will likely target.
The Lakers appear to have Joel Embiid, Wiggins, and Exum as their top three prospects, according to Ford, who pegs Parker fourth and Julius Randle fifth on L.A.’s board.

Draft Notes: Wiggins, Embiid, Lakers

March 14th, 2014 at 6:12pm CST by Alex Lee

An NBA executive told Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter) that how college players perform in the NCAA tournament plays a large role in how NBA scouts view them leading up to the draft. As more teams secure their spots in March Madness this weekend, let’s take a look at the rumors surrounding this year’s draft class:

The same exec told Amico that junior LaQuinton Ross and senior Aaron Craft of Ohio State are both on his draft board in the early second round (Twitter link).
As Jonathan Givony of Draft Express tweets, Andrew Wiggins has surpassed his Kansas teammate Joel Embiid atop his latest mock draft. As we learned last night, Embiid’s back issues will undoubtedly put the microscope on the talented center when it comes time for medical testing at the draft combine.
Scouts agree with Givony’s projection according to Adam Zagoria, as the SNY insider cites ESPN’s Chad Ford and NBA scouts in a tweet indicating that Wiggins has risen back to the top of many draft boards in light of his 71 combined points in the Jayhawks’ last two games.
One executive that likely saw Wiggins hang 30 on Oklahoma State yesterday was Lakers’ GM Mitch Kupchak, who is in Kansas City this week for the Big 12 tournament according to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Along with Wiggins and Embiid, Ding mentions the Cowboys’ Marcus Smart as a potential target, also adding that scouting director Jesse Buss (youngest son of Jerry) and assistant scouting director Ryan West (son of Jerry) aid Kupchak in the team’s draft process.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Wiggins, Embiid, Cuban

March 8th, 2014 at 11:27am CST by Cray Allred

One NBA GM tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that uncertainty about entering the draft recently expressed by Jabari Parker, along with similar sentiments from Joel Embiid earlier this year, are par for the course. He says the high profile players will all say they are considering staying in college until after the NCAA season, when they will all declare for the draft (Twitter links). Here are more rumors surrounding the draft:

Mark Heisler of The Orange County Register says that not one NBA source he’s talked to likes Andrew Wiggins as a sure-fire blue chip player. Heisler says NBA personnel people are now only in agreement on Embiid as a top-level prospect.
Still, an anonymous Eastern Conference scout tells Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that the 2014 draft class is much better than last year’s, and should be important for the league. The scout also gives his take on Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Dante Exum, Julius Randle, Marcus Smart, and Noah Vonleh.
Adi Joseph of USA Today looks at the draft stocks of Andrew Harrison, Rodney Hood, and Bryce Cotton.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban told reporters, including Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that he wishes there were additional rounds in the NBA draft. “I’d like to see four rounds so you can draft guys overseas, get more guys drafted that are your property so you can try to develop them,” Cuban said. “You’ve got to realize that toward the bottom of the second round there are teams that pick for financial reasons, and that takes advantage of guys that might have otherwise been picked.”

Draft Notes: Saric, Stauskas, Lakers

March 7th, 2014 at 5:57pm CST by Cray Allred

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and vice president of player personnel Jim Buss are expected to scout the Big 12 tournament next week, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). Prospects in the Big 12 for the 2014 draft include Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, Marcus Smart, Isaiah Austin, Cory Jefferson, LeBryan Nash, and Markel Brown. Embiid, Wiggins, and Smart are projected in the lottery, where L.A. will likely be picking. The Lakers owe their second round pick to the Bucks, although they could certainly acquire one on or before draft night. Here are more rumors surrounding the draft:

Turkish team Anadolu Efes is set to offer NBA draft prospect Dario Saric a five-year deal worth 6 million euros, or about $8.32MM, a source tells Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia, who notes that there are rumors the offer would cover only three years. Saric, a potential lottery pick, is undecided about whether to enter the draft this year, but he’s seriously considering the offer from Turkey, Carchia hears. The deal would include an NBA escape clause for 2016, when Saric will be automatically eligible for the NBA draft.
Saric is expected to hire a new agent at the end of the season, and his choice figures to significantly impact his call on his decision to declare for the draft, Carchia tweets.
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com has Saric at No. 10 on his latest draft board, which features Jabari Parker on top.
An NBA scout tells David Mayo of MLive.com that Michigan shooting guard Nik Stauskas would likely go in the late teens or early-20s if he entered the draft this year.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Age Limit, Smart, Smith, Baron

March 1st, 2014 at 3:28pm CST by Charlie Adams

We’ve heard that new commissioner Adam Silver would be interested in raising the age limit for players to 20, thereby putting a stop to “one-and-done” guys who enter the draft after just one year of college. Kevin McHale would support such a change, but he actually suggests increasing the minimum age to 21 would be even better, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. McHale thinks it would benefit both the schools and the kids:

“I’d like to see us do the three years out of high school or 21 (years old), like football. I just think it would help the colleges. I think it would help the kids. And I know they don’t think so, because they want to say, ‘Hey, I’ve got to get in the market. I’ve got to make all my money and all that stuff.’ But you don’t make money if you have a three-year career, if you come in at 18, 19, and you’re not ready.”

