|
fishmike
Posts: 53902
Alba Posts: 1
Joined: 7/19/2002
Member: #298
USA
|
The part about Mullens is BS.. just put that in there cause I knew it would make Briggs's wife happy
here you go:
ESPN.com: Draft 2009 [Print without images]
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Draft-buzz roundup: What we're hearing
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESPN.com
Editor's note: In the days leading up to the draft, we'll update this file with the latest draft rumors from around the league.
POSTED: June 24 -- 5:23 p.m. ET
Chad Ford: Good news, Knicks fans. Timberwolves GM David Kahn may allow the Knicks to have their guy after all.
As we've reported, the Wolves are willing to talk about moving the No. 5 and No. 18 picks for either the No. 2 or No. 3 pick in the draft.
But if they can't get that done, they have a number of other options. We've mentioned Ricky Rubio, James Harden, Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry as possibilities. Add Jonny Flynn to that list as well. Sources say the Wolves are strongly considering Flynn with one of their two lottery picks ... if Rubio is off the board.
If they take Flynn, chances are they'll pass on Curry, giving the Knicks a shot at drafting their target.
• With a proposed Hawks-Warriors deal inching toward completion, it's time to take a second to analyze how this affects the draft.
The Warriors have the seventh pick in the draft and have been strongly considering both Curry and Jordan Hill. This deal gives them a young point guard in Acie Law which makes one think the Warriors will go big at No. 7. If Hill is off the board, they also like Wake Forest's James Johnson.
The Hawks have the 19th pick and we've pegged them with a point guard as well. With Mike Bibby hitting free agency, we thought it was a no-brainer that they'd go with a point. Now that Crawford is in the mix, it looks like the Hawks could turn their attention to the frontcourt. Two players that they've been looking at are Tyler Hansbrough and B.J. Mullens.
• As we just reported, the Portland Trail Blazers agreed to trade the 24th, 56th and worst of their second-round picks in 2010 to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday for the 22nd pick in the draft a league. The trade has been agreed to in principle and should be finalized in the league office later Wednesday.
Why would the Blazers move up two spots in the draft? The word around the league was the Kings had zeroed in on Omri Casspi with the 23rd pick. Casspi could be a good pick for the Blazers to either keep or bring over this year to provide more toughness in the frontcourt.
Other potential targets for the Blazers could be Florida's Nick Calathes, Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair, Georgetown's DaJuan Summers and VCU's Eric Maynor.
For the Mavericks, they pick up a couple of extra picks to move two spots in the draft.
• A number of reports have surfaced over a potential Bobcats-Sixers trade that would send Samuel Dalembert and the No. 17 pick to Charlotte for Nazr Mohammed, Vladimir Radmanovic and the No. 12 pick.
While I was able to confirm that the Bobcats indeed made the pitch, the Sixers just as quickly shot it down.
• If the Blazers can't move further up in the draft, they very well may move out of it all together. The team has been trying to clear cap space for the summer so that they could facilitate a Kirk Hinrich trade with the Bulls. At this point, they seem willing to sell their pick along with the draft rights to Petteri Koponen and the expiring contract of Sergio Rodriguez.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED: June 24 -- 5:08 p.m. ET
Curry
Andy Katz: Brandon Jennings said he's not going to the New York Knicks at No. 8. Does he know that for sure? No. But he is confident that the Knicks will get Davidson's Stephen Curry.
"That's who they want,'' Jennings said. "They'll make it happen."
• Curry said he'd be comfortable going to Sacramento at No. 4, where he worked out last Sunday, because he sees the Kings as a team ready to turn things around.
Curry's affection for the Knicks, and the reciprocal feelings, are real.
"They told me that if I was on the board that I would be their No. 1 guy,'' Curry said. "That doesn't mean it's guaranteed. I went to other workouts and made it tougher on them."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED: June 24 -- 4:14 p.m. ET
Chad Ford: The Green Room participants are set.
