SB Nation - Stephen Curry

On the horizon: Zags get a break before taking on Duke

Zach B — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:00:55 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Elias Harris dominated the Wildcats of Davidson. Is he poised for a breakthrough game on basketball's biggest stage? (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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Davidson gave Gonzaga a run for their money on Saturday evening but the Wildcats did not have enough to take down the Bouldin-less Bulldogs. The Battle in Seattle was set up by Gonzaga to not only bring good college basketball to the city of Seattle but to also attract big name programs to play the Zags in the Pac-NW. While Davidson isn't much these days without Stephen Curry, you really couldn't have picked a better team for Gonzaga to play without their senior leader Matt Bouldin. As we said in our game recap, Gonzaga was able to physically impose their will on Davidson for 40 minutes and put up 100+ points in Seattle. Robert Sacre and Elias Harris fought, scrapped, and dominated the interior against Davidson while Steven Gray and Demetri Goodson ruled the perimeter. The silver lining of the whole Matt Bouldin incident may have been the way these four played. There's no doubt that they will have to consistently "bring it" if Gonzaga is going to finish out Decmeber the way we are all expecting them to. They should all be riding high after playing Davidson and I expect them to have a great week of practice before heading off to New York. With that, here are a few things to get your week off to a good start...

It's Duke week...

For the first time as a blogger I kind of feel like I'm covering a college football team. November's early season tournament madness is well behind us and were at a bit of a lull in the schedule. Gonzaga will only have two games in the next two weeks. Duke on Saturday and then Eastern Washington all the way on December 28th in the comfy confines of the MAC. Ever since the Duke game at Madison Square Garden was confirmed, Gonzaga fans have had their eyes on the 19th. When you combined one of America's most storied athletic programs with America's most fabled sports arena, there is no need for embellishment. Gonzaga will head into the game an 8-2 ball club and assuming Duke takes care of Gardner-Webb on Tuesday, they'll be 8-1. It will undoubtedly be a game most of the nation will have their eyes on. Gonzaga hasn't played in the Garden since the 2006-07 season when they played three games in the basketball mecca. They played Duke in December and lost a tightly contested game to the Blue Devils but the game most Gonzaga fans like to remember is the preseason NIT when Gonzaga upset North Carolina before being upset by Butler. That game was the official coming out party for big man Josh Heytvelt who absolutely shut down Tyler Hansbrough and established himself as a premier player in the country. I'm assuming there are a couple current Gonzaga big men that wouldn't mind having their official coming out part on basketball's biggest stage come Saturday

continue reading after the poll and jump...

Mark Few made the most of his trip to Seattle...

For big-time college basketball coaches, there really is no downtime. Even after you coaching a high-scoring, up-tempo game like the one Gonzaga played in Saturday, it wasn't as though Mark Few could go back to the hotel and relax. Nope, instead the Gonzaga head man went out to the Kentridge-Federal Way game that tipped at 7:30 PM to get another glimpse at Kentridge's Gary Bell Jr. To be quite honest, this is exactly how I was hoping Coach would spend his time in Seattle. Bell Jr. is a smooth scoring guard from the Seattle area that blew up over the summer during the AAU circuit and is poised for an enormous junior season. Gary holds offers from the likes of Gonzaga, Washington, and Cal. He was quoted as saying the two Pac-10 schools were his leaders right now but it is early yet in the 2011 recruiting cycle. The Chargers of Kentridge lost by six points to Federal Way but Gary put up 18 of Kentridge's 52 points in the losing effort.

Projecting this week's rakings...

The five teams ahead of Gonzaga in last week's AP Poll lost this past week meaning that we should be seeing some significant improvement to our position at some point mid-Monday. Wisconsin, Cincy, UNLV, Washington (sweet), and Texas A&M all lost meaning that I would expected Gonzaga to probably fall somewhere between the 16-17 range tomorrow. Gary Parrish of CBSSports recently weighed in and put the Zags at 15 while Jeff Goodman slated Mark Few's club as the 17th best team in the nation at this point. If Gonzaga could have stole a win from Wake Forest, this Duke game coming up could have solidified Gonzaga as a top 10 team (assuming a positive result).

