Daily Thunder.com

Russell Westbrook was just on Rome Is Burning (sporting a new little buzzhawk) and he talked about the draft tonight.

On OKC drafting Ricky Rubio: “It wouldn’t be a bad situation for me, but I’ll just leave it up to Oklahoma City and hopefully they make they right decisions.”

On being a point guard: “I feel like I’m a true 1. I’ve been playing point guard all my life and I’ve been trying to get better at it and learning different things especially in the NBA, point guard is a tough position.”

On what he wants to see the team do: “Whatever’s good for the team, I’m going to try my best to contribute to the team any way I can.”

On the “You trippin’” quote: “I don’t recall saying that. I don’t remember saying that at all.” (Though I will note, Westbrook had a huge smile and was laughing. Take that for what it’s worth.)

So, either someone grabbed Westbrook’s collar and told him he better speak right on Rome, or all those reports were hooey. It didn’t seem like he wasn’t speaking freely, but it’s unfair to speculate about what he may or may not have really been thinking.

Again, I’m sure he’s not super-psyched about the situation, but I get the feeling he’d get used to it. Especially when he can free-range and just roam the court and doesn’t have to worry about setting up teammates and running an offense. We’ll see. Just two hours left party people.

News Ricky Rubio, Russell Westbrook

Five minutes don’t go by without me changing my mind on Ricky Rubio or James Harden. I’ll start to get really excited about Harden and all the intangibles he can bring. But then I see a couple Rubio highlights and I picture him on a fast break with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and I forget all about that other guy. I’ll get intrigued by Rubio’s potential and flash but then on the other hand, I see Harden’s need. Of course, there’s some outside options (Steph Curry, Hasheem Thabeet), or Memphis could make up Oklahoma City’s mind for it by taking one or the other, but I get the feeling Sam Presti is picking between these two guys.

But one thing’s holding some people back on Rubio, potentially one of those people even being Russell Westbrook. The Thunder’s already got a point guard and he may not want to move over.

When Westbrook was asked about Rubio getting picked by OKC, which would mean he’d slide to the 2 he replied, “You trippin’.” Doesn’t sound like he’s thrilled about the idea. But you never know how he said it. He may have said it with a huge grin on his face and maybe followed up with, “Of course I’m down with doing whatever’s best for the team though.” Westbrook has said repeatedly that he wants to be a point guard and I don’t doubt him. I wanted to be an astronaut but at some point I had to realize maybe that wasn’t happening. (Not to say Russ isn’t a point guard by any means. I’m just saying that if he has to slide over, I’m sure he’d rather play than sit.)

I know the report today is that Westbrook wouldn’t be happy about Rubio stepping in. And that’s fine, I’d understand that. But I don’t think it should be taken as a “You’re not a point guard, move over” type of thing. And I don’t think Westbrook would take it that way. Sure, maybe he’d be a little bothered by the fact he was getting pushed over for the new guy, but the game of basketball is a free flowing thing. It’s not like the Colts drafting Sam Bradford and telling Peyton Manning he has to be a tight end. The ball will still be in Westbrook’s hands plenty and he’ll probably stay every bit the point guard he is right now. Because if we’re honest with ourselves, and Russ is honest with himself, it’s not like he’s going to be a player like Steve Nash that racks up 15 or 16 assists. He’s a scoring point guard and that’s what he wants to be. Read more…

Commentary Ricky Rubio, Russell Westbrook

Johnny Ludden, Yahoo Sports:

The Oklahoma City Thunder have hired a prestigious Barcelona law firm to assist them should they draft Spanish guard Ricky Rubio.

Rubio has a large buyout with Spanish team DKV Joventut Badalona, and Thunder officials are using the firm to brief them on the country’s contract law and procedures. Thunder GM Sam Presti met with Rubio and his agent this past weekend.

Rubio reportedly has made progress on lowering his buyout to $4 million, still a hefty cost, but he also reportedly could be allowed to make payments over several years.

Does that mean anything substantial? Have the Thunder and Rubio come to some sort of agreement? I really have no idea. All I know is that OKC appears ready to pick Ricky Rubio.

