So here’s some semi-disturbing news – (allegedly) Ricky Rubio wants nothing to do with a small market: ”Rubio doesn’t want to go to Memphis, and he especially does not want to pay money out of his own pocket with that huge buyout for the honor of doing so. Fegan [Rubio's agent] wants him in L.A., and if he can’t have him there, he wants him in Sacramento. Definitely not Oklahoma City. ” Unlike Griffin or Hasheem Thabeet, who don’t really have any choice where they will play next season if a team decides to play hardball, Rubio has a reasonably attractive alternative option at his disposal-returning to Spain. “He’ll pull out if he doesn’t like what he’s hearing,” the NBA source tells us. “Or he can stay in and force the Grizzlies to call his bluff-would they really take him knowing that he may never come over? That’s one way to get him to fall to three.” All that is is an “NBA source.” So who knows. Believe me, sources have been incorrect about those type of things a lot. But a couple scenarios could come out of this: 1) Rubio is serious and the Clips take Blake and Rubio pulls out of the draft. 2) Clips posture with Blake, take Rubio and leave Blake somewhere to be had at No. 2. 3) Rubio is serious but Memphis/OKC go ahead and take him anyway and we’re stuck with another Yi Jianlan situation (also Fegan’s client) or 4) It’s all just talk.
Also, within that article is some interesting stuff about Blake Griffin and the Clippers: “While it may seem strange for the Clippers to so quickly anoint Griffin as their choice before really possessing a full picture of what’s on the table, many in the league think Dunleavy (also the Clippers GM in addition to their head coach) wants to leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that Griffin is going first, in an effort to get teams to make their best offers. “The Clippers need a point guard more than anything. They can easily trade Baron Davis back to the Warriors if they want to. I think they are going to move down to 3 or 4 and try to get Rubio there.” There’s no attribution to that quote, so I’m going to just assume it’s from the “source.” I guess we’ll hold off on calling this over. I think more than anything it is over and this is just sort of an effort to keep us interested.
Another random mock draft: “OKC Thunder- Tyreke Evans, SG Memphis. If Thabeet is still here, then I’ll go with Thabeet. But if Memphis takes him, then I am not sure if OKC would take Rubio and keep him (*see LA trade scenario above). There is talk that OKC would move Westbrook off the ball, but why? We all saw first hand what Westbrook can do when he has the ball in his hands. Why fix what is not broken? OKC covets length and defense. Evans would provide that at the 2, along with elite scoring capabilities. His athleticism and potential on both sides of the ball seem like a good fit.” Read more…
So we march on to the next step. Harden or Rubio or Thabeet or someone else? I have a feeling some moving around is going to happen before or on draft day. I’m sure I’ll be letting you know what I think in the near future. Get ready though, because a large portion of Bolts are coming your way.
Some saw it last night, but here’s Chad Ford’s first mock draft. And it’s got a very interesting twist: “The Thunder will have an easy choice here if Rubio is still on the board. Russell Westbrook can play off the ball, and he and Rubio would give the Thunder one of the best young backcourts in the NBA. Neither guy is a great shooter, but they have Kevin Durant for that. If the Grizzlies take Rubio, Oklahoma City will have a tough choice between Thabeet and James Harden.” I trust Chad Ford’s comments on the Grizzlies potentially taking Thabeet. He knows more people than I do. Though it wouldn’t make a bunch of sense and I’m sure the Grizzly fan base wouldn’t be that psyched.
This came out late yesterday, but SI evaluates the 14 lottery teams: “Griffin isn’t just the dream sequence because it would mean a team already on the rise would also add the best player in the draft. Griffin grew up just outside of Oklahoma City and starred at OU. His addition would be more popular around the Ford Center than any other Griffin landing spot.No matter what, the Thunder covet interior scoring and interior defense, having been unexpectedly forced to continue the search for a defensive upgrade when they scuttled the Tyson Chandler acquisition because of an injury concern. OKC can also use a dependable shooting guard and should be in the range of Arizona State’s James Harden.”
