Nikola Milutinov Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Chandler, Kings, Milutinov

May 11th, 2015 at 7:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks need to retain Tyson Chandler if they fall short in their pursuit of DeAndre Jordan this summer, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com opines. Both become unrestricted free agents this summer and Jordan is the more attractive option because he’s younger, a better defender at this stage of his career and has led the NBA in field-goal percentage the last three seasons, MacMahon continues. Jordan would be a foundation piece for Dallas but the Clippers’ success in the playoffs makes it more unlikely he’d leave the organization, MacMahon adds. Losing Chandler without upgrading the center spot would be a disastrous situation for the Mavs since it would also hamper their chances of signing a top-level power forward like LaMarcus Aldridge, MacMahon concludes.

In other news around the Western Conference:

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive admits he made a mistake in hiring ex-coach Michael Malone before selecting a GM and assembling his front office, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee reports. Malone was fired in mid-December and replaced by interim coach Ty Corbin before Ranadive hired George Karl in February. “People told me not to do that. But I knew Malone from when he was an assistant with the Warriors, and again, with the draft only weeks away, I had to make very quick decisions,” Ranadive told Voisin about the Malone hire in June 2013. “I didn’t know any GMs.”
The Timberwolves would probably not pursue David Blatt as their head coach if he’s fired by the Cavaliers, Darren Wolfson of KSTP.com tweets. Minnesota president of basketball operations and head coach Flip Saunders was interested in Blatt as an assistant and coach-in-waiting last offseason but wasn’t considering him for the head coaching job, Wolfson adds.
The Timberwolves could consider 6’11” Serbian center Nikola Milutinov as a stash prospect with either of their second-round picks, Wolfson reports in a separate tweet. Minnesota owns the No. 31 and No. 36 overall picks and the team’s European scout, Zarko Durisic, is a fan of Milutinov, Wolfson adds. Milutinov is ranked No. 44 on Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider Big Board and No. 35 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress prospect list.

Draft Notes: Towns, Okafor, Milutinov

May 11th, 2015 at 2:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) still has Karl-Anthony Towns as the No. 1 overall pick in his latest mock draft. If the Wolves wind up with the top choice, Goodman writes that the Wolves already have a below-the-rim big man in Nikola Pekovic, which would lead them to Towns over Jahlil Okafor. If the lottery goes according to script (though, it rarely does), that would allow the Knicks to take Okafor at No. 2 with the Sixers plucking D’Angelo Russell at No. 3. While we wait to see where the ping pong balls land, here’s a look at the latest draft news..

Multiple NBA teams have interviewed KK Partizan center Nikola Milutinov and come away with a positive impression of him, David Pick of Eurobasket.net tweets. The Serbian 7-footer is currently projected to go early in the second round by DraftExpress.
Former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon told Goodman that he has committed to Maryland and will spend his final season with the Terps. Sulaimon was dismissed from the Blue Devils’ program in January. Once considered a potential first-round pick after his freshman year, the shooting guard is now ranked only as the No. 45 player in his class by DraftExpress.
Derek Bodner of USA Today (video link) wonders if Okafor can present a legitimate challenge to Towns to be the No. 1 choice.

Cedi Osman, Nikola Milutinov Entering Draft

April 16th, 2015 at 12:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

Small forward Cedi Osman and center Nikola Milutinov will enter this year’s draft, according to their agents, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reports (Twitter links). Both are overseas prospects with decent chances to become second-round picks in June. Small forward Rade Zagorac, another international hopeful, will also declare for the draft this year, agent Misko Raznatovic said, as Givony notes (Twitter link), though Zagorac isn’t as highly regarded. He’s not within the top 100 prospects for either Givony or Chad Ford of ESPN.com, and Givony ranks him 16th-best among overseas prospects born in 1995. Osman is No. 52 with both Ford and Givony, while Ford has Milutinov 59th and Givony ranks him 68th.

The 6’6″ Osman, another Raznatovic client, has averaged 7.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game this season for Turkish mainstay Anadolu Efes. He’s not a strong three-point shooter at this point, having averaged 32.4% from behind the arc this year and 32.9% last year. The now 20-year-old averaged 2.3 points in a little more than nine minutes per game during last year’s FIBA World Cup.

Milutinov, who’s also 20, has put up somewhat more impressive numbers for KK Partizan in his native Serbia, averaging 9.2 PPG and 7.4 RPG in 26.4 MPG this season. The 7-footer isn’t much of a shot-blocker, swatting just 0.8 shots per contest. He’s a client of agent Marko Jelic.

Zagorac, 19, is the only double-figure scorer among the trio in spite of his status as a lesser prospect, having put up 10.8 PPG in 28.9 MPG with 39.4% three-point shooting this year for Serbia’s KK Mega Vizura. All three can withdraw from the draft anytime between now and June 15th.