HoopsHype.com Draft Rumors

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