Is Harris ready to leave Wisconsin?
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford
Friday, April 16
With the college season over and international tournament play heating up, here's our weekly look at who's in and out of the NBA draft and our weekly stock watch.
Who's In, Who's Out?
Devin Harris is a likely lottery pick if he decides to declare.
Multiple league sources are claiming that Wisconsin's Devin Harris is now leaning toward declaring for the draft. This comes despite pretty serious pressure from the Wisconsin coaching staff for Harris to return for his senior season. It's going to be a tough call for Harris.
Right now Harris is projected as a late-lottery pick who should slip no further than the mid first round. Given the numerous teams in the lottery that need help at the point (Bobcats, Hawks, Clippers, Raptors, Cavs, Blazers) it's tough to see any scenario in which he slips out of the lottery.
However, Harris also knows that if he returns to Wisconsin next season, his team will be one of the best in the NCAA. He's been wavering back and forth on the decision, but sources say over the past week the draft has become the more realistic option. The fact that Harris started driving a new Mercedes around campus didn't help the speculation that he's gone. Harris claims that the car is his father's, though he has been exclusively driving it. Wasn't his father unemployed recently?
If he announces for the draft, Harris said he would probably not sign with an agent, which would give him the option of returning to college. "If that's what happens (declaring for the draft), that will probably be the route I take," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "and if I like what I hear, then go ahead and sign with (an agent)."
There's been a pretty major shake-up at the top of our draft list. We exclusively reported last Thursday that Lithuanian center Martynas Andriuskevicius, despite being projected at a top-five pick, was reluctant to enter the draft believing he wasn't ready to handle the rigors of the NBA.
Word came officially on Thursday to Insider, through Andriuskevicius's agency, Interperformance, that it's now unlikely that Martynas will even put his name in this year's draft. While Andriuskevicius could absolutely use another year of seasoning to add strength (he's still pretty skinny) and experience, it's pretty rare (and kind of refreshing) to see a kid pass up the chance to be a top-five pick so that he can improve his game. The fact that he's being trained by NBA great Arvydas Sabonis at his famous basketball institute in Lithuania means that he's being trained as well as any young rookie in the league.
Tiago Splitter
Now, here's the good news for bummed out GMs. Interperformance has switched gears on another of its top prospects, Brazilian big man Tiago Splitter. Insider has learned that Splitter, a 6-10, 19-year-old big man playing for Tau Ceramica, will be in this year's draft.
The lack of an NBA buyout had most scouts believing that Splitter wouldn't be in this year's draft. However, a source at Interperformance told Insider that a buyout agreement with Tau is now in place.
Splitter had his coming out party in the Tournament of the Americas in Puerto Rico last summer. He got nice minutes against Team USA and looked like he belonged. He's also cracked the rotation for Tau, one of the top teams in Europe, which says something.
Splitter's got an NBA body, though he still needs to make it stronger. Most scouts agree that his defense is ahead of his offense right now. He's an excellent rebounder. He does have a nice handle and a good, but not great, jumper. He's very long. Scouts just aren't sure exactly what position he plays. Probably power forward, but he needs to improve his inside scoring if that's the case. He's a good, but not great, athlete. Scouts feel he's probably a little too slow-footed to play the three, which hurts his cause a little. Still, with a buyout in place, Splitter's got a great shot at the lottery.
Splitter's not the only international big man flirting with the draft. University of Utah forward and Australian native Andrew Bogut is still flirting with declaring for the draft. He's had his advisors talking to several NBA clubs trying to get a read on his draft stock. Bogut dominated last summer at the World Junior Championships but had an up-and-down year for the Utes. Bogut turned down a huge contract overseas to play for the Utes and now appears to be regretting it. Sources claim that, even if he doesn't get a draft guarantee, he may leave Utah this summer, play overseas for a year, and then hit the draft again next year. If he were to declare right now, he's probably no higher than a late-first-round pick.
North Carolina State guard Julius Hodge is returning to N.C. State for his senior season. Hodge had flirted with the draft, but he couldn't find anyone who could guarantee that he was a first-round pick. Hodge didn't want to informally declare for the draft and test his stock, so he decided to return for his senior season. Insider had him projected as a late-first-round pick. If Hodge gets stronger and has another great season, he could work himself into the mid first round next season. But there are always those ifs with college guys.
The rumor de jour is that North Carolina recruit J.R. Smith is talking to several agents and appears to be heading to the draft. However, don't put him in just yet. Smith is skipping the Jordan Capital Classic to preserve his freshman eligibility in college. Smith has already played in the Roundball Classic and the McDonald's All-American game and can't play in another high school all-star tournament without risking his college eligibility next season.
UConn recruit Rudy Gay continues to flirt with declaring for the draft but said on Thursday that it's more likely that he'll go to college in the fall. "Is there a possibility [of turning pro]? I believe there is. But I believe I could be a better player and also [raise] my stock by going to college. I'll think I'll be there [at UConn]," Gay told the Baltimore Sun.
Thankfully, Michigan State forward Paul Davis announced this week that he will definitely be back for his junior season with the Spartans.
NBA Draft Stock Watch
Several top young international players took part in the in the Under 18 Championships in Croatia, Greece and Poland last week. Several more of them moved on to the Albert Schweitzer games in Mannheim, Germany this week. Who's helping their stock?
Andris Biedrins of Latvia not only destroyed France's Johan Petro, dropping 21 points and 16 rebounds on the highly ranked star, he also had a 26-point, 20-board outing versus France and a 28-point, 11-rebound game against the Republic of Georgia in the under 18s. He finished third in scoring in the tournament with a 21.8 ppg average. He ranked first in rebounds averaging 14.4 rpg.
Johan Petro
France's Johan Petro (who is rumored to be mulling a jump to the NBA) wasn't nearly as impressive. He ended up averaging 9.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg in the tournament. His best game came against Italy when he scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Sources continue to claim that Petro is considering declaring for the draft. Petro already has great athleticism and an NBA body, but is still considered very raw at this point, especially on the offensive end of the court.
Lithuania's Martynas Andriuskevicius averaged 14.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg and three bpg. Scouts were very impressed with Martynas, but it's apparently not enough to push him into the draft.
Another guy to watch is Puerto Rico's Peter John Ramos. Ramos has been on fire lately down in the professional league in Puerto Rico. On Wednesday night, in front of a nice contingent of scouts, Ramos dropped 30 points and had 20 boards against former NBA big man Stanley Roberts. Roberts was held to two points and four boards playing against Ramos.
Ramos, a 7-foot-3, 280-pound big man, is starting to draw significant interest from scouts. Insider watched several tapes of Ramos in recent games and he looks pretty impressive. He's huge, can run the floor and, at this point, is a little more polished than Pavel Podkolzine.
Croatia's Damir Omerhodzic has worked out a buyout with his team (Cibona) and flew to the Cleveland last week to begin working out with trainer Eric Lichter. Lichter is the trainer who prepared LeBron James, Nene and Leandrino Barbosa for the draft. Omerhodzic (19) is a skilled, athletic big man with great range on his jumper and the ability to play both the four and the three.
However, scouts have major concerns about his body. He's very thin ("Ethiopian thin" according to one scout) and needs some major work on his body. Coming to Lichter may do wonders for his draft stock. Lichter will put him through rigorous strength training for the next few months in an effort to add some real muscle to his body.
The Future
Several top international prospects not in this year's draft firmly established their stock for next season at the Under 18 Championships. Serbian forward Nemanja Alexsandrov continued to wow scouts, averaging 17.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg despite being just turning 17 on Saturday. Italian guard Marco Belinelli (6-foot-6) is being called the best Italian prospect ever. He averaged 26.2 ppg and was named along with Benetton's Manuchar Markoishvili as the top player of the tournament. Markoishvili (6-6) averaged 18.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 3.6 apg for the Republic of Georgia. Both players are just 18 years old. Georgian point guard George Tsintsadze (16 ppg, 4.2 apg), Greece's small forward Dusan Sakota (19.6 ppg), Turkey's forward Ersan Ilyasova (17.4 ppg, 9 rpg) and Serbia's combo guard Uros Tripkovic (15.2 ppg, 4.4 apg) all impressed scouts as well.
In the Schweitzer games, China's Yi Jian Lian has redeemed himself after a so-so performance at the Hoop Summit. Yi is averaging 18.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg and 2.5 bpg in the tournament. Other top players include Ersan Ilyasova of Turkey (18 ppg), Serbia's Uros Tripkovic (17 ppg) and Nemanja Alexsandrov (16.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2 bpg).
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford
Friday, April 16
With the college season over and international tournament play heating up, here's our weekly look at who's in and out of the NBA draft and our weekly stock watch.
Who's In, Who's Out?
Devin Harris is a likely lottery pick if he decides to declare.
Multiple league sources are claiming that Wisconsin's Devin Harris is now leaning toward declaring for the draft. This comes despite pretty serious pressure from the Wisconsin coaching staff for Harris to return for his senior season. It's going to be a tough call for Harris.
Right now Harris is projected as a late-lottery pick who should slip no further than the mid first round. Given the numerous teams in the lottery that need help at the point (Bobcats, Hawks, Clippers, Raptors, Cavs, Blazers) it's tough to see any scenario in which he slips out of the lottery.
However, Harris also knows that if he returns to Wisconsin next season, his team will be one of the best in the NCAA. He's been wavering back and forth on the decision, but sources say over the past week the draft has become the more realistic option. The fact that Harris started driving a new Mercedes around campus didn't help the speculation that he's gone. Harris claims that the car is his father's, though he has been exclusively driving it. Wasn't his father unemployed recently?
If he announces for the draft, Harris said he would probably not sign with an agent, which would give him the option of returning to college. "If that's what happens (declaring for the draft), that will probably be the route I take," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "and if I like what I hear, then go ahead and sign with (an agent)."
There's been a pretty major shake-up at the top of our draft list. We exclusively reported last Thursday that Lithuanian center Martynas Andriuskevicius, despite being projected at a top-five pick, was reluctant to enter the draft believing he wasn't ready to handle the rigors of the NBA.
Word came officially on Thursday to Insider, through Andriuskevicius's agency, Interperformance, that it's now unlikely that Martynas will even put his name in this year's draft. While Andriuskevicius could absolutely use another year of seasoning to add strength (he's still pretty skinny) and experience, it's pretty rare (and kind of refreshing) to see a kid pass up the chance to be a top-five pick so that he can improve his game. The fact that he's being trained by NBA great Arvydas Sabonis at his famous basketball institute in Lithuania means that he's being trained as well as any young rookie in the league.
Tiago Splitter
Now, here's the good news for bummed out GMs. Interperformance has switched gears on another of its top prospects, Brazilian big man Tiago Splitter. Insider has learned that Splitter, a 6-10, 19-year-old big man playing for Tau Ceramica, will be in this year's draft.
The lack of an NBA buyout had most scouts believing that Splitter wouldn't be in this year's draft. However, a source at Interperformance told Insider that a buyout agreement with Tau is now in place.
Splitter had his coming out party in the Tournament of the Americas in Puerto Rico last summer. He got nice minutes against Team USA and looked like he belonged. He's also cracked the rotation for Tau, one of the top teams in Europe, which says something.
Splitter's got an NBA body, though he still needs to make it stronger. Most scouts agree that his defense is ahead of his offense right now. He's an excellent rebounder. He does have a nice handle and a good, but not great, jumper. He's very long. Scouts just aren't sure exactly what position he plays. Probably power forward, but he needs to improve his inside scoring if that's the case. He's a good, but not great, athlete. Scouts feel he's probably a little too slow-footed to play the three, which hurts his cause a little. Still, with a buyout in place, Splitter's got a great shot at the lottery.
Splitter's not the only international big man flirting with the draft. University of Utah forward and Australian native Andrew Bogut is still flirting with declaring for the draft. He's had his advisors talking to several NBA clubs trying to get a read on his draft stock. Bogut dominated last summer at the World Junior Championships but had an up-and-down year for the Utes. Bogut turned down a huge contract overseas to play for the Utes and now appears to be regretting it. Sources claim that, even if he doesn't get a draft guarantee, he may leave Utah this summer, play overseas for a year, and then hit the draft again next year. If he were to declare right now, he's probably no higher than a late-first-round pick.
North Carolina State guard Julius Hodge is returning to N.C. State for his senior season. Hodge had flirted with the draft, but he couldn't find anyone who could guarantee that he was a first-round pick. Hodge didn't want to informally declare for the draft and test his stock, so he decided to return for his senior season. Insider had him projected as a late-first-round pick. If Hodge gets stronger and has another great season, he could work himself into the mid first round next season. But there are always those ifs with college guys.
The rumor de jour is that North Carolina recruit J.R. Smith is talking to several agents and appears to be heading to the draft. However, don't put him in just yet. Smith is skipping the Jordan Capital Classic to preserve his freshman eligibility in college. Smith has already played in the Roundball Classic and the McDonald's All-American game and can't play in another high school all-star tournament without risking his college eligibility next season.
UConn recruit Rudy Gay continues to flirt with declaring for the draft but said on Thursday that it's more likely that he'll go to college in the fall. "Is there a possibility [of turning pro]? I believe there is. But I believe I could be a better player and also [raise] my stock by going to college. I'll think I'll be there [at UConn]," Gay told the Baltimore Sun.
Thankfully, Michigan State forward Paul Davis announced this week that he will definitely be back for his junior season with the Spartans.
NBA Draft Stock Watch
Several top young international players took part in the in the Under 18 Championships in Croatia, Greece and Poland last week. Several more of them moved on to the Albert Schweitzer games in Mannheim, Germany this week. Who's helping their stock?
Andris Biedrins of Latvia not only destroyed France's Johan Petro, dropping 21 points and 16 rebounds on the highly ranked star, he also had a 26-point, 20-board outing versus France and a 28-point, 11-rebound game against the Republic of Georgia in the under 18s. He finished third in scoring in the tournament with a 21.8 ppg average. He ranked first in rebounds averaging 14.4 rpg.
Johan Petro
France's Johan Petro (who is rumored to be mulling a jump to the NBA) wasn't nearly as impressive. He ended up averaging 9.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg in the tournament. His best game came against Italy when he scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Sources continue to claim that Petro is considering declaring for the draft. Petro already has great athleticism and an NBA body, but is still considered very raw at this point, especially on the offensive end of the court.
Lithuania's Martynas Andriuskevicius averaged 14.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg and three bpg. Scouts were very impressed with Martynas, but it's apparently not enough to push him into the draft.
Another guy to watch is Puerto Rico's Peter John Ramos. Ramos has been on fire lately down in the professional league in Puerto Rico. On Wednesday night, in front of a nice contingent of scouts, Ramos dropped 30 points and had 20 boards against former NBA big man Stanley Roberts. Roberts was held to two points and four boards playing against Ramos.
Ramos, a 7-foot-3, 280-pound big man, is starting to draw significant interest from scouts. Insider watched several tapes of Ramos in recent games and he looks pretty impressive. He's huge, can run the floor and, at this point, is a little more polished than Pavel Podkolzine.
Croatia's Damir Omerhodzic has worked out a buyout with his team (Cibona) and flew to the Cleveland last week to begin working out with trainer Eric Lichter. Lichter is the trainer who prepared LeBron James, Nene and Leandrino Barbosa for the draft. Omerhodzic (19) is a skilled, athletic big man with great range on his jumper and the ability to play both the four and the three.
However, scouts have major concerns about his body. He's very thin ("Ethiopian thin" according to one scout) and needs some major work on his body. Coming to Lichter may do wonders for his draft stock. Lichter will put him through rigorous strength training for the next few months in an effort to add some real muscle to his body.
The Future
Several top international prospects not in this year's draft firmly established their stock for next season at the Under 18 Championships. Serbian forward Nemanja Alexsandrov continued to wow scouts, averaging 17.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg despite being just turning 17 on Saturday. Italian guard Marco Belinelli (6-foot-6) is being called the best Italian prospect ever. He averaged 26.2 ppg and was named along with Benetton's Manuchar Markoishvili as the top player of the tournament. Markoishvili (6-6) averaged 18.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 3.6 apg for the Republic of Georgia. Both players are just 18 years old. Georgian point guard George Tsintsadze (16 ppg, 4.2 apg), Greece's small forward Dusan Sakota (19.6 ppg), Turkey's forward Ersan Ilyasova (17.4 ppg, 9 rpg) and Serbia's combo guard Uros Tripkovic (15.2 ppg, 4.4 apg) all impressed scouts as well.
In the Schweitzer games, China's Yi Jian Lian has redeemed himself after a so-so performance at the Hoop Summit. Yi is averaging 18.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg and 2.5 bpg in the tournament. Other top players include Ersan Ilyasova of Turkey (18 ppg), Serbia's Uros Tripkovic (17 ppg) and Nemanja Alexsandrov (16.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2 bpg).
