Daily Thunder.com

Thunder play-by-play man Matt Pinto will be on The Sports Animal this Friday morning at around 8:25. I really enjoy Pinto. He’s a quality basketball mind and he’s always got something interesting to say.

Derek Fisher was asked some questions about traveling (like actual traveling, not NBA traveling) and he had something nice to say about OKC: “What’s the most surprising/unexpected place you’ve ever visited? A: Being in the NBA, you are on the road and in a different city every few days. We have traveled to Oklahoma City, and I was very surprised to find such a sense of community, kind people and was extremely touched by the Oklahoma City National Memorial honoring those who were lost in the bombing of the Federal Building.”

Sam Amick of the Sac Bee sits down and interviews Ricky Rubio (on video). One interesting quote, among many: “I come here to play and to play the minutes. I didn’t come here to play in the NBA, and (be) done. No, I want to be a really good point guard here in the best league in the world, and I want to have minutes. So I have to find the team who wants me, who really wants me.”

Read more…

Bolts

I don’t mean to say I don’t know anything about this game, because I think I do. But then again, I thought I knew a few things about Intellectual History of the 19th Century, but my exams and final grade said different. But this NBA season just officially ended and really that concludes my first full season as a true NBA fan. And I learned lots.

I do feel like I had a decent handle on this game. No matter how you slice it, basketball is basketball. I played it, I coached it a little and I’ve watched it. But I’m not saying I didn’t learn anything this season actively following it for a full year. Because I sure did. Mid-level exceptions, salary cap, trade restrictions, restricted free agents, how the lottery actually works – those were a few of the smaller things I figured out early on.

But this is the first time I’ve ever closely followed the NBA game. In the past I watched M.J. when he played, watched the playoffs and maybe watched a good regular season game. When the Hornets stopped by for dinner in 2005, I followed. But not like I followed the Thunder. It was more looking at the box score each day on ESPN.com and either saying, “Cool they won,” or “Oh, they lost.” This season, I watched probably something like 84 out of 89 games (including preseason) and attended many. And it was all awesome.

So these aren’t revelations for fans in Boston or L.A. They know this already. But Oklahoma City fans are new. We’re like the 19-year-old freshman that decided he needed to expand his music taste from Kanye and Nickelback and finally gets into the Beatles and comes banging on your dorm room door saying, “Dude, Eleanor Rigby is a freaking awesome song. John Lennon Paul McCartney is a really good writer.” So here’s 20 revelations (or just things I learned this season) both about the Thunder and the Association in general.

1. The NBA All-Star game is simply the best of all the major sports.
We all know the Pro Bowl sucks. People care as much about the Pro Bowl as they do John and Kate Gosselin’s marital problems. Baseball’s All-Star game used to be the best until interleague play ruined it. But the NBA’s game is such a production. It’s not just a game, it’s a whole weekend. Even though the events always turn out to be lame and slightly boring, we still get jazzed up about them. Snickers Skills Challenge! Woo!!! But there’s musical performances every 10 seconds and awesome celebrity appearances. The actual game is rarely close, but it’s entertaining. The NBA is so personal as you can see the players’ faces clearly and every expression and every laugh. You can see the players are having a great freaking time, so you do to. Plus they get a little crazy and show off. Shaq handling in the open court. Behind-the-back passes on every fast break. Ridiculous oops and dunk attempts every two possessions. It’s just FANtastic (see what I did there?).

2. NBA players DO play hard.
Having watched college basketball basically my entire life, it’s easy to assume they don’t. It’s really one of the biggest complaints college ball lovers have. They don’t play hard. They’re just standing around. It’s all 1-on-1. College offenses run a lot of sets and motion because there isn’t the sheer skill. In college, there’s really no isolation plays and there’s a lot of zone played. So it’s easy to assume that college players are playing harder when in reality, there’s no difference. And then you’ve got the NBA 3-point line being further back so the spacing is better giving more opportunity for one-on-one or two-man games. I got the opportunity to sit basically courtside this year at a Thunder game. And let me tell you, those guys were playing freaking hard. People say all you need to watch in an NBA game is the fourth quarter because they don’t try for the first three. This is something I’ll never say again. Because those guys are busting their butts (for the most part) for the full 48. Now sure, the Clippers may not show up at all in the season finale, but come on, that’s the Clippers. We’re talking about the N-B-A. The Colorado Buffaloes have been doing the same thing for years, but nobody says anything. Read more…

Other

Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld on Hasheem Thabeet: “At HOOPSWORLD we’ve had some informed sources tell us the Thunder are interested in drafting a point guard and moving Russell Westbrook over to the two. If that’s the case, you would think the Thunder are probably interested in, say, Stephen Curry, Jonny Flynn, or maybe Ricky Rubio. Then there’s been the ongoing rumor that Sam Presti really likes James Harden (and what’s not to like?), who would play the two next to Westbrook. Then again, as Mayberry aptly points out, what the Thunder truly lack more than anything else is a defensive stopper in the middle. The only real low post defensive stopper in this draft is Thabeet.”

