I don’t mean to impart on my own personal tastes on you fine people, but today my favorite band, Dave Matthews 
Band, releases a new album – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. And that’s not something that happens all that often either. I’m sure some people hate DMB and that’s fine – we all have our tastes. I’ve seen DMB 11 times and so it’s safe to say I enjoy their work. And I’m stoked about the new album, so if you don’t like it, soo-oorrrrry.
Malik Rose says the Thunder needs some nastiness: “On the flip side, practices were too fun. A little elbow or a little fight here or there in practice, being physical, pushing and shoving is good. But when you step off the court, it’s great to get back to being best friends, being close, hanging out and joking.” Some call it grit. During this year’s NBA playoffs, “nastiness” was a term used to describe the Houston Rockets’ and Denver Nuggets’ ability to go toe-to-toe with the highly favored Los Angeles Lakers. Call it what you want, but Rose, who won two NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs, said developing toughness is essential.”
Designs for the Thunder’s new scoreboard were released and let me tell you – awesome. Just awesome. I don’t know if I’m more excited about next season because of the team, or because I get to see the new scoreboard: “It weighs 46,000 pounds, is 31 feet tall and 35 feet wide and features a dozen video panels as well as an LED ring. Indeed, the new Ford Center scoreboard will be one of the biggest and best in the NBA. After months of research, backing from Oklahoma City taxpayers and the underlying goal of upgrading the fan’s in-game experience, the Thunder on Monday unveiled designs for its new $3.9 million scoreboard that will be one of the leading scoreboards in NBA and NHL arenas.”
Stephen Curry with Sporting News: “CL: What can you tell me about your interviews? Who wanted to talk to you? Who did you want to talk to? SC: I had teams like Houston, Washington and Oklahoma City; teams in need of a point guard. Of course the New York teams were there. A lot of teams that are planning to trade up and move up in the lottery wanted to talk to me to see how I felt about their team. Of the 14 teams, they’re all equally excited to get to know me a bit.”
Draft Express reports that OKC and Detroit are talking trade: “Jonathan Givony of Draft Express is also reporting that the Detroit Pistons could be looking to move Amir Johnson before the draft and are talking with the Oklahoma City Thunder about a deal that would send Johnson and Detroit’s #15 selection to OKC in exchange for the Thunder’s #25 and cash. Thunder sources said they are evaluating a lot of options and that nothing is close on any front, but that they expect to be active on draft night. The logic being reported by Draft Express is that the Pistons are looking to shed enough cap space to make a run at Paul Milsap and Ben Gordon in Free Agency and still have a decent selection in the first round at 25. The Pistons are current looking at $19 million in cap space, shedding Amir’s $3.6 and moving down ten spots, could get the Pistons at roughly $22 million under the projected salary cap and enough to make sizable offers to free agents they covet.” Moving up 10 picks and all you have to shed is a little cash and take on a contract? Doesn’t sound all bad.
A new spin on a mock draft: ”Oklahoma City Thunder-Neon Boudreaux, Blue Chips: The Thunder need a big man to complement Kevin Durant, and Boudreaux, despite allegations of a recruiting violation, can lead the team to glory. Only problem is his shooting from the free-throw line, which could lead to teams hacking him. It’s a controversial move to take him no matter what, as word on the street is he has already began to question if Durant could win a ring without him.” I just don’t see how you pass on Jimmy Chitwood here or even Scott Howard. No way Presti goes with the questionable character issues of Bourdreaux.
Dime’s new mock: “Oklahoma City — James Harden, SG, Arizona State: Assuming they stay in this spot, OKC lands a solid two-guard who can ease some of Kevin Durant’s scoring load.” Amazing how many of these have changed from Thabeet to Harden. With a lot of them having us pass on Rubio.
A lot of mock draft’s have OKC taking Sam Young with the 25th pick and he had a workout yesterday: “According to several observers who saw the two afternoon workouts, Pittsburgh’s Sam Young was the most impressive player. Young, a 6-foot-6 swingman, was in Group 1, and played with/against Luke Harangody (Notre Dame), Joe Ingles (Australia), Damion Jones (Texas), Jeff Pendergraph (Arizone State) and Marcus Thornton (LSU).” I don’t know who this Damion “Jones” character is, but if he’s anything like Damien James, then I assume he’s a quality player.
