In what is not much of a surprise to anybody who has been following college basketball this season, UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad has officially declared for the NBA : “UCLA announced Tuesday morning that freshman guard-forward Shabazz Muhammad plans forgo his final three years of eligibility and enter the 2013 NBA draft. Muhammad averaged a team-best 17.9 points a game and was the Pac-12 co-Freshman of the Year. According to most NBA draft projections, Muhammad is expected to be taken in the lottery.”
“I am so thankful for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at UCLA and will always be proud to be a Bruin,” Muhammad said in a statement. “From a young age, I have dreamed of playing in the NBA, and I believe that this is the right time for me to move to the next level.
“I have had an unbelievable experience at UCLA and am eternally grateful to my teammates, my coaches and the program’s support staff for helping me become a better person and basketball player during my time in Westwood. It has been an honor and a privilege to play for coach Ben Howland.”
- On the flip side, Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart shocked the world Tuesday night when he decided to return to Stillwater for his sophomore season. Smart was likely a top-5 draft pick with an outside shot of going No. 1 overall. More from Yahoo! Sports: “Smart will make his decision public on Wednesday in a news conference on campus. For some in the NBA, the decision was surprising because no other young prospect slotted for the lottery had chosen to bypass the draft. Smart, 19, averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists for Oklahoma State. He won the Wayman Tisdale award for national freshman of the year and was a second-team Associated Press All-American.”
Overwhelming initial response of NBA executives on Marcus Smart's decision to bypass top 5 status in draft to stay in school: Shock.
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Adrian Wojnarowski
- Once again the Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled through the final month of the season, which many believe is due to a lack of focus. This can be attributed to coach Byron Scott in some ways, but while some are campaigning for his removal, his superstar point guard, Kyrie Irving, has his back: “When asked if he thought he would be back to coach those players next season, Scott said bluntly, “I am going to be back to coach them next year.” Asked if someone in authority had told him that, Scott said, “I’ve got a year left on my contract. That’s the way I approach that.” Asked if he wanted Scott to be the team’s coach next season, Irving said, “Absolutely, I want Coach Scott back.”
Nick Fridell of ESPN Chicago has the scoop on the latest status of Derrick Rose. Injured or not, his teammates want him back: ““We feel like that every day,” Gibson said. “He works out with us, he practices with us and it’s like he never left. But it’s just different when the game comes. We’re still patient knowing that he could possibly play one of the games coming up but until that time we have to just stay sharp and be ready (for) whenever he’s ready to come back.””
“Without a doubt,” Gibson said. “Without a doubt. Because we really beat a lot of good teams this year and a couple of games we blew them out. With Derrick, he just gives us that extra edge. He’s a closer, really. He’s our closer. For him to be in late, I remember a lot of games late we had to finish the game, he had to just dominate, finish the game for us.
“Just to have that kind of aspect and have a guard that can create his own shot and help others get their own shot, that would just put us over the hump even more.”
- Despite jelling in every which way, the New York Knicks have made another roster move before the playoffs, bringing back swingman Quentin Richardson: “The Knicks have announced the signing of free agent swingman Quentin Richardson, who previously played with the team from 2005 until 2009. Richardson averaged 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game as a Knick. Richardson’s roster spot was created when the team released Solomon Jones, who had been signed last week and let go after only two games.”
In an unfortunate turn of events Monday in Boston, the NBA has decided to cancel the Pacers/Celtics game Tuesday night because of the Boston Marathon Bombings, more from the Associated Press: “The Boston Celtics’ home game against the Indiana Pacers scheduled for Tuesday has been canceled because of the Boston Marathon bombings. The NBA says Monday that the game will not be rescheduled. TNT, which was originally scheduled to air the game, will now show the Hawks host the Raptors at 8 p.m. ET. The Celtics and Pacers already have clinched playoff berths and are locked into certain seedings in the Eastern Conference.”
- The horrible events that took place at the Boston Marathons left the city — and the nation — without words Tuesday. Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Boston Celtics, was able to try to explain the events of Monday in Boston: ““It’s just horrible, horrible events,” he said. “Living right in that area, right there… it was an awful, awful day. A sad day.” Rivers is the one member of the Celtics who wound up in the heart of the aftermath. He was on his was to the Marathon when he learned of the devastating news. “I always go down after practice and watch every year that we’ve been in town, because I live literally two blocks from the finish line,” Rivers said. “I was on my way, actually. I had just gotten out of the (Copley Square/Prudential Center) tunnel when the bomb exploded.””