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Draft links June 16th, including Cavs #1 pick, Jimmer's workout for the Kings, and more

here are some random links to some more or less interesting articles. i quoted an excerpt to catch your interest, the articles are usually much more longer than that. here we go:

Cavs still debating No. 1 pick (yahoo)

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Irving worked out for the Cavs in Cleveland last week while Williams worked out on Tuesday. Scott said he also was impressed with both players after having dinner with them.

[...]

"He [Irving] has his head on right," said Scott, who coached the New Orleans Hornets before he was hired in Cleveland. "He reminded me so much of my initial contact with Chris Paul. Kyrie was a lot like him. The thing that stood out to me when I met him was he was a lot bigger than I thought. He’s a good-sized point guard. He’s 6-3 and a legit 6-3, not 6-feet or 6-1.

"In our general conversation, he was a very, very intelligent young man and a very mature young man. He has a lot of confidence in himself. He didn’t answer like, ‘Uh, well.’ He answered pretty matter of fact. That impressed me about him."

Williams averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 rebounds as a sophomore with Arizona last season. Scott believes Williams (6-9, 250 pounds) can play both forward positions.

"Very strong, great athlete, can get his shot off as well," Scott said. "He’s a guy that people say is a tweener, but I think he can play both. He’s going to obviously have to get better on the defensive end, but he’s just a great athlete, and if we were to have him, he’d give J.J. [Hickson] and those guys a run for their money [at power forward].

"He’s a very good kid as well, very mature. He had a good understanding of himself and the game."

NBA Mock Draft 3.0 (yahoo, via draftexpress.com)

The Cavs are doing their due diligence, and continue to explore the possibility of picking Derrick Williams (who visited Cleveland on Tuesday and agreed to work out competitively against lower-profile collegiate prospects) at No. 1 in hopes that point guard Brandon Knight falls to No. 4. But that scenario remains unlikely.

Cleveland will try to bring Knight and Kemba Walker in at some point for a competitive workout, meaning that the Cavs are far from showing their hand.

[...]

Williams has scheduled his only workout so far with the Timberwolves on Thursday, the same day that Enes Kanter will be in Minnesota. It does not appear that the two will be matching up head-to-head, which may be more of a blow for Kanter since Williams’ stock is higher. Williams has agreed to work out competitively for Minnesota, although not against Kanter.

[...]

The Kings’ Geoff Petrie has shown that he’s not afraid to "reach" for the prospect he most covets, which is why it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Fredette ends up here. The BYU guard is arguably the most polished and NBA-ready player available.

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Singleton has been moving up draft boards lately thanks to some impressive workouts. He reportedly has huge fans in Utah’s front office.

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Phoenix needs an upgrade at power forward, where they play the likes of Hakim Warrick and Channing Frye. [Tristan] Thompson addresses the team’s poor defense and rebounding. He’s had some strong workouts and interviews, and could get picked higher than this, particularly if Cleveland (reportedly his biggest fans) decides to trade down or acquire another pick.

[...]

Brooks has been rocketing up draft boards thanks to strong measurements and excellent workouts. He reportedly impressed Larry Bird so much in his workout in Indiana that the Hall of Famer could not hide his satisfaction.

Jimmer Fredette impresses in workout with Kemba Walker (yahoo BDL)

However, earlier Wednesday, he got his chance to face Walker (and several other players) in a workout held by the Utah Jazz. It turns out Jimmer was pretty impressive. From the Twitter of Brian Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune (via PBT):

Jimmer wasn't outplayed by Walker. Definitely held his own, according to four other players involved in workout.

Brooks, Burks glad to get second chance with Bobcats (sportingnews)

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Marshon Brooks was looking forward to Wednesday’s predraft workout in Charlotte for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, it was his second chance to make a first impression. An injured ankle he suffered in his first workout, for the Knicks, meant he had to delay — not cancel, he hoped — his initial chance to showcase his skills for the Bobcats, who own the Nos. 9 and 19 overall picks in the first round.