HoopsWorld’s new consensus mock: “With Blake Griffin all but gifted wrapped for the Clippers and with the Grizzlies’ liking selling the #2 overall pick to the team that covets Ricky Rubio the most, the Oklahoma City Thunder could find themselves with a number of attractive options at #3 and really the lynch pin team of the 2009 Draft. Reports that the Thunder were considering James Harden with the #3 selection, are not necessarily false, however the Thunder’s interest is not as substantial as some would have you believe. Sources close to the situation list Rubio, Jrue Holiday and Jordan Hill among the Thunder’s top prospects. Hasheem Thabeet however does not seem to be on the Thunder’s radar at all meaning he could slide pretty significantly if Memphis does not grab him at #2.” Not even on the radar. That’s good news.
Anderson Varejao apparently is opting out: ”Anderson Varejao did not meet with the media Sunday, but a league source said that he intends to opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. This option was part of three-year offer sheet Varejao signed with the Charlotte Bobcats that the Cavs matched in 2007. Varejao will likely leave $6.2 million on the table coming off a season in which he set career highs in starts (42), points (8.6) and field goal percentage (.536). The Cavs retain his rights so they can exceed the salary cap to sign him. But unlike 2007, they will not be able to automatically match an offer such as the one the Bobcats extended. Varejao has said he wants to remain with the team and the Cavs are believed to be interested in bringing him back — if they can come to terms.”
HoopsWorld’s complete list of workouts: The Clippers have yet to work out anyone. That should tell you something.
Chad Ford on the draft’s top point guard prospects: “The first-ever NBA draft combine is a wrap, and the outcome wasn’t as bad as many had predicted. No, there weren’t any 5-on-5 games. And yes, several of the top players refused to participate in light drills. But the combine did provide some clarity in several key areas. The first — and, arguably, the most important — was a better understanding of the top point guard prospects. While the draft is weak overall, the point guard class is strong, and seeing all the top prospects on the floor (with the exception of Ricky Rubio and Tyreke Evans) was the most interesting part of the combine. Before the combine, a number of NBA executives I spoke with said they were struggling to get any real separation in the group after months of scouting. But after watching the players on the court together, getting real measurements and spending 30 minutes interviewing the players one-on-one, a number of NBA GMs said they felt more confident in ranking the top point guard prospects.”
UPDATE: Chad Ford’s new mock: “Ricky Rubio: Once again, the Thunder are proving to be a tough nut to crack. Last year, we heard them attached to five or six guys in the draft. This year is no different. In Chicago, rumors were flying all over the place about who the Thunder are after. I heard Rubio, Thabeet, James Harden, Jordan Hill and even Stephen Curry mentioned this week. I’m told the Thunder like Rubio and that Rubio isn’t averse to playing in OKC. The issue for the Thunder is fit and opportunity. Many on the team see Russell Westbrook as their point guard of the future and aren’t sure how he’d fare without the ball in his hands. Maybe more importantly, Thunder GM Sam Presti is an opportunist. If he can get a couple of good assets in return for the No. 3 pick, he won’t be afraid to pull the trigger. If Rubio is off the board, this will be a tough decision. Thabeet gives them the shot-blocking they desperately need. Harden gives them the savvy of a veteran. Curry gives them shooting. Hill gives them rebounding and energy. They could use all of those things.”
with regars to Sam Young
"But it he’d try hard" should have been "but if he didn't try hard"
Sorry I am a somewhat sloppy or dyslexic typer.
If the agility test is a good test of effort then Jordan Hill as dead last is a bit of a concern that reinforces some subjective commentary.
Sam Young 3rd slowest of all on sprint and bottom 20% on agility. But it he'd try hard or train right it might not be an accurate gauge. You'd want to see it to interpret the results. And is already 24. Another SF? I can't see him being the pick.
Hansbrough has the necessary basic athleticism. Maybe it is just stringing it together repetitively.
Pendergraph 9th fastest sprint (just behind Harden) and the fastest guy over 6'9. But strangely the 3rd worst on agility. Maybe he mistimed something or maybe turning is just different and harder for him than sprinting.
Harden did fine as noted before.
@Joe
Aye aye captain.
