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NBA Draft Lottery 2013: Odds favor Magic in Tuesday's event

2013-05-21T04:00:08Z

The NBA Draft Lottery will determine the order in which the 14 teams who did not qualify for the postseason will select in the 2013 NBA Draft. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21st at 8:30 PM Eastern/5:30 PM Pacific. ESPN's crew of Mark Jones, Jay Bilas, and Heather Cox will provide live coverage.

The Orlando Magic finished the 2012/13 season with a 20-62 record, the NBA's worst. As a result, they have the best odds--25 percent--of earning the first overall pick in the NBA Draft; in addition, Orlando can pick no lower than fourth overall.

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Pat Williams, the Magic's Senior Executive Vice President, is scheduled to represent his team at Tuesday's event. Williams was present for each of Orlando's three other lottery wins in 1992, 1993, and 2004.

Below are the odds of earning a top-four selection for each of the league's 14 lottery teams. The rightmost column lists the odds of each team finishing outside the top four.

Team	No. 1	No. 2	No. 3	No. 4	Outside top 4
Orlando Magic	25.00%	21.51%	17.77%	35.73%	0.00%
Charlotte Bobcats	19.90%	18.81%	17.12%	31.86%	12.32%
Cleveland Cavaliers	15.60%	15.74%	15.58%	22.56%	30.52%
Phoenix Suns	11.90%	12.60%	13.30%	9.85%	52.35%
New Orleans Pelicans	8.80%	9.65%	10.68%	0.00%	70.87%
Sacramento Kings	6.30%	7.10%	8.11%	0.00%	78.50%
Detroit Pistons	3.60%	4.16%	4.91%	0.00%	87.32%
Washington Wizards	3.50%	4.05%	4.79%	0.00%	87.66%
Minnesota Timberwolves	1.70%	2.00%	2.41%	0.00%	93.892%
Portland Trail Blazers	1.10%	1.30%	1.58%	0.00%	96.031%
Philadelphia 76ers	0.80%	0.95%	1.15%	0.00%	97.1001%
Toronto Raptors	0.70%	0.83%	1.01%	0.00%	97.46%
Dallas Mavericks	0.60%	0.71%	0.87%	0.00%	97.82%
Utah Jazz	0.50%	0.59%	0.72%	0.00%	98.18%

The last time the team with the best odds of winning the lottery indeed hit the jackpot was in 2004, when the 21-61 Magic scored big. The team would go on to select 18-year-old center prospect Dwight Howard ahead of the more polished Emeka Okafor in June, a decision which paid dividends over Howard's eight-year career in the City Beautiful.

The Pelicans, then known as the Hornets, won the 2012 Draft Lottery, owning just a 13.7 percent chance of doing so. The longest-shot lotto victory in the last five seasons came in 2008, when the Chicago Bulls had just a 1.7 percent chance of hitting paydirt. Just three seasons later, Derrick Rose, the Bulls' selection, earned his first MVP trophy.

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Orlando Magic rumor: Orlando schedules free-agent workout with Gani Lawal, according to report

2013-05-19T22:11:18Z

The Orlando Magic are among several teams to show an interest in Virtus Roma forward Gani Lawal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Lawal, 24, appeared in one game for the Phoenix Suns in the 2010/11 season but has since starred in Europe, where he's averaging 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocked shots for Virtus Roma in the Italian league Lega Basket Serie A.

Lawal, listed at 6-foot-9, averaged 11.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in his three-year career at Georgia Tech. The Suns selected him with the 46th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He has also played summer-league games with the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets.

Charania lists Orlando, the Indiana Pacers, and the Toronto Raptors as the teams that've scheduled a workout with Lawal. "Four to five other teams" could also bring the College Park, Georgia native in for a free-agent audition.

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NBA Draft Combine 2013: C.J. McCollum and Myck Kabongo interview with Magic, according to report

2013-05-17T05:07:04Z

The NBA Draft Combine continued in Chicago on Thursday as some players took part in drills and interviewed with some teams in attendance. Point guards Myck Kabongo and CJ McCollum are two players whom the Orlando Magic interviewed, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins notes that Orlando has an unsettled point guard rotation, given that Beno Udrih will become a free agent in July and that E`Twaun Moore doesn't have a guaranteed contract.

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McCollum averaged 23.9 points, five rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals in his senior season with the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, shooting 49.5 percent from the floor and 51.6 percent from three-point range. According to Chad Ford of ESPN Insider, McCollum measured 6-foot-3.25 in shoes.

