SB Nation User Blog: timbo

The Ron Artest Soap Opera Reviewed (by timbo)

timbo — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:23:29 -0000

The Ron Artest Soap Opera Reviewed (by timbo)

Link to a new piece I just ran up on SS&R.

Yeah, I know, it's about a Laker... But wouldn't you rather read about the nutty buddy that your least favorite team is now saddled with for three years than gouge your eyes out after reading FanPosts 15, 16, and 17 about Hedo Turkoglu???

This is a long piece with swell pictures and two or three not-suitable-for-BE naughty words slipped in there somewhere just to demonstrate yet again that "pottymouth" and "serious" aren't mutually exclusive concepts. Hint hint.

No, I still don't like Ron Artest — but at least now I don't hate him quite as much...

A Ron Artest Review — The Soap Opera So Far...

timbo — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:16:28 -0000

I've been trying hard to come to grips with the reality that one of my least favorite players in the NBA will soon be the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers. "Truth hits everybody," a British bassist named Gordon Sumner once noted. True words and I've been feeling it, let me tell ya...

I thought about it and my dream was broken
I clutch at images like dying breath
And I don't want to make a fuss about it
The only certain thing in life is death
Take a look at my new toy
It'll blow your head in two, oh boy

Then an idea shook me — maybe I've got the man all wrong... What quicker, easier way to come to grips with the idea of "Crazy Pills" in purple and gold than to learn that he's actually a swell feller, just tragically misunderstood and libelously caricatured in the mainstream media? Such a situation would be a possibility, one would have to admit...

So I decided to tackle the question head-on: Is Ron-Ron really the jackass that I thought he was? Or have I somehow been led by the nose by crappy pack journalism to an erroneous understanding of the man — a bogus stereotype having little to do with reality?

I poured myself an icy rocks glass full of Glenfiddich 12-year-old and started to dig, hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Just who is this Ron Artest fellow, really? Is he truly as baggage-laden and damaged as he appears to be at first glance?

Click on through to learn more about our new pal Ron...

Ron-Ron Growing Up.

Ronald William Artest, Jr., was born November 13, 1979, in Queens, New York. That makes him 29 to you and me. Despite the fact that he's been in the league and in the news for a decade, he is not old and washed up, but rather a young man in his prime. From whence did he spring?

Young Ron grew up in the projects in the Queensbridge Houses, a complex of 96 multi-story buildings located north of the 59th Street Bridge — New York's oldest public housing project. Life was not easy for the Artests and the family, including 6 siblings and 2 nephews, lived crammed into a two bedroom apartment.†§ One sister died soon after birth of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.§

Ron's father, Ron Senior, was a former Golden Gloves boxer and worked as a general laborer for various companies in the city; his mother a bank teller.‡ At some point in their relationship, Ron's father allegedly began hitting his mother and the marriage fell apart, with Ron Senior departing to live in an apartment of his own nearby.†

Ron-Ron had difficulty managing his temper from an early age. One day a boy cut him in line at the school cafeteria. Ron grabbed the boy by the throat. When an older cousin taunted him on the playground, Ron knocked him out. At the age of 8, Ron Junior was sent by his parents to anger-management therapy at the behest of worried teachers.§

Young Ron's world was a violent and drug-laden place but he participated in two of the primary escapes: hip hop music and sports. Ron-Ron exhibited some skill in each, albeit more in the latter than the former. Ron Junior developed his chops on the playground playing one-on-one against his father.

"We were so competitive," Artest later recalled to a reporter. "I wanted to beat my dad so badly. Once I was 15, he couldn't beat me again." Pickup basketball games in the 'hood were physical affairs, marked by hard fouls and fistfights, in which tall and strong Ron Junior more than held his own.‡ The "Blood — No Foul" mentality of inner-city basketball blacktop still marks Ron Artest's game to some extent — a CYO-trained player he is not.

Basketball proved to be the big escape for Young Ron, and he was enlisted at the LaSalle Academy in Manhattan, where he emerged as one of the city's top hoopsters. He was McDonald's All-American and the Co-Player of the Year in New York City and the state of New York as a High School Senior.∆ Artest was also notable as a young man of his word: at one point he turned down a trip to Paris in order to maintain a prior engagement with a wheelchair basketball benefit.‡

Basketball scouts made note of the muscular 6'6" athlete and after the usual recruiting hoopla to which young stars are subjected, Ron-Ron eventually landed at St. John's University in New York, where he majored in mathematics [!!!].∆ Artest played 2 years at St. John's as a swingman, averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in the 1997-98 and '98-99 seasons.¶ During his tenure at St. Johns, the Red Storm posted a 50-19 record.

Even as a collegiate athlete, Ron Artest was known for his aggressive defense. One scout noted at the time: "Artest is not a tremendous athlete, but he knows how to play the game, is a great leader, and defense as good as his is hard to come by in a college player these days. His size may be a question mark, as he'll be smaller than most small forwards a t 6'6" and is more bulky than most as well. The other potential problem for Artest is that he does not do any one thing exceptionally well other than defend."ß

Young Player in the NBA.

Ron Artest was the 16th pick of the 1st Round of the 1999 NBA Draft, the selection of the Chicago Bulls. Others in his draft class included Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Steve Francis, Baron Davis, Rip Hamilton, André Miller, Shawn Marion, Corey Maggette, and Devean George.

Artest played a total of 175 games for the Bulls over 2-1/2 years, the bulk as a starter, averaging about 12.5 points and just over 4 rebounds per game. The Bulls were a terrible team during Artest's years, winning no more than 21 games in any season; and Artest was a controversial figure, breaking cameras and negatively impacting team chemistry.∫

As one biographer has noted of his time with the Bulls, Ron Artest "could often be kind and generous, chatting with homeless people, giving encouraging talks to school groups, and impulsively making large donations of cash. His bad temper, on the other hand, was well known; he shouted at his teammates and got into fights on the court. Yet again, he showed a crazy streak, wearing a court jester hat during team road trips."‡

Finally, the Bulls had enough. Midway through the 2001-02 season, Ron was traded by Chicago to the Indiana Pacers along with Ron Mercer, Brad Miller, and Kevin Ollie, in exchange for Jalen Rose, Travis Best, Norman Richardson, and a 2nd Round draft pick.

Artest's move to Indiana was marked with a serious medical problem. During the summer, Ron underwent an operation to correct a heart murmur and seal a hole between his aorta and pulmonary artery. He rushed back prematurely, against doctor's orders, and was forced to go home when his heart began pounding furiously — only to come back again the next day.† Fortunately, Artest's heart issues have not been a recurring problem, although he has never played more than 76 games of any season since he has entered the NBA.

The mercurial Artest was quickly picking up a reputation for his hot temper and emotional instability. In 2003, at a game at Madison Square Garden an enraged Artest smashed camera gear valued at $100,000. Artest drew a total of 6 suspensions for his actions during the 2002-03 season and another 2 during the 2003-04 campaign.‡ This rap became national news early in 2003 when ESPN: The Magazine ran a cover story on him entitled, "The Scariest Man in Basketball."

Despite all of this bad publicity, Ron's efforts on the court steadily improved in effectiveness. The 2003-04 season was a breakout year for Artest, in which he averaged 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game for the Pacers, starting in 71 of 73 games played.∆ The young man seemed to be a budding star in spite of his inner demons and sometimes uncontrollable temper.

The denouement came on November 19, 2004, in a game against the Detroit Pistons. Artest biographer James Manheim recounts the action:

The trouble started when Artest fouled Pistons player Ben Wallace in the final minute of the game. Wallace responded with a two-handed shove that sent Artest stumbling backward toward the scorer's table. That might have been the end of it; Artest leaned backward against the table and playfully donned a headset belonging to a radio broadcaster. But then a fan threw a full drink cup at Artest, hitting him near the neck. He instantly leapt several rows into the stands, trading punches with fans along the way, and he was joined by O'Neal and teammate Stephen Jackson. Pistons fans responded with a shower of debris that included a chair, and many present, including Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, feared for their physical safety. Police and guards finally restored order as Artest was dragged from the court. ‡

NBA Commissioner David Stern responded to the near-riot with the most draconian punishment in league history: Ron Artest was suspended for one year, a penalty which cost the hot-tempered forward some $5 Million in salary. Artest also faced criminal charges for his role in the melee.‡

After Auburn Hills.

The November 2004 incident at Auburn Hills marked the nadir of Ron Artest's career. Artest played just 7 games for Indiana during the 2004-05 season before being suspended. When he came back the subsequent year, the Pacers were eager to cut ties with the troubled young SF and Artest was left in limbo.

Ron-Ron quickly became a distraction, telling the Indianapolis Star in December 2005 that he disliked playing for Pacers coach Rick Carlisle and that he felt he could not reach his potential with the team. This public criticism prompted Pacers' President Donnie Walsh (now of the New York Knicks) to respond that Artest would no longer practice with the team. "I do think it is a time to see if he can get a new start somewhere else," Walsh said, adding "I think that it is important for us to put our past behind us and stop these distractions."∂ Artest was effectively suspended with pay while a deal sendng him from Indiana was negotiated.

Artest's next stop was in Sacramento, where he started in 40 games for the Kings to finish the 2005-06 season. He stayed in the Central Valley for 2 more seasons, appearing in 70 games in 2006-07 and 57 games in 2007-08. During his final Sacramento campaign, Artest averaged an impressive 20.5 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in an average of just over 38 minutes of game action.

Trouble off the court plagued Artest during his Sacramento stay. In Feb. 2007, Placer County sheriff officials seized Artest's pet Great Dane, accusing him of failing to feed and care for his pet — an accusation for which, had he been prosecuted and convicted, Artest would have been subject to a fine of up to $20,000.€ The dog was placed under a veterinarian's care. Artest blamed the problem on the failure of someone he hired to take care of the dog while he was on the road to perform the agreed-upon task. Artest said that the food had not been separated as it was supposed to have been and that a bulldog had eaten the food intended for the Great Dane.€

On March 5, 2007, Artest was arrested on a d omestic violence charge. According to Dana Erwin, a spokeswoman for the Placer County Sheriff's office, police responded to a 911 call to Artest's $1.85 Million home in Loomis, CA. "He and the female were in the house and separated," she continued. "The deputies interviewed them and took Mr. Artest into custody."

According to press reports, Ron's wife Kimsha Artest told a sheriff's dispatcher that her finger was cut and her leg scratched during an altercation with her husband. She said he shoved her to the ground, slapped her and prevented her from making a 911 call. She added that she broke the windshield of the family's Hummer as Artest tried to drive away from the property.∞ Kimsha declined to press charges and her husband was subsequently released on $50,000 bond.∑

Despite his wife's refusal to press charges against him, the state chose to indict Artest under California law, however, and Artest wound up on the receiving end of a sentence of 100 hours of community service and a 10-day work project through the county sheriff's department. Ron-Ron was also fined $600 and ordered to get extensive counseling.∞

Artest was also suspended for 5 days by the Kings, finally being allowed back to the team after an earnest public apology. "I definitely stumbled by what happened with my family, and I step back as being a father and a husband, and I'm looking forward to the day when I can make that right," Artest declared. Asked if the controversy would affect his play, Artest responded in the negative, tellingly observing "That's not a problem. The hardest problem is everything else. Basketball, that's easy."◊

In 2008-09, Ron Artest landed in Houston in a contract year, in which he scored an average of 17.1 points and garnered 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists in an average of 35.5 minutes of game action. He helped lead Houston to the 2nd Round of the NBA playoffs, playing a key part in the team's Game 6 home win over the Portland Trailblazers.

Is Ron Artest Insane?

This question is not rhetorical or hyperbolic. Eric Adelson of ESPN: The Magazine wrote this:

Crazy. Ron Artest is crazy. Sometimes it is said with a chuckle: He crazy! Sometimes it is said in admiration: Mmm, mmm, dude is cray-zy. And sometimes it is said in a grave whisper: I think he might be crazy.

His high school coach: "A wild man."

His college coach: "Kind of scary at times."

An NBA teammate: "The court is 94 feet of therapy — for whatever's bothering him."

Look at the man. Watch him play. Watch him rip a phone out of press row, bust a blackboard, charge into a locker room after a loss and scream at his teammates, "Ain't nobody eating! Nobody deserves to eat!" Watch him hurl a TV monitor to the floor after a loss in New York and then smash a $100,000 camera to bits.

Listen to the man. Listen to him call himself unstoppable — and mean it; then call himself a loser — and mean it. Listen to him wonder aloud how he shut down Kobe and T-Mac and then wonder aloud why NBA players are so far beneath his expectations. Listen to him insist that if he were commissioner, he'd enforce a mandatory ejection for cussing "because kids are watching" but remove any punishment for punting a ball into the stands "because it's fun." Listen to him say this: "They better not put me in the All-Star Game. I won't shoot, but I'll dominate that easy game. I'll be playing hard defense. I'll be foulin'. I'll be flagrant fouling. Everyone will be like, 'What are you doing?' " * * *
What will Artest do next? Here's a guy whose unmatched defense and drive ratchet up as his first-place team improves. Here's a guy whose own father says, "I always thought Ron's temper would be his downfall in life." * * * §

Is Ron-Ron actually nuts?

Well, is he?

We really don't know.

Sanity is probably a continuum rather than a dichotomy and this cat is way more "there" than "here" than most of us. Does that sound like a fair way to say it?

What is clear from the track record is that Ron Artest has a violent temper and problems with acting out when he loses it. All questions of hoop skill or basketball IQ aside — Artest is a man who walks the tightrope, capable of going apeshit and blowing up everything in a few inopportune seconds.

The Lakers will need to pay close attention to Ron Artest, even if things appear to be going swimmingly, because in Chicago, Indiana, and Sacramento alike, things ended poorly.

As for me, while I'm still trying to wrap my head around this guy being a Laker, I'm finally starting to warm up to the idea a little. He's damaged but not a complete asshole, I find myself thinking. Now that I know more about him I find myself wishing both him and the team the best — they're all gonna need it.

That and a little luck.

* * * A D D E N D A * * *

Lest we forget...

Footnotes.

† — "Ron Artest Biography," JockBio.com. < http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Artest/Artest_bio.html >

§ — Eric Adelson, "Scary Good," ESPN Mag.com. < http://espn.go.com/magazine/vol6no02artest.html >

‡ — James M. Manheim, "Ron Artest Biography — Took Up Basketball at Counselor's Suggestion, Applied for Appliance-Store Job." < http://biography.jrank.org/pages/2730/Artest-Ron.html >

∆ — Ron Artest Bio Page, NBA.com. < http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ron_artest/bio.html >

¶ — Jazzy J, NBA Mock Draft Scouting Reports. < http://www.ibiblio.org/craig/draft/1999_draft/Players/artest.html >

ß — Phil Nation, cited in < http://www.ibiblio.org/craig/draft/1999_draft/Players/artest.html >

∫ — Pete Treperinas, "Ron Artest, Team Killer," BleacherReport.com. < http://bleacherreport.com/articles/61749-ron-artest-team-killer >

∂ — "Indiana Pacers Allow Ron Artest to Leave," Girls Talk Sports.com. < http://www.girlstalksports.com/Basketball/NBA/Indiana-Pacers-allow-Ron-Artest-to-leave-20051216516/ >

∑ — Eric Fleming, "Ron Artest Arrested on Suspicion of Domestic Abuse," Associated Content.com. < http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/168947/ron_artest_arrested_on_suspicion_of.html?cat=17 >

€ — "Artest Blames Pet-Sitter For Animal Abuse Allegations," KCRA.com. < http://www.kcra.com/news/10956780/detail.html >

∞ — Associated Press, "Artest Sentenced to Community Service, Work Project," ESPN.com. < http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2859498&type=story >

◊ — Eric Fleming, "Ron Artest Apologizes on Saturday, Could Rejoin the Kings on Sunday," Associated Content.com. < http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/174469/ron_artest_apologizes_on_saturday_could_pg2.html?cat=14 >

Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest — The View from Houston...

timbo — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:52:33 -0000

Wow...