Or NFL...either one really. :)
@Keith
I meant the same correlation regarding athletic testing results (40 yard dash, 3/4 sprint) and how they translate to the player's actual ability to be a good player, i.e., just because the guy can jump higher and run faster, doesn't mean he's automatically going to be the a great NFL or NBA player.
Thus, both combines really only deal in absolutes regarding the measurements and are used more as measuring sticks (no pun intended) than hard and fast assessments, as in if you're measured at 6'0 in the NBA combine, you're not tall enough to play anything other than PG (generally, there are always exceptions). Just like if you can't run faster than a 4.8 40, you won't be playing cornerback in the NBA.
I don't think the NBA and NFL Combines have the same correlation. For one, NBA teams only expect 1-3 really good players per draft. In the NFL, teams expect to find starter worthy players as late as the 4th round. Also, the up and down shift of players isn't as great in the NBA as in the NFL. A guy can go from 25th to 5th in the NFL with a huge combine. Even with a huge combine, guys in the NBA draft don't move up considerably. If you aren't in the top 10 range, you're not going to suddenly jump into the top 3. If you're not in the top 20 range, you won't suddenly be top 10. Well at least not because of the combine.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct
Hey Jax, could I get your email?
joenewell66@gmail.com
Thanks.
I'd be very happy with either Harden or Curry. I am favoring Harden right now because of his height and newfound athleticism, and the fact that Curry seems to insist that he is a point guard when we already have one. But, many teams have had success with a sort of two point guard lineup, or two combo guard lineup, like the old Celtics with Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge.
I really think somebody would get a steal if they grab Jeff Pendergraph late in the first. I think he has the length and reach and the athleticism to play some Center. He was the most efficient scoring big man in the country last year and he's a great per minute rebounder.
I also like Luke Harangody in the late first or early second. Portland has 4 second round picks and they can't possibly use them all.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct
Bout the same correlation in the NBA as the NFL Combine (all the best athletic scores don't mean you're a good PLAYER), but the main reason why so many of us are so surprised is because, this is the first year where so many "very skilled players" who were supposed to be "below average athletes" and who were expected to do below average on their athletic tests, instead outperformed the players who were supposed to be the super athletes.
Or basically, the players who's major question marks (or even negatives/weaknesses) were athleticism but were considered the highest skilled players in the draft with the highest IQ's, actually are some of the most athletic as well. And the "upside" guys that were supposed to be the most raw and powerfully strong and explosive and fast guys from their pure athleticism, actually turned out to be average and lesser athletes than the those guys with "athleticism" question marks.
The only reason this is significant is because athleticism is usually a huge negative or positive in terms of upside and translating to the NBA (the whole, well he'll be able to get away with that in college, but in the pro's)...but in this draft, it just so happens that the highest skilled guys happen to be the better athletes as well.
This is my first year to take a look at these measurements and drills, but I am used to seeing the measurements and drills in the NFL combine. I just got to thinking of all the guys who do so well in the combine, but are then outperformed by their slower, weaker combine counterparts when it comes time to play.
If you compare Russell Westbrook's numbers last year to Jonny Flynn's numbers this year, Jonny wins several of those categories. And according to last year's results, Jeremy Pargo was a better athlete than Russell Westbrook.
It just makes me wonder what the correlation is between the measurements and drills and NBA success.
I agree with J.G. Curry has impressed me, I never thought he be that quick or fast, though he still was the least agile PG (unless you count Evans). I'd be all for Curry now if we trade down. At three, though, I am having a hard time seeing anyone besides Harden (unless Blake or Rubio fall in our laps). The guy flat out killed in the combine. His biggest deficiency was supposed to be quickness, but the only guys of note quicker than him are PGs. It looks like he'll have no trouble defending or beating his man.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct
Yeah, it seems like a lot of those analysts need to re-think their words before accusing a player like Curry, Hansbrough and Harden of "below average athleticism" and then touting players like DeRozan and Holiday for their "raw speed and power."
Because, if anything, the combine proved that the tape never lies, but apparently analysts often do.
@Kev
Sorry, Kev, but I'm fully sold on Harden now at #3, since his only negatives were size (he's a legit 6'5, so check) and athleticism (his results reveal he's one of the best overall athletes in the entire draft, let alone the best at his position).
