Stanley Johnson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Thomas, Pistons, Mudiay

May 24th, 2015 at 9:18pm CST by Will Joseph

Isaiah Thomas said he was asked by Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to name free agents he’d like to play with, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reports. The exchange has made Thomas, who has been vocal about his desire for starting in the past, feel like he is part of the Celtics’ future, Himmelsbach adds. “Danny said if there’s any free agent out there I’m interested in, to let him know,” Thomas said. “That has me excited. For him to ask for my input means a lot, because it means I’m definitely, right now, a part of the future, and they also value your word and what you think about the game of basketball. It means a lot, and it’s a mutual respect we have. Now, hopefully, we can get a few guys.”

Thomas did not name any player specifically, but he said a big man is a top priority. “A defensive-minded player,” he told Himmelsbach. “It’d be nice to get one of those in the draft. A lot of the big men out there could definitely help us out. But I know Danny is always up to something.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Pistons head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy said the team will hire a full-time shooting coach by July, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. The Pistons ranked 27th out of 30 teams last season in field-goal percentage (43.2%), and also ranked 29th in free-throw percentage at 70.3%, as Mayo points out.
The Jazz hosted Andrew Harrison, Terry Rozier, Vince Hunter, J.P. Tokoto, Treveon Graham and Aaron White in a pre-draft workout, and Walt Perrin, vice president of player personnel, said he wasn’t too surprised with the results, Melissa Yack writes in a piece for the Deseret News. “I thought Terry played — I know Terry can shoot it, but I thought he shot it pretty well today,” Perrin said. “Other than that — Andrew maybe could have shot it a little better, but surprises no.”
Stanley Johnson believes he can be an impactful and versatile defender in the league, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders writes. “In today’s day and age, it’s about defensive versatility. How many people you can guard and how well you can do it,” Johnson said. “I can guard fours. I can guard Draymond Green. I can guard Kawhi Leonard. I can guard Mike Conley — I can stay with him at least,” he continued. “You guard people in stints, I can definitely stint the minutes for sure.” In 38 games with Arizona, the small forward averaged 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and played well defensively.
The top four teams in the draft — the Wolves, Lakers, Sixers and Knicks — reached out to Emmanuel Mudiay‘s agents, but the guard who played last season in the Chinese Basketball Association likely won’t work out for them until early June, tweets SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria, who cites a source.
Boston College guard Olivier Hanlan worked out for the Spurs, and is hopeful he will be selected in the first round of the draft, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes.

Draft Notes: Kaminsky, Turner, Johnson

May 22nd, 2015 at 7:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Texas big man Myles Turner didn’t perform as anticipated during his lone NCAA season, but a number of league personnel believe he will blossom when he steps onto the NBA hardwood, Brendan Savage of MLive.com writes. “He didn’t have a great year, but the team was disorganized,” one NBA GM told Savage. “He’s a guy that I fully expect to be a better pro than college player. I think he’ll be late lottery and if I’m wrong, middle of the first, because his workouts will be good. And he’s another guy who can shoot the ball. They were jerking him in and out of the lineup and I didn’t understand it; it’s not like they were Duke and playing for the national championship.”

Here’s more regarding the upcoming NBA Draft:

BDA Sports Management’s pro day on Thursday saw over 150 NBA personnel in attendance, and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) runs down five players who improved their draft stock as a result of their showing at the event. According to the ESPN scribe, Frank Kaminsky, Kelly Oubre, Stanley Johnson, Robert Upshaw, and Andrew Harrison all had stellar performances.
Kaminsky entertained the idea of entering last season’s draft, Ford relays, but the big man admits that he wasn’t quite ready for the NBA at that point. “I knew I needed to get better. I wanted to go back to school, finish my degree and do more research by watching NBA basketball so I could see what I needed to get better at,” Kaminsky said. “It was like a free year to study for your final exam.“
A scout who was at the pro day told Darren Wolfson of 1500 (via Twitter) that Kaminsky and Oubre were clearly the two best players on the court, but Johnson was merely “decent.”

