Editors:
To help you with planning for the NBA Draft in Dallas on June 21 in New York Cordy Glenn Color Rush Jersey , here are some of our coverage plans. Please direct questions to Oscar Dixon (odixon(at)ap.org). Plans subject to change. This digest will be updated. All times Eastern.
THURSDAY, JUNE 21
BKN–NBA DRAFT
NEW YORK – The Phoenix Suns have the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, with big men Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Michael Porter Jr. among the top prospects along with Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Trae Young. By Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos. Developing from 7 p.m. draft.
With:
– BKN–NBA DRAFT-THINGS TO KNOW. By Brian Mahoney. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos by 5 a.m.
– BKN–NBA DRAFT-THE LATEST, real-time updates on the NBA draft
– Individual stories from each NBA team.
FRIDAY, JUNE 22
BKN–NBA DRAFT-HUERTER’S NIGHT
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. – The Associated Press spends the NBA draft with early entrant Kevin Huerter, as he waits for the phone to ring and the next step in his basketball life to be decided. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos, video planned by 4 a.m.
SENT PREVIOUSLY:
Features:
BKN–NBA DRAFT-BEST EVER PICKS
Ever wondered who the best picks of the NBA draft were at every draft slot? Wonder no more. From No. 1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to No. 30 Spencer Haywood, a look at the players whose footsteps will be followed by the new NBA players selected on Thursday night. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 1 Martin Kaut Blackhawks Jersey ,000 words, photos on June 20
BKN–NBA DRAFT
NEW YORK – Luka Doncic is already a pro, and he has already won championships. A day after capping his brilliant stay in Spain with another title, the Slovenian guard heads the list of international players expected to be selected in the NBA draft and remains perhaps the most accomplished and intriguing player in Thursday’s festivities. By Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney. SENT: 700 words, photos on June 20
BKN–NBA DRAFT-LEBRON FACTOR
CLEVELAND – LeBron James won’t be picking any players in this year’s NBA draft. Not directly anyway. With the three-time champion’s future still uncertain, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have the No. 8 overall pick, enter this year’s draft not certain if they’re taking a player as a complementary piece to James, to develop without him or perhaps trade to land another All-Star player. At this point, everything seems in play. By Tom Withers. SENT: 600 words, photos on June 19
BKN–NBA DRAFT-HAWKS-TRADE TALKS
ATLANTA – With four picks in the top 34, including No. 3 overall, the Atlanta Hawks are in position to move up or down in Thursday’s NBA draft. GM Travis Schlenk says he’s getting a lot of calls but says there is space on the rebuilding Hawks roster to carry four rookies next season. By Charles Odum. SENT: 550 words, file photos on June 19
BKN–NBA DRAFT-THE INTERVIEW
CHICAGO – When teams are deciding who to take in the NBA draft Darius Leonard Color Rush Jersey , the off-court interview still carries enormous weight. What happens on the floor obviously is of great importance as well, but the half-hour chats at the draft combine might be just as critical to teams that need to choose which players merit multi-million-dollar investments. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 800 words, photos on June 18.
BKN–NBA DRAFT-UNDRAFTED LIFE
There’s going to be dozens of players left out in the cold at next week’s NBA draft, players who will not hear their names called by the time the night is over. Udonis Haslem knows how they’ll feel. Undrafted in 2002, Haslem – a Miami native who has spent his entire NBA career with his hometown Miami Heat – has been in the league longer than just about any other active player. Next season will be his 16th in the NBA. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 850 words, photos on June 14.
BKN–THE OFFSEASON
There are a slew of questions that need to be answered in the NBA this offseason. There’s the obvious one: What will LeBron James do? But there are plenty of others, including the future for Kawhi Leonard, the next moves for Chris Paul and Paul George, and whether the league has seen the last of Dwyane Wade. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 950 words, photos on June 9.