Brandon Jennings was like, “Rubio’s no good!” now he’s all like, “Just playin’!”: “One more thing, I went overboard about the Rubio thing, I was wrong for saying he’s all hype that’s not fair. I was wrong, I guess I just wanna compete against the best. But off the court the kid is a great guy. I will never disrespect him, I just like too go against the best … well yea saying he’s all HYPE yea that was wrong. But far as wanting too be the best PG no. Im mad im not gon be the #1 pick.”

Speaking of Twitter, Nick Collison mildly amuses me again: “Golfing at det scremphs charity tourney. Thru 7 holes I’ve used 7 balls. My golf names..vanilla slice,andrew slice clay, condoleezza slice … I can’t believe the restaraunt Sbarro is filing for sbankruptcy. Its getting sbad, really sbad.” I actually laughed out loud at the last one. Read more…

Bolts

And finally, after all of that, we crown a new NBA champion. Congratulations are in order for Laker fans everywhere, even if basically all of the NBA and sporting world hates you. And now with that out of the way, only 10 days until the draft…

HoopsWorld looks at the studs and duds from the last four NBA drafts: “Without a doubt Durant has made a bigger impact on the NBA than Greg Oden, but he’s also a better player than 90% of the league after just two seasons. With a team built to run and Durant as the focal point, the Thunder will be a team to be reckoned with in the not-too-distant future – and Durant only continues to improve. Durant raised his scoring by five points as a sophomore, his shooting percentage 40 points, and added two more rebounds a game. What’s he got up his sleeve for Year 3? The All-Star Game should be on his resume very soon.”

The Baseline reports that the Charlotte Observer reports that Steph Curry could go as high as No. 3 in the draft. Hey, who’s picking third again?: “Davidson guard Stephen Curry could be as high as the third pick in this month’s NBA draft and is unlikely to fall below the seventh pick, the Charlotte Observer is reporting. The only players clearly ahead of Curry at this point are Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin and Connecticut’s Hasheem Thabeet, a source tells the newspaper. Many have speculated that Curry could go to the Knicks, but the Knicks have the No. 8 pick in the draft.  The source also said that four point guards — Curry, Spain’s Ricky Rubio, Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn and Memphis’ Tyreke Evans — could all go in the top eight.”

Something I was thinking about - The Lakers claim 15 titles. Five of those titles came while they were the Minneapolis Lakers. So if that counts, then I’m ready and fully willing to take that 1979 NBA title and count it. I didn’t feel right about it before, but seeing as one of the greatest sports franchises ever is doing it, I guess it is alright.

OKC still has assistant coach spots to fill: “Still down one assistant coach because of Paul Westhead’s departure following the firing of P.J. Carlesimo and subsequent promotion of Scott Brooks and hiring of Ron Adams, the Thunder could have one more assistant’s position to fill. The team is expected to move on without one of its four remaining assistants and has already begun interviewing candidates. The new additions could be announced in the near future. According to one league source, the positions could be filled before the June 25 draft, and at least one of the hires is likely to be an offensive-minded coach.” Read more…

Bolts

A couple of good stories came out late yesterday that I didn’t want anybody to miss…

Stephen Curry had an interesting Q&A with The Baseline: “The Washington one is set, and after that it’s still open. We’re in talks with a lot of teams trying to get the right schedule going for the last week and a half. Beyond Tuesday in Washington, I don’t have anything set yet. CL: Last time we talked, you mentioned the Thunder … SC: Oklahoma City, Portland and … I think that was it. CL: There was another one, the Bucks. SC: Oh, Milwaukee. We’re still talking to all those teams. I don’t really know what’s going to happen beyond Tuesday.” So Curry is going to work out with OKC and the fact he’s to work out with Portland means they may be trying to move into the lottery to get him.

