HoopsHype.com Rumors

Providence shooting guard Brandon Paul and North Texas power forward Tony Mitchell said they interviewed with the Pistons on Thursday night and UCLA guard Shabazz Muhammad said he was interviewing with the Pistons tonight. Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Draft, Shabazz Muhammad, Brandon Paul, Tony Mitchell 

Gary Washburn: Shabazz Muhammad said he hopes this week's NBA Combine interviews helped erase perceptions that he's a moody player. "I'm a nice guy." #ucla Twitter @GwashNBAGlobe

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

He said many of the NBA teams he has interviewed with in Chicago have asked him about the circumstances surrounding his suspension. "I knew (the questions) were going to come, and that's why I loved these interviews," Muhammad said. "I just wanted to get them out of the way so the teams could know what was going on. A lot of people speculated at how bad I am as a player and stuff like that, but I was glad to clear that up. I got good feedback. I was just telling the truth ... cleared some stuff up. Some of it I didn't even know was going on. I'm a guy who just plays basketball, and some of that was family members taking care of that. Now, as an NBA guy, I can speak for myself." Oregonian

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

NBA executives are raising the possibility that Shabazz Muhammad could fall out of the first top 10 picks in the NBA Draft and possibly the lottery entirely, the latest draft setback for the UCLA swingman who began the season in the conversation for the No. 1 pick. Muhammad being on the board until the middle of the first round on June 27 was once inconceivable, and still is to some within the league, for a prospect with the potential to be a scoring star. But in noting his selfish play, poor body language and the new perspective after the discovery Muhammad had been lying about his age, some teams had turned shockingly cold as the annual pre-draft combine Thursday began the first of two days of drills and workouts. NBA.com

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

One executive said, on the matter of Muhammed dropping in the draft, “I’m not saying it happens. But I wouldn’t be surprised.” “Out of the lottery?” another personnel boss said. “I guess it’s possible.” NBA.com

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

The climate has turned so bad that another general manager savaged the prospect even while saying there is no chance Muhammad gets out of the lottery, and maybe doesn’t even reach double digits. “It’s his overall attitude,” that executive said. “His presentation of himself. It’s an all-about-me presentation. I think that’s his biggest knock…. His selfish tendencies on the floor show up at certain times. But that’s what scorers do.” NBA.com

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

Chris Mannix: Don't be surprised to see Shabazz Muhammad start to plummet on draft boards. Hearing concerns about his mechanics and one dimensional play Twitter @ChrisMannixSI

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad worked out this morning, along with other wings. He said he interviewed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. “It went all well,” he said. “The interviews were really comfortable.” Orlando Sentinel

Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, Draft, Shabazz Muhammad, Trail Blazers 

Of the players in early to talk to the media today, UCLA small forward Shabazz Muhammad and Ohio State small forward Deshaun Thomas say they interviewed with the Wolves last night. Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Minnesota Timberwolves, Draft, Shabazz Muhammad, Deshaun Thomas 

David Mayo: Shabazz Muhammad, on his age: "It says on my driver's license 1992." Insists he's 20 and has no idea how age flap started. Twitter @David_Mayo

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

Jason Quick: UCLA G/F Shabazz Muhammad and Syrcause F James Southerland have interviewed with the Blazers at the Chicago Combine. Teams get 18 interviews Twitter @jwquick

Portland Trail Blazers, Draft, Shabazz Muhammad, James Southerland 

Chris Mannix: Muhammad, occasionally unprompted, gushed about Portland. Says he would be a great fit between Lillard and @LaMarcus Aldridge. Twitter @ChrisMannixSI

Portland Trail Blazers, Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

Shabazz Muhammad looks forward to getting grilled in interviews by NBA front-office officials during the NBA pre- draft camp in Chicago this week. "Most people are speculating a lot about me and don’t really know me as a person," Shabazz told Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears. "But I think the interviews will really show what I’m about." Yahoo! Sports

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

Shabazz Muhammad on the NCAA's scrutiny of him: "I don’t know if they didn’t like me as a person or what it was. I just tried to hang in there and stay positive and everything worked out.” Yahoo! Sports

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

"My game will translate well [into the NBA]," Shabazz Muhammad told Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears. "I'm a guy who likes to score the ball, obviously, who can penetrate defenses and likes up-tempo style of play. I think that will really benefit a team." Yahoo! Sports

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

Burke certainly will get a look as the potential No. 1 pick if the Magic draft there. The other team that seems to fit Burke are the Pelicans. Yes, Greivis Vasquez is coming off a breakout season, but Burke is a totally different player and could complement Vazquez coming off the bench early on. The Pelicans' other big need is at small forward. Shabazz Muhammad could get a look here. So could Croatia's Dario Saric. Sources say that the Pelicans are one of the two or three strongest suitors for Saric at the moment. ESPN.com

Orlando Magic, Draft, Dario Saric, Shabazz Muhammad, Trey Burke, New Orleans Pelicans 

In what came as no surprise to anyone following college basketball this season, UCLA announced Tuesday morning that freshman guard/forward Shabazz Muhammad plans forgo his final three years of eligibility and enter the 2013 NBA draft. Muhammad averaged a team-best 17.9 points per game, which also earned him Pac-12 Co-Freshman of the Year honors. According to most NBA draft projections, Muhammad is expected to be taken in the lottery. "I am so thankful for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at UCLA and will always be proud to be a Bruin," Muhammad said in a statement. "From a young age, I have dreamed of playing in the NBA, and I believe that this is the right time for me to move to the next level. USA Today Sports

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

Two NBA executives who once considered UCLA swingman Shabazz Muhammad a legitimate top-three draft pick now have him outside their top 10. Racine Journal-Times

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

New UCLA coach Steve Alford gave a pretty good indication that Muhammad is on his way out when he acknowledged Thursday that he has not had any contact with Muhammad since taking over at UCLA on March 30. "I have not spoken to him," Alford said. "I've seen everybody else and spoken to everybody else. I've placed some phone calls but I have not been able to touch base with him." ESPN.com

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad 

Muhammad is a very unique prospect in this draft, blessed with tremendous scoring ability and a real killer instinct, which NBA teams love. On the other hand, he has some real deficiencies in his game that he must work to correct, while the question marks about his true age and his father's heavy-handed involvement surely won't help matters either. Once considered the surefire #1 prospect in his high school class, Muhammad has work to do on and off the court during the pre-draft process to ease the concerns of NBA decision makers. But there is little doubt he has the talent to do so, and eventually carve out a long career as well. DraftExpress.com

Draft, Shabazz Muhammad