Sam Amick of the Sac Bee: “With a dire need for improved point guard play and some of the sizzle Rubio is expected to deliver, the Kings may not be out of the Rubio sweepstakes just yet. The Clippers were awarded the first pick and are expected to take Griffin. Memphis picks second, and the improved play of point guard and 2007 No. 4 pick Mike Conley could mean the Grizzlies pass on Rubio and instead opt for 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet of the University of Connecticut. The more mysterious spot is third, where Oklahoma City has a productive young point man in Russell Westbrook and a need to improve its frontline that went unfulfilled thanks to an aborted midseason trade for New Orleans center Tyson Chandler. The counterargument from those who expect the Thunder to select Rubio, of course, is that Westbrook is not a true point guard and Rubio would take their offense to a new level.” Read more…
That’s what my wife called it this morning. And she is right. The Day of Reckoning is upon us. Is anyone else already nervous? Because I’m really working myself up here. I think I could be a mess at about 5 p.m. tonight. Don’t forget, live running diary tonight. Be here to join in on the fun. I’ll make unbelievably interesting and insightful comments and you guys can respond and chit-chat. It should be quite a scene, man.
Sam Amico with some wise words about the lottery: “Is the lottery pre-arranged? Absolutely not. It just seems that way. Actually, I’d be in favor of rigging the thing, provided the team with the worst record got the No. 1 pick. That’s how it works in other sports and that’s how it should be. My theory is if a team wants to lose on purpose, let it. Honestly, could the Clippers have been any worse even if they had tried? I doubt it. You can’t get beat by Sacramento in three out of four games (as the Clippers did) and convince me that you’re giving maximum effort. So what difference does it make? … Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get ready to watch the Oklahoma City Thunder win the right to draft Oklahoma University star Blake Griffin. Oh, wait. Did I just say that out loud?” I like the way he thinks.
In case you missed it, Jodie Meeks and a few others worked out Saturday for the Thunder: “Jodie, along with Dar Tucker, Danny Green, Antonio Anderson, Marcus Landry, and Leo Lyons worked out with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday and that figures to be the first of many for Meeks. The Thunder have a lottery pick then the 25th pick in the Draft, so they clearly are looking at guys who fit the late first round bill. I haven’t heard anything about how the workout went, but Oklahoma City could be that one team.” I love Danny Green and Meeks is quite the scorer. I like both of those guys in every way with our late round pick.
Rip City Project on the lottery: “Then I wanted to put Oklahoma City in the #1 spot because my inner conspiracy theorist says if the Thunder are going to work long-term why not give them the best player and a hometown boy. But my inner conspiracy theorist then remembered that they stole the team from Seattle and David Stern might light their ping pong balls on fire to make sure they don’t come out with #1. So even though I secretly think they are going to get it, I can’t in good faith predict it.” Read more…
Tomorrow night I will be busting out another live running diary for the lottery. Last time was a smashing success (well, as much as it could be). It will be an open discussion thread of sorts as well, so be sure to by here to discuss the heartbreak victory.
HoopsWorld has the top eight players most likely to be traded: “Earl Watson and Chucky Atkins – The cliché says the hardest two positions to fill are point guard and center. While that’s not always true, Earl Watson is a veteran guard in the last year of his contract playing for a young team that simply doesn’t need him. He defends well, looks for his teammates and is relatively low maintenance. The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the few teams with significant cap room this summer. In addition to Watson’s $6.6 million contract, Chucky Atkins is only guaranteed $760,000 of his $3.48 million salary. The Thunder can spend on the free agent market. They can make deals where the incoming salaries are far greater than the outgoing. They can cut Atkins to increase their own cap space or send him out in trade (either alone or with Watson). With a bright young roster including Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City could vastly improve their team this summer. The Thunder should have plenty of callers from teams looking for fiscal saving and/or a veteran point in Watson. Both players are eligible to be moved at any point this offseason.”
Chris Silva from the team site attempts to explain the lottery: “The Thunder will receive anywhere between the No. 1 through No. 7 draft selections. By now, you’ve already heard that the Thunder’s odds of landing the top overall pick in the draft are just 11.9 percent. That’s just a gentler way of saying the Thunder has an 88.1 percent chance of NOT drawing the top pick. So, should the Thunder not receive the top pick, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Thunder has a 12.57 percent chance of nabbing the second overall pick, a 13.24 percent chance of getting the third pick, a 9.98 percent chance of landing the fourth pick, a 34.99 percent chance of getting the fifth pick (its highest percentage for a pick), a 16.05 percent chance of having the sixth pick and a 1.26 percent chance of ending up with the seventh pick. But before your brain goes into overdrive with all these possible scenarios, heed this: the Thunder will get a good player wherever it falls in the lottery, whether it keeps or trades the pick. It’s a valuable asset to have. And it’s a pretty simple concept to grasp.”