Bol Kong (and SSF) getting some love

The coolest part about the whole ESPN Insider set up is the Rumors section of the website. For every sport, there is a rumors page that is basically news before it really blows up. Smartly, ESPN's editors have made a conscious effort to stalk the blogosphere to get the pulse of a fan base so that they can get the inside dig quickly. We've been linked a couple of times now by this rumors page including today in a little blurb about Bol Kong:

We wrote last Friday that Gonzaga's Matt Bouldin should be able to play against Davidson despite a suspected concussion. Three hours from the Battle of Seattle's tipoff, coach Mark Few learned that Bouldin would not play or even dress for the game.

Even without Bouldin, the 'Zags were able to pull out the win and in the senior guard's absence, Bulldog fans were able to see first extensive action from heralded frosh Bol Kong. Against Augustana, Kong scored 19 points in only 10 minutes. In place of Bouldin against Davidson, Kong scored 9 points in 15 minutes of action, making one of two threes to increase his team-leading 3-point percentage to 60 percent.

While Bouldin should return, Kong's solid play should earn him more minutes and confidence from coach Mark Few. The administrators of The Slipper Still Fits (a Gonzaga men's basketball site) are definitely enthused by the freshman's play: "When Kong has the ball in his hands on offense, I have total confidence that good things will happen ... He's so deceptively fast and strong on the dribble that there aren't many players that match up well with him."

Bol seems to ideally fit ESPN's Rumors section because this kid is about to explode. I'm just waiting for that game where he comes in early in the first half and takes over. All the sudden...you look up and Bol's got twenty. That's exactly how I expect it to go and I've ran it through in my mind a number of times. I'll be curious to see if Bol has gained enough respect where Coach K recognizes when he is on the court and makes the necessary adjustment. For the Blue Devils, I'm not sure who that would be. Singler can take care of his size but I like Kong on the drive in that situation. If he is not accounted for, I would expect Bol to make some big shots against Duke like he has done all season.

With guys like Bol, Elias, Manny, and Kelly I rest at ease because they have yet to be phased by a situation. Their international experience has made them excellent competitors that have yet to show any real sign of getting caught up in the moment. Elias' ejection in the Wake Forest game was more of a hard foul in my book where he just got a bit overzealous. I exepct this solid play to continue from all four of these players as Duke waits in the wings.

Poll

Three players had career high scoring days on Saturday for Gonzaga. Which Zag impressed you the most?

Where is Stephen Curry? Zags face Davidson in BIS

everydayezag — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:51:32 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

Rob Sacre should have a field day with the strength and height advantage that he possesses over the Davidson front line.

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When it was first announced that Gonzaga would be facing a Davidson team that was in total rebuilding mode in the Battle in Seattle, I came away a little frustrated. After having great games against teams like UConn, Oklahoma St., and Tennessee, it clearly isn't quite as attractive to face a team like Davidson. However, with the gauntlet of a schedule this Gonzaga team has faced, I am now much more receptive of facing this Wildcats team. As must as Gonzaga fans love having the chip on the shoulder approach of facing any team anywhere, the reality it that no team can face such quality opponents every game like the Zags did prior to Augustana. Another factor that I like about this game is the fact that Davidson has a great coach in Bob McKillop. He will test all of the Zags' weaknesses and in doing so, will almost certainly help this team improve.

Not surprisingly, this is a struggling Davidson team trying to replace the tremendous production of Stephen Curry. The Wildcats are off to a 2-6 start, although this includes tough losses to teams like Butler, USF (South Florida not the Dons), and Penn St. Leading the way for Davidson is the terrific freshman Jake Cohen. Cohen is averaging 13 points and 5.4 boards, and he is a tremendously versatile guy that can score from all over the court. J.P. Kuhlman is another freshman that is having a great impact, scoring 10.4 points and hitting 43% from behind the arc. The only other guy averaging in double-figures is Will Archambault. The senior forward has done a nice job elevating his game, and is averaging 12.5 points per game.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Davidson try to mix in numerous zone defenses in order to try and limit the height difference that Gonzaga will have. As many of our readers have called for all season, I would expect the Zags to play from the inside to the outside, meaning that the offense should run through Elias Harris and Rob Sacre. Both guys will have significant height and strength advantages, and I think both will elevate their games after having some struggles in the past week. If Gonzaga can build a nice early lead, I wouldn't be surprised to see Coach Few and the staff try and get a nice rest for some of the starters, since the huge game against Duke looms in one week.