I love Curry, and this would definitely move him up my big board...but not above Harden.
But I'm thrilled at how well Curry did, for sure.
Totally sold on Curry at #3 - especially after these workout numbers - the kid has so much heart - he basically played 1 on 5 all season and played consistently - no whining . . .
draft him . . . please!!!
I'm surprised at how well Hansbrough performed. He's another guy that doesn't look as athletic as his numbers indicate. His measurements are on par with Blake's.
@Kev
Absolutely!
I also can't help but point out that Curry beat the athletic specimen, Gerald Henderson (which he is at 4.4% body fat) in every athletic test but the 3/4 sprint and that Harden, who I think I got into an argument on here with someone who swore up and down how much of a better athlete Henderson was than Harden, beat Henderson in EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY across the board.
Crystal clear that Harden and Curry's skillset are only amplified by their "sneaky" athleticism, thus making them the obvious #'s 1 & 2 SG's in this draft (or #2 PG for Curry for some).
love the fact that Curry outperformed Derozan, Holiday, and evans in the bench press . . .
Not to belabor the point here, but I am honestly shocked at how impressive James Harden's athleticism is on those results...
He's a faster sprinter than Jrue Holiday, Eric Maynor, Johnny Flynn, Stephen Curry and only 1/100th slower than Ty Lawson (and yes, obviously Harden's was one of the fastest 3/4 sprint times).
He's stronger than than anyone not named Luke Harangody, Blake Griffin and then Dejuan Blair, Tyler Hansbrough, Donte Cunningham and James Johnson only had one more rep than Harden (they disqualified one of his lifts after the fact, as he got 18 up but they only counted 17).
And was tied for the seventh best max vertical leap at 37 inches.
The only thing that was underwhelming was his lane agility (lateral quickness) test, so he's not just an "average" athlete, he's a superior athlete than most in everything but lateral quickness...which is just shocking.
Oh, and Blake Griffin is a freak of nature (with average to slightly under average wingspan as Keith said). Carry on.
@Royce
Anyway you can get some info at other arenas to see how our board compares? I don't really have a mental picture in my head when I read our measurements, but if we maybe see ours compared to others and such maybe we realize how nice and big this thing can be.
Harden very impressive also putting up one of the fastest times for the sprint, and a very respectible time for the lane agility as well...
Curry and Harden both look like this event helped derail some of the negatives people were posting about their athleticism.
Another thing to mention is that Blake is, without shoes, the exact same height as Amare Stoudemire, Al Horford, Al Jefferson, and only a half inch shorter than Dwight Howard. The with or without shoes argument only makes sense if the difference is huge, or he's significantly undersized. Neither is the case with Blake. I was less than pleased with his wingspan and standing reach measurements, but I have no doubt he can make up the additional few inches with his athleticism.
ATHLETIC RESULTS officially released for all who wanted them.
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/
@Blake
Not necessarily, as some prospects wear shoes that are intentionally thicker soled to bump up their "in-shoes" height. The rule of thumb is to add 1 1/4 to the barefoot height and that is the most accurate playing height since most basketball shoes range between 1" and 1 1/2" in thickness.
Some guys wear flip-flops to the in-shoes part, others wear "athletic boots" for that lift.
Any way you slice it, 6'10 is what Griffin would be at a "playing height" in the NBA. Most PF's in the NBA are actually 6'8 OR SHORTER barefoot.
http://www.welcometoloudcity.com/2009/6/2/896596/2009-nba-draft-coverage-hello-my
great article
I understand that but I would assume that the shoes hes was measured in are going to be the shoes that he was playing in, right? Its not like he wore stilts up to the measuring stick.
I don't know about him, but draftexpress said they use that stat because people have varying heights of shoes . . .
Which if you go by the "natural" height he is undersize for a PF. But with shoes on he is on par with other PF in the league.
Because he is a Griffin hater. He says that is his natural height. Which is true. But they arent measuring natural height. I just wanted to make sure that I wasnt the crazy one.
What was your friends argument for the "without shoes"?
So me and a buddy have been having an argument about some of these measurements. So I was curious to see what some of you had to say. My question is this: Which matters more the height measurement with shoes on or without shoes?