Darnell Mayberry on the history of UCONN big men: “The list is long but not so illustrious. It contains familiar names like Emeka Okafor and Charlie Villanueva but also includes forgettable faces such as Travis Knight and Jake Voskuhl.It’s the fraternity of big men from the University of Connecticut. Some have gone on to great success in the NBA. Most have not. Hasheem Thabeet is next in line, for better or for worse.” Read more…

Bolts

I was looking through Youtube videos this week searching for a good video and I saw the clip from the jersey unveiling. And I must say, I got a little nostalgic. Here we are getting ready for what’s truly our first draft, which will totally complete our first season of professional basketball. And to think back how it all started and how we thought logos and jersey designs were the most important thing in the world. I will say that I definitely like the uniforms more and more. I think the home jerseys are completely classic. I love the crisp white and the perfectly outlined lettering. The road jerseys leave a little to be desired, but hey, it was the first run. Anyway, more than anything this is just a “Remember when?” video.

Video Jersey unveiling

Brandon Jennings (along with Jonny Flynn and Jrue Holliday) worked out for the Kings today and while the workout was interesting, the real good stuff came in the interviews. Basically, Jennings, who played once against Ricky Rubio in Europe last season, called the young Spaniard out (video in the link – the good stuff starts at about 5:00).

Well, put it like this: If he was in a workout with me [and fellow point-guards] Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Tywon Lawson, Stephen Curry, he wouldn’t probably be at the top.

But he wasn’t finished. He was then asked if he thought he was a better player than Rubio.

Yeah, I think I’m a better player than he is. I just shoot the ball better than he can. The only thing I’ve seen him do sometimes is when he has a home-run pass or something like that. I think the dude is just all hype. I can’t even front. I’m just going to be real with you guys.

Strong words. (And how awkward was that for poor Jonny Flynn. He was just trying to laugh it off.) And yes, Rubio didn’t score in their head-to-head, but he played just eight minutes, according to this USA Today recap of the game. Rubio also didn’t attempt a shot as he was still playing one-handed due to his broken wrist. Jennings had 12 points and two assists in 23 minutes. Read more…

Other Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio

The No. 25 pick the Thunder is something easily forgotten about when you’re picking in the top three. But it honestly can be just as important. I’m too lazy to go back and spend three or four minutes on Wikipedia finding all the great NBA players picked outside of the lottery, but just trust me, there’s lots of good players there. You can’t necessarily expect to hit a home run at No. 25, but if you do your work, you can find a quality contributor and sometimes if you’re lucky, a real stud.

So we’re looking at the guys that are fringe lottery players and those just outside of it. There’s a bunch of players up for consideration here, so it’s pretty subjective. Once you start getting around your 20th and 30th best players, it’s kind of a crapshoot. So don’t hate us if you have Wayne Ellington as one of your five best players. We all see these guys differently. Also, keep in mind, a few players on this list are still in the “testing the waters” phase and haven’t signed an agent. (Taj Gibson, Gani Lawal, Austin Daye, Jeff Teague and Patty Mills among a few others. The deadline for withdraw is Monday)

(Remember, NOT a mock draft. Just a ranking of the prospects with an eye toward Thunder needs. Since there was so much variation in this list and really no way to come to a consensus, this list is separated between my 13-30 and Joe’s. Obviously though, my list is better and more correct. Just to help with seeing where we had differences, in parenthesis on my list is Joe’s ranking for that player and vice versa for his.)

Royce’s 13-30

13. Eric Maynor – 6’3″/ G/ Virginia Commonwealth (15) – highlights

I love four-year players. During time at college, they’re able to pick up on so much and come into the league with more intangibles than a 19-year-old with insane athleticism. When I look at Maynor, I see Chauncey Billups written all over him. He’s got an excellent mid-range jumper, he’s an absolute leader on the floor and has the quicks to get around anyone. He’s the type of guy that might not ever be a star, but he’s going to lead a team when he’s on the floor. He can even play off the ball a little and I think him coupled with Russell Westbrook could make a dynamic backcourt.