As harsh as it may sound, I fully expect Gonzaga to win this game by 20+ points if they play and execute at the level that this team is capable of. Davidson doesn't have the athletes to compete with guys like Meech, Manny, and Steven on the perimeter, and doesn't have the height or strength to slow down Elias, Rob, and Kelly in the post. Behind a balanced team effort, the Zags should coast to the 78-55 victory.

Game Preview: Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Elon Phoenix

MRickman84 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:00:35 -0000

After their exam break, the Demon Deacons are back in action Sunday against the Elon Phoenix. The news of Konner Tucker's transfer was sudden, but not surprising. With C.J. Harris's breakout start, the return of Gary Clark and next year's incoming class, minutes were going to be hard to come by for Tucker. We wish him well.

Sunday's game at the Joel will give Wake a chance to catch their breath after a three game stretch that saw them lose at home to an upstart mid-major, travel to West Lafayette to play a top-10 Purdue team and grind out a win at one of the hardest places to play in the country.

So what should we make of the Phoenix?

Southern Conference foe Elon booted former head coach Ernie Nestor, who had some success but could never really break through or establish any consistency. They brought in Davidson assistant Matt Matheny, who was on staff when Davidson made their magical run with Stephen Curry. Matheny hopes to spark some life into the Phoenix, but he has a tough road ahead of him.

Elon lost their top two players from last year who combined for 27.1 points and 11 rebounds and are still trying to figure things out. They are currently 3-6 with wins over Lipscomb, FDU Flordham (I did not know Farleigh Dickinson had another campus) and Chattanoga, with losses to Samford, UNC Wilmington, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Hofstra and Yale.

The Phoenix's biggest problem is that they just are not a good basketball team offensively. They are 324th in offensive efficiency and 347th (dead last folks--good for a DARK red on KenPom) in FTA/FGA. They play mostly around the perimeter and take a ton of 3s (38.4% of their shots). If you're going to take that many threes though, you really should be hitting more than 31% of them.

Their 4 guard lineup makes them extremely succeptable to shots inside, which the Deacs should be able to exploit with no problem. This is the game that Al-Farouq Aminu will use to break out of his slump. It also should give Tony Woods a chance to get some productive minutes. I also see C.J. Harris and Ishmael Smith using high screens to run screen and rolls with all that space in the middle open.

Teams are only shooting 31.5% against them on 3s, but 54% on 2PTs, so Wake really needs to avoid getting in a shootout with Elon. They need to run their sets and play within 10 feet of the hoop the whole game. Elon has 9 players who log at least 10 minutes and 7 who pick up at least 20, so they will be fresh. Wake won't exactly be getting the Phoenix in foul trouble, but there is no excuse not to get to the line at least 20 times tonight.

This will gave the Deacs a good chance to get a lot of long rebounds and run their fast brake, something they haven't had a ton of time to use so far this year. And it's very well possible that they'll log at least 10 blocks.

I see Wake winning this one fairly easily

Wake 75, Elon 48

Gonzaga routs division three foe Augustana

Zach B — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:22:10 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

Augustana had some nice talent but just couldn't play with the Zags on Wednesday night. (AP Photo/Rajah Bose)

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There's not much we can take from tonight's dominant Gonzaga victory except for the fact that Matt Bouldin was knocked out of the game with an apparent head injury. He banged heads with an Augustana defender early in the game and hit the floor hard and wound up never checking back in. Matt looked fine and stayed on the bench as the game went on but it was definitely scary moment as you never want your star to get hurt in a game where Gonzaga's bench could have started and routed the Vikings of Augustana.

