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Hawks face uncertainty as NBA Draft approaches

Hawks face uncertainty as NBA draft approaches

Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution painting a picture of the Atlanta Hawks’ situation as both the NBA Draft and free agency approach:

The Hawks will enter the NBA draft not knowing if they will have two, one or zero gaping holes on their roster.

It’s not an enviable position.

The draft is Thursday, and six days later comes the start of free agency. Two-fifths of the Hawks’ starting lineup — DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap — will hit the open market and are free to sign with any team. Both could be gone. One or the other could depart. Both could return.

Drafting for need is illogical. The prevailing alternative would be to draft the best available player. Not necessarily.

“We do our best to separate the draft from free agency,” assistant general manager Wes Wilcox said. “Certainly, they are connected. Our focus in every draft is to identify the best player who fits us. There is the long-standing debate over drafting the best player versus drafting for a position of need. It’s certainly something we all juggle. We’ve become comfortable with being guided by what we call our draft objective, which remains the same every year, we want to draft a guy who fits without our culture, fits (coach Mike Budenholzer) and his system and can add to and become a piece of our core.”

Lakers draft workouts continue

Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog reporting the latest on Lakers NBA Draft workouts:

Only two hours earlier, the Lakers worked out a prized prospect that might pave the way for a once storied franchise to return to prosperity.

Later on Tuesday afternoon, the Lakers worked out a player that might not even become available in the NBA Draft.

Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor intrigued the Lakers as a possible No. 2 pick with his size, post play and eagerness to wear purple and gold. Murray State sophomore guard Cameron Payne intrigued the Lakers as a possible prospect should they somehow climb up in the NBA draft after their No. 2 pick and before their 27th and 34th selections.

Willie Cauley-Stein as confident as anyone in 2015 NBA Draft

Willie Cauley-Stein as confident as anyone in 2015 NBA Draft

Here’s the Denver Post reporting on a high-rated prospect in the upcoming 2015 NBA Draft:

Among the tattoos on the right side of Willie Cauley-Stein’s neck is one famous phrase.

Hakuna Matata.

No worries.

It’s a large part of how he views the pre-draft process.

“I see myself as the No. 1 player in the draft, but it is what it is,” said the 7-foot, 240-pound former Kentucky standout. “You can just take it day-by-day, put in the work and the draft is going to be the outcome of whatever the draft is.”

Is he mad at not being mentioned in the same breath with former Wildcats teammate Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke star Jalil Okafor, the first two players expected to be chosen.

“You can’t get mad about it,” he said. “You just gotta work for it.”

Pistons draft workouts continue

Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting on some Pistons draft workouts:

J.P. Tokoto and Rakeem Christmas have a few things in common.

Both are considered second-round prospects for the upcoming NBA draft that could sneak into the bottom of the first round. Both performed well in 5-on-5 during last month’s NBA draft combine in Chicago.

And both were at the Detroit Pistons’ practice facility this morning for a pre-draft workout.

They were joined by Virginia power forward Darion Atkins, UNC-Charlotte point guard Pierria Henry, William & Mary point guard Marcus Thornton and Georgetown small forward Greg Whittington.

Knicks to work out Willie Cauley-Stein

Knicks to reportedly work out center Willie Cauley-Stein

With the NBA Draft coming later this month, much of the fun will be to analyze how important it is that certain teams worked out certain players. Some workouts suggest teams may consider trading up or down, or sending their pick away altogether. Or shocking the world by drafting someone at a completely unexpected spot. Anyway, here’s ESPN NY reporting on the Knicks:

The New York Knicks will host Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein for a workout on June 16, a league source confirmed.

The Knicks have the fourth pick in the draft.

Most draft observers project Cauley-Stein to be taken outside of the top four picks.

The Knicks could go against popular sentiment and take Cauley-Stein with the fourth pick or they could trade for a lower first-round pick and select Cauley-Stein there.