I averted my eyes for a day or two going on vacation to Northern California and returned to learn that Mitch Kupchak and Daryl Morey had each managed to come to terms with the other's Unrestricted Free Agent Small Forward. That's some fast negotiating, guys... You've seen the deals and I've seen the deals: Trevor Ariza to the Rockets, Ron "Crazy Pills" Artest to the Lakers for Mid-Level Exception money — Trevor landing a 5 year deal and LAL stepping up to the plate for 3 years of Ron.

I can't pretend to be pleased about this switch of 3s. Trevor Ariza was my second favorite Laker from the 2008-09 World Championship team (Pau being my pal, and yes, I do realize who else suited up for them). Pure hustle, defensive energy, and timely shooting...

As for Artest? Well, let's just say that he's already an award winner with me, named as he was to my first annual All-NBA All Moron Squad. (Yeah, I know it's not a very catchy name. There are other metaphorically descriptive nouns for Ron-Ron and his ilk that better apply and I would most assuredly have come up with a more fittingly offensive moniker, 'cept Rev. Dave of Blazers Edge —where the list was posted in early April — has rather draconian rules against such things...)

More follows after the jump, so click it, baby!

Here's what I had to say about Crazy Ron 3 months ago: "At only $7.4 Million this season, he’s a veritable bargain. That’s because he’s already been marked down for being seriously damaged… I like his toughness and still manage to hate every single thing about his game. He’s ironically both a gunner and a loose cannon that will end up sinking the ship (that’s some kind of a daily double!), we can only hope that this happens sooner rather than later..."

That's pretty much on the money, I think, and the only thing I would now revise is that I henceforth hope he DOESN'T end up sinking the ship with his serial weirdnesses, existential chemistry poisoning, near comical ball hoggery, and horrid shot selection.

If I were a big fat fatty owner of an NBA franchise, hoppin' around the clubs with delectable 18 year old hotties and looking to unload a couple wheelbarrows full of greenies on a $33M Free Agent, I certainly know where I'd be dumping my dosh. I'd dish out to the standout defender, the playoff proven role-player from UCLA rather than the ummmm, colorful man with bad hair from the mean streets.

But done's done and there is no sense crying over the deal at this point, even if I do feel like crying a little...

Anyway I was curious how this de facto trade has been playing in Rocketland and decided to take a little spin around the old neighborhood for a sampling of the views of beat journalists, bloggers, and fans alike.

First, let's put the Ariza signing into context...

(1)

While Yao, the Rockets' "Cornerstone" Considers Options, the Rockets have Few

by Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle Rockets blog

So the Rockets wait. Again.

Rockets physician Tom Clanton revealed on Monday that the hairline fracture in Yao Ming's left foot not only has failed to heal as expected but has gotten worse. The treatments could be as simple as putting him back in a boot or in a cast, to an extensive surgery to alter the operation of his foot. He could miss much of the summer or all of next season. If the most extensive surgery is necessary and did not go well, the injury could be career-threatening.

First, a glimmer of hope.

When I asked Clanton if the possibility that Yao's hairline fracture could still heal on its own — as the doctors always thought it would — would be something along the lines of me winning the lottery, he jumped in before I could finish the sentence.

"Oh, no, no," he said. "I would not put it that way.

"The fact he is having no symptoms gives us reason for optimism."

Yao could choose to immobilize the foot again, and he would be thrilled if instead of the eight weeks the Rockets thought it would take for the bone to heal, it took 16, or 24.

Still, it feels as if that is hoping for a long, long shot to come through. * * *

"The hairline fracture that is present in the previous X-rays shows evidence it has not healed and has extended across the bone," Clanton said.

That is enough to force Yao and the Rockets to consider far more extreme steps than putting him back in the boot or in a cast and him drink oil tankers of whole milk.

There is a wide range of surgical options. * * *

"At this point, the injury has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career threatening," Clanton said. "One of the things we are trying to get is a consensus opinion on that, to make certain there is no option we are overlooking that would provide an earlier return or would be an option for treatment that he would prefer rather than d oing additional surgery." * * *

(2)

Swapping with L.A.: Artest going, Ariza Coming: Forward Ariza agrees in principle to 5-year deal

by Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle

While Ron Artest headed to Los Angeles and a chance to win a championship, Trevor Ariza, the small forward with a key hand in the most recent title run, agreed to join the Rockets to replace him.

Ariza accepted the Rockets' offer of a five-year, mid-level exception deal late Thursday, expected to be worth roughly $33 million, an individual with knowledge of the deal said. Players may sign free agent contracts beginning July 8.

The Lakers on Wednesday offered Ariza, 24, a contract similar to the mid-level exception he accepted from the Rockets, but well short of the deal he reportedly was seeking. Ariza, a 6-8 forward, averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds last season, his fifth season after one season at UCLA.

Though long a top-level small forward athletically, Ariza's stock shot up as his shooting range and touch improved. He averaged 11.3 points in the playoffs, making 49.7 of his shots and 47.6 percent of his 3-pointers, making several game-changing defensive plays during the Lakers' Western Conference Finals series with the Nuggets.

Ariza, chosen by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2004 NBA Draft, was traded to the Orlando Magic for former Rockets guard Steve Francis, and to the Lakers for current Rockets forward Brian Cook, starting 20 games in the regular-season this season but all 23 of the Lakers' post-season games.

After Ariza turned down the Lakers' contract offer on Wednesday, Artest quickly grabbed it Thursday afternoon, going from spending much of the post-season playing against the Lakers or watching them from courtside at Staples Center to joining them.

With the Rockets looking elsewhere, Artest had considered overtures from the Cavaliers before choosing Thursday to join the Lakers, the team that eliminated the Rockets in seven games in the Western Conference semifinals. Artest accepted a three-year, mid-level deal in Los Angeles, where he has spent much of the off-season and had received recruiting efforts from former AAU teammate Lamar Odom. * * *

(3)

Rockets' Exchange Likely for the Better

by Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle

Trevor Ariza makes the Rockets younger, faster and better. He fits with the way Rick Adelman wants to play.

Sometime next season, we're going to see Tracy McGrady, Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks and Ariza leading a fast break that will take your breath away.

Finally, we're going to have an Adelman team that plays like an Adelman team. I'm so giddy about Ariza that I'm willing to forgive and forget with T-Mac.

OK, so we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's take a deep breath and go one step at a time.

Ariza is a first-rate defensive player, threw in almost 50 percent of his 3-pointers in the playoffs, and is still only 24.

Yes, there's still that hole at center. Give Daryl Morey a couple more days to take care of that issue.

Maybe you've heard Ariza wasn't Morey's first choice. You would be right about that. In fact, I'm guessing Morey took a flyer on Ariza, never figuring he had a chance to land him.

Ariza told the Lakers and other teams it wasn't going to be about the money, but that's what people say. He apparently meant it, however; one source estimates he left $9 million on the table to join the Rockets. * * *

(4)

I'm Going to Miss You, Crazy Pills

by Grunge Dave, The Dream Shake (SBN)

Dear RonRon,

I'm gonna miss you. I admit, I'm a little weepy right now. You were everything we asked for when we traded Donte Greene and a draft pick to get you last summer. We always knew it might be a short-term relationship given that you were in a contract year. We didn't care. Nor do I feel cheated today. It was worth the risk. And I fully believe that risk paid off in spades.

You helped get the Rockets to the second round this year. Which for Yao Ming and others had to seem like a myth until they actually got there. (Tracy McGrady... still a non-believer.) You brought an aggressiveness and a mindset to Houston that had been lacking for more than a decade. No one bullies the Rockets anymore.

So, thank you, Ron Artest. I truly mean it.

I do not begrudge you in your decision to join Kobe and the Lakers. It makes perfect sense. Yao and T-Mac probably won't be suiting up in 2010. The Rockets are rebuilding, whether they want to admit it publicly or not. I'm okay with all of this. Which is why I understand that you had to do what is best for you, Ron. I absolutely do understand. And I wish you nothing but the best in Los Angeles. * * *

(5)

Thoughts about the Artest-Ariza Swapout

by John, Club Yao

So Ron Artest is gone and Trevor Ariza is coming to Houston. I'm okay with that.

Ariza reminds me of a more athletic Robert Horry, and we all know how he helped the Rockets win a couple of rings. Both have shown they can hit big shots in the clutch, something the Rockets have needed.

If it turns out Yao is going to be hurt for all of next season, then the Rockets can't build around Artest. He's not a cornerstone player, and he's not getting any younger. And as much as I liked him as a player, I was very disappointed how he never learned how to stop being a ballhog and jack up terrible shots. He is what he is.

Although Artest is going to sign for the mid-level exception with the Lakers for around $5-$6 million per year for 3 years, he would have cost a lot more to the Rockets (maybe $9 million/year for 3 years, if not more).

The Rockets can't tie up that kind of money for an offensive liability as they try to retool for the future. Not for a 40% shooter. I actually think Artest is going to disrupt the offensive chemistry on the Lakers...but that's their problem. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out in LA-LA land. * * *

(6)

July 3rd Houston Sports FaF Smear (and WTF)

by THE Random Guy, Fourth and Fifty.com

Let me explain how my brain works (or in this case "doesn't work") from a day to day stand point. I met some friends up at Cedar Creek in the Heights, so the obvious disclaimer here is that liquid inebriants were involved. Still, what follows is a bit of dumbassery.

I'm was barely paying attention to the Women's Wimbledon Semi-Finals. Elena Dementieva seemed to have complete control over Serena Williams. Every time I looked up it seemed like Serena was hobbling up and down the baseline, beaten in spirit, will and on the scoreboard. Even though they were trading games in the final set I assumed it obvious that Dementieva would be the eventual winner. As they walked off the court it seemed that was the result.

Sometime during that scintillating match, right after Serena was done bouncing her boobies for ESPN after winning a point, a game-break occured announcing that Ron Artest had signed a three-year deal. SWEET! A three-year deal! That means that he has some inside information and Yao Ming is going to be back, everything is going to be perfect and we're all going to be one big happy family.

Well, guess what? Serena Williams will be part of another all-Williams sister major final. And, (more importantly) Ron Artest didn't sign a three year deal with the Rockets... HE SIGNED WITH THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS!! He announced it live on SportsCenter! He didn't Tweet about it, let his agent actually finalize the deal, or allow the team to announce in a press conference. He circumvented everything and showed up in Bristol with a "So Gutta" hat on to announce his move. Ridiculous.

The overall question is "why?" Why would you do this Ron-Ron? Lakers, are you serious? This move makes no sense for you. Daryl Morey, what are you going to do about it? Oh, you're going to sign Trevor Ariza? Ok, I guess I can live with that. * * *

(7)

I'm Happy About These Transactions

posted by "Sherlock" to Clutch Fans message board

I like being the underdogs ... and glad Ariza is on board.

Artest is probably in a better place too, and with Yao and TMac out, will probably get his ring there sooner. I personally liked Artest here, and thought he brought some toughness we needed, gave us flexibility, and an asset on both sides of the ball, which is hard to find. I love how much he loved Houston, too, and was proud of him being here. Of course, he probably brought drama behind the scenes that made things more challenging for the coaches, the ball would stop with him sometimes, and he really didn't play all that well in stretches. But, he was a signficant asset here, IMHO, and I actually hoped we'd keep him, if nothing else, as a player asset.

I'd have liked to get something back for Artest, but, it wouldn't surprise me if there wasn't some backroom stuff going on where Houston and LA let each other "have" the other player through MLEs. Artest would have been insulted and developed an attitude if HOU had offered him the same deal he's excited about getting in LA. Ariza was insulted by the same deal from LA, that he's excited about from HOU. Sometimes, people have to switch teams, and this is a good example of everyone winning. Both teams got happy players cheaper.

I'm happy about these transactions. Ariza has some serious upside, and we just got younger, with less health concerns, and with less drama, and greater flexibility for other trades this off-season. * * *

(8)

Tank Year to Get Trade-Worthy

posted by "Alethios" to Clutch Fans message board

* * *
I would love nothing more than to see Fakers self-destruct with their new dramatic addition.

I imagine that Jerry Buss will be pleading with Jackson to coach full-time so he can keep some control over the Ron-ron's quirks.

You know, Ariza is a role player and damn good at it, but we're definitely in a rebuilding year without Yao and Tracy. If we had both healthy (I forgot what that looks like), this Ariza deal would make perfect sense.

But we have to believe in Rockets management to make the right decisions even if that's accepting a tank year to get us to a trade-worthy year (2010) and get some real star power for this team again. * * *

(9)

Ariza More Cool-Headed, Controlled, Team-Oriented

posted by "Mazinger" to Clutch Fans message board

Let's clear some things first.

First of all, people were saying Ron was better than Tracy becasue everyone was pissed and still are at him. Ron is not better than Tracy [McGrady].

Secondly, Ron did not get us to the 2nd round, it was the hard work of every single player. If anything, Ron hurt the Rockets more than helped. He often did not play the Rockets offence and forced several shots and tried to win a game by himself which turned into a loss. Defense, yes, maybe against some players but Battier ended guarding Roy and Kobe most of the time becasue they were both tearing Ron to pieces.

The Rockets could have easily offered Ron more years but something had to have happened for both Rick and Morey not to have extended such offer and instead go for Ariza. In Ariza we have a more cool headed, controlled, and team player who is not going to try to win or lose a game by himself. That is why Rick and Morey decided to go for Ariza than Ron besides age.

The reason why people are saying Ron is not a good fit with the Lakers is because they have too many people who demand the ball: Kobe, Gasol, Odem and now Ron. There is going to be some conflicts there as to who will be taking the shots and when. Just look at teams who have had too many stars:

The Lakers when they had Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Kobe, and Shaq did not win a Championship. * * *

The Bottom Line:

1. T-Mac is in the middle of microfracture, Yao with another dreaded stress-fracture in his foot — and both of them are in contract years. The time to rebuild is now.

2. Given that, who would our Rockets be better suited to build around — a defensive-minded role player or an aging prima dona shooter with an overstated reputation for defense?

Blazer Fan "Blazerholic" says: "Solve the PG Situation — Make a Run at Kobe"

timbo — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:20:25 -0000

Blazer Fan "Blazerholic" says: "Solve the PG Situation — Make a Run at Kobe"

Hey, don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger.

Proof that not EVERY Blazer fan hates Mr. #24 Mamba fellow...

=================================

* * *
There are some things in Portland's favor:

1. A good, young team that could challenge for a ring if Kobe signs. Think about it - the biggest hurdle in the WC is the L*kers, and they've just lost the heart of their team if Kobe goes to the Blazers.

2. Phil is just about ready to hang it up. If not this year, then next. What does Kobe do after that? Will Rambis or Shaw take the L*kers to the championship? If he signs a long-term deal with the L*kers, he has no control over his future. Right now is the only control he has.

3. Kobe has a lot of respect for Nate and has praised him on multiple occasions. He might like playing for him. * * *

How'd We Do in the Draft? Western Conference part 2

timbo — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:56:03 -0000

How'd We Do in the Draft? Western Conference part 2

The drafts of the last 7 Western Conference teams are reviewed through the eyes of their bloggers — both from within SBNation and without.

This installment includes the Nuggets, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Thunder, Timberwolves, and Warriors. I add my own commentary about the draft of each of these front offices and rank them 1-to-7 at the end of the exercise.

Lots of long excerpts here, good reading with links to the full articles.

Draft Views from all over the Wild West — part 2

timbo — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:00:17 -0000

Here's the second installment of our review of internet fan journalism concerning the recently-completed NBA draft. Who's happy and who's sad? Who is stuck with Steve Kerr? Which teams did a good job and which teams are going down the toidy along with Steve Kerr's team? Who are the up-and-comers in the West, from whence the chief competition to the Lakers shall emerge — and who has a GM named Steve Kerr?

Lots of important questions to be answered here...

As was the case in the previous chapter of this little review, things will be listed up alphabetically by team and priority will be given to bloggers over professional media. I will add my own opinion at the end of each team's little section and then rank the drafts this group 1-7 at the very bottom — and then you get your chance to call me out on my stupidity in the comments section.

This group includes opinions on the draft night activies of the Nuggets, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Thunder, Timberwolves, and Warriors.

Here we go...

Nuggets.

