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And-Ones: Draft, Sterling, Pippen

May 15th, 2014 at 11:02pm CST by Cray Allred

Doug McDermott came in at just over 6’6″ in height and 6’9″ in wingspan at the combine, measurements that a league executive tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News are “potentially disastrous” for the projected top-10 pick. Deveney thinks the forward will slip into the late lottery or worse. The measurements increase the concerns over his ability to defend at the wing we noted in our prospect profile of the Creighton All-American. Here’s a roundup of more of tonight’s notes from around the league:

Julius Randle, Noah Vonleh, Jerami Grant, Kyle Anderson, and DeAndre Daniels all turned out average or better measurements in wingspan, per Deveney. Randle’s length was of particular concern prior to the combine, as we noted in our prospect profile of the Kentucky forward.
Nik Stauskas unexpectedly sat out combine drills today, telling reporters including Brendan F. Quinn of MLive.com that he had little to gain by demonstrating his established shooting skills. Instead, the shooting guard hopes to prove his stock through physical testing and interviews at the combine.
The league likely won’t take action to strip the Clippers from Donald Sterling until after the season, reports Michael McMann of SI.com in a piece outlining the steps the NBA will take to perform the ouster.
McCann says that a divorce between the Sterlings, or any other attempts to complicate the legal process, likely won’t hinder the league’s efforts based on straightforward CBA provisions for ownership transition.
Donald Sterling’s lawyer sent a letter to the league, threatening to sue the NBA and informing the league of his client’s refusal to pay the $2.5MM fine levied against him by Adam Silver, McCann reports in a separate piece.
The fine was already past due, and failure to pay should actually bolster the league’s case, tweets Larry Coon of Basketball Insiders.
Scottie Pippen is considering an offer to work for the Knicks, possibly as an assistant coach, according to a report from Marc Berman of The New York Post.

Draft Combine Updates: Thursday

May 15th, 2014 at 10:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Chicago draft combine is underway, and teams can meet with up to 18 players. With 30 teams, that means there could be as many as 540 interviews this week. We’ll try to keep track of as many as possible here, and we’ll update this post throughout the day as news filters in. Here’s the latest:

Ennis will meet with the Bobcats and at least four other teams in addition to the organizations listed below, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Vonleh interviewed with the Wolves, Bucks, Lakers, and Blazers, tweets Robbins, who adds that the big man is scheduled to meet with the Sixers.

Earlier updates:

LaVine shot very well, and Seth Davis of SI.com hears that he may have helped his stock more than any other prospect today (Twitter link; H/T Wolstat).
In Exum’s extended quotes transcribed by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News regarding the point guard’s willingness to pressure certain teams not to draft him, Exum said he doesn’t see any of his potential destinations as a bad fit, and is willing to play behind an established point guard.
LaQuinton Ross will work out for the Cavs on Monday, tweets Jason Lloyd of Akron Beacon Journal.
The Raptors plan to meet with K.J. McDaniels, McDermott, Payton, Anderson, McDaniels, and possibly Hood, reports Wolstat (via Twitter).
Hood will meet with the Bulls on Friday, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
Randle interviewed with the Cavs and will do so with the Bucks, too, as the Plain Dealer and Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel note (Twitter links).
Patric Young spoke with the Pelicans and has a sit-down with the Grizzlies scheduled, according to Robbins (Twitter links).
Blakely adds Hood and Noah Vonleh to the Celtics interview list, while Randle and T.J. Warren are talking to Boston, too, according to Holmes (All Twitter links).
Vonleh says he also has an interview scheduled with the Magic, Robbins notes, adding that Orlando wanted to interview Stauskas, but his meeting schedule is too full (Twitter links). The Magic sat down with Randle on Wednesday, Robbins adds (on Twitter).
Aaron Gordon met with the Sixers on Wednesday, Pompey tweets.
Exum will also interview with the Kings, according to Howard-Cooper (on Twitter).
Julius Randle is meeting with the Sixers today, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
Doug McDermott said he met Wednesday with the Bulls, Hawks and Timberwolves, Robbins observes, and McDermott added that he’s looking forward to a meeting with the Cavs, as Robbins and the Plain Dealer observe (Twitter links).
Rodney Hood is set to interview with the Wolves tonight, Zgoda tweets. Hood interviewed with the Bobcats on Wednesday, as Bonnell details (Twitter links).
Kyle Anderson met with the Celtics and he’ll also see the Wolves tonight, Washburn and Zgoda note (Twitter links).
The Pistons met with Glenn Robinson III on Wednesday, as he tells Langlois (Twitter link).
Add the Celtics and the Bucks to Exum’s interview agenda, as Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe and Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel report (Twitter links). Exum thinks he’ll sit down with the Cavs, too, the Plain Dealer notes (on Twitter).
The Wolves will interview Lavine on Friday after having spoken with James Young on Wednesday, Zgoda tweets.
The Bobcats have expressed interest in P.J. Hairston, as he tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
Dante Exum‘s wingspan measured out at nearly 6’10”, and he’ll draw consideration for the No. 1 overall pick from some teams, ESPN’s Chad Ford said on the network’s combine coverage today, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes (Twitter link). He denied that he’s angling for the Lakers in the draft, but he wouldn’t rule out pressuring some teams not to take him, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Exum met with the Sixers, Pistons and Suns on Wednesday, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The Celtics, Lakers, Magic and Jazz will also speak with him, report Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel and Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune (All four Twitter links).
Marcus Smart has interviewed with the Rockets, Raptors, Lakers, Suns and Nuggets, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Cavs, Jazz and Bucks are also on his agenda, as the Plain Dealer, Falk and Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times report (All Twitter links). The Timberwolves won’t interview Smart in Chicago, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears the team is hoping to get him to come to Minnesota for a workout (Twitter link).
Ontario native Tyler Ennis is excited about the idea of playing for the Raptors and has interviewed with them, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. He’s also met with the Bobcats, Kings, Suns, Thunder and Nuggets, according to Kennedy (on Twitter).
Nik Stauskas has met with or will meet with the Kings, Pistons and Raptors, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com and Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (All Twitter links).
The Nuggets, Spurs, Warriors and Nets have met with Shabazz Napier, Kennedy tweets.
The Hawks, Spurs, Thunder, Raptors, Magic, Cavs and Timberwolves met Elfrid Payton, Kennedy reports (Twitter link).
Zach LaVine interviewed with the Celtics, among others, Wednesday, he tells Blakely (Twitter link).
Russ Smith sat down with the Suns, Celtics and Blazers, according to Kennedy (via Twitter).

And-Ones: Hairston, Wolves, Draft

May 14th, 2014 at 10:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

One player whose draft stock might benefit from the pre-draft interview process is P.J. Hairston, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. In 26 games this past season with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League, Hairston averaged 21.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.8 APG, and 1.5 SPG in 32.3 minutes per contest.

Prospect Profile: Noah Vonleh

March 30th, 2014 at 10:32am CST by Eddie Scarito

Underclassmen are expected to dominate the lottery of the upcoming 2014 NBA draft. On Monday, Indiana freshman Noah Vonleh officially announced his intention to be one of them. This will make Vonleh the first player under Tom Crean to leave Indiana for the NBA after his freshman season. The last Hoosier to be “one-and-done” was Eric Gordon back in 2007.

Vonleh’s decision to enter the draft was widely expected. The 2013 McDonalds All-American came to Bloomington with his eyes on joining the NBA, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo, two former Hoosiers who were selected in the top four of last year’s NBA draft. Only 18 years old and with the skills to play the three and four, Vonleh is expected to have plenty of teams interested in him leading up to the draft. In recent mock drafts, Draft Express has him being taken sixth, CBSSports.com has him fifth, HoopsHype has him going sixth, and he sits at #7 on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s “Big Board”.

Despite Indiana’s (17-15) struggles this season, Vonleh managed to shine, although he was never the focal point of the team’s offense. Vonleh was only utilized in 22% of his team’s offensive possessions. He averaged 11.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 0.6 APG, and 1.4 BPG in 26.5 minutes per game. His slash line was .523/.485/.716.

While being recruited, Vonleh was listed at 6’8” and only weighing anywhere from 210-215 pounds. At that point, most scouts were predicting that his most probable future position would either be at small or power forward, but after just one year at Indiana, he’s put on 30 pounds. and also grown two inches. Now, according to Draft Express, he’s 6’10” and weighs 242 pounds, and has a 7’3″ wingspan. He still projects as a power forward, but could play center for stretches against teams with smaller lineups.