The final score of the game was 79-40 tonight in the McCarthey Athletic Center and it was a pretty underwhelming performance overall. By no means was the game ever in question but the same ugly flaws for Gonzaga came out tonight. The Zags shot 56% from the free throw line (17-30) and only outrebounded the Vikings by four, unofficially. The free throws are an especially hideous stat considering this game was played at home in front of a silent crowd. It was mostly the young guys contributing to these misses with guys like Grant Gibbs and GJ Vilarino missing their fair share but both those guys will probably be pretty solid contributors by years end.

I shouldn't harp on the play of Grant Gibbs tonight as I, once again, thought that he was tremendous for Gonzaga. The guy literally does a little bit of everything and has really started to get into a groove on the floor. Grant had eight points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals tonight. He's obviously filling up the stat sheet in a number of ways and is making his mark on the team. He's never going to give fans the wow factor but when good things happen on the court you can expect #10 to be hanging around.

The best lineup of the night was at the end of the first half when it was (I believe) GJ Vilarino, Steven Gray, Grant Gibbs, Bol Kong, and Kelly Olynyk. This glimpse into the future really extended Gonzaga's lead to the 40-14 halftime mark and produced some great plays. Bol Kong really isn't fond of hitting anything but net on his shots. He made some nice drives to the rack as well and showed how he can really force the issue if he wants. Steven Gray facilitated the evening's actions and looked confident out there. He was 5-8 from the floor, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds. He struggled with stupid turnovers again tonight but at least his offensive game appeared to turn a corner. GJ Vilarino had an off shooting night but drove well to the hoop and Mangisto Arop, who subbed in early and often did what Manny does. He hit the boards, worked hard on D, and took what the D gave him on offense.

We're not really going to overanalyze this game because it is not really deserving of it. Gonzaga playing Augustana at this point in the season is just a tune up for the mid-to-end of December. Next up for Gonzaga is Davidson on Saturday for the Battle in Seattle. The Wildcats have returned back to Earth after Stephen Curry's departure but will still give the Zags a decent test.

2009-2010 Team Previews: Davidson Wildcats

everydayezag — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:00:38 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

Davidson head coach Bob McKillop will look to help the Wildcats replace the departed Stephen Curry.

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Am I the only Gonzaga fan that still cringes and gets angry thoughts when thinking about Davidson? Even though last season produced a Sweet 16 appearance for the Zags, I still think about what could have been if the 2007/2008 team could have just held on in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. Of course, it was that great run to the Elite 8 that helped put Davidson basketball on the map, and turned Stephen Curry from a talented player into a household name. However, when these two teams meet up in the Battle in Seattle, the names will be much different, as will the expectations for both programs. Davidson is in their first year without Curry, and as you might imagine, it will be very difficult to find a replacement for the type of production and leadership that Curry provided for the Wildcats. Gonzaga will also probably have lower expectations heading into the Battle in Seattle, as last year the Bulldogs were ranked in the top 10 and were facing a nationally ranked UConn team. However, this game will provide some insight into whether the Davidson program has the ability to stay on the national scene even with the departure of arguably its greatest superstar.

Last season: As strange as it may sound, I would think that many Davidson fans would consider last season a little bit of a disappointment. Despite winning 27 games, the Wildcats were not able to return to the NCAA Tournament and repeat their terrific performance from the previous season. The main reason that Davidson didn't make the NCAA Tournament was because of the inability to win the key non-conference games. The Wildcats dropped games against Oklahoma, Purdue, Duke, and Butler, with a win over any of those teams likely sending them to the Big Dance. During the years where Gonzaga struggled, the Zags have always been able to take care of business in conference play. This was not the case for Davidson, as the Wildcats lost in the Southern Conference tournament, thus denying them the guaranteed tournament berth. Despite a fantastic season, which saw Curry average over 28 points per game, Davidson was forced to settle for a spot in the NIT. After opening the NIT with a victory over South Carolina, the season came to an end in a great game against St. Mary's.