Fifteen players have confirmed that they'll be there for all to stare at as they wait nervously to accept their draft fates. Here's the list with their draft ranges in parentheses:
Blake Griffin (1)
Stephen Curry (2-8)
Austin Daye (14-24)
DeMar DeRozan (6-17)
Jonny Flynn (4-10)
Jordan Hill (5-11)
Brandon Jennings (6-19)
Ricky Rubio (2-6)
Hasheem Thabeet (2-6)
Terrence Williams (11-16)
Jrue Holiday (4-13)
Tyreke Evans (2-8)
Tyler Hansbrough (11-20)
James Harden (2-6)
Gerald Henderson (8-17)
The two big surprises on the list are Daye and Hansbrough. Both players don't have definitive places in the lottery right now.
A few others may also be a little nervous in the Green Room. In our latest mock draft, we have Jennings slipping all the way to the 19th pick. DeRozan may also be on a slippery slope on draft night. Ditto for Henderson.
They won't be the only players sweating it out. Here are a few top players who weren't invited to the Green Room:
DeJuan Blair (13-24)
Earl Clark (11-21)
James Johnson (9-21)
Ty Lawson (10-22)
Eric Maynor (13-24)
B.J. Mullens (12-21)
Jeff Teague (13-22)
Those are some huge ranges just a little over 24 hours before the draft. Usually we can peg just about every first-round prospect within five picks. This year I have 13 players with a range of nine picks or larger. That's unprecedented.
While the uncertainty makes it hard to make a mock draft, it should be really fun to watch on draft night.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED: June 24 -- 3:41 p.m. ET
Henry Abbott: There have been rumblings and suggestions that if things get extremely complicated with Ricky Rubio's Spanish team, DKV Joventut, he might not be able to afford to play in the NBA. Depending on where he's drafted, it's conceivable that his NBA salary will approximate the buyout he owes his original team. In other words, he might play in the NBA without making a penny.
Rubio says that wouldn't bother him. "I have a dream," he said. "I want to play in the NBA."
The point guard, who presumably could make some money from sponsorships, could not have been clearer that it's not about the money. If his rookie contract nets him zero, he says, "I don't care."
In a video that will be on TrueHoop shortly, he also was asked to react to various NBA cities. His gut reaction to the word "Minnesota" was: "Too cold." Oklahoma City earned a "My best friend lives nearby." And when Rubio thinks of Sacramento, the first thing that comes to mind is: "Nice weather."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED: June 24 -- 1:59 p.m. ET
Andy Katz: Minnesota and Memphis haven't talked about a trade for the No. 2 pick yet, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.
Memphis owner Michael Heisley and GM Chris Wallace are scheduled to meet Wednesday night to discuss their options.
As for the Timberwolves, they want to climb to No. 2 to draft Ricky Rubio but are trying to figure out who could drop to them at No. 5 if they stay put.
If Memphis keeps the No. 2 pick and takes Hasheem Thabeet, Oklahoma City picks James Harden at No. 3 and Sacramento takes Stephen Curry or Jonny Flynn at No. 4 ... then Rubio will be there at No. 5.
The other Wolves scenario in which they would at least get Thabeet could occur if Memphis picks Tyreke Evans at No. 2, Oklahoma City picks Rubio at No. 3 and Sacramento picks Flynn or Curry at No. 4. In that instance, Thabeet would fall to No. 5.
As much as Minnesota wants Thabeet and Rubio, the source said it may be too difficult to pull it off.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED: June 24 -- 12:43 p.m. ET
Chris Broussard: Rajon Rondo is definitely on the market. I'm told he's very hard for Doc Rivers to coach, and that although Rondo gets along OK with his teammates, he's far from a great teammate. The fear in Boston is that if Rondo is this difficult to handle on a rookie-scale salary, he'll be a monster once he earns big money.
One GM told me, "They won a championship with this guy, and he's coming off a tremendous playoff performance ... and they're looking to trade him. That tells you how bad things are."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED: June 24 -- 12:17 p.m. ET
Marc Stein: The Celtics scoffed with vigor Tuesday night when we presented them with a Rajon Rondo/Brian Scalabrine-for-Rudy Gay/Mike Conley scenario.
