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Portland Trail Blazers 2013 NBA Draft results

The Portland Trail Blazers selected CJ McCollum, Jeff Withey and Marko Todorovic in the 2013 NBA Draft. Portland acquired the draft rights to Allen Crabbe, the 31st overall pick, from Cleveland in exchange for a 2015 second round pick and a 2016 second round selection. The Trail Blazers also traded 40th overall pick Grant Jerrett to the Oklahoma City Thunder for cash considerations.

“It was a great night for our team,” said Trail Blazers Owner Paul Allen. “CJ McCollum was the player we wanted going into the draft, and I’m very excited to watch him thrill our fans in the Rose Garden next season.”

Portland selected McCollum, 21, with the 10th overall pick. The Canton, Ohio, native averaged 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.05 steals and 32.9 minutes in 111 games over four seasons at Lehigh. A two-time Patriot League Player of the Year, McCollum is the all-time scoring leader in league history with 2,361 career points. McCollum (6-4, 200) is the first player from Lehigh ever selected in the NBA Draft.

“We’re pleased with how tonight went because we were able to select the players we identified as priorities in addition to some that we didn’t think would be available given our original draft range,” said General Manager Neil Olshey. “Now we’ll get into Summer League, see what we have on the floor with our young guys and add high-caliber veterans as we work to create a more competitive team for next season.”

The Trail Blazers selected Withey, 23, out of Kansas with the 39th overall pick. The two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year is the Big 12’s career leader with 312 blocks. Withey (7-0, 235) averaged 8.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.67 blocks and 19.8 minutes in 117 games over four seasons.

Portland drafted Todorovic, 21, with the 45th overall selection. The Podgorica, Montenegro, native made his Spanish ACB league debut with DKV Joventut Badalona at the age of 18. Todorovic (6-10, 243) spent the 2012-13 season with F.C. Barcelona, averaging 2.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 6.0 minutes in 20 games.

Crabbe (6-6, 210) played three seasons at California, averaging 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 34.7 minutes in 98 games. He was named Pac-12 Player of the Year by coaches in 2013 when he garnered All-Pac-12 honors for the third consecutive season. Crabbe, 21, led all Pac-12 players as a junior last season with 607 points scored.

Miami Heat acquire draft rights to James Ennis from Hawks

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have acquired the draft rights to guard/forward James Ennis (50th overall) from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for a future second round pick.

“We were happy to get into the draft,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “We feel that James Ennis, with his size and athleticism, has a huge upside and someone we hope can develop into a high-quality NBA player.”

Ennis appeared in 67 collegiate games for Long Beach State during his junior and senior seasons and averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.67 steals, 1.03 blocks and 31.0 minutes while shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from three-point range and 78.8 percent from the foul line. Despite playing just two seasons for the 49ers, he finished fifth all-time in free throw percentage, fifth in total blocks (69) and ninth in total rebounds (582). Prior to his stint at LBSU, he played two junior college seasons, first at Oxnard College and then at Ventura College, where he totaled 1,053 points, including scoring in double-figures in 48-of-52 games.

During his senior season at Long Beach State, Ennis appeared in 33 games (32 starts) averaging 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.76 steals, 1.30 blocks and 33.1 minutes while shooting 49.1 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point range and 83.4 percent from the foul line. He ranked first on the team in scoring average and rebounds per game. He scored in double-figures in each of his 33 games, including a 29-point, 15-rebound double-double vs. BYU-Hawaii on December 15. He capped his senior year as the Big West Conference Player of the Year.

Rockets Select Isaiah Canaan in 2013 NBA Draft

The Houston Rockets used the 34th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft to select Murray State guard Isaiah Canaan (pronounced Cannon).

“I was so hyped to see my name come across the board and just glad to be a part of the Houston Rockets,” said Canaan on being drafted by Houston. “I’ve always been the underdog and I’m thankful that Houston believes in me. I’m really looking forward to getting there and showing what I’m capable of doing. I’m a competitor. I’m a winner.”

Canaan (6-0, 188, Murray State) played in 132 career games over four seasons at Murray State, averaging 15.5 points, 2.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds. Overall, Canaan scored over 2,000 points in his collegiate career (2,050) while shooting 304-of-725 (.419) from beyond the arc. He was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year as a junior and OVC Co-Player of the Year as a senior. The Biloxi, Mississippi native also earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from the Associated Press as a senior after ranking first on team in scoring (21.8 ppg), assists (4.3 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). Canaan, who scored in double figures in all 31 games in 2012-13, netted a season-high 35 points against Morehead. He added 22 points, a career-high 10 assists and nine rebounds against Belmont State. As a junior, Canaan also ranked first on team in scoring (19.0 ppg) and assists (3.6 apg).