Plus, listen to the B.S. Report today to hear Simmons and Chad Ford talk about Rubio’s NBA readiness, the brilliance of Sam Presti and how the Thunder will be everybody’s favorite team if they take Rubio (fast forward to about 21 minutes in; h/t Dustin).

News Ricky Rubio

Sam Amick of the Sac Bee:

Just as the notion of Ricky Rubio in a Kings uniform is seeming less likely by the day, there is this unsurprising news: he is moving on.

A source with knowledge of the situation said Rubio was visited in Los Angeles today by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have the No. 3 pick in the June 25 draft. This matters mostly because Rubio’s visit in Sacramento this week came with unspoken terms, an understanding of sorts that a Rubio promise on the Kings’ part could have stopped his American tour with just one concert. But that clearly never happened, and certainly not only because Rubio was unable to get on the floor Thursday when he fell ill.

Well wouldn’t you like to know how that went? I’m truly beginning to think Sam Presti has his targets narrowed to three or four. With under a week left, he’s surely got his guys he likes with option A, B and C. (And if you’re wondering who I think those may be, I’m thinking James Harden, Rubio and Stephen Curry. With of course the option to see a trade.)

Also, Outside the Lines had a great feature on Rubio Friday with Fran Fraschilla adding some excellent commentary on the Spanish point guard. Definitely worth a watch. Let me tell you, I have no idea what to really think of Rubio, but every time I see something like this, I get excited about him.

Oh and in case you didn’t see it, Hasheem Thabeet canceled his workout with the Grizzlies, citing a shoulder injury. Add another red flag to the previous 200 piled up on him. That means he hasn’t worked out for a single team before the draft and also didn’t work out at the combine. Yeah, that’s not exactly encouraging stuff from a potential top five pick. Just say no Presti. Just say no.

News Hasheem Thabeet, Ricky Rubio

Ricky Rubio was set to run drills for the Kings yesterday, a workout that was highly anticipated. But it wasn’t meant to be as Rubio came down with a fever and sore throat and wasn’t able to participate.

Chad Ford reported that Rubio went back to Los Angeles to get ready for his next move. He could possibly try working out for Sacramento again, but Ford had this interesting little nugget:

Sources close to the situation continue to insist that, in the end, the most likely scenario is Rubio going to the Kings at No. 4 if he’s still on the board. If he’s gone, it sounds like Flynn has moved into second place.

However, the focus on Rubio in the coming days may shift to Oklahoma City. The Thunder continue to show strong interest in Rubio and are pushing for a meeting, physical and a review of Rubio’s contract in Spain. If Rubio feels better and is up for the visit, that’s where he’ll head next.

How awesome would that be for Rubio’s first workout to be in Oklahoma City? Everyone is so intrigued by the Spanish enigma and nobody really knows what he is. But instead of running drills for the team that posts every workout on YouTube, his first NBA workout could be with the team that not even David Stern could probably get in and see. I think Sam Presti has the Integris practice facility surrounded by the National Guard.

Granted, Ford didn’t mention a specific workout, instead just a physical, a review of Rubio’s contract and a meeting, but I’d imagine they’d have him lace ‘em up for a little bit. But don’t plan on finding out for sure. The Thunder might have Rubio swim in a tank of ketchup filled with sharks and we’d never know it.

Other Ricky Rubio

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

Really all you see streaking up the court is the hair. At least, it’s the first thing you notice. And to many, they see the hair, the flash and the crafty plays and they see someone else. Something bigger. They see something that makes them nickname this guy LaPistola. That’s right, the Spanish Pistol Pete, Ricky Rubio.

Rubio dashes across halfcourt and busts out his signature play, the fake-behind-the-back-wrap-around.  It’s truly a fantastic play that not only brings you to your feet and makes you start clapping out of pure reaction, but also a slick play that helped score two points. But best of all, it’s sexy. It’s flashy. It just looks awesome. And because of plays like that, we’re lured into this young prospect and we don’t even really know why. We watch the mixtapes with the no-look lobs, the between-the-legs dishes and the behind-the-back-wrap-arounds. For the same reason people like And 1 Mixtapes, they like Ricky Rubio. He epitomizes the beauty of basketball. Nothing showcases how breathtaking the game can be like a perfectly executed pass. And because of this, we’ve fallen for this guy, yet we don’t really even know anything about him.

Henry Abbott had a tremendous breakdown of Ricky Rubio this week and it really hit my brain hard. Why are we all so high on this guy? Myself definitely included.

Driving home from the draft lottery late Tuesday I was a little overwhelmed by one thought:

I don’t know enough about Ricky Rubio. I must have heard 100 smart people sing his praises that night. He’s the one player with real buzz. A guard who is almost unassailed as the second best prospect in the 2009 NBA draft.

But what does he do? What are his NBA skills? On what basis do we believe he’s a truly special basketball player? Is he really good enough that he can be picked high without even working out against his contemporaries? What could I see Ricky Rubio do that would make clear how it is he’s a better bet than Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson, Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Darren Collison, Patrick Mills, Nick Calathes, Eric Maynor, Sergio Llull, A.J. Price, Nando de Colo and the like?

At the lottery, everybody said the same admiring things about his feel for the game, handle, vision, leadership … but sometimes these ideas leap from mind to mind without ever touching ground. I found myself looking around the room and wondering: How much have you even seen Rubio play? What kind of vetting has he had?

Read Henry’s breakdown. He’s basically saying everything I’m saying here, but much better. So if you want to just open a new tab and read Henry’s article and never read another word of this, I won’t be offended. Seriously, go right ahead. But today, Chad Ford dropped this little nugget that’s sure to get people chattering:

“Speaking of Rubio, I encountered a number of NBA GMs and scouts this week who were pretty skeptical about Rubio’s NBA future. They see him as an average athlete who can’t shoot well and who is turnover prone, and wonder aloud why he’s ranked so high.

A few GMs said Rubio isn’t in their top five. While I’ve heard doubts expressed before, the skepticism was expressed much more strongly this week by more execs. I’m going to keep digging. Maybe Henry Abbott struck a chord with his TrueHoop post on Rubio.

In any case, if Memphis and Oklahoma City decide against Rubio and don’t trade either of their picks to a team that wants to move up to get him, it’s hard to see the Sacramento Kings passing on Rubio at No. 4.”

Well then. You have to wonder how much of this is posturing. Maybe Donnie Walsh is saying this because he’s praying Rubio will drop all the way down to him. Maybe Geoff Petrie is running around saying, “Nah, he’s not that good. Seriously guys, he can’t even shoot!” but is lighting Spanish vigils each night before he goes to bed. You can never tell with these guys. They’re all playing the game and they all want their guy. So it may mean nothing and in fact, it probably does mean nothing. Read more…

Commentary Ricky Rubio

Just a month ago, Blake Griffin was the absolute consensus No. 1 pick. There was just no doubt about it. And it was really the first no question top pick I can remember in a long while. But then Ricky Rubio tossed his name in the hat and in some camps, a little debate has kicked up: Could Rubio be picked in front of Griffin?

NBA general managers say no, but some fanbases say yes. At Sactown Royalty they voted on it and the vote was literally split between Rubio and Griffin. So I guess some folks see reason to take Ricky over Blake.

While some teams may have reasons (the Kings and Timberwolves are pretty “set” in their frontcourts), others just seem to like Rubio’s potential “star” power and play making potential. But what about Oklahoma City? You’ve got native hero Blake Griffin who could plug one of the biggest holes in your squad. He’s humble, he’s tough and he’s a tremendously hard worker. Oh, and he’s really, really good at basketball.

But again, Rubio’s got star quality. He’s got the floppy hair and the Maravich comparisons. He’s a flashy passer with a flashy game and is a potential marketing mega-giant. And he’s the pure point guard Russell Westbrook is not. He’s pass first, score second and sets up teammates. He’s one of the world’s best defenders (supposedly) and has great size (6-4) for his position.

So is there any way Oklahoma City takes Rubio over Griffin if given the chance? Does it make any sense for the Thunder to take the young Spaniard over the bruising Oklahoman? Read more…

Commentary Blake Griffin, Draft, Ricky Rubio