Evidently, the Knicks would take Rubio over Griffin if given the chance: “If the Knicks beat the odds and surge to No. 1 or 2, they are expected to take Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio, the 19-year-old phenom whom Mike D’Antoni faced in the 2008 Olympics. Blake Griffin, the bullish Oklahoma forward, is the consensus No. 1 pick, but the Knicks prefer the Spanish playmaker. UConn 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet is the consensus third pick and could fill the Knicks’ glaring lack of shot blocking.” Seems like pretty strong speculation. I can understand D’Antoni trying to find another Steve Nash, but he needs another Amare Stoudemire to make it all work too. Read more…
Yep, I cried pretty much the whole way through that. The rest of this feels pointless to me right now, but I’ll carry on…
A Q&A with Kevin Durant from Hoop Magazine. I especially like this part: “HOOP: Speaking of flying, we hear Michael Jordan nicknamed you “Flight 35″? Durant: Michael Jordan named me that? That’s the first time I’ve heard that nickname. That’s unbelievable. I didn’t know Michael Jordan even knew who I was.” It just shocks me how down to earth and humble KD is. Most guys probably think, “Of course Michael Jordan knows who I am!” but not KD. My list of reasons that I love him is turning into one of those super-long connected printouts like Doc Brown was running around with in Back to the Future. And growing.
A very interesting Sporcle: Name all the relocated teams. Some of them will kind of surprise you, especially the years it happened. I did better than I thought I would (19 for 26). Kind of amazing how many teams have relocated and how little those teams are hated. (sarcastic cough) Read more…
The full Draft Combine list: 52 players will be there in all and the list includes Blake Griffin, DeJuan Blair, Earl Clark, Stephen Curry, James Harden, oh heck, you just click the link and look for yourself.
Darnell Mayberry writes about the “mythical All-NBA Fourth Team,” saying KD would have made it because he got 34 points and finished honorable mention. He goes on to say Durant could easily replace Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan or Dirk as early as next year. But then he says this: “What it’ll take, though, is at least 20 more wins for the Thunder and for Durant to string together an entire season of performances similar to those he showed us every night from January through the end of February. Durant’s numbers, which are already worthy of placing him on an All-NBA Team, are likely to increase again next season and only bolster his case. But of the players on this year’s All-NBA Teams, Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat finished with the worst record at 43-39. The Thunder finished 23-59. A 20-game improvement for the Thunder next season is not far-fetched. And by the looks of it, neither is Durant earning his first All-NBA Team selection.” Hey, I’m all for 43 wins next year. But as we piddle through this offseason, I can just feel expectations beginning to rise. It’s not far-fetched I guess, but it’s kind of a long shot.
Any time you start to doubt Blake Griffin, take a look at this quote from Chad Ford: “Thomas (Memphis, TN): How legit is Blake Griffin as a #1 pick in the NBA? Chad Ford: I just spent the day with him in San Francisco on Monday. All I can say is wow. The physical tools are amazing and the workout he goes through everyday is the most grueling I’ve ever seen. Griffin looks like he’s training to be a Navy SEAL. However, what was really impressive was the basketball part with former Spurs head coach Bob Hill. He’s much more skilled offensively than you think. Excellent ball handler and nice stroke with some three point range. And he’s a nice, grounded kid with a very cool family. I was super impressed.”
Also: Craig (LA): “Which lottery team is the best situation for Blake Griffin? Chad Ford: If I’m Griffin I’m praying that the Knicks or Thunder win the lottery. Worst case scenario for him is the Clippers or Timberwolves.” Basically just read the whole chat. Lots of info about Griffin as well as Steph Curry, Jrue Holliday and Hasheem Thabeet. I think Ford has a story coming on Griffin later today and I’ll update when it’s out. He said he’s going to watch Thabeet work out today so that should be interesting.
