Sergey Karasev Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs Notes: Pekovic, Aldridge, Noel, Porter

June 1st, 2013 at 4:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reported earlier today that the Cavs aren't going after DeMarcus Cousins, and he has plenty more on Cleveland's team in his latest dispatch. He gets credit for the updates below, unless otherwise noted.

The Cavaliers have tried and failed to pry Kevin Love from the Timberwolves, and their alternative may be to go after center Nikola Pekovic, one of the leading restricted free agents. Cleveland has the cap room to make him an offer of $12MM or better, a price Wolves owner Glen Taylor has said he won't pay.
The Blazers have no interest in Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters or draft picks, and have turned down the Cavs' inquiries about LaMarcus Aldridge.
Nerlens Noel says he'll be ready to play around Christmas, but the Cavaliers don't think he'll be back from his ACL injury until February or March. The team remains undecided about whether Noel will be the No. 1 pick, and Amico confirms that Otto Porter is also in the mix for that selection.
Amico hears the Cavs are willing to trade up to nab Sergey Karasev in the middle of the first round if it doesn't look like he'll fall to them at No. 19. The Cavs are also high on Alex Len, and he could be theirs if they trade out of the No. 1 pick.
The Cavs like Shaun Livingston, but he's seeking a larger payday than the team wants to give him.
Omri Casspi and Luke Walton probably won't be re-signed, but the Cavs hope to bring back Wayne Ellington.
The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer answers reader questions in her mailbag column, and opines that Al Horford makes more sense as a trade target for the Cavs than Love or Aldridge do.

Draft Updates: Saric, Karasev, Len

May 3rd, 2013 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Today's round of draft-related links has an international feel, with updates on a French forward, a Russian shooting guard, and a Ukranian-born big man….

The top international prospect on Chad Ford's board at ESPN.com is Dario Saric, who is the subject of Ford's latest Insider-only blog entry. Scouts and GMs rave about Saric's upside, and the 19-year-old is expected to immediately come stateside when he's drafted, according to Ford, who notes that there will be a buyout of $1.2 million euros for Saric.
According to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link), the draft's fastest riser is Sergey Karasev, who currently ranks 25th on Ford's big board. At least two NBA executives believe Karasev may end up being a lottery pick, according to Woelfel.
Potential lottery pick Alex Len has undergone surgery to stabilize a stress fracture in his ankle and will miss four to six months, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com wonders (via Twitter) how much the big man's stock will be affected, noting that his game would have translated well to predraft works. Meanwhile, Chris Mannix of SI.com suggests (via Twitter) that a late-lottery team could end up with a steal if Len slips on draft night.

Sergey Karasev To Enter Draft

April 3rd, 2013 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Russian forward Sergey Karasev will enter the 2013 NBA draft, the 19-year-old revealed to R-Sport today. Vladimir Spivak first reported (via Twitter) that Karasev was expected to declare his intent, with an official announcement on the way.

"I was thinking for a long time with my father and agent and we finally made the decision that I will put myself on the draft list this year," Karasev told R-Sport. "I've decided that I won't lose another year."

As Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com notes (via Twitter), Karasev isn't bound by NCAA restrictions, since he's an international prospect. So unlike NCAA underclassmen, Karasev will have the opportunity to gauge his stock up until 10 day before the June draft. If he withdraws his name by June 17th, he'd be eligible to re-enter next year.

While ESPN.com's Chad Ford rates Karasev as this year's 46th-best prospect, Givony appears more bullish on the Russian's potential, placing him 27th on his top 100 list. In the Russian Professional Basketball League this season, Karasev averaged 18.5 PPG in 11 contests. He also averaged 16.1 PPG in 11 Eurocup games, shooting 49.0% on three-pointers.

International Notes: Mbenga, Pruitt, Karasev

April 3rd, 2013 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The only official NBA roster move so far today saw Jannero Pargo ink a rest-of-season deal with the Bobcats. However, a handful of teams overseas have been active, so let's check in on a few transactions of note….

D.J. Mbenga, who was in camp with the Mavericks this fall and spent some time in China earlier in the season, has signed with Barako Bull Energy in the Philippines, the team announced on its Twitter account (hat tip to Sportando).
Former Celtic Gabe Pruitt has spent most of the season in the D-League, but is heading overseas to join Greek team AGOR Rethymno, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes.
Italian club Dinamo Sassari announced the signing of Drew Gordon, who went undrafted last summer (link via Sportando). The New Mexico product played with the Mavs in last July's Summer League, and started the 2012/13 season with Serbia's Partizan Belgrade.
Russian journalist Vladimir Spivak reports (via Twitter) that 19-year-old forward Sergey Karasev is expected to officially announce soon that he'll enter the 2013 NBA draft. Karasev, who is ranked as this year's 27th-best prospect by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, was said last month to be leaning toward not entering the draft, so we'll have to wait for official word from his camp.

Sergey Karasev Out of 2013 Draft?

March 7th, 2013 at 8:00pm CST by Michael Pina

Sergey Karasev, a highly touted 19-year-old forward from Russia, likely won't enter the 2013 draft, according to NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper. Projected to be taken somewhere late in the first round by DraftExpress.com, the 6'7" Karasev is one of the better European prospects, and his absence will surely hurt the overseas crop for possibly the second year in a row.

Despite his age and inexperience, Karasev was a member of Russia's 2012 Olympic National team, which impressed in London with a roster full of NBA talent. He currently plays for Triumph Lyubertsy in the Russian Professional League.

Sergey Karasev