Noah Vonleh Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets Sign Noah Vonleh

July 25th, 2014 at 2:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hornets have signed Noah Vonleh, the No. 9 overall pick in last month’s draft, the team announced via press release. He’ll likely receive a salary of more than $2.5MM this year, as our table of salaries for 2014 first-round draft picks shows.

Vonleh quickly showed an acumen for rebounding in his lone season at Indiana University, grabbing 9.0 boards in just 26.5 minutes per game. He also averaged 11.3 points and 1.4 blocks per contest, and while he ventured outside the three-point arc for only 1.1 shots per game, he nailed 48.5% of them. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked him as the fifth best prospect, though Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had the raw 18-year-old down at No. 10.

It’ll probably take a while for Vonleh to show his full potential in the NBA, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors wrote when he examined the power forward’s prospect profile, but his upside appears high. The departure of Josh McRoberts in free agency this summer could open up some more playing time for Vonleh this year, though he’s still expected to be a reserve.

Charlotte has yet to sign No. 26 overall pick P.J. Hairston, whose rights the Hornets obtained in a draft night trade with Miami, though that might have to do with Hairston having hired an agent who wasn’t certified.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Felton, Knicks, Celtics

June 26th, 2014 at 6:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

There’s a “tremendous” chance that the Sixers take Joel Embiid at No. 3, though they’re still deciding, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Still, a source who spoke to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com threw cold water on the idea that Philly was zeroing in on the Kansas big man (Twitter link). Regardless, it won’t be long until we find out. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Phil Jackson didn’t want to trade Raymond Felton until he had a sense of what might happen with Felton’s legal situation, notes Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link). Felton this week struck a plea agreement to avoid jail time on felony gun charges.
The Knicks have done their homework on Baylor’s Cory Jefferson, leaving rival execs with the impression that they’re targeting him with the No. 34 pick they acquired from the Mavs, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Any movement the Celtics make from No. 6 will be down, not up, as both A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com and USA Today’s Sam Amick hear (Twitter link).
The Sixers asked Julius Randle and Noah Vonleh to work out this morning, but it’s unclear whether they accepted the invitation, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
The Nets are making a strong push to buy a pick later in the first round, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jazz Notes: Gordon, Smart, Vonleh, Randle

June 26th, 2014 at 4:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

If the Jazz stay at No. 5, Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (on Twitter) hears that Aaron Gordon will likely be the pick. Earlier today it was reported that Marcus Smart was a consideration for Utah even though he hasn’t worked out for them. Here’s more from Utah:

Some around the Jazz aren’t high on Smart but nonetheless believe he’s the best choice, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).
Trading down is also a possibility for the Jazz, Jones suggests (on Twitter). Noah Vonleh, Julius Randle, and Smart are all in consideration at No. 5 but they also like guys like Doug McDermott and Nik Stauskas who could be had later, Jones says.
Trey Burke would have no concerns if the team does indeed wind up selecting Smart, a fellow point guard, as Burke’s camp tells Genessy (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Cavs, Parker, Wiggins, Embiid

June 25th, 2014 at 11:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert wants the team to draft Andrew Wiggins first overall, but the front office prefers Jabari Parker, report Jeff Goodman and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. That’s somewhat surprising, considering that Parker is seemingly the better of the two for Gilbert’s desire to win now. It’s unclear if Gilbert will let GM David Griffin and company take Parker, but after letting his executives make the call on Anthony Bennett at No. 1 last year, Gilbert will at least have a “stronger voice” this time around, Ford tweets. Here’s more on the eve of the draft:

Andrew Wiggins wants to play for the Sixers, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Sixers would take Wiggins at No. 1 if they were to move up, but the Bucks, Magic, Jazz, and Celtics would all select Jabari Parker if they wound up at the top of the draft, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
Multiple teams are trying to buy copies of Joel Embiid‘s medical records, a source tells Jake Fischer of The Boston Globe. Other sources tell Fischer that the buying of draftees’ medical records is common practice. (Twitter links)
James Young says his workout with the Sixers went well, and gets the sense that he could be selected by Philadelphia with the No. 10 pick, tweets Pompey.
Julius Randle passed on a second workout with the Celtics, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
Marcus Smart did perform a second workout with the Celtics, and also worked out for the Magic a second time, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders,
Zach LaVine tells Andrew Perna of RealGM he has worked out for every team holding picks six through 17 (Twitter link). The Sixers, Magic, and Bulls are teams in that range that had not been linked to a workout with LaVine previously.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo worked out for the Knicks, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Knicks acquired two second round picks earlier today.
Bogdan Bogdanovic has come stateside to work out for the Spurs and Clippers, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets that the Serbian wing is gaining steam as a potential pick late in the first round.
Alec Brown has worked out for the Bulls, Cavs, Mavs, Clippers, Knicks, Sixers, and Raptors, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Tim Bontemps of The New York Post thinks it’s likely that the Nets can pick up a second round pick, and opines that they could even make their way into the late first round, where multiple teams would like to trade out of.

Earlier updates

Dan Gilbert tweeted out his insistence that he and the Cavs front office are not split (hat tip to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel).
An opposing GM told Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that the Cavs are entertaining “everything,” because they are in the driver’s seat (Twitter link).
It’s still unknown if Dante Exum will work out for the Cavs at their request, but Andy Katz of ESPN.com reports that the guard is unlikely to cooperate without an assurance that there is a deal in place for Cleveland to move down and select him.
The Hornets have shown sporadic interest in dealing away their No. 24 pick, but those talks have cooled recently, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
The Celtics face tough odds of moving up in the draft because “lots” of other teams with better players to offer are trying to do the same, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
One such team could be the Kings, who sources tell Ken Berger of CSBSports.com are trying to move up from No. 8 to have a chance at landing Joel Embiid.
Rival GMs believe that Nuggets GM Tim Connelly is in “deal-making mode” with Denver’s No. 11 pick, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets have been reportedly shopping the pick for some time now.
Noah Vonleh is expected to be selected first of the power forward grouping including Vonleh, Aaron Gordon, and Julius Randle, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Gordon is not expected to drop any lower than the eighth selection, per Spears’ source.
Nets GM Billy King told Rod Boone of Newsday that the asking price to acquire a first round draft pick is likely too high for Brooklyn, and that a second round pick seems more possible (Twitter link).
Jusuf Nurkic has a buyout to leave his international club and join the NBA this season, tweets Wojnarowski. There was some confusion as to Nurkic’s willingness and ability to join an NBA team immediately before this revelation, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Joel Embiid is in “strong consideration” for the Sixers at No. 3, and it’s highly unlikely he slides past the Lakers at No. 7, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). The Sixers have obtained Embiid’s medical information, as Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com reports.
The NBA buyout in the extension that Walter Tavares signed with his Spanish team is $600K, agent Andy Miller tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, and that’s precisely the amount NBA teams can pay without it counting against the cap. There were representatives from 11 NBA teams at a private workout Tavares held on Tuesday, and Raptors GM Masai Ujiri and executives from the Knicks and Nets were among them, Zagoria reports. Zagoria also adds the Spurs to the list of teams that have brought the 22-year-old center in for an audition.
Fellow European prospect Vasilije Micic prefers to stay overseas regardless of whether he’s drafted on Thursday, as he told Rigas Dardalis of Eurohoops.net.
The Hawks were the last of a dozen teams to work out Zach LaVine, observes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).
Andre Dawkins auditioned for the Kings, as Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report notes within his broader look at the draft. Dawkins tells Zwerling that the Cavs, Pistons and Wizards have expressed interest in him.
Jordan Adams wasn’t able to get to Memphis in time as the Grizzlies scrambled to put together a last-minute audition, so Michael Dixon is taking his place in the four-man workout group, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal.

Woelfel On Ilyasova, Henson, Knight, Love

June 22nd, 2014 at 10:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The most likely member of the Bucks to be dealt is Ersan Ilyasova, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. The general consensus among some NBA personnel is that Milwaukee could get a late first-round choice for the 27-year-old and there are teams in the back half of the draft looking for an impact power forward. Woelfel mentions the Suns, Thunder, and Rockets as possibilities. Here’s more from Woelfel’s column..

Bucks forward John Henson is also available and some team insiders claim that new owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens have given their blessing to possibly trading point guard Brandon Knight. Both would undoubtedly would bring back at least a mid-first round pick if dealt.
Bucks center Larry Sanders, who has been saddled by off-court issues and had a disappointing 2013/14, will be entering the first of a fully-guaranteed four-year, $44MM contract next season, making him virtually untradeable. However, some team may be willing to take him on if Ilyasova, Henson, or Knight were involved.
The Bucks hold the No. 2 overall pick plus Nos. 31, 36 and 48, but Woelfel cautions that we shouldn’t expect that to be the case on draft night.
When asked where they thought Wolves star Kevin Love would end up, two execs picked the Lakers, even though the Warriors seem to be the frontrunners
It’s generally assumed the 76ers will pick guard Dante Exum with the third overall pick, but a person close to Philly said Indiana forward Noah Vonleh is drawing interest as well.

Berger’s Draft Notes: Cavs, Saric, Magic

June 21st, 2014 at 9:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavs are leaning towards selecting Jabari Parker with the first-overall pick, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. He cites Parker being more NBA ready as the reason behind that pick.

Draft Notes: Embiid, Celtics, Trades

June 21st, 2014 at 12:55pm CST by Cray Allred

Joel Embiid‘s foot injury has shaken up the draft, with split opinions around the league regarding the seven-footer’s prospects for the draft and beyond. One league source tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that Embiid’s health concerns place him in legitimate danger of plummeting out of the lottery, while others are confident he will still be selected in the top 10. More draft rumblings:

Tyler Ennis will have his second audition for the Magic on Monday, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (H/T Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic).
The international teams for Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, Nemanja Dangubic, and Vasilije Micic will not put any barriers in place to keep the players from joining the NBA if drafted, per tweets from Yugobasket and Misko Raznatovic (H/T Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
Marcus Smart, Noah Vonleh, and Aaron Gordon are the Celtics preferred group of draftees at No. 6, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
Boston’s “most likely” scenario for the draft is to keep both of their picks, GM Danny Ainge tells Washburn (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

The Cavs are making efforts to trade down from the top spot to the No. 3-5 range in the draft, where they think Embiid would still be available, tweets Brett Poirier of Sheridan Hoops. The Magic, sitting at No. 4, have not been contacted by Cleveland, a source tells Poirier (Twitter link). The Sixers and Jazz own the third and fifth pick, respectively.
The Lakers would consider taking Embiid at No. 7 if he fell that far, a source familiar with their thinking tells Mark Medina of Los Angeles Daily News. Unsurprisingly, LA’s choice would hinge on their confidence in the big man’s recovery.
The Lakers are more likely to hang on to that seventh pick than deal it, despite their ongoing efforts to explore what they could net for it, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The pick was linked to Klay Thompson as part of the Kevin Love discussions earlier today.
The Suns are willing to trade away the 27th pick for a future first-rounder, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
Jakarr Sampson, Niels Giffey, Glenn Robinson III, and Chane Behanan will work out for the Celtics today, tweets Holmes.
As previously reported, the Warriors, Blazers, Pelicans, and Knicks are all looking to acquire first round draft picks, but the price tag is extremely high due to the deep draft pool, reports Alex Kennedy (via Twitter). Kennedy says that teams are asking for future picks that are unprotected or barely protected in return for first-rounders this year.
The NBA has invited 21 prospects to the green room for the draft broadcast, Chad Ford of ESPN.com reveals in two tweets. The invite is a sign of consensus around these players as first round selections. The players invited were Andrew Wiggins Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Dante Exum, Noah Vonleh, Aaron Gordon, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, Doug McDermott, Dario Saric, Gary Harris, Elfrid Payton, Nik Stauskas, James Young, Zach LaVine, Jusuf Nurkic, Adreian Payne, T.J. Warren, Tyler Ennis, Rodney Hood, and Shabazz Napier.

Magic Eye Top-Two Pick Amid Embiid Concern

June 20th, 2014 at 3:53pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:53pm: Embiid is expected to recover in four to six months, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

12:25pm: The Magic placed calls to the Cavs and Bucks about moving up to acquire their selections after news surfaced of Joel Embiid‘s broken foot, and the Jazz and Sixers made the same inquiries, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com in his latest Insider-only piece. Ford hears from teams who believe Embiid’s recovery timetable is anywhere from four months to a year. Reports have indicated that Utah and Philadelphia have made previous attempts at moving up, but it looks like Embiid’s injury prompted Orlando to pursue trade options it hadn’t been considering. Cleveland and Milwaukee hold the first and second picks, respectively, in Thursday’s draft.

Ford believes the Magic, who pick fourth, had narrowed their choices to Dante Exum and Noah Vonleh before Embiid’s injury, but Thursday’s bombshell apparently prompted desire on the Cavs’ part to bring Exum in for a workout. The Australian guard is the most likely candidate to break into the top three picks if Embiid falls to No. 4 or below, so it would seem Orlando wants to ensure it has a chance to take Exum.

The chances that Embiid goes first or second in the draft are “slim to none,” Ford writes, adding that there’s only a slight chance the Sixers take him at No. 3. The Magic would be 50-50 to take him presuming they stay at No. 4, according to Ford, who says that it’s doubtful the Jazz would draft him fifth. It sounds like Embiid’s floor is No. 6, as Ford hears Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge wouldn’t pass on him at that position as long as the big man’s surgery today goes as planned.

