SB Nation - DeMar DeRozan

Six Games In, USC Hoops Providing Only a Few Answers

Joey Kaufman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:09:46 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Just six games into the 2009-2010 college basketball season, there are still plenty of questions surrounding Kevin O'Neill's rag-tag Trojan bunch. USC, which presently holds a rather pedestrian 2-4 record, has proven capable of competing with some of the nation's top teams (see: Thursday's game at Texas), while at the same time, they have also showed a tendency to lose to inferior opponents (see: a November 21^st home loss to LMU). Based solely on these games, it can be rather difficult to evaluate these Trojans, who continue to raise numerous question marks that make in nearly impossible for ‘SC fans and casual observers to form any conclusions regarding this year's squad. However, even with that said, there are still a few things that the early part of the season has taught us:

1.) Nikola Vucevic is a budding star

After just six games, one thing is absolutely clear: Nikola Vucevic is the most skilled big man in the Pac-10 conference. I don't mean to suggest that he is the most complete player or the most physically dominant. In fact, I strongly believe his shot-blocking, defensive positioning, and ability to run a pick-and-roll could all use some work, especially at this stage in his career. However, I do mean to suggest that the true sophomore is the most complete big man that the conference has to offer in terms of offensive skills and fundamentals. He is capable of scoring in numerous ways, either down at the block or 10-15 feet away from the basket. So far this year, "Kid Euro," as the message board geeks frequently call him, has averaged a double-double with 14.5 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game despite attempting just 11.5 field goals per game. As the season progresses, expect Vucevic's offensive efficiency to continue to grow.

2.) Donte Smith is not an adequate Pac-10 point guard

Personally, I really like Donte Smith. The guy is a hard worker, and he lost a ton of weight this past offseason in order to better serve a depleted Trojan team this year. However, despite his efforts, there is still very little reason to believe that the Pomona, California native can actually serve as an effective point guard for the Trojans. Early results indicate that Smith is incapable of distributing the ball to the team's scorers efficiently, as he presently posts a sub-par assist-to-turnover ratio of 2:5. That isn't going to cut in the Pac-10, even if it's a down year for the conference.

3.) Free throw shooting is still an issue

Under Tim Floyd, free throw shooting served as the team's Achilles' heel, as poor shooting down the stretch often proved extremely detrimental to the team's chances of success. It doesn't appear any different in 2009, as the team collectively holds a free throw shooting percentage of 67%. That just isn't going to win games. As the 2007-2008 Memphis Tigers proved, free throw shooting can often determine results and when a team is shooting this poorly from the charity stripe, it's tough to imagine them winning any close games.

4.) Dwight Lewis should not be your best player

Being one of the few holdovers from the Tim Floyd era, it is understandable as to why so many fans and media members were prepared to anoint Dwight Lewis as the savior for the 2009-2010 USC basketball season. But early results indicate that Lewis is not prepared to shoulder the burden as the team's leader. Through six games, the Louisiana native, who averaged 14.4 points per game last season, has posted an average of just 10.7 points per game. That won't satisfy too many people, especially after the senior captain was expected to shoulder much of the offensive burden with the departures of DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson, and Daniel Hackett. What has been the most disturbing aspect of Lewis's season thus far has been his tendency to be a complete non-factor in some games. After scoring a season-high 22 points in the opener against UC Riverside, he scored just 11 and 6 in the following two games against Loyola Marymount and Coppin State. In Saturday's debacle at Georgia Tech, in which the Trojans lost by 26 points, Lewis scored zero points while playing just six minutes. It's a bad sign when your supposedly top player can score over 20 points in one game yet fail to score at all in another.

5.) Reinforcements are needed

In the season opener against UCR, Kevin O'Neill played just seven players - a clear indication of the team's severe lack of depth at this point in the season. Luckily, help is on the way. North Carolina transfer, Alex Stepheson, who missed the first two games of the season, has come on strong as of late. Against Texas, Stepheson was a severe disappointment after going 0-for-8 from the field, while scoring just 1 point. Yes, he did grab eight rebounds, which was a much needed boost for the team, but his offensive capabilities were severely limited. However, against Georgia Tech, it looked as if the 6'9" center had finally turned the corner by scoring 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting and grabbing 7 rebounds. If he can be that productive on the offensive end, then the Trojans will have a nice inside combination of Stepheson and Vucevic. Yet, even the return of Stepheson to form won't be enough to catapult the Trojans into the upper-echelon of the conference. They will need Mike Gerrity, a transfer from Charlotte who is eligible to play in January, to be capable of taking over the point from Smith, and Leonard Washington to continue to build upon a solid freshman season from a year ago when he returns in late December. Provided, these players can be productive, the Trojans will suddenly have a much deeper, talented roster for Pac-10 play.

