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Draft Updates: Saric, Cavs, Noel, Knicks

June 11th, 2013 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

As I suggested last week when a report surfaced that Dario Saric was withdrawing from the 2013 draft, it sounds like he and his representatives have yet to make the decision official. Still, all signs are pointing to Saric pulling out of this year's class, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The Croatian forward has until next Monday at 4:00pm central time to make a formal decision.

Here are a few more of the latest draft-related updates:

ESPN.com's Chad Ford believes there's a good chance Saric would go in the top 10 if he remained in the draft, adding that scouts familiar with Europe don't think there's a huge difference between Saric and Otto Porter.
Speaking of Porter, Ford says he remains a possibility for the Cavaliers at No. 1, since Cleveland is still a couple weeks away from making up its mind.
Could Nerlens Noel be available for the Bobcats when they pick fourth overall? One player-personnel executive connected to a lottery team thinks so, telling Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he believes the first three picks in the draft will be, in some order, Anthony Bennett, Ben McLemore, and Porter.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Glen Rice Jr., and Phil Pressey, three sons of former NBA players, will work out for the Knicks today, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Lucas Nogueira tells Brett Pollakoff of NBCSports.com that he's flexible about the possibility of returning to Europe if the NBA team that drafts him thinks he needs more time overseas to develop.
Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along a report indicating that Janis Timma will be heading stateside to work out for several NBA teams in hopes of securing a spot in the draft. Like Saric, Timma has until June 17th to decide whether to remain in the draft or withdraw his name.

Draft Notes: Knicks, Larkin, Hardaway Jr., Bucks

June 1st, 2013 at 10:12am CST by Zachary Links

Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo, Ben McLemore, and Anthony Bennett will likely be among the candidates visiting with the Wizards in the second or third week of June, when the team will look at candidates for the No. 3 overall pick, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. For now, the team is concentrating on targets for its pair of second-round pick, and Lee lists more than a dozen such players scheduled for workouts with the team next week. The Wizards' pick may very well come down to a decision between who is left over between Porter and Nerlens Noel, but they'll leave no stone unturned when it comes to their top pick. Here's more draft news..

Former Miami point guard Shane Larkin won’t work out for the Knicks, his agent told Adam Zagoria of SNY. “Currently, Shane’s not scheduled to work out for the Knicks,” agent Steve McCaskill said. “And we don’t have any intentions of scheduling one. We don’t feel like he’s going to be on the board when they select.” The Knicks have the No. 24 pick in the draft and while some view Larkin as a mid-round talent, it's worth noting that DraftExpress currently has him going at No. 23 to the Pacers.
Tim Hardaway Jr. auditioned for the Bucks and told reporters, including Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, that he has already worked out for the Bulls and T'Wolves. The Michigan product is widely viewed as a fringe first-round talent.
Murray State's Isaiah Canaan says he has already worked out for the Spurs and he has more workouts scheduled with the Pacers, Knicks, Cavs, Suns, Mavs, and Jazz, Gardner writes. Canaan, who auditioned for the Bucks, could be a candidate for the club's No. 43 selection.
Former Creighton and Rutgers big man Gregory Echenique will work out for the Wizards, Suns, and Nets in the coming weeks, Zagoria writes. The 6-foot-9, 260-pound center has already worked out for the Celtics, Timberwolves, and Trail Blazers. At this time, Echenique figures to be a second round pick at best.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Noel, Jones, Franklin, Mitchell

May 30th, 2013 at 6:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Andy Katz of ESPN noted earlier that Nerlens Noel will visit with the Magic this Sunday, and is yet to schedule a meeting with the Cavaliers. The potential number one pick is up six pounds (from 206 to 212) since the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp two weeks ago, and isn’t expected to visit any other teams beyond Orlando and Cleveland unless a team trades up to the first or second draft slots or there is a strong sense that a deal gets done (All Twitter links). We’ll keep you posted on anything draft related tonight below:

The Wizards are slated to bring in Archie Goodwin, Peyton Siva, Mike Muscala, James Southerland, Will Clyburn, Adonis Thomas, Khalif Wyatt, and Romero Osby for workouts starting on Monday. Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo, and Ben McLemore may be among the next wave of prospects to work out for the team during the following week.
SNYtv’s Josh Newman passes along that Iona standout Lamont Jones is set to work out for the Nets on June 20. Jones is the second confirmed prospect set to work out for Brooklyn, who will also take a look at San Diego State product Jamaal Franklin at a date yet to be determined (Twitter links).
Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports that the Trail Blazers brought in six draft hopefuls in for predraft workouts today, among them being a projected first-rounder in Tony Mitchell. Joining the North Texas big man were second round prospects Richard Howell, Dexter Strickland, Adonis Thomas, BJ Young, and James Ennis. Freeman profiled each of today’s visitors in a separate piece.
Hoopworld’s Alex Kennedy presents his list of 10 possible steals in this year’s draft.
Although the Pistons GM Joe Dumars acknowledged that the team’s preference would be to draft a viable wing player, he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of drafting the best available big man by the time Detroit is on the clock with the eighth pick (Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press).
According to this article from NBA.com, the Timberwolves hosted Tim Hardaway Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ricky Ledo, Allen Crabbe, Mouphtaou Yarou, and Gregory Echenique for workouts today.