Evaluating the Denver Draft

by Nate Timmons, Pickaxe and Roll (SBN)

1st Round, 18th Overall: Point Guard, Ty Lawson (UNC), 6', 195 lbs. (in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves)

Last night was a huge success for the Denver Nuggets. By trading into the first round to draft Ty Lawson out of, George Karl's alma-mater, the University of North Carolina, the Nuggets have essentially found their backup point guard. * * *

I didn't think the Nuggets had a realistic shot at landing one of the top point guards in this draft, but they went out and surprised a lot of people, myself included, and landed, in my opinion, the most NBA ready point guard in the draft. There is some concern about Lawson's toe injury that he suffered in college, but I don't think it will be an issue. * * *

2nd Round, 34th overall: Point Guard, Sergio Llull (Spain) 6'3'', 175 lbs, point guard*

*The Nuggets traded the rights to Llull to the Houston Rockets for cash
Andrew from the Denver Stiffs is reporting the Nuggets received a record $2.25 million for Llull's rights (an NBA record for a 2nd Round Pick and the money the Nuggets are getting will go directly to help re-sign Chris Andersen.) * * *

So, the Nuggets reportedly received $2.25 million for their pick to go along with the $2 million to $3 million they received for being under the NBA's luxury tax at the end of the 2008-09 season...

That's an extra $4.25 million to $5.25 milion for Mr. Kroenke to spend on Birdman, Dahntay Jones, Johan Petro, A.C., and whoever else the Nuggets decide to add to the roster next season.

Not a bad days work for the Nuggets and a great draft for a team that hasn't had a first-round pick since the immortal Julius Hodge in 2005.

More Nuggets and stuff, too, after the jump...

Nuggets. (cont'd)

The First Ever Denver Stiffs Draft Recap...

by Andrew, Denver Stiffs

This blog isn't old enough to have had an NBA Draft Recap column. In fact, prior to tonight you'd have to go back to 2006 to even evaluate a Nuggets draft pick. That year, the Nuggets took Leon Powe 49th and promptly traded him to the Celtics for a future second round pick (which in a roundabout way turned into J.R. Smith via Chicago).

As a result of this prolonged absence from participating in the draft, the post-Kiki Vandeweghe Administration of Bret Bearup, Mark Warkentien and Rex Chapman has been accused annually (by yours truly among others) of being lazy with the draft and not properly valuing it.

Having no first round pick in 2006 wasn't the present administration's fault as that pick was dealt to the Nets as part of the Kenyon Martin trade, foolishly orchestrated by Kiki. And having no pick in 2007 was understandable in that the pick had been traded to the Sixers in order for the Nuggets to acquire Allen Iverson (a trade most Nuggets fans — including this one — whole heartily agreed with at the time).

But last year, with the Nuggets having just been swept by the Lakers (who have benefited greatly from deft late round drafting) and sitting at 20th in a seemingly deep draft, reached a new level of disappointment when the Nuggets brass dealt the pick to the Bobcats for an overly protected future first round pick. By doing so, the Nuggets passed on Ryan Anderson, Courtney Lee, Nicolas Batum, Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers.

I don't want to dwell on the past but rather give Thursday night's welcome acquisition of Ty Lawson some context. First off, by proactively inserting themselves into a draft that they didn't have their own first round pick in, the Nuggets brass dissuaded some of the fears that they're content to sit these drafts out each summer. The bottom line is that grabbing Lawson now for that overly protected Bobcats pick was a good move.

As noted in the initial recap of the trade, Lawson at 18th overall might be a steal. He's tough, he's a winner and he's thrived against the absolute best that college basketball has to offer. As a junior at the University of North Carolina, Lawson averaged 16.6 ppg on 53.2% shooting to go along with 6.6 apg and 2.1 spg. In fact, Lawson impressively never shot worse than 50% from the field in college.

Furthermore, he addresses one of the Nuggets most glaring needs - backup point guard (sorry, Anthony Carter, but your ultimate replacement has arrived).* * *

Scrambling online to find who the Nuggets picked during the unending commercial break, the Tweets and Virtual Chat posts came in fast and furious: the Nuggets had drafted an unknown Spaniard named Sergio Llull (kudos go to HoopsWorld who accurately predicted this earlier in the day).

Since drafting Llull for the purposes of him joining the Nuggets - with Blair and so many others still available - made absolutely no sense, I immediately did some calling, texting, emailing and digging and found out that the Nuggets were just drafting Llull for the Rockets, to whom they had sold the pick (and this no joke) for an NBA record $2.25 million for a second round pick. And from what I'm hearing, that $2.25 million will be applied directly to re-signing Chris "Birdman" Andersen. * * *

Draft Day Trade Sends Lawson to Rocky Mountains

by Brian, Nugg Love (Fansided)

Buried under a flurry of much bigger trades on the day, (Shaq going to the Cavs, Vince going to the Magic, Jefferson going to the Spurs, #5 overall going to the T-Wolves, and a ton of others dealing with draft prospects) the Nuggets made a very underrated move in picking up Ty Lawson from the Minnesota T-Wolves for a future 1st round pick. People thought the Wolves were crazy picking their 3rd PG in a row after Rubio and Flynn went 5 and 6, until it was found out that Lawson was shipped out.

Lawson is a perfect match for the Nuggets. He can learn from Chauncey Billups, one of the smartest in the game. Chauncey is getting old and Lawson could easily step in once Billups retires or leaves.

Lawson was the best college PG last year, leading his team to a national championship. He's a proven leader that doesn't need to score to be effective. He is a beast in the transition game, (which the Nugs love) handles the ball well without turning it over, and can play good pressure defense. He's 21 and is one of those players that doesn't need a lot of work to be productive in the L, unlike early picks such as Thabeet and Rubio. * * *

The Bottom Line:

Ty Lawson is gonna be a really, really good player. The Genius Timberwolves (their new official team name) drafted 3 PGs in a row and traded exactly the wrong guy. Par for their course... I'm not sure that selling an early 2nd Rounder is so smart, but Denver did get a record price for the pick and if that really does help bring Birdbrain back, it's hard to fault that thinking.

Rockets.

Quick Draft Tidbits: Rockets acquire Jermaine Taylor, Sergio Llull, and Chase Budinger

by Tom Martin, The Dream Shake (SBN)

Please welcome your newest Rockets:

Jermaine Taylor

Sergio Llull

Chase Budinger

Please waive goodbye to:

Cash. * * *

A few thoughts:

Exactly how much cash did we give up? A few years ago, cash deals may not have been a very intriguing subject, but we're in a recession here, people. As much money as we have to spend, it would be nice to see the Rockets active in free agency next season. And that's on top of having re-sign the majority of our entire roster.

I told you that Chase Budinger could happen. But I didn't think it would happen in the second round. It's a great value pick, and probably one of the best values in the draft. I still hate the fact that San Antonio took DeJaun Blair so late.

Why Sergio Llull over Patty Mills? Well, for one thing, Morey has said that he would like to keep some Euro talent overseas and see how they develop. Taking Mills would give us a third point guard under 25 years old. We'd like to add a point guard for the here and now, but we'd much rather have a veteran presence to surround Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry with.

Jermaine Taylor was always a possibility, but if we knew we could get Budinger, I'm not sure why we took Taylor. It's not like we gave up anyone important to get him, but again, unless we just have some insane amount of cash to spend, I would have liked to hold on to some of it to use later. Then again, bringing in both Taylor and Budinger allows us to evaluate and develop more talent, which is never a bad thing. This should also push James White to work even harder, as if he needed any more motivation. * * *

Rockets Draft Analysis

by Brody, Rockets Buzz (True Hoop)

Interpreting the Rockets draft is a challenge.

The first thing that came to mind was how little the Rockets actually risked. All three picks are second rounders and if they don't make it than no worries, they won't get signed-no long term financial commitment.

At the same time, each pick came with the vague description "cash considerations". Who pays it? And will it take away from real necessity of signing a backup center for Yao? * * *

All I wanted was a backup.

The Rockets have reached a point where their window at a championship with the current stable is beginning to close, if ever so slightly. After next season the team enters its most important offseason in a decade, an event the front office has undoubtedly already been preparing for.

These three picks fit that mentality. All three are proven players; they're leaders, they're mature, and it's not hard to see two or even three of them making the roster. Chase Budinger was a lottery pick one year ago. He's extremely athletic, has a decent shot and can play two or three positions.

I could easily see him spending a year in the developmental league before coming up next year to fill a spot left by any of the team's eight free agents.

Having seen Jermaine Taylor play first hand in his final season at UCF, I'm slightly biased. I'm also convinced that all signs are pointing toward the impending departure of Von Wafer. The two are almost interchangeable, except I would venture to say that Taylor may have the better outside shot. Both are adept at penetrating, but what impressed me most about Taylor's game was his passing. * * *

Sergio Llull is the biggest wild card. Drafting college seniors isn't sexy, but what it lacks in spice it makes up for in instant productivity. Llull plays in Europe and that means I'm not holding my breath until he makes the jump across the pond. Additionally, he hasn't faced the same competition so it's nearly impossible to compare stats, styles and NBA "readiness". Assuming he stays, at the very least Llull gives the team another option in the 2010 offseason.

Rockets management gambled, but at least it was calculated. * * *

Daryl Morey's New Rockets

posted by TManiaAC to Clutch Fans message board

PG: Aaron Brooks | Kyle Lowry
SG: Jermaine Taylor | Von Wafer
SF: Chase Budinger | James White
PF: Luis Scola | Carl Landry
CN: Amare Stoudemire | Joey Dorsey

Aaron Brooks has already proven his mettle while JT and Chase Budinger are two of the most efficient and ready to contribute players in this years draft.

Jermaine plays larger than he looks with his impressive 6'8.25 wingspan, and managed to put up shooting numbers just decimal places under those of Stephen Curry's. [stats] Although he didn't play in the strongest of programs, he was definitely making these shots while draped in first rate defense as he was no doubt getting all the attention whenever the ball was in his hands. Draftexpress also reports he is one of the most efficient players, turning the ball over just 0.13 times per possession (and he gets A LOT of usage at UCF). While he shows good court vision, his passing game is a work in progress, since it's apparent he wasn't working on, or progressing, in that department while at UCF. Whose to say he couldn't develop a more polished passing game like another 6'4 guard selected in the 2nd round, Gilbert Arenas (Arenas averaged just 2.3 assists in college).

Chase Budinger is a jack of all trades. A young Brent Barry would be a very good comparison, which might be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the way you see it. If his defense is less than bearable, we still have James White and Von Wafer, who capable defenders in their own rights. What we can't deny is that Morey is targeting athletes who understand their limitations and know how to play within their means. Any athlete can try mightily to attack the rim only to fail because they don't fully understand how to utilize their natural abilities a la Stromile Swift. James White could be like Desmond Mason and Von Wafer like Tony Allen.

I know I'm rendering best case scenario's, but for the little that Les paid, it costs us very little to be hopeful. The focus is clearly on the near-term... still, it's nice to know that Daryl Morey is also prudently building the Rockets future.

The Bottom Line:

Daryl Morey is brilliant, one of the top GMs in the NBA — a master builder of the stats-driven post-Moneyball New School of sports managers. This is a fantastic draft given what Houston had to work with. Taylor and Budinger are both gonna stick and if Llull ever amounts to anything this will be a major masterpiece of making something out of nothing. This draft is very nearly as good as that turned in by Kevin Pritchard of the Blazers, who had a 1st and four 2nd rounders to spend and a backup PG to sacrifice... Ya gotta give Morey a solid A for exceeding all reasonable expectations.

Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs front office is smarter than you. And smarter than Kevin Pritchard.

by Rikiddo, Pounding the Rock (SBN)

So the draft just happened, and RC Buford probably thinks he hit the lottery with the 37th pick. If you're looking for an unbiased opinion, you've come to the wrong place - all we've got is praise and worship for the best front office in the league. We've been seeing a lot of RC lately, for good reason.

I know what you're thinking: A 6'7" Power Forward with bad knees? Why are you so high on this guy? Come on down, see what life is like when you block out all the bad thoughts.

Well, for starters, DeJuan Blair was projected to be a mid-first round pick. Since he fell right into the Spurs' laps in the second round, they don't have to guarantee him any money, so the knees aren't really a big concern. Also, he's a tough, Malik Rose type(thanks to spurchief for the comparison), but with a little more size and offensive ability, and great hands.

He even owned overall #2 Thabeet (who is 7'3") repeatedly in their head-to-head matchup last year. And did I mention the 7'2" wingspan, perfect for offensive rebounding? Or that he was pulling down 12.3 RPG last year for Pitt? What a steal for the Spurs. Even our resident negative nancy Stampler agreed this is a great deal for us. * * *

But wait, there's more: The Spurs picked again at #51, and picked up Jack McClinton, a great combo guard prospect from Miami. He's short, but those stats from last season at Miami are pretty impressive. * * *

The Spurs had one last pick at #53, and used it on Nando De Colo, another combo guard, this time from France. Apparently, he was the best player at the 2009 Reebok Eurocamp. Draft Express loves his passing and court vision, as does our benevolent overlord ATS. * * *

Recapping The Draft

by Shawn Kirsch, Project Spurs (MVN)

It was an exciting night, as San Antonio seems to have had of their better drafts in recent memory. It all started while we watched DeJuan Blair slip into the second round.

Not long after, we grabbed Jack McClinton, a shooting guard with a lot of potential, but will need to work hard to achieve it. He could be a solid shooter off the bench, or grow into the next Gilbert Arenas, hopefully without the attitude.

Finally, we drafted another french PG, Nando De Colo. I'm not sure he's something we needed right now, but depending on our off season, he could turn out to be essential. De Colo is another guy with a lot of upside.

After the draft, we still have a big need for help in the post. This is where Josh Heytvelt comes in. Undrafted, there will certainly be a lot of teams going after him. Jeff is big on him, and I agree that he could be a valuable player off the bench for us. * * *

San Antonio Pick Up Three in Draft

by Mikesatx, Air Alamo (Fansided)

The San Antonio Spurs did not have a pick in the first round of Thursday night's draft so like all of us they had to wait for their shot of getting a player to help what has already come to be a pretty good team with the pick-up of Richard Jefferson in the trade later this week with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Spurs front office has been praised as being the best, and I feel we all will agree that it is the best. I feel they proved how good they are with the three picks we came through with.

Pick Number One (37th Overall):

With the 37th pick of the 2009 NBA Draft the San Antonio Spurs select, DeJuan Blair from the University of Pittsburgh. First thing that came to my head and I turned to my wife and told her, he has a big time wingspan but I know that he has some problems with his knee. Yeah I said knee but later was corrected by good ole ESPN when they stated he has problems in both knees.

Blair was supposed to be first rounder but given his knee status he dropped in the draft. Hell the front office sees something, that must be that 7′2″ wingspan Blair has and his ability to rebound on the offensive end and score.

Last season he was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, the Co-Big East Player of the Year and earned First Team All-Conference honors. Blair led the nation in offensive rebounding (5.6 rpg), ranked fourth in total rebounding (12.3 rpg) and 19th in field goal percentage (.593). * * *

A steal in my eyes for the Spurs at 37. He fills our needs of needing a big man. He has size (6′7″) and is an aggressive player.

Pick Number Two (#51 Overall)

McClinton is a good combo guard.

With their second pick in the second round of the draft the Spurs drafted Jack McClinton a 6′1″ guard out of the University of Miami. McClinton is a great combo guard for San Antonio. Though he is short, he still can score the ball and make things happen.

McClinton averaged 19.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 32 games. What is more impressive is the way he played last year against number one ranked teams... * * *

The Final Pick (#53 Overall)

With their final pick in the draft the Spurs selected Nando Del Colo from France. Now you knew that we were not going to come out of this draft without taking an international player did you? Draft Express raves about this kid and his ability for passing and court vision. He is another combo guard and not knowing about his contract situation in France, I feel we won't see him on the floor this year. But from what it sounds like he is worth the wait. * * *

The Bottom Line:

I don't like the Spurs, but I do appreciate the fact that this is the franchise from which Western Conference GM genius flows — the model for the Blazers and the Rockets. The team goes into the draft with no 1st Round pick and comes out with DeJuan Blair. Given that situation, it only remains to be seen what sort of an A-grade R.C. Buford is getting. The picks of McClinton and DeColo generate................... an A-minus, not an A-plus. But don't forget that the Spurs ripped the ironically named Bucks blind in the Richard Jefferson deal, so you put that together and you're in straight-A country at a minimum. A big step has been taken to retooling to squeeze one more title run through Timmy's window — but the entire exercise is one or two (highly-likely) injuries away from catastrophe.