Preseason Q&A with Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn

SFBE.NF — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:15:26 -0000

While relevant college basketball games don't tip off for another month, the sport will open for business this Friday! To celebrate, err... observe this exciting day, we thought it would be shrewd of us to bring in some real college basketball writers on here to shower us with words that carry much more weight than a couple of twentysomething bloggers.

To close out our Preseason Q&A series, we have the magnificent Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated (or SI.com for those who helped make "print versions" a thing of the past). Over the summer, Luke crossed paths with some Polygamists while minding his own business enjoying ice cream in Utah. Just yesterday he released this season's first Power Rankings. Plenty more college basketball talk below.

Where could we find you this summer? On the beach, on the golf course, or in a gym filled with DI prospects? I mixed it up. I was at the USA Basketball trials in Colorado Springs in June. That was for the Under-19 and the World University Games teams; the guys who left the biggest impressions there were Butler's Gordon Hayward, Ole Miss' Terrico White, and Kansas' Tyshawn Taylor. All three should be breakout stars this year. (As long as Taylor recovers from this dislocated thumb, that is.)

In July I hit the Reebok All-America camp in Philly, and after that I moved off of basketball and worked on a magazine story on baseball cards, or specifically how Ken Griffey Jr.'s '89 Upper Deck rookie is the last iconic baseball card. I'm a big baseball fan on the side, so it's nice to dabble in baseball writing at least once a summer.

I went camping in Utah, and at a rural Dairy Queen there, got to see a polygamist farmer (or maybe rancher?) walk in with his four wives. That real-life Big Love moment was probably more eye-opening than learning about Terrico White.

Quickly, your reflections on last year. Was a talent-limited NBA draft just proof that the 2008-2009 college basketball season lacked excitement and raw talent? The draft was an indictment on the poor freshman class. After Tyreke Evans -- who only became good later in the season -- there really weren't any major impact freshmen. The next three taken were DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday and B.J. Mullens, none of whom left any kind of imprint on the college game. Another problem that contributed to a down season was that the nation's power was almost too concentrated in the Big East. That made for amazing Big East games ... but it was almost like the SEC, Pac-10 and Big Ten were afterthoughts.

There seems to still be a gray area as to what defines a "mid-major." In the hierarchy of college basketball, at what program do you draw the line? I subscribe to (Kyle) Whelliston's Red Line theory, even if there are A-10 teams that don't want to be lumped into that category. I should disclose that there's presently a Bally on my bookshelf.

OK, focusing on 2009-2010, what is the best conference in the land? It looks as though the Big East won't be king this season. I think the Big East has three preseason top-10 teams, but you're right -- the league isn't going to put the rest of college hoops to shame this season. The Big Ten might actually be the deepest conference. Michigan State is a title contender, Purdue is a Final Four possibility if everyone's healthy, and Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Penn State and even Northwestern will chase NCAA bids. For the sake of its national rep, though, the Big Ten needs some legitimate non-conference wins next year. Its rep was essentially ruined last season after UNC killed Michigan State and Duke killed Purdue and Wisconsin.

What do you expect from Kentucky? How many years until they play for a national title? And, when his tenure is over, will John Calipari leave the program in good hands, or in disarray like Memphis and UMASS? Kentucky is in more of a right-now situation than a building situation. Its three best players, John Wall, Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins (in that order) are probably gone after this season, so this could be one of Cal's best chances of chasing a title. I kind of expect them to start slow, while everyone meshes, and then be pretty dangerous in March. As for Calipari, I wonder if he might actually defy the odds and not leave Kentucky in trouble with the NCAA. You need to take fewer risks to get major recruits to come to Kentucky, as opposed to say, luring a future No. 1 draft pick to the Conference USA.