One of Vonleh’s biggest strengths right now is rebounding. He averaged 9.0 RPG which led the Big 10. Thanks to his tremendous wingspan and athleticism, Vonleh is able to move out of his area to chase down a lot of balls, and he’s particularly good as an offensive rebounder. At this stage of his development many of his baskets come off of misses near the hoop. Another aspect of Vonleh’s game scouts are in love with is his hustle. He’s not afraid to hit the deck for a loose ball, and he’s a very unselfish and team-oriented player, which is sometimes rare for young, heralded prospects like him. He’s also known as a gym rat and responds well to coaching, both of which are required for young players to achieve their full-potential.

Vonleh also looks very promising on the defensive end. He’s not afraid to bang in the post, and he’s able to get a lot of blocks thanks to his size and hands. He also has a lot of potential as a perimeter defender because of his wingspan and quickness. Vonleh can defend about any frontcourt position effectively. His defensive win shares was 2.0, good for ninth in the Big Ten, and his defensive rating was 91.7, good for fourth in the conference.

Offensively, Vonleh is much more of a work in progress. He still needs to expand and improve his overall offensive arsenal if he wants to become an effective scorer in the NBA. Most of his baskets right now come down near the hoop on drive-and-dish plays or off of misses, which is where his offensive rebounding skills come into play. As of now, Vonleh doesn’t have a go-to post move, but this isn’t that unusual for a player of his youth. In high school, Vonleh spent a lot of time playing on the perimeter where he dominated on straight line-drives to the hoop. He has also shown some potential with his jump shot. His form and mechanics could use some refining, but with proper coaching and effort he could become a decent jump shooter in the near future. Vonleh has shown the ability to knock down three-pointers, converting on 16 of 33 attempts. It’s his inside-outside potential that could make him an offensive threat in the league.

Vonleh has the tools to play a significant role in the NBA for many years to come, but it will likely take a few years before he can accurately be gauged as to whether or not he has the skill-level, assertiveness and offensive upside needed to develop into a star. But his size, length, and rebounding prowess, coupled with the fact that he won’t turn 19 until late August, will almost certainly mean that a team with a lottery pick will be happy to select him and wait to see how he develops in the NBA. His ceiling has been said to be comparable to Chris Bosh or possibly Al Horford. If he can approach the production of either player, whichever team drafts him will consider it a pick well spent. My best estimate is that he is off the board before Julius Randle (profiled here), and is taken in the four to six range.

Draft Rumors: McDermott, Vonleh, Tournament

March 26th, 2014 at 8:12pm CST by Cray Allred

Former NBA team consultant Travis Heath writes at Basketball Insiders about being wrong as a scout. Watching a player like James Harden dominate in the NBA can be torture for him, since he was wrong about the Rockets star’s potential. Here’s a roundup of the rest of the night’s draft rumors:

A group post by several USA Today writers features their takes on tanking for this draft class, whether poor NCAA tournament performances from Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker hurt their draft stocks, and which players have boosted their draft stocks the most in the tournament. The USA Today scribes single out Kyle Anderson, Adreian Payne, and Shabazz Napier as players proving their NBA talent in March.
Doug McDermott has signed with agent Mark Bartelstein at Priority Sports, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders posted his own mock draft, slotting Joel Embiid down at the five spot and putting Wiggins, Parker, Dante Exum, and Julius Randle ahead of him.
An NBA scout tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that Indiana’s Noah Vonleh will be a high lottery pick and expects the big man to have more success in the league than Randle, who sits a few spots ahead of Vonleh in most draft projections.

Draft Rumors: Wiggins, Vonleh, Randle, Saric

March 25th, 2014 at 8:48pm CST by Charlie Adams

The latest mock draft from Jake Henson of Sheridan Hoops runs down Henson’s take on the likely 2014 lottery picks. Each player has a best and worst case scenario player comparison, and Henson opines that Andrew Wiggins‘ ceiling is around Tracy McGrady‘s talents, while his floor might project around Rudy Gay‘s skills. Let’s round up the latest rumors on the 2014 NBA draft:

Front offices around the league are intrigued by Noah Vonleh‘s size and upside, writes Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link). He might not be polished enough to have a strong rookie year, but it’s possible he has more potential than Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon, says Ford. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders says he would still take Randle over Vonleh (on Twitter).
Kyler goes on to peg Randle as a mix between Zach Randolph and Paul Millsap (Twitter link). Randle has averaged 15.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in his freshman year at Kentucky.
Dario Saric isn’t entering the 2014 draft, and Kyler believes his decision was based on money. Given the talent of this year’s draft class, Kyler notes Saric is due for a higher selection and a bigger payday if he waits to enter the draft until next season (Twitter links).
Ford, in another Insider piece, passes along that Wiggins is believed by executives around the league to be the number one pick, pending an absolute clean bill of health from Kansas teammate Joel Embiid.
Scouts believe Aaron Gordon is likely to return for his sophomore year at Arizona, says Ford, but the same scouts say if he declares for the draft, he’s likely to be selected as a mid-to-late first-round pick. Hoops Rumors’ Eddie Scarito recently profiled Gordon’s game.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe argues that the days of the polished NBA rookie are dying, as most one-and-done players who enter the league now need a few years to develop their game. Washburn points to the NCAA tournament performances of Wiggins, Marcus Smart, and Jabari Parker as evidence.

Noah Vonleh To Enter Draft

March 24th, 2014 at 12:05am CST by Chuck Myron

Indiana University freshman Noah Vonleh will enter this year’s draft, as he tells Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. The big man is a “guaranteed” lottery pick, sources inform Parrish, and Vonleh has heard that he’s going anywhere between the fourth and 12th picks.

The 6’10” Vonleh played center for the Hoosiers, but he projects as either a power forward or a center in the NBA, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, who pegs him as the seventh-best prospect in this year’s draft class. Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists Vonleh as a power forward and has him at No. 8 in his rankings.

Vonleh and the Hoosiers fell short of the NCAA tournament, finishing 17-15 a year after losing Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller, both of whom were top-four picks in the 2013 draft. Vonleh is just 18 years old and won’t turn 19 until August.

Noah Vonleh Leaning Toward Entering Draft

March 15th, 2014 at 9:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Indiana freshman Noah Vonleh is strongly leaning towards entering this year’s NBA draft. This information was also confirmed by Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Vonleh, who averaged 11.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG, was selected as the Big Ten Conference’s Freshman of the Year. College underclassmen have until April 27th to apply for the draft to meet the early entry eligible deadline. NBA front office executives expect Vonleh, a 6’10” forward, to be selected somewhere between the 7-12 picks in the draft.

There is widespread agreement his potential far exceeds his performance and preparedness for the NBA, according to Wojnarowski. Vonleh doesn’t turn 19 until late August, but has shown impressive maturity during this season with the Hoosiers. His shooting has improved, but several league executives told Yahoo! Sports they have concerns about his position in the NBA, as well as a lack of assertiveness that sometimes causes him to drift through long segments of games.

According to the article, one NBA GM said, “He’ll spend a lot of time in the D-League next year. He’s nowhere near ready to play, but there’s no doubt he’s got great potential, along with very good character.”

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.”

Odds & Ends: Young, Draft, Spurs, Celtics

January 24th, 2014 at 4:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

Thaddeus Young‘s name figures to be in plenty of rumors between now and the February 20th trade deadline. “There is not a GM in the league who wouldn’t want Thaddeus Young on their team,” an NBA executive tells Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Still, Young’s contract, with average salaries of more than $9MM through 2015/16, remains a turn-off for would-be trade partners, Pompey writes. The Inquirer scribe takes a stab at sketching the Sixers roster for 2014/15, concluding that a turnaround is still a ways off. Here’s more on a couple of prospects who could be in Philly next year, as well as more from around the NBA:

Several NBA scouts are leaning toward regarding Indiana’s Noah Vonleh as a better power forward prospect than Kentucky’s Julius Randle, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who debates the matter with colleague Kevin Pelton in an Insider-only piece.
The Spurs wanted someone who could guard small forwards after learning Kawhi Leonard would miss the next three or four weeks, and Gregg Popovich says that led them to sign Othyus Jeffers, observes Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
A splintered Clippers front office kept the team from trading for Kevin Garnett at the deadline last year, and that prompted the Celtics to draw back from discussions with the Nets about Paul Pierce, sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The C’s would have been better off had those deals gone down than they are with the package they obtained from the Nets this summer, Deveney surmises.
Doc Rivers stuck up for Tom Thibodeau, his former assistant coach, saying that he didn’t think “any right-minded organization” would allow him to leave, as Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. Rumors have suggested the Bulls might let their coach out of his contract so he can take over the Knicks.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders what more Pierre Jackson must do to convince New Orleans to sign him. The Pelicans hold the NBA rights to the D-League’s leading scorer, but they’ve given Jackson permission to seek a trade.