Sim Bhullar Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: MJ, Embiid, Hairston, Maker

June 9th, 2014 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

If the Rockets didn’t tank in 1984, Michael Jordan would have been a member of the Sixers, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. The Sixers owned the Clippers’ pick that year and had the Rockets not tanked down the stretch, they would have landed either the No. 1 or 2 pick in a coin flip. Instead, that pick became the No. 5 choice and that’s where the Sixers selected Charles Barkley. Fast forwarding thirty years later, here’s today’s draft news..

One NBA scout tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that if there are no serious back issues, Kansas center Joel Embiid has a chance to be a franchise superstar. Embiid holds the No. 1 spot in Spears’ mock draft, followed by Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Dante Exum, and Aaron Gordon.
New Mexico State center Sim Bhullar will work out for the Raptors on Wednesday, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. During his second season as an Aggie, Bhullar put up 10.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per night while averaging just over 26 minutes every contest.
Scott Rafferty of Ridiculous Upside wonders if P.J. Hairston has done enough to cement himself as a surefire first round pick in the draft. Hairston proved himself as one of the best scorers in the D-League last season but concerns about his attitude remain.
Elite 7-foot prospect Thon Maker is “50-50” on whether to reclassify himself to the high school graduating class of 2015, which would make him eligible for the 2016 draft, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY. The Carlisle School (VA) standout is currently slated to graduate in 2016 but he would likely be the top talent in the 2015 class as well. If you’ve yet to see Maker play, take a look at this widely circulated mixtape on YouTube (though you should dial down your volume if you’re watching at work).

Draft Notes: Combine, Parker, Embiid

May 11th, 2014 at 5:29pm CST by Charlie Adams

Next week’s predraft combine in Chicago will give prospects a chance to show off their skills for NBA clubs. Two players who have a chance of being the first selection in the draft, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid, declined their invites to participate in the combine, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Their absence isn’t likely to dramatically hinder their stock, but it does raise questions about Embiid’s back injury, Wojnarowski says. Here’s more on the combine and the 2014 draft:

Front offices around the league took note that Parker wasn’t in great shape last season, so his absence from the combine might be a concern, relays Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (via Twitter).
Andrew Wiggins is also unlikely to accept his combine invitation, passes along Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
Chane Behanan, Sim Bhullar, Eric Moreland, Jakarr Sampson, and Roscoe Smith are some notable early entrants that weren’t invited to the combine, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
David Nurse of Perfect Shots Shooting breaks down Embiid’s game and discusses his immense potential, noting he has the tools to excel at the next level but will need to work to refine his offensive game.

Sim Bhullar To Enter Draft

April 16th, 2014 at 7:50pm CST by Charlie Adams

Next Mexico State center Sim Bhullar will enter the NBA draft, writes Josh Gershon of Scout.com (on Twitter). Bhullar is a sophomore with massive size, standing at 7’5″ and weighing in at 355 pounds. During his second season as an Aggie, Bhullar put up 10.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per night while averaging just over 26 minutes every contest. His massive size advantage over opponents allowed him to shoot 64.8% from the floor while posting 3.4 blocks per game.

The move to declare for the draft is a bit puzzling because questions still linger about the big man’s ability to succeed at the next level. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated is among those perplexed by the decision, suggesting Bhullar would be wise to find another source of career advice (Twitter link).

Bhullar isn’t on Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress‘ list of top 100 prospects, but a report last month suggested the he could be taken in the second round by a team intrigued with his colossal size. Yesterday marked the last day early entrants could withdraw from the draft and still retain NCAA eligibility, so Bhullar will be ineligible to return to New Mexico State even if he isn’t drafted.

Draft Notes: Hairston, Bhullar, Randle, Parker

March 29th, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Charlie Adams

P.J. Hairston has been able to find success in the D-League after walking away from the University of North Carolina basketball team in wake of suspension, as Nate Taylor of the New York Times details in his newest piece. The latest mock draft from DraftExpress sees Hairston going 22nd overall. Here’s the latest on the 2014 draft:

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders thinks New Mexico State’s Sim Bhullar could get selected near the end of the draft but isn’t sure he could succeed in the NBA (Twitter link). Bhullar’s main appeal lies in his massive size; the sophomore center is listed at 7’5″ and 355 lbs.
Kyler adds that the Raptors are a potential match for the Indo-Canadian Bhullar, as they hold a second round pick that will fall very late in the second round (Twitter link).
Kentucky’s strong tournament run has only helped improve Julius Randle’s draft stock, an executive tells Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The same executive compared Randle to Jamal Mashburn and Paul Millsap.
There’s still no word on whether or not Jabari Parker will declare for the draft, an executive tells Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. I profiled Parker’s game earlier this afternoon.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.