Draft Notes: Okafor, BDA Sports, Vaughn

May 21st, 2015 at 4:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Approximately 150 NBA executives and scouts are expected to be in attendance at BDA Sports Management’s pro day, which is being held today in Santa Barbara, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reports (Twitter link). Displaying their wares for the various league personnel will be 19 draft hopefuls, including Frank Kaminsky, Kelly Oubre, Robert Upshaw, and Stanley Johnson, Givony notes. There will also be six free agents performing, including Andre Dawkins, Al Thornton, and Drew Gordon, the DraftExpress scribe adds.

Here’s more draft related news:

Jahlil Okafor downplayed the recent reports that he doesn’t want to play for the Timberwolves, Andy Greder of The Pioneer Press relays. “Just for clarification I made this comment prior to the lottery,” Okafor tweeted. “I’ve never been the type to talk myself up.”
Givony released his full prospect profile and video breakdown for UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn, whom DraftExpress ranks as the 45th best prospect in the 2015 NBA Draft. Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) thinks a bit more highly of the 18-year-old, slotting him as the No. 23 overall player.
With the NBA Draft lottery now complete teams will now focus on determining which players are worthy of being selected within the top 14 picks. Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report breaks down each of the players expected to be off the board by pick No. 15.
Sixers GM Sam Hinkie noted that he never expected to receive the Lakers‘ 2015 first-rounder, which would have conveyed to Philadelphia if it fell outside of the top five, Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes. “I said the day we traded for the Lakers pick, we anticipated they’d get a top-three pick. And they did. Good for them. … We never anticipated we’d get the Lakers’ pick this year. We all get to a night like this and we can all dream about our 17 percent, but we never anticipated we’d get the Lakers pick this year,” said Hinkie.

Central Notes: Dellavedova, Smith, Johnson

May 20th, 2015 at 8:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Shooting guard J.R. Smith has made the most of his time with the Cavs and is still working toward changing the perception of him around the NBA, Tom Withers of The Associated Press writes. “I’m generally a good person, that’s what the people who know me tell me anyway,” said Smith. “I’m just being me in a better situation. Unfortunately, this picture of me got painted early in my career, so it’s pretty much taken me nine to 10 years to get over it. To be in this situation with these guys, going this far and to be playing this well, it’s a dream come true.” Smith has a player option worth $6,777,589 that he can opt out of this summer if he wishes to become an unrestricted free agent.

Here’s more from the NBA’s Central Division:

When asked his evaluation of the 2015 NBA Draft class, Pacers president Larry Bird said, “I’d like to take a couple home with me. The talent pool this year is very good. There are a lot of good players out there, so all of us sitting up here tonight should be happy about that,” Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star relays. In the same piece, Buckner runs down the list of prospects who have interviewed and worked out for the franchise thus far.
Matthew Dellavedova has received his fair share of criticism this season as the Cavs‘ backup point guard, but the team’s faith in the Australian is paying off in the playoffs, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. Dellavedova can become a restricted free agent this summer if Cleveland tenders him a qualifying offer worth $1,147,276.
Arizona forward Stanley Johnson believes that he would be a great fit alongside the Pistons‘ current personnel, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press relays. “I know Reggie [Jackson] and I know Andre [Drummond] really well,” Johnson said. “They’ve reached out to me and they’ve told me obviously that’s where the team needs the help at. I think I’m a good player and I can help out in that way. I think with the position I play it’s wide open for me to come in there and do something special.“

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Knicks

May 16th, 2015 at 10:56am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers could be in the mix to draft Arizona forward Stanley Johnson if their first round pick falls out of the top few selections, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “They’re a winning franchise,” Johnson said of the Sixers. “They told me the facts about how much they’ve won thus far [in franchise history] and the players that they’ve had and what they are trying to do. They are trying to make players get the work ethic part down and that’s what I’m about, so [the interview] was awesome.”