New Faces: While no one individual can be expected to replace the production of Curry, the Wildcats have a nice set of newcomers who will help ease the scoring burden. The most highly recruited of the group is 6'4 JP Kuhlman. Kuhlman is an excellent scorer, and with his size, can score both inside and outside. He is expected to make an immediate impact for head coach Bob McKillop. Jake Cohen also has a chance to see some early minutes for Davidson. The 6'10 forward has the ability to be a force on the defensive end, as he does any excellent job of using his height to block and disrupt shots. He also shoots the ball well from the outside, which will be a huge asset with his size. Rounding out the group is Nik Cochran. The 6'3 Canadian is an excellent shooter, but it appears that he might be a little farther away from contributing because of his lack of strength and experience against top level competition.

Players to watch: After losing both Stephen Curry and Andrew Lovedale, it is difficult to find where the offense will come from for this team. One guy that will certainly have to boost his production and take on a bigger role is Will Archambault. The 6'6 forward moved into the starting lineup for the Wildcats at the end of last season, and finished the season as the 3rd leading scorer. Archambault is an excellent shooter from beyond the arc, but also has the size to take his defender into the paint and score. It will be interesting to see if Archambault is capable of becoming more of a scorer, or if he is better suited to play as a role type guy for this team. Brendan McKillop may be the son of the head coach, but he is also an excellent player who seems ready to step into a starring role. McKillop averaged only 4.9 points off the bench last season, but he is a heady guard who can shoot the lights out when he is in a rhythm. He should have more of an opportunity to score and run the team with the departure of Curry. A lot will be expected of highly touted sophomore Frank Ben-Eze. Ben-Eze is one of the most decorated recruits to step foot on the Davidson campus. However, as a freshman, Ben-Eze never found consistent playing time for the Wildcats. With the graduation of Lovedale, Ben-Eze will have an excellent opportunity to show his talent and play consistent minutes.

Concerns: It's so difficult to figure out what Gonzaga should be concerned about heading into this game with the uncertainty that surrounds both teams. After thinking about it, it came to me that the greatest concern is in fact the uncertainty surrounding this Davidson team. Over the past couple of years, teams knew that if they could slow down Stephen Curry, they could beat Davidson. However, this year, the Wildcats will return to the systematic and structured offense that Bob McKillop normally uses. With so much screening and motion going on, this is the type of offense that can be nearly impossible to stop when the Wildcats shoot the ball well. As many Gonzaga fans can attest, there have been some teams that certainly have had unbelievable shooting performances against the Zags defense.

What we are watching for: This game should be an excellent opportunity for the entire Gonzaga front court to gain confidence and put together a dominant performance. The Wildcats don't have much depth or experience in the front court, and this is the type of game that could see Rob Sacre, Elias Harris, and Andy Poling have big nights. Harris has more athleticism and ability then anyone Davidson can put on him, while both Sacre and Poling are just bigger and stronger then what the Wildcats can match with. If this front court is going to develop over the season, this would be a big game to boost their confidence and development.

Minnesota's Draft Board Is Revealing

Sean Keeley — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:44:39 -0000

Via Canis Hoopus, The Blowtorch found the Timberwolves' draft board discarded among the trash from last night's NBA Draft. It explains a lot.

OPEN THREAD III: 2009 NBA Draft Recap + Round 2

Atma Brother ONE — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:25:14 -0000

Pre-2009 NBA Draft + NBA 2k9 Draft Picks 8-30: The 1st round of the 2009 NBA Draft has come to a close.

With the 7th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft the Golden State Warriors select (ed)... STEPHEN CURRY! and GSoMers are luvin' it.

Hopefully Naan 'n' Curry gets a booth at the Roaracle now! [Photo: Warriors.com]

In case you missed it yesterday the Warriors sent Jamal Crawford to the Atlanta Hawks in what amounts to mostly a salary dump for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton.

Where's Dale Davis when you need him? [Photo: Warriors.com]

BREAKING NEWS: Warriors and Hawks closing in on Jamal Crawford for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton swap

Exploring the rumored Crawford for Claxton and Law Trade: CBA and salary implications

What can be bigger than that? Well, the possibility of this...

See RUMOR: Warriors inquired about Suns' Amare Stoudemire and offered Andris Biedrins

Use the comments section in this article to continue the discussion about all of these topics plus the 2nd Round of the 2009 NBA Draft. The Warriors don't hold a pick in this round, but that doesn't mean that something interesting can't go down...

