NBA Draft delivers speed to roster that had lacked it in NBA Finals against Dallas Mavericks - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Speed in the form of Cleveland State's Norris Cole.

Jimmer Fredette: Sacramento is very excited for the young man who John Salmons will be stealing shots from | ProBasketballTalk
Leave it to the extremely talented and witty Matt Moore to draw parallels between Jimmer Fredette and "Snakes on a Plane".

Ex-Bulldog Smith not picked in NBA draft - fresnobee.com
Greg Smith's dream of being drafted by an NBA team shattered Thursday night and Daniel Lyght captured the grim details of the evening in this well written feature.

Defiantly Dutch: A Speedy bit of serendipity turns Jenkins' draft night memorable
Charles Jenkins didn't land in the first round light many thought/hoped, but seeing him in a Warriors uniform should be interesting to say the least.

Harper's selection shines light on UR hoops | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Finishing ranked in the Top 25 and playing well in the NCAA Tournament are sure ways of drawing attention as a college basketball program - especially with recruits. Sending your players to the NBA is the next step up.

Doug's European Diary, Day One; Team USA Arrives in Lithuania - GoCreighton.com
In his first entry from Lithuania, Creighton forward Doug McDermott discusses how long it takes to get from Colorado Springs to Lithuania, and flying with an NBA lottery pick.

Katin Reinhardt starts over after decommitment - CBSSports.com
The Mater Dei guard and former USC commit has Gonzaga on his radar now.

Jimmer Fredette's NBA future is with the Sacramento Kings rather than the Utah Jazz, and that's good for this BYU phenom. - ESPN
Perhaps the best thing about draft night for Jimmer Fredette wasn't landing in Sacramento but rather not ending up with the Jazz.

Nuggets really rebound with pick of Faried - The Denver Post
Woody Paige is a big fan of the Nuggets selecting the rebound machine from Morehead State.

Mack's draft day begins with calm, ends with emotion - CBSSports.com
Jeff Goodman spent draft day with Butler's Shelvin Mack on his way to being selected 34rd overall by the Washington Wizards.

How Gregg Popovich could trade his favorite player
Great read from 48 Minutes of Hell on the trade that sent George Hill to Indiana and landed the Spurs Kawhi Leonard on draft night.

Cowbell Kingdom.com - Tyreke Evans On Jimmer Fredette
Jonathan Santiago caught up with the Kings current backcourt star to get his take on the latest addition.

Hawks draft-pick Benson light on his feet, but slight in build  | ajc.com
There must be a good reason why a 6-foot-11 prospect with athletic ability and a productive college stint slips slides deep into the second round of the NBA draft.

Miami Heat top pick Norris Cole impressed team during workouts - MiamiHerald.com
The Cleveland State star was much higher on Miami's board than most would expect.

New Orlando Magic forward Justin Harper wasn't always a great player - OrlandoSentinel.com
The journey to NBA rookie wasn't an easy one for the Richmond big man.

Jimmer Fredette will be a Sacramento King - Ball Don't Lie
Jimmer Mania is off to the Pacific Northwest!

Report: Spurs trade George Hill for Kawhi Leonard - CBSSports.com
Leonard must have felt somewhat disappointed when he slipped out of the top ten, but the Spurs willingness to trade a young talent like Hill to acquire him says something.

NBA Draft 2011: Kenneth Faried goes to Denver Nuggets, pleasing Newark crowd | NJ.com
If Faried being drafted in his hometown doesn't make you smile, few things will.

Miami Heat trades up in NBA Draft, picks Norris Cole - MiamiHerald.com
The Heat made a surprise move, trading into the first round for the 28th overall pick, Norris Cole.

2011 NBA Draft Grades: Round 1 - NBA - CBSSports.com Basketball
Jimmer and Kawhi Leonard get A's but Norris Cole gets an F (though I don't think this one was seen all the way through to the Miami trade).

2011 NBA Draft Grades: Round 2 - NBA - CBSSports.com Basketball
More solid grades for non-BCS stars as Justin Harper lands an A as does Andrew Goudelock. Charles Jenkins and Shelvin Mack earn B's.

More after the jump.

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*Note: Vacation time is over and Mid-Major Madness will be back with daily news, analysis and features! We'll kick it off with one of my favorite days of the year, the NBA Draft.

2011 NBA draft: Jimmer Fredette's visit to NY fuels New York Knicks speculation - ESPN New York
Jimmer Fredette was in New York, creating a buzz over the prospect of the Knicks drafting the BYU product.

Jimmer Fredette wishes for best, hopes for lottery | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Jimmer Saga begins another big chapter tonight, not surprisingly Fredette is ready for the media storm to end for now.

NBA Draft 2011 Media Day: Jimmer Fredette Emphatically States He's A Point Guard - SBNation.com
Just in case you were curious about what position he'll be playing at the next level.

2011 NBA draft: Wizards will have to wait and see with the sixth pick - The Washington Post
Washington could go a lot of different directions tonight as it tries to build around John Wall. One possible avenue is Kawhi Leonard.

