To keep Dwight Howard, the Lakers will have to sell him on a vision for 2014 and beyond. As a result, if championships are his goal, the Rockets are the safer bet for a whole host of reasons. Read More. Written by Jonathan Tjarks on May 23, 2013
The event gives front offices the opportunity to evaluate D-League players with the possibility of offering Summer League or training camp invites. Read More.
Tyus Jones, the No. 2 overall recruit for 2014 and an excellent point guard, was selected by Paul Biancardi, Adam Finkelstein and John Stovall. Read More.
Ernie Grunfeld believes there's talent beyond the top two picks in the upcoming draft.
"Well, I think it’s a three-player draft," Grunfeld said, when told the draft is being described as top heavy, with the top two players being Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore. "But I won’t tell you who that third player is."
Grunfeld seemed to suggest the Wizards already have a player in mind.
"Obviously we've been going through this process already, but the process will continue," he said. "And as I said before, we feel good about the player that’s probably going to be available to us at that spot."
Grunfeld wouldn’t rule out the possibility of trading the No. 3 pick.
"Well, I think everything is on the table," he said. "We feel good about where we are, we think we’ll get a nice player, but you never say never to anything."
Otto Porter Jr. is under consideration by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick, according to a source with knowledge of the team's thinking.
Porter is a sophomore forward out of Georgetown.
Chris Grant selected Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters higher than most had projected.
Joe Dumars is “comfortable” with the Detroit Pistons staying in the middle of the draft lottery.
"I'm good with it," Dumars said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday night. "I just talked to Tom Gores about five minutes (ago) and I basically said the same thing ... there are no franchise changers, there's no franchise guy, really, that you're looking at in this particular draft.
"So to be at seven or eight, we're going to get a good player. We'll add another really nice piece to the core we that already have and we'll move forward. So like I said, I'm very, very comfortable with it and OK with it -- totally OK with it."
Dumars said the Pistons are most focused on perimeter players.
"You rate these wing guys and it gets to the point where the ones you rated in the top seven or eight (are off the board), so why not take the best big guy or the best player on the board at that point?" he said. "Our preference is to look at the perimeter with this particular pick. But by no means are we locked into that where that's all we're going to take, no matter what."
Trey Burke is beginning to get a feel for where he might fall in the NBA draft.
"I'm hearing anywhere from two to six," Burke said Wednesday. "That's pretty much everything I'm hearing now. It's really a toss up and up in the air. So I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next month or so."
Burke wouldn't mind falling to the Pistons at No. 8.
"Absolutely, that would be great," he said. "To be able to play for the Pistons, right there in Michigan where I've already played for the Michigan Wolverines, that would be wonderful and I would be looking forward to it."
Kentucky coach John Calipari wants the Cleveland Cavaliers to draft Nerlens Noel with the first overall pick in this year's NBA draft.
"My hope is they take Nerlens because they do their research and say, 'We need that shot blocker behind what we have. ... We know he's going to gain 40 pounds. We know the trajectory,'" Calipari said. "They know where he was at the beginning of the year and they know how much he improved because they were here.
"They haven't made mistakes. If they pick him, in all likelihood, history tells you something: It's not a mistake, which means it's good for my kid."
The Phoenix Suns will pick fifth overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, their highest selection since 1987 when they selected Armen Gilliam at No. 2 after David Robinson went to the San Antonio Spurs.
The draft is considered very flat, which benefits the Suns at No. 5 more than certain seasons in the past.
“The guy who goes there might not be much different, or any different, than guys who go in the top three,” McDonough said.
The Suns will be the first team from the Western Conference selecting in this draft.
“I think generally we need to get more athletic,” Ryan McDonough said. “I think we need more shooting. My philosophy is always to draft the best available player. There are some good pieces in place here. But at the same time, we won 25 games here, so we need to get better across the board.”
D.J. Stephens has recorded a 46-inch vertical leap during a workout on Wednesday hosted by the Brooklyn Nets, according to a Tweet from ESPN's Chad Ford.
Stephens averaged 7.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in his senior season at Memphis, his first in which he received significant minutes. Stephens was also named Conference-USA Defensive Player of the Year.
Stephens has developed a reputation as a dunk artist due to his immense leaping ability.