What would you like to see the NCAA implement/change/get rid of, to better the overall product of college basketball? Loosen restrictions on offseason workouts. The limits put on coaches' interaction with players prior to Midnight Madness are excessive. Give them more time, and you'll get a better product. The reason elite Europeans don't even consider coming over here isn't just money -- it's also because they can get an unlimited amount of skill development in the club setting.

Your premature surprise team of the season…I think there's a chance Cincinnati could be nationally relevant again -- and a legit team in the Big East -- with its trio of Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates and Lance Stephenson. Of course, Stephenson still has to be cleared by the NCAA, and of course, since it's Stephenson, things could also go horribly wrong. But I think the kid is driven, and could make a huge impact if he's OK'd to play.

Your premature Final Four picks…I have to save these for SI.com's preview (sorry!). But I will say I think UConn is being overlooked in plenty of the preseason polls that are coming out. I'm seriously considering them as a Final Four team in 2010.

Because of the name of our blog, we ask all journalists who come on here and give us the time of day to name their favorite forgotten college basketball player. Name a few of your favorites who never established themselves at the next level. I grew up going to Wisconsin games with my dad, and I remember being fascinated with Duany Duany, a Sudanese forward who played for Dick Bennett. That's still probably the greatest name in the history of Badgers basketball. Another guy who I followed was Sam Okey (please, please click this link), a McDonald's All-American who went to UW, transferred to Iowa and then sort of flamed out. He was an absolute legend in Wisconsin high school basketball, a 6-8 (or around there) athletic white kid who played in a tiny division. It was unfair for the opposition -- almost like Kevin Garnett being unleashed on a JCC middle school team.

Finish this sentence: I like using twitter because...Umm ... I'm not sure if I like it yet. I like that the players I'm following are largely unfiltered, but I'm disappointed that 95 percent of their tweets reveal nothing. It's one area where college hoopsters need to step up their game.

Conquest Chronicles Links for June 25th

Paragon SC — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:30:12 -0000

A mish-mash of things today...

USC Football

Question of the week: Oregon or Cal? " The Trojan Empire
A nice quick breakdown on USC competition in 2009

The Blue-Gray Sky: June 2009
An interesting breakdown on USC's O-Line from our friends at Blue-Gray Sky

Ripsit
A successful USC is great for the L.A .economy

USC Basketball

SPORTSbyBROOKS " Hey USC, Enjoy Having This Guy As Your Coach
Meh...I have a hard time taking anyone's opinion seriously when their focus is more on skin than on substance. Everyone changes over time...well, almost everyone I guess.

Catching up with DeMar DeRozan | The Los Angeles Times
A little more on DeMar DeRozan before tonight's NBA draft

Smith Enrolled - Inside USC with Scott Wolf
Well, we got one player for the 2009 roster in school

Pac-10

Buster Sports - Pac-10 News
Luginbill on the Pac-10...He loves Sarkisian.

U-G-L-Y: Oregon Ducks New Uniforms - TrojanWire
God these are ugly...I guess Phil Knight is having problems spending his money

Keyshawn camps at UCLA - Inside UCLA with Brian Dohn
I guess everyone should see how the other half lives...

Mark Sanchez

Bold moves bring in new coach, QB and attitude for Jets - USATODAY.com
Some nice words on Mark Sanchez

Oscar Lua

Dad, thank you for the sacrifices | The Desert Sun
Nice write-up on Oscar Lua and his dad

LenDale White

LenDale White has a couple of new names | The Los Angeles Times
File this under W. T. F.

Miscellaneous

Bias in the Coaches Poll? I’m shocked, shocked. " Get The Picture
The Senator finds a real gem here!

USC's DeMar DeRozan heading to NYC for the NBA Draft

Paragon SC — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:25:02 -0000

With all the turmoil that USC basketball has been through the past couple of months this is actually a time to celebrate as the NBA draft approaches on Thursday night. DeMar DeRozan is almost a sure lottery pick possibly heading to either to the NY Knicks or the Toronto Raptors. It would be neat to see DeRozan come to NYC, it would be fun to see him up close at MSG.

DeRozan will be in attendance at The Garden for the draft festivities tomorrow night.

He was bit of an enigma early in the season but he certainly made his mark and he didn't disappoint in his overall performance. He had some tough shoes to fill once OJ Mayo left for hte NBA. All that star attraction fell on him.

DeRozan has made a positive impression among the scouts and teams that he has worked out for and that looks to have gone a long way in his draft preparations. He has also played things cool by just trying to be a normal guy by not allowing all the attention to get to his head.