I thought this was an interesting post from Bullets Forever in regards to the whole Rubio-Griffin debate: “The point guards on that list certainly aren’t terrible, but Tony Parker is the only PG on that list who made it to the All-Star Game in the same year that he also won the championship, and that was only in the 2007 season. On the other hand, every big man on that list played in the All-Star Game with the exception of Duncan in ’99, since there was no game because of the lockout. Furthermore, the top 3 big men of the decade (Shaq, Duncan, and Garnett) all have titles to their name, whereas the only one of the three best point guards of the decade (Kidd, Nash, and Billups) has won a championship. Recent history shows strong support for putting more importance on an elite big man rather than top point guard, but this year may start to turn those tides a little bit. More likely than not, this year’s champion is either going to be the Cavaliers or the Lakers. If that’s the case, the best big man on those two teams are Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Pau Gasol. Both solid big men but neither is on the same level as Shaq, Duncan, or Garnett. Then again, just because it doesn’t look like an elite big man will walk away with a title this year doesn’t mean that the elite point guards are starting to make the NBA a point guard driven league since the most likely candidates to win a title this year are Mo Williams and Derek Fisher. Again, both are nice players, but neither would be mistaken for an elite point guard.” That’s good stuff. I wish I had thought of that. Read more…
Rivals talked with Jermaine Taylor after his workout with OKC: “At first I just did athletic drills – my vertical leap, how many times you can bench 195, things like that. Then we did some shooting drills. Then we did some one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three (drills). I didn’t know what to expect, but I wasn’t nervous at all. I’m never nervous to play basketball. I thought I did pretty well. From what my agent was telling me, they thought I did really well.”
Draft Express on this year’s point guard crop: “Ty Lawson looks as good as anyone from this perspective, regardless of position. As we put this data together, we weren’t surprised that Ty Lawson excelled from a situational perspective, as he did play for the most potent offense in all of college basketball, but we didn’t expect him to look this good. He ranks first in a number of key categories, including overall FG% (52%), Points Per Possession [PPP](1.13), pull up jump shot FG% (47%), and %shots he was fouled on (16.1%). Though his teammates did a lot of scoring as well, Lawson functioned seamlessly as a complementary scorer. Looking past his efficiency as a shooter off the dribble, he was second in catch and shoot field goal percentage at 48%. From a purely statistical sense, no player on this list scored more efficiently than Lawson.”
This is the type of person ruining America. The father of the kid that Big Baby Davis bumped into sent a letter to the league demanding an apology for acting like a “raging animal with no regard for fans’ personal safety.” A raging animal with no regard for fans’ personal safety? What? Davis bumped the kid. His hat fell off! Didn’t knock him over, didn’t hurt him and didn’t even really move him. He bumped him and his hat fell off. But he was the type of punk kid that was wearing his hat sideways barely sitting on top of his head so if a toddler waddled into his leg, his hat probably would have fallen off. I just really can’t believe that moron guy wants an apology. Moving on. Read more…
Nine days until the lottery. Go to your local Catholic establishment and find some holy water and start sprinkling it everywhere.
USA Today’s No Defense team: “G/F Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder: Made an incredibly strong run at No-Defense Player of the Year to follow up his very deserving No-D Rookie of the Year nod last year. I don’t get it-long arms, great talent . . . yet the numbers scream out that he’s an awful defender.”
A story about Shaun Livingston where he talks about his involvement with the movie industry: “When the credits roll to the motion picture “Next Day Air” there will be a familiar name that scrolls across the screen. Thunder point guard Shaun Livingston served as one of the film’s executive producers, which was released in movie theaters on Friday. The movie stars Mike Epps, Wood Harris, Donald Faison and hip hop recording artist Mos Def. “We had a hand in it,” Livingston said via cell phone from Miami, where he concluded a three-day workout with Thunder player development assistant Brian Keefe. “It was minimal, as far as creative control. But we were there and we were in it.”
I enjoyed the read over at NBAdraft.net on the main page today, it is full of little draft rumor gems. With the draft lottery just about a week and a half away, I am getting pretty excited. I was trying to decide if this year’s draft will be more important to the franchise than last year’s draft was. I think after reflection the answer is that it depends. It depends on how we fare at the lottery. If we get the top pick or the second pick, then yes, I think it is. The player we get with 1 or 2 will likely be a 40 mpg player for us for years to come, and as important as any other player on the roster in years. If we get picks 3 through 7, it becomes less sure.
At pick 3, a guy like Harden could be a bonafide starting SG for years, but maybe Presti makes us all fall out of our chairs with a pick like Hasheem Thabeet……I don’t think Thabeet will ever be a 40mpg player in the NBA, and if he is, it will be a few years down the road, that much is for sure in my opinion. Also at 3-7, a guy like Stephon Curry would help this team immensely with ball handling and shooting, but it’s not a sure bet that he would even start, or ever start consistently. He seems like an offense off the bench/backup point guard to me at the moment.