For his part, Kabongo posted per-game averages of 14.6 points, five rebounds, 5.5 assists, and two steals on 41.8 percent shooting for the Texas Longhorns. At 6-foot-2.75, Kabongo measured slightly smaller than McCollum.

The Magic have their own first-round pick, which will be no lower than fourth overall. They also have the 51st overall selection via the Golden State Warriors. Even if the Magic don't plan to select either McCollum or Kabongo, getting to know them certainly doesn't hurt the team's rebuilding effort.

Colorado Buffaloes forward Andre Roberson also interviewed with the Magic, according to Robbins.

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Orlando Magic rumor: Orlando to permit Al Harrington to work out for other teams, according to report

2013-05-16T18:46:27Z

In early June, the Orlando Magic will allow Al Harrington to work out for other teams, reports Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD. The veteran big man simply isn't in the rebuilding Magic's plans, and they want to allow him to showcase his skills for other teams before trading him or buying him out.

Harrington has two seasons, worth more than $7 million each, remaining on his contract, according to ShamSports. However, only 50 percent of each season is fully guaranteed. Orlando hopes to trade Harrington, Kennedy says, but will try to buy him out if he doesn't garner interest from other teams. Both parties would prefer a trade.

As Kennedy notes, some people around the league expected Harrington to seek medical retirement during the 2012/13 season due to complications from an operation to treat a staph infection in his right knee. Harrington instead managed to work his way back to basketball shape and he appeared in 10 games for Orlando before it benched him in order to give more minutes to its younger players.

Though a trade of Harrington is unlikely, Kennedy says, "it seems that Orlando is at least open to letting interested teams get a look at Harrington and he’s been working hard on his body since the season ended for the Magic."

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NBA Draft Combine 2013: Magic descend on Chicago to evaluate prospects

2013-05-16T07:35:48Z

Members of the Orlando Magic's front office, as well as representatives from the league's other 29 teams, have landed in Chicago for the 2013 NBA Draft Combine, at which event they'll interview, measure, and evaluate some of the prospects in June's Draft. The Combine began Wednesday, and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports that the Magic were schedule to interview some players that night. Teams may interview up to 18 Draft prospects of the 63 who are attending the Combine.

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The Combine continues through Sunday, May 19th. ESPN will have live coverage of the event on Thursday and Friday, from 10 AM to 2 PM Eastern on both days. Coverage shifts to ESPN 2 from 2 PM to 3 PM on Thursday and Friday. Fans who wish to follow the Combine online can do so via the WatchESPN app.

Orlando has the best odds of winning the top overall selection in the Draft, but won't know for sure where it's slotted to pick until after the NBA Draft Lottery. The Lottery is set for Tuesday, May 21st.

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NBA Draft 2013 prospect profile: Shabazz Muhammad

2013-05-15T15:26:30Z

Shabazz Muhammad joined the UCLA Bruins with extremely high expectations. He was a projected top-three Draft pick and most analysts considered him and Nerlens Noel to be, by far, the NCAA's two best NBA prospects. But Muhammad mostly underwhelmed scouts as the Bruins finished a disappointing season knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

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It might not have been the type of year that Muhammad thought he would have, but he did do enough in his freshman campaign to still be considered a solid top-10 pick in the 2013 Draft.

Shabazz Muhammad's 2012-13 season:

Season	School	G	MP	PER	TS%	eFG%	ORB%	DRB%	TRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%
2012-13	UCLA	32	987	21.9	.528	.487	9.9	8.5	9.2	5.8	1.3	0.4	8.6	29.8
Career	UCLA	32	987	21.9	.528	.487	9.9	8.5	9.2	5.8	1.3	0.4	8.6	29.8

Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table

Muhammad's freshman campaign was as bizarre a season as you'll ever see. He was suspended for the first three games for an investigation that had lasted since high school. He and his family had to repay $1,600 in permissible benefits he was deemed to have accepted.

More Draft prospect profiles at OPP: Trey Burke Ben McLemore Nerlens Noel Victor Oladipo Otto Porter

After he served his suspension, people were expecting him to dominate on both sides of the floor. What they got was a guy who looked out of shape and, at times, overmatched. He had also been battling a shoulder strain that he suffered in a practice before the season started. But as the season wore on and Muhammad's conditioning returned, he began to prove himself as an extremely well-rounded scorer.

Muhammad scored 20 or more points 13 times during his season and hit a number of big shots. He proved to have a knack for scoring and was never afraid of the moment. But his draft stock took a hit on March 22nd when the Los Angeles Times released information that Muhammad was actually a year older than what he and his family had been telling people for years.

The bizarre story not only brought Muhammad's credibility into question but also put his draft stock in perspective. Muhammad dominating college basketball at 19 is impressive. But when he does that at age 20, that becomes less telling and is an immediate cause for concern.

Since the Times' big story, it's become apparent how controlling that Ron Holmes, Muhammad's father, has been in the 20-year-old small forward's life. Holmes has spent the last two decades mapping out a blueprint for Muhammad to become an NBA player. He's worked his whole life to make sure that Muhammad worked with the best trainers and enrolled in the best schools. He even picked the name "Shabazz Muhammad" because of its potential worldwide marketability.

Strengths:

Muhammad is the best scorer in college basketball. He just knows how to score. He knows where he wants to be on the floor and he attacks with such a high motor on the offensive end that it's tough for defenses to stop his 6-foot-6, 225-pound frame.

Muhammad is a great knock-down shooter whether he's spotting up or running off a series of screens. He isn't great shooting off the dribble but when he gets his feet set, he's deadly. He's so resilient on the offensive end and he constantly puts pressure on opponents' defenses. He's always looking to score and he can do so from nearly everywhere on the floor. If he misses a shot, he's attacking the offensive boards with a vengeance.

He's super strong which helps him finish inside. His 6-foot-11 wingspan and his strength also help him in that regard. He's constantly hunting the offensive boards looking for easy opportunities and he follows his own shot on almost every possession. Muhammad also possesses an advanced post game where he can either bully smaller defenders by attacking, or shoot a turn around fade away jumper.

He gets to the free throw line at an extremely high rate. His 7.3 free throw attempts per 40 minutes is second among all small forwards in this year's draft, according to DraftExpress. This is mostly because Muhammad is so strong that opponents are forced to either foul him at the rim or concede an easy bucket.

Weaknesses:

Muhammad has weaknesses, along with the bizarre age issue, that have dropped him out of the Top 5 on most draft boards.

He isn't much of a creator for himself or his teammates. His 5.8 percent assist rate is alarmingly low. That and his lack of elite ballhandling prevent him from moving down to shooting guard in the NBA. He didn't shoot well off the dribble, though most misses of those were a result of bad shot selection and bad spacing, as opposed to mechanical flaws. Muhammad would take a dribble into the defense and try to force a contested shot rather than dribble away from the help defense and take an easier shot.

Defensively, Muhammad often looked either lost or disinterested. Off the ball, he'd often get caught ball-watching, conceding easy buckets at the rim. On the ball, he lacked the lateral quickness and discipline to be a real difference-maker on that end of the floor.

He's a good athlete but not a great athlete, which hurt him defensively but also hurt him on the offensive end. He didn't explode at the rim like Victor Oladipo or Ben McLemore did, instead choosing to bully his way through defenses. He got his shot blocked a little more than one would like as he was never the quickest or most explosive athlete on the floor.

Then of course there's the red flags: the early suspension and the age scandal. There's also a sense around the league that Muhammad is selfish, looking out for himself rather than worrying about the team. But I think his extreme competitiveness can argue against that. I think he mostly didn't trust his teammates and coaching staff at UCLA and thought he had to do things himself in order to win.

Overall:

Muhammad was raised his whole life to be in the NBA. As a collegiate athlete, there can be some speculation as to whether choosing UCLA was the best choice. Coach Ben Howland has earned criticism for under-using and mismanaging his NBA prospects. After the season ended, the Bruins fired Howland. Would Muhammad have been better off going to Kentucky to play under John Calipari? That's a reasonable question.

He has a lot of flaws as a basketball player and the age scandal is one that will haunt his draft stock. But he is a premiere scorer with a desire to be the best. He's going to give you 110 percent on the offensive end of the floor and if you're in need of a scorer, he could be a good fit.

There will be a lot of eyes on Muhammad at his pro workouts. How will he handle the interview process? How will he answer the criticism that he's selfish? How will he look physically? No one will be more scrutinized and dissected through the next few weeks leading up to the draft.

How does he fit in with the Magic?

If Muhammad were able to slide to the shooting guard, then he'd be much higher on Orlando's radar. But as it stands, with him at small forward, it's unlikely to see the Magic trade back to take a chance on him. He's only five months younger than Tobias Harris and I can't really see Rob Hennigan clouding minutes for Harris or Maurice Harkless by selecting Muhammad.

