HoopsHype.com Draft Rumors

Monday, November 17

From an NBA standpoint, there are few things not to like about Jackson’s physical makeup. He may be a little undersized for the two-guard spot, but he has great length that allows him to play bigger than his listed 6’5” 185. Jackson has nice athleticism too, being able to beat most defenders off the dribble with his quickness. He elevates surprisingly well, and with his extended reach is able to do damage around the rim in traffic. DraftExpress.com

Rider plays a good bit of zone, making it a bit difficult to evaluate Thompson’s precise defensive potential, but it appears that he sports somewhat average lateral quickness and tends to get beat off the dribble a fair share—things we need to look a little closer at this season. Despite the graduation of his brother Jason, Rider will probably still be a tough out in the MAAC. With two more seasons left to improve and become an even more polished all-around player, it’s certainly not of the question that Ryan joins him in the NBA after he’s done there. DraftExpress.com

This will be an interesting year for Anderson. With the departure of Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts to the NBA, will Anderson’s role expand? Or will he continue his steady play as a role player? Whatever the case may be, there is no question that his defensive abilities, versatility, selfless attitude, and the amount of experience he’s garnered at the highest level of college basketball make him intriguing. DraftExpress.com

Sunday, November 16

One NBA executive said there are only four international players that are first-round prospects, one of which is Lottomatica point guard Brandon Jennings, an American who bypassed college to play overseas. The other three to keep an eye on are DKV Joventut point guard Ricky Rubio, Pamesa Valencia forward Victor Claver, and Buducnost forward Vladimir Dasic. The NBA executive, however, also noted that there are some talented international first-round prospects playing college ball in the United States: Connecticut junior center Hasheem Thabeet of Tanzania, and two Australians in Vanderbilt sophomore center A.J. Ogilvy and St. Mary's sophomore point guard Patrick Mills. Another NBA executive said the freshman crop is devoid of lottery prospects right now. The exec added that the 2008 McDonald's All-America game, which features the top high school talent, was the weakest it had been in years. Boston Globe

Our NEXT Six-Word Story Contest has come to a close, and we have chosen a winner for each of our four NEXT finalists, Joey Logano, Ricky Rubio, Matt Ryan and David Price: * Joey Logano: "The best thing since Joey Logano." * Ricky Rubio: "Court vision? He sees the future." ESPN.com

With Rubio, we've heard about the globalization of the game for years now. The San Antonio Spurs have four rings with teams that consist of a good deal of international players generally, and Dirk did lead the Mavericks to the 2006 NBA Finals. The Utah Jazz, who may have more Europeans than some New York sidewalk cafes, are perpetually knocking on the door. Rubio is in a position to continue this trend, and give the NBA a bona-fide youthful international superstar. We're not saying Duncan, Manu, Tony and Dirk AREN'T superstars—they are in many respects. Rubio has all the skills to take it to an even higher level, and—David Stern and Adam Silver breathe easy, Josh Childress and Brandon Jennings be damned—make the flow of talent go the way it's supposed to go, that being Europe ----- > USA. ESPN.com

We'll reference two quick co-worker stories on Rubio, because aren't co-workers the driving force of everything you know anyway? Our man Max Klinger once did a ten question interview with D-Wade. He slipped in a Rubio/Jennings question regarding the 2009 Draft and what did Wade say? Read it here, although if you don't like clicking on links, a summary: "He goes at about a hundred miles per hour." As for Magazine general editor Chris Sprow, Washington-raised? Says the other day in the office: "My dream is for Seattle to get a team back in time to get Rubio." Former Finals MVP praising his game? Dejected Seattle fan anointing him as the future? Sounds like NEXT to us. ESPN.com

The big enigma in the 2009 NEXT discussion is Rubio. People kinda think he could be awesome, maybe think he could be the best international baller ever, but no one really knows. Isn't part of the glory of the NEXT concept that you're throwing something out there based on careful study, but more than anything, you're excited for the games to play out so that you can find out if you're right? That's what makes it fun! We already know about three of these guys. We still have to dance the dance of intrigue with Ricky and that's why you gotta choose him as NEXT. ESPN.com

Friday, November 14

Player of the Week: Brandon Jennings. Brandon Jennings seems to be settling into his role in European basketball thus far, to the point that it seems safe to begin preliminarily analyzing how he’s playing. With nine games underneath his belt (five in the Italian league, where Rome is 4-1, and four in the Euroleague, where they stand 3-1), Jennings is averaging 18.5 minutes per game, scoring 8 points on 35% shooting from the field and 31% from beyond the arc, pulling down under 2 rebounds and dishing out 2.35 assists compared with 1.35 turnovers. Not really the stuff legends are made out of, but fairly impressive nonetheless considering what he’s going up against at his age. Numbers are typically not the best way to evaluate players in Europe, and this definitely holds true in this case. DraftExpress.com