For those reasons, I think last year’s high lottery pick of Westbrook, in a very solid draft was more important, but, if we get a top 2 pick this year, in a weak 2 man draft, then this year would be more important.
Anyway, according to the NBAdraft.net article, the rumor is that the Knicks have given guarantees to Curry Read more…
Bill Simmons has started his campaign for the Timberwolves GM position and he’s got a plan – the Thunder model: “Guys I would build around: Jefferson, Love, Brewer, Foye, 2009 No. 1 pick. My game plan: Emulating how Presti rebuilt the [Thunder].” Seriously though, consider me as part of Simmons’ street team. I think it’s a great idea. This is one of those things that people can’t really decide if he’s completely serious or not, but I think he his. And I think he’d do a pretty good job. The guy knows basketball. He just does. Heck, he’s got a 700 page book about it coming out in a few months. Of course it could just be 700 pages of Teen Wolf and Shawshank analogies, but still. So much of being a GM is making well-executed moves that are crafted with purpose and vision (see: Presti, Sam). And I think Simmons could follow that route. As penance, you can make me assistant to the traveling secretary. I’ve always been jealous of George Costanza’s job.
Ah, bad news for Team Simmons: “The Minnesota Timberwolves have offered a contract to former Pacer’s executive David Kahn, and according to conflicting reports he could be named the new Vice President of Basketball Operations or he could carry some other title, with Fred Hoiberg being named VP of Operations. Neither the Wolves nor Kahn have been able to be reached for comment. However it seems Kahn will be joining the Wolves in a senior leadership capacity.”
The Thunder will play a preseason game against the Spurs in Austin: “The Oklahoma City Thunder will play the San Antonio Spurs in a preseason game next season in Austin, Texas. The Oct. 20 game will be played at the Erwin Center. It will serve as a homecoming for Thunder star Kevin Durant, who played one season for Texas before entering the NBA. The Oklahoma City franchise selected Durant with the second overall pick in the 2007 draft. The Longhorns retired Durant’s No. 35 jersey in February during a halftime ceremony of a game against Texas A&M.” Read more…
T-minus five days until Mother’s Day. Don’t you dare forget.
Piston Powered takes a look at my proposed Rip Hamilton deal: “This trade definitely intrigues me. This draft is short on big men, so a trade like this might be the only way to get one – unless B.J. Mullens falls to 15. As I’ve said with the Billups trade: better a year too early than a year too late. Hamilton has value now, but will he next offseason? I believe the Thunder have the cap room to take back Hamilton without Detroit having to take Atkins or Watkins. So, that’s a plus for the Pistons.”
Jermaine Taylor of Central Florida who averaged 26.2 ppg (third in the nation) and was Conference USA Player of the Year will work out for the Thunder soon. The 6-4 shooting guard is charting his draft journey right now: “From Orlando, I left this weekend to train in Indianapolis with Shon Bolden. He’s the same guy who trained rookie George Hill, who is a client of my agent Michael Whitaker. I will be training with George and a few returning college basketball players, but I am not so concerned with who I am training with, but rather focused on improving my overall game. My first workout is with Oklahoma City Thunder coming up soon.” I watched Taylor play in the Conference USA tournament this year. He reminded me a lot of Toney Douglas, the star scorer for Florida State. Dime even called Taylor “the biggest sleeper in the year’s draft.” That’s two shooting guards getting workouts so far – I’m thinking we’re getting an idea where Presti wants to go with that second pick. (Draft Express profile)
LeBron winning the MVP at just 23 put the spotlight back on Wes Unseld who is the youngest MVP ever: “Bob Pettit, Bob McAdoo and Wilt Chamberlain were all 23, but the youngest player to ever win the award remains Wes Unseld, who turned 23 only nine days before he won the MVP with the Baltimore Bullets in 1968-69. The 6-foot-7 Unseld also won the rookie of the year that season. He and Chamberlain remain the only players to pull off that amazing ROY-MVP duo in the same season.” Kevin Durant’s got three years until he’s 23. Any chance? Read more…
Follow the Thunder on Twitter. When it reaches 1,500 followers, they’re giving away things from players’ lockers. Dibs on Robert Swift’s game worn jersey!