As a fan of basketball, though, I'll be watching Muhammad's rookie season very closely. I've watched him since high school and still believe he has a chance to succeed in the NBA -- just not in Orlando.

Magic's Maurice Harkless, Andrew Nicholson don't make All-Rookie teams

2013-05-14T18:47:25Z

The NBA's head coaches didn't select any of the Orlando Magic's five rookies to either of the All-Rookie teams, but Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson did receive some votes for the yearly honor, according to the balloting results, which returns the NBA released Tuesday. Harkless appeared on 13 of the 29 ballots, with one first-team vote, while Nicholson earned four second-team votes.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, also the league's Rookie of the Year, headlines the first team; he was the only player to receive 29 first-team votes. Joining him on the first team are Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes, Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal, New Orleans Hornets big man Anthony Davis, and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters.

More NBA awards coverage: SB Nation

The second team is Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond, Charlotte Bobcats forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Pistons swingman Kyle Singler, Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valančiūnas, and Cavs center Tyler Zeller.

Had Harkless received one more second-team vote, he would have made the second team, as he fell one point behind Zeller. Nicholson placed behind Harkless, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Alexey Shved, New York Knicks forward Chris Copeland, and Hornets point guard Brian Roberts.

Harkless and Nicholson are two of the 23 players who received All-Rookie votes.

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NBA Draft 2013 prospect profile: Otto Porter

2013-05-13T12:00:10Z

There's been a lot of buzz here at OPP and other platforms across in the internet about Otto Porter, Georgetown's versatile swingman.

When he arrived at Georgetown he was heralded as a hard-working, smart player with a willingness to defend. In his freshman year he showcased those attributes as a versatile offensive player inside the three-point arc. What he lacked was a consistent three-point shot that would create spacing in the Hoyas' offense that consists of constant movement and off the ball cuts.

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In his sophomore season his three-point shooting dramatically improved and he became much more willing to shoot the ball from behind the arc. That piqued the interest of NBA scouts enough to land Porter top-five on most lottery teams' big boards.

Otto Porter's 2012-13 season:

Season	School	G	MP	PER	TS%	eFG%	ORB%	DRB%	TRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%
2011-12	Georgetown	33	980	21.3	.578	.550	8.8	18.3	13.9	10.9	2.4	3.1	12.0	17.4
2012-13	Georgetown	31	1097	27.3	.590	.541	6.7	19.0	13.2	18.5	3.3	3.0	10.0	24.1
Career	Georgetown	64	2077	24.4	.585	.545	7.7	18.7	13.5	14.9	2.9	3.1	10.8	20.9

Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table

Porter established himself as Georgetown's leader on November 19th against No. 11 UCLA. Porter scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished five assists, recorded three steals, and blocked five shots. His stat-stuffing performance was highlighted by the two three-pointers he hit. In his next appearance against Indiana, he shot 3-of-4 from downtown, in another stat sheet filling performance. What he showed in those two early games was that he had established a comfortable three-point shot, something that limited him in his freshman season.

His best game of the season came at No. 8 Syracuse on February 23rd. The Hoyas had won their previous eight games and were looking to prove that they were a real contender. They won their ninth straight against Syracuse, 57-46, behind Porter's 33 points and 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.

Georgetown went on to earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament before being upset by Florida Gulf Coast, which took the country by storm on its way to a Sweet 16 birth.

Porter led the Hoyas much further than anyone had expected. Georgetown tied for the best record in the regular season, and Porter was the Player of the Year in the conference. He finished the season shooting 42.2 percent from three, up nearly 20 percent from his freshman campaign.

Strengths:

Porter is a long, wiry forward with a variety of skills on both sides of the ball. His game will adapt quickly to the NBA. He's 6-foot-9 with tremendous length. His 7-foot-1 wingspan gives him distinct advantages both offensively and defensively. He'll need to improve strength, he only weighs 205 pounds, but his big frame and long arms will translate well to the NBA small forward position. If he can gain strength, he could become an NBA stretch four.

Porter's biggest strength--and what has guys around the NBA excited--is his unique, versatile offensive game. No one in this year's draft shot the ball more efficiently from 15-18 feet. Porter is extremely comfortable shooting off spot up situations from mid range. His improved long-range shooting is extremely encouraging.

He works extremely well off the ball and has the ability to score in a variety of ways. Off the ball, Porter can curl off screens or flare for corner threes. He is extremely smart on the offensive end and understands how and when to cut back door for easy buckets. Porter looks like he will fit in a variety NBA offenses, with misdirection plays becoming a staple around the league.