Here’s what else is happening around the Atlantic Division:

Arkansas forward Bobby Portis has six scheduled pre-draft workouts, including one with the Celtics, Jay King of MassLive tweets.
The Sixers sat down for interviews at the Chicago combine with Duke’s Justise WInslow, UCLA’s Kevon Looney, and injured Syracuse big man Chris McCullough, Pompey reports in a series of tweets.
Winslow attended a Yankees game last week with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, and the freshman said that he would have no problem fitting in alongside ‘Melo if drafted by New York, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “Of course Carmelo loves playing for the Knicks — I know he loves playing for the Knicks,’’ Winslow said. “Our conversation wasn’t how I’d fit in with the Knicks. Our conversation was the adjustment from college to the league and how my workouts were going. He’s being a mentor for a similar guy, similar path, national champion freshman year. It’s great to have a guy like that who accomplished so much to look out for you.’’

Northwest Notes: Freeland, Jazz, Draft

May 15th, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Center Joel Freeland can become a restricted free agent this summer if the Blazers tender him a qualifying offer worth $3,766,890, and Sean Meagher of the Oregonian, along with a panel of writers, runs down the case for the team to retain the big man. While Freeland’s numbers don’t stand out, he can be a solid backup when healthy, the panel notes. Working against Freeland is the fact that he is relatively easy to replace, though there is mutual interest in the 28-year-old returning to Rip City next season, the writers add.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz interviewed UNLV’s Christian Wood, Arizona’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Chris McCullough of Syracuse, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune relays in a series of tweets. Also scoring an interview with Utah was Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant, Jones adds.
Arizona forward Stanley Johnson is set to interview with representatives from the Jazz on Saturday, Jones tweets.
The Jazz also have an interest in Cameron Payne, and the team is expected to bring him in for an individual workout, Jones adds (Twitter link). Utah also wants to schedule individual workouts with Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky and Kansas swingman Kelly Oubre, Jones relays.
The Trail Blazers interviewed Arkansas’ Bobby Portis and Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell, both forwards, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com relays (Twitter links).
Duke point guard Tyus Jones met with the Timberwolves today, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes. Jones, who is a native of Minnesota, dished on his excitement about joining the NBA, Zgoda relays. “Every kid who plays basketball dreams it, but it’s one of those things that might not seem realistic,” Jones said. “You don’t necessarily see a lot of guys from Minnesota go to the NBA. Especially for me, being out of Apple Valley, it doesn’t seem like it’s possible. But it’s just one of those things: If you work hard, put your mind to something, you can do it. I’m proud to be from Apple Valley, Minnesota, and I’m very excited about this opportunity.”

Draft Rumors: Porzingis, Wood, Dawson

May 15th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

At least one GM is among the multiple executives who believe Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis has a shot to be drafted as highly as No. 2, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The head of basketball ops for another team said that he’s a “lock” for the top five and that it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go within the top three, adding that he’d draft him in front of Jahlil Okafor, the Duke center who occupied the top spot in projections for most of the season. The 19-year-old is No. 5 in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings and No. 8 with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Here’s more as draft rumors kick into high gear:

Christian Wood, a power forward out of UNLV, is hoping to follow in Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s footsteps as a ball-handler with unusual height and length, Howard-Cooper writes in the same piece. The Bucks intend to interview Wood, Virginia small forward Justin Anderson and others today, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
Both the DraftExpress team and Ford go in depth on the measurements from the combine, with Ford, in his Insider-only piece, noting that most top prospects sized up well and that this year’s draft class is among the longest groups in memory in terms of both height and wingspan.
Michigan State power forward Branden Dawson has interviewed with the Wizards, Clippers and Pelicans at the draft combine, as he told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Ellis, in the same report, adds Stanley Johnson, Frank Kaminsky and Rashad Vaughn to the list of prospects with whom the Pistons have spoken.
Terry Rozier met with the Pistons, too, as well as the Mavs, Suns, Knicks and Spurs, reports Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
The Sixers, Lakers, Cavs and Bucks have interviewed Cameron Payne, Kyler also tweets. Payne spoke with our Zach Links recently about his draft prospects.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds the Hornets and Warriors to the list of teams speaking with Rakeem Christmas (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Matthews, Draft, Young

May 14th, 2015 at 10:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jabari Young of CSNNW.com wouldn’t be surprised if Wesley Matthews gives the Blazers a discount to re-sign him this summer. Young interprets GM Neil Olshey‘s tone from his season-ending press conference as a signal that the team will pursue a new deal with the shooting guard. “We know his value to us,” Olshey said, adding that “We also know he’s going to have market value around the league. That’s another competitive part of the free agent process that we’re going to have to participate in.”

