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Report: Team leaked Julius Randle injury so he’d slide to them in NBA Draft

By Patrick Schmidt

Apr 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Julius Randle (30) shoots against Connecticut Huskies forward DeAndre Daniels (2) in the second half during the championship game of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Mens Division I Championship tournament at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Julius Randle (30) shoots against Connecticut Huskies forward DeAndre Daniels (2) in the second half during the championship game of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Mens Division I Championship tournament at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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The weeks leading up to any draft is full of rumors, mystery and misdirection as teams try to draw other teams off the scent of who they may be targeting in the draft and this year’s NBA Draft is no stranger to that, especially in the case of former Kentucky power forward Julius Randle who was the target of some nasty injury rumors.

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Earlier this month, it was reported that Randle would require preventative surgery on his right foot after a previous injury did not heal properly that would prevent him form participating in his team’s summer league, to which Randle and his mother vehemently denied any potential surgery or injury.

CBS Sports Jon Rothstein believes a team leaked this information so that the double-double machine would slide in the draft and into their laps.

At one point this season, Randle was the No. 2 player on Chad Ford’s big board on ESPN and remains comfortably inside the top-10 players in the draft and a potential top-five pick.

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    • Nevertheless, the damage to his reputation and health was done that some teams could have been scared off from working out or drafting the former Wildcat who led Kentucky to the National Championship Game vs. Connecticut.

    The question remains who this mystery team is that would leak such information and if their little ploy will be successful tonight when the draft begins at 7:30 p.m. ET. Any one wanna venture a guess who that team may be? I would have to think it’s a team between picks No. 5 and No. 10.

    The 6-9, 250 power forward averaged 15 points and 10.4 rebounds per game as a freshman for Kentucky last season.

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