Category Archives: ricky rubio

reDRAFT – 2009 NBA Draft

It’s been awhile since we did an NBA reDRAFT.

The 2018 NBA Draft takes place this week, so it’s a good time to look back at a past NBA Draft.

The 2009 NBA draft class is top-heavy with two Hall of Fame talents and one that could be right-at-the-border by the time he retires.

Yes, Steph Curry, James Harden and Blake Griffin get all the attention in this draft, but the draft class as a whole is underrated. There are a handful of All-Stars as well as guys like Ricky Rubio, who is coming off what may have been his best season of his career. There are a few other late-bloomers that make up the top thirty picks of the 2009 NBA reDRAFT.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota was busy this off-season. Trade rumors swirled all Summer. No one had a clue which player(s) they would get for Kevin Love. First, it was Klay Thompson, then Chicago jumped into the mix and finally, LeBron returned to Cleveland. That move trumped everything and Love was moved to Ohio.

How will the new-look Twolves fare this season? Was the Kevin Love trade the first of many future moves?

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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Post-Draft Rumors: Shaq To Portland?

The Draft is the unofficial start to the off-season for the NBA. After the dust settles and the draft day trades get finalized, you start to hear rumors of players opting out, trades that didn’t happen, and rumors of players on the move. The post-draft activities is no different from past years, all of the above is happening.

After Shaquille O’Neal was traded to Cleveland, he mentioned that there could have been a trade that sent him to Portland. He told Steve Kerr that he didn’t want to play in Portland, so all the talk stopped there. The deal was proposed back in February, before the trading deadline last season. How would that trade work? Cleveland made the trade work with expiring contracts that totaled near the total of Shaq’s salary. Portland didn’t have cap space then, but had the expiring contract of Raef LaFrentz is now off the books. If the same trade would have been proposed a couple of weeks ago, it would have been difficult for Portland to make it. Martell Webster and Joel Pryzbilla could have been sent, but it’s all clearly speculation and not sure if the final numbers would have worked out.

Hedo Turkoglu finally sent word to the Orlando Magic that he will definitely opt out of his contract. He would be the prize of this year’s free agency class, but he could try and see if they can settle on a long-term deal to stay in Orlando. The trade for Vince Carter could have sealed Turkoglu’s fate, there may not be enough money to sign their post-season stud.

Is he or isn’t he? The rumors have been swirling about where Amare Stoudemire will end up. Rumors were circulating that Stephon Curry was going to be part of a deal that sent Stoudemire to Golden State, but Don Nelson has been vocal that Curry is staying in Oakland. We should know more this week about the fate of Amare Stoudemire.

Is Ricky Rubio staying in Spain or will he face the cold in Minnesota? A decision should be made in the next few weeks. The New York Knicks are rumored to be working on a proposal to land the talented point guard. If Rubio ends up in New York, you could possibly put an end to the rumor that Steve Nash will sign with the Knicks when he becomes a free agent.

America’s White Boy’s official NBA team, the Indiana Pacers, are saying that they will be very active this off-season. They drafted Tyler Hansbrough and A.J. Price, but those picks didn’t fill any pressing needs for the team. They are shopping T.J. Ford around in hopes of finding another point guard. They have plenty of expiring contracts, but with the state of the economy, don’t look for them to be buyers and taking on extra payroll. They are setting up for a run at a few free agents in a year. They need another young scorer to match up with Danny Granger.

A rumor that is starting to gain steam is Ben Wallace will be traded from Phoenix to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler. The Hornets need to get rid of Chandler’s multi-year deal and Wallace is in the last year of his deal. He has even said that he may retire, if that is true, the Hornets could buyout his contract and save some money.

With free agency starting on Wednesday, Glen “Big Baby” Davis could be looking for a starting job. He said that he is in a position to make more money and maybe even a starting gig. Davis was crucial in the Celtics run last year and with Garnett’s status still up in the air, they should try and work out a deal.

Wondering where Baylor’s Curtis Jerrells may end up? It looks like he will be playing for Dallas on their summer league team. He could end up with a spot on the Mavericks or more likely, this is a gig to showcase his skills and possibly land on an NBDL squad.