I think it matters more with the shoes on because thats how they play. It doesnt matter how tall he is when he is walking around the house in the morning. It matters how tall they are when they are on the court. Why do they measure barefoot to begin with?
Durantchula fo sure...
@Mike
Extremely helpful...thanks
@Vega
that trade makes a lot of sense for the Pistons.
We could use a hustler with our late first round pick.
And I think we've successfully hijacked this discussion so...
Hansbrough also did pretty well in the athletic tests, too, thus excuses about his lack of athleticism hurting his draft stock should dwindle in the coming weeks, some individuals have him even late lottery or high teens right now because of his results and track record.
Couldn't the Thunder use a Hansbrough type?
Gambit was in the latest X-Men movie. He played an integral part to that movie.
@J.G.
ahahaha - see I'd actually agree with that too, except you see Cyclops included in modern day Xmen stuff. The whole take on Gambit though is that no one ever makes movies that involve Gambit. No one thinks his abilities are cool, so they try to ignore him. But you can't ignore Gambit. Gambit's like Soundwave from the Transformers. Soundwave was cool back in the day when cassette's were cool. Now cassette's are old and out, so he gets ignored too.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct
See, I think you just described Cyclops instead of Gambit. Gambit is mega-popular to the fan-base and he has a ton of personality and fireworks (no pun intended), but Cyclops just "gets the job done doing the dirty work."
Westbrook would have to be Nightcrawler, right?
Nerd-factor on the dailythunder just went up ten-fold...but I'm fine with it.
I've always been partial to Kid Delicious myself. I wish I could remember where that one started. Durantula is also used, and KSmoove. But I'm not into those two so much.
A buddy of mine and I tried to determine which Xmen character each of the Thunder would be. That isn't as easy as it sounds though. We agreed that Uncle Jeff would be Gambit though. No one ever talks about Gambit, but he's much more integral in the Xmen than his popularity suggests.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct
Don't forget about Serge and Devon. Those are two more unusual names.
@Pennington
Well Jordan dubbed Durant, "Flight 35."
Good enough for me.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct
This makes me think we need nicknames for the major contributors. I like Jet Zero for RW, Uncle Jeff isn't bad either. Frankly though I am dumbfounded by the lack of a nickname for Durant. We need to work on this.
Also, I recently got in a discussion as to who was the more talented player Kobe or Kevin Durant with my friend. He said Kobe. In order to have a intelligent case I looked up the stats for both players in their second year. KD blew me away. He beats Kobe in every major statistical category except To's. It's scary to think how good he could be in a few years
Anyone else besides me ever notice how normal the names are of our Thunder team? Nick, Jeff, Kevin, Russel, Chucky, Robert, Earl, Kyle. Good thing we've got Thabo and Nenad thrown in there or we'd sound completely blue collar. Nothing too fancy so far. No Kobe, Lebron, Hedo, Rashard, Pau, Lamar, Rapher, Sasha or Marcin.
I'm just odd like that I guess.
@Royce
Haha, exactly.
J.G. :It looks more and more like Harden is a SG version of Jeff Green, aka, his style of play masks the fact that he has unreal vertical leaping ability, strength and straight-ahead speed.
Uncle James?
31 pounds, sorry
For Joe,
Dejuan Blair had a 33 inch vertical.
Losing those 31 points probably added 5 inches to his vertical alone, so with his impressive reach and wingspan, plus surprising athleticism (not to mention grit and rebounding prowess), I'd definitely take the Piston's #15 and get Blair if possible.
It looks more and more like Harden is a SG version of Jeff Green, aka, his style of play masks the fact that he has unreal vertical leaping ability, strength and straight-ahead speed.
@J.G.
Awesome news about Harden.
Good to know about Harden. I've been one to knock him for his athleticism. He doesn't look athletic enough to hit 37 inches on his vertical. He must be one of those strange guys that fool the eye test.
Thanks, Kev. Harden really only underperformed on the lane agility drills (aka, lateral quickness) but all of his other scores were above average and way better than expected.
Ironically, DeRozan underperformed on everything except his vertical leap in terms of expected "athleticism" (which really isn't a true knock on him, but his lateral quickness and straight ahead spring abilities were supposed to dwarf everyone else going in).