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Draft Notes: Lee, Williams, Bluiett

May 17th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kentucky junior power forward Marcus Lee has cancelled at least three scheduled workouts with NBA teams, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes. Lee told reporters that he was still weighing his options regarding the NBA Draft and wasn’t concerned about fighting for playing time on a stacked Wildcats squad next season if he does return to school, Zagoria adds. “I’m definitely weighing my options, it’s definitely a process,” Lee said. “Once I get back home I’ll be able to talk it through with my family and we’ll figure it out from there. We’ll kind of weigh the options and go from there knowing that there is a risk there in not knowing what might happen.” Lee is currently slotted as the No. 29 overall junior by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

Here’s the latest 2016 NBA Draft news and notes:

Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams is still undecided on whether or not he will remain in this year’s NBA draft, Scott Agness of VigilantSports tweets. Williams, who is the No. 86 overall prospect according to Givony, has upcoming workouts with the Lakers, Clippers, and Pelicans, Agness notes.
Xavier sophomore swingman Trevon Bluiett will work out for the Lakers on Friday, Zagoria relays (via Twitter).
The Timberwolves have workouts scheduled on Wednesday for Bryn Forbes (Michigan State), Amida Brimah (UConn), Angel Rodriguez (Miami), Williams and Tonye Jekiri (Miami), Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (Twitter link).
Working out for the Clippers on Wednesday will be Isaiah Taylor (Texas), Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson) and Robert Carter (Maryland), Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets.

Central Notes: Thibodeau, Pacers, Jackson

May 14th, 2016 at 7:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said it was painful to watch the team struggle to a non-playoff season, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago. Now president and coach of the Timberwolves, Thibodeau discussed the Bulls as he returned to Chicago for this week’s draft combine. “I think Derrick [Rose] after the first couple months, played very well and it was great to see him healthy,” Thibodeau said. “He went through four years that were difficult. I think Jimmy [Butler] continues to improve and get better. Pau [Gasol] was terrific. Doug McDermott had a terrific season and Niko [Mirotic] was inconsistent but he finished strong. There were a lot of pluses and one or two games go a different way and if Joakim [Noah] doesn’t get hurt, this is a terrific team. They need their health. For me, just looking from afar, that’s the biggest thing for this team.” Thibodeau also supported the coach who took his place, Fred Hoiberg, and said he expects the Bulls to become contenders again next season.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

The Pacers will hold a workout on Tuesday for Indiana small forward Troy Williams, Maryland point guard Melo Trimble, Oklahoma point guard Isaiah Cousins and others, tweets Jeff Rabjohns of Basketball Times. High schooler Thon Maker will work out for the Pacers on Wednesday, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Maryland power forward Robert Carter Jr. had an interview with the Pacers at the draft combine, tweets Scott Agness of VigilantSports.
The Bucks will likely be looking for backcourt help in next month’s draft, according to Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee enters Tuesday’s draft lottery with the No. 10 pick, along with second-rounders at No. 36 and No. 38. GM John Hammond insists the team will employ the “best-player-available” strategy, but Gardner says it’s obvious the Bucks need better guard play. One possibility could be Notre Dame junior point guard Demetrius Jackson, who interviewed with Milwaukee during the draft combine. “[Bucks coach] Jason Kidd is awesome,” Jackson said. “I do my research before I go in there. I’m naming off some of his accomplishments — nine-time all-NBA defender. At the next level I really want to be an elite NBA defender. It’s cool to meet some of these people you see on TV.”