Pondering some Suns draft prospects

Pondering some Suns draft prospects

It’s extremely hard to predict which exact players will get drafted by which exact teams, but knowing which players actually did work out for a team prior to the draft can provide a clue. Here’s the Arizona Republic pondering some Phoenix Suns draft possibilities:

There is the NBA trend of “stretch fours,” the tall power forward who can shoot 3-pointers proficiently to drag a big man out of the paint and create space for an offense.

The next level of that trend is to have a “stretch four” who also is a playmaker for when defenses chase him off the line.

Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker and Arizona’s Brandon Ashley are June 25 draft candidates for that job, and they participated in Wednesday’s Suns pre-draft workout. The Suns could consider Dekker at No. 13 and Ashley at No. 44, although he holds out hope to be a first-rounder.

As Ashley knows all too well from an Elite Eight meeting, Dekker showed the athleticism and shooting to be that type of player during the NCAA tournament. Dekker’s stock bolted to lottery range once the 6-foot-9 junior turned aggressive for a 19.2 tourney scoring average with 42 percent 3-point shooting.

Tyler Haws scheduled to work out for Jazz today

Tyler Haws scheduled to work out for Jazz today

Here’s the Deseret News reporting on Utah Jazz pre-draft workouts:

BYU basketball’s all-time leading scorer is getting his chance to audition for the hometown team.

Guard Tyler Haws, an Alpine native, is one of six players the Utah Jazz have invited to a pre-draft workout for the team Monday at Zions Bank Basketball Center.

The news leaked a day before the Jazz made their announcement Sunday, as Haws told KSL Newsradio’s “Cougar Sports Saturday” program he will be working out for the Jazz on Monday morning. He also told the radio program he has upcoming workouts with the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies.

Kendall Gray, T.J. McConnell working out for Sixers

With the NBA Draft around one month away, teams are conducting pre-draft workouts as they evaluate who to select. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer blog reporting:

Former Delaware State post player Kendall Gray and former Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell are working out for the 76ers on Friday.

Gray and Alan Williams of UC Santa Barbara were the NCAA Division I rebounding co-leaders (11.8 per game) in the NCAA Division I. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Gray also averaged 11.7 points, 2.8 blocks and 1 assist en route to being named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year.

Timberwolves land first pick in 2015 NBA Draft

Timberwolves land first pick in 2015 NBA Draft

The Minnesota Timberwolves had the best chance to win the first pick in the 2015 NBA Draft at Tuesday’s Draft Lottery in New York, but by no means was it a guarantee. Yet they did it. Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting:

The Wolves, who very much need to bolster their front line, are expected by many to choose between two post men with the top pick, either Kentucky big man Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke center Jahlil Okafor. Also Saunders, in a post-lottery press conference, said that is not necessarily the case. Saunders said no decision has been made on which player the Wolves want or will take. The process of evaluation and workouts will continue going forward.

And while the Wolves technically didn’t improve their position – they, of course, could not – they kept their position. It is the first time in 19 trips to the lottery that the Wolves have emerged with the top pick.

With the worst record during the regular season, the Wolves had the best chance (25 percent) of getting the first overall pick. That said, the odds were 3-to-1 against that happening. Minnesota had a 21.5 percent chance at the second pick, a 17.8 percent chance at No. 3 and a 35.7 chance at the fourth pick.

That meant a 64.28 percent chance at the top three picks.

Draft lottery disappointment for Knicks

Draft lottery disappointment for Knicks

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on the Knicks, who after Tuesday’s Draft Lottery only came away with the No. 4 overall pick in June’s NBA Draft:

Phil Jackson did not hit the jackpot, and he did not even land the all-important consolation prize.

The pain and embarrassment of the worst season in franchise history did not result in the Knicks winning the lottery for the second time in 30 years on Tuesday night – or even finishing in the top-2 – as the Ping-Pong balls determined they will select fourth overall in the NBA draft on June 25.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, which had a 25 percent chance of winning the lottery as the NBA’s worst record, were awarded the top pick and the right to choose between the consensus top two prizes of the draft class – 19-year-old big men Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky and Jahlil Okafor of Duke.