Suns.

Suns Draft / Trade Day a Dizzying Mess

by Phoenix Stan, Bright Side of the Sun (SBN)

* * *

After being rumored all day, it seem virtually confirmed that Amare Stoudemire will go to the Warriors for Steph Curry, Andres Biedrins and some combo of Kelenna Azubuike, Brandon Wright and/or Marco Belinelli. This can't be announced until Wednesday July 1st because Beans is a base year contract guy which basically means this can't be announced until Wednesday.

It is not clear if Amare has a say in this in the form of a sign and trade or some sort of indication to the Warriors that he will extend and stay there. So basically, all of this trade Amare stuff could be blown out of the water by Amare.

Assuming it happens, I like the deal. Beans is a 23 y/o stud 7fter who can defend and rebound on both ends. He can't shot for crap though so you can't play him with Chandler so where does that leave the the deal with the Hornets for Chandler? * * *

Suns Draft Day Grades

by Mike Schmitz, Valley of the Suns

The talk in Phoenix this week has revolved around the Shaq trade and all the questions about a possible Amar'e trade to Golden State that may or may not happen at this point, but remember or not there was something called the NBA Draft Thursday night on top of all the Amare and Shaq fun.

The Suns, of course, selected Louisville forward Earl Clark at No. 14 and Oklahoma forward Taylor Griffin at No. 48. Here's our grades on the pick:

14th Pick - Earl Clark

Grade: A

The Suns are in dire need of an athletic hybrid SF/PF, and Earl Clark fits that mold. He rebounds, defends, scores and handles; he is the complete package. He does need some fine tuning in the shooting and strength categories, but that will come with time.

Steve Kerr said it himself, if Clark didn't drop to the Suns, we would have seen yet another Suns traded draft pick. So clearly, Clark was the man from day one. * * *

48th Pick - Taylor Griffin

Grade: D

This pick was extremely interesting to me. Taylor Griffin may bring a lot of hustle and aggression, but the guy is not an NBA player. He has an NBA body, but outside of that has almost zero skill-set. * * *

Another pick in the mix?

7th Pick - Stephen Curry? * * *

If there is truth to the Suns-Warriors trade rumors, than it was the Suns who decided on Stephen Curry with the seventh pick. Curry was an absolute steal at seven and could develop into one of the league's best point guards very quickly, especially learning from Steve Nash. His basketball IQ, court vision, lights out shooting, and work ethic will make him an All-Star in the NBA for years to come.

If indeed the Suns do acquire Curry, I would have to give this draft pick an A+.

Overall draft grade: B+

The Bottom Line:

At one end of the spectrum you have the Spurs, the Rockets, and the Blazers. Then you have the Suns... The Earl Clark pick is probably a good one — even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while... As for Taylor Griffin, I have a hunch that Kerr heard the last name somewhere and decided go for it when he had a chance. Lucky for Suns fans that the dumbest GM in the NBA (working for the worst owner in the NBA) didn't go off the board for Barney Rubio, unheralded PG from the Juventud Maulers of the Madrid Saturday recreational league... Ricky's big brother needs NBA employment, too, and Kerr is only too willing to oblige.

Kerr will get pennies on the dollar when he finally does deal Amar'e. Book it.

Thunder.

James Harden "Dope Sheet" — All The Info For Thunder Fans

by Dishingoutdimes, Welcome to Loud City (SBN)

With the third pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected James Harden a 6'5" 222 pound shooting guard from Arizona State.

For months here at Welcome To Loud City we have pinned down Harden as the main target for the Thunder with the third pick, among other potential picks. The Thunder desperately needed a shooting guard and a complimentary shooter and scorer with some range to play alongside Kevin Durant. * * *

The Thunder avoided any drama by passing on Ricky Rubio, who was available at #3 for Sam Presti to take. Apparently, Rubio is not even certain he'll play in the NBA next season after he was drafted by the Timberwolves. If he plays another year in Spain, his buyout will be substantially reduced. And if he plays two more seasons in Spain, then he is free to go whereever he pleases. Also, Hasheem Thabeet was off the board already, as Memphis selected him at #2. * * *

Harden ranked 21st in the NCAA (14th of draft eligible players) at 24.5 points per 40 minutes. He was among the statistical leaders in player efficiency rating in the college ranks, and he also had some of the highest usage rates in the NCAA. It's a testament to Harden's scoring prowess that he is able to put up such efficient and gaudy offensive numbers despite using a high percentage of his team's possessions. * * *

So, Who Did We Get?

by Zorgon, Blue Blitz (Bloguin)

Well, the Draft has come and gone, and the Thunder now have 3 new players on their roster. Who are they? Here's a detailed breakdown their style of play, and what to expect from them going forward.

Picked #3 - James Harden

As predicted by our very own Okluschen, James Harden went to Oklahoma City at #3. If there was a safe pick to make, this was it. If Thabeet was available, I might have argued for him to be picked, but at three, the choice was generally between this guy, Stephen Curry, and Ricky Rubio. Rubio had a bunch of baggage, such as whether he would whine about playing in a small market (as Yi Jianlian did) and just how much it would take to buy him out from his club in Spain.

Curry was a solid option, but he would be pretty small for a shooting guard, and it's questionable how well he could distribute the ball. So, the Thunder went with James Harden, the safe pick. Personally, I thought the Thunder might have taken a shot at Rubio, seeing as how they hired a Spanish law firm to deal with his contract. * * *

I'd expect James Harden to start off by backing up Sefolosha, with Weaver either buried on the bench or on another team. Then, it would be a matter of time before a slight injury or a couple bad performances would slide Harden into a starting role mid to late season. He'll be on the All-Rookie team, but I wouldn't expect him to be Rookie of the Year. He'll probably slide in as a fourth piece on a very good team, and while he might not be as good as Curry, Rubio, or Griffin, he could help us out here and now, and that's what's important.

Picked #24- B.J. Mullens

The Mavericks are sly ones, oh yes they are. They knew that the Thunder wanted B.J. Mullens, so they picked him at #24 and forced the Thunder to pony up a future 2nd Rounder, Cash, and the pick of Rodrigue Beaubois in order to get him. So, the Thunder obliged. So, who, exactly, did we give up a 2nd rounder and cash for? * * *

...[I]f B.J. Mullens gets time, we should be able to see him whip out Birdman-like dunks and bring a whole new shotblocking element to the Thunders' game that has not been see before. But, he will probably really hurt our rebounding totals (which is killer when Kevin Durant is playing Power Foward), and it remains to be seen whether his scoring ability will translate to the NBA. I'd say he'll get Malik Rose type minutes behind Krstic and Collison for most of this season. Next season might be a different story, depending on how well his rookie season goes.

Picked #54- Robert Vaden

This pick was, literally, purchased from the Charlotte Bobcats for cash. This guy is one of those big fish in small pond colleges, hoping to make the pros on merit from destroying small-time competition. * * *

n all reality, this guy is still a tail-end draft pick. It's very unlikely he'll make the roster, and will most likely either be cut or sit on the tail end of our roster and play in the D-League. If he shows his stuff there, then he could be called up and utilized as a specialist 3 point shooter at the end of the bench. But, in the end, he's got his work cut out for him, and 66ers fans can look forward to seeing him soon.

First Round Fun

by Gforce, After the Lightning

This Draft will go down in history and not just because it was the first. The Thunder did have to trade up for their guy, but B.J. Mullens comes quite a bit cheaper than first thought. As with most things, the hype surrounding the legit 7-foot center nearly made Oklahoma City pay a premium price if you believed the rumors.

Mock drafts everywhere had Mullens, an Ohio State product, going at the end of the lottery or just after. The same 'experts' had Thunder GM Sam Presti looking to trade up in hopes of taking the big man for D-League Tulsa. I do not expect Mullens to play much this season, but he is definitely the type of player that can help in 2-3 years when OKC is battling in the Western Conference playoffs. * * *

My take on the third overall pick, James Harden, can be summed up in one word — perfect. I was not a Rubio fan and honestly hoped Memphis took Thabeet. The one thing missing from OKC's core was a legit shooter from the outside, and they not only accomplished that but also took a guy familiar with his backcourt mate.

According to the Thunder Official site, Harden and Russell Westbrook have known each other since their early teen years. They played together growing up and now have a chance to form a potent duo to the front court pair of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. * * *

The Bottom Line:

Drafting #3 overall assures ya of at least a decent grab at the brass ring. James Harden seems like a better pick than Ricky "Maybe I Play for You, Maybe I Not Play for You" Rubio or Stringbeen Thabeet. We'll see how it works out. Mullens is one of only 2 Centers picked in the 1st Round — it's a fairly long shot but also a premium position. OKC will need to be patient and lucky. Not a bad draft by Sam Presti, another one of the SA/HOU/PDX-type New School GMs.

Timberwolves.

Draft Wrap-Up

by Stop-n-Pop, Canis Hoopus (SBN)

* * *
Getting around to the elephant in the room, the Wolves selected 4 guards, 3 of them points. The bottom line here, for me, is that a 24-win team with a starting back court of Bobby Brown and Sebastian Telfair (yes, that's what they were looking at before the draft) took the 2 top players on their draft board (who were guards) and they didn't have to move anything to do so. That's it.

If they had traded 5 and 6 for Rubio we'd all be sitting here excited about the young Spaniard. They got the kid at 5 and their BPA at 6. Even if the Wolves were a loaded team (and they're not), how can you possibly argue against a draft where a team with two top 10 picks gets their top 2 guys? You'd take that every year if you could.

Since most of us are Minnesotans, we are imbued with a deep lack of self worth and we must consciously resist the knee-jerk reaction of looking too much into Rubio's body language after the pick, his dad's comments about staying in Europe, or tall tales of the big city Knicks doing everything they can to get what the Wolves have in hand: the most exciting player in the draft.

Right now, enjoy the moment. Instead of worrying about it, think of all of those times you dialed up Rubio on YouTube hoping he'd land at the Target Center. Think of waking up early to watch the Spain/USA Gold Medal game. If Rubio is going to play in Minny, the only way he was going to do so was to land in the Wolves' laps with the 5th pick. It happened. Enjoy it. Let's worry about the buyout, trades, and staying in Europe later. The main thing I'm worried about right now is when I can get my hands on a pair of Rubio shirts for my girls.

Getting around to what we will see on the court, who here thinks that Rubio can run the point better than Randy Foye? OK, good. Now, who here thinks that Jonny Flynn is an upgrade over Sebastian Telfair or Bobby Brown? OK, good. Keep in mind that David Kahn just traded Mike Miller and Randy Foye--two players who would have been gone after the season--for Ricky Rubio. Keep in mind that had the Thunder went with Rubio we would be talking about Harden and Flynn. Could the Wolves have made out better with Curry? I think so but it's hardly a lopsided set of circumstances.

Moving down the draft, the Wolves picked up a serviceable shooting guard at 28 (Ellington) and they will hopefully hang on to Nick Calathes with their top 2nd round pick. Again, going back to the bottom line: a team that was looking at a starting back court of Bobby Brown and Sebastian Telfair at the start of the day walked away with 4 solid guards. They did so in a draft nearly completely void of shooting guards.

Could they have reached for DeRozan at 6? Sure, but let's not forget that this draft was beyond thin at that position. It was thin at center. What it did have is a bunch of decent power forwards and a bunch of decent point guards. * * *

Don't Know Where, Don't Know When

by Drew Boatman, Timberwolves Den

* * *
...[L]et's assume that Rubio doesn't want to come to the Wolves this season, or even next. Well, if anything, that puts his value HIGHER, because New York would then think they could convince him to play there, and they would give up pieces accordingly. In their minds, he is not coming to the NBA strictly because it's Minnesota... not because he has to go into his own pocket for damn near 6 million dollars.

But here's the thing... and don't forget this.... NEW YORK HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO OFFER THAT WOULD BE ANYWHERE NEAR RUBIO'S VALUE.

AND!

(this is going to feel really good to type)

DAVID KAHN IS SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT NEW YORK DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH TO OFFER

You could not make that statement about our previous GM, "AssHead" McHale. He would look at the situation and be like "OH NO! Rubio won't sign here! I better trade him for Charles Oakley, because he's a ballplayer and I used to be a ballplayer so HEY SOMETHING SHINEY I WILL NOW DRINK OUT OF THE DOG BOWL."

Kahn is playing this like a smooth smoothey. Draft rights are a hell of a thing, and ol' Rick's about to figure that out. Remember Danny Ferry? Drafted by the Clip Ship and fled the country to play in Italy instead... Hey how'd that career turn out? You gonna be remembered for your game, or for surrounding LeBron with a team full of pranksters? I'm sayin, this isn't the NFL, where you can hold a team hostage.

And like that TrueHoop article says... so what if he doesn't play this year? The Wolves are looking at just over 20 wins, as is, and if he plays, he might get them to 30. But let's not kid ourselves AT ALL. The kid is 18. His overall impact on the team this season would be low. It would definitely be nice to have him, just to teach him and get used to playing in the TC and all that, but if he wants to play in Spain, hey, go for it. Between Flynn and Telfair, I think we're going to be ok. At least we didn't pay out the ass for Rafer Alston. * * *

The Bottom Line:

Nobody had more swings at the piñata than the Timberwolves. They netted: (1) A prima dona 18 year old that won't even be here for a year or two; (2) the wrong PG (Jonny Flynn) after trading the right PG (Ty Lawson); (3) a promising SG with a nice stroke (Wayne Ellington) but having given up in this draft to move up a proven quality SG (Randy Foye); (4) Another Euro guard who won't even play this year (Nick Calathes). This Minnesota draft leaves the franchise looking like the living room of a crazy woman with a morbid fetish for collecting cats — shit all over the carpet as a result of completely unbalanced blind and fanatic acquisition. The Foye trade is a catastrophe. Meanwhile, the smart teams who actually did their homework and concentrated on other positions — San Antonio, Houston, Portland — did much better, despite holding fewer and inferior picks. This draft is a D-minus for David Kahn dodging a F only because he had so many swings of the bat that he was bound to get one through the infield. The Wolvers were loaded with picks but not clever enough to use them efficiently...

Warriors.

Warriors' 2009 NBA Draft Day - Stephen Curry & Amar'e?

by Fantasy Junkie, Golden State of Mind (SBN)

What a day! What a day!

If you haven't been around a computer, television, radio, or friends in the last 24 hours, here's a quick recap. At #7 in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Warriors drafted Davidson guard, Stephen Curry, son of Dell Curry. They had no 2nd round pick. Also, the Dubs are heavily rumored to be involved in a trade of Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, and Marco Belinelli for Amare Stoudemire. Some rumors have Kelenna Azubuike and Stephen Curry included.

Even if you don't agree with the moves, you at least had a little fun watching, waiting, anticipating the what the Warriors would do. * * *

1) Stephen Curry

I had gone back and forth on my desire to draft Brandon Jennings or Stephen Curry. In yesterday's poll, Who do you want the Warriors to draft in the 2009 NBA draft?, I chose Jennings. I had buyer's remorse as I lay my head to pillow last night. I wanted Curry instead. I even went so far as trying to figure out how I could change my vote since I figured an admin could do it, no luck. I didn't want Jordan Hill either, I just don't think he's going to be that great - 2nd best PF in the draft but it's a weak PF class, strong G class. Jennings is too raw. How many more projects do we need? A PG who might be good in 3 years? Naw, give me the guy who's proven he can deliver on college's biggest stage, the NCAA tournament. One of the better passers amongst all guards in the draft. Best shooter in the draft. Knows how to run a team as he did at Davidson.

So as Minnesota took Jonny Flynn with the 6th pick, there was Curry sitting in the green room and me hoping the Warriors would take him. We got the guy I wanted. Feels good since that hasn't happened in a long time. It was even more satisfying that we screwed over the Knicks. The boos from the Knick fans made the pick that much more sweet.