Last summer, DeRozan attended a junior-college tournament at the Galen Center. He could easily stroll into his home court without paying but he stopped and bought a ticket anyways.

"I told him, `DeMar, you could probably walk in without paying,' and he said, `That's OK, I don't mind,"' said Damaine Powell, the coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Stories like this are easy to find for NBA teams interested in DeRozan.

DeRozan started off slow last season, vanishing in some games, leaving many fans scratching their heads about all the hype that followed DeRozan when he came to USC. But by the end of the season he was in top form leading SC to winning the Pacific Life Pac-10 tournament. That performance alone showed he step it up in a big and on the big stage. His highlight in the Pac-010 tournament was the 21 point, 13 rebound performance against ucla. He then followed that performance with a career high 25 point performance aginst ASU being named the tournamnets most .

DeRozan had a different impact on the team than did OJ Mayo. His approach to the game was to not be the savior but to be a part the bigger picture. DeRozan is seen a slasher with a strong ability to drive the bsket. He focused on his defensive skills and was eager to pass the ball off than to take the shot. DeMar has a lot of tools that will make him successful in the NBA, one of those is a solid mid-range game shooting over 50% (his 3-point shooting was below average but he averaged only one per game). Anybody can dunk the ball and there are guys who are 3-point specialists but being able to score from various spots on the floor consistently is a big deal in the NBA.

His free throw shooting needs some work though. 4.2 trips to the line hitting less than 65% of the time means there is a lot of work to be done.

DeRozan has made it clear that his time under Tim Floyd's tutlege did a lot for improving his defense.

"I think playing under Coach (Tim Floyd), I learned to enjoy defense and I know I'll always value that," DeRozan said. "Defense is not glamorous but it helps out the team."

It certainly is a big deal in the NBA and once he settles in and gets some even deeper coaching he has the potential to be one the games better two way players.

Garry Parrish offers his take...

The lone surprise there is probably DeRozan, who people keep describing as wildly inconsistent even though that's not exactly an accurate portrayal of his freshman season. Sure, he started slow, then picked it up in December and early January before dipping for a short stretch. (OK, maybe he was a little inconsistent.) But to focus on that is to miss the fact that down the stretch DeRozan was awesome, proof being how he reached double-figures in each of his final nine games.

DeRozan averaged 17.6 points in those contests.

[..]

So folks can focus on DeRozan's inconsistency if they like. But what I see when I look at DeRozan is an extremely athletic wing with tons of upside who was consistently awesome down the stretch -- awesome enough, in fact, to lead USC to an NCAA tournament appearance that seemed unlikely in February.

That's why I like him.

In five years, some franchises at the top of the lottery are going to regret passing on him.

All in all I think the one year he was here at SC was definitely to his benefit. I would have loved to seen him just one more year at SC but you just knew that his performance in the Pac-10 Tournamnet was his swan song...he showed us everything we wanted to see.

We wish him all the best as we will be rooting for him tomorrow night...

FIGHT ON!

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

Polling GSOM: Who do you think the Warriors will draft in the 2009 NBA Draft?

Fantasy Junkie — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:00:22 -0000

Originally posted Jun 24, 2009 12:00 PM PDT

Which draft pick will be wearing this tomorrow?

There are two NBA draft polls on GSOM, make sure to vote in each. In this first one, who do you think the Warriors will draft? The second will be who you want the Warriors to draft. Using your best ~~Robert Rowell~~ ~~Larry Riley~~ Don Nelson impression, pick the player who you think we'll end up with in the 7th pick.

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.

Choose the guy who you think the Warriors will draft. Release your inner Nostradamus.

Poll

Who do you think the Warriors will draft?

Stephen Curry

154 votes

DeMar DeRozan

33 votes

Jonny Flynn

40 votes

Tyreke Evans

49 votes

Jordan Hill

420 votes

Jrue Holiday

27 votes

Brandon Jennings

173 votes

Terrence Williams

19 votes

915 votes | Poll has closed

Conquest Chronicles Links for June 24th

Paragon SC — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:00:35 -0000

Here is today's offering...

Trojans in the NBA Draft

Ballin' is a Habit: Former USC recruits starting to make decisions
Nice Write-up

Gibson Update - Inside USC with Scott Wolf
Some news on Taj...

