You may not have heard of these guys recently, but you might be hearing of them in the days ahead. Sixty players will hear their names called in New York this coming Thursday at the 2015 NBA Draft, but some of the greatest excitement on draft night comes from the high volume of trades. From the hours leading up to the draft until the start of free agency, teams start to shake up their rosters, giving eager fans a sense of which
If Jahlil Okafor is available at No. 4, the New York Knicks will take him. If Okafor is gone, somebody is going to take the No. 4 pick from the Knicks. This is the intel I am hearing from points near and far as we count down the days to the 2015 NBA Draft. Phil Jackson has a bare cupboard when it comes to future draft picks, and he is inclined to trade down in exchange for multiple picks in this year’s
Now that the NBA Finals are complete, congrats to the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers for a gem of a series, we can focus exclusively on the NBA Draft for the next week. My latest intel is that while Karl-Anthony Towns will be the first pick – which I have been saying since the NBA Combine – the second pick is seeing some last-minute movement. The Los Angeles Lakers like Jahlil Okafor and DeAngelo Russell. I’ve even heard Kristaps Porzingis
An interesting development took place on Friday when D’Angelo Russell reportedly canceled his workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, who hold the third pick in the draft. That could mean that the Lakers have promised him that he won’t slip past the second overall pick. New rumors have circled that Jahlil Okafor’s agent, Bill Duffy, is concerned that the Lakers could pass on the Duke big in favor of Russell, leaving Okafor to fall into the laps of the 76ers. Despite selecting
With the NBA Finals approaching, every franchise except Cleveland and Golden State is wholly focused on the NBA Draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves, holding the top pick and with a nucleus of Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio and Shabazz Muhammad, should be one of the brightest young teams in the NBA next season and for years to come.For larger market teams such as the Lakers, 76ers and Knicks, they hope to turn around their clubs quickly by finding a promising young prospect. There are some good
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are preparing for the start of the NBA Finals, but 28 other teams already are evaluating their ever-changing draft boards. Sheridan Hoops has done three mock drafts thus far and probably will do at least three more. Why? Because players can help or hurt themselves with their performances at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago and in team workouts. Four players who have improved their stock considerably are Richaun Holmes, Rakeem Christmas, Jordan Mickey and
Throughout March Madness, fans and NBA personnel have been gushing over the top NCAA prospects and how they project in the upcoming draft. Now that college basketball is long behind us and the Euroleague season over with Real Madrid the new champion, European basketball has thrust itself into domestic playoff mode, with NBA executives getting a chance to see some of the top overseas prospects compete at the highest level outside the NBA. While most teams’ draft boards in April and May are
Based on conversations I had with multiple people around the league at last week’s combine in Chicago, this draft sounds like it will be known as the Karl-Anthony Towns draft– and the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to get him. Barring an injury issue similar to what Joel Embiid had last year, Towns is all but certain to be the first player to shake hands with Adam Silver on draft night and become the third straight No. 1 pick to wear a Minnesota