SEC Coverage

Sources confirmed an ESPN.com report from Sunday night that Sacramento was among the teams talking with the Rockets, and it made perfect sense then that the Kings were suddenly bringing in a number of prospects expected to be taken later than their fifth pick. St. John's small forward Moe Harkless is among them, and the way in which he agreed to a Monday workout was revealing. Harkless worked out for Golden State (No. 7) on Sunday, and was then asked by the Kings to come by on Monday before leaving the region. The unique part, I was told, was that the workout was enough of an organizational priority that at least one member of the Maloof family that owns the team was among those team representatives doing the asking.

Fab Melo has signed with Arn Tellem, according to multiple sources, which means he obviously isn't returning to Syracuse, as expected.— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 2, 2012

Not sure I've met a more interesting draft prospect than Bismack Biyombo in terms of the sheer depth of his thoughts. Incredibly cognitive.

In a text message from Josh Selby's mother, Maeshon Witherspoon, TheShiver.com was informed that Josh Selby is officially NOT returning to the University of Kansas.

I won't return to Europe

I think the Warriors are going to rue the day they passed up on Joakim Noah for Brandan Wright too.

Larry Brown went for the Larry Brown-type player. Although he might not excel at a particular facet, Duke guard Gerald Henderson carries the complete type of skill set demanded by Brown. At No. 12, the Bobcats landed a player who should be an instant contributor. He shoots, he can score in the paint, he rebounds, he contains his man. He should fit right in and might actually earn the occasional bit of praise from Brown. Possibly.

In the unlikely case that Rubio slips past Sacramento, it appears that Washington will not hesitate to pick him if they feel like he’s indeed the best player on their draft board. The prevailing sentiment at the moment is that Rubio is not in a position to return to Joventut, and that he may have lost some of the leverage he once had by keeping his name in the draft and suing his former team.

Many feel like Rubio would be a good fit in Washington playing alongside Gilbert Arenas, but Rubio’s camp apparently does not agree with that notion at all.

One team that could reportedly help Dallas move up high enough to pick [Jordan] Hill is the Washington Wizards at #5, a team they already have a history with making draft-day deals. The two teams swapped Antawn Jamison for Jerry Stackhouse and the #4 pick (Devin Harris) back in 2004, a move that worked out well for both parties.

Dallas can offer either the non-guaranteed contract of Jerry Stackhouse to help the Wizards reduce payroll next year (while taking someone like Mike James or Etan Thomas off their hands) or they can help the Wizards by providing a veteran like Josh Howard or Jason Terry if it’s experience and scoring punch they are after. Either move would allow the Mavericks to stay flexible from a financial standpoint as they look towards the free agent class of 2010. They can also dangle their first round pick (#22).

Johnson is a 6-foot-8, 235-pound small forward/power forward type who averaged 15.0 points and 8.5 rebounds. He's an athlete, considered a good perimeter defender. He can face up, has a post game. He comes with a list of negatives, too: He needs strength, bulk, a better foul shot, more focus and assertiveness.

But there is one real appeal: He may be the toughest prospect in the upcoming draft.