"It gave me a lot of confidence that they actually wanted to bring me back," said Brooks, the 6-foot-5 Providence product who was originally scheduled to work out for the Bobcats on June 7. "That was huge for me. I just wasn’t ready to go at the time. I could have gone out there but I wanted to give Charlotte my best look."

And then there was the opportunity for a head-to-head matchup against his primary competition on Wednesday — Colorado’s Alec Burks.

NBA Draft debates: Jimmer Fredette or Justin Harper-who's the best shooter? (sportingnews)

Scout’s take: "There are actually some pretty good shooters in this draft. Jimmer, obviously, and Justin Harper, but I would throw in guys like Klay Thompson, too. And those guys should be able to get their shots off in the NBA, too—I don’t think they will have to worry too much about the adjustment period. In my mind, Jimmer Fredette is one of the top three or four college shooters I’ve seen, so you have to have him at the top. But those stretch fours are always good to have, and Harper has value because of it."

Jimmer Fredette takes center stage at Utah Jazz workout (sportingnews)

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Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said Walker showed a ton of defensive quickness and good scoring ability.

He said he liked what Fredette showed in terms of athleticism and defensive commitment.

"They're both competitors," Corbin said. "You can't argue against the success that either one of those kids has had. They had great college careers and their talent level and the work they demonstrated today show why."

Is Kyrie Irving a risky No. 1 pick? (ESPN)


But it is more about uncertainty than ability. John Wall and Derrick Rose both dramatically improved their assist numbers and turned the ball over more when they first started as freshmen at Kentucky and Memphis, respectively. But by the end of his only college season, Irving's assists decreased -- he averaged 9.9 assists per 40 minutes in his first five games, but just 3.3 assists per 40 minutes in his last six games -- and his turnovers increased.

Still, the metrics show that Irving may be in good company, as he compares most favorably to Chris Paul and Ty Lawson. Further on down the list are Jerryd Bayless and William Avery, both first-round picks who have not had great success relative to the other players. Others are Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury and Mike Bibby, from which we can safely draw the conclusion that Irving will be a scoring point guard, like these other players.

Irving has about a 60 percent chance of being good and a legitimate chance of being really good. But because he played only 303 college minutes, there is also a relatively large chance (about 15 percent) that he fails.

Dime Q&A: Jeremy Tyler Talks About The NBA Draft, His Journey & Surviving An Earthquake (Dime)

Dime: What kind of improvements have you been working on with Coach Hill as far as your game?


JT: Everything, a series of moves that I have that I’m comfortable with, and we’ve tried to get them to perfection. I mean, he has a lot of on the court and off the court things to teach me. 75 percent of the workout is all mental. It’s just been a fun experience, a fun journey that I’ve been through. He knows what I’ve been through. It’s been great.

The Forgotten One: Ben Hansbrough (draftexpress)

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via content.draftexpress.com


While it's hard to ignore the kind of production the senior saw in arguably the best conference in the country, many question Hansbrough's ability to create scoring chances for himself at the same rate against NBA defenders. Equally as worrisome are the concerns about his ability to defend his position, matching up with players who are bigger, stronger and quicker than those he saw in the Big East. It is in this shroud of doubt that Ben perhaps most closely resembles Tyler – an underappreciated star begging for a chance rebel against his detractors.

In spite of a prodigious four-year career at North Carolina, the elder Hansbrough remained an easy target for many skeptics, honing in on his modest size and athleticism for a power forward. After a coaching change midway through the regular season for the Pacers that saw Tyler move into the starting rotation, he quickly became a valuable contributor for a playoff bound Indiana team. In his sudden rise to respectability at the pro level, he sees a path for his younger brother to follow.

"I can see that," he says. "I think Ben is really going to be able to help a team, he can shoot and distribute the ball well. He's a good quality guy who knows how to carry himself. A lot of people underestimate what he's capable of doing in the NBA. "


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