Will he be Rookie of the Year as Dick Vitale suggests? I don't think so. Either Dicky V was factoring in the curse of the Clippers for Blake Griffin or he's out of his mind by picking anyone over BG. * * *

2) Amar'e Stoudamire

* * *
The Amar'e trade talks aren't dying down.

Amar'e Stoudemire

for

Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli and might include Kelenna Azubuike and Stephen Curry.

I still don't know how I feel about this trade especially including Kelenna and Curry since it affects the depth of the bench. If it's just the first 3 guys, I think I do it. This league is made up of stars. None of the Warrior guys is or will ever be a star. Amar'e has superstar potential and even showed it 2 years ago when he averaged 25-9 along with 59% from the field and 80% from the line in 34 minutes per game. He was considered a top 10 player.

The Inspired and injury free Amar'e I'll take any day over Biedrins and some role players. Which Amar'e will show up makes this a risk. Sometimes you have to take some calculated risks. Marco is addition by subtraction, he gets way too much love for having done nothing. Brandan showed some flashes last year, but has been injured and Randolph will eat up the majority of his minutes anyways. Andris is clearly the centerpiece in this deal, you have to give up something to get something. * * *

Warriors Pick Curry at #7

by Jim Del Favero, Warriors World

Warriors pick Stephen Curry at #7 . Good pick by the W's, they need someone they can pair with Ellis in the back court. They know they have a glut of 2's and 3's but GM Riley says they are moving some out. Just on the face of it, Crawford out, and Curry in, you get a pure shooter with excellent court vision, that can pass. Chances are Curry is a much better pro in 2-3 years than Crawford ever was.

Although Riley says he will come off the bench and back up Ellis, in a Don Nelson run offense, you know he would have no problem running both of these guys out on the court at the same time. Curry averaged over 28 ppg on a team where he was the #1, 2, 3 option, so you know he can get his shot off. The W's should be able to spread the floor more, with Ellis's ability to get to the hoop creating opportunities for outside shooters like Curry. * * *

Warriors Get Curry at 7

by Trevor, The Warriors Rundown

The NBA draft finally arrived Thursday, and in the midst of trades happening left and right, the Warriors actually stayed put at 7, and grabbed a guy who plenty of experts thought they'd end up with.

The only question going forward, is whether or not Stephen Curry will actually ever suit up for the Golden State Warriors. Apparently, Curry wasn't too excited at the prospects of going to Golden State and the Warriors could be trying to move him as the draft goes on.

One potential partner could be the New York Knicks, who grabbed big man Jordan Hill at pick 8, one pick after the Warriors took the guy they wanted in Stephen Curry. The W's may have grabbed Curry, knowing that the Knicks wanted him, and planning to make a move to get more from New York than just Hill.

With all the talk going on about Ellis wanting the point-guard job and to ultimately control the ball, it didn't make much sense for the Warriors to grab another guard, if they are indeed planning on having Ellis run the offense. Though Curry and Ellis could theoretically play in the same back-court together, both are more offensive minded ballplayers, while playing them together at the same time could make for an amazingly up-tempo offense, it would likely be a kiss of death on the defensive end.

All that being said, I fully expect the Warriors to deal Curry within the next few days, and I really think that the New York Knicks are the team that's going to pay the biggest price for the lean combo-guard out of Davidson. After trading Jamal Crawford for a couple of point guards in Acie Law and Speedy Claxton, it would seem like the Warriors now have bit of a log jam in the back-court. The first round pick was the Warriors only selection in the 2009 draft, so they could look to attain another pick in the second round before this things all said and done. Stay tuned, much more draft coverage to come!

The Bottom Line:

This one was plain old Pass/Fail for the Warriors... Pick Brandon Jennings with the #7 pick? That's a FAIL for the ages. Score Stephen Curry with the #7? That's an A+ on the test. Warriors did what they needed to do. Now we see if they screw up by trading him away. They have a real logjam at the 2/3, but they're young enough and cheap enough that it shouldn't be too big a rip clearing a few people away, as needed.

How I Rank the Drafts of these 7 Teams:

1. Warriors. They got Steph Curry out of this draft. That's all you need.

2. Nuggets. Same principle as the Warriors — Ty Lawson is a really good get, no matter how the rest turns out.

3. Rockets. Something for nothing in the 2nd Round, masterfully executed by the genius Morey.

4. Spurs. Getting Blair for the #37 was comically great value if he doesn't break. The RJ deal was 3 parts larceny, 1 part luck.

5. Thunder. Harden is a good pick, Mullens is sketchy but a worthwhile roll of the dice, Centers being rare.

6. Suns. The idiot Shaq giveaway has tainted anything Kerr can do for the next year or two. He's in over his head.

7. Timberwolves. Drafting "Best Player Available" is idiotic if you have four 1st Round picks and no clue about who is actually the best player available.

How'd We Do in the Draft? Western Conference — part 1

timbo — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:15:41 -0000

How'd We Do in the Draft? Western Conference — part 1

In this article for the SBN Laker Blog, Silver Screen & Roll, I took a look at the discussions going on among the fans of 7 Western Conference teams, including the Blazers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hornets, Jazz, Kings, and Mavericks.

Bloggers weigh in with their feelings about their own team's draft and then I kick in my own two cents.

The second installment featuring the rest of the Western Conference teams will make its appearance tomorrow.

Draft Views from all over the Wild West — part 1

timbo — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:50:17 -0000

Well, St. Kevin's Day 2009 is over and it's time to see what everybody got this year from the Rookie Fairy and whether they're happy with their presents or ready to riot... In keeping with the general theme of my "beat," I'm going to examine the views of everyone BUT the Lakers — who essentially sold all their picks this year anyway.

Lakers did pick up gangly 6'10" Power Forward Chinemelu "Junior" Elonu, a Nigerian who went to school at Texas A&M. He's a project at best, no better than even odds to even make the team as a 12th man. The fact that the Lakers sold their other picks doesn't hurt so bad given that they would have missed out on UNC Shooting Guard Wayne Ellington by one pick anyway. That guy would have really been an asset. So it's all good.

There's your "Laker Fan View" if you are missing that, ha ha.

This review of cheering and hissing among the Lakers' Western Conference rivals is gonna be done in two parts: Blazers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hornets, Jazz, Kings, and Mavs tonight; Nuggets, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Thunder, T-wolves, and Warriors tomorrow.

I'll need to give the Eastern Conference a miss since after that I'm heading for Cali for a few days with a friend from Finland who's coming out to visit. Gonna go see the trees, one of the best places in the world. If you haven't ever seen the redwoods, you need to make a point of coming out...

Anyway, with this little two-parter I'm going to try to concentrate on the underappreciated bloggers, who are less beholden to the teams they cover than the professionals and thus more apt to voice pointed criticism of the good old home team... I've spent a few hours really searching for URLs and tricking out my browser, it will be entertaining to me just to see what's out there...

Just for fun I will add my own smartassery at the end of each team's comments.

Okay, let's get to work. This is alphabetical by team nickname... Skip to the teams that interest you if you don't wanna spend 3 hours reading...

Click on through for the content...

Blazers.

I Think I Got Pritch-slapped

by T-for-3, posted to Blazers Edge (SBN)

So last night during the draft and just before the Blazers come up at 22 I'm looking at my laptop and ESPN is showing the players that are still available. I see DeJuan Blair and I think ok it's either him or Casspi. And as I know KP has a fever for international flavor I figure he's going to snag the boy from Israel over DeJuan Blair's bionic ACL's. I wouldn't be mad. Casspi could be a good player, I think he could have some upside and feel he's going to be a significant role player on a good team (and it won't be with Sacramento I assure you) and I hear him go with Claver.

Claver? CLAVER?? What the hell does this guy bring to our team? Seriously?! CLAVER!!?? I went on a tirade of Facebook status updates lashing at the pick and Twitter posts to Bill Simmons and John Hollinger hoping they could make sense of this. Of course no one is there to explain this to me so I had to do it on my own.

So here's what I came up with and just to give you heads up, there is a loud SMACK at the end of this from you know who.

By picking Claver, the Blazers will be able to stash Claver over seas and free up even more money in cap space of over a million dollars. So by most peoples estimates of the new salary cap we could be upwards of 9 or 10 million available. So instead of making this team younger we now have a better opportunity to make this team more mature with a good free agent. Add in a little trade for Hinrich and we have ourselves a very solid squad that, dare I say, would beat the crap out of last years amazing Blazer team.

So ladies and gentlemen.... That's how I got Pritch-Slapped. * * *

Making Sense of the Draft

by Dave Deckard, Blazers Edge (SBN)

* * *
Ben [Golliver of BE] reports that the Blazer brass were clear all along that Jeff Pendergraph was a strong target. The Sergio Rodriguez deal was specifically to get that 31st pick in order to take him. Apparently a decent amount of cash went along with Sergio to sweeten it for Sacramento.

Coach McMillan anticipates that both Pendergraph and Cunningham will make the team. They both worked out on the same day...and both impressed. Pendergraph has the skills for the reserve power-forward role while Cunningham might be more of a swing guy. It's hard to avoid the impression that these are younger, cheaper (and obviously not as good yet) replacements for Channing Frye and Travis Outlaw. Both making the team certainly frees Outlaw for trade purposes. Both will participate in Summer League providing their contracts are signed.

Patty Mills was a nice pick-up late in the second round. Ben quotes KP as saying Mills "has a passport", likely indicating that he'll play overseas. Certainly he's no threat to Jerryd Bayless as the primary reserve point guard. Indeed the Sergio trade appears to put more pressure on Bayless, at least for now, pending other moves.

Beyond that, Ben reports both Kevin Pritchard and Nate saying that Nate and Tom Penn had to rein in KP and Paul Allen a little bit when their aggressiveness would have added more youth — likely second-round — to an already young roster. Clearly for the top guys the draft is a buffet. Coach and Penn play Jenny Craig. * * *

Blazers 2009 NBA Draft Recap

by Sheed, Bust-a-Bucket (Bloguin)

The 2009 NBA draft is over and some Portland fans are left scratching their heads. Over the past few seasons we've seen Kevin Pritchard make legendary moves to acquire the current members of the Trail Blazers. But was this draft really so boring? Doesn't it just appear as though the organization is setting up to make moves in free agency?

If they had moved up to draft Stephen Curry or Ricky Rubio, this summers moves would be done. But now we have July to look forward to. I don't know a ton about every guy we drafted, but I'm okay with the moves made. * * *

The Bottom Line:

Portland had a really good draft (again) but it's still painful to have missed out on Blair. Then again, Blazer fans were in love with Adam Morrison, too, so there ya go... Demerits for Pritchard spending two 2nd Rounders to jump 2 places in the 1st Round just to draft a guy who would have been there two picks later anyway and for having to PAY Sacramento to take back up PG Sergio Rodriguez. Bizarre.

Clippers.

Lawler's Law

by Ralph Lawler, Lawler's Law blog

Today marked the third in the Clippers' 25 years in Los Angeles that the team owned the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. There was no hesitation, no consternation, no deliberation this time. They didn't need the league allowed five minutes to decide. Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy immediately barked into the hot-line phone to New York : "BLAKE GRIFFIN."

It took the league the full five minutes to announce the pick to a nationwide TV audience, but the local draft room was filled with smiles and handshakes.

When Commissioner David Stern announced the pick on ESPN, the Clipper Draft room erupted in happy applause. The coach immediately went on the air on ESPN and then moved downstairs to address the local media. He was clearly anxious to get back upstairs where he hoped his day's work was not over.

The team would love to acquire a later pick in the first round. It was clear the ballclub was not in a "Salary Dump" mode. They turned down more than one opportunity to give up a salary without getting substantial basketball help in return.

But this is now official, the consensus College Player of the Year from Oklahoma will be a Clipper. No. 1 in the land has reason to be surprised. Some say this is a one-man draft. While that may be something of an over statement, but Griffin is the one sure thing in the 2009 Draft. * * *

Draft Day at Playa Vista

by Clipper Steve Perrin, Clips Nation (SBN)

This is the third time I've been to the Clippers training facility as a member of the media. This one is a little more 'official' feeling — they even set up the podium style press conference with microphones and everything.

Among the media members in the house are Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld, Ben Maller of FoxSports, Mark Heisler of the LA Times, Ramona Shelburne of the Daily News, Jim Alexander of the Riverside Press Enterprise, Jim Hill of Channel 2, and lots of other people I should probably recognize.

Of couse, there wasn't really anything for the Clippers to talk about, since the pick was pretty much old news. So Shelburne and Pincus and Heisler asked the same questions that we've been asking for several weeks, and MDsr gave the same answers he's been giving the whole time. * * *

The Bottom Line:

It's nice to be able to pick #1 overall, but why does Blake Griffin feel like just a "pretty okay" player to me? I guess I need to see the dude play or something...

Grizzlies.

Draft Post-Mortem: Quick Thoughts

by Chris Herrington, Memphis Flyer Beyond the Arc blog

I'll have a report from this afternoon's press conference later and will probably wait until this weekend to deal with the aftermath of the draft in War and Peace form, but for now some quick thoughts:

1. Hasheem Thabeet: I'd voiced my opposition to the Thabeet pick here, but clearly my "value" objection was not, um, valid. Last night's draft made it clear that the #2 pick, and the rights to Ricky Rubio, did not have the trade value that many assumed (or maybe hoped). Sacramento clearly wasn't going to offer a significant package to get Rubio at 2 when they weren't even going to take him at 4. The Knicks never had a compelling package to offer. As for Minnesota, there were some reports yesterday that Hasheem Thabeet was their target at #2, but if it was Rubio they were clearly right in not making a significant offer to move up. They got him at #5 anyway.

Via a combination of his legal issues in Spain and taking a closer look at his game, the shine clearly came off Rubio in the run-up to the draft. Did teams like Memphis, Oklahoma City, and Sacramento make a big mistake in passing up Rubio? Time will tell. * * *

2. Demarre Carroll/Sam Young: I didn't like the Carroll pick because, in addition to Young, who ended up falling to #36, I liked Derrick Brown from Xavier better (and Wayne Ellington and Dajuan Blair, for that matter). * * *

Young was almost the pick at #27 and the team was thrilled to get him at #36. My prediction is that Young has a bigger impact next season than Carroll.

3. The Darko Deal: For all Darko's issues, I'd rather have a rugged, defensive big man than a declining undersized shooter, which is what the Grizzlies got in return in the form of Quentin Richardson. But, once Thabeet was added, the team was looking at Darko as a third-string center. Essentially the team traded a third-string center on a large expiring contract for a second-string wing player on a large, expiring contract. The deal makes sense in terms of balancing the roster. * * *

The Bottom Line:

Thabeet is gonna be pretty much a nothing player, Carroll is forgettable, and Quentin Richardson is a small net gain over the completely and totally useless Dorko. But Sam Young is gonna be a player. Still, given the picks they had ya gotta give this draft a fairly huge thumbs down for the Grizz.

Hornets.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Collison

by AtTheHive, At The Hive (SBN)

Lots of haterade being drunk in re: this Darren Collison fellow ("9th best PG", etc).

You know what? It was a great pick. This really isn't spin or anything. Last thing I'm going to do is spin the Hornets' front office after the disaster that was Summer 2008.

First, consider the options. It was down to DeJuan Blair or a point guard. Marcus Thornton wasn't in the equation at 21, because no other teams valued him that high. If the Hornets really wanted him that high, they'd have traded down and gotten a 2nd rounder tossed their way. Internally, the front office had made the Blair vs. point guard decision (which turned out to be the right call, as Thornton hung around till 43).

Let's start with Blair. I was super high on him. His rebound rates were mind-boggling, he'd dominated a 7 footer in Thabeet before, and he had apparently gotten into terrific shape. When the decision was made to pass him over, I was startled. Blair filled our biggest need, and some statistics indicated he might be the second best big in the entire draft. How could you possible pass on that? I was not a happy camper.

