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Ford’s Latest: Len, Oladipo, McLemore, Schroeder

June 11th, 2013 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Chad Ford's latest big board at ESPN.com sees Alex Len leap into the top five after being ranked at ninth in Ford's previous update. According to Ford, of the two injured big men near the top of draft boards, Len is viewed as being more polished offensively and having more upside than Nerlens Noel. Len is in the discussion for the Cavaliers' No. 1 pick, and is also drawing serious interest from the Bobcats, Suns, and Pelicans, says Ford. Here's more from the ESPN.com draft expert:

  • Victor Oladipo has moved into the Cavs' conversation for first overall, along with Noel, Len, and Otto Porter, according to Ford.
  • Porter will work out for the Cavs, Magic, and Wizards in the coming days, and that's it. It seems he's confident he won't slip out of the top three — if he does, there's "no way" he gets past the Pelicans at No. 6, says Ford.
  • Virtually every team near the top of the draft is still considering Ben McLemore, but during a workout with the Suns, he declined to compete against Oladipo and Shabazz Muhammad, which didn't sit well with some evaluators. "He needs to compete," said a GM whose team has a lottery pick. "Or it's only going to reinforce our biggest fears about him. There is no consensus in this draft. He's got to come and earn it."
  • The Kings may prefer Michael Carter-Williams to Trey Burke, if they draft a point guard.
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a "terrific" workout with the Timberwolves, and could be the team's sleeper at No. 9 overall, says Ford.
  • Dennis Schroeder's stock may have been negatively affected by his workouts. "He looked frustrated," said a scout for one team that worked out Schroeder. "His body language wasn't great. He's a very good talent and I wouldn't read too much into the workout, but it didn't really help him."
  • The Knicks are "especially high" on Tony Mitchell, according to Ford.
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Draft Updates: Eurocamp, McCollum, Kings

June 8th, 2013 at 8:59pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy just completed its first day showing off the best players Europe has to offer NBA teams in this month's draft. Sports Illustated's Chris Mannix said that executives were raving about Giannis Antetokounmpo. According to Mannix, one executive said the 18-year-old Nigerian born "Greek Freak" point forward had "Kevin Durant-like ability" (Twitter).

Here are a couple more links detailing what went down during the first day of Adidas' Eurocamp:

Despite some excellent play at Eurocamp, ESPN.com's college basketball analyst, Fran Fraschilla, doesn’t think there are a lot of European prospects that will go in the second round. He does see a lot of NCAA candidates for possible second round selections (Twitter), so lets go through the rest of the draft updates with an emphasis on the college prospects:

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Draft Updates: Saric, Cavs, McLemore, Workouts

June 7th, 2013 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday, ESPN.com's Chad Ford reported that Croatian forward Dario Saric was leaning toward withdrawing from this year's draft, a surprising stance given how much his stock has risen in recent weeks. Today, Michael McNamara of Bourbon Street Blues passes along an email he received from Saric's agent, Robert Jablan, which reads:

"We make decision this morning that we will withdraw Dario from the 2013 draft."

We have yet to hear officially that Saric has pulled his name out of this year's draft class, and it's possible something was lost in translation. But it certainly appears as if Saric is leaning in that direction. He still has 10 days to make a final decision, so while we wait for the official word on the potential lottery pick, let's check out a few more draft-related updates:

  • Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reports that the Cavaliers are "seriously dissecting" the possibility of drafting Ben McLemore first overall, though he cautions that the team is far from decided on what it'll do with the pick (Twitter links). I'd be surprised if Cleveland eventually decided on McLemore — it sounds to me as if the team is just covering all its bases.
  • The latest Insider-only blog from Ford at ESPN.com is full of good info, including updates on Saric, Nerlens Noel, Trey Burke, and a handful of other prospects.
  • Anthony Bennett is unable to work out due to a rotator cuff injury, but he will meet with the Wizards next week, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
  • Lorenzo Brown, Myck Kabongo, Allen Crabbe, Jeff Withey, and Mike Muscala will work out for the Knicks on Monday, according to the team's official PR Twitter feed.
  • The Suns' workout today included C.J. Leslie, Matthew Dellavedova, Ian Hummer, Korie Lucious, Rodney McGruder, and Phil Pressey, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
  • Michael Carter-Williams intends to visit the Magic soon for a meeting and workout, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
  • Larry Drew II, E.J. Singler, Ian Clark, Ed Daniel, Trevor Mbakwe and Glen Rice Jr. worked out for the Trail Blazers today, according to a tweet from Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, who also reports that Cody Zeller is having an individual workout with Portland today.
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Draft Workout Updates: Thursday

June 6th, 2013 at 9:37pm CST by Luke Adams

We're now just three weeks away from the 2013 draft, so teams are busy bringing in prospects to meet with them and work them out, while we do our best to keep tabs on as many of those workouts as we can. Here's the latest:

  • Tom Housenick of The Morning Call reported that C.J. McCollum will visit Portland at some point for a workout before June 20th.
  • Chris Haynes of CSNNW tweets that Trevor Mbakwe will visit the Trail Blazers tomorrow. 
  • The Kings released a list of players who have worked out for them via their team website, noting that guards Will Cherry, Travis Releford, Brandon Triche, forward Chris Evans, and centers Rudy Gobert and Aziz N'Diaye took part in workouts this past Monday. Former Michigan star Trey Burke is scheduled to come in tomorrow. 
  • The Wizards plan to bring in C.J. Aiken, Junior Cadougan, Ella Ellis, Lamont Jones, A.J. Matthews, and Mike Muscala in for Friday workouts, as per the team's official website. 
  • Jody Genessy of the Deseret News tweets that Steven Adams, Jack Cooley, Richard Howell, Kenny Kadji, Dennis Schroeder, and Peyton Siva are all scheduled for a pre-draft workout with the Jazz on Friday. 

Earlier updates:

  • Mason Plumlee, Shabazz Muhammad, Kelly Olynyk, Norvel Pelle, and Scott Wood worked out for the Sixers today, tweets Tyler R. Tynes of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Plumlee will also work out for the Trail Blazers on June 19th and for the Pistons on June 21st, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com and Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
  • Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports that Otto Porter will work out for the Wizards on June 14th.
  • The Timberwolves expect to bring in C.J. McCollum for a workout, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter).
  • Working out for the Suns today, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter): McCollum, Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, Mouhammadou Jaiteh, Shane Larkin, Zeke Marshall, and Korie Lucious.
  • Gorgui Dieng's agent confirms that his client will work out for both the Nets and Knicks, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com details.
  • The Grizzlies announced in a press release that James Southerland, Will Clyburn, B.J. Young, Dewayne Dedmon, Colton Iverson, and Sherwood Brown will work out for the club tomorrow.
  • The Knicks will work out the following prospects tomorrow, per the team's Twitter feed: Ricky Ledo, Tahj Tate, Adonis Thomas, Christian Watford, Tony Mitchell, and Grant Jerrett.
  • Jeff Withey worked out for the Bulls yesterday, according to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com (via Twitter).
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Cavs Would Give Up No. 1 Pick For Kevin Love

May 29th, 2013 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Immediately after the Cavaliers won this year's draft lottery, we heard that the team would be open to fielding trade offers for the first overall pick. But according to Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com, there's one particular the team with whom the Cavs would like to deal: The Timberwolves. Kotoch reports that the No. 1 pick would be available to the T-Wolves if they were willing to part with Kevin Love.

Kotoch's report doesn't come as a huge surprise — Love is a two-time All-Star and was a member of the gold-medal U.S. Olympic team in 2012, so he's a proven commodity, whereas there's no real consensus top pick in this year's draft class. Nerlens Noel, who sits atop many draft boards, is recovering from ACL surgery. As such, it makes sense that the Cavs, who hope to earn a playoff spot next season, would target a veteran who could make an immediate impact.

Love has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate in the past because he and the Timberwolves have had an up-and-down relationship since the team was unwilling to give him the five-year rookie scale extension he was seeking. Still, with former GM David Kahn out of the picture and Flip Saunders now running the show in Minnesota, I'd be shocked if the T-Wolves seriously considered moving Love this summer. Even if he does intent to opt out down the road, Love still has at least two more years remaining on his contract, so there'd be plenty of time for the Wolves to weigh their options.

In addition to the nugget on the Cavs and Love, Kotoch shared a few more draft-related rumors to go along with his latest mock draft. Here are the highlights:

  • Kotoch echoes a report by ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Twitter link) suggesting that Giannis Antetokounmpo has been given a first-round guarantee. According to Kotoch, two teams have made such a promise to the so-called "Greek Freak," and Kotoch believes one of them may be the Hawks, who have two first-round picks.
  • The Jazz are interested in C.J. McCollum, but would be happy to select Michael Carter-Williams or Dennis Schroeder if McCollum is off the board at No. 14, says Kotoch.
  • McCollum also intrigues the Thunder, who pick 12th, though Oklahoma City has been primarily linked to bigs so far.
  • The Knicks "really like" Shane Larkin, according to Kotoch.
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Draft Notes: Burke, Kupsas, Critics

May 23rd, 2013 at 8:08pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press relayed a few interesting quotes from Trey Burke, who on 107.3 WBBL's the "Huge Show" said that he's hearing he could be drafted from anywhere between the second and sixth picks of the first round. The former Michigan star also specifically mentioned the Magic and Pelicans as two teams that need a point guard. Later on in the interview, Burke spoke about his decision to stay with the Wolverines for his sophomore season this past year and how some of his teammates used him as a resource to help determine their immediate futures as well. Here are a few more draft notes worth passing along this evening:

  • HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler thinks that while Ricky Ledo has some baggage that teams will have to sort through, he's a solid scorer who has drawn interest and could be taken between 20-40 in this draft (Twitter links). 
  • Michael Lee of The Washington Post hears that Otto Porter is under consideration to be selected by the Cavaliers with their number one overall pick. 
  • According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Lithuanian center Mindaugas Kupsas will participate at the Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso and may travel to the United States for private workouts around two weeks before the NBA draft. 
  • Hoopsworld's Alex Kennedy writes that despite some of the criticisms which suggest that this year's draft pool isn't very strong, the 2011 NBA Draft was a good example of one that was stronger and deeper than initially expected. Kennedy writes that a handful of prospects -including Nerlens Noel, Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, Victor Oladipo, and Mason Plumlee –  have noted those criticisms and are eager to use it as motivation once they enter the league. 
  • Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog tweeted about forward/center Alex Oriakhi, who one NBA scout opined is "as strong as three men," can rebound the ball well, and has been a high percentage field goal shooter because he never takes a bad shot.
  • Zagoria notes that one veteran NBA scout thinks that former Louisville point guard Peyton Siva will be taken in the second round of the draft (Twitter link). 
  • Lastly, Zagoria (via Twitter) mentions that former Baylor guard Pierre Jackson "impressed a lot of NBA folks" during his workout in New Jersey today. 
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Woelfel On Nets, Dunleavy, Draft, Bucks

May 19th, 2013 at 8:48am CST by Chuck Myron

Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times begins his look around the NBA with a profile on first-round prospect Glen Rice Jr., who could become the most highly drafted player to come out of the D-League. The Journal Times scribe also touches on offseason rumblings from around the league, and we'll round up the highlights here:

  • Woelfel hears the Nets are "honing in on Lionel Hollins" for their coaching vacancy. That would appear to be an exercise in futility, since Hollins says there's mutual interest in his return to the Grizzlies, the team he's guided to the Western Conference Finals. Woelfel also mentions Scott Skiles as a candidate, echoing a report by Sam Amick of USA Today earlier this month.
  • Soon-to-be free agent Mike Dunleavy has piqued the interest of several teams around the league. I examined Dunleavy's free agent stock last month, figuring he could fit in as a role player with a title contender.
  • Woelfel passes along a few draft rumors, noting that Kelly Olynyk and Michael Carter-Williams will work out for the Bucks, while the Magic, Nets and Knicks have shown interest in Phil Pressey. The Nuggets interviewed Otto Porter.
  • Bucks interim coach Jim Boylan is gone, but his assistant coaches remain. Their contracts are up at the end of June, along with a couple members of the team's front office staff, but it remains to be seen whether any of them will return.
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Eastern Notes: Noah, Bulls, Pierce

May 16th, 2013 at 10:13pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times heard from Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau that Joakim Noah might require surgery on his right foot this summer but will opt for rehab as his first option. Cowley also mentions that Chicago will likely have to find a way to re-tool their bench with several one-year deals again, as Thibodeau said that the market will dictate whether or not they'll be able to carry over several of their key role players – namely Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli, and Nazr Mohammed - into next season. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight: 

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Draft Combine Updates: Thursday Evening

May 16th, 2013 at 9:03pm CST by Luke Adams
9:03pm: We'll post any remaining evening updates from Chicago here:
  • Hoopsworld's Alex Kennedy tweets that international prospect Mouhammadou Jaiteh will forego Eurocamp and will work out for NBA teams instead, possibly as early as a group workout with Minnesota. 
  • The Oregonian's Jason Quick reports that the Trail Blazers met with James Southerland yesterday.

2:47pm: More afternoon combine updates from Chicago:

  • Ben McLemore has already interviewed with the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, and Pelicans, according to SI.com's Chris Mannix (via Twitter). McLemore expects to meet with the Bobcats, Magic, and Pistons tonight, according to various reports (all Twitter links).
  • Victor Oladipo will also meet with the Pistons tonight, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
  • Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter) adds Otto Porter to the list of prospects interviewed by the Timberwolves, but says the T-Wolves won't get a chance to meet with Oladipo, who was on the team's wish list.
  • Jamaal Franklin tells Jason Quick of the Oregonian that when he met with the Trail Blazers yesterday, the whole meeting consisted of a psychological test (Twitter link).
  • Andre Roberson met with the Magic yesterday, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).
  • Shams Charania of RealGM.com has a list of the 12 prospects the Bulls plan to work out on Monday (Twitter link).
  • Jeff Withey is "extremely excited" to be meeting with the Sixers, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