Profiles:
BKN–NBA DRAFT-SEXTON
NEW YORK – A year ago Collin Sexton had just graduated from high school and was about to embark on his college career at Alabama. The talented point guard chose an unusual route to start his journey to the NBA but after only one year in the shadows of the pre-eminent college football program in the nation Sexton is only the second Crimson Tide freshman to declare for the NBA draft – and the first under the one-one-done rule. By Terrin Waack. SENT: 650 words, photos on June 20
BKN–NBA DRAFT-YOUNG
Trae Young’s numbers in his lone season of college were ridiculous. He led the nation in scoring and assists. He had NBA stars tweeting about his every move. But where he’s going to end up in the draft on Thursday night remains a bit of a mystery, for reasons that Young doesn’t fully understand. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 700 words, photos on June 19
BKN–NBA DRAFT-PORTER
Someone is going to gamble on Michael Porter Jr., and he insists it’ll pay off. There is an element of danger involved with every NBA draft pick www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-d.j.-fluker-jersey , in that nothing is guaranteed. There isn’t a player that epitomizes the risk versus reward thinking in this draft more than Porter Jr., who some think Browns safety Damarious Randall underestimated two things: the power of social media and passion of Cleveland fans.
Randall said Wednesday he never imagined that an innocent Twitter posting about the NBA Finals would blow up into a national story – and maybe something he lives to regret.
A big fan of Golden State star guard Stephen Curry, Randall posted a tweet on Monday night promising that if the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Warriors in the ”2018 NBA finals, I’ll buy everyone who retweet’s this a jersey.”
By Wednesday afternoon, Randall’s tweet had been retweeted 869,000 times.
”Honestly, I didn’t think it was going to get over 100,” Randall said after practice. ”I didn’t think people were going to actually view that as a serious tweet from me. But obviously it got the whole world excited about it, and I mean now I’m actually excited about it. It is a great, great opportunity to interact with the fans and we’re just going to watch the series and just see how everything folds out.”
Randall, who came to the Browns in a March trade from Green Bay, said he couldn’t track the number of re-tweets because his phone locked up when he tried to access his Twitter account.
”I definitely didn’t think it would go as viral as it did,” the 25-year-old said. ”I definitely didn’t think the Cleveland fan base would go this crazy about it. Obviously, it was a joke Youth Baker Mayfield Jersey , but just to know how passionate this fan base is, I mean, it’s just really encouraging.”
Randall wouldn’t say if he planned to pay off his promise if the Cavs win.
”We’ll talk about this after the series is over,” he said.
Randall is from Florida, but said he became a fan of Curry’s after the shooting star made a name for himself at Davidson College and went pro. Randall said he also likes Cleveland’s superstar LeBron James, but not as much as Curry.
”I am not anti-LeBron. I am actually a big LeBron fan as well, but when he’s going against Steph, I would rather Steph over LeBron,” he said. ”But at the end of the day, I mean they are both great, great players, and I definitely respect everything that LeBron has done for this community and for this city and state. He is one of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball if you ask me.”
Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor had some advice for Randall when it comes to picking sides and making your opinion public on social media.
”Don’t hit send,” he said. ”Should have been smarter about the whole situation, about the tweet. Whether you feel that way or not Authentic Olivier Rodrigue Jersey , don’t tweet it.”
Coach Hue Jackson, who plans to jump into Lake Erie on Friday to make good on a promise he made when the team was going 0-16 last season, knew Randall would get some heat for his tweet.
”I think what Damarious found out is that there are a lot of passionate Cleveland fans here, and you’ve got to be careful about what you say,” Jackson said. ”I don’t think he meant any harm. I think he has a love and a respect for Curry, obviously. But he found out that, `Hey, look, in this city it’s about the Cavaliers and LeBron James.”
Jackson also used a comment made by James following Cleveland’s win in Boston on Sunday as a teaching tool for the Browns.
”Just the other day, I was able to show them LeBron’s message to the media in Game 7 when he talked about team,” he said.
”I thought it was tremendous. I thought what he said about his other teammates and how they are a huge part of it and how people who have not played the game or wore shorts or been in a locker room understand what it takes to win. I thought that was sensational. I said that to our football team.”
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