Then Portland — widely rumored to have traded up to get him — passed on him. Sacramento passed on him. Dallas passed on him. Oklahoma City passed on him. Chicago- widely rumored to be drafting Blair at 16- passed on him at 26. Even the staunchest advocate of Blair had to have recognized something here. And then ten more teams passed. Fifteen times in all, he was passed over.

There's some identified or unidentified issue with Blair that teams are scared of. It might be his knees. It might be the fact that his ACL's are supposedly not visible in MRIs do not exist. It might that people don't think his sudden and huge weight loss is sustainable. It might be that he lived on a mostly junk food diet for most of his college career. Sure, the Spurs wound up taking him. They've been absolute geniuses at drafting. But this smells more of "he couldn't have dropped any lower" than it does of the Spurs knowing something nobody else does. * * *

Come Play for Us, Kids! We Have 104 Degree Heat! And Free Hats!

by Ticktock6, Hornets Hype

* * *
I have to admit I was unenthusiastic about #21 pick Darren Collison. I know next to nothing about him. Well, I know next to nothing about college ball in general, so that's hardly a surprise. But I really thought we should've take DeJuan Blair, who ended up falling into the second round presumably because teams were scared off by his knee surgeries.

I am fairly sure I managed to control these opinions when some cameramen came up and shined a light on me and asked me what I thought. I am also fairly sure I talked for a while. I am also fairly sure the two Jager shots had a significant effect on the fact that I kinda forgot about this whole experience....

Anyhow, I feel a lot better about the Collison pick today, having checked out At the Hive's post regarding his stats (they're right up there or better than some lottery PGs). He was a 4 year college kid and didn't have the hype of some of the others, but I think we'll all remember we have a guy named David West who was in a similar situation when we drafted him and turned out all right. * * *

The Bottom Line:

The Chris Paul Team drafts a Point Guard???

F A I L.

There were lots of good players in this draft that came after #21. Collison went nearly 6 or 8 slots too high to a team that didn't even need him... D'oh!

Jazz.

The Jazz select Eric Maynor — Fans can start liking the #3 again.

by Basketball John, SLC Dunk (SBN)

Everyone know that the Jazz needed someone that can play some D. Sam Young would have filled that role. But for whatever reason, either Young slid in the draft, and well below #20. So either some underlying issue was there that we didn't know about or the front office simply valued Maynor more.

I thought our other need was an athletic scorer on the wing that could create his own shot. That's why I liked Johnson. After that though was the issue of backup PG. Sloan has had three PGs for as long as I can remember. The most likely scenario is the Price is re-signed and Maynor becomes the third option, maybe even taking over for Price in some cases. I don't see Sloan letting a rookie PG be the backup. Heck, look what it took for Deron to crack and keep his spot in the starting lineup.

My gut feeling is that he's going to turn out well. * * *

If there is any position where your talent is magnified in the Jazz system, it's the point guard. It turns lower-level players into competent backups. And it can turn stars into greats. There have been those that didn't pan out. The secret ingredient to succeeding in the Jazz system as a PG seems to be what they call a high basketball IQ. You have to have the physical skills as well, but your decision making skills, bowstaff skills, and court vision are what's important.

And guess what has been said about Maynor? Basketball IQ, great passing skills, court vision, passing skills. He will succeed as a backup to Deron Williams. Will he ever become good enough to be a starter somewhere else? I wouldn't put it past him. * * *

The Newest Jazzmen — Eric Maynor & Goran Suton

by UtesFan89, True Blue Jazz (Bloguin)

#20- PG Eric Maynor, VCU

Quite simply, he is best known for this. He also has a twitter page (@EMaynor3), though he hasn't updated much (yet?). Quite simply...

Quick summary: Crafty, clutch true point with excellent quickness and a well-rounded offensive game, although he committed too many turnovers in college. The biggest knock on him is high slight build (6-2, 175).

I'll admit, I was stoked. (I figure letting everyone know this is important, because most people seemed pissed off that the Jazz didn't trade up for Blake Griffin or something.) After seeing Lawson & Teague go in quick succession right before the Jazz, I was afraid they'd reach for BJ Mullens or something. Luckily they didn't, and Maynor did enough in his last second interview yesterday to become the pick.

He might not be Ricky Rubio, but he'll be a solid back-up to Deron. He's the "true PG" J-slow loves, and is able to find his teammates when they're open. The team really needed a back-up... and you're not going to find many takers in the FA market that are willing to come in to play behind Deron. The draft is the way to go, and the Jazz found a great guy here.

Maynor isn't a guy I had originally considered for the Jazz, largely because I thought a different PG would fall, or they'd go elsewhere, but as the Jazz pick got closer, I started hoping he was the guy. And when Lawson went and Atlanta came up (I was certain they would go with Teague), I decided that Maynor would be the best pick (even though everyone seemed to the think the Jazz would take Sam Young). Simply, there was no clear cut choice. Every team had the guys they liked, and you took them. This wasn't a normal draft, where 28 teams have some guy ranked as being "top-5". It literally changed by team. Maynor was the best on the board for the Jazz when the pick came, and they took him. * * *

#50- C Goran Suton, Michigan State

I don't really follow Michigan State basketball (sorry if that offended anybody). But I did catch a couple of their games over the last couple of seasons (Big Ten tourney last season, I think, and March Madness games the last couple of years). And whenever I'd see Suton, I'd think that his shot had a range that reminded me of Okur's, and that it would be awesome if he ended up on the Jazz. (True story.) I didn't think much about it, though I did get my hopes up a bit when I saw he'd worked out with the Jazz.

But then I saw they liked Taylor Griffin (who was picked before #50) and had worked out Luke Nevill (undrafted, unfortunately for him) and the likes, and decided it wasn't very likely. So when Kevin O'Connor announced his name to the Jazz crowd at the ESA (and over the radio), I seriously became overjoyed. Getting another big that can shoot and rebound... and one that played for a great coach in Tom Izzo... and has a kinda-present post game, that's huge for the team. A duo of him & The Koof, while potentially down on strength inside, have the ability to play good defense, and make the other guys step out on defense to guard them (Suton has range out to 23-feet).

He'll work well with the Jazz loving the pick-and-roll and the pick-and-pop. * * *

The Bottom Line:

This was a PG mania draft and I suppose everybody needs a backup PG — but with the mocks predicting Tyler Hansbrough for Utah, Eric Maynor seems like a big downgrade. Meh.

Kings.

High Hopes for Omri Casspi in Sacramento

by Ziller, Sactown Royalty (SBN)

Israelis love basketball. Gross generalizations are often, well, gross. But I feel comfortable in this blanket statement: Israelis love basketball. Israel is a basketball country.

The Kings made Omri Casspi the No. 23 pick in the NBA Draft at about 6 AM local time in Israel. By 7 AM Israel time, I had received an email from Eran Soroka of the Ma'ariv Sports Newspaper. We discussed Omri's NBA chances, and Eran -- who said he has covered Casspi for several years -- offered this assessment.

"Casspi is a great guy to deal with, as a start. Smiling, talkative, ambitious. But on the court, he's always driven. He brings energy and intensity in every step on the court. He's a good athlete comparing to some of his European colleagues, he's fast and runs the fast breaks to finish with authority. He hustles for loose balls, moves very well without the ball and have a knack for finding the basket." * * *

Breaking Down the Draft: 23rd Pick, Omri Casspi

by Zach Harper, Cowbell Kingdom (True Hoop)

The worry about the 23rd pick in the draft started to come about when the Portland Trailblazers leapfrogged the Kings by trading three picks to the Mavericks in order to move from the 24th pick in the first round to the 22nd pick. It was widely rumored that they did this in order to take Omri Casspi before the Kings could add him to their franchise. When the 22nd pick came up in the draft, there was a certain malaise throughout the minds of the Kings fans I was around and in contact with as they assumed PDX would screw over the franchise in the draft. But that didn't happen. Surprisingly, the Blazers drafted Victor Claver out of Spain to be their international small forward of the future.

And that left the Kings with plenty of options considering how the night was playing out. They could go with Casspi, whom they loved in the workouts and pre-draft interviews. There were interesting players like Toney Douglas and Wayne Ellington on the board to add to the depth of the backcourt. They could have grabbed a proven commodity with the 24-year old Sam Young, who probably won't get much better than he is now but can definitely add some consistent scoring off the bench at the small forward position. DeJuan Blair was still on the board due to issues with his knees (they're shredded like barbacoa) but he would have brought some much-needed toughness to the frontcourt along with one of the best rebounding motors in the draft.

But instead they stuck with Omri Casspi as the guy. He was probably the guy all along. Casspi is a wonderful kid who is one of the trailblazers (not in the NBA team sense) in this draft. Along with Hasheem Thabeet (first Tanzanian), he is the first person representing his native country in the NBA. He'll be the first Israeli born player in the NBA as he'll come over to join the team right away, instead of waiting a couple of years in European play. He'll add to the toughness mentioned in the Tyreke Evans analysis that this team has been desperate for. He reminds me of Matt Harpring, only he's never been an American football player and he's not quite the shooter that Matt is.

Casspi has a questionable jump shot and limited range on said-jump shot. But he's a classic slasher at the small forward position who does a great job of getting to the basket and moving without the basketball. He's a strong finisher around the basket and has the body control of Rudy Fernandez when trying to score around the hoop. He's a staunch defender as well who is plenty physical with his opponents. His rebounding skills and instincts are also solid. * * *

The Bottom Line:

Tyreke Evans AND Omri Casspi AND Jon Brockman — wow, that's what you call a draft! A+.

Mavericks.

Mavs Swap 1st Round Picks With Trailblazers

by Maxfieldnathan, The Smoking Cuban (Fansided)

According to Mark Cuban's Twitter account the Mavericks have traded their 22nd pick for the Trailblazer's 24th and a 2nd rounder for this year and next.

I usually don't like trading down in drafts but with the Mavericks not having a 1st round pick next season thanks to the truly awful trade that Avery Johnson insisted on to acquire Jason Kidd they will need all the picks they can get. They were also without a 2nd round pick this year so that will allow them some flexibility. The "you never know when 2nd rd picks can come in handy." makes me think (HOPE!!!) that this isn't the end of the Mavericks wheeling and dealing. I can only hope the best is yet to come. * * *

The Mavericks Draft

by Andrew Tobolowsky, Dallas Mavericks Examiner

Henry Abbot more or less summed up my thoughts: "Rodrique Beaubois was not in any of Ford's six tiers. Thunder take the title from Portland for Euro-reach of the night...Marc Stein has sources saying that Beaubois is actually going to Dallas (with a future second-rounder)...."

I really did not get into this business to insult or demean anyone. I'm not in this business, I get paid approximately what the coke machine at a small business gets paid for this. For those of you who read the Dallas Morning News sports pages you know that it is a haven of the bitterest, most nit-picky, tear you down kinda reporters who think they know everything, even the personal things, about the people they're talking about- — I hate that kind of thing.

But I do really think Donnie Nelson, as a GM, doesn't get it, and I think he's kept his job so long, with so little scrutiny because one time he managed to pick Dirk with his "always going for a homerun" strategy and because Mark Cuban seems to run the whole ship.

The Mavericks and the Cowboys have been sort of similar these last couple of years in terms of stockpiling useless picks because they don't feel like taking any reasonably sure thing. They're sort of like that guy in your fantasy baseball team who tries to trade you three decent players for one really good one and you're like, dude, I can fill that stuff from the waiver wire and this is a position game, man.

So the Mavericks first traded the 21 for the 24 and the second to last pick this year, and the 2nd round pick of an alright team next year. Since the Mavs have never turned a second round pick into anything, this didn't seem to make the most sense, but hey, at least it's the exact same guys who have failed to pick anyone useful but Josh Howard in the last decade, picking tonight.

Then the Mavs first picked a tremendoulsy raw center who apparently doesn't feel like playing hard but at least COULD develop into a force at aposition the Mavs have NEVER had a player at, and then traded him for, as usual, Some Guy You've Never Heard Of, Rodrigue Bobois.

Scouting report here. Rumor is it that he can jump out of the gym, has arms as long as the guy from the Fantastic Four, etc. But he's rough. Carlisle said that Bobois will be here next year, in contradistinction with ESPN which would send him overseas to get some polish. What are the odds that they picked a quick point guard just to stop getting burned by, say, Tony Parker? What are the odds that Some Guy You Never Heard Of is going to be real competition for TP? There is stuff to like here. But not now. I think that's a problem. * * *

The Mavericks also traded for Nick Calathes who is really a pretty good value for a 2nd round pick but already has a contract with a Greek team. And has some areas of concern at the pro level. There's some hope here, he's supposedly quite the passer. * * *

Oh well. You have to give them credit for taking a borderline second round pick in the first round--and a borderline first round pick in the second. * * *

The Bottom Line:

Mullens is a stiff, but Beaubois and Calathes are both highly regarded. Dallas also milked three 2nd Round picks; bear in mind that the Lakers sold the #29 this year to the idiot Knicks for 3 million bucks. Gotta give this draft a "pretty okay" rating, but I think the Mavs faithful are less that joyous.

Here's how I rank out the drafts of this group of 7 Teams:

1. Kings. (One great trade and 3 good picks).

2. Clippers (Hard to go wrong with the #1 overall).

3. Blazers. (Two keepers now and one star in a couple years).

4. Mavericks. (Milked 3 bonus picks and scored two good Euros).

5. Jazz. (They're hoping on Maynor).

6. Hornets. (A backup PG for 6 minutes a night?)

7. Grizzlies. (Dorks.)

Timbo's 2009 NBA Draft Diary

timbo — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:16:10 -0000

Timbo's 2009 NBA Draft Diary

I did a minute-by-minuted live blog of the 2009 St. Kevin's day festival over at Silver Scren and Roll — up there not here due to the fact that I wanted to use "normal" language rather than keeping it clean...

LINK

It's pretty Blazersy, so I reckon that will be even the score for posting Lakersy stuff here, ha ha.

Those easily offended by naughty words, never mind.

St. Kevin's Day 2009: The Agony and the Ecstasy...

timbo — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:27:44 -0000

I can understand why most Laker fans don't care about this year's draft — really I can.

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher were both snagged back in 1996, Andrew Bynum in 2005. Once every 10 years the franchise lands a good one and with a draft this weak and picks this low (#29 in the 1st Round and #42 and #59 in the 2nd Round), the chances of a franchise-changer or even a significant contributor for the coming season seem to be, on the face of it, quite slim.

Still, can you honestly say that if the Lakers never drafted a Catalán named Marc Gasol with the 48th pick in 2007, Kupchak & Ko. still would have been able to get the cost-conscious Memphis Grizzlies to ship his brother to LA in exchange for the draft rights and the doof the Lakers chose with the #19 pick in the same draft?

Two years later and it's two trips to the NBA Finals and another delicious chocolate chip cookie for Kobe...

So please don't tell me that the draft isn't important. You can tell yourself that if it suits you, but don't waste your words on me.

The NBA Draft is important. Vitally important.

We in the Pacific Northwest are downright festive on this great NBA holiday — St. Kevin's Day, named in honor of the saint who turned the region's franchise from sin and disrepute with 15 crafty and miraculous draft-day trades over a 3 year period. We count down the hours to the ESPN show from Madison Square Garden with anxious anticipation, each of us with a fresh haircut and wearing our lucky shirts. This is big, big stuff in Oregon.

We follow every trade leading up to the great player grab, reading between the lines to interpret the intentions of competing franchises. We parse every public sentence of St. Kevin and his acolytes, attempting to discern through their unconscious hints whether they are pleased with the play of the Point Guard and whether they have a plan in place to snag the mashing Power Forward with the sketchy knees or whether they will pull yet another rabbit from the proverbial hat with the drafting of an unsung European athletic genius.

It is a grand drama and a fun mystery and the start of the 2009-10 basketball year rolled into one. Hurrah!

This year I am going the full measure. The beer is being chilled, the whiskey bottles lined up, the freezer is full of ice... The links in my browser are finely tuned to every blog and the sports sites of every newspaper in every NBA city. In real time from 4 pm until I shut her down on the stroke of midnight I am going to dissect and analyze every twitch by every twit while slamming intoxicating beverages and howling at my pets. Loudly.

