2011 NBA Draft Rumors And Other Random Notes For The First Day Of June

I hate to say "rumors" in the headline because there isn't exactly anything groundbreaking coming out with over three weeks until the 2011 NBA Draft, but it is what it is. Let's go to the links!

First, because I don't believe the international draft prospects are talked about enough, let's get them out of the way before the jump.

RealGM reported that Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas, a likely top-five pick according to most mock drafts, had his buyout raised to $3 million without providing any additional reasoning. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express refuted that report on Twitter, however, after reporting extensively on the topic over at Yahoo last month.

The other international big man getting some attention from Givony is Enes Kanter. Kanter's also considered a top-five pick, and although there were previous issues reported regarding his knees, Givony tweeted that his knees checked out fine during the medical portion of the NBA Combine.

One other prospect expected to go in the lottery, Jan Vesely, got some love from ESPN's Fran Fraschilla on Tuesday. Fraschilla says Vesely's best case NBA comparison is Shawn Marion (I assume Phoenix Suns era "Matrix"), but it's most logical to compare him to Andrei Kirilenko. Considering Vesely's projected to be selected behind both Valanciunas and Kanter, that's pretty good value in what's being considered a weak draft. Interestingly, Vesely reportedly won't work out for any NBA teams leading up to the Draft.

Jimmer Fredette worked out for the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday and apparently killed it according to ESPN's Chad Ford. Considering Fredette's competition was Duke's Nolan Smith -- known for his defense -- this is good news for the BYU guard after reports out of the NBA Combine said he looked a bit lackadaisical.

I'll have more on this in a future column (because Sparhawk asked and I'm always looking to write about what people are interested in talking about), but Ford noted that Boston College guard Reggie Jackson doesn't have a promise and is legitimately injured. The injury, which apparently required a minor procedure on his knee, will keep him out of draft workouts for the next couple of weeks.

Last, but not least, Damon Stoudamire is going to be an assistant coach at Memphis (for the Tigers, not the Grizzlies because that's his current job) pending approval of the University and Tennessee State Board of Regents. The Grizzlies could end up with a few new coaches on staff next season if both Stoudamire and Dave Joerger leave for other jobs.

(By the way, if any readers want to volunteer to do a morning roundup like this each day -- or even a few days a week -- feel free to drop me a note at RidiculousScott at gmail dot com)