Northwest Notes: Stotts, Brown, Poeltl

May 13th, 2016 at 5:47pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mason Plumlee said Thursday that he’ll be “shocked” if the Trail Blazers don’t give Terry Stotts an extension, and Damian Lillard said a renewed deal for the coach “would mean everything to me,” notes Jay Allen of WPOJ-AM (Twitter links). Portland and representatives for the coach will reportedly explore the idea of an extension, and every Blazers player at exit interviews Thursday said they think Stotts is deserving of an extension and a raise, as KFXX-AM relays via Twitter.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Gerald Henderson confirmed hints that he’d like to re-sign with the Blazers, Allen tweets. “I can’t imagine a better place,” Henderson said. Maurice Harkless, headed for restricted free agency, also wants to return to Portland, KFXX-AM notes (Twitter link).
The Timberwolves interviewed Utah sophomore center Jakob Poeltl and UNLV freshman big man Stephen Zimmerman, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune relays (Twitter links).
The Jazz have scheduled a workout with Memphis small forward Dedric Lawson and are expected to set up one with Purdue freshman forward Caleb Swanigan, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune relays (Twitter links).
The Jazz interviewed Jaylen Brown (California) and Troy Williams (Indiana) today, and the team has scheduled meetings for Saturday with Malachi Richardson (Syracuse) and Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall), Jones relays in a series of tweets. The scribe also notes that Utah really likes freshman power forward Marquese Chriss (Washington), a potential lottery pick, and that the 18-year-old impressed the team during his interview.
The Wolves held a workout earlier this week that included Ben Bentil (Providence), Abdul Malik-Abu (North Carolina State), Abdel Nader (Iowa State), Trevon Bluiett (Xavier) and James Robinson (Pittsburgh), Zgoda tweets.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Bird, Swanigan, Whitehead, Dunn

May 12th, 2016 at 6:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Larry Bird hasn’t started his search to replace fired head coach Frank Vogel, relays Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. The Pacers‘ president of basketball operations, who spent several hours watching watching five-on-five competitions today at the draft combine, said he has not talked to agents for any prospective coaches. “I got a list of guys and I’m just putting it together,” Bird said. Vogel, who was fired last week, has talked to the Rockets about their open head coaching spot, but no formal interview has been scheduled. The Pacers, who hold the No. 20 pick in next month’s draft, have conducted interviews with several players and will start workouts next week.

There’s more news from the Central Division:

One of those players the Pacers interviewed is Purdue freshman power forward Caleb Swanigan, according to a tweet from Buckner. Swanigan says he will hold a predraft workout with Indiana.
Seton Hall sophomore point guard Isaiah Whitehead has interviewed with the Bulls and Pacers, tweets Zach Braziller of The New York Post.
The Pacers also talked to Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams, according to Nathan Baird of The Lafayette Journal & Courier (Twitter link).
The Bulls interviewed Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Unless they get really lucky in the lottery, the Bulls would have to make a deal to rise into Dunn’s expected draft range. Chicago currently sits at pick No. 14.
Kentucky sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that he talked to the Pistons among nine team interviews (Twitter link).
Notre Dame junior point guard Demetrius Jackson also met with the Pistons today, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
The Pistons interviewed Florida State freshman shooting guard Malik Beasley, Beard tweets. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy talked about toughness and what role Beasley might have in Detroit.
The Pistons also talked to Vanderbilt sophomore point guard Wade Baldwin, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link). Baldwin had an interview with the Bucks as well, tweets Matt Velazquez of The Journal Sentinel.
Michigan State freshman big man Deyonta Davis also met with the Bucks, according to Beard (Twitter link).
Virginia senior shooting guard Malcolm Brogdon interviewed with the Bucks, tweets Charles F. Garnder of The Journal-Sentinel. “I’m 23; I’m one of the oldest guys in the draft,” Brogdon said. “So I hope I come off as mature and experienced.” (Twitter link).
The Bucks also met with Washington freshman power forward Marquese Chriss, Velazquez tweets. Coach Jason Kidd was in the meeting as the team asked Chriss to write down his “personal pillars.”