Speaking of, evidently Kevin Durant has officially stepped into Twitteronia. I assume it’s real since he’s being “followed” by the official Thunder twitter. His first tweet? “Eating breakfast.” Man, this should be awesome. UPDATE! I asked KD if he was going to be like Shaq and have people chasing him all over Penn Square Mall and he said, “haha. No, no. I won’t be like Shaq.” Correspondence with Kevin Durant! I’m a real journalist!!! WOOO!!!!
Let me say that last night’s Chicago-Boston game was one of the best I’ve ever watched. It was one of those games where you could just feel the awesomeness of it. You had Ray Allen going for 51. The scuffle in the first half. Rajon Rondo with 19 assists and ZERO turnovers. John Salmons and Derrick Rose combining for 53. Allen’s dagger three in overtime and then another coldblooded jumper in the third overtime. Joakim Noah’s unreal fast break dunk and-1. Everything about it was awesome. Derrick Rose’s block on Rondo. It was one of those games where you knew it was going on ESPN Classic tomorrow morning at the end of regulation. Didn’t matter what happened in OT. But the fact that they played three more unbelievable periods cemented it as one of the best ever. It was the NBA’s answer to Syracuse-UCONN. But with better players and more on the line. What. A. Game.
P.J. Carlesimo has some praise for Scott Brooks: “I thought Scotty (Brooks) and the staff did an excellent job. I thought the team continued to get better and better as the year went on, which is something that you always hope for. It happened last year, too, in Seattle. … The difference in Kevin Durant, and the individual improvement in some of the players is so dramatic. It’s primarily Kevin and how hard he worked, but it’s also Brian Keefe, the assistant who spent a lot of time working with him, and Scotty came along. I think Jeff Green has continued to improve. Russell Westbrook had an excellent rookie year. Some of the moves the team made have been really good. Most of the moves last year were salary cap moves, or moves to position themselves for the draft or free agency. Getting (Nenad) Krstic and (Thabo) Sefolosha are moves that will help the team on the floor right now and in the future.” Read more…
George Gervin sees Kevin Durant as the most comparable player to him: “Wesley (Gainseville): Which current NBA player do you think is most comparable to yourself? George Gervin: I guess I would say Kevin Durant because he is long, he can put the ball on the floor, and he can shoot from anywhere.”
KD’s brother signed yesterday to play college ball with Western Kentucky: ”Cliff Dixon, the half-brother of NBA star Kevin Durant, has signed with WKU. Dixon, a 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward, averaged 15.3 points and eight rebounds at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College last season. He chose the Hilltoppers over Seton Hall and Missouri and will have two years of eligibility remaining. “We’ve been on him a couple of years,” McDonald said. “(Dixon) is very versatile. He can play all over the floor. He’s long. He’s a good athlete. He’s skilled. He’s got to continue to get better, but he’s a tough mismatch at a lot of different positions. He has a really high skill level and talent level.”
Robert Sarver (Phoenix’s owner) talked about the Suns’ offseason decisions. You know, kind of important considering OKC has their unprotected first round pick next year. But it doesn’t sound like Sarver is that thrilled about rebuilding: “I didn’t get into this business to make money or sit and watch my team lose,” Sarver said. “I’m not prepared to do a three- or four-year rebuilding period and win 25 or 30 games a year. I feel I’d be letting the community down. Plus, I like to win. Losing would be too difficult for me.” Blow-it-up! Blow-it-up! Blow-it-up! Read more…
Final blogger Rookie of the Year voting: I promise I wasn’t the one that voted for Kyle Weaver or gave Russell a first place vote. My ballot looked like this: 1. Derrick Rose 2. Russell Westbrook 3. Brook Lopez 4. Kevin Love 5. O.J. Mayo.
I wish people would quit fantasizing about this, but yet another “the Blazers screwed up, what if they had Kevin Durant?” story. But the reality is, the more Greg Oden picks up five fouls in seven minutes and the more 30-point games KD puts up, it won’t go away: “Now, there is plenty of time for Greg Oden to become a star. He might become just what Portland needs – a defensive anchor, a dominant big man. But he looks more like a guy who is going to average 13 points and 11 rebounds, block a few shots, and struggle to stay healthy. Meanwhile, Durant turned 20 this season, and here are his relevant stats for Oklahoma City this season: 25.3 points on .476 shooting, .422 from three-point range, and .863 from the line; 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks. He is a genuine superstar, right now … With Durant and Roy, Portland would have been a legitimate threat to topple the Lakers this year, and in many years to come. With Oden, the Blazers are a nice team that might one day get serious. This point has been made before, but it’s being driven home right now. This is the first playoff run for Portland’s collection of young talent, and the first chance to see just what — besides experience — it is missing. And it is missing a third scorer, and another star. Right now, this is Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.”