Defensively, Jennings is making noticeable strides, but still has room to improve. On one hand, he seems to be putting a pretty good effort into his man to man defense, showing really nice lateral quickness staying in front of his man and better fundamentals than we saw in the past. On the other hand, he lacks significant strength and seems to get pushed off the ball far too easily, having a difficult time getting around screens as well. His team defense is definitely a work in progress, as he looks a bit lackadaisical staying aware of where the ball is on the floor, and is not showing the greatest hustle going after loose balls or trying to help out on the glass. DraftExpress.com

Even though Jennings has been fairly up and down early in the season thus far (particularly in the Italian league, where he has struggled badly at times), its hard not to come away impressed by how he’s fared, all things considered. He walked into a very difficult situation and seems to be making the best of it thus far, holding his own against hostile crowds and tough gyms in places like Vitoria, Berlin and Ljubljana. There is absolutely no question that he will become a significantly better player from the experience he’s gaining every day, as he’s competing at an incredibly high level under an outstanding coach and is being allowed to latitude to learn from his mistakes. DraftExpress.com

Jennings looks to have the makings of a very high draft pick at the moment, even if it is very early in the season. We will have to wait and see how he progresses over the next few months, but the early returns look pretty promising. DraftExpress.com

We’ll see how the season unfolds for Begic. Despite his Euroleague achievements, his performance at the Adriatic League appears to be significantly less consistent. He’s always carried a rep for being somewhat of an underachiever throughout his career, as he reportedly is not the most enthusiastic worker around, so it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his extremely hot start. Anyway, if he shows some solidity in his outings, chances are he won’t be playing for Olimpija next season, as someone will throw significant money his way in the search for quality size on the paint. In fact, considering that his contract is up this summer, there is some talk that he may be bought out by a rich team in Spain or Russia this season already. And if he keeps developing, the NBA is not out of the question. DraftExpress.com

Another young hero in the Euroleague today was Sergio Llull, who sparked his team back from a 5-point deficit with a minute to go to help Real Madrid defeat Armani Jeans Milano. Llull’s energy, defense and aggressiveness were huge keys. With Raul Lopez again on the shelf, Llull had 11 points and 4 assists in 24 minutes. DraftExpress.com

Wednesday, November 12

"I hope this experience -- playing in Europe -- will help me in order to be a high pick in the NBA Draft, " Brandon Jennings told El Correo. El Correo

Alert the good folks at Gibsons Steakhouse near Rush and Division: After a brief stint in Orlando, the NBA's predraft camp is coming back to Chicago. Well, sort of. A league memo is going out to all 30 general managers this week, an NBA source tells Sporting News, which will inform teams that the predraft camp will no longer include official games or workouts. Because there is no need for a gym, it will move back to Chicago. The league moved the camp to Orlando only because it no longer had use of the gym at the Moody Bible Institute just outside of downtown. Sporting News / November 11

Most of the players who actually participate, then, are second-rounders, at best. "The guys we end up watching are mostly non-draftable players," one general manager said. Asked what, exactly, the players would do at the camp if there were no games or workouts, the source joked, "They'll play checkers." He went on to point out that the focus of the camp now will be interviews, testing and physicals. Sporting News / November 11

Guard James Harden gave the Sun Devils a boost when he decided to hold off on the NBA and return for his sophomore season. Harden averaged 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals last year. Question: How hard was your decision to stay in school? James Harden: "I just knew I wasn't going to be ready. The NBA is such a big jump. The guys are grown men. I was just 18 years old. I told Coach early that I was going to come back for my sophomore year, just to work on a couple things and mature as a person as well." Arizona Republic

Sunday, October 12

Johnson has shown a lot of nice flashes already this early in his career, and appears to have a lot of potential if he puts in the work and improves on his decision-making. Barring a strong leap in multiple areas of his game this season, Johnson will likely be best served staying in school for another season, but declaring this season certainly isn’t out of the picture, especially if he can make some noticeable strides. While combo-forwards have achieved a lot more success lately in the NBA, Johnson’s potential defensive matchup problems could concern scouts, but the first round isn’t out of the picture if he can show more progress in his game. DraftExpress.com