Draft Notes: Lee, English, Bender

May 11th, 2016 at 9:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kentucky junior power forward Marcus Lee is likely to remain in this year’s NBA Draft, according to coach John Calipari, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays. “Marcus really wants to do this, and my guess is that he’ll keep his name in the draft because this is what he wants to do,” Calipari told reporters. “And I just told him to go up there [to the NBA draft combine] and do your thing and show the athletic player that you are. But he’s also worked out. We’ve had those guys work out with teams before the combine so two or three teams could evaluate them, talk to them, and Marcus went to the combine.” Lee is the No. 29 junior overall, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

When asked whether the same held true for freshman point guard Isaiah Briscoe, the coach noted that much depended on how well Briscoe shot the ball during his workouts, Zagoria adds. “Don’t know yet,” Calipari said of Briscoe’s plans. “He’s worked out with a few teams. Did a pretty good job. You know, with Isaiah, the whole thing comes back to just shooting the ball. Because they know the other skills that he has translates, including physically and defensively and rebounding. It all translates, so he’s just got to be a more consistent shooter. And if you’re watching the NBA, if you choose to do that, what you’re finding out is that now there is a premium on shooting.”

Here are the latest news and notes regarding the 2016 NBA Draft, which will be held on June 23rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York:

Former Iona combo guard A.J. English has workouts scheduled for later this month with the Pistons, Mavericks, Lakers and Clippers, Josh Thomson of The Journal News relays.
Purdue senior center A.J. Hammons has withdrawn from this week’s NBA draft combine, Givony reports (via Twitter). The big man declined to participate in the five-on-five portion of the event, deciding instead to train in Houston, the scribe notes.
Croatian forward Dragan Bender is the best international player in this year’s draft, but his frame isn’t NBA-ready yet, and he will need to improve his outside shooting before he will be able to make an impact in the league, Givony notes in his profile of the 18-year-old. “To become NBA-ready I need to improve all the things in my game and try to put them on a higher level, try to put them on an NBA level,” Bender said. “It’s really hard to achieve those levels, but I’m really working hard to do it. Those little things are separating me from those players playing in the NBA.” Bender is slotted third overall in Givony’s rankings.
The Pacers have a workout scheduled with Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star relays (via Twitter).

Indiana SF Troy Williams To Test Draft Waters

April 11th, 2016 at 12:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

Indiana University junior small forward Troy Williams will enter this year’s NBA draft but has no immediate plans to hire an agent, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links). The school has confirmed the news. The 6’6″ 21-year-old is a fringe second-round prospect, checking in at 83rd in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and 86th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Williams plans to get a clearer picture of his draft stock before deciding whether to withdraw or remain in the draft, Wojnarowski adds. He can retain his college eligibility as he takes part in workouts for teams and, if invited, the NBA combine, so long as he pulls out by May 25th and doesn’t hire an agent.

Williams upped his scoring average slightly this season compared to his sophomore year, from 13.0 points per game to 13.3, but his per-game rebounding average dipped from 7.4 to 5.8. Perhaps most importantly, he developed a 3-point game, hiking his number of attempts from 13 to 75 and nailing 34.7% of his looks from behind the arc this year. He connected on five of eight 3-point attempts during a 21-point performance in Indiana’s season-ending Sweet 16 loss to eventual finalist North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament.

The native of Hampton, Virginia, earns high marks from Ford for his defense. He was 51st in the 2013 Recruiting Services Consensus Index coming out of prep powerhouse Oak Hill Academy.

Troy Williams To Remain At Indiana

April 8th, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Indiana sophomore forward Troy Williams intends to return to school for his junior season, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The 20-year-old helped the Hoosiers to a record of 20-14, and a second round ouster in the NCAA tournament, courtesy of Wichita State.

The second-year swingman is likely to improve his draft stock by returning to Indiana for another season of development. Williams was a projected second round pick if he declared for the 2015 draft. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com slots Williams as the No. 46 overall prospect, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) rates him 50th overall.

In 32 appearances for the Hoosiers this season, the 6’7″ Williams logged 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 27.6 minutes per game. Williams’ career averages through two seasons are 10.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.5 APG. His career shooting numbers are .529/.286/.716.