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Tuesday Bolts – 6.23.09

by Royce Young on June 23, 2009 at 8:12 am 68 Comments

Don’t forget to send in your submission for the Daily Thunder MockTest. Winner gets an autographed copy of thunderbolt2316 Strong and Handsome: The Royce Young Story.

Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News on the draft’s swingmen: “Either way, it may well describe James Harden, the Arizona State shooting guard who may or may not be the second player chosen in Thursday night’s NBA draft. He most certainly is in the conversation when it comes to figuring out who goes directly after Blake Griffin. “He’s a ready-made, step-in NBA contributor,” Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. And there just aren’t many of those in this draft. In fact, Harden may be the only one at the swing positions – shooting guard and small forward.”

Taylor Griffin was “drafted” to play with the Harlem Globetrotters. I really have no idea what that means or if he’s actually a Globetrotter now, but that’s what happened: “The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters today selected University of Oklahoma senior forward Taylor Griffin as the top pick in the team’s third annual player draft, just days before his younger brother, and Sooners teammate, Blake Griffin is expected to become the number one overall selection of the upcoming NBA Draft on June 25.”

NBA.com has put together a consensus mock draft using all of the most reputable sites: OKC is taking either Hasheem Thabeet or Ricky Rubio (tie). James Harden goes fifth the Washington.

Scott Howard-Cooper with info on the Grizzlies situation: “The growing league-wide sentiment is that the Grizzlies won’t select Rubio, but by their own choice rather than being scared off. Adding size is simply more pressing and Conley still has promise. Trading out of the spot is possible. If not, Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet is the logical choice. “That’s who they’re taking,” a rival personnel boss said. “The rest is smoke. Bet on it.” Keep Reading…

Draftbusters: What makes up a bust and who is likely to be one

by Royce Young on June 22, 2009 at 1:25 pm 26 Comments

Coming into a draft, there’s so much hope. Hope to land the next big thing. Hope to fill a major need. Hope to find that diamond in the rough. Hope that this player can turn it all around or maybe make a good thing better.

Every team has their picks and every team has the highest of hopes for the guy they take. But the inevitable happens every year. Players bust.

They don’t live up to their potential. They never contribute. They don’t find the success that they were supposed to. Like Ricky Barnes at Bethpage, they just fold.

The thing is, everybody has different definitions for bust. