Perry Jones III Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Suero, Drummond, Rivers

April 24th, 2012 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few of today's draft-related updates, including the latest players to declare their intent, and a few first-round tidbits courtesy of ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link):

Albany junior Gerardo Suero has declared his intent for the draft, according to the school's website. Suero, who isn't ranked among this year's top prospects by Ford or DraftExpress.com, is a long shot to be drafted, but he's looking to begin his professional career, "whether it be in the NBA or overseas."
The majority of teams have UConn's Andre Drummond ranked between third and fifth on their boards, with a handful of clubs placing him as high as second.
Some veteran scouts think Perry Jones III is the best player in the draft besides Anthony Davis, and believe he'll be Rudy Gay at worst. However, other personnel people say they wouldn't take Jones in the top ten.
There are a few teams that consider North Carolina's John Henson a better prospect than Drummond or Jones, but a greater number of clubs don't like him as a lottery pick.
Austin Rivers of Duke seems like a love-him-or-hate-him player, with evaluations very divided. Some teams like him in the 6-10 range, while others have him down between 20 and 30.
Teams are "scared to death" of Tony Wroten Jr., who could end up being selected after even Marquis Teague on draft night.

Prospect Profile: Perry Jones III

April 9th, 2012 at 4:31pm CST by Michael Pina

When it comes to selecting players in the NBA draft, potential and production have long battled one another in the minds of each team's top decision makers. Is selecting an undeveloped talent with incredible "raw" ability worth more than taking a serviceable "sure thing" who holds a limited ceiling?

Earlier today, Baylor sophomore Perry Jones III announced his plan to leave school and enter the NBA draft. He's the most interesting pawn this argument's had in years; a case can be made that no player in recent memory does a better job of matching otherworldly skill with overwhelming frustration. In his two years at Baylor, Jones has been college basketball's great model of inconsistency. Before the season began, the 6'11" Jones was pegged as a sure-fire top five pick, with some scouts even pegging him in as a possible number one overall selection. But after another up and down season that saw him disappear time and time again in the biggest of moments, the prodigious 20-year-old has dropped down to the middle of the first round on several boards.

In an insider article, ESPN.com's Chad Ford says a possible reason for Jones' unpredictable play was Baylor head coach Scott Drew's decision to play him out of position. With the mentality of a guard who likes the ball in his hands on the perimeter, it's crucial for whatever team that selects Jones to place him in situations where he's comfortable. One site has compared him to Anthony Randolph, which isn't glowing praise. But on the other end, Jones has the physical skill set to dominate on both ends of the court. Think Lamar Odom or LaMarcus Aldridge.

From a statistical standpoint, Jones' numbers didn't improve from his freshman to sophomore season. He averaged 13.5 PPG this year but his points and free-throw attempts went slightly down while his rebounds (7.6 RPG) stayed the same. There was no more aggression in his second year than there was in his first, no enhancement in attitude or change in style.

Jones has unbelievable talent, but which team selects him could be a larger factor in determining what type of career he has than his ability to exercise that once in a generation type of skill. His upside is scary but so is his basement.

Perry Jones III is the 2012 draft's most delicate flower, and right now the sun isn't shining in Charlotte, Toronto, Washington D.C., or any other cities that are most likely to scoop him in a move of pure desperation.

Perry Jones III To Enter Draft

April 9th, 2012 at 12:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Baylor coach Scott Drew has confirmed Baylor sophomore power forward Perry Jones III will enter the draft, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Goodman tweeted earlier that sources indicated the move was forthcoming.

The 6-foot-11, 220-pound Jones averaged 13.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG for the Bears this season after missing the first six games because of an NCAA suspension for accepting impermissable benefits. ESPN.com's Chad Ford has him ranked ninth in his latest list of the Top 100 prospects based on his versatility, size and athleticism. NBA teams have questioned his toughness and intensity, Goodman says, but he's unlikely to fall out of the lottery. He was widely expected to enter the draft last year.

Draft Notes: Burke, Jones, McCollum

April 9th, 2012 at 12:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier we passed along that Kansas junior Thomas Robinson is announcing his decision to enter the draft today. Here's more on the draft front:

Freshman point guard Trey Burke is headed back to Michigan, the school has announced, as Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link). He would have been a second-round pick, according to NBADraft.net.
Goodman also tweets that sources say Baylor sophomore power forward Perry Jones III will enter the NBA Draft. Jones is projected to go ninth overall by Draft Express and 13th by NBADraft.net.
Lehigh junior C.J. McCollum writes on The Sporting News website that he will return for his senior season. He declared his intent to enter the draft last month, but did not hire an agent. Tomorrow is the deadline for collegians who've declared for the draft to withdraw and still maintain their college eligibility. The hero of 15th-seeded Lehigh's win over No. 2 seed Duke in the NCAA Tournament this year has been projected as the 28th overall pick in this year's draft by NBADraft.net, while Draft Express looks ahead and sees him as the 22nd best prospect for 2013.
TNT's David Aldridge, writing for NBA.com, takes a look at the point guards in the draft this year, which has plenty of question marks after North Carolina's Kendall Marshall. With McCollum, whom Aldridge calls his sleeper, off the board, it looks even thinner.
In his NBA.com Morning Tip column, Aldridge also says the league and the NCAA have money in mind when they talk about requiring players to spend more time in college before entering the draft. Schools would benefit from keeping their stars around, and the league wouldn't have to pay them as they develop.

Draft Notes: White, Rivers, Jones, Drummond

March 21st, 2012 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

As ESPN.com's David Thorpe (Insider link) looks back to June 2011 and re-drafts the top 20 based on what we know now, we'll look ahead to this June, with the latest updates on the upcoming NBA draft:

Iowa State's Royce White has hired an agent and will enter the draft, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Goodman hears from several NBA execs that White has likely worked his way into the first round of the draft, though only one of the three mocks we looked at yesterday had White coming off the board in the top 30.
One of those mock drafts came from ESPN.com's Chad Ford, who has received feedback from NBA GMs on his top 30 (Insider link).
This draft may not be as deep as it looks, since many of the underclassmen who would go in the first round aren't locks to come out of school, says Ford.
Multiple GMs told Ford they have Austin Rivers ranked considerably higher than where Ford had him in his mock (21st).
Point guards may end up going a few spots higher than they should this year, since it appears there'll be a dearth of point guards in the 2013 draft, says Ford.
Perry Jones III and Andre Drummond are viewed as high-risk, high-reward picks. "They get you fired either way," one GM told Ford. "Don't take them and they blow up, everyone asks you what you were thinking. Do take them and they underachieve and everyone says you shouldn't have taken the risk. It's a no-win situation so … you just take them. It's better to swing for the fences and miss than to bunt and miss the chance to hit a home run."
Ford also answered plenty of draft-related questions in his ESPN.com chat today.