More Kevin O'Neill News

Kevin O'Neill's hiring... - Seth Davis - SI.com
Some nice words on K.O. form Seth Davis

Hoops on Campus - NY Daily News
USC's new coach looks for new beginning

USC Football News

Rivals.com - USC's Corp welcomes the competition at fall camp
Nice write-up on Aaron Corp

In The Bleachers Podcast - Bruce Feldman Talks SEC & Pac 10
Feldman on USC... Here is the interview.

Former Player News

Former USC basketball player Boseman won't face charges - LA Daily News
Too bad bruin fans...

Kubiak leaves minicamp with his best team yet - Houston Chronicle
Some great news on Cush!

All-decade defense: Strahan, Taylor stand out - NFL Nation - ESPN
USC standout Troy Polamalu makes the ESPN all decade defensive team.

Carson visits 'The Herd'
Carson Palmer spent ten minutes chatting with ESPN's Colin Cowherd. Here is the Interview.

Miscellaneous...

UCLA safety Woods asks for release - LA Daily News
Skippy only needs to run off a few more...will he do it?

Pac-10 takes on different look - Inside Bay Area
Informative...

Our own Mock Draft: The Worst Off-Season Moves

SFBE.NF — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:22:17 -0000

There's a lot of guessing going on with who will go where and when and why during Thursday's NBA Draft. No need for that here. It's a fairly crappy draft, and outside of the top three, many of the players look the same to us. We have deferred this analysis for others, sticking solely to our game and what we have seen develop so far this off-season.

5. Lance Stephenson still looking for a home
Lance Stephenson is dumb. As one of the most decorated players in New York City prep ball history, Stephenson had his pick of a bevy of heavy hitters in the college basketball world. To date, Stephenson has balked on his trip across the pond to play professionally. He has been accused of groping a 17 year old girl and is awaiting his hearing. His father is a menace to coaches on the sidelines and Stephenson is literally and figuratively "dumb," academic eligibility is in question. Wait, academic eligibility is in question? Is that why Memphis is really the only program still blowing up Stephenson's celly?

4. Devo and Paul Harris play puff puff pass, then enter the NBA Draft
Syracuse's Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris had a "brain-storming" session in early April, and the resulting decision was tragically never second guessed. The level of THC was not measured during said brain-storming but we're pretty certain that Krayzie Bone did not chime through their AIWA stereo and preach to them of the royalties to come in the NBA. These two tatted up, "one trick ponies" have ZERO chance of hearing their name called by any NBA team on Thursday night. Devendorf is too annoying and Harris is a 6'5 brick-house without a jump shot. Should any NBA Scout even be familiar with these two knuckleheads, he/she should probably be fired immediately.

3. Look! There's a child manning the Memphis sidelines
Seems like the remaining Tiger players and new coach have all chipped in for the industrial pack of Advil from Costco. It will be needed. The true "King of Memphis" left the program and all the recruits split as well. John Calipari left just before the academic injustice sh*t-storm walked into Memphis. Josh Pastner, 31, now takes over a program that may be facing some penalties, or at least a hit on their swagger. C-USA may now become as irrelevant as the America East Conference, a play-in game/one bid league.

2. Meeks gambles to inherit millions
Jodie Meeks, the deadly downtown assassin, has declared himself for the NBA Draft. Now on the surface, it seems like a logical decision for the kid who dropped 54 points on the Tennessee Vols but for college basketball fanatics, we have lost a chance to see the most exciting pre-season reach the status and hype of the Fab Five or LJ and Stacey Aug's Runnin'Reb's. John Calipari steps into Lexington with #1 recruit John Wall and inherits big man Patrick Patterson, had Meeks stayed the certainty of bringing the nets back to UK seemed inevitable. We will tip out cap to Meeks, grudgingly.

1. University of Self-Indulged Choices

University of Southern California, oh how the sun does not shine down on thee. Two years ago Tim Floyd signed OJ Mayo and it was only a matter of time before the truth would be revealed. During Mayo's one year stay at USC, it has been confirmed that Floyd arranged for improper benefits be paid to the young stud. Floyd resigned and the roster of the Trojans has suffered the loss of three key underclassmen, DeMar DeRozan, Daniel Hackett and Taj Gibson. Hey, at least they still have Lil' Romeo. USC has since hired Lute Olsen's replacement at Arizona, Kevin O'Neill. O'Neill apparently "knows" the game but according to former Wildcat players, oil and water don't mix. We might as well throw in the fact that a former USC player was picked up this past week on an alleged car hijacking charge. Can Will Ferrell please do a funnyordie.com skit on this toilet bowl program?