Poll

Do you think the Warriors will pull off a trade for Amare Stoudemire by the start of the 2009-2010 NBA season?

YES: Amare to the Bay!

1181 votes

NO: The Warriors won't pull it off

757 votes

1938 votes | Poll has closed

2009 NBA Draft Open Discussion

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:01:42 -0000

The 2009 NBA Draft is here, and might be the least exciting news of the day around the NBA. First it was Shaq to Cleveland, then Vinsanity to Orlando. Can anything that happens tonight even come close to that?

Get comfy, because the Cavaliers won't pick until #30, unless of course they make a move to acquire(buy) a pick from a less financially fortunate team. Talk about the draft here!

The picks, as they happen, after the jump --

1. Los Angeles Clippers -- Blake Griffin, PF -- Oklahoma
2. Memphis Grizzlies -- Hasheem Thabeet, C -- UCONN
3. OK City Thunder -- James Harden, SG -- Arizona State
4. Sacramento Kings -- Tyreke Evans, SG -- Memphis
5. Minnesota T-Wolves -- Ricky Rubio, PG -- Spain
6. Minnesota T-Wolves -- Jonny Flynn, PG -- Syracuse
7. Golden State Warriors -- Stephen Curry, PG -- Davidson
8. New York Knicks -- Jordan Hill, F -- Arizona
9. Toronto Raptors -- DeMar DeRozan, G -- USC
10. Milwaukee Bucks -- Brandon Jennings, PG -- Compton, CA/Italy
11. New Jersey Nets -- Terrence Williams, F -- Louisville
12. Charlotte Bobcats -- Gerald Henderson, G -- Duke
13. Indiana Pacers -- Tyler Hansbrough, F -- North Carolina
14. Phoenix Suns -- Earl Clark, F -- Louisville
15. Detroit Pistons -- Austin Daye, F -- Gonzaga
16. Chicago Bulls -- James Johnson, F -- Wake Forest
17. Philadelphia 76'ers -- Jrue Holiday, PG -- UCLA
18. Minnesota T-Wolves -- Ty Lawson, PG -- UNC (HEADED TO DENVER)
19. Atlanta Hawks -- Jeff Teague, PG -- Wake Forest
20. Utah Jazz -- Eric Maynor, PG -- VCU
21. New Orleans Hornets -- Darren Collison, PG -- UCLA
22. Portland Trailblazers -- Victor Claver, F -- Spain
23. Sacramento Kings -- Omri Casspi, F -- Isreal
24. Dallas Mavericks -- BJ Mullens, C -- Ohio State (HEADED TO OK CITY)
25. OK City Thunder -- Rodrigue Beaubois, PG -- Guadeloupe (HEADED TO DALLAS)
26. Chicago Bulls -- Taj Gibson, PF -- USC
27. Memphis Grizzlies -- DeMarre Carroll, F -- Missouri
28. Minnesota T-Wolves -- Wayne Ellington, G -- UNC
29. LA Lakers -- Tony Douglas, G -- Florida State (HEADED TO NEW YORK)
30. Cleveland Cavaliers -- Christian Eyenga, G/F - Congo

RUMOR: Warriors Like Brandon Jennings at #7

Atma Brother ONE — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:05:39 -0000

It has been quite the interesting day at GSoM. The Dubs and Hawks look to be making a Jamal Crawford for Speedy Claxton and Acie Law trade (read: salary dump and save Cohan cash). And of course there's the famous GSoM annual draft polls:

Let's talk about Brandon Jennings baby!

Over the course of the preceeding weeks of 2009 NBA Draft mania the people's choice here at GSoM has consistenly been Jennings (see words on Ridiculous Upside + syndication on Ball Don't Lie). As of right now it looks like GSoMers are warming up on Stephen Curry, but Jennings is still leading the fan vote. We haven't heard many vibes from the Warriors that they're going after Jennings, but after the jump we've got some reported Dubs love for him via Chris Broussard on ESPN.com.

Chris Broussard over at ESPN.com has the info:

Brandon Jennings, who may drop out of the lottery, had a tremendous workout with New Jersey on Tuesday. Coach Lawrence Frank felt he ran the pick-and-roll better than any player the Nets worked out.