Odds & Ends: Summer League, Kings, Devin Harris

May 29th, 2013 at 5:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced today that 22 teams will participate in the Association's Summer League in Las Vegas in July. Since one of those 22 is a D-League select team, there are nine NBA clubs who won't be in Vegas: the Celtics, Nets, Pistons, Rockets, Pacers, Thunder, Magic, 76ers, and Jazz. While Summer League results often aren't an indicator of regular-season success (Josh Selby was the co-MVP in Vegas a year ago), this year's format should at least be entertaining, as it will feature an NCAA-style single-elimination tournament for the first time.

Here are a few more Wednesday odds and ends from around the NBA:

After reporting earlier today that the Kings would be interviewing Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace, Sam Amick of USA Today now says that interview has taken place.
Free agent guard Devin Harris tells Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times that he'd be very much open to listening if the Bucks call him this summer. "Who wouldn’t want to play for their hometown team?" said Harris, a Milwaukee native. "I know they got a lot of decisions to make, but I know I would be interested in them. If it’s going to work out, who knows?"
The Bucks will resume their draft workouts on Friday, with Shane Larkin and Tim Hardaway Jr. among a group of six players auditioning, tweets Woelfel.
Numerous free-agents-to-be have said throughout the season that they intend to consider the Hawks this summer, says Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.

Draft Updates: Friday

May 17th, 2013 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

2:52pm: Here are a few more updates out of Chicago:

In a series of tweets, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune lists a number of the prospects the Timberwolves have talked to or will talk to in Chicago. Among those we hadn't already heard about: Alex Len, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tim Hardaway Jr., Ricky Ledo, Archie Goodwin, Reggie Bullock, and Vander Blue.
The Trail Blazers will meet with Caldwell-Pope today, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian (via Twitter). Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com adds (via Twitter) that the Blazers met with Ledo yesterday.
Ryan Kelly has met with the Mavericks, Celtics, and Clippers, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Dennis Schroeder will work out for the Bucks, Jazz, and Rockets, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter).
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio tweets that there's some speculation at the combine that this could finally be the year the No. 1 pick is traded.

11:44am: It took us multiple posts yesterday to round up all the tidbits trickling out of Chicago, where the NBA is holding its draft combine this week. We'll see if today is as busy, but in the meantime, here are the latest updates on the 2013 draft:

Some NBA executives believe that it's possible Shabazz Muhammad falls out of the top 10 and perhaps even the lottery on draft night, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford passes along the official measurements on the players in Chicago, and provides a few thoughts on the results.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link) hears from an NBA source that the Warriors believe they can acquire either a first- or second-round pick in this year's draft, if they so choose. Kawakami adds in a second tweet that a pick would mostly just cost money, but I'm skeptical that the Warriors could pick up a first-rounder without giving up anything of value, or that they'd even want to add a rookie-scale salary, given their proximity to the tax.
Alex Len met with the Bobcats last night and will meet with the Cavaliers today, according to tweets from Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer and Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal. David Mayo of MLive.com tweets that Len has nothing set up with the Pistons and "wasn't too enthused" when asked about them — perhaps that would change if Detroit jumped into the top three in next week's lottery.
The Pistons will meet with Rudy Gobert today, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
Steven Adams interviewed with the Magic last night, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Chad Ford heard that Adams was the big winner on the first day of the combine, with "GM after GM" impressed by his showing.
Kelly Olynyk has met with the Bucks, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
Myck Kabongo met with the Knicks and Trail Blazers earlier in the week, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Mason Plumlee also expects to meet with the Blazers, tweets Jason Quick of the Oregonian.

Kings Notes: Ownership, Ranadive, Draft, Ellis

May 16th, 2013 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings fans received some great news yesterday, when the NBA's Board of Governors rejected a bid to relocate the franchise to Seattle. Even with the sale to Chris Hansen's Seattle group seemingly dead, the Kings aren't quite safe in Sacramento yet. The Maloofs still have the right to hang on to the team, though they're currently attempting to negotiate a sale to the Sacramento investment group led by Vivek Ranadive. Here's the latest on the Kings, on and off the court:

George Maloof believes a deal will be reached with Ranadive's group, as he tells David Bienick of KCRA in Sacramento (Twitter link). However, he's not sure it will happen in the 24-48 hour window David Stern is hoping for (Twitter link). Maloof also added that Hansen remains interested in buying a minority share of the Kings, so that's part of the current talks as well (Twitter link).
With Kings ownership still up in the air, front office and roster decisions remain on hold as well, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Head coach Keith Smart and GM Geoff Petrie are approaching this week's draft combine as if they'll continue in their current roles.
The team interviewed six draft prospects on Wednesday, according to Jones: Reggie Bullock , Alex Len, Tim Hardaway Jr., Richard Howell, Tony Snell, and Deshaun Thomas.
Expect Ranadive to "eviscerate" the Kings' business and basketball operations should he assume control of the team, says Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. Voisin also hears that Ranadive's reps shot down a previous report that the Sacramento group was interested in Monta Ellis.
Dale Kasler, Tony Lillis, and Ryan Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee, who have done a terrific job of chronicling the entire saga, recap an eventful Wednesday and look ahead to the next step for the Kings.

Draft Links: Gobert, Mock Drafts, Muhammad

May 15th, 2013 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

With so many likely first-round prospects suffering from injuries or simply not wanting to hurt their draft stocks (if they're already surefire lottery picks), don't expect too many big names to get on the court at this week's predraft camp in Chicago, writes Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Most of this week's participants will be potential late-first or second-round picks, fighting to move up in the draft. Nonetheless, Goodman identifies seven guys worth keeping an eye on, led by Frenchman Rudy Gobert.

Here's more on the Chicago combine and the 2013 NBA draft:

HoopsWorld has released the third installment of its consensus mock draft, with four writers contributing their projections for the first round.
Also receiving updates today: Chad Ford's top 30 at ESPN.com (Insider-only link) and Chris Mannix's big board at SI.com. Ford's list includes the latest rumblings about who will and won't be participating in drills in Chicago this week.
Ford also shares observations (Insider link) on a number of players he saw yesterday at the Fitness Formula Club, including Mason Plumlee and Tim Hardaway Jr.
In one final non-Insider Ford link, the ESPN.com scribe answers readers' draft questions in an hour-long chat.
Shabazz Muhammad is expected to choose Bill Duffy of BDA Sports Management for his representation, according to Goodman (Twitter link). Goodman adds that the decision is surprising, considering Wasserman Media Group was the favorite for Muhammad.

Draft Notes: Len, Plumlee, Hardaway, Saric

April 30th, 2013 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

A 2013 draft that was already considered weak may have gotten even weaker when Sunday's early entry deadline passed without a few top underclassmen declaring their intent, says Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Taking into account the prospects that will be in this year's draft class, Deveney tries his hand at forecasting the first round in his latest mock draft. Here are a few more of Tuesday's draft-related links, courtesy of Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com:

Likely lottery pick Alex Len will be represented by Michael Lelchitski of Sports International Group, Inc., tweets Givony.
Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports has picked up another handful of clients, adding Mason Plumlee, Tim Hardaway Jr., Isaiah Canaan, and Jackie Carmichael to his agency, tweets Givony. Priority Sports has also added Gonzaga's Elias Harris, who will be represented by Brad Ames, Givony adds.
Nick Young of DraftExpress.com spoke to Dario Saric about entering the draft and what his future holds. Saric is considered the top international prospect in the draft by ESPN.com's Chad Ford.

Tim Hardaway Jr. To Enter Draft

April 17th, 2013 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

2:07pm: Hardaway has made it official, announcing this afternoon that he'll enter this year's draft.

11:48am: Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. will forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility and declare his intent to enter the draft, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Earlier today, we heard that Hardaway has a press conference scheduled for 2:00pm CST today, so the junior guard figures to formally announce his decision at that time.

Hardaway Jr., whose father was a five-time NBA All-Star, averaged 14.5 PPG in his junior year at Michigan, a slight step down from his sophomore scoring average. However, his shooting rates increased to 43.7% from the floor and 37.4% on three-pointers.

The 21-year-old will become the second Michigan underclassman to announce his intent to go pro, though he won't be drafted as high in June as his backcourt mate, Trey Burke. Hardaway ranks as Chad Ford's 55th prospect at ESPN.com, and is ranked 56th by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.

Draft Updates: Hardaway, Larkin, Early Entrants

April 17th, 2013 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

The NCAA's withdrawal deadline for early entrants passed by yesterday, but the real deadline is still to come. NCAA underclassmen who haven't declared for the draft yet can still do so by the NBA's deadline of April 28th, so a few decisions are still on the way in the next week and a half. Let's check in on a couple of those decisions in our latest round of draft updates….

Tim Hardaway Jr. of Michigan has a press conference scheduled at 2:00pm CST today to announce his decision, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who says he'd be very surprised if Hardaway doesn't go pro.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Twitter link) hears that Miami sophomore Shane Larkin is leaning strongly toward declaring for the draft, which has Ford moving him to the "one foot in" section of his in-or-out list.
A few other players besides Hardaway Jr. and Larkin that have "one foot in," according to Ford: Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk, Washington's C.J. Wilcox, and Adreian Payne of Michigan State. All three players are juniors at their respective schools.