Other undrafted free agent landing spots…Temple’s Dionte Christmas accepted a spot on the 76ers summer league team. BC’s Tyrese Rice will be playing for Washington, UConn’s Jeff Adrien will be playing for Memphis, and Gonzaga’s Josh Heytvelt will suit up for Golden State on their summer league team. Gonzaga’s Jeremy Pargo could end up on Portland’s summer league, but no official word as of today.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

2009 NBA Draft – Team Grades

You can’t judge a draft in any league for about three years, but everyone has a knee-jerk reaction to a team’s draft picks. The NBA Draft makes or breaks General Manager’s careers. If you miss on a guy, you’re screwed. If you pass up on a guy, you’re screwed. If you have a high pick, but draft for need, and a guy who is drafted after your pick turns into a superstar, you’re screwed. The draft has about a 75% failure rate and is the reason why you never see a GM without some gray hair. Here are my draft grades for the 2009 NBA Draft.

Boston Celtics – They only had one pick in the draft and it was a late one. They ended up picking Lester Hudson from Central Florida. He is a scorer and will probably be a NBDL all-star, but doubtful to make the team the next two seasons. Draft Grade: D

New Jersey Nets – The Nets also only had one pick, but their pick was in the Lottery. Terrence Williams will be a good player in this league, he’s eccentric and fun. He isn’t that mature and scouts say he loses focus, but he dominated in the Big East last season. Draft Grade: B-

New York Knicks – The Knicks need young talent, since after this season, they will have about $50 bucks on their payroll. They picked Jordan Hill and traded for Toney Douglas, good solid picks. This draft makes me miss the Isiah Thomas-led drafts. Where was the random Renaldo Balkman kind of pick? Draft Grade: B

Philadelphia 76ers – Jrue Holiday was their lone pick in this draft. I’m not a fan of Holiday, but he did upstage Darren Collison at times. He is a few years away, by the time he’s ready, Elton Brand will be ancient. Draft Grade: C-

Toronto Raptors – You can blame Tim Floyd for my low draft grade for the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan came into USC has a game-changing stud, but his numbers never took off. Toronto was reaching a little by picking him #9. Draft Grade: D+

Chicago Bulls – The Bulls made a good showing in the NBA Playoffs last season. They are still relatively young and need to build around Derrick Rose. Taj Gibson and James Johnson are two good pieces, only if Johnson grows up and learns to get along with his teammates. Draft Grade: B

Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavs knew that they were not able to improve their team this year with this draft. They pick Christian Evenga and Danny Green, two guys that will not make the team this year. Evenga will probably stay in Europe and Green can help their NBDL affliate. Draft Grade: D

Detroit Pistons – Detroit had a typical Pistons draft. They got guys who showed defense ability and the ability to play team basketball. Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers will be Pistons and will contribute. Jonas Jerebko could be a decent bench player for a team that doesn’t need to add any expensive free agents. Draft Grade: B+

Indiana Pacers – Indiana shocked the world when they picked Tyler Hansbrough. Everyone thought that they were picking a point guard, but they waited until the 2nd round and got A.J. Price from UConn. It was a weird draft for them and took some risks. Draft Grade: C-

Milwaukee Bucks – The Bucks traded away Richard Jefferson and needed to add some offense. Brandon Jennings will not help you offensively, but could turn into a nice point guard. Jodie Meeks could step in and score points immediately. He could turn into a Ben Gordon-type player coming off the bench. Draft Grade: B+

Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks are re-building their backcourt and by drafting Jeff Teague, they have themselves a possible future star. He’s a combo guard and can run the point if Bibby leaves. Draft Grade: B-

Charlotte Bobcats – I don’t like the strategy the Bobcats use by only drafting UNC and Duke players in the first round. Gerald Henderson may have already reaching his ceiling and Charlotte should have went in another direction. The Derrick Brown and Robert Vaden picks could bolster their bench, but unfortunately Larry Brown and rookies go together as well as hot sauce and a guy with IBS. Draft Grade: D-

Miami Heat – The Heat needed some size in the paint, but drafted a guy who is small for his position. Robert Dozier is not great fit for the Heat, but with no first round pick, they had to pick from what was left. Draft Grade: F

Orlando Magic – The Magic didn’t have any picks in the draft this year.