This lengthy mess of an article promises to be not for the faint of heart. It will undoubtedly make use of naughty words not approved by either the management of SS&R or by any polite and civilized peoples of the earth. If you are sensitive to the crass and vulgar and stupid, please read no further. Seriously. Those of you with thicker skins may click on through to continue and I will set the table for you.

Aww, just kidding, it's actually not gonna be that bad, I can hold my liquor. Nevertheless, I felt the need to brush off that significant minority of readers who are offended by a well-placed fuck or shit or a graphic depiction of the sounds that Kevin McHale made when the Minnesota mobsters fed him into the brush shredder (you do know that's how they get rid of their unwanted bodies in the Upper Midwest, do you not?).

Getting up to speed — The trades to date.

Okay, let's start with the trades that have happened thus far since the parade in LA, in order:

1. Richard Jefferson from the Milwaukee Bucks to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for the ghost of Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto, and Kurt Thomas [June 23]. This one seems pretty easy to interpret — Milwaukee is a small market town and they are facing two potentially big money Restricted Free Agents with whom to deal: young Point Guard Ramon Sessions and talented Power Forward Charlie Villanueva. Good ol' RJ is scheduled to pull down a neat $14.2M this year and $15M next year; but the Bucks have got Michael Redd on the books for $17M, the Large Austrailian Man for $12M, a comical $6.7M for Dan Gadzuric, an even more comical $6.5M for Luke Ridnour, another $3.9M for 5 time All NBA Shooting Guard Charlie Bell... Luxury tax is a big no-no for them and they were staring it in the face unless something was done. The Bucks can also benefit by loosing Jefferson to make way for last year's 1st Rounder, Joe Alexander.

Jefferson has been on the block since before the trade deadline and the Bucks wound up cutting the best deal they felt they could do, collecting a few expiring contracts, only one of which is guaranteed. Now Milwaukee goes "match-match" on the RFAs and "cut-cut" on the partially-guaranteed oldsters and they keep the 2 guys they really wanted at the cost of the dude they felt was expendable. It's a pretty brutal equation, having to flog off a guy who averaged 19.6 points per game last year in exchange for a defensive specialist and two second tier bigs who have an average age of 36, but that's life in the NBA running franchises in the smaller cities of the circuit.

The loathsome Spurs get another pull at the slot machine out of the deal, another wing to put alongside the oft-injured Manu Ginobili. The Spurs know full well that the knees of their Hall of Fame Center are probably gonna end up exploding like those of Kyle Broflovski during his exceedingly brief run as a star hoopster following transracial surgery — time is short before their window closes with a thud. Jefferson gets them both younger and better with a single move. They're on the hook to the tune of $45M this season for Timmy, Tony, and Manu — and RJ puts them within pissing distance of $60M. That doesn't leave much space to work for the rest of the roster. Next year it is $47M exclusive of Manu. Good luck with that. The Spurs don't have a 1st Round Pick this year, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they try to buy or trade their way into the pick of some luxury tax-challenged team low in the 1st Round to make a play for Arizona State Power Forward Jeff Pendergraph.

2. Portland Trailblazers trade #24, #56, and a 2nd Rounder next year to the Dallas Mavericks for this year's #22 [June 24]. This one will become clear as the night progresses, but as of noon it looks like St. Kevin Pritchard has a deal in the works with somebody for a PG or a PF. Spending two 2nd Rounders seems like an exorbitant tab for moving just 2 spots in this year's somewhat underwhelming festival, but KP knows the market on these things, on that we can be assured. My take is that moving #24 to #22 only has value if he has something in place involving Israeli Small Forward Omri Casspi — a chap that many think the Sacramento Kings are liking with their #23. The Blazers need a 4th SF like George Clooney needs a navel in his forehead.

This is what I am convinced is going on here, we'll see later tonight or within the next few days whether I'm right... KP is going to be pulling a switch with somebody higher on the board that really likes Casspi. My guess is New Jersey at the #11 with a view to snagging DeJuan Blair before the Pacers nail him with the #13. The Blazers have an unhappy backup Point Guard who has requested a trade in the person of fancy passer Sergio Rodriguez — a guy who has proved he can play in the league and who may represent a better option than anyone the Nets can hope at drafting with the 11 pick. Blazers also have lots of Paul Allen's money — and really, who doesn't like money?

This sort of scenario also applies if there is a deal in place with a team up the draft list for Point Guard Ty Lawson or Power Forward Tyler Hansbrough — both of whom are long gone at either #22 or #24. Current thinking in Blazerland are that these would be the three leading candidates in the 1st Round, assuming that picks 1 through 6 are beyond the pale. Bear in mind that a year ago KP pulled Jerryd Bayless out of a hat with only the 13th pick showing, so he's a tricky one, he is.

The guy that actually physically looks like a KP player (i.e. tall for his position) is Tyreke Evans, but the Timberwolves have lust in their hearts and already own the 5 and 6 picks, either of which should be money for him. Which brings me to:

3. Timberwolves trade Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for the #5 pick, along with Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas, and Darius Songaila [June 24]. The Wiz had given all indications that the #5 was up for grabs. That the Timberwolves would deal the extremely talented Shooting Guard Foye and suck up some shitty contracts for the privilege means they are very, very serious about somebody at the top of the draft list. One school of thought has them packaging #5 and #6 so as to get guaranteed success for their guy at #2 (which would seem to imply a bizarre and unnatural affection for Spanish PG Ricky Rubio). An alternative reading is a lust for 6'6" combo guard Tyreke Evans, combined with a desire to make a play for another top rookie.

The Wizards get two guaranteed NBA performers in Foye (16.3 ppg, $3.6M contract) and Miller (9.9 ppg, $9.9M expiring contract). They unburden themselves of Thomas' $7.5M and Songaila's $4.5M contracts in the process, nor do they have to worry about the $2.7M that the #5 pick will be making under the NBA's rookie scale. If Agent Zero, Gilbert Arenas, makes it back okay, the Wizards will be able to put one of the most potent offenses in the Eastern Conference on the floor, instantly vaulting from catastrophe to contender.

In the deal the Timberwolves also wash away the bad juju generated when Kevin McHale was pritchslapped with a draft night swap of soon to be Rookie of the Year, two-time All Star, and 2nd Team All-NBA Shooting Guard Brandon Roy to Portland for Foye and fluff. New T-wolf GM David Kahn is intent on blowing up Kevin McHale's mess and starting over; dishing Foye and the hairdo sends an unmistakable signal that there is a new sheriff in town.

And Kevin McHale was never seen again.

Watch out for Minnesota. They're gonna be really good in about 2 years.

4. Shaquille O'Neal moves from the Phoenix Suns to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, and a 2nd Round draft pick [June 24]. The NBA — where amazing happens. Some GMs manage to pull off the amazing. At the other end of the spectrum is Phoenix GM, heir to the Isiah-McHale throne of idiot ex-players who are in over their heads... Kerr, by way of contrast, is completely fucking amazing. Kerr would feed a milkshake to a cow today with hopes of scooping up rich manure tomorrow with which to grow strawberries a year hence, so he can make a milkshake to feed to his cow... Worse yet, he expects Phoenix fans to applaud his gardening acumen and to pay for the privilege of helping him shovel dung with their fingers.

Shawn Marion for Shaq for the soon-to-be-former Seven Seconds or Less Coach? Hmmm. Hey, how'd that work out for ya? Now The Big Cactus heads East to play with the Cleveland Lebrons while Phoenix gets in return what Brian Kamenetzky calls "flotsam (Ben Wallace), jetsam (Sasha Pavlovic), and a second round pick." Well put, sir, well put. The Big Aristotle, Big Diesel, Big Cactus now remerges as The Big Cuyahoga — write your own joke.

In 2009 Resident Genius Kerr will pay Wallace $14M for nothing, sell the draft pick to the Spurs for $56,000, and buy out Pavlovic so he can spend the money saved at a flea market a shiny green rock. Phoenix was on the bubble of making the playoffs in 2008-09. It gets a lot worse before it gets better for them, trust me.

At least the ironically named Bucks have a plan to escape their fiscal challenges. Compare and contrast their measured but necessary extremism with Kerr, who runs around willy-nilly and acts silly, pissing away Phoenix's assets in a clearly successful attempt to exactly replicate the Whitsett-Nash Portland implosion that transformed 20+ straight years of playoff appearances into one of the worst teams in the NBA.

As for Cleveland — they're not taking No for an answer next year, Orlando Magic. Their horrific $92M + luxury tax salary situation isn't fully rectified now, but with Eric Snow and Wally Szczerbiak off the books, the flow of precious bodily fluids to the less fortunate teams of the league has been staunched. Now they have one year of the services of the $21M man-mountain to win it all before the truly big decisions must be made.

5. The Golden State Warriors send Jamal Crawford to the Atlanta Hawks for guards Speedy Claxton and Acie Law [June 24]. I can't pretend to know what this one means, I'll take a quick flight around the ether and see if somebody that knows the Warriors has a clue...

Here's Adam Lauridsen of the San Jose Mercury-News' Warriors blog: "Even the smallest step forward is better than a big step back. The Warriors' pre-draft swap of Jamal Crawford for Acie Law and the walking insurance payoff previously known as Speedy Claxton probably won't make the Warriors a dramatically better team, but it certainly won't make them any worse." Hmmm, that doesn't help much... My take from a preliminary discussion on Golden State of Mind (SBN) is that this is a salary dump by the Warriors, who pick up 2 expiring contracts, one for an injured player who probably won't play again (Claxton), whose salary is covered by the league's insurance policy — which pays out something like 80% of the total due after a certain threshold of games is missed.

Yep, sounds like a dump. Also sounds like the Warriors are going for a guard tonight. Brandon Jennings is my prediction, although most of the really late mocks show that tard very nearly falling out of the lottery.

6. Los Angeles Lakers sell their #29 pick for $3M [June 25]. That's the maximum allowed under NBA rules. Bravo to Mitch Kupchak for calling his shot and doing what he wanted to do for as well as a GM could possibly do it. This move does have an opportunity cost, however — the Lakers now will not have their chance for either UCLA PG Darren Collison or UNC SG Wayne Ellington. Multiple mock drafts showed the Lakers of having the opportunity to add one of these two dudes to the bench. Now it's back to another year of us fans shrieking about the gross offensive deficiency of Messrs. Fisher, Farmar, and Ma-ma-machine (shittiest player / you've ever seen / ma-ma-machine!).

7. New Jersey Nets move Vince Carter (at long last) to the Orlando Magic for Tony Battie, Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee [June 25]. This is breaking news as I type (3:05 pm)... At the moment in his variant of the story Kyle Hightower on the Orlando Magic Basketblog cites an unnamed "league source" and notes that the report has not as yet been confirmed officially by the team. "There may also be a separate deal involving Nets 6-foot-10 power forward Ryan Anderson and a trade exception. But there might still need to be some maneuvering done because the salaries are way off," the Orlando Sentinel reporter notes.

Carter will be making $16.3M this year and $17.5M the year after, with the team able to tell him to go away after that. That's a pile of change for a rather long-in-the-tooth shooter. Those big contracts will get ya in the end, will they not? So clever Orlando GM Otis Smith has transformed a backup PG, a weak-link rookie SG, and a little used backup PF into a former All Star who racked up 20.8 points per game for the Nets this year. New Jersey is able to luxuriate in cap relief while the Magic get a chance to extend their middle finger to the Cavs as they tell them they see their lumbering cactus and raise them a scorer.

This trade seems to negate the Nets' need for guards, reducing the likelihood that I am on the money with the "#22 Casspi and Rodriguez from Portland to New Jersey for #11 DeJuan Blair" scenario that I detailed above. Hmmmm, I wonder what St. Kevin is doing... The Knicks are way up at the #8, seemingly too far to move... Sergio theoretically would be quite exciting in a running offense such as that of New York and I still contend that the first Israeli player in the NBA will mean boffo box office for some team in the New York metro area, just like Ichiro Suzuki is more valuable to the Seattle Mariners or some team on the Pacific rim than he would be to the St. Louis Cardinals or the Kansas City Royals.

Are you ready to rock?

I am.

But it's not quite time yet.

One last though before showtime, a quote from Tom Reusse of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

The pundits have been calling this the weakest draft in years. Clearly, "in years'' doesn't go back to 2006, when McHale had by far the best player in the class in his grasp — Roy at No. 5 — and promptly traded him for No. 6 Foye.

The top dozen in the '06 draft included stiffs Adam Morrison (3), Shelden Williams (5), Patrick O'Bryant (9), Mouhamed Sene (10), J.J. Redick (11) and Hilton Armstrong (12).

This year's group is guard-heavy, but there's no chance the choosing will be as feeble as in 2006. Another example: Oleksiy Pecherov, a floater from Ukraine, was No. 18 in that draft -- and Wednesday he was a throw-in to the Wolves from Washington.

There are so many guards in this bunch that a projection by nbadraft.net had Jrue Holiday, an intriguing young point guard from UCLA, falling to the Wolves at No. 18 today.

Now, obviously no team is as vested in this draft as the Timberwolves, who own the #5, 6, 18, and 28 of the 1st Round and you'd expect a columnist from that fair city to put a happy face on what goodies those picks are gonna get you. Still, I think that the sentiment is basically on the mark — teams shopping for a PG and holding a Top 15 pick will have lots of pretty good options, and teams shopping for a power forward and holding any pick in the 1st Round should have somebody to add that will be able to ccme off the bench be of service.

The draft is extremely thin at Center (just 2 projected for the first round, Thabeet and Mullens) . The crop of wings, that is, the Shooting Guards and Small Forwards, isn't the healthiest. But there still looks to be a fair number legit NBA players in this draft as in any typical draft — 15 or 20, allowing for a handful of unexpected washouts. (Adam Morrison, this is your life!)

4:06.

First beer. Blazers trade #38, PG Sergio Rodriguez, and Paul Allen's money to Sacramento for #31, announcement of the unofficially official trade on Comcast 37's 4 hour draft special edition of Trail Blazers Courtside. This deal is a play by St. Kevin for Jeff Pendergraph, methinks. Second Rounders are not guaranteed contracts, however, which means you can draft a premier Euro and get into a bidding war with a European team without being emasculated by the NBA's rookie salary cap.

Kevin Pritchard is very, very smart. Now he holds the 1st and the 3rd picks of the Second Round.

Blazers talking heads (Mike Barrett, Mike Rice, Brian Wheeler) note that this means that Ricky Rubio is apparently not the guy for Sacramento at the 4, as he was popping up in various late mock drafts. The Blazer mouths see Thabeet #2 and Rubio #3 to Oklahoma City, which moves Westbrook to the SG position for them. Good luck with that.

4:14.

Twenty-one minutes to go until Griffin is picked by the Clips and this show gets on the road. Radio color commentator Antonio Harvey, the dumbest of the Blazer talking heads, predicts on Courtside that the Blazers are gonna package 22, 31, 33 for a high lottery pick. No dice. There is an agenda here that we can't see yet, but that ain't it.

Courtside cuts to an interview with their reporter, Jay Allen, at a downtown draft party at Buffalo Wild Wings. Allen reports a rumor that the New Jersey Nets are targeting Tyler Hansbrough with the #11. If true, this would mean a massive increase in his draft stock, with he being projected at the #20 to Utah in a great many mocks.

I still smell a Casspi to New Jersey trade. Casspi and Travis Outlaw from Portland to New Jersey for Hansbrough??? It's possible...

4:30.

Blazers announcers note that the "haves" of the NBA are picking clean the pockets of the "have nots." Mike Rice: "It seems like the middle class is shrinking in the NBA."

True dat.

Switch over to ESPN. And here's the commish... Blah blah blah blah blah.

4:34.

Stern congratulates Lakers on their 15th Championship. Drunken Madison Square Garden crowd boos.

Stuart Scott makes a smart ass comment on the Lakers trading Kobe and Machine for Griffin, desparaging Sasha as a "really good player," with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. Ha ha ha.

My pal Jeff "Wannabe Dick Vitale" Van Gundy makes the brilliant observation that the Clips are gonna have to trade a big after the Griffin draft. JVG predicts Camby to be the easiest to trade, but intimates that Zach Randolph will be the guy packing.

4:39.

"With the first pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers select Blake Griffin."