Maryland’s success this season is going to rest largely on the shoulders of Vasquez, with him being the catalyst of the Terrapin offense. How he matures as a player will ultimately determine Maryland’s success, as well his where he stands as a draft prospect. There were rumblings last season of Vasquez potentially testing the waters, but after the disastrous way the season ended for both him and his team, he ultimately decided to return. With a steadier and more efficient season underneath his belt, Vasquez is a player who we certainly could be talking about as a first round prospect when it’s all said and done. DraftExpress.com

Saturday, October 4

With all the positives and negatives in mind, Henderson showed a lot of flashes last year, enough to consider him a candidate for a breakout season. He will have to maintain his focus and aggressive play, however, if he wants to prove to scouts that he is deserving of the hype he received coming out of high school and a lottery pick. There are few players in the country who will enter next season with as much to prove as him and there are even fewer with the opportunities that Henderson is afforded. After all, he is a great athlete with a significant amount of all-around talent who is inheriting a starring role for an elite program. The spotlight will be shining bright in Durham this season, and should Henderson take his game to the next level, this will likely be the last we see of him in the collegiate ranks. DraftExpress.com

Now left as the most highly touted member of the 2007 high school recruiting class still in college, Singler could very well be primed for a breakout sophomore season. Certain NBA teams we’ve spoken to liked him a lot last year already, so don’t be surprised to see him emerge as a pretty serious draft prospect as soon as this upcoming June. DraftExpress.com

There is no reason to think that Hansbrough can’t be a first-round pick after he finishes his career with North Carolina. How high he goes though, depends on a lot of factors. He needs to start showing that he can step away from the paint on a more regular basis on both ends of the floor. Improving on his .42 assist to turnover ratio certainly would help his cause as well. Ultimately though, Hansbrough is everything that is right about college basketball; a phenomenal player who has the best work ethic of anyone in the country and plays every game to his absolute fullest abilities. His skill set and style of play lead us to believe he will be the consummate hustle player at the next level and be an effective contributor with whatever team decides to draft him, even if there will undoubtedly be many who question him along the way. DraftExpress.com

Saturday, September 13

Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big 10 (Part One: #6-10): The Big 10 comes to a close with our second and last look at the draft prospects in this weakened conference. Purdue sophomores JaJuan Johnson and E`Twaun Moore lead the way, followed by Michigan State point guard Kalin Lucas, Northwestern's Kevin Coble and Illinois' Demetri McCamey. DraftExpress.com

Thursday, August 28

Australian point guard Patrick Mills says he is yet to be approached by NBA clubs despite an impressive performances at the Beijing Olympics. Mills was the Boomers' highest pointscorer in Beijing, and finished in the top 10 in the tournament for the most steals. His skills attracted praise from American commentators who said he had the talent to play in the world's premier basketball competition, the NBA. But the 20-year-old starlet says playing college basketball in the United States limits his opportunities for now. "Me being at college kind of limits the contact you're allowed to have with NBA scouts, agents, managers that sort of thing so not yet," he said. ABC.net.au

"Any team in the NBA would be great but I would probably go with the Chicago Bulls," he said. ABC.net.au

The future of ex-Arkansas guard Patrick Beverley finally has gotten a little clearer. Both the player and his new agent have confirmed to Sporting News that Beverley is on the brink of signing with a European team, in Germany or Turkey, perhaps as early as Friday. "The big thing is to get Patrick hooked in with a team that he can play right away for," said his agent, Bernie Lee of Lee Sport Management in Toronto. "Patrick is very thrilled about playing in Europe, but ultimately, he wants to come back and be ready for the NBA predraft camp in Orlando." SportingNews

Sunday, August 24

Chad Ford. "I've always liked Ricky Rubio and thought he'd be a likely top five pick, but his play in this tournament has convinced me to move him up to the No. 1 spot in the draft. He has such amazing poise for someone his age. He needs to improve his jump shot and get stronger ... but he looks really special." ESPN.com

Keep an eye on 17-year-old Spaniard Ricky Rubio. The 6-3 point guard had 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in a preliminary Olympic game last week against the Americans and is projected to be a star. "He's going to be good," US point guard Jason Kidd said. "He's getting a lot of attention and he's handled it quite well so far. I think you can see that he's got some talent. He's only 17 years old. The sky's the limit for him." Boston Globe

Sunday, August 18

Seeing Ricky Rubio for the first time, merely watching him during warm-ups, is spooky. "My God, he's Pistol," an NBA scribe said after seeing Rubio in person for the first time Saturday night at the U.S.-Spain game. San Francisco Chronicle

Sunday, August 17

Though his parents have tried to shelter him, and he has relatively little media exposure (he skipped Saturday's postgame interview session), he does have an agent in Los Angeles. There is a question over whether he would be eligible for next spring's draft or in 2010, but he's already being projected as a top-five pick. So why not for the Warriors? San Jose Mercury News