Draft Notes: Randle, Payne, Tavares, Grizz, Suns

June 18th, 2014 at 10:22pm CST by Alex Lee

With the draft only eight days away, we should expect a steady stream of updates leading up to next Thursday night’s festivities in Brooklyn. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders profiles prospects whose stock is on the rise; a list that includes Doug McDermott, Elfrid Payton, Rodney Hood, T.J. Warren, Zach LaVine, Jarnell Stokes, Rodney Hood, Shabazz Napier and Mitch McGary. In addition, here are some more team-specific draft notes from Wednesday:

Duke’s Andre Dawkins will work out with the Pistons, Mavericks and Magic after Friday’s session with the Wizards, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.
The Clippers worked out C.J. Fair, Glenn Robinson III, Cleanthony Early and Jakarr Sampson on Wednesday, adds Zagoria via Twitter.
Zagoria also tweets that the Pacers will work out Ohio guard Nick Kellogg next Monday and the Nets will work out Fair next Wednesday (Twitter links).
The Jazz got a revealing look at Noah Vonleh in Monday’s six-man workout, writes Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News. Many draftniks foresee Vonleh going to Utah at No. 5.
In an Insider Only piece, ESPN’s David Thorpe outlines a handful of pre-NBA similarities between Syracuse product Jerami Grant and current NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

Earlier updates:

Working out for the Cavaliers today, Andrew Wiggins looked “very good” according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (via Twitter). Amico adds that Cleveland’s first overall selection remains wide open.
Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe profiles Australian backcourt prospect Dante Exum. Meanwhile, NBA.com offers their pre-draft breakdown of Clemson product K.J. McDaniels.
The Kings, who pick 8th, will work out Hood, LaVine, Sim Bhullar, Nick Johnson, Elijah Pittman and RIchard Solomon on Friday, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, who adds that LaVine has fans in the Sacramento front office (Twitter links are here).
With concerns about his right foot in the air, Julius Randle impressed in his workout with the Jazz today, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. As he has since the original report, Randle maintained today in Utah that he does not need surgery.
The Bulls will work out Michigan State’s Adreian Payne on Monday, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. Owners of the 16th and 19th selections, Chicago figures to be in the market for outside shooting, making Payne a realistic possibility.
The Celtics brought 7-foot-3 prospect Walter Tavares in for a workout on Thursday, reports Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com. As Scotto notes, Tavares seems to be making a late push up draft boards.
The Grizzlies will host Napier, Jordan Clarkson, Jerami Grant, P.J. Hairston, LaQuinton Ross and C.J Wilcox on Thursday, the team announced.
Michael Cohen of The Commercial Appeal profiles Grant and Hairston along with Payne and Hood in his examination of which players may slip to Memphis at pick 22.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo will work out for the Spurs, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (via Twitter). As Zillgitt points out, Antetokounmpo’s talent, bloodlines and the fact that he will have worked out for nearly half the league by next Thursday make him an intriguing prospect.
Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek considers smarts nearly as valuable as athleticism when evaluating draft prospects, writes Matt Petersen of Suns.com, who points to Gerald Green as an elite athlete who thrived in Phoenix after showing signs of basketball I.Q. despite a rocky start to his career.

Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Nets, Sixers, Love

June 18th, 2014 at 9:10pm CST by Alex Lee

Despite recent reports that he will not return to New York, Carmelo Anthony had some encouraging things to say about the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Asked about his meeting with team president Phil Jackson, Anthony said, “It was a great meeting with Phil. It went well.” Anthony was also questioned about the addition of new head coach Derek Fisher, who was also part of the sit down. “I like what Phil is doing,” Anthony said.

Here are some other tidbits from the Atlantic division:

The Nets are trying to buy their way into the latter portion of the first round next Thursday, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Bondy indicates that Brooklyn has $2MM to offer for a selection — presumably to a contending team with cap and/or roster issues — but cautions that it might not be enough. Brooklyn currently does not have a pick in either round of the draft.
Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines whether or not Sixers GM Sam Hinkie‘s paranoia will pay off in next week’s draft after Philadelphia media, hoping for a chance to interview Andrew Wiggins, were forced by police to leave the team’s practice facility on Monday afternoon.
Indiana product Noah Vonleh could be a nice backup plan for the Sixers should Wiggins and Joel Embiid go off the board before they pick, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
A league source tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe the Celtics are “not even in the top three” of the Kevin Love sweepstakes. According to Holmes’ source, the Timberwolves want to win now, which makes Boston’s best trade asset — a bevy of draft picks — much less appealing. However, Holmes opines that the C’s are determined to create an enticing offer for Minnesota and may look to get creative.
All signs point towards the Celtics retaining veteran assistant coach Ron Adams according to Holmes (via Twitter), who reported last week that Adams would interview with the Warriors about a position on Steve Kerr‘s staff.