Here’s the latest out of the Western Conference:

The Blazers are scheduled to meet with UNLV’s Christian Wood, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com relays (Twitter links). Portland is also expected to take a close look at big man Myles Turner, Young notes.
Seth Curry will join the Pelicans‘ summer league squad, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. Curry made two appearances for the Suns during the 2014/15 season while on a lone 10-day contract.
Oregon senior guard Joseph Young interviewed with the Spurs, Pelicans, Knicks, Wizards, and Clippers today, Jabari Young tweets.
Sean Meagher of The Oregonian looks at Blazers point guard Tim Frazier, who inked a multiyear deal with the team this season, and what the player’s role might be next season. Frazier’s minimum salary arrangement with Portland is non-guaranteed.
The list of players whom the Thunder have interviewed during the combine includes Kelly Oubre, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Tyus Jones, Terry Rozier, Turner, and Stanley Johnson, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman relays (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Draft, Sixers

May 14th, 2015 at 8:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

While teams with lottery picks such as the Magic, Kings, Nuggets, and Pistons may be willing to consider trading down in the draft, the Celtics don’t have the assets necessary to entice those franchises to make a deal, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) opines. The only player on Boston’s roster who could be used to move into the five to eight range of picks is Marcus Smart, but the point guard is considered virtually untouchable, Ford notes.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Philadelphia also interviewed Texas center Myles Turner, Pompey adds.
The Celtics also sat down for an interview with Wood, as well as Arizona forward Stanley Johnson, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe relays (Twitter links).
Arizona defensive ace Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has an interview scheduled with the Celtics, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets. You can check out our full prospect profile for Hollis-Jefferson here.
Most of the Celtics heavy lifting at the draft combine will be done at the hotel where the team will conduct its interviews, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. This is because most of the players whom Boston has interest in will not be participating in the on court portion of the activities, Forsberg adds.
Point guards Delon Wright and Jerian Grant were among the players the Nets interviewed today at the combine, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily reports. Both Wright and Grant fit the Nets’ draft model under GM Billy King, who prefers veteran players from big programs, Windrem adds.

Draft Notes: Lyles, Anderson, Wood

May 14th, 2015 at 5:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2015 NBA Draft combine is underway in Chicago and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) offers up a primer for all of the scheduled events. The return of five-on-five play to the event has scouts and GMs excited, but that anticipation is tempered by the fact that only one player ranked in the top 30 — Terry Rozier, will be participating in the scrimmages, Ford notes.

Here’s more regarding the 2015 NBA Draft:

Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal caught up with ESPN’s Chad Ford to talk about the Kentucky Wildcats’ seven NBA Draft hopefuls. Ford spoke highly of Trey Lyles, but says that he needs to prove himself in workouts between now and the draft.
Former Virgina swingman Justin Anderson met with the Celtics today, and the player has a workout scheduled with the team on June 1st, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.
The Wolves interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood, and are also expected to sit down with Texas center Myles Turner, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets.
Arizona forward Stanley Johnson interviewed with the Hornets today, and Johnson touted himself as “the best two-way player in the draft,” Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer notes (Twitter link).
Former Syracuse forward Rakeem Christmas met with the Bucks, Magic, and Suns today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Christmas is also scheduled to workout for the Sixers, but he will not interview with the team at the combine, Pompey notes.
Projected second-rounder J.P. Tokoto interviewed with the Cavaliers, Clippers, and Pistons on Wednesday, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays (via Twitter). The guard met with the Hawks, Nets, and Mavs today, Gardner adds.