Nerlens Noel Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Nets, Lakers, Shumpert, Noel, West

February 13th, 2013 at 12:41am CST by Chuck Myron

Trade talk has come in fits and starts over the past few days, but the action should start to pick up soon. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is among many who expect discussion to intensify this weekend, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. As the clock ticks closer to the deadline, which is a week from Thursday, here are a few late-night nuggets:

While we've heard the Nets will go after Paul Millsap if they don't land Josh Smith, Nets Daily reports that Brooklyn has more interest in Millsap anyway, adding that MarShon Brooks and Mirza Teletovic are drawing consideration from other teams (Twitter links).
The Lakers have an open roster spot, but coach Mike D'Antoni isn't anxious to add anyone, notes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. "We could bring somebody in and have them sit on the bench for a while but that doesn't make any sense either," the coach said. "You're playing games that you have to win. . . . Would I even play him?"
Though he said this weekend that he couldn't assure Iman Shumpert he wouldn't be traded, Knicks coach Mike Woodson indicated to Stephen A. Smith on ESPN New York 98.7 FM radio that Shumpert is staying put. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com has the details.
Center Nerlens Noel, one of the top contenders to become the No. 1 overall pick in June, suffered a knee injury in Kentucky's game tonight and, according to Andy Staples of SI.com, left the arena in a wheelchair en route to a hospital (Twitter links).
Texas Legends co-owner Donnie Nelson, who doubles as president of basketball ops for the Mavs, maintains the "door is open" for Delonte West to join the D-League team, even though the guard has yet to report after the Legends acquired his rights last month, The Associated Press reports (link via ESPN.com).
The Chicago Tribune's David Haugh wonders if agent B.J. Armstrong and the Wasserman Media Group, along with Adidas, are pushing the Bulls to delay Derrick Rose's return until next season.
Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com catches up with Shelvin Mack, whom the Celtics are reportedly considering.

Odds & Ends: Josh Smith, Suns, Mavs, Tony Allen

February 9th, 2013 at 3:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's a light five-game schedule in the NBA tonight, with no clashes of two teams that appear to be headed for the playoffs. So, it may be time for a few executives around the league to take their eyes off the court and delve into trade talks, with the deadline just a dozen days away. We'll be keeping tabs on all the latest, with a few afternoon items right here:

Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News expects the Suns and Mavs to be players for Josh Smith before the deadline (Twitter link). Yesterday we heard there's a 60% chance the Hawks deal Smith away, and that they're seeking a "quality young center" in return — the sort of asset neither Phoenix nor Dallas appears to possess, which could necessitate a three-way swap.
Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth praises Tony Allen's defense, and passes along comments from the Grizzlies swingman about hitting free agency this summer. "I'd like to stay but whatever happens I'm cool with it," Allen said. "I'll get what's coming to me. At least I hope. They say defense wins games, right? They say it's all about how you play defense, right?"
Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game is surprised that Brandon Jennings has changed agents, arguing that Excel's Jeff Schwartz is likely to use the same leverage BDA's Bill Duffy would have when Jennings becomes a restricted free agent in the offseason (Sulia link).
Brad Rock of the Deseret News believes the Jazz should stand pat at the trade deadline and preserve their flexibility for the summer.
Chris Dortch of NBA.com looks at how potential No. 1 overall pick Nerlens Noel sizes up against Anthony Davis and other shot-blocking savants.
Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com examines the top power forwards available in the 2013 draft.

Draft Notes: Bennett, Smart

February 2nd, 2013 at 5:51pm CST by Michael Pina

NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper interviewed one NBA executive who believes UNLV's freshman forward Anthony Bennett could end up as the number one pick in the 2013 draft, and that several decision makers believe it could happen.

In the same Sulia link, Howard-Cooper goes on to discuss the number one pick, and how it's expanded beyond three players (Nerlens Noel, Shabazz Muhammad, and Ben McLemore) to include Bennett.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets that Oklahoma State freshman point guard Marcus Smart has established himself as the top point guard in the draft after an impressive performance against Kansas.