Porter is also comfortable with the ball in his hands. His ball handling isn't the best but he's able to dribble himself into spots on the floor from which he's comfortable shooting. He also uses the dribbling to set up teammates and Porter's ability to pass the ball is unique for his size. Porter's 18.5 percent assist rate is higher than Kevin Durant's in his first five years in the league. NOTE: I'm not comparing the two players, but it's encouraging that Porter has the ability to set teammates up at that kind of rate.

Porter is a willing defender, though he played mostly in zone sets while at Georgetown. He has the length to bother shooters and rebounds the ball on the defensive side of the ball at a nice clip. He has good anticipation and instincts which explain his 1.8 steals per game. He'll need to add strength so that he doesn't get bullied but he seems to understand basic defensive concepts and is willing to play on that end.

Weaknesses:

Porter has two glaring weaknesses that keep him from being a No. 1 pick: strength and athleticism.

He must add strength to play 30-plus minutes in the league. He often struggled to gain position in the low post as he would get bullied and couldn't get to his spots. Defensively, small forwards in the NBA will be able to muscle their way through Porter, though his length should add difficulty for that.

Athletically, Porter looks like he should be elite, but he's not. He's pretty fast in straight-on situations but he lacks the shifty lateral quickness that would take him to the next level. For the most part, Porter plays below the rim. At times it would look like he could finish with a dunk but would finger roll it in.

He's not extremely creative with the ball in his hands. Though he's an excellent passer from anywhere on the floor and has the ability to comfortably bring the ball up in transition, his shots off the dribble usually come out of one or two dribbles. One way of thinking about this is that Porter is just efficient, choosing to pull up off a couple dribbles rather than waste dribbles into another shot. Another way of thinking about that is that he lacks the ballhandling and creativity to be an elite scorer.

Overall:

Porter is an old-school type of player who doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective on offense. He didn't play in a lot of pick-and-pop situations at Georgetown but his overall skill set suggests that he could become extremely good in these types of sets as a stretch power forward if he gains the strength needed to guard and rebound on the other end.

He's the most polished offensive player in the draft with a lot of potential on the defensive end. There will be a multitude of teams willing to take Porter in the top-3 come draft day. The question now: will the Orlando Magic be willing to take Porter at the top of the draft and how would he fit? I'm glad you asked...

How does he fit in with the Magic?

When I wrote about Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, I said that having too much talent is a wonderful problem especially with a promising young GM like Rob Hennigan. The same can be applied here for Porter. The Magic already have two players who are capable of playing the small forward spot in Maurice Harkless and Tobias Harris. Selecting Porter could crowd the depth of that position and eat into the minutes of Orlando's two other young forwards. Or:

Harkless would have to learn how to play the shooting guard spot. Porter-as versatile as he is--isn't athletic enough to slide to the 2-spot at the NBA. Harkless' shooting, though improving, would need to drastically improve for the spacing to work in Orlando's offense. In this case, Porter and Harris would play the forward spots.

Even in that situation, the question becomes "what happens to Arron Afflalo and Glen Davis?" and for that I have no answer. Maybe Hennigan deals one, or both, in the off-season. I'm not sure what would happen. Then there's always the possibility that Hennigan keeps everyone and Jacque Vaughn is tasked with rotating minutes enough to develop the young guys.

I think we can all agree that the off-season is a lot of fun, especially with rebuilding teams. It's never ending: the possibilities, the questions, the discussions.

Orlando Pinstriped Post - All Posts

NBA Draft Lottery 2013: Odds favor Magic in Tuesday's event

Orlando Magic rumor: Orlando schedules free-agent workout with Gani Lawal, according to report

NBA Draft Combine 2013: C.J. McCollum and Myck Kabongo interview with Magic, according to report

Orlando Magic rumor: Orlando to permit Al Harrington to work out for other teams, according to report

NBA Draft Combine 2013: Magic descend on Chicago to evaluate prospects

NBA Draft 2013 prospect profile: Shabazz Muhammad

Shabazz Muhammad's 2012-13 season:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Overall:

How does he fit in with the Magic?

Magic's Maurice Harkless, Andrew Nicholson don't make All-Rookie teams

NBA Draft 2013 prospect profile: Otto Porter

Otto Porter's 2012-13 season:

Prospect profiles

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Overall:

How does he fit in with the Magic?