• Would the Kings be willing to send the No. 7 pick to the Nuggets for Raymond Felton and the No. 22 pick? The Kings have had interest in Felton but it's probably going to take them giving up the No. 7 pick to get him. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Nuggets grab Jonas Valanciunas or Bismack Biyombo if they could get up to No. 7.

• The Raptors' hiring of Dwane Casey may affect their draft plans. Casey is a defensive specialist, and when he looks at the Raptors' roster, there isn't much to like on that front. GM Bryan Colangelo has built an offensive juggernaut, but defensively they're pretty terrible. That may explain why the team is zeroing in on three excellent defenders -- Brandon Knight, Biyombo and Kawhi Leonard -- at No. 5. I've had Jan Vesely going here for weeks, and others have been pushing for Kemba Walker here, but it sounds like neither player is atop their board right now.

• I'm hearing that if either Kawhi Leonard or Kemba Walker is on the board at No. 8, the Pistons are likely to take one of them. If both are gone, it's down to Biyombo, Tristan Thompson and Markieff Morris. The Pistons really like Valanciunas as well, but sources claim they aren't willing to wait a year to get him.

• Lots of Knicks fans were shocked when I put Iman Shumpert at No. 17 in the latest mock draft. The Knicks actually tried to shut Shumpert down from more workouts after they saw him, but Shumpert kept working out. While so much of our focus on the Knicks has been on their offensive options -- Klay Thompson, Jimmer Fredette and Marshon Brooks -- it sounds like the voices arguing for size and/or defense may be winning the day. A source inside the Knicks told me this afternoon that it's likely the Knicks will select either Shumpert, Nikola Vucevic or Markieff Morris at No. 17. The team is also intrigued with Brooks, but he seems to be losing some traction.

• Larry Bird shot down a rumor that the Pacers and Timberwolves were discussing a Roy Hibbert for the No. 2 pick trade.

"We're not doing that," Bird said at a press conference today. "I'm not interested in trading Roy. Roy is one of our core group guys."

The Wolves are trying to find a trade partner for the No. 2 pick, but the Pacers' refusal to give up Hibbert for it (and the Wizards' refusal to part ways with JaVale McGee) show just how difficult that task may be. Both Hibbert and McGee were mid-first-round picks.

• Sounds like the Bucks are also very open to moving down a few spots in the draft. Both the Rockets (Nos. 14 and 23) and the Pacers (No. 15 and Brandon Rush) appear to be possibilities.

• To see dozens of NBA rumors, check out NBA Rumor Central Tags:Chad Ford, Draft Reports, 2011 draft

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/30546/latest-draft-buzz-kings-no-7-for-felton

Dude reminds me of a smaller Jared Jefferies.

i hope darius morris is still in the mix, too.

i hope buying a late first or early second is also in the mix.

Iman Shumpert's agent is Happy Walters. aka Amar'e Stoudemire's agent. and the reason Shawne Williams made the team.

guess we know one reason the knicks like him.

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:hmmm.

Iman Shumpert's agent is Happy Walters. aka Amar'e Stoudemire's agent. and the reason Shawne Williams made the team.

guess we know one reason the knicks like him.

Hey the kid has the kind of range any team could use. He can run point, SG and defend 1-3. He's got world class athletic ability and lockdown D. What's not to like? My gut tells me that we probably won't get him, but who knows. Hahn was bashing this draft, but to me I love the role players this draft has. You need a shooter there are guys. You need an athletic PG. Defensive specialists. You have to look at this draft in that light. This isn't a franchise player draft.

Shumpert reminds me of Mardy Collins. People made the exact same arguments for Mardy.

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:hmmm.

Iman Shumpert's agent is Happy Walters. aka Amar'e Stoudemire's agent. and the reason Shawne Williams made the team.

guess we know one reason the knicks like him.

Hey the kid has the kind of range any team could use. He can run point, SG and defend 1-3. He's got world class athletic ability and lockdown D. What's not to like? My gut tells me that we probably won't get him, but who knows. Hahn was bashing this draft, but to me I love the role players this draft has. You need a shooter there are guys. You need an athletic PG. Defensive specialists. You have to look at this draft in that light. This isn't a franchise player draft.

Shumpert reminds me of Mardy Collins. People made the exact same arguments for Mardy.

no no no

Shumpert might be the best athlete in the draft. The WHOLE draft. Did you see his combine scores? He's got a 6'10 wingspan and one of the highest verticle leaps ever. I would be thrilled with this pick. Think a Igodalla, not Mardy Collins

Never thought of it but Igoudala is a great comparison. Seems like he would be a strong SG who can run the point from the wing like Iggy does, and defend any position. Also his athletic ability is unmatched. I would have no problem picking him up. If he shot the ball better in the college he would be a top-10 pick. That is my major concern, but i keep hearing he is a better shooter than his stats suggest.

Knixkik wrote:

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:hmmm.

Iman Shumpert's agent is Happy Walters. aka Amar'e Stoudemire's agent. and the reason Shawne Williams made the team.

guess we know one reason the knicks like him.

Hey the kid has the kind of range any team could use. He can run point, SG and defend 1-3. He's got world class athletic ability and lockdown D. What's not to like? My gut tells me that we probably won't get him, but who knows. Hahn was bashing this draft, but to me I love the role players this draft has. You need a shooter there are guys. You need an athletic PG. Defensive specialists. You have to look at this draft in that light. This isn't a franchise player draft.

Shumpert reminds me of Mardy Collins. People made the exact same arguments for Mardy.

no no no

Shumpert might be the best athlete in the draft. The WHOLE draft. Did you see his combine scores? He's got a 6'10 wingspan and one of the highest verticle leaps ever. I would be thrilled with this pick. Think a Igodalla, not Mardy Collins

Never thought of it but Igoudala is a great comparison. Seems like he would be a strong SG who can run the point from the wing like Iggy does, and defend any position. Also his athletic ability is unmatched. I would have no problem picking him up. If he shot the ball better in the college he would be a top-10 pick. That is my major concern, but i keep hearing he is a better shooter than his stats suggest.

We arent getting all those needs in the draft. Hopefully when we firesale Billups expiring deal we get good value (probably depend on CBA).

That being Shumpert (I think Singleton will be gone) certainly fits #2. Vujecic(SP?) Fits #3. Either would be good pieces to add.

This is from DX, and it makes me put a red flag on him:

Though Shumpert has certainly played quite a bit of point guard throughout his career at Georgia Tech, he's spent more time off the ball recently. In his first two years in Atlanta, he struggled with his shot selection, liked to dominate the ball, and proved fairly turnover prone looking to set the table for others. Now forced to score out of necessity as a junior, Shumpert's passing numbers have declined, but he's turning the ball over far less, getting to the line quite a bit more, and has gotten more and more efficient as the season has gone on, even if his sub 40% shooting remains disconcerting.

As is always the case, we really have to depend on our draft team to look at the guy and reach conclusion. He also worked out with Jenkins, a nice player who you would think was a good match-up in terms of seeing what he can and can't do.

His athletic specs are pretty amazing though, and I have to think that if teams think his BB IQ and skill levels are good, he should be a top ten pick given the package.