Draft Express statisical analysis on shooting guard (pay attention): “Harden’s biggest shortcoming ended up being in the perimeter shooting department. He was terrific on the very few catch and shoot opportunities he received with his feet set (2.4 Pos/G), but really struggled when being contested (.85 PPP) or shooting off the dribble (.73 PPP). In fact, the 27% he shot from the field off the dribble is the lowest of any of the nineteen players in our sample. Fortunately for Harden, this is clearly a part of his game he can work on, but he’ll have to put in the appropriate time in the gym. In terms of things a team can count on him to do well in the short-run, his ability to score with space deserves consideration at the top of that list.” Read more…
want to go to Memphis, and he especially does not want to pay money out of his own pocket with that huge buyout for the honor of doing so. Fegan [Rubio's agent] wants him in L.A., and if he can’t have him there, he wants him in Sacramento. Definitely not Oklahoma City. ” Unlike Griffin or Hasheem Thabeet, who don’t really have any choice where they will play next season if a team decides to play hardball, Rubio has a reasonably attractive alternative option at his disposal-returning to Spain. “He’ll pull out if he doesn’t like what he’s hearing,” the NBA source tells us. “Or he can stay in and force the Grizzlies to call his bluff-would they really take him knowing that he may never come over? That’s one way to get him to fall to three.” All that is is an “NBA source.” So who knows. Believe me, sources have been incorrect about those type of things a lot. But a couple scenarios could come out of this: 1) Rubio is serious and the Clips take Blake and Rubio pulls out of the draft. 2) Clips posture with Blake, take Rubio and leave Blake somewhere to be had at No. 2. 3) Rubio is serious but Memphis/OKC go ahead and take him anyway and we’re stuck with another Yi Jianlan situation (also Fegan’s client) or 4) It’s all just talk.
is going to happen before or on draft day. I’m sure I’ll be letting you know what I think in the near future. Get ready though, because a large portion of Bolts are coming your way.
live running diary tonight. Be here to join in on the fun. I’ll make unbelievably interesting and insightful comments and you guys can respond and chit-chat. It should be quite a scene, man.
Stephen Curry, James Harden, oh heck, you just click the link and look for yourself.
is Blake Griffin as a #1 pick in the NBA? Chad Ford: I just spent the day with him in San Francisco on Monday. All I can say is wow. The physical tools are amazing and the workout he goes through everyday is the most grueling I’ve ever seen. Griffin looks like he’s training to be a Navy SEAL. However, what was really impressive was the basketball part with former Spurs head coach Bob Hill. He’s much more skilled offensively than you think. Excellent ball handler and nice stroke with some three point range. And he’s a nice, grounded kid with a very cool family. I was super impressed.”
many times you can bench 195, things like that. Then we did some shooting drills. Then we did some one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three (drills). I didn’t know what to expect, but I wasn’t nervous at all. I’m never nervous to play basketball. I thought I did pretty well. From what my agent was telling me, they thought I did really well.”
everywhere.
“Guys I would build around: Jefferson, Love, Brewer, Foye, 2009 No. 1 pick. My game plan: Emulating how Presti rebuilt the [Thunder].” Seriously though, consider me as part of Simmons’ street team. I think it’s a great idea. This is one of those things that people can’t really decide if he’s completely serious or not, but I think he his. And I think he’d do a pretty good job. The guy knows basketball. He just does. Heck, he’s got a 700 page book about it coming out in a few months. Of course it could just be 700 pages of Teen Wolf and Shawshank analogies, but still. 
Dibs on Robert Swift’s 
player do you think is most comparable to yourself? George Gervin: I guess I would say Kevin Durant because he is long, he can put the ball on the floor, and he can shoot from anywhere.”
place vote. My ballot looked like this: 1. Derrick Rose 2. Russell Westbrook 3. Brook Lopez 4. Kevin Love 5. O.J. Mayo.