14. Jrue Holliday – 6’4″/ G/ UCLA (13) – highlights

I don’t see it. I’ve watched and watched, but I just don’t see a top five player here. Yes, he’s got a lot of skill, but he’s a guy that would’ve done himself a favor by going back for his sophomore season. His game is extremely raw and I see the comparison to Russell Westbrook in the sense that his athleticism may develop into skill quickly, but Westbrook played two years in college. Read more…

Other Big Board Part 2

David Berri looking closely at Jordan Hill: “Jordan Hill – a power forward out of Arizona – is generally thought to be a lottery pick (Ford’s latest mock has him going 10th to Milwaukee). Although Grant and Thomas are not considered “stars”, each had productive seasons in the NBA. Across 12 seasons, Grant produced 60.3 wins and posted a 0.135 WP48. Most of these wins were produced for Portland and Miami. In seven seasons with these two teams, Grant produced 51.3 wins with a 0.167 WP48. Again, Gottlieb thinks Grant is the best case scenario for Hill. And that doesn’t look to bad. But what if Hill is actually Thomas? Thomas had had trouble staying healthy, but he has produced 17.3 wins with a 0.125 WP48 in his career. His third season was the only time he managed to appear in more than 75 games, and that season he produced 5.6 wins with a 0.143 WP48.”

Jeff Green talked with the official team site about what he’s doing this summer: “He snorkeled the blissful coastline of Costa Rica and rode a zip line through its rainforest. And hardly a soul knew it was Jeff Green. That’s just how Green likes it, especially since this was his first vacation in what seemed like forever. The Thunder forward has since resumed classes at Georgetown University. He hits the books just like any other college kid, and even has a six-page English paper due next week. All the while Green has made plenty of time for the weight room and basketball court in an effort to return to Oklahoma City a better player than he left it.”

James Harden has a workout scheduled with the Thunder: “Harden also has workouts scheduled with the Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies. Of the teams he’ll audition for, the Thunder has the greatest need at shooting guard after drafting Russell Westbrook to play point guard last year. The Wizards have Gilbert Arenas to run the team, but he missed most of last season with a knee injury. Memphis drafted O.J. Mayo last year after drafting point guard Mike Conley in 2007. The Kings have Kevin Martin at shooting guard, so Harden would have to show he could run a team in addition to scoring to fit in with Sacramento. Harden said he sometimes initiated the Arizona State offense to take pressure off the point guards. He admits doing that in the NBA would be different, but feels the teams he’s working out for could use him.” Read more…

Bolts

With the first edition of the big board, Joe and I reserved the right to update and revise our opinion after the pre-draft combine results came in. And good thing we did because there was some fairly big information to come from it. Players being short, being medically red flagged or players not testing at all. There was definitely enough info in some situations to revise and re-evaluate. Remember, this is NOT a mock draft. It’s the top players according to us, with an eye towards the Thunder’s needs. Since OKC picks third, a lot of these guys will be irrelevant, but there’s always the possibility to move down or move up from No. 25 as well.

(In parenthesis is what the player was ranked in our first big board. Players 13-30 will be up tomorrow. Get excited.)

1. Blake Griffin (1) – 6′10″/ F/ Oklahoma (highlights)

Royce: Sigh… if only. If only.

2. Ricky Rubio (2) – 6′3″/ G/ DKV Joventut (highlights)

3. James Harden (3) – 6′5″/ G/ Arizona State (highlights)

Royce: I’m actually extremely close to bumping Harden to the two slot. I just think he fits with this team like Ace Ventura in parking spots. His game compliments every other Thunder starter and he would form a nice two-guard combo with Thabo Sefolosha. Really the only reason Rubio remains above Harden is the hype. I just can’t ignore it, even though I’m desperately trying.

4. Stephen Curry (5) – 6′3″ / G/ Davidson (highlights)

Royce: I’m on the wagon. I’m totally convinced he’s going to be a solid NBA player. I don’t know if he’ll dominate or if he’ll score 20 a game, but he’s going to be good. He’s one of those guys that you can just kind of sense it. He’s got an entirely polished game, is well-spoken, has great basketball lines and any question about athleticism was answered at the pre-draft combine. He’s a legit 6’3, moves extremely well side-to-side, can leap better than we thought and handles the ball extremely well. Honestly at this point, since he can play two spots, I’m beginning to wonder if he’s more of a Presti guy than Harden.

Joe: We agreed that Curry needed to be higher than we had him on our original big board. I was impressed with his numbers at the combine. He same max vertical leap as Blake Griffin and he racked the bench 10 times and he was a legitimate 6’3 1/4 in shoes. Read more…

Other Big Board 2.0

It’s a slow news day in Thundertown. But the good news: We’re just 14 days away from the draft. That’s two weeks. Remember when we were waiting for the lottery, about to go nuts with anticipation? Then we thought we’d get some clarity once the lottery was over? Well, all we know now is that every player in the draft appears to be an option for Sam Presti, except for the one we all really, really wanted. And even still, Presti does have that magic wand he can wave to maybe pull it off.

