Myles Turner Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Tomic, Towns, Lakers

June 17th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic has inked a three year extension with FC Barcelona, Liga Endesa has announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Tomic’s deal runs through June of 2018, and it’s unclear if the arrangement contains an NBA out clause. According to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link), Tomic used the threat of leaving Barcelona for the NBA as leverage to secure a more lucrative contract overseas.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Potential No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns has a meeting scheduled with the Timberwolves this Friday, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear if this meeting will just be an interview, or if Towns intends to work out for the team as well, Charania adds.
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers noted that if the team was to purchase a pick in this year’s NBA Draft, it would likely be a second-rounder so that the team could avoid having to sign the player to a guaranteed contract, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
Manhattan forward Emmy Andujar has a workout scheduled with the Rockets, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (on Twitter).
The Lakers will attempt to bring back Emmanuel Mudiay, D’Angelo Russell, and Jahlil Okafor for second looks prior to next week’s NBA Draft, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register tweets.
Texas big man Myles Turner has an individual workout scheduled with the Suns today, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops relays (via Twitter). In Hoops Rumors’ latest mock draft, Phoenix is tabbed to select Turner with the No. 13 overall pick.
Now that the franchise has secured the NBA Championship, the Warriors have numerous roster decisions that need to be made, Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders writes. The odds of the current roster remaining intact are slim because of the team’s challenging salary cap situation, Taylor notes. This sentiment is shared by pending restricted free agent Draymond Green, who said back in March, “This is a special group, a special bond, so let’s make the best of it, because this team will probably never be together again. That’s just the nature of this business. One addition, one subtraction, and the team isn’t together no more. So take advantage of it while you’ve got it because I’m sure this team will never be together again.”

Nuggets Notes: Malone, Oubre, Turner

June 16th, 2015 at 2:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

New Nuggets coach Michael Malone bristled at the suggestion that he’s not suited to directing the sort of up-tempo attack that the Nuggets traditionally employ, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays in his full story and via Twitter. Malone cited the efficiency of his controlled Kings team but insisted that he can show another side in Denver.

“I know what they want,” Malone said, referring to Nuggets management. “They made it clear from Day 1 that they want to play fast.”

The Nuggets were believed to be seeking a coach who could come in and help GM Tim Connelly and his staff with draft prep, Dempsey wrote last week, but Malone made it clear that he’ll have little to do with the draft. “My conversation regarding that is: Good luck Tim,” Malone quipped, as Dempsey notes via Twitter. There’s more on Malone amid the latest from the Mile High City:

Malone’s deal with the Nuggets is a four-year arrangement, including a team option on the final season, Dempsey reports (Twitter link).
The new coach doesn’t expect the roster to be the same when next season begins, Dempsey notes in his full story, and that should indeed be his hope, as fellow Post scribe Benjamin Hochman opines, believing that no coach would be able to turn the current Nuggets into contenders.
Kansas small forward Kelly Oubre and Texas center Myles Turner were the headliners at today’s Nuggets workout, as the team detailed on Nuggets.com. Joining them are point guards T.J. McConnell of Arizona and Keifer Sykes of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Georgetown power forward Greg Whittington and Delaware State big man Kendall Gray, according to the team.
The Nuggets previously worked out Arizona small forward Stanley Johnson, as MLive’s David Mayo relays via Twitter.

Southeast Notes: Griffin, Heat, Hornets

June 15th, 2015 at 6:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic and Bulls assistant coach Adrian Griffin have agreed to a deal that will make Griffin the lead assistant on Orlando’s bench, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune first reported that the Magic were considering Griffin.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Myles Turner of Texas worked out for the Heat, owner of the 10th overall pick, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.
The Hornets worked out Shane Heyward of Columbus State, instead of Jonathan Holmes of Texas, as had been reported, in their six-man workout today, the team detailed via press release.
Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post adds Bobby Portis to the list of players working out for the Hawks (Twitter link). Portis will do so on Friday, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).
Sam Dekker worked out for the Hawks today, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Quinnipiac forward Ousmane Drame replaced LSU’s Jarell Martin in a workout for the Wizards today, as reflected in a team announcement that showed Drame’s name, and not Martin’s among today’s workout participants for Washington. Martin’s name appeared on the list the team posted on Friday, as we noted. That lends credence to a report this weekend from Kennedy that Martin is shutting down all of his workouts after receiving a promise from a team picking in the middle of the first round that they’ll draft him.

