Tuesday Bolts – 9.1.09
According to the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets have been in talks with the Clippers, Grizzlies and Thunder 
about Brent Barry.
Dime has five point guards to watch and Russell Westbrook is one of them: “Summer league doesn’t mean anything, right? Tell that to the Warriors, who are ready to hand their franchise over to Anthony Randolph after his summer breakout, or Marcus Williams, who earned himself another chance at an NBA paycheck with a strong summer showing in Vegas. Far from that spotlight, Westbrook lit up the lower-profile Orlando Summer League, and is ready to join the NBA’s elite class of PG’s in his second year. Overshadowed last season by fellow rookie PG Derrick Rose and OKC teammate Kevin Durant, Westbrook (15.3 ppg, 5.3 apg) put up numbers not far off R.O.Y. winner Rose. And even when Westbrook hit the wall — after averaging 20 points, six boards and just under six assists in the month of February, in April he averaged 11.9 points on 34% from the field and 18% from three — his assist and steal numbers still improved. Stronger and more prepared for Year 2, Westbrook is about to blow up.”
Ricky Rubio is staying in Europe for at least two more years. We’ll never know what that Spanish Law Firm told Sam Presti and if that even swayed his decision to take James Harden, but I know I’m happy I didn’t have to spend the last two months worrying about actually signing our top five pick. From the story: “Rubio – the fifth pick in the 2009 NBA draft – has agreed to a six-year contract with Regal FC Barcelona that doesn’t allow for an escape to the NBA until 2011. Kahn made several trips to Spain to try to get Rubio’s previous team, DKV Joventut, to lower his $8 million buyout price, but couldn’t get it done.” Read more…