“Isaiah is one of the best shooters to come out off college in awhile,” said Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey on Canaan. “He is not just an elite 3-point shooter, but he can take people off the bounce and fill it up, and do it efficiently. He is a tough kid and a really good kid. Isaiah is someone ready to play. I really see a player who is going to succeed.”

Bucks, Sixers trade draft rights to Nate Wolters, Ricky Ledo

The Milwaukee Bucks have acquired the draft rights to South Dakota State guard Nate Wolters from the Philadelphia 76ers, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Wolters was originally selected by the Washington Wizards with the 38th overall pick in last night’s draft. His rights were subsequently acquired by Philadelphia before being moved to Milwaukee. In exchange for the draft rights to Wolters, the Bucks sent the draft rights to Ricky Ledo, the 43rd overall pick in the draft, and a future second round pick to the Sixers.

Wolters (6-4, 190) played four years of college basketball at South Dakota State University (2009-13), where he left holding school records for scoring (2,353 points), assists (663) and free throws made (644) over his career. He is one of only four players in Division I history to leave school with 2,000 points, 600 rebounds and 600 assists, and the only player in South Dakota State history to surpass the 2,000-point mark.

As a senior in 2012-13, Wolters averaged 22.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, earning Third Team All-American and First Team All-Summit League honors in addition to being named the 2013 Summit League Player of the Year. He was selected to the First Team All-Summit League his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Wolters scored in double figures in all but 13 of his 128 games as a Jackrabbit.

Brooklyn Nets assistant coaches will be Lawrence Frank, Roy Rogers, Eric Hughes, Doug Overton

The Brooklyn Nets have reached an agreement in principle with Lawrence Frank, Roy Rogers and Eric Hughes to serve as assistant coaches on Head Coach Jason Kidd’s staff, General Manager Billy King announced today.

In addition, Doug Overton will remain on the staff as an assistant coach.

“I am very pleased to add Lawrence, Roy, Eric and Doug to my staff,” said Nets Head Coach Jason Kidd. “They collectively bring a wealth of NBA experience to our bench, both from a coach and player perspective. This combination will not only prove beneficial to me, but will be an invaluable asset to our players as well.”

Lawrence Frank, the franchise’s all-time leader in NBA coaching victories, coached the Nets for parts of seven seasons (2004-2009) over which time he amassed a regular season mark of 225-241 (.483). Under Frank’s direction, New Jersey made four consecutive postseason appearances (2004-07) and won two Atlantic Division titles (2004, 2006). Frank holds an 18-20 (.474) record in the playoffs, advancing the Nets to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Frank took over the Nets’ head coaching helm midway through the 2003-04 season, where he proceeded to lead the Nets to 13 straight victories, setting the NBA mark for the most consecutive wins by a head coach to begin a career. Frank’s NBA coaching career began in Vancouver, where he spent three seasons as an assistant under Brian Hill. Following his stint with the Grizzlies, Frank joined the Nets as an assistant coach. Serving under Head Coach Byron Scott, Frank helped lead the Nets to two Easter Conference Championships in 2002 and 2003, marking the first NBA Finals appearances in franchise history. After three and a half seasons as an assistant, Frank was named interim head coach of the Nets on Jan. 26, 2004, and took over on a permanent basis on June 21, 2004. Following his term with the Nets, Frank served as an assistant coach in Boston in 2010-11 before being named head coach of the Detroit Pistons on August 3, 2011. In two seasons with Detroit, Frank guided the Pistons to a 54-94 (.365) overall record. In 614 games, Frank holds a career coaching record of 279-335 (.454).

Roy Rogers began his NBA coaching career with the Nets, serving as an assistant coach from 2008-2010. Most recently, Rogers worked as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons for two seasons (2011-2013) under head coach Lawrence Frank. Rogers also served as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics as part of Doc Rivers’ staff in 2010-11. Prior to his first stint with the Nets, he coached in the NBA Development League with the Austin Toros (2007-08), Tulsa 66ers (2005-07) and Huntsville Flight (2004-05). Selected 22nd overall in the 1996 NBA Draft out of the University of Alabama, Rogers spent three years in the NBA. Rogers averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in his NBA career split between four teams (Vancouver, Boston, Toronto and Denver). He also played four seasons (2000-04) of professional basketball internationally with stops in Russia, Italy, Greece and Poland.

