HoopsHype.com Rumors

Bismack Biyombo now invited to the green room, which means the league considers him lottery. Twitter

Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

Ken Berger: Sources say Houston targeting Tristan Thompson if he's there, also have interest in Bismack Biyombo. Kevin McHale wants a big. Twitter

Houston Rockets, Draft, Kevin McHale, Tristan Thompson, Bismack Biyombo 

I was told by a trusted league source today in New York at NBA Draft media day that Bismack Biyombo has a medical red flag with is back. Biyombo's medical report was handed out to every single NBA team by his agent. At least one team's medical staff decided there was an issue with his back that they deemed a red flag. The source said some teams may have decided it wasn't that much of an issue, but some teams have decided it is an issue. The source said there are also some question marks on the medical report regarding both of Biyombo's knees, but the source said his knees weren't enough of an issue to be considered a red flag. The Hoops Report

Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

Aran Smith: Word from an NBA GM is that Bismack Biyombo may have some back injury concerns in medical reports, in particular a herniated disk. Twitter

Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

Bismack Biyombo did a lot to help his stock today in Charlotte; word is he was everything expected and a little more likely cementing his floor at #9 to Charlotte. The problem with Biyombo to Charlotte is that Toronto is still very much in the hunt for him with the #5 overall selection. HoopsWorld

Charlotte Bobcats, Toronto Raptors, Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

Now, I’ll say that if Brandon Knight falls to No. 5 – and it would most likely only happen if Utah takes Kanter at No. 3 – they’ll snap him up but of the group that’s likely to be there, why not take a shot at Biyombo, a 6-9 bit of an energetic beast. This I heard, and it’s paraphrased, about Biyombo from a friend last night who got it from the GM of the team he covers: “His offensive game isn’t nearly as bad as I was led to believe. Good footwork, just needs coaching.” Toronto Star

Utah Jazz, Draft, Bismack Biyombo, Brandon Knight 

Biyombo’s strong ascension up NBA teams’ draft boards has not gone unnoticed by the league office, causing NBA officials to extend him a last-minute invitation to the green room, said multiple sources close to the situation. Teams that were looking to select the “unknown” Biyombo did not want to give the appearance of reaching so badly for his services that they would have to fetch him out of the crowd to shake David Stern’s hand, which is why a last-minute push was made to bring him in. Unfortunately, his family will not be able to arrive in time from the Congo. Yahoo! Sports

Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

Coach Paul Silas was clearly impressed with Bismack Biyombo's shotblocking and defense. Also, Silas said he didn't find Biyombo as limited offensively as he'd heard. Of course, considering what's been said about Biyombo's offense, the bar of expectations was set quite low. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Draft, Paul Silas, Bismack Biyombo 

Working out for the third team in three days, Bismack Biyombo continued his recovery from a poor showing at the adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy, by flashing the athleticism that had NBA scouts and fans drooling after his Nike Hoop Summit performance in April. Biyombo was a part of a six-man workout in Charlotte in front of coach Paul Silas, general manager Rich Cho and owner Michael Jordan. Matched up against Marcus Morris, Jordan Hamilton, Chris Singleton, JaJuan Johnson and Thomas Coleman, Biyombo did what one might expect -- blocked shots and threw down dunks in spectacular fashion -- but he also managed to display a shooting touch that was better than advertised. Biyombo worked out for the Raptors on Monday and the Pistons on Tuesday. Prior to those team workouts, Biyombo held a one-on-none workout at the adidas Eurocamp that drew criticism for showcasing his weaknesses (shooting, dribbling) rather than his strengths (rebounding, shot blocking). From the free throw line, Biyombo showed a touch that would seem to alleviate any fears about a "Hack-a-'Mack" strategy from the opposition. Sporting News

Charlotte Bobcats, Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

One player who appears to be getting a little lost in the shuffle is UConn's Kemba Walker. While the Jazz are considering him at No. 3, I believe he's behind both Brandon Knight and Enes Kanter on their board. The Raptors are the next logical landing place for Walker, but they've never been particularly high on him. They've flirted for a while with Jan Vesely, but as I reported on Tuesday, the team appears to be emphasizing defense in the wake of hiring Dwyane Casey. It now appears that either Bismack Biyombo or Kawhi Leonard are the favorites to go No. 5. ESPN.com

Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Draft, Enes Kanter, Kemba Walker, Jan Vesely, Kawhi Leonard, Bismack Biyombo, Brandon Knight 

Chris Littman: Just watched Biyombo dunk 75 times in a row (I'm sure @bobcats will have video of it) before he clanked No. 76. Always my favorite drill. Twitter

Charlotte Bobcats, Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

Chris Littman: No sign of Singleton here in Charlotte yet, but Marcus Morris, Jordan Hamilton, Bismack Biyombo, JaJuan Johnson and a local fill-in out now. Twitter