Season ticket renewals remain strong for the Thunder: “About five out of every six season ticket-holders are expected to renew their seats for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s second season. Senior vice president of ticket sales and service Brian Byrnes said Wednesday the team projects a renewal rate of about 83 or 84 percent.”

 Mike Baldwin has evidently asked a few scouts, and they say OKC should take Thabeet. I’m curious as to if these might be scouts from the Nuggets, Blazers and Timberwolves: “He changes games,” said one Eastern Conference scout. “If he doesn’t give you anything on the offensive end he can change the game defensively. There’s not a lot of guys in this draft that can come in with their presence alone who can alter the game. “I’m not saying he’s as good as Blake Griffin but I think he can alter a game defensively more than Blake Griffin. That’s why (Thabeet) is unique, especially in this draft that has so many point guards.” Another scout had a similar comment. “It’s not like he’s a stiff offensively,” the scout said. “He has a couple of signature moves. That’s something he can develop. If he does develop a little offensively, and picks up his intensity a little bit, he could become an All-Star.” Read more…

Bolts

Around draft time – or really around any time – whenever a young player’s name gets brought up, the inevitable happens. He gets compared to someone else. Oh yeah, I see a lot of Josh Smith in him … He’s got a bigger Brandon Roy written all over him … If he develops a jumper, he’s the next Dwyane Wade. It’s unavoidable.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s also not always fair to the player. Immediately, he’s got expectations placed on him. If the young prospect doesn’t at least reach the level of the player he’s being compared to, it’s almost like he’s failed. When in reality, he didn’t ask for the comparisons. He didn’t ask for the expectations.

FreeDarko’s Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac has a chapter titled “The Myth of the Next” where they look at who players were compared to early on in their career.

Some front offices rely on the hunches of grizzled intuitives, others on mountains of data. At times, out of weakness or frustration, these brave men and women turn toward a false idol: the Myth of the Next. Based, some say, on the Stoic notion of Eternal Return, the principal states that everything that has happened before in the NBA must happen again, and soon; in each year’s crop of fresh meat, they see reflected images of last season’s All-Star rosters. It’s effect is insidious, as what begins as an offhand comparison becomes hype, which is then all too easily transformed into regrettable action. Hopefully these recent examples can serve as a cautionary tale for organizations everywhere.

Brilliant stuff. A very recent and poignant example of an offhand comparison becoming snowballed hype can be found in Ricky Rubio and his Pete Maravich link. Some examples FreeDarko uses:

Myth of the Next Dirk Nowitzki – Pau Gasol, Darko Milicic, Nikoloz Tskitishvili
Myth of the Next Dwyane Wade – Brandon Roy, Rodney Stuckey, Randy Foye
Myth of the Next Magic Johnson – Penny Hardaway, Jalen Rose, Toni Kukoc
Myth of the Next Tracy McGrady – J.R. Smith, Dorell Wright, Gerald Green

There’s many more, but the point rings true – just because a player resembles another’s skillset and abilities, doesn’t mean he will turn out to be that same guy. And you have to be very careful tagging someone that way or you could end up looking like Dean Blevins on painkillers. In other words, stupid. Read more…

Commentary FreeDarko, Myth of the Next

Update: Chad Ford with a new mock draft: “The Thunder have been their typical quiet selves. GM Sam Presti has told a number of agents that he is interested in their players, but it has been difficult to ascertain the direction toward which they are leaning. We continue to hear that the Thunder have expressed interest in Rubio, Thabeet, James Harden, Jordan Hill and Stephen Curry. Rubio likely will make a visit to OKC sometime before the draft, but major questions exist about how he would fit there. The team sees Russell Westbrook as its point guard of the future and isn’t sure how he would fare without the ball in his hands. Maybe more importantly, Presti is an opportunist. If he can get a couple of good assets in return for the No. 3 pick, he won’t be afraid to pull the trigger. But if he doesn’t, and if Rubio is off the board, the team will have to make a tough decision. Thabeet would give the Thunder the shot-blocking they desperately need. Harden would give them the savvy of a veteran. Curry would give them shooting. Hill would give them rebounding and energy. Oklahoma City could use all those things, but our guess is that it will settle on Harden.”