The Pistons have their guy... whoever that is - CBSSports.com
Of course, Leonard canceled his remaining draft workouts after visiting the Pistons. Hmmm....

More links after the jump.

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J.J. Barea and Brian Cardinal: Unassuming Stars of the NBA Finals - TIME 
How could I not include at least one link about former Northeastern star J.J. Barea following the Mavs NBA Championship?

Charles Jenkins draft profile - Chicago Bulls Confidential
Kevin State of Bulls Confidential (great site Chicago fans), gives a breakdown of how Charle Jenkins could fit into the rotation next season.

The Hoops Report | NBA Draft Chatter: Draft Range for Top 15 Prospects
San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard could go as high as No. 6, BYU's Jimmer Fredette as high as No. 7.

Scouting The Draft: Jimmer Fredette " Buckets Over Broadway
B.O.B. breaks down The Jimmer and how he could possibly fit the Knicks high-octane attack.

BYU star Jimmer Fredette headlines Phoenix Suns’ best draft workout group - The Arizona Republic
Speaking of The Jimmer, he'll be the chief attraction today in Phoenix.

LeBron Saving His Best For Last? - Hoopsworld
Towards the end of this post from Yannis Koutroupis is a list of potential second round sleepers in the upcoming NBA Draft including Justin Harper and Shelvin Mack.

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UR's Harper gets feedback from NBA workouts | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Justin Harper has completed eight workouts for NBA teams and he has just two left as he prepares for the NBA draft on June 23. So far, so good.

NBA DRAFT: Thanks to pre-draft work, Leonard's pro stock is on the rise
It's been a steady rise up draft boards for the San Diego State star and now he seems firmly entrenched in the top ten.

Draft profile: Keith Benson - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston
ESPN Boston continues its breakdown of potential fits for the Celtics. The Oakland center is the latest to go under the spotlight.

Rush The Court " RTC NBA Draft Profiles: Shelvin Mack
Interesting comparison in this breakdown as the Butler star is compared to current Laker floor general Derek Fisher.

14 biggest question marks of 2011 NBA draft - NBA News | FOX Sports
Kenneth Faried's potential and Jimmer Fredette's scoring ability crack the countdown.

Marquette transfer joins Kat basketball - Sam Houston State Bearkats Athletics
Sam Houston State makes a great addition to their program with the 6-foot-7 forward eligible for two more years.

French National Team Standout Signs With NT Hoops - North Texas Mean Green Athletics
Johnny Jones goes overseas with the addition of Nikola Stojiljkovic, a talented 6-foot-8 forward.

Ex-BYU's Fredette willing to move Jazz workout date for Walker, Knight | The Salt Lake Tribune
I really can't remember the last time one player was willing to rearrange his schedule to compete against other high profile players in a pre-draft workout - I love it.

Pistons work out eight this week including potential lottery picks Kemba Walker and Alec Burks | MLive.com
Also included in Detroit workouts this week will be Fresno State's Greg Smith and VCU's Jamie Skeen.

Jenkins Wants NBA Paycheck to Provide for Niece | ZagsBlog.com
As if you needed another reason to root for a guy like Charles Jenkins. This feature from Adam Zagoria is worth your time to read.

Pepperdine's Leading Scorer Tripping to Missouri - CBSSports.com
Keion Bell has one year of eligibility left and he plans to use it somewhere other than with the Waves. According to Jeff Goodman, Bell will visit Mizzou and possibly Texas A&M. He has the talent to play and play meaningful minutes at either program.

D.C.-Area Colleges Prep for a Recruiting War - Washington City Paper
Great, great read from Dave McKenna on what should be a very hotly contested recruiting game in Washington D.C. with a slew of new coaches including Mike Lonergan at George Washington.

More links after the jump.

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Hofstra's Jenkins confident after Knicks workout - New York Post
Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins went toe to toe with Georgia Tech’s Iman Shumpert on Thursday at the Knicks practice facility in a battle of two big, physical point guards. Jenkins came out feeling good about his performance.

Numbers show true value of Derrick Williams, Charles Jenkins - SI.com
For those who follow the CAA this certainly isn't news, but as Luke Winn reveals in this solid read, Charles Jenkins may be the single most efficient scorer in the 2011 Draft Class.

Source says Fredette 'doubtful' to work out with Bucks - JSOnline
The title pretty much says it all.

Cowbell Kingdom.com - Cowbell Kingdom Draft Profile: Jimmer and Co.
A nice breakdown (with interviews!) of yesterday's Kings workout featuring The Jimmer and UTEP's Randy Culpepper.

NETS: 2011 NETS Draft Central June 9th Workout
Thursday at the PNY Center, the Nets held their final pre-draft workout of the week, welcoming Justin Harper, Derwin Kitchen, Shelvin Mack, Josh Selby, Nolan Smith and Nikola Vucevic. NJNets.com has video highlights and interviews.

Sources name USD player who declined bribe - SignOnSanDiego.com
Big big news in the San Diego point fixing scandal as the San Diego Union-Tribune has learned the identity of the active Toro's player who was allegedly solicited by former USD star Brandon Johnson.

More links after the jump.

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