Washington Wizards – The Wizards traded their lone draft pick to Houston.

Dallas Mavericks – The Mavericks are getting long-in-the-tooth and need youth to help re-build their team. Dallas acquired Rodrique Beaubois, who will likely stay overseas, and drafted Ahmad Nivins from St. Joseph’s. This draft was a wash and didn’t accomplish a whole lot. Draft Grade: D-

Houston Rockets – Houston didn’t have any picks in this draft, but they were active in acquiring players for future considerations and picks. Jermaine Taylor, Chase Budinger and Sergio Llull were gained in the draft process. I don’t know how their odds of making the team this year, but Budinger had a lot of upside. Draft Grade: C+

Memphis Grizzlies – Not only did Memphis get rid of Darko Milicic, but they had a pretty good draft. Hasheem Thabeet, DaMarre Carroll, and Sam Young are all big guys that should help them defensively. They were one of the worst defensive teams in the league and needed size. Draft Grade: A-

New Orleans Hornets – Chris Paul is a great point guard, but he is small. They needed a back-up for Paul, but they picked Darren Collison, who is just as small. Is this a swing and a miss? Draft Grade: F

San Antonio Spurs – The Spurs are known to always do their homework on European players and make the most of their 2nd round picks. They didn’t have a first round pick this year, but got DeJuan Blair, a first round talent, in the second round. He is missing both ACLs, but in San Antonio, he doesn’t need to play a lot of minutes. Jack McClinton was another great 2nd round pick, but his maturity is in question. Draft Grade: A

Golden State Warriors – The Knicks thought that they had Stephen Curry, but the Warriors stole him. The rumor is that they may send this pick to the Suns in the Amare Stoudemire deal. If Curry stays in Oakland, he will put up monster numbers in Don Nelson’s offense. Draft Grade: B+

Los Angeles Clippers – It isn’t hard to do well in a draft if you’re picking #1 in a one player draft. The Clippers will have to try really hard to mess this kid up. Draft Grade: A+

Los Angles Lakers – The Lakers came into the draft with three picks, but left with only one. The only player they kept was Chinemelu Elonu, who was picked in the late 2nd round. He will probably end up in the NBDL, but he could end up joining a team as a defensive replacement. Draft Grade: D-

Phoenix Suns – Steve Kerr has had a rough time as the Suns GM. The Shaq deal didn’t work out and he’s taking a lot of heat. He needed a great draft to distract from his rough start. Unfortunately for Mr. Kerr, he whiffed on another draft. The Earl Clark pick was a reach and someone should tell him that he wanted “Blake Griffin,” not “Taylor Griffin.” Draft Grade: D

Sacramento Kings – The Kings came into this draft needing impact players. They traded away a lot at the trading deadline last year and basically only have Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson as cornerstones. Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi will help them immediately and I really love the Evans pick. They traded for Jon Brockman, so they will have an all-Huskies frontcourt in Sacramento. Draft Grade: A+

Denver Nuggets – Denver didn’t have much to do in this draft, but they did get a player that they coveted. George Karl is a UNC alum and he loved Ty Lawson. He can spell Chauncey Billups and will benefit from learning under him. Draft Grade:B-

Minnesota Timberwolves – The T-Wolves set themselves up for an extremely busy day. They traded Washington for their first round pick and ended up with a total of six picks for the day. They chose two point-guards with the #5 and #6 picks. It was a little confusing, but from what I hear, Ricky Rubio does not want to play in Minnesota. They could package a deal and receive instant talent and maybe a future #1. Jonny Flynn will be a good player in the NBA and I liked that pick a lot. Wayne Ellington and Nick Calathes was also picked by Minnesota, both fell down the draft to them and they clearly picked them as the “best player available.” Draft Grade: A+

Portland Trail Blazers – Jeff Pendergraph adds to the young talent in Portland. The late pick of Patrick Mills will only add to the excitement about the Blazers. Draft Grade: B

Oklahoma City Thunder – The Thunder are looking for the future. They have picked smart and the future is looking bright. James Harden will make their offense even more scary. B.J. Mullens is a nice addition, but needs a few years to mature.Draft Grade: B