Conquest Chronicles links for June 23rd

Paragon SC — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:00:31 -0000

Lots of little things out there today...

USC Football

Scout.com: Keeping Up with Pete Carroll
Interview on Fox Sports

USC's Mitch Mustain dealing with academic eligibility issues | Los Angeles Times
This is a bit disconcerting

Smith appeal denied by CU transfer committee - Big 12 - ESPN

USC Basketball

Cantu returns to Central Coast for annual camp, awaits fate at USC
Need to keep an eye on Cantu...

How will USC hoops do in the NBA Draft?

Jamison Picks DeRozan - Wizards Insider

Lakers should have USC's Taj Gibson high on draft list | Los Angeles Times
Taj to the Lakers?

NBA Draft preview: USC Trojans (Part I)

NBA Draft preview: USC Trojans (Part II)

Mike Garrett continues to draw scrutiny

USC's Mike Garrett says his record speaks for itself; agreed | Adam Rose
A lot of people are looking at Mike Garrett and his "coaching" record

Former Player News...

Clay Matthews News
Packers notes: Matthews willing to wait

Team Needs: Backup Point Guard - CelticsBlog
Some interesting thoughts on Gabe Pruitt in the comments

Stais Boseman arrested for allegedly taking part in carjacking - SI.com
Nimrod...

Miscellaneous

2009 Preview: Rating The Defensive Ends | Heismanpundit
HP has a nice series of players to watch by position in 2009

Money Players: "One and done" is never done
Nice write-up on one-and-done's

Enjoy your day!

2009 NBA Draft Coverage: The Thunder Are A "Wild Card" In The Draft

dishingoutdimes — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:26:13 -0000

More photos » by Dusan Vranic - AP

FILE - Will Ricky Rubio be wearing Thunder blue? Only time will tell. (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic)

Browse more photos »

I'll apologize right off the bat for not having the Photoshop skills that Mr. P does, so I'll just be using the AP photos. Apparently Chad Ford has labeled the Oklahoma City Thunder as a "wild card" in the 2009 NBA Draft. The logic here is that Ricky Rubio is still a target, but obviously so are James Harden and Hasheem Thabeet. What the Thunder do depends on the picks ahead of them, but the person that the Thunder take will have a big impact on the rest of the board. With the first pick, the Clippers are almost a lock to take Blake Griffin, and it doesn't seem like they'll trade the pick for anything less than a king's ransom. The Memphis Grizzlies could go a number of routes with their pick. They are looking at the same players as the Thunder, but are also likely looking at some trade offers. So it's really a mystery who will fall to the Thunder, and with that we'll take a look at the latest draft buzz from the top of the board:

Ricky Rubio is an interesting story. Chad Ford explains:

It's pretty simple as to why Rubio is being selective: He is going to have to pay a lot of money for the privilege to play in the NBA next season. His buyout will cost him something between $5 and $7 million of his own money. That's a lot of money, especially when you consider that Rubio wasn't making a ton of dough in Spain. He essentially will be signing over his paychecks for the next couple of years to his team in Spain.

It really is quite the dilemma for Rubio. He can always just play out the last two years of his contract in Spain and then jump the pond to the states for the 2011 NBA season. However, Rubio really wants to play in the NBA now. He's just nervous that unless he gets the right fit, he's not going to realize his potential and he's not going to get the big contract he wants in the future. So, not surprisingly, Rubio is going to be looking for a team that desperately needs help in the back court, but has some money to sign some free agents and some other decent players that Rubio can play with.

Why are you telling me this, I'm sure you're asking yourself. Because the latest rumor is that the Thunder have been showing some interest in Rubio. Obviously they have some room in the back court, and it wouldn't be surprising if Rubio would want to play with the talented players that Sam Presti has assembled. The other part of the rumor is that the Thunder would consider taking him, and then trading his draft rights. It's important to remember, though, that the Thunder haven't had Rubio in for a visit yet, and without that piece of the puzzle, it seems unlikely that they'd draft him.