Will Joseph contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Pacers, Turner, Lyles, Dekker

June 14th, 2015 at 2:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers will give serious consideration to Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky if he is still available at No. 11, writes Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. President of basketball operations Larry Bird likes the way Kaminsky progressed in college, from barely playing as a freshman to averaging 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds as a senior and leading the Badgers to the national title game. “I’m pretty proud of him for the work he has put in,” Bird said. “It looks like the type of kid who is going to keep working and get better.’’

There’s more draft-related news from the Central Division:

Myles Turner of Texas made an effort to appear vocal and teachable during his workout with the Pacers today, tweets Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. She also notes that Turner has had a busy weekend, working out at a Friday showcase in Las Vegas, followed by a Saturday session in Salt Lake City and then today’s audition for the Pacers. He will be leaving for Denver tonight (Twitter link). Buckner also observed at today’s workouts that Kaminsky had trouble finishing at the rim (Twitter link). The Pacers also worked out Arizona’s T.J. McConnell, Villanova’s Darrun Hilliard, Penn State’s D.J. Newbill and California-Davis’ Corey Hawkins today, tweets Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.
Kentucky’s Trey Lyles told Mark Montieth of NBA.com that he isn’t frightened by the possibility of playing in his hometown of Indianapolis. “Being somewhere where you watched a lot of games when you were a kid and actually being able to go out there and work out for the team, it’s a special situation for myself,” said Lyles, who worked out for the Pacers Thursday.
Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker knows the Pistons need a small forward and he would like to fill that role, according to Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. “I see they got [Ersan] Ilyasova, a former Buck, so I saw him play a lot,” said Dekker, who worked out for Detroit Saturday. “It’s exciting to see that maybe they are looking at a guy at [small forward] and that’s somewhere I’m comfortable and maybe I showed them stuff today and showed them stuff in the past that they would be confident with a pick like that.” The Pistons hold the No. 8 pick in the draft.

Draft Notes: Hornets, Looney, Jazz, Turner

June 13th, 2015 at 8:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hornets will work out Kevon Looney, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). The team owns the No. 9 selection in the upcoming draft. Looney’s agents believe his range is anywhere from No. 7 to No. 20, as the UCLA product tells Zach Links of Hoops Rumors. Looney is represented by both Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management and Todd Ramasar of Stealth Sports, as our agency database indicates.

Here’s more news on player workouts:

The Hornets are also scheduled to work out Jonathan Holmes, Jay Hook, Cady Lalanne, Josh Richardson and LeBryan Nash, as Bonnell reports in the same set of tweets.
Myles Turner has worked out for the Jazz, Aaron Falk of Salt Lake Tribune reports (Twitter link). Falk notes that this was Turner’s first workout with any team. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the Texas product as the ninth best prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the 13th. Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors has Kelly Oubre Jr. going to the Jazz with the No. 12 selection, but he mentions Turner as a possible alternative.
The Jazz will conduct workouts for Will Cummings, Rakeem Christmas, Kelly Oubre Jr., Keifer Sykes, Chris Walker and K.T. Harrell, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
Utah will also work out George de Paula, Royce O’Neale, Ousmane Drame, Levi Randolph, Derrick Marks and Jarvis Williams, according to the team’s Twitter feed.