Finnan On Cavs, Varejao, Draft Targets, Speights

January 26th, 2013 at 11:15pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Bob Finnan of The News-Herald hears that Cavaliers GM Chris Grant could be looking to deal Luke Walton, Daniel Gibson, Omri Casspi (all expiring contracts), or even Marreese Speights (citing ESPN's Marc Stein) by the February trade deadline. He also shared a few more noteworthy tidbits in his NBA Notes piece:

One reason why the team won't look to move Anderson Varejao is that he could be one of LeBron James' preferred counterparts should the current Heat star look to eventually return to Cleveland.
Indiana's Cody Zeller, Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, and Maryland's Alex Len are among the top talented big men that the Cavs could target in June's NBA draft. Finnan adds that the addition of Marreese Speights has no bearing on the team's interest in drafting a big man during the offseason.
Due to his ability to veto his inclusion in a trade, Speights lost his Bird Rights, which essentially prevents Cleveland from being able to exceed the cap to re-sign him. The 6'10 forward owns a $4.5MM player option for next season, but could end up pursuing a multi-year deal this summer if he plays well for the rest of the year.

HoopsWorld On 2013 NBA Draft

January 13th, 2013 at 3:04pm CST by Sean Highkin

Several writers for HoopsWorld.com weighed in on the 2013 NBA Draft in a new roundtable column debating who will be the top overall pick.

Joel Brigham argues in favor of UCLA guard Shabazz Muhammed, praising his poise and saying he has the demeanor to be a star in the NBA.
Steve Kyler thinks Kentucky center Nerlens Noel is worth the gamble that he will polish his game and become a game-changing big man.
Susan Bible likes Anthony Bennett, writing that the UNLV power forward has been a surprise and played as well as some more high-profile prospects.
Alex Kennedy thinks Indiana center Cody Zeller is the most NBA-ready prospect in the game, although he doesn't have as high a ceiling as some of the other prospects.
Yannis Kotroupis doesn't think there's a clear-cut top pick, arguing that the NBA should abolish the age limit so Andrew Wiggins would be eligible for this year's draft instead of having to wait until 2014.

Odds & Ends: Nolan Smith, Beverley, Draft

January 4th, 2013 at 11:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

It was an active day around the Association, and it might be that way for a while. Monday is the start date for 10-day contracts and the final day teams can waive players on non-guaranteed deals in time for them to be off rosters by January 10th, when those contracts would become guaranteed for the balance of the season. Come Monday, we'll also be just two weeks and a month from the trade deadline. As we count down, here's the latest NBA scuttlebutt.

Nolan Smith has fired agent Joel Bell, who asked the Blazers to trade his now former client, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports. Smith said he has never asked for a trade himself, and as we passed along earlier, he also spoke with Haynes about his upcoming free agency, professing his love for Portland in the process. Sam Amick of SI.com identified Smith as a trade candidate earlier today.
Sean Deveney tweets financial details on Patrick Beverley's $850K buyout from Spartak St. Petersburg. The Rockets, who are expected to sign Beverley, paid the maximum $550K while Beverley chipped in the rest out the $700K in earnings he had already drawn on his $1MM contract with the Russian club.
Chris Mannix of SI.com mentions Kansas freshman shooting guard Ben McLemore as a darkhorse for the No. 1 pick and ranks the top 20 draft prospects for June, with Kentucky center Nerlens Noel atop the list.
Hornets coach Monty Williams said the team wants to have the flexibility to bring in new players at small forward, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune notes, and presumably that's why New Orleans waived Dominic McGuire today. Williams has been unpleased with the play of the team's threes since before McGuire signed last month, and now the coach is calling for improvement from Al-Farouq Aminu, who'll be an unrestricted free agent in the summer because the Hornets declined his fourth-year option prior to the season.

Draft Rumors: Kabongo, Gobert, Noel

December 21st, 2012 at 10:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Christmas is just a few days away, but for NBA Draft aficionados, it merely marks the halfway point between the Association's late-June selection meetings. As we approach that milestone, here's the latest on a few likely to hear their name called about six months from now.

Texas point guard Myck Kabongo will be allowed to return for the final eight games of the regular season after the NCAA reduced his suspension, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. With a full season, Kabongo had a chance to become a lottery pick, an Eastern Conference official told Pat Forde and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports this week. It remains to be seen how much the fringe first-round prospect, ranked No. 34 in the DraftExpress list of 2013 draft hopefuls, can improve his stock in the limited time he'll have this season.
French big man Rudy Gobert is No. 4 on the same DraftExpress list, but Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside cautions that the 7'1" Frenchman might not be ready to contribute to an NBA team right away.
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News delivers an early mock draft, with Kentucky's Nerlens Noel in the No. 1 spot. Deveney has Gobert down at No. 14, the last lottery pick.

Odds & Ends: Wolves, Heat, Nets, Johnson

December 21st, 2012 at 1:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Timberwolves have a roster vacancy following Josh Howard's season-ending injury and they're getting flooded with calls from agents, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). One guy who wants to be in Minnesota is Mickael Gelabale, who can opt out of his deal with Valencia on January 1st. Gelabale hasn't played in the NBA since tearing his ACL in the 2007/08 season with the Sonics. Here's more from around the league..

Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel doesn't see the Heat and the Cavaliers teaming up for an Anderson Varejao trade. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert probably still has ill feelings towards Miami and Cleveland already owns their 2013 and 2015 first-round picks.
Knicks guard Jason Kidd doesn't think that Nets coach Avery Johnson is to blame for Deron Williams' shooting woes, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “I don’t think it has anything to do with the coach,” Kidd said Thursday. “I think it’s just a matter of getting comfortable making shots. Also, he has new teammates. He’s got to get used to a new crew. It’s always a growing period."
Meanwhile, Johnson told reporters that he isn't concerned about his job security and doesn't fear the worst case scenario, according to Roderick Boone of Newsday (on Twitter).
Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal writes that freshman Kentucky center Nerlens Noel is similar to Anthony Davis, and is the current favorite to be the first pick in the 2013 draft.

Odds & Ends: Kings, Evans, Augustin, Draft

December 17th, 2012 at 9:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Two of the league's premier franchises received good news this afternoon. Knicks coach Mike Woodson announced that Amare Stoudemire was cleared for practice and will practice with the club's D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks. Meanwhile, sources told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that Lakers guard Steve Nash is eyeing a return to the Lakers' lineup Saturday against the Warriors if practice goes well this week. The Lakers have considered trading Pau Gasol, but reports have indicated that they are waiting to see what the club looks like with Nash in the fold before making a drastic change. Here's more from around the Association..

The Kings are still saying that they plan on holding on to Tyreke Evans, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Evans and General Manager Geoff Petrie recently had a productive meeting, but a source close to the guard told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that the club will move him if they don't think they can afford to re-sign him. Evans will be a restricted free agent this summer.
More from Kyler (via Twitter), who was asked if Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard might look to trade guard D.J. Augustin. It seems like a possibility, but Kyler writes that his weak play as of late may mean that no one wants him. Meanwhile, the one-guard's name is coming up frequently as a trade candidate.
Jay Bilas and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) run down the top players in the 2013 NBA Draft. Neither analyst sees a franchise-changing superstar in the class but both agree that Kentucky's Nerlens Noel is the top talent in the draft, not Maryland's Alex Len.

Most Execs Would Trade 2013 Top Pick, Poll Says

December 6th, 2012 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com surveyed 35 NBA executives, most of whom said they'd rather trade the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft than select from a thoroughly disappointing crop of prospects that lacks a franchise-changer like last year's No. 1, Anthony Davis (Twitter link). One GM called the field, "The worst I've ever seen."

"I'd trade the pick for sure," another GM said. "No one wants to pick first this year — and no one can live up to the No. 1 billing."

Goodman compares the draft class to 2006, when Andrea Bargnani was taken first overall and Adam Morrison, Shelden Williams and Tyrus Thomas were also top-five picks. No prospect among this year's bunch was favored by a majority of the executives Goodman polled, though Indiana center Cody Zeller garnered 31% of the vote. Kentucky's Nerlens Noel was second, with 23%.

Zeller's defensive shortcomings worry the executives, while Noel's offense and skinny frame similarly concern them. UCLA two-guard Shabazz Muhammad, the DraftExpress.com No. 1 prospect, tied for third in Goodman's poll amid doubts about his shooting and athleticism. Maryland center Alex Len, who tallied 11% of the vote just like Muhammad, has shot up draft boards thanks to the weight he added this summer, Goodman writes.

Others garnering votes as the No. 1 pick include Alex Poythress, Rudy Gobert, Tony Mitchell, Archie Goodwin and Anthony Bennett, though many of the executives say they wouldn't be surprised if someone emerges "out of nowhere," much like Andrew Bogut did in 2005.