Utah Jazz – The Jazz are smart and take players who have good fundamentals. Eric Maynor will be a great back-up for Deron Williams. Maynor may end up developing into something better than they expect. Draft Grade: B

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

The White Boy’s 2009 NBA Mock Draft

The most exciting part of the NBA season is this week, the NBA Draft. Don’t get me wrong, I love the playoffs and think it’s great, but the NBA Draft is a time where every fan can feel great about their upcoming season, unless your a Knicks fan. This year’s draft is perceived to be a very weak draft, but it is very deep at point guard. As many as 8 PGs could be taken in the first round. I would expect a lot of trade this year, since many of the teams at the top of the draft are hurting for money and would rather invest that money in a proven talent, rather than wait three seasons for the prospect to mature.

Here is my mock draft for the 2009 NBA Draft.

1. Los Angeles Clippers – Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) – This is a no-brainer. Giffin is the best prospect in the draft and most think that he’s a lock. If the Clippers pick Griffin, they will find some way to turn him into Michael Olowakandi.

2. Memphis Grizzlies – Ricky Rubio (Spain) – The Grizzlies would much rather pick Hasheem Thabeet here, but he cancelled his workout. If Memphis picks Rubio, expect a trade of Mike Conley Jr. or even Rubio. They will be loaded at PG and that is not what their need is.

3. OKC Thunder – Hasheen Thabeet (UCONN) – Thabeet makes Dwight Howard post moves look great. In OKC’s offense, he wouldn’t need to put in many points. He isn’t a strong rebounder, but the Thunder needs some defense in the paint. The Thunder would be a great fit for Thabeet.

4. Sacramento Kings – James Harden (Arizona State – The Kings need a scorer and Harden can put a basket in about anywhere on the court. They are re-building and need a star, something that Harden could turn into rather quickly.

5. Washington Wizards – Brandon Jennings (Italy) – The Wizards need a lot to re-gain their form, but Jennings will help them deliver the ball. He didn’t do well in Europe, but his ceiling is higher than most. I’m hoping that he is still sporting his Kid N Play flat-top; I would buy his jersey.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jonny Flynn (Syracuse) – Flynn came out of nowhere during the last month of the season. He had a great Big East tourney and went on to have a great NCAA tourney as well. He has pure point-guard skills and would be an improvement over Sebastian Telfair.

7. Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry (Davidson) – Don Nelson’s days are numbered in Oakland, but Curry fits the mold of his type of player. He can score from all over the place and his point guard skills have tripled in just one season. Curry will be a great fit at Golden State, but look for a possible trade here.

8. New York Knicks – Tyreke Evans (Memphis) – If Curry is not on the board, Evans makes sense for the Knicks. He could either be an All-Star or become a very steady bench player in the NBA. He is young and can’t really put my finger on if he is going to be great. Evans had flashes of greatness at Memphis, but most of the season he played against sub-par talent.

9. Toronto Raptors – Jordan Hill (Arizona) – Hill has been climbing up draft boards over the last few weeks. Toronto needs to come to grips that Chris Bosh is heading out of town after this year. They need to rebuild their front-court and Hill would be a great start.

10. Milwaukee Bucks – Demar DeRozan (USC) – The Bucks are a few pieces away from being a playoff team. DeRozan is tall (6’7) and is a physical guard. He struggled at times at USC, but Tim Floyd was his coach, that could have been the reason.

11. New Jersey Nets – Terrance Williams (Louisville) – Williams was great for the Cardinals last year. He led them through the Big East and is a great indicator of how he will do in the NBA. The Nets would love to get Williams at #11, they are hoping that no other team will take him earlier.

12. Charlotte Bobcats – Gerald Henderson (Duke) – Henderson had a great workout and he fits the need for the Bobcats. Charlotte needs fans in the seats, by taking a local Dukie, it may help with attendance.

13. Indiana Pacers – Eric Maynor (VCU) – With Jrue Holiday and Ty Lawson still on the board, it would be ballsy for the Pacers to pick Maynor. Maynor is more of a pure point-guard than Lawson and Holiday at this point. VCU isn’t the best place to play, but Maynor made the most of his opportunities when facing top talent. His performance against Duke, a few seasons ago, helped cement his status of a future Lottery pick.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.