Now this is a mock draft: “OKC – James Harden – I normally respect Sam Presti and his giant pulsating brain, but he will make the greatest mistake of his career by drafting Harden. Sure, shooting guard is a glaring need for an otherwise promising team, but I heard from a guy who knows a guy who dated a girl who read on a blog that Harden is such a bad athlete that he entered a 3 km race with a rabbit and only won because the rabbit was so confident of winning that he decided to take a nap midway through the course. Further, I hear that the slothful James Harden has not legs but a gelatinous mass of flesh not unlike a slug that leaves a trail of greasy discharge when he runs the court on a fast break.” I sense sarcarm…

Sam Young could slip simply because of his age. I hope he slips right to No. 25, because I absolutely love his game: “A two time all-Big East selection, Young possesses a polished all around game with a knack for performing best in his team’s biggest games. The small forward averaged 23.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, leading the team to the Elite Eight. Despite all of these accomplishments, however, Young will likely slip out of the draft lottery and into the latter part of the first round largely because of his age. At 24, Young is older than even most of his classmates which, by NBA Draft standards, is ancient. He might as well be Abe Vigoda. Few players in this draft have the combination of skills, athleticism and experience that Young has yet he still isn’t considered a top prospect in this draft.” Read more…

Bolts

Bret of Hoopinon has put together an extensive spreadsheet of statistics for this year’s draft prospect crop. It’s really something else. He’s got sortable stats on 92 prospects. So yeah, it’s extensive. (Google docs are really incredible by the way. You can even chat with others viewing the spreadsheet. Safe to say, when I realized this, my mind was blown. Also, to sort the stats, go to “view” and click “list view.” Then click each category to sort just like you would on a video game.)

Bret says to keep this in mind though:

Possessions are estimated (in most cases) from end of season cumulative stats so there’s a decent margin for error (Usage rates ran high — 12 to 18% higher than at kenpom.com though he doesn’t specify which usage formula he uses — so I deleted that column) and stats may not equal a player’s official season totals as I subtracted (both from team and player) any stats compiled against non-Division 1 competition. Plus, I’d be shocked if there’s not a data entry error or five in there somewhere.

There’s so much info there to digest, I feel like I’d need to commit three or four days to comprehend it all. What’s crazy, is that Sam Presti has a guy doing precisely that, all season long. Crunching numbers, understanding key stats and using them to help make informed decisions. There’s great stuff like free throw rate, eFG%, true shooting percentage, assist per 100 possessions and on and on. All the advanced stats some love so much, but for all these prospects.

I definitely don’t think stats like this are the end all, be all, but they are useful. I more lean to how good of a basketball player a guy is based on what I see, rather than what some numbers say. But you really need to use the two together to be a well-rounded basketball person. Interesting to see that James Harden’s true shooting percentage is actually higher than Steph Curry’s. Ty Lawson was tops on the list (and in the country last year) in assists per 100 possessions.

Tyreke Evans was last (or first, depending on perspective) in turnovers per 100 with Curry and Harden close behind. Lawson was 23rd in that category, which is rare because the top 20 is mostly just big men and others that didn’t handle the ball a lot. One other thing that caught my attention was how much Curry got to the free throw line. When you’re as good a shooter as he is, getting to the line is as free of points as you can get.

Commentary 2009 Draft, Advanced Stats

Chad Ford reports that Ricky Rubio has asked to terminate his contract with DKV Joventut: “Spanish teenager Ricky Rubio, projected as a top-five pick in the NBA draft, took the first step in clearing his way toward the NBA on Monday when he notified his team, DKV Joventut, that he wants to terminate his contract. Rubio is asking out of his deal, and also is challenging a 4.75 million Euro (approximately $6.6 million) buyout, which climbs to 5.75 million Euros after June 30. Rubio made 70,000 Euros last season (about $97,000) and is scheduled to make 125,000 Euros next season (about $175,000).”

He hasn’t yet, but Rubio plans to sue if negotiations can’t be reached: “Barcelona newspaper La Vanguardia reported in Sunday’s edition that Rubio’s camp, led by European agent German Gonzalez but no doubt pushed by U.S. agent Dan Fegan, plans to sue Joventut on grounds the buy-out is unreasonable commensurate to the player’s salary. DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony, attending Reebok Eurocamp in Italy, called the rumor accurate on Monday, and noted that it was a major topic of discussion between NBA and European scouts and executive over the weekend in Treviso.”

Here’s a trade that might make you chuckle: “Blazers Trade to Oklahoma City – Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw, Steve Blake, Martell Webster; Blazers Receive from Oklahoma City – Jeff Green, Nick Collison, Earl Watson, #3 pick in 2009 draft.” The problem with people coming up with trades for their teams is that we all think far too highly of our own players. On both sides. Read more…

Bolts