Keep an eye on Angolan guard Carlos Morais, whose 24-point performance (despite 10 turnovers) against the US could get him drafted by an NBA team next year. The 22-year-old plays professionally for Petro Atleticode Luandu. Boston Globe

Sunday, August 16

Dan Fegan, Rubio’s Los Angeles-based agent, declined to comment on the Joventut contract issue or the timeline for Rubio to enter the N.B.A. But Fegan said he would be ready when the time comes. “In terms of his development as a player, he’s shown on and off the floor maturity beyond his years, which is an important factor that N.B.A. teams look at when drafting a young player,” Fegan said. New York Times

Rubio won't be eligible for the NBA Draft for two years, but he's in no rush. "I'm not thinking about the NBA, I think ACB," Rubio said, referring to Spain's Associacion Clubes de Baloncesto. "It's one dream to go to the NBA, that's true. I have to say the truth. It's a dream for everybody to play in the best league in the world." Raleigh News & Observer

The footage of Rubio’s performance in the 2006 Under-16 European Championships – 51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists, seven steals and a mid-court shot to send an eventual victory over Russia into overtime – was everyone’s evidence that he was wasting time playing with kids his age. Rest assured, Rubio will come to the NBA as a 19 year old with a preparation that America’s high school and college system could have never delivered him. “I will be shocked if he isn’t a top-two pick in the draft,” one Western Conference GM said. “If he gets a jumper at all, he is a lock as a team leader and ticket draw. His tenacity, toughness and poise at such a young age are remarkable. “He is the guy every GM wants to see this season.” Yahoo! Sports

The digital age has smoked out his urban legend. He has made his reputation playing well above his age in the rugged Spanish League, where he averaged 10.5 points and four assists in 23 minutes a game last season for Joventut. “He’s a different kind of a European talent,” Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo said. “I can see the sizzle.” Yahoo! Sports

“He’s an exceptional talent who’s doing and playing at a level over and above his age,” Moscow Dynamo coach David Blatt said. “I would say that Ricky looks more like Pistol than he plays like him. Maybe the biggest thing about him is his ability to change a game on defense, just wreak havoc on an opponent’s offense. But he doesn’t do it in a conventional way. He’ll let you go by him and run behind you and steal the ball. He roams all over the place, creating chaos and making things happen out of nowhere.” Jason Kidd visited Spain a year ago, and everywhere he went, they asked him: Do you know Rubio? It wasn’t until these Olympic Games that the Team USA guard watched Rubio on tape. Kidd marveled over the way his five steals late on the Chinese guards championed Spain’s comeback victory. “He won that game for them,” Kidd said. “He has a real flair. The sky’s the limit for him.” Yahoo! Sports

“He’s big time,” said Steve Wojciechowski, one of Team USA’s scouts and an assistant coach at Duke University. “He’s going to be drafted very, very high as soon as he’s able to be drafted. If he were in the States, he’d be someone that people would be drooling over.” New York Times

Ricky Rubio is so good he has U.S. basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski eager to start rumors about him. "I hear he wanted to go to Duke," the Duke head coach said Friday of the 17-year-old point guard for the Spanish national team. Really? "No, I wanted to start that rumor, though," Krzyzewski said. Raleigh News & Observer

The former Arkansas guard, who the Arkansas athletic department said “will not compete for the Razorbacks in 2008-09” in a news release on Aug. 8, told FOXSports.com on Friday that he planned to play professionally this season. Beverley said he signed with BDA Sports, an agency that represents professional basketball players, and said he would play somewhere outside of the United States. “I’m going overseas for a year and hopefully I’ll be able to come back and get picked in the (NBA) draft,” Beverley said. “This was hard because I was working out with the team every day and getting ready for the season.” Beverley also weighed in on the reason that the university deemed him unable to compete in the 2008-09 season for the Razorbacks. Jeff Goodman, FOXSports.com’s national college basketball writer, wrote on his blog that Beverley denied he was ineligible because of academic reasons. Scout.com

Friday, August 1

But one basketball executive who has worked closely with high school players in the United States and in Europe is more scathing about Roma's decision. "Jennings may have a great career ahead of him," the source says. "But this isn't the second coming of LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, somebody who could have come out of high school and helped any team in Europe right away. "I'm sure Roma will have considered everything and will do everything to make this successful, but for an 18-year-old kid … to be expected to walk into a foreign country and compete against men in a different style of basketball and different style of coaching is just not realistic." ESPN.com