EDIT: A HOT teaser for you; big Rubio information at the end of the post that I stumbled upon after publishing.

More draft buzz after the jump!

Rubio probably wouldn't go to the Grizzlies either. He'd be competing for playing time with established NBA players Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo. It's starting to look like he may fall to the Kings, but Chad Ford sees a remote possibility that he could fall all the way to the 7th pick where Golden State sits. Not surprisingly, "A Golden State of Mind" has this possibility outlined in a blog post, so I'll let you read it there if it interests you.

Chad Ford has reported that most of the talk around the league has the Thunder taking James Harden, which shouldn't be shocking to any regular readers of this blog.

I still think Rubio has a shot at No. 3 either as the Thunder's pick or as part of a trade, but I have to concede that all signs point to Harden.

Of course, there's also the possibility that Thabeet will fall down to the Thunder. While a lot of mock drafts have the Grizzlies taking Thabeet, one of the best Grizzlies blogs points out some slant in Memphis towards Rubio:

In Memphis, the thought of selecting the the UConn center has been followed by a lot of angst and hostility. Chris Vernon of 730 FoxSports has already started his Just Say No to Thabeet campaign. The Grizzlies' fanbase is in a frenzy to draft the child prodigy Ricky Rubio with the #2 pick.

Not to mention this tidbit from the same blog, a quote from the Memphis Commercial-Appeal:

"If we want (Rubio), we're going to take him," Wallace said Wednesday. "We wouldn't have taken a 10-hour flight to Spain if we didn't have interest in him."

So real quick, let's recap what we know. The Clippers are undoubtedly going to take Griffin unless they want to go for the biggest jaw-dropper of all time. The Grizzlies like Rubio and could take him, but most mocks and chatter have them going with Thabeet to shore up their front line. The Thunder's probable choice would be Harden, although Sam Presti has gone against the grain before. And Rubio's agent Dan Fegan seems to be trying to steer him to Sacramento, which could certainly use his talents. Sacramento really seems to want Rubio too, and that's who I think they'll wind up targeting. Fortunately for Memphis, they own the 2nd pick, and as the quotes from their front offices are indicating, I think they are trying to give the illusion that they'll take Rubio. They'll then trade with Sacramento to pick up something in return, drop below the Thunder, and grab the player they're really targeting.

Basically, I would rank the most likely picks at 3 for the Thunder as: Harden, Thabeet, Rubio. As Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman points out, Presti is not likely to draft a player he hasn't done all of his homework on:

What’s growing more and more evident is Rubio doesn’t appear likely to workout for any of the additional teams he might visit over the next week. The ESPN.com report says the Thunder is pushing for a meeting, physical and a review of Rubio’s contract in Spain, adding that if he feels better and is up for the visit he will travel to Oklahoma City next.

While a visit to Oklahoma City would serve as just one more small piece of the entire evaluation process, it’s seemingly an important one for Thunder officials to experience before deciding whether to draft Rubio. It’s the most intimate and extensive time organizations spend with players and, without it, it’s hard to see the Thunder selecting and keeping Rubio.

Harden was in Oklahoma City on Wednesday for an individual workout with the Thunder, one of only four teams that he has worked out for. I've been trying to find any other possibilities with the third pick, other than a trade obviously, and it looks like really only DeMar DeRozan, Stephen Curry and Jordan Hill have been mentioned. In fact, one mock draft out there has the Thunder taking Curry (Sporting News):

The consensus seems to be that the Thunder will take SG James Harden. But the Thunder almost never do what the consensus indicates. Curry would give OKC a sweet-shooting combo guard to pair with PG Russell Westbrook. They could try for Thabeet or Rubio here, too. There’s been talk about Hill, but Hill has not worked out here.

Now that would certainly create an interesting twist, wouldn't it?

EDIT: I came across some interesting information right after I published that I thought I'd pass along...

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.

So he continues to interview away, certainly hoping to not fall below the fourth spot if only because that $6.6 million buyout has to be paid for somehow. There has been talk of a second Sacramento visit, but I'm not sure that's plausible now since he is believed to be headed back to Spain on Sunday.

--Sam Amick, Sacramento Bee

Very interesting. This suggests that the Thunder continue to have an interest in Rubio and they are pursuing it as much as possible to make sure that they get every opportunity to interview him before he heads to Spain tomorrow. Nothing like stirring the pot a little!