The Nets believe that in three to four years, Jennings could be either the first- or second-best player in the entire draft class. But they believe he's two to three years away from being an everyday starter, so they won't pick him.

Golden State likes Jennings at No. 7, but coach Don Nelson told Jennings he'd be a backup to Monta Ellis. Nelson's going to move Stephen Jackson to 2-guard. Jennings is hoping to go somewhere and play right away. Milwaukee's a strong possibility at No. 10. If he falls, Phoenix could nab him at No. 14 or Philadelphia at No. 15.

As much as I dig his game given his build and lack of a NBA quality J, I really don't expect Jennings to be starting many games and playing big minutes his rookie season. Backing up Moped at the 1 could be interesting though. The Warriors get to see if Ellis can handle running the point (most of us already know he can't already, but to satisfy people's curiosity in another upcoming losing season- why not?) and Jennings can be brought in slowly as the point guard of the future. I'm game.

99% of rumors never happen, but 99% of them are fun to talk about!

Poll

How will you feel if the Golden State Warriors take Brandon Jennings with the #7 pick?

Very Happy

283 votes

Slightly Happy

211 votes

Neutral

106 votes

Slightly Unhappy

61 votes

Very Unhappy

52 votes

713 votes | Poll has closed

Polling GSOM: Who do you WANT the Warriors to draft in the 2009 NBA Draft?

Fantasy Junkie — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:00:23 -0000

Originally posted Jun 24, 2009 12:00 PM PDT

Spread the word and tell everyone to vote!

There are two NBA draft polls on GSOM, make sure to vote in each. In this second one, who do you want the Warriors to draft? The first poll, who do you think the Warriors will draft, asked you to be pretend you're Don Nelson and make the 7th pick. This poll has the identical poll selections, but we want you to choose the draft pick who you want the Warriors to draft. Your reasons for wanting a player are your own, but I'd like to think you'll want the guy who will benefit the Warriors the most, not who will cause Rowell the biggest heartache or will most likely sit behind Marco and give him more playing time because you have a secret man crush on Marco. Again, choose the guy who you WANT the Warriors to draft.

Spread the word and tell all your friends to vote in the poll. Choose the guy who you WANT the Warriors to draft.

In 2005 and 2006, the GSOM community voted and Chris Mullin decided to pick that guy. In 2005 it was Ike Diogu (ooops) and in 2006 it was Patrick O'Bryant (ooops again). The GSOM community's draft record has not been so stellar. For the record, I voted for Danny Granger (2005) and Rodney Carney (2006). In 2007, the community voted for Yi (oops) and he turned out to not be available so we went with Brandan Wright instead. Then last year, Anthony Randolph wasn't even a possible selection since he wasn't expected to fall so far. Looks like picking by committee isn't such a good thing but that's not going to stop us.

Just like the previous poll, I've tried to limit the selections to who might be available (no Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, Hasheem Thabeet, or James Harden) and also left out guys that probably won't be the pick (DeJuan Blair, Tyler Hansborough, Gerald Henderson, Earl Clark). That said, there are still a lot of guys to choose from because this draft seems pretty wide open. It's not clear who will be available. For instance, ESPN has Tyreke Evans going 4th, Draft Express has him going 6th, and NBA Draft.net has him going 8th. He could be available to the Warriors. Additionally, all that hype around Brandon Jennings seems to be gone now. He's 19th on ESPN, 17th on Draft Express, and, drum roll please, 7th on NBA Draft.net.

Also, be sure to check out Bill Simmons' podcast with Chad Ford (see the top right of the page) covering a lot of the draft picks. Tyreke Evans? It's a joke to think he could be an NBA point guard. Ricky Rubio? Special player and it's unfathomable as to why he would drop. Lots of good entertaining stuff in there.

Poll

Who do you want the Warriors to draft?

Terrence Williams

43 votes

Brandon Jennings

397 votes

Jrue Holiday

58 votes

Jordan Hill

266 votes

Jonny Flynn

127 votes

Tyreke Evans

234 votes

DeMar DeRozan

64 votes

Stephen Curry

394 votes

1583 votes | Poll has closed