Here’s more on the proposed idea and the NBA draft in general:

It isn’t just McHale interested in implementing a 21-year-old age limit. Outspoken Dallas owner Mark Cuban echoes McHale’s sentiments, tweets Dwain Price of the Star Telegram.
Adi Joseph of USA Today examines the draft stocks of Marcus Smart and Russ Smith. Joseph thinks that Smart is a lock to be a top 10 selection, but sees Smith as a high second-rounder who still needs to improve his passing.
Billy Baron has been putting up huge numbers at Canisius, but some have wondered if he will be able to be productive at the next level. An NBA scout told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that Baron could be a second-round selection if he impresses at the NBA camps (Twitter link). His athleticism and defense are his two biggest weaknesses, the scout says.
Over at ZagsBlog, another NBA scout tells Zagoria that this year’s college freshman have been overhyped. The scout thinks that Julius Randle would do well to stay another year at Kentucky but acknowledges he will almost certainly opt to enter the draft.
In the same piece, Zagoria reveals that the scout’s top three players unsurprisingly consist of Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Joel Embiid, in no particular order.

Odds & Ends: Griffin, Green, Draft, Heat

February 12th, 2014 at 4:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nuggets and Grizzlies once offered their GM jobs to Cavs interim GM David Griffin, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, so Cleveland doesn’t exactly have an obscure talent at the helm as the trade deadline nears. Wojnarowski’s piece details some of the missteps of Griffin’s predecessor, Chris Grant, and points to the strong desire that Kyrie Irving held in 2012 for the team to draft Harrison Barnes rather than Dion Waiters. We passed along more from Wojnarowski in a pair of posts last night, and we’ll round up the latest from the NBA here:

Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report hears the Celtics are unlikely to move Jeff Green and have their eyes on building around Green, Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger (Twitter link).
Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com thinks Marcus Smart‘s fan-shoving incident has hurt his stock, but the main reason Goodman has Smart at No. 14 in his Insider-only mock draft is because his outside shot hasn’t improved. Goodman also details Bucks GM John Hammond‘s fondness for Joel Embiid and notes Thunder GM Sam Presti‘s affinity for Syracuse forward C.J. Fair.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel wonders if the Heat‘s decision to start Toney Douglas Tuesday night was a chance for the team to see what it has in him before the trade deadline. A Tuesday morning report suggested the Heat are prepared to waive Douglas if a more attractive option comes along.
The Nuggets aren’t likely to be particularly active at the deadline, writes Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post, but even if they are, coach Brian Shaw says he won’t have much input on the team’s personnel decisions until after the season.
Three-year NBA veteran Will Conroy, who played briefly for the Timberwolves last season, has signed with Rasta Vechta of Germany, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Conroy recently parted ways with another German team.

Odds & Ends: Griffin, Smart, Moultrie

February 9th, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Cavs interim GM David Griffin is looking to establish a positive culture in Cleveland, something his predecessor, Chris Grant, was unable to do despite his best efforts, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Word is that Griffin gave the club a stern message to his underachieving team and when asked about that pep talk during his introductory presser, the exec said, “I wouldn’t want to share what I told them.” More from around the Association..

When asked if the Cavs will be buyers or sellers at the deadline, Griffin said, “I don’t see how you get better and win more games selling…We are dedicated to getting better,” according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter).
Will Marcus Smart‘s draft stock take a hit after his incident with a fan last night? Opinions were split amongst execs that Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports spoke with.
Meanwhile, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (on Twitter) got no indication from executives that Smart’s stock will take a hit and heard mostly positive things about the Oklahoma State star’s character.
The 76ers announced that they recalled forward Arnett Moultrie from the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League. The move was made in advance of tonight’s contest against the Clippers, meaning that Moultrie was able to suit up in L.A. The forward was assigned to the Sevens on February 4 and appeared in three D-League games.
D-League guard Tiny Gallon turned down an opportunity in China to continue his pursuit of an NBA contract, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. The 76ers have maintained dialogue with the 23-year-old throughout the season.