Charlotte Bobcats, Draft, Jordan Hamilton, Marcus Morris, Bismack Biyombo, JaJuan Johnson, Chris Singleton 

If it gets interesting at No. 4 -- and it does -- it could get really be interesting at No. 5. Sources said Toronto president and general manager Bryan Colangelo is all-in on the team's new defensive-minded approach, and he is considering taking Biyombo there despite the widely held belief that the athletic defender/rebounder/shot-blocker would go lower. The Raptors, of course, just hired Dallas assistant and defensive specialist Dwane Casey as their head coach and are clearly looking to improve significantly on that end of the floor. SI.com

Toronto Raptors, Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

Colangelo has considered moving back to take Biyombo as well. Connecticut guard Kemba Walker, San Diego State small forward Kawhi Leonard and Czech Republic forward Jan Vesely remain possibilities for Toronto, but it sounds as if the love affair is with Biyombo. This comes as a surprise in light of Biyombo's recent workout at Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy, where he was even worse than expected on the offensive end and appeared to have hurt his stock. SI.com

Toronto Raptors, Draft, Kemba Walker, Jan Vesely, Kawhi Leonard, Bismack Biyombo 

Spanish basketball club Fuenlabrada will ask Bismack Biyombo to pay a million euros for entering the draft. AS.com

Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

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. ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, Draft, Trade, Raymond Felton, Jonas Valanciunas, Bismack Biyombo 

A lot of teams are giving you serious consideration in the draft. There's easily 10 or 12 cities where you could wind up. Let's play a game: I'll say the name of a city and you say the first word that comes to mind. Any word you want — just the first word that pops into your head. Cool? Biyombo: Cool. Grantland: OK, here we go. Washington, D.C. Biyombo: No. Grantland: OK. Detroit. Biyombo: Detroit? Yes. Grantland: Toronto. Biyombo: Yes. Grantland: Houston. Biyombo: Yes. ESPN.com

Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

When did you realize that your life had changed based on just this one game? Biyombo: [Laughs] After the game, as soon as I got in the locker room. Someone told me I had the first triple-double in [Hoops Summit] history, and I was like, "Wow." They said, "Kevin Garnett had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 blocks, so you're the first to do that." I just couldn't believe it. I said, "OK, I had an amazing game, I know that, but you're telling me that's the first time ever?" I talked to my agent, Igor [Crespo], and he said, "That's true. You're the first one to make it." I had wanted to put it all on the floor, and at the end of the day something really special happened. That was a pretty good time, right after the game, and all that week. After I get back home and talk to Igor, he says that a lot of things have changed. Suddenly a lot of people want to know something about me. I go back home and sit down with my parents, and Igor calls me and gives to me some news. He says people are talking about me and NBA teams are interested in me for the draft. I was like, "WOW! That's really tight!" Yeah, I was really surprised. And it's been fun. All of these guys I've been looking up to, I'll be playing against them now. ESPN.com

Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

Who are your favorite players? Biyombo: Hakeem Olajuwon, this is my favorite player. But there are two others I idolize in the way they play the game. Kevin Garnett — I like the way he wants to win every game. Every time he's on the floor, he plays intense and plays hard. When he's not on the floor, you can see the team missing him. On the other hand is Kevin Love. Some of the time people say, "You're crazy man. Why you're taking about Kevin Love? The reason why I say Kevin Love is that I love him, I love the way he plays the game. He's smart; he knows where to be to get the rebound. He's the best guy at grabbing the rebound over anyone. Watching him, that makes me learn something. At the end of the day, I'm never gonna be Kevin Love, I'm never gonna be Kevin Garnett, and also I'm never gonna be Hakeem Olajuwon. At the end of the day, I'm just gonna be me. Which means, I'm just gonna take some things from each of them, and that's gonna make me a little better. ESPN.com

Draft, Bismack Biyombo 

Because of your size, your maturity, and your leadership abilities, there's been some argument about your actual age. Some people have suggested that you might be as old as 23 to 26, which could potentially have an effect on where you'd be picked in the draft. How old are you? Biyombo: This is a question I have faced from when I first came to Spain. Nobody knows about me, so people are quickly like, "Who is Bismack? Who is this guy? Where did he come from?" Now, some people ask me if I can look them in the eye and say I'm really 18. I can look anyone in the eye and tell them that. If they want to believe me, they can believe me, and if they don't want to believe me, they don't have to. I'm not President Obama, I'm not gonna hold up my birth certificate in public to show to the world. But we show it to the teams who are looking at me, and we show them X-rays and passports and other documents that prove to them my age. ESPN.com

Draft, Bismack Biyombo