1:35pm: We covered the Thursday morning updates from Chicago's predraft camp earlier today, but with so many tidbits surfacing throughout the day, we're starting an afternoon post to round up the latest notes:

  • ESPN.com's Chad Ford hears that two international prospects have received first-round guarantees: Dennis Schroeder and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Twitter link).
  • Michael Carter-Williams has met with several teams, including the Trail Blazers, Bobcats, Pistons, Timberwolves, and Thunder, according to various reports (all links go to Twitter). Carter-Williams is hearing he could be drafted anywhere between third and 15th overall, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
  • We heard this morning that the Celtics had spoken to Cody Zeller and Glen Rice Jr. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe adds a few more names to the list of Boston interviewees (via Twitter): Mason Plumlee, Rudy Gobert, and Victor Oladipo.
  • C.J. McCollum won't meet with the Trail Blazers this week, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian (Twitter link). However, he will meet with the Pistons tomorrow, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (via Twitter), and has already interviewed with the Magic, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). SI.com's Chris Mannix (Twitter link) adds the Thunder, Nuggets, and Cavaliers to the list of teams who have spoekn to McCollum, who has 15 total interviews scheduled.
  • Robbins notes in a separate tweet that the Magic also met with Myck Kabongo.
  • Isaiah Canaan will meet with the Wizards on Friday, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
  • Canaan, Andre Roberson, and Grant Jerrett all met with the Pistons last night, tweets Langlois.
  • Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (via Twitter) that the Bucks met with Shane Larkin yesterday and will work him out later this month.
  • Erik Murphy has interviews lined up with the Grizzlies, Clippers, and possibly the Pacers, tweets Robbins.
  • Seth Curry will meet today with the Lakers, Rockets, and Knicks, tweets Bonnell.
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Prospect Profile: Michael Carter-Williams

April 10th, 2013 at 9:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

Michael Carter-Williams surely would have wished for a better final impression on the college hardwood. The 6'5" point guard spent the last minute of Syracuse's Final Four loss to Michigan on the bench, having fouled out after a two-point, 1-for-6 shooting performance that included two assists and five turnovers. Yet even as Carter-Williams was struggling mightily on offense last weekend, he was part of a suffocating zone defense that held Trey Burke, another point guard widely projected to go in the lottery, to seven points on 1-for-8 shooting. A longtime NBA scout tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that he thinks Carter-Williams' overall performance in the tournament, highlighted by a season-high 24 points against top-seeded Indiana, has lifted his stock. 

Carter-Williams currently checks in at No. 9 on Chad Ford's ESPN.com big board and No. 12 on Jonathan Givony's rankings at DraftExpress.com. It's quite a rise from a year ago, when he averaged just 10.3 minutes per game as a freshman buried behind Dion Waiters and Scoop Jardine. Carter-Williams might not be the best pro prospect among point guards in the draft, as some argued during a hot streak earlier this season, but his superior size allows him to disrupt offenses, having averaged 2.8 steals per game this year. He can play shooting guard, but his passing and ball-handling skills scream "point guard."

The stumbling block that could particularly affect him as a point man is his propensity for turnovers. He gave the ball away 3.4 times per game in 2012/13, negating his takeaways on defense. His shot is an issue as well, as he posted a shooting line of .393/.292/.694 this season. Both problems are correctable over time, however, so neither seems like a deal-breaker. The greater question may surround how well his defensive ability translates to man-to-man schemes from Syracuse's full-time zone, and scouts and executives will probably be looking for answers to that during pre-draft workouts.

That's when Carter-Williams expects to make his case to be the No. 1 overall pick. He believes Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore would go first if the draft were today, but Carter-Williams thinks he can overtake him, as he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

"If I go in the pre-draft camp and kill it and do the things I know I can do, I don't see why not," he said.

As with just about every prospect, the order in which teams will be drafting could go a long way in determining when Carter-Williams is selected. Assuming his stock doesn't jump as he's predicting, there might not be much call for a point guard where he's projected to be drafted. The five teams currently in line to pick eighth through 12th all have youthful incumbent point guards. Of the clubs likely to wind up with mid- to late-lottery picks, the Hornets, Kings and Mavs seem likeliest to go after a point guard, though trades could shake that up. The best bet for Carter-Williams is probably a team that can afford to be patient, since he could struggle to adjust defensively and have trouble on offenses as well, given the importance of floor spacing and long-range shooting in today's NBA.

Still, it seems he has the gifts and passing ability necessary to allow him to become better at the pro game than he was at the college game, a feat Carter-Williams told Spears he believes he can accomplish. Given the timing of those comments, made four days after this weekend's nightmare against Michigan, it doesn't sound like that performance has caused him to lose confidence, and that, too, will be an asset at the next level.

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