NBA Draft Blog – Page 24 – NBA Blog

Detroit Pistons may favor Ben McLemore in NBA Draft

The Pistons are content with their young big men — third-year power forward Greg Monroe and rookie center Andre Drummond, who will represent the Pistons on stage tonight when the TV lights pop on at Times Square Studios.

So whom would the Pistons select if Drummond provides the luck needed to parlay a 3.6% chance into the No. 1 pick when the draft is held June 27?

Teams looking for perimeter help — like the Pistons — might turn to Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore.

McLemore, 20, who spoke to reporters at the NBA predraft combine last week, knows he is close to realizing a lifelong dream.

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Kings have not gotten lucky in NBA Draft Lottery lately

In the last six lotteries, the Kings never improved their selection.

They had the worst record in 2008-09 but ended up with the worst possible pick, No. 4.

“You certainly can’t say the gods of chance have been smiling on us in that regard,” Petrie said.

The Kings had the fifth-worst record in 2011-12 and stayed in the fifth spot. That pick was used on Kansas forward Thomas Robinson, who was traded to Houston in February.

This year’s draft is considered to be lacking in potential superstars.

— Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee

Magic try to follow Dwight Howard trade with NBA Draft Lottery luck

Pat Williams is pretty good at being lucky, and he’s got a hunch.

”I got a funny feeling that this could be another Magic year, here. For some reason, I’ve just got the feel,” Williams said.

Orlando sure could use it.

Following a difficult first season after trading Dwight Howard, the Magic are hoping Williams can bring them more lottery luck.

Armed with the best odds and their three-time winner back on stage, the Magic will try to jump-start the rebuilding process Tuesday night by landing the rights to the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

Williams has won four times, including victories in 1992, ’93 and 2004 with the Magic. They used the most recent one to draft Howard, and no team since has entered with the best odds and won the lottery.

The Magic were back in the lottery the next two years but were busy playing in the postseason every spring since until this one, when they finished an NBA-worst 20-62 after sending Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers last August in a four-team deal.

That gives them a 25 percent chance at winning the rights to choose first in a draft that appears uncertain. Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel is considered the top choice, though he could miss the first two months of the season while recovering from a torn ACL.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Ties broken for 2013 NBA Draft order

Four ties among teams that finished the 2012-13 NBA regular season with identical records were broken today through random drawings to help determine the order of selection for the 2013 NBA Draft, which will be held on Thursday, June 27.

The drawings were conducted earlier today in New York City by Jason Cahilly, NBA executive vice president, strategy and chief financial officer, and Dan Rube, NBA senior vice president and deputy general counsel. The tiebreaker process was overseen by Denise Pelli, a partner in the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.

The results of the drawings:

• Detroit (29-53) won a tiebreaker with Washington.

• Philadelphia (34-48) won a tiebreaker with Toronto.

• Houston (45-37) won a tiebreaker with Chicago and the L.A. Lakers; the Lakers then won a tiebreaker with Chicago.

• L.A. Clippers (56-26) won a tiebreaker with Memphis.

2013 NBA Draft Lottery info, date, time

The 2013 NBA Draft Lottery will be held at the Disney/ABC’s Times Square Studios in New York on Tuesday, May 21, and will be televised on ESPN at 8:25 p.m. EDT.

The 2013 NBA Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the 2013 NBA Draft, which will be held at Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets, on June 27 at 7 p.m.

The NBA Draft Lottery’s origins trace back to June 1984, when at an NBA Board of Governors meeting in Salt Lake City, the league voted to adopt a lottery system among the non playoff teams to determine the order of selection in the first round of the NBA Draft beginning in 1985. This year will mark the tenth time in the event’s 29-year history that it is conducted in New York City.

The inaugural lottery was held on May 12, 1985 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, but from 1994 until last year, the event had been held at the NBA Entertainment Studios in Secaucus, N.J. however the league’s facilities in New Jersey no longer house a television studio.

2013 NBA DRAFT LOTTERY ODDS
(Chances of winning the No. 1 overall pick)

1) Orlando Magic: 25%
2) Charlotte Bobcats: 19.9%
3) Cleveland Cavaliers: 15.6%
4) Phoenix Suns: 11.9%
5) New Orleans Pelicans: 8.8%
6) Sacramento Kings: 6.3%
7) Detroit Pistons: 3.6%
8) Washington Wizards: 3.5%
9) Minnesota Timberwolves: 1.7%
10) Portland Trail Blazers: 1.0%
11) Philadelphia 76ers: 0.8%
12) Toronto Raptors: 0.7%
13) Dallas Mavericks: 0.6%
14) Utah Jazz: 0.5%

InsideHoops.com will provide full previews, coverage and recaps of all aspects of the 2013 NBA Draft

2013 NBA Draft prospects: Victor Oladipo a legit talent

Not many were calling Victor Oladipo a potential top-10 draft pick when he was a freshman defensive specialist at Indiana.

The general consensus was that he had to improve offensively to be considered an NBA prospect.

Guess NBA teams already have an idea of Oladipo’s work ethic.

Flash-forward two basketball seasons. It will stun analysts if Oladipo doesn’t hear his name called among the top-10 players during the NBA draft June 27.

Oladipo talked about his meteoric rise over the past two days at the NBA predraft combine and even he has a hard time believing his good fortune.

“I remember back a couple of months ago I wasn’t getting any attention, a couple of years ago I wasn’t getting any attention so it’s all kind of surreal for me every time,” Oladipo said at the Attack Athletics gym. “It just drives me. I know what it feels like to be at the bottom and be overlooked and every thing like that. I’m just going to use the experience to keep working hard and staying in the gym.”

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

NBA Draft: C.J. McCollum would like to play for 76ers

C.J. McCollum remains intrigued with the 76ers even though they didn’t request to interview him at the NBA draft combine.

“I was [attending college] pretty close to Philadelphia, out in Bethlehem,” the Lehigh senior guard said. “So I will be interested to see if they are taking a guard or a post player in this draft.”

The organization’s biggest needs are a post player and a backup point guard. However, one could argue that McCollum could be a solid addition to a team planning to make offseason moves via trades and free agency.

“I’m a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers,” McCollum said. “So it will be interesting to see what happens.”

— Reported by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer

NBA Draft: Big man Rudy Gobert talks with Sixers

Rudy Gobert was the biggest prospect at the NBA draft combine.

The center from France stands 7 foot 1/2 in his socks and 7-2 in his sneakers. He has an incredible 7-81/2 wingspan and massive hands.

Yet the 20-year-old is a raw talent. He needs to get stronger and polish up his post game in order to contribute in the NBA.

However, his athleticism and size are why he’s projected to be a mid-first-round pick in June’s draft. The 76ers, who are likely to get the 11th pick, interviewed Gobert here on Friday.

— Reported by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer