Australian wiggles into fluid portion of NBA Draft board By Scott Howard-Cooper He waits and works out, an Australia resident far from regular NBA scouting, a high school student whose season has ended. Well played, Dante Exum. Without moving, Exum has moved into a very good spot, resting while the others in the lead pack for the June 26 NBA Draft face the challenges of NCAA life, avoiding the scrutiny and likely enjoying a clear path for months. He can hang out and still move Draft boards, and probably will. All of that is part of what remains a very fluid top five or six -- even for the top one. Jabari Parker is getting votes from executives, Joel Embiid is getting votes; the decision should ultimately come down to the need of the lottery winner. Until Exum sits his way all the way to No. 1, of course. The top 30 just before the All-Star break among draft-eligible prospects, after numerous consultations with front offices: 1. Jabari Parker, Duke | SF 6-8 235 A prototype small forward with skill, size and intelligence beyond his freshman standing. Parker is not a great athlete, compounded by shooting struggles lately, but teams feel he has enough pop to become an NBA star. 2. Joel Embiid, Kansas | C 7-0 240 Executives don’t care that he is thinking out loud about returning for his sophomore season. There have been top prospects who said flat-out they
were staying in school and still shook David Stern’s hand on stage in June. 3. Andrew Wiggins, Kansas | SG-SF 6-8 200 The son of former Bulls, Rockets and 76ers guard Mitchell Wiggins has not lived up to the hype, but front offices are not drafting for the best player of 2013-14. Andrew Wiggins still has a game and physical gifts that translate very well. 4. Julius Randle, Kentucky | PF 6-9 250 Randle went from a very impressive start to a cooling trend once he got to SEC play, but nothing changes the fact that he could score inside against NBA defenses right now, part of a varied offensive game that includes passing skills and footwork. 5. Dante Exum, Australia | PG-SG 6-6 190 The decision to turn pro after considering a season at an American university had been expected. There is great interest from front offices over a prospect who starred in the under-19 world tournament last summer. 6. Marcus Smart, Oklahoma St | PG 6-4 220 Smart will be a physical force, has a chance to be very good defensively and shows a great attitude. But what a risk to take a point guard who can’t
distribute (assist-to-turnover ratio of less than 2-1 as of Feb. 6) or shoot (41.9 percent at the same stage). 7. Noah Vonleh, Indiana | PF 6-10 240 One of the climbers of the early season has maintained his standing with a display of physical play inside and signs of being able to develop a scoring touch away from the paint. 8. Aaron Gordon, Arizona | PF-SF 6-9 225 The lack of a perimeter game is a concern to some, especially for a player who might play small forward. But Gordon is an elite athlete who plays hard and has a good feel for the game and doesn’t turn 19 until six weeks before 2014 training camp. 9. Gary Harris, Michigan St | SG 6-4 210 Regarded as a top perimeter weapon who can also get to the rim, Harris has recovered from a slow start while dealing with a sprained ankle to become an offensive factor again. 10. Dario Saric, Croatia | SF 6-10 235 A strong possibility for the 2013 lottery before withdrawing late, Saric has very good instincts and can play in transition or halfcourt. The concerns are that he is turnover prone and has an inconsistent shot.
HOUSING
NBA trade rumors:
Utah Jazz rejected trades that would have landed them first-round picks By Josh Hill The NBA trade deadline came and went without so much as a whimper from the Utah Jazz, but their lack of activity wasn’t for a lack of effort on the part of other teams in the NBA. While trades were flying on Thursday, the Jazz were reportedly turning away deals that would have landed them first-round picks. According to Chad Ford from ESPN, the reason that Utah was turning away these otherwise valuable trade assets, was because teams were skiing for Marvin Williams in return. While firstround picks are highly coveted in this year’s draft, the Jazz valued Williams more and rejected all offers. This may anger fans a bit, as adding young talent to the Jazz is definitely a plus, but giving up Williams doesn’t seem like a bright move. Utah is seemingly convinced they can keep him in Utah long-term, otherwise picking up those offered draft picks would have been a no-brainer of a move. Instead, Utah has held onto Wil-
Marvin Williams liams and hopefully that gesture goes a long way in keeping Williams in town.
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March 1, 2014 THE MILITARY PRESS 17