HoopsHype.com Rumors

While most of the other top prospects have stumbled -- some mightily -- multiple NBA scouts and GMs remember Noel's increasing productivity at Kentucky and say, essentially, if every player in the draft this year is going to be a major risk, why not gamble with the ultra-athletic big man and hope his knee and his offensive game both get better? While it's hard to describe Noel as a consensus No. 1, after a weekend of talking to NBA decision-makers, it sounds like most of them are now leaning that direction. Of course their doctors could talk them out of it, but assuming the surgery went well and the knee is rehabbing properly, Noel's chances of going No. 1 have gone up considerably the past few weeks. ESPN.com

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

Keith Trawick (NJ) With Nerlens injury, Bennets tweener status, Smarts ugly jumper, Porter not being a Alpha Male, and Mclamore not taking over..who is realistically goin number 1 overall? Chad Ford (1:40 PM) Noel is the popular pick among NBA GMs at the moment. But Marcus Smart and Ben McLemore are still in the race. Victor Oladipo has an outside shot too. He has a lot of fans. ESPN.com

Draft, Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore, Marcus Smart 

Noel was atop our Top 100 rankings from our first one on June 29 until he went down with a torn ACL in February. Since that time we've been reluctant to keep him at No. 1 until NBA doctors have a chance to look at his MRIs. But the truth is that Noel might be the big draft winner of NCAA tournament so far. While most of the other top prospects have stumbled -- some mightily -- multiple NBA scouts and GMs remember Noel's increasing productivity at Kentucky and say, essentially, if every player in the draft this year is going to be a major risk, why not gamble with the ultra-athletic big man and hope his knee and his offensive game both get better? While it's hard to describe Noel as a consensus No. 1, after a weekend of talking to NBA decision-makers, it sounds like most of them are now leaning that direction. Of course their doctors could talk them out of it, but assuming the surgery went well and the knee is rehabbing properly, Noel's chances of going No. 1 have gone up considerably the past few weeks. ESPN.com

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

One interesting college player we won't be seeing in the NCAA men's basketball tournament is Nerlens Noel, the lanky freshman center from Kentucky who was averaging 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.4 blocked shots per game before he tore an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee 24 games into the season. Some still see the 6-11, 216-pounder as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft because of his marvelous athleticism and 7-4 wingspan. His loss is probably the main reason the Wildcats didn't make the NCAA Tournament and then lost to Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

Kentucky spokesman DeWayne Peevy told SNY.tv Friday that there is no official list of which players will return to campus next year, but freshmen Willie Cauley-Stein, Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress have all said they plan on returning. Freshman big man Nerlens Noel has yet to announce his plans, but he is projected as one of the top couple picks in the 2013 draft, along with Kansas’s Ben McLemore, Indiana’s Cody Zeller, Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart and UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad. “If the three players come back (Poythress, Goodwin and Cauley-Stein), they could have eight first-round picks on the same team…unreal!” the Director of Scouting said. ZagsBlog.com

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad, Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein, Ben McLemore, Archie Goodwin 

The belief by some NBA college scouts is that it ultimately will come down to Smart and McLemore, with Noel and Bennett next in line. If you're not seeing them at the top of your favorite draft board, my guess would be that it's because this is March; way too much time to kill and stock rising-and-falling drama to create to peg what NBA scouting departments are really thinking. Sulia

Draft, Nerlens Noel, Anthony Bennett, Ben McLemore, Marcus Smart 

Noel is obviously a major prospect -- 6 feet 11 and 228 pounds at power forward, very limited on offense but an athletic shot blocker, a mega-recruit a season ago out of Massachusetts -- but the lack of talent in 2013 greatly helps his cause. As one front-office veteran put it: "He can be good defensively, but it's not like he's the next Bill Russell. There's another reason he's staying that high in the draft." So it is that a thin 18 year old with 24 games of college experience, serious holes in his offense and concerns about one of his knees can be positioned as one of the top picks. "I would say he's still in the top five and probably the top three," one executive said. Maybe even top one. "Maybe," he said. "Depends who it is and what their needs are. It also depends on specifically who is doing the picking. If it's a GM who just got the job and has four years of job security, that's different than a guy who feels like his job is on the line and needs to win now. That's a big factor." NBA.com

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

Kentucky center Nerlens Noel is "doing fine" after surgery on his left knee to repair a torn ACL. Wildcats coach John Calipari provided the update Wednesday in a post on his Facebook account Wednesday. He said Noel called him after Tuesday's operation, which was performed by famed orthopedic surgeon James Andrews in Gulf Breeze, Fla. The coach said the surgery "went well" for the 6-foot-10 freshman, who sustained the season-ending injury in a loss at Florida on Feb. 12. Noel's call was placed on speakerphone so he could talk to his Wildcats teammates, who begin play Friday in the Southeastern Conference tournament as the No. 2 seed. Calipari said "it was great for his teammates to hear from him after surgery, and I think it helped Nerlens, too." ESPN.com

Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

University of Kentucky basketball star Nerlens Noel will have his torn left anterior cruciate ligament repaired Tuesday in Florida by the famed Dr. James Andrews, the school announced Monday. Recovery is expected to take 6-8 months. Noel, who injured the knee in a Feb. 12 game at the University of Florida, said in a news release that he decided to have the surgery now, during UK's spring break, "so I wouldn't miss as much class." "I wish all my teammates luck in the SEC Tournament," he continued, "and look forward to getting back to Lexington as soon as I can to begin my rehab and finish my school work." USA Today Sports

Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

McLemore says his mother is unemployed. He says they are struggling financially. He says he tries not to think about that much and tries, sometimes futilely, to maintain focus on school and basketball. But he knows what lies ahead in June, and that his brother would somehow find a way to watch the NBA draft from his cell. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress says that in the wake of the knee injury to Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel, McLemore will get strong consideration for the No. 1 pick. USA Today Sports

Draft, Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore 

Ryan Harrow is in the toughest position. He's already transferred once, and he's nowhere near NBA ready and seems to have lost his status as a likely future pro. If he stays, he stands little chance of playing major minutes behind the Harrison twins, especially if Goodwin opts to stay in school. If Cal does push Harrow out the door early, he risks hurting the "player first" reputation he has cultivated in his time at Kentucky. He has a tendency to play a short bench which could complicate things for him if he doesn't push players out, but having a team with that many future pros on it has been done before at Kentucky. The Untouchables in 1996 had 9 future pros and depending on who stays next season's Cats could challenge that. NBADraft.net

Draft, Nerlens Noel, Ryan Harrow 

Steve Urkel (Chicago) What are your thoughts on Nerlens Noel's injury? Is he still going to declare for the draft this year? Chad Ford (1:46 PM) He hasn't indicated one way or the other, but I think it's likely. Every GM and scout I spoke with believes that he's still a Top 5 pick as long as his rehab is going well. They're willing to be patient. And with Andrew Wiggins coming next year, it's unlikely he'd be the No. 1 pick in 2014 anyway. ESPN.com

Draft, Nerlens Noel, Andrew Wiggins 

It would be surprising to just about everyone -- including the guy who shared a bedroom with him through childhood -- if Nerlens Noel returned to Kentucky next season. "I'd be surprised if he comes back," Rodman Noel told me from his apartment in Raleigh on Wednesday afternoon. "Right now people still say he'll be a top-five pick. It would only be smart to take it while you can." CBSSports.com

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

"What devastated him more than anything else was not being able to finish out the season," Rodman said. "Especially being his first year of college. He really wanted to play in the NCAA tournament." CBSSports.com

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

Darren Rovell: Source: Nerlens Noel has a $10 million permanent total disability policy thru Lloyd's of London. Would have to be career ending to collect. Twitter

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

Chris Mannix: Several GM's I spoke with still have Nerlens Noel as a top-five pick. One had him slipping to 10-12. Weak draft protects his status. Twitter @ChrisMannixSI

Draft, Nerlens Noel 

He probably won’t be the No. 1 pick—there was a chance he would go that high (in fact, Sporting News had him there in its most recent mock draft)—but his combination of size, athleticism and defensive instincts make a valuable commodity. “Depends on how things go, but, yeah, he could still be a lottery pick for sure,” the scout speculated to Sporting News. “He’s that good. I think he can still be Top 10 even with the ACL. And an injury doesn’t necessarily mean you fall off the radar altogether.” Sporting News

Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

Jeff Goodman: Have communicated with a couple NBA guys regarding Nerlens Noel. They feel he'll still be taken anywhere from No. 1 to fifth in June Draft. Twitter

Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress gives his view on what that could mean for Noel, who was projected as the possible top overall pick in the NBA draft. Noel is expected to be out at least six to eight months with the injury. "It's a tough call," Givony said. "I don't think you can really say anything definitive at this point. Not every NBA GM will react the same way. Some will look at it as not the end of the world; he'll be back by December or January. USA Today Sports

Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel 

"At the end of the day, he's still the best big guy on the board. If you need a center … Noel brings dramatically different things (than any other center). GMs are going to want a thorough examination, but I have to imagine he's going to recover and be just fine from this. "Maybe he slips one or two spots. It's tough to swallow if you're an NBA GM, the worst team in the league, and you get the No. 1 pick in the draft and you don't have immediate help coming. But I don't think it's going to hurt him that much when it's all said and done." USA Today Sports

Draft, Injuries, Nerlens Noel