April 2015 Basketball Wiretap

December PER Of Top-10 2016 NBA Draft Prospects

Dec 31, 2015 4:43 PM

The following are the month-by-month PER of the current top-10 prospects of the 2016 NBA Draft.

Overall PER / December PER / November PER

Ben Simmons: 31.0 / 35.3 / 27.0

Brandon Ingram: 23.7 / 29.7 / 16.4

Skal Labissiere: 17.6 / 7.4 / 23.1

Dragan Bender: 13.1 / 15.3 / 18.0

Jaylen Brown: 16.8 / 12.8 / 21.9

Kris Dunn: 29.1 / 27.3 / 30.0

Jamal Murray: 15.6 / 15.1 / 16.0

Henry Ellenson: 21.0 / 23.7 / 18.0

Jakob Poeltl: 32.5 / 29.1 / 36.9

Cheick Diallo: 21.7 / 21.7 / NA

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Bo Ryan Retires Effective Immediately

Dec 16, 2015 1:52 PM

Bo Ryan announced his retirement, effective immediately, following Wisconsin's win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday.

"After months of conversation with Barry Alvarez and his administrative staff, as well as my wife, Kelly, I have decided that now is the right time to step down from the head coaching position here at Wisconsin," Ryan said in a statement released after the game.

Ryan led Wisconsin to the National Championship Game last season.

Ryan, who turns 68 on Sunday, had said in a statement in June that he would coach this season and then step down.

Greg Gard will take over as interim head coach.

"This was a decision months in the making," Ryan said. "I brought this up to Barry back in April. He advised me to take some time to think it over, and I appreciated that. But in recent weeks, I have come to the conclusion that now is the right time for me to retire and for Greg Gard to have the opportunity to coach the team for the remainder of the season. I discussed this with Barry, and I appreciate him giving me the space to make this decision."

ESPN

Tags: Wisconsin Badgers, NCAA

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Russell Westbrook Gives Largest Contribution To UCLA By Former Basketball Player

Dec 14, 2015 11:51 AM

UCLA will name the floor of the Men's Basketball practice facility Russell Westbrook Court after his significant financial contribution.

The gift is the largest by a former basketball student-athlete in UCLA history.

"Russell isn’t merely a dominant force in the NBA, he’s a force to be reckoned with in the community as well,” said Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. “While his Why Not? Foundation’s mission is to inspire the lives of children and teach them to never give up, the fact of the matter is, having witnessed firsthand and from afar his growth over the years, Russell himself is an inspiration. We could not be more proud of his leadership both on and off the court since he left Westwood, and I know the Bruin faithful will be excited to welcome him back home next month and thank him for this tremendous gift.”

Westbrook played two seasons at UCLA.

"I loved my time at UCLA and jumped at the opportunity to give back to the University that provided me with amazing opportunities and great memories,” said Westbrook. “I am truly honored to be part of the legacy that is Bruin basketball.”

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder, UCLA Bruins, NCAA, NBA

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LeBron Okay With Ben Simmons' Comparisons

Dec 5, 2015 4:01 PM

Ben Simmons has been compared to LeBron James with his abilities as a passer despite having the height of a forward.

James doesn't mind the comparison.

"I don't mind it," James said Friday. "Someone's going to be compared to someone all the time, and I don't mind him being compared to me. People not only recognizing what he does on the floor, but he's a great kid, too. He has a great family, great support system, and that's why he's able to do what he [does] on the floor."

"He's one of the best players in the world that's played the game," Simmons said in an interview with ESPN. "I just try to take little parts of his game and put it into mine. His size is one of the things that I look at. I'm 6-10, and he's right at 6-8 or 6-9, and I just try and fit what he does into my game."

Dave McMenamin/ESPN

Tags: Ben Simmons, LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, LSU Tigers, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Draft Express Moves Ben Simmons To No. 1, Brandon Ingram To No. 2

Dec 4, 2015 12:09 PM

Draft Express has moved Ben Simmons to the top position in their mock draft for 2016 while Brandon Ingram moved up to second and Skal Labissiere dropped to third.

Labissiere had been in the first slot in the Draft Express mock draft since April.

Dragan Bender is currently No. 4 with Jaylen Brown rounding out the top-5.

Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray, Henry Ellenson, Jakob Poeltl and Cheick Diallo rank 6th through 10th.

Jonathan Givony/Draft Express

Tags: Skal Labissiere, Brandon Ingram, Ben Simmons, Duke Blue Devils, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NBA Draft Mock Drafts

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