Lots of no big fuckin' duh to spend five minutes on.

A quick visit to Courtside is called for...

Straight man Mike Barrett: "Most people think Thabeet is #2."

Wild Mike Rice: "Nobody wants to go to Memphis."

Barrett on the Clips and their predicament with too many bigs on the roster: "They ain't movin' Zach Randolph" [due to his mega shitty mega big bucks contract]. Which means Camby will be the guy. Get in line.

4:46.

Memphis Grizzlies get the second pick. This is the acid test on whether the Grizz believe in Mike Conley.

And it is our Tanzanian friend after all. In Memphis every radio station in town begins spinning The Go Gos' "We've Got the Beat."

The Go Gos, crappy prefab pop band that they became, actually started out as an LA punk rock band in 1977. I heard a really good story about one of them that involved a passed out dude at a party, a naked bottom, and a drumstick. Not exactly the kind of girl you'd wanna be taking home to mama, eh? I'll bet that changes the way you listen to them from now on, huh? You're welcome.

Stuart Scott notes that "Hasheem" means "the destroyer of evil" and that he's the 5th U Conn player to be drafted in the top 5. I guess those are swell factoids.

Now things get interesting... Oklahoma City on the clock... Do they roll the dice on Ricky Rubio, who does not want to play there? We shall see.

4:52.

It is James Harden. That follows most mocks, which showed Rubio falling to 4.

Both JVG and Mark Jackson endorse Oklahoma City's rebuilding model, which is based upon the draft and slogging it out with young players, a la Portland and Minnesota.

Harden appears on ESPN wearing a striped shirt and a polka dot bow tie. The dude marches to a different drummer, that's pretty clear. I have to endorse polka dot bow tie s with striped shirts at this point. Commentators talk about it. Everybody likes the bow tie.

Sactoe is coming. Rubio is going. Mark Jackson and some other doofus both predict Tyreke. I do not agree. It's gonna be the pretty boy from Spain...

4:57.

Stern makes the announcement: Tyreke Evans of University of Memphis it is. Rather shocking.

Stuart Scott: "There are a lot of Point Guards in this draft. And there is a lot of reason to believe that, if not right now, in three years Tyreke Evans will be the best of them all."

I may have botched a word or two there, but that's the gist. Probably true. Big is good.

Back to Courtside. Portland still said to be picking 22, 31, 33, 55. Graphic on the screen announcing the Sergio trade to Sacramento. That's not a bad match for him nor for the cash-strapped ownership of the Kings.

Minnesota's first of four 1st Round picks coming. It will be Rubio due to the Rookie Salary Cap rules — gotta compete with Europe.

5:03.

Stern announces Rubio as the 5th pick of the T-wolves.

Rubio looks skinny and still has stupid Pete Maravich hair. He's played as a pro since he was 14 and is coming in as an 18 year old Silver Medalist. A past-first PG, hopefully in the NBA if they can get Juventud Badalona taken care of financially or sued off the map.

Rubio speaks in English on national time for the first time. "I'm Ricky Rubio, I don't play like anybody else..."

Stuart plays the Pistol Pete card.

Mark Jackson: "It's not fair to compare him to Pistol Pete Maravich, who got it done on every level in the NBA."

Second successive pick of the Wolves is next. Here comes another guard — Stephen Curry, it would seem.

5:09.

Stern to the podium. It's Jonny Flynn. BIG surprise on that one...

A second PG for the Wolves. Bear in mind they gave up a promising young SG, Randy Foye, to get to this point. Is it confirmed that Kevin McHale has been taken for a ride in a black car and killed with a handgun? This sounds like a McHale pick to me. Maybe they gave him one last request before they offed him and fed him into the wood chipper.

You know what they say in Minnesota: "Duh."

Flynn gets some ESPN face time and immediately uses the third person to talk about himself. Jonny Flynn likes Jonny Flynn. Time to crack another beer.

Speculation begins about a trade of one of the two...

5:15.

It's the Warriors and it's Stephen Curry from Davidson. Knicks fans in the crowd boo lustily...

Curry lead the nation in scoring with 28 points per game. That's getting it done at the college level, for sure. He looks really skinny. His father, former NBA player Dell Curry, gets the interview time. And I'm back to Courtside...

Blazers heads are talking about rumors of 2nd Round trades. Talk turns to the Knicks' pick. Jordan HIll if they are losing Lee or Terrence Williams or even Jrue Holiday if they are going guard. We shall see.

5:21.

The shrimpy commish says that the Knicks take Jordan HIll.

Knicks fans boo their new player for the first time of many. They are some classy fans.

David Lee starts packing.

HIll has dreadlocks. He accepts the boos gracefully: "It's how they feel."

Donnie Walsh, GM of the Knicks, talks happy about Hill: "It looked like the guards were all going to be gone down there [at the 8]."

JVG: "You've gotta trust Donnie Walsh, he's proven to be an exceptional judge of talent."

The Knick fans do not care. They love to boo their newest additions, it's a veritable rite of summer.

Next comes the Raptors, they of the departing Chris Bosh. Betcha they go for a PF.

5:27.

Stern says it is University of Southern California Shooting Guard Demar DeRozan that needs to start dressing warmly for the winters in Toronto.

He's very young and said to be a little raw. The scouts know of what they speak, pretty clearly. Good luck with that, Toronto.

The ESPN Interviewer promises DeRozan that he will enjoy the very efficient public transportation in Toronto.

Right. That's what NBA Free Agents look for — the cities that have busses that don't smell like stale piss...

I am bored with ESPN and flip it back to Trailblazers Courtside. They're talking about David Lee or Hedo Turkoglu or Kirk Hinrich or Steve Nash to the Blazers, which one of those guys would they want for the Blazers as a free agent in an ideal world? Antonio goes off the board for José Calderón, arguing that Toronto is rebuilding and he can be had. MB wants Turkoglu, Rice wants Hinrich.

I reckon that all four of those guys could be had for a price. Hinrich is a maybe, but I don't think so.

5:32.

Bucks take the lefty Brandon Jennings of Compton. What a horrible pick.

"He has major physical ability," the ESPN robot Frank Franschilla says.

"Brandon Jennings is a project," he adds, "has to work on the jumpshot and the half-court and running an offense." Uh, anything else?

5.5 ppg and 2.5 apg in Italy.

Yep, sounds like a 1st Rounder to me.

Bucks are morons.

Brandon Jennings decided to skip the ESPN show "because he had no guarantee" that he was gonna be picked in the lottery. What a dumb ass. He's a toxin and he hasn't played a minute yet. "Young Money" is dumb money.

Nets are on the clock. Time for the Blazers' pick, ha ha. Tyler.

5:38.

Nets take.................................... "Terrence Williams, from the University of Louisville."

Awwwwww, fuck. My theory is destroyed. What is it that you are up to, KP???

The first Senior of the draft and the 7th guard of the first 11 picks... He's actually listed as a swingman on many mocks, but the point is well taken — first the guards, then the Power Forwards...

5:45.

Bobcats take Gerald Henderson of Duke. No surprise there, every board in America had that one right, i think.

Time to hammer a couple frozen burritos... And more beer. Yum.

And here comes the Pacers and there goes my man Blair... ESPN talking heads are convinced that Indiana is going for a PG, which proves they haven't done their homework.

5:50.

Pacers take Hansbrough!

Wow!

Nobody, but nobody called that one.

Crowd chants "Ov — ver — raaa — ted!"

I still think he's gonna be a good pro.

Sad sack Suns are on the clock. ESPN now reports a giveaway of Stoudamire to Golden State for a bucket of parts which can not be made official until the Free Agent signing period opens. Kerr needs to be gutted and hung by his heels by the Phoenix fans.

5:55.

Stern is back and Kerr inevitably fucks up by picking............. Earl Clark, University of Louisville.

Clark skips the ESPN Free Publicity Event but #10 pick of the Buck$$$ Brandon Jenning$$$ makes a late prima dona entry. Late for the first time of many in his career, I am sure, ha ha. Jennings is wearing a wide, puffy purple tie. Show me the money — I don't care as long as somebody cut the check. Asshole. My new least favorite player in the NBA, taking the reins from Allen Iverson.

Rather than listen to Compton's Finest, I wisely flip over to Courtside, who are talking about Steve Nash's imminent departure from Phoenix. "He's not coming back," the Portland talking heads agree. Suns are in the process of self-immolating and trying to save cash.

They are gonna suck hard in 2008-09. I mean REALLY bad — as in a high lottery pick in the next draft.

I wonder if Kerr has sold that pick yet.

6:02.

Speaking of crappy management teams, the Detroit Pistons take Austin Daye, 6'11", 190 pound (!!!) Small Forward from Gonzaga University in Eastern Washington. Dumars and Kerr need to have a reality show of some sort.

Dumars thinks he has his new Tayshaun.

Ha fucking ha.

JVG: "The happiest guy tonight has to be Tayshaun Prince because Austin Daye makes Prince look like The Hulk."

Dick Vitale scums up the airwaves for the first time. He LOVES Hansbrough, he screams. Steph Curry is gonna be the ROOKIE OF THE YEAR!!!, he bellows, and the teams that passed on him are going to eat their hearts out.

What a schmuck.

6:08.

Bulls take shooting Power Forward James Johnson of Wake Forest.

Nobody has taken DeJuan Blair yet.

Weird.

Stupid Steve Kerr is on, downplaying the Amare and Kerr rumors, blaming them on rampant speculation following the Shaq dumping.

"Shaq with a big contract really did not make sense considering that we are in transition right now," Kerr says.

6:12.

"With the 17th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Jrue Holiday from UCLA," Stern announces and the green room is finally cleared out.

Holiday is touted as a good value at 17, albeit a project. You have to wonder if the guy should have stayed in school for another year.

6:18.

Timberwolves with their third pick of the night take Ty Lawson. A THIRD Point Guard.

You have got to be kidding me...

Get ready for a trade.

Think the thought and it is announced: Rick Bucher says he's headed to Denver in trade for a protected future 1st Rounder.

6:22.

And for the Hawks, the Comish says it is Jeff Teague of Wake Forest.

DeJuan Blair falls and falls and falls and the PGs go and go and go.

I hope he has good friends, he is gonna need somebody's shoulder to cry on tonight...

6:27.

It's the Jazz and here goes Blair... Right?

Nope, this time it's Eric Maynor.

This is getting really weird.

"He doesn't have long arms and he's not very athletic, but he knows how to win," says the ESPN voice. Wow, talk about damning with faint praise.

Charlotte Head Coach Larry Brown gets face time and looks like he's being force-fed parsnip pie over getting kids shoved down his gob. "It's up to us to coach them up," he grimaces.

After these messages, it's SHAQUILLE O'NEAL of the CLEVELAND LEBRONS!!!!

ESPN is loving that deal, as will anybody else with an NBA broadcast contract looking to pump up ratings and revenue.

6:33.

Hornets pick Darren Collison, PG, UCLA.

Doesn't New Orleans already have a Point Guard?

Just checking.

Blair has fallen to Portland. I stare at the screen in disbelief.

It's up to you, KP.

Moving to the #22 only made sense if Casspi was the target. Yet that didn't make sense because there is no way, no how, that PDX picks another 3.

The plot thickens.

Over at Blazers Edge, it must be madness.

Mark Jackson proclaims the Blazers the "second deepest team in basketball," to the Lakers.

JVG demands to know, "ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!?"

6:38.

And it is........................................................................................................... Victor Claver of Spain.

K.P. is in deep shit with the fans now.

Here's a brief glimpse of the apocalypse from Blazers Edge:

Who?

— Super Dave

I feel like I just got screwed with my pants on.

— Andrewgolfsalot

What the heck... Could we not have gotten that guy at 31?

— Rip City Sam

KP just got Pritchslapped. The player he was expecting to be there at 22 wasn't. * * *

—Baduk.

Why are you using a 1st Round pick of a 2nd Rounder as a Eurostash??? Anybody????????

—Me

6:44.

Sacramento, as expected, takes Omri Casspi, angling to be the first Israeli to play in the NBA.

The New York fans love the pick, as expected.

And I am baffled...

Why the move to 22 by the Blazers?

Why the pick of a Eurostash with a 1st Rounder?

It makes no sense at all.

What am I not seeing?

6:49.

Picking 24 with Portland's previous pick, the Mavs take B.J. Mullins, the only other Center that's gonna go in the 1st Round. A 7-foot project that didn't even start for Ohio State.

6:53.

OKC takes Rodrigue Beaubois, a guard from France.

ESPN announces that Beaubois is headed for Dallas in an exchange for B.J. Mullens. The Mavs are really getting value out of that #22 pick of theirs, having already taking two 2nd Rounders from the Blazers and now getting a little premium from the Thunder.

Tricksters!

6:59.

Bulls picking with a trade gained from OKC take Taj Gibson, Power Forward from USC.

Gibson was believed to be an early 2nd Rounder on a lot of boards.

DeJuan Blair falls and falls and falls and falls.

7:05.

Here come the Grizzlies again. DeMare Carroll, Power Forward from the University of Missouri.

Said by the ESPN blabbers that he has a liver disease and may need a liver transplant at some point in his life.

7:10.

And we are back to the Timberwolves for the 4th and final time of this first round. Are there any more Point Guards available? I am seriously interested in finding out.

Fucking hogs, that's what they are! Better get a bucket, they're gonna throw up!!!

Which PG is it this time? Listen and hear... Stern says: "Wayne Ellington from the University of North Carolina."

Hey, wait a minute, Ellington is a Shooting Guard...

7:14.

ESPN pretends that the Lakers selling the #29 to the Knicks is breaking news. A "proposed trade," they say. Yeah, right.

ESPN announces a trade of expiring contracts with Memphis giving up Darko the Klutz to the Knicks for Quentin Richardson.

And for their $3M, the Knicks get....................... Tony Douglas of Florida State?!?!?!

Yowie kazowie, a combo guard... Must be nice to have money and to be too dumb to worry about it.

7:22.

Stern slowly staggers out to the podium, botches his lines, and closes out the 1st Round announcing that the Cleveland Cavaliers have chosen swingman Christian Eyenga from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Juventud Badalona...

Eyenga is a Eurostash, basically a college freshman playing on the 2nd team for Ricky Rubio's squad that won't make the trip to the NBA until he has further developed.

SB Nation User Blog: timbo

The Ron Artest Soap Opera Reviewed (by timbo)

The Ron Artest Soap Opera Reviewed (by timbo)

A Ron Artest Review — The Soap Opera So Far...

Ron-Ron Growing Up.

Young Player in the NBA.

After Auburn Hills.

Is Ron Artest Insane?

Footnotes.

Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest — The View from Houston...

Blazer Fan "Blazerholic" says: "Solve the PG Situation — Make a Run at Kobe"

Blazer Fan "Blazerholic" says: "Solve the PG Situation — Make a Run at Kobe"

How'd We Do in the Draft? Western Conference part 2

How'd We Do in the Draft? Western Conference part 2

Draft Views from all over the Wild West — part 2

Nuggets.

Nuggets. (cont'd)

Rockets.

Spurs.

Suns.

Thunder.

Timberwolves.

Warriors.

How I Rank the Drafts of these 7 Teams:

How'd We Do in the Draft? Western Conference — part 1

How'd We Do in the Draft? Western Conference — part 1

Draft Views from all over the Wild West — part 1

Blazers.

Clippers.

Grizzlies.

Hornets.

Jazz.

Kings.

Mavericks.

Here's how I rank out the drafts of this group of 7 Teams:

Timbo's 2009 NBA Draft Diary

Timbo's 2009 NBA Draft Diary

St. Kevin's Day 2009: The Agony and the Ecstasy...

Getting up to speed — The trades to date.

Are you ready to rock?

4:06.

4:14.

4:30.

4:34.

4:39.

4:46.

4:52.

4:57.

5:03.

5:09.

5:15.

5:21.

5:27.

5:32.

5:38.

5:45.

5:50.

5:55.

6:02.

6:08.

6:12.

6:18.

6:22.

6:27.

6:33.

6:38.

6:44.

6:49.

6:53.

6:59.

7:05.

7:10.

7:14.

7:22.

7:32.

The 2nd Round begins...