It certainly does make more sense that the Celts wouldn't surrender Rondo without getting the second overall pick back in the swap, but it's clearly getting harder and harder for them to convince folks that Rondo isn't in play.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED: June 24 -- 11:55 a.m. ET
Marc Stein: The Grizzlies aren't just entertaining the idea of parting with the No. 2 overall pick in Thursday's draft. They've also engaged in advanced discussions with the Knicks that should put former No. 2 overall pick Darko Milicic in New York by week's end ... unless Memphis winds up needing Milicic's expiring contract in another draft-related trade.
Sources say that the proposed swap would send Milicic to the Knicks for swingman Quentin Richardson and cash. Milicic is scheduled to earn $7.5 million next season in the final year of a three-year deal he received from the Griz in 2007; Richardson has a player option for next season at $8.7 million.
If the teams go through with the trade, Milicic would join his fourth team since Detroit infamously gambled on him in 2003 with the pick immediately after LeBron James ... and right before Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. But it's believed that Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni hasn't been able to kick his long-standing interest in seeing what he can get out of the perpetually, uh, casual 24-year-old. Despite his unquestioned standing as one of the biggest draft busts in league history, Milicic would have to be considered an intriguing one-year rental for the go-go-go Knicks given his length, mobility, passing skills and age.
Wouldn't he?
• Read Stein's entire trade-chatter column here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED: June 24 -- 11:11 a.m. ET
Harden
Andy Katz: Wednesday got off to a hurried start for Minnesota, which diverted the travel plans of Arizona State's James Harden.
NBA officials confirmed that Harden was supposed to be at Wednesday's media session in New York but had an unscheduled workout thrust onto his schedule late Tuesday night.
According to a source close to Harden, he flew to Minneapolis for an interview and a light shooting workout with the Timberwolves on Wednesday.
The source said Washington had told Harden he would have been the Wizards' pick at No. 5 before Tuesday's trade that shipped the fifth pick to Minnesota for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, with three Wizards -- Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov -- also heading to Minnesota.
The source said Harden would go to either Oklahoma City at No. 3 or Minnesota at No. 5 or 6, pending further moves by the Wolves.
Harden is expected to get to New York late Wednesday night.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED: June 24 -- 1:18 a.m. ET
Chad Ford: The NBA trading frenzy that normally coincides with draft week got off to a hot start Tuesday with two huge trades. The Bucks traded Richard Jefferson to the Spurs for cap relief, and the Wolves agreed to trade Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Wizards for the No. 5 pick and a bunch of players with undesirable contracts.
How do the deals affect the draft?
For the Bucks, probably little. This deal gave them some flexibility to re-sign one of their restricted free agents -- either Charlie Villanueva or Ramon Sessions. From what I can gather, the emphasis will be on Villanueva.
Why? The draft has something to do with it. The Bucks have several point guard prospects they like at No. 10. The only big guy they've looked at hard is DeJuan Blair, but that's too high for Blair to go.
I think they'll take Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday or Jeff Teague at No. 10 and go into the summer with a solid rebuilding base of talented young players including Andrew Bogut, Joe Alexander and Villanueva. It isn't a championship contender, but it's a start.
For the Spurs, not at all. They don't have a first-round pick anyway.
But the Wolves now are the power players in the draft, with picks 5, 6, 18, 28, 45 and 47. The question is, what will they do next?
Sources say they want two lottery picks, so a trade of 5 and 6 for the second or third pick is unlikely. But they might be willing to package 5 and 18. That might not be enough for Memphis (No. 2), but it could be for Oklahoma City (No. 3). The Thunder might be content to go to No. 5 and get either James Harden or Stephen Curry, and then, at No. 18, get another player they covet, Ohio State's B.J. Mullens.
See our latest mock draft for more on the Wolves' options.
The Wizards are out of the draft now, but what they did was pretty savvy. I thought it would be tough to get two veterans who could come and really contribute for them, but Miller and Foye really fill out their backcourt. If they can get one more big man, they will be serious contenders in the East.
• The Pistons also made a small deal Tuesday, moving Amir Johnson to the Bucks for Fabricio Oberto. Since Oberto's contract is only partially guaranteed next year, the Pistons can waive him and get about $1.7 million further under the salary cap this summer.
That could put them roughly $23 million under the cap going into free agency. Over the past few months, we've assumed Carlos Boozer is their primary target, but that might not be the case. A league source told me Tuesday that the Pistons' free-agent strategy likely would preclude a run at Boozer.
The Pistons want to add several players to the roster and want to keep salaries at or less than $10 million per year. With Boozer likely demanding a deal in the $15 million to $16 million a year range, his contract demands are out of their league. Add in concerns about Boozer's injury history, and I don't think the Pistons will make a play for him.
Instead, you can look for them to make a run at Ben Gordon, try to re-sign Antonio McDyess and find one or two other players they can sign for smaller salaries.
That stance in Detroit could put Boozer in a tough position. If he opts out of his contract with the Jazz, he's going to struggle to find any team far enough under the cap to offer him what he wants. And with the Jazz interested in keeping Paul Millsap, Boozer could be out of luck in Utah, too.
Rondo
• The Rajon Rondo trade talk is still alive despite Danny Ainge's attempts at spin control. In speaking to the media Tuesday, Ainge was pretty adamant that if the Celtics trade Rondo, it will be to make their team better and not because of any problems with Rondo.
I'm not sure I totally buy that. Rondo was the best player for the Celtics in the playoffs, a triple-double machine and the bridge between their present and their future. How would trading Rondo away make the Celtics better?
I'm more persuaded by what several league sources told me about Doc Rivers' relationship with Rondo. They say Rivers has told them Rondo is "impossible to coach" and "stubborn." The worry is that if the Celtics give him a big contract extension next year, he'll be even more unmanageable in the future. So the Celtics are trying to trade him now, while his trade value is high, to avoid a very difficult decision a year from now.
Given that, a couple of potential trade scenarios come to mind. These are not rumors, just hypotheticals.
What about San Antonio's Tony Parker, Roger Mason and Matt Bonner for Ray Allen and Rondo? The Celtics would get another young championship point guard and the Spurs would get a new backcourt capable of winning a title, as we've seen.
Or, what about Memphis' Mike Conley and the No. 2 pick for Rondo? Conley isn't Rondo, but he's young and improving, and the Celtics could get their man -- Tyreke Evans -- with the second pick.
• One day after a second workout with the Knicks, Jrue Holiday flew to Toronto for his second workout with the Raptors on Tuesday. Unlike in his first workout, against Jonny Flynn, he was by himself. Holiday wowed the Raptors in the first workout and getting him back for a second one in Toronto is a good sign.
The Raptors seem to have narrowed it down to DeMar DeRozan, Gerald Henderson and Holiday. We're sticking with DeRozan in our mock draft, but well-placed sources in Toronto say Holiday has a lot of fans in Toronto right now.
The Raptors had James Johnson in for a second workout as well. Johnson's stock has been all over the board, and he could be a target. The Raptors might have a need at small forward if they're unable to re-sign free agent Shawn Marion this summer.
• One rumor that won't go away has the Suns and Thunder talking about a draft-day swap that would give Oklahoma City the 14th pick and land the Suns the Thunder's 25th pick and, more importantly for the Suns, the return of their first-round pick in 2010. The Suns traded that pick to the Thunder several years ago as part of the Kurt Thomas trade. The trade is unprotected next year, and with the Suns flirting with rebuilding, they don't want to lose it.
Sources say the Thunder have an eye for Ohio State center B.J. Mullens and likely will take him if he's available at No. 14.
• For more Draft Buzz entries, click here.
Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"winning is more fun... then fun is fun" -Thibs
|
6/24/2009 6:02 PM
oh, i actually didn't read that too closely...