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.
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.
Victor Oladipo appears to be the most popular player in the 2013 NBA Draft for general managers, even if he isn't on top of draft boards.
"Oladipo is the guy that GMs love in this draft," wrote Chad Ford. "May be the only one. I've talked to 14 or 15 who tell me he's their favorite player. Almost zero downside and still significant upside. Not sure he's a fit in Cleveland or Washington -- but Orlando and Phoenix both look like strong fits. (Trey) Burke may be a bigger need (for Orlando), but Oladipo might be the better player long-term."
Oladipo was a first team All-American in his junior season at Indiana.
The 2013 NBA Draft Lottery was held on Tuesday in Times Square with the Cleveland Cavaliers winning for the second time in three years and third time in ten years. The Washington Wizards moved up from the eighth slot to draft third.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers 2. Orlando Magic 3. Washington Wizards 4. Charlotte Bobcats 5. Phoenix Suns 6. New Orleans Pelicans 7. Sacramento Kings 8. Detroit Pistons 9. Minnesota Timberwolves 10. Portland Trail Blazers 11. Philadelphia 76ers 12. Toronto Raptors 13. Dallas Mavericks 14. Utah Jazz