Wednesday, July 9

Arizona signee Brandon Jennings will pursue a professional basketball career in Europe, backing out on his commitment to the Wildcats. "Over the course of the last two months I have consulted a number of people in basketball before coming to this decision," Jennings said in a statement released Tuesday night through his attorney, Jeff Valle. "I would like to thank the University of Arizona for their interest and support through this process." AP

He had been awaiting the results of a third college entrance exam, but decided instead to give up his scholarship, Valle said in a phone interview Tuesday night from his Los Angeles office. "We don't know the results of the test," Valle said. "He's been trying to make this decision as he waited through the eligibility process." Jennings was rated one of the top point guard recruits in the country and was expected to start for the Wildcats this season. Jennings could not jump to the NBA, which requires players to be at least one year removed from their high school classes graduation before being eligible to play in the league. AP

Valle said several European teams have expressed interest in Jennings, but would not reveal where his client might be headed. AP

Sunday, July 6

Miami wasn't. Heat general manager Randy Pfund said he tried to trade for a late first-round pick to grab Chalmers. The Heat, which took forward Michael Beasley with the second overall pick and was set to select again at No. 52, contacted every team that held picks No. 27 through 34 before striking a deal. Minnesota drafted Chalmers and traded him to Miami, which gave up two future second-round picks and cash. ''I don't think we thought we'd be in position to add him -- that's why we gave up a lot,'' Pfund said. ``We were fortunate. We saw all along his strengths fit our needs.'' Chalmers' determination has always been his biggest strength, which is why he jokes that he loves to pick fights. He said he's now going ''after Boozer's title'' as the best player ever from Alaska. Miami Herald

Chalmers' journey from Anchorage to AmericanAirlines Arena turned out a lot smoother than expected. ''The Heat said they were really happy to have me,'' he said. ``That eased the pain a lot. That just showed me how much Miami loved me, how much they were willing to sacrifice, how much confidence they have in me. Anytime someone does that, you have no choice but to go in, work hard and not disappoint them.'' Miami Herald

It looks like Brandon Jennings will have to wait a few more days to see if his SAT scores qualify him to play at Arizona. According to Kelly Williams, a family friend and mentor to Jennings, the point guard has been informed that those handling the testing won't have the results until Friday, July 11. Tucson Citizen / July 5

"Brandon will be all right," said Kelly Williams, a family friend. "He'll continue to wait. He was flagged last time; I'm sure they will closely scrutinize things this time." Jennings is currently working out in New Jersey with Marcus Williams of the New Jersey Nets, a close friend from his native California. Jennings, who is undecided about his basketball future, said he'd consider a jump to the professional ranks regardless if he receives the necessary scores. He plans to enter the 2009 NBA draft. He turns 19 on Sept. 23 and would need to spend one year out of high school and be 19 to be eligible for the 2009 draft. "It would take a perfect situation," Jennings said earlier of playing in Europe. "I need a team that needs a point guard, a coach who would take the time to work with me, an American on the team who could show me the ropes and playing time to show off my game." ESPN.com / July 5

Friday, July 4

Spanish talent Ricky Rubio will earn only less than 80,000 euros ($120,000 dollars) next season. El Periodico / July 3

Wednesday, July 2

The bizarre Brandon Jennings saga took another unexpected twist Monday. Arizona’s top incoming recruit is currently awaiting the results from this third trip through the SAT exam, but a passing grade might not be enough to convince him to come to Tucson. In fact, Jennings said he hasn’t ruled out a European detour on his way to the NBA. Jennings, ranked No. 1 by ESPN.com and No. 4 by Rivals.com, is considering a one-year stint with a professional European basketball club prior to declaring his eligibility for the 2009 draft. Green Valley News & Sun

Aran Smith, president of NBADraft.net, has followed the situation closely and said this could be one of those rare situations with no positive outcomes. If Jennings elects to skip his freshman year at Arizona, he said, the Wildcats go from one of the preseason favorites in the Pac-10 to a bubble team when the NCAA Tournament selection committee meets. “Not only was he being counted on to be their floor general, he was going to complete the team and make guys like [Chase] Budinger better, as well,” Smith said. In addition, Jennings’ NBA draft stock would likely take a massive hit if he decided to spend a season overseas. The European system focuses on immediate team success ahead of individual player improvement. A teenager like Jennings would not only struggle to separate himself, his playing time would fluctuate. “As quick and talented as he is, I just don’t think his brand of basketball is close to what they play in Europe, Smith said. “There isn’t as much one-on-one isolation and there is a lot more off-the-ball movement — a stronger team game.” Green Valley News & Sun