Central Notes: Kaminsky, Pistons, Pacers

June 13th, 2015 at 1:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

According to a source close to Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky, the big man has a list of three teams that he believes would be a good fit for him, and the Pacers are one of those squads, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star relays. “They kind of alluded to the fact that they want to get up and down more, get out and run a little bit more but at the same time under control,” Kaminsky said after his meeting with the Pacers at the draft combine. “That’s kind of how it was for me my last year in Wisconsin, so I think it’ll be a good fit.” It’s Indiana’s desire to switch to a more up-tempo offense that has the team reportedly hoping that incumbent big man Roy Hibbert will opt out of his $15.514MM player option for the 2015/16 campaign.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pacers have workouts scheduled on Sunday for Corey Hawkins (UC Davis), Darrun Hilliard (Villanova), Kaminsky, T.J. McConnell (Arizona), D.J. Newbill (Penn State), and Myles Turner (Texas), the team announced.
With four trades completed since October, the Pistons‘ front office combination of president/coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Jeff Bower is proving itself to be quite active and willing to gamble, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press.
The acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova by the Pistons is intended to help center Andre Drummond unlock his enormous potential, Ellis writes in a separate piece. Ilyasova is a stretch four, and his outside shooting should provide space for Drummond’s rolls to the rim for alley-oop dunks off passes from point guard Reggie Jackson, who will be another beneficiary of Ilyasova’s career 37% three-point shooting drawing the attention of defenses, Eillis adds.

Western Notes: Calathes, Jazz, McCullough

June 12th, 2015 at 10:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Grizzlies guard Nick Calathes has insisted that he prefers to remain in the NBA, but rumors continue to signal that his camp is soliciting his services overseas, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com hears that he’s seeking a $3.5MM annual salary from international clubs (Twitter link). Calathes can become a restricted free agent this summer if Memphis tenders him a qualifying offer worth $1,147,276.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Jazz have two sets of workouts scheduled for tomorrow, the team announced (Twitter links). The first group consists of Jonathan Holmes (Texas), Gabriel Olaseni (Iowa), Charles Jackson (Tennessee Tech), Kenneth Smith (Louisiana Tech), J.J. O’Brien (San Diego State), and Marcus Thornton (William and Mary).
The second group working out for the Jazz on Saturday will be comprised of Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Trey Lyles (Kentucky), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Mouhammadou Jaiteh (France), Cady Lalanne (UMass), and Myles Turner (Texas).
The Mavericks brought in Syracuse forward Chris McCullough for an interview on Thursday, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
The Thunder will bring in Tennessee swingman Josh Richardson on Saturday as part of a group workout, Scotto relays (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Kirk, Boylen, Porzingis

June 11th, 2015 at 9:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons got an early jump on their offseason today, acquiring Ersan Ilyasova from the Bucks in exchange for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams. Milwaukee GM John Hammond had nothing but praise for the departed big man, Charles F. Gardner and Matt Velazquez of The Journal Sentinel write. “Ersan always represented this organization and this community in a first-class manner,” Hammond said. “He gave 100% night in and night out. We wish Ersan nothing but the best as he continues his career in Detroit.” Here’s more out of the East:

The Bulls are pursuing San Antonio assistant Jim Boylen to become the top assistant on coach Fred Hoiberg‘s staff, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Chicago has received permission from the Spurs to speak to Boylen, league sources told Wojnarowski. Chicago has expressed a willingness to discuss the title of associate head coach with Boylen, the Yahoo! scribe adds.
The Nets held pre-draft workouts today for Dakari Johnson (Kentucky), George Lucas (Brazil), Lucas Dias Silva (Brazil), Josh Gasser (Wisconsin), and Luis Montero (Westchester CC), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
Center Alex Kirk worked out for the Knicks today with the hope he can earn an invite to training camp, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv writes. “I’m not going to come in and try to score 30 points and try to do some of these amazing things that these other guys are going to try to do,” Kirk told Basketball Insiders (video link). “I just want to come in and be Alex Kirk and try to play as hard as I possibly can and hopefully that turns into some training camp offers and just see where that goes from there.” Kirk was waived by New York shortly after being acquired from the Cavaliers this past season.
The Knicks will be one of a number of teams attending a workout for Kristaps Porzingis in Las Vegas this Friday, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays (Twitter links). This is likely to be Prozingis’ only pre-draft showcase, Begley notes. Also participating in the workout will be Myles Turner (Texas) and Jarell Martin (LSU), the ESPN scribe relays.
Kansas swingman Kelly Oubre plans to work out for the Heat in the near future, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays. You can see our full prospect profile for Oubre here.

Central Notes: Hoiberg, Calipari, Pistons

June 4th, 2015 at 11:15am CST by Eddie Scarito

During his introductory press conference, new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg gushed about the talent on Chicago’s roster, Sam Smith of NBA.com relays. “I love this roster,” said Hoiberg. “I absolutely love this roster. I love the versatility of the players. The different lineups that we’re going to be able to play; can play small, can play big, You’ve got lineups that I really think can get out and play with pace. You’ve got a great group of veteran players that know how to play. I think Tom Thibodeau is an excellent, excellent basketball coach and I think he instilled a lot of unbelievable qualities in this team that hopefully I can build on.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Kentucky’s John Calipari was one of the names linked to the Cavs‘ coaching search prior to David Blatt being hired. But despite Cleveland making it to the NBA Finals this season, Calipari says he doesn’t regret his decision to remain with the Wildcats, Chris Fedor of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. “No. No, nope. Because what happened, and the reason I did what I did, was based on having guys come back who wanted to be coached. I didn’t feel comfortable not being at Kentucky,” Calipari responded when asked if he had any second thoughts about passing on the chance to coach LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
Calipari also said that despite all the offers he has had to return to the NBA as a head coach, the only job opening that made him seriously consider leaving Kentucky was the Cavaliers‘ post last summer, Fedor adds.
Despite the presence of center Andre Drummond, the Pistons won’t hesitate to grab Willie Cauley-Stein or Myles Turner in the draft if the front-office believes either big man is the best player available at the No. 8 spot, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. “They like to play two bigs,” Cauley-Stein said of the Pistons, who often played Greg Monroe and Drummond together. “That’s a big lineup. Both super-athletic, both do similar stuff, so it’s kind of like how me and Karl-Anthony Towns played this year. I get the same kind of sense out of it.“

Draft Notes: Kaminsky, Turner, Johnson

May 22nd, 2015 at 7:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Texas big man Myles Turner didn’t perform as anticipated during his lone NCAA season, but a number of league personnel believe he will blossom when he steps onto the NBA hardwood, Brendan Savage of MLive.com writes. “He didn’t have a great year, but the team was disorganized,” one NBA GM told Savage. “He’s a guy that I fully expect to be a better pro than college player. I think he’ll be late lottery and if I’m wrong, middle of the first, because his workouts will be good. And he’s another guy who can shoot the ball. They were jerking him in and out of the lineup and I didn’t understand it; it’s not like they were Duke and playing for the national championship.”

Here’s more regarding the upcoming NBA Draft:

BDA Sports Management’s pro day on Thursday saw over 150 NBA personnel in attendance, and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) runs down five players who improved their draft stock as a result of their showing at the event. According to the ESPN scribe, Frank Kaminsky, Kelly Oubre, Stanley Johnson, Robert Upshaw, and Andrew Harrison all had stellar performances.
Kaminsky entertained the idea of entering last season’s draft, Ford relays, but the big man admits that he wasn’t quite ready for the NBA at that point. “I knew I needed to get better. I wanted to go back to school, finish my degree and do more research by watching NBA basketball so I could see what I needed to get better at,” Kaminsky said. “It was like a free year to study for your final exam.“
A scout who was at the pro day told Darren Wolfson of 1500 (via Twitter) that Kaminsky and Oubre were clearly the two best players on the court, but Johnson was merely “decent.”