Eric Hughes joins the Nets after spending the past six seasons with the Toronto Raptors. Originally hired by Toronto in 2007-08 as a basketball development consultant, Hughes was promoted to assistant coach/basketball development on July 1, 2009. Prior to his stint with the Raptors, Hughes worked as the director of summer player development for Goodwin Sports Management in Seattle for five years (2002-2007), creating workout programs and training NBA players Jamal Crawford, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Dwight Howard, Gary Payton, Nate Robinson and Rodney Stuckey. He had also been the head coach at Spokane Community College in Spokane, Washington during that time. Hughes compiled an 88-61 (.590) mark in his five seasons, leading the Bigfoot’s to the Eastern Region championship in 2005 and 2006, and was named Eastern Region Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2006. Hughes also served as an assistant coach under Bob Bender at the University of Washington from 1993-2002, as an assistant at the University of California from 1991-93, when Jason Kidd played there, and as a graduate assistant at Illinois State from 1989-91.

Doug Overton will enter his sixth season with the Nets and fourth as an assistant coach. Overton began his coaching career as an assistant coach for Phil Martelli at Saint Joseph’s during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns. Prior to his position at Saint Joseph’s, the Philadelphia native spent the 2005-06 season as the director of player development for the Philadelphia 76ers, where he assisted the coaching and scouting staffs and worked with the team’s community outreach programs. An 11-year NBA veteran, Overton spent three different stints with the Nets (1998-99, 2000-01 and 2003-04), averaging 6.0 points and 2.8 assists in 26 games. In 499 career games with seven teams (Washington, Denver, Orlando, New Jersey, Boston, Charlotte and Philadelphia), the former point guard averaged 4.5 points and 2.1 assists.

Celtics reach agreement to trade Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett to Nets

The Brooklyn Nets will acquire Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics in a deal that was still developing as the NBA draft ended, according to a person with knowledge of the details.

The trade can’t be completed until July 10, after next season’s salary cap is set, so pieces were still being discussed early Friday. But the person says the Nets will get the two perennial All-Stars, signaling the breakup of the Celtics’ veteran core…

Yahoo Sports, which first reported the talks, said the Nets would also get veteran Jason Terry from Boston and send Gerald Wallace, Kris Joseph, the expiring deal of Kris Humphries and three future first-round picks to Boston.

On the day they hosted the NBA draft, the Nets were making much bigger noise with the transaction that will send Pierce and Garnett to a new Atlantic Division home.

The Celtics already let Doc Rivers leave after acquiring a draft pick from the Los Angeles Clippers. Ray Allen departed last summer for Miami, and now the other two members of the Big Three that led the Celtics to an NBA title and within a victory of a second will soon be gone as well.

Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Suns pick Alex Len at No. 5 in NBA Draft

The Phoenix Suns chose Ukrainian center Alex Len with the fifth overall pick in the NBA draft, passing on Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore.

The 7-foot-1 Len, who just turned 20, played two seasons at Maryland. Last year he averaged 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Len came to Phoenix but did not work out because he is recovering from a stress fracture in his foot.

Because of a couple of surprise picks ahead of them, the Suns found that Noel, the big center from Kentucky, and McLemore, the sharpshooting guard from Kansas, were still available.

Reported by Bob Baum of the Associated Press

Bobcats select Cody Zeller with No. 4 pick in NBA Draft

The Charlotte Bobcats have selected Indiana center Cody Zeller with the No. 4 pick in the NBA draft.

Bobcats general manager Rich Cho said earlier in the week the Bobcats needed a big man and the 7-foot, 240-pound Zeller should provide help on the boards.

Zeller averaged 16.5 points and 8.1 rebounds last season as a sophomore for the Hoosiers. He finished as Indiana’s career record holder in field goal percentage, shooting 59.1 percent from the floor.

Two Hoosiers were picked in the top four in the draft. Victor Oladipo was selected second overall by Orlando.

Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Wizards select Otto Porter with 3rd pick in NBA Draft

The Washington Wizards have selected Georgetown sophomore Otto Porter, Jr. with the third pick in the NBA draft.

The 6-foot-8 Porter provides the Wizards a small forward to go with a backcourt of former first-round picks John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Porter – the Big East Player of the Year – is very familiar with the Wizards’ home floor because he played on it the past two seasons with the Hoyas.

The pick came after Cleveland took UNLV forward Anthony Bennett with the first overall pick and Orlando selected center Victor Oladipo of Indiana.

Reported by the Associated Press

Magic select Victor Oladipo with No. 2 pick in NBA draft

The Orlando Magic have selected Indiana guard Victor Oladipo with the second pick in the NBA draft.

The 6-foot-4 Oladipo was a first-team AP All-American after averaging 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a junior, leading the Hoosiers to their first outright Big Ten regular-season championship in 20 years. He set Indiana’s record for steals in a season (78) and led the Big Ten with a .599 field goal percentage.

The Magic are coming off an NBA-worst 20-62 season after six straight playoff seasons and a trip to the NBA Finals in 2009.

Reported by the Associated Press