Odds & Ends: Trade Deadline, Roberson, Smart

February 9th, 2014 at 12:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders.com looks at three teams that will definitely be buyers at this years trade deadline. The Suns could look to add a big man, such as Josh Smith, Greg Monroe, Omer Asik, or Carlos Boozer. Acquiring a quality big could push the Suns into the second round of the playoffs, according to Ingram. The Knicks will try to add another star quality player to add alongside Carmelo Anthony, and aren’t likely to deal Anthony despite all the speculation. Ingram believes a point guard, such as Rajon Rondo or Kyle Lowry will be their primary target. He also thinks they will attempt to deal Amar’e Stoudemire to the Celtics. Lastly, he writes that the Bobcats will be looking to upgrade their wing position, and could deal Ben Gordon or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to facilitate a deal.

Odds & Ends: Stern, Nuggets, Marshall

January 31st, 2014 at 4:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Agent David Falk believes outgoing commissioner David Stern has set the league up for long-lasting labor peace, as he tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

“I think the TV revenues are going to grow dramatically in the next agreement,” Falk said. “And it’s so damaging to the business of the NBA to shut it down. Personally, I think it was irresponsible for Billy [Hunter] to have allowed it to be shut down twice. The players lost $1.25 billion that they’ll never make up and they got nothing for it. And why would the owners shut it down? To get 5 percent more? The potential for where the league should be at the end of the current agreement is so high — if it’s done properly — that to be greedy to try to steal a few percent is foolish.”

Falk also told Berger that Stern said he envisioned drastic changes to the schedule and starting up a separate, NBA-caliber league in Europe or Asia when he took over as commissioner 30 years ago. None of that happened, of course, but Stern did get around to plenty during his tenure, which ends today. Here’s more from the league he helped mold:

The Nuggets aren’t sure Nate Robinson will play again this season because of an ACL injury, notes Terry Frei of the Denver Post, who believes the team should turn to Andre Miller in his absense. The Nuggets are considering that, but it’s still unlikely that Miller will suit up for Denver again, writes fellow Post scribe Chris Dempsey.
Kendall Marshall uses slights that date back to his recruitment to the University of North Carolina as motivation, and he finds it odd that so many were quick to label his NBA career a bust, as the Lakers point guard tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “I’m 22 years old. I’m still evolving as a player,” Marshall said. “Look at a guy like Ty Lawson – he’s 26 and he’s still getting better. So much of this is about opportunity.”
Scouts tell Chad Ford of ESPN.com that they continue to rank Marcus Smart as a better point guard prospect than Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis, but Ennis is nonetheless a fast riser, as Ford and Kevin Pelton examine in an Insider-only piece.

Draft Rumors: Harrison Twins, Wiggins, Parker

January 30th, 2014 at 6:47pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In studying NBA history, one would be hard-pressed to find a championship team that didn’t draft and develop at least one star player who eventually led them to the Larry O’Brien trophy. As far as recent history is concerned, the 2003/04 Pistons appear to be an exception and Kobe Bryant technically wasn’t selected by the Lakers (he was traded for on draft night), but for the most part, fostering homegrown talent has been an undeniable component of the title equation.

Although not every team finds their future franchise cornerstone in every draft, the possibility of finding a young prospect who shows promise or presents a skill set that fills a need is enough to make the event an important one for the development of every NBA franchise. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News passes along the latest of what he’s heard regarding the 2014 Draft, and you can find it below:

Kentucky coach John Calipari has been telling people from around the NBA that his twin recruits, Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison, won’t be entering the 2014 NBA Draft. Deveney adds that many of the mock drafts worth reading have already moved the two to their 2015 projection.
With that being said, a source with knowledge of the situation doesn’t think the Harrison twins should be counted out of this year’s draft just yet. Both are still reportedly giving strong consideration to entering their names for 2014, and while Calipari will be influential, their family – who played a big part in their commitment to Kentucky last year – will help make the final decision.
Although there are restrictions against college players accepting anything from agents, there is no rule prohibiting them from forming relationships, even during the college season. According to Deveney, it’s no secret that potential number one pick Andrew Wiggins has been tied with Rich Paul of LRMR Marketing, the same agency that represents LeBron James. Most fellow agents expect the Kansas star to sign with Paul once he declares for the draft.
Paul is also believed to be a candidate to represent Duke’s Jabari Parker, although Deveney writes that former Bulls guard B.J. Armstrong – an associate of reputable longtime NBA agent Arm Tellem – is also in the mix, especially since Parker is a Chicago native.
Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State – currently projected to be a top five pick – has been linked to Aaron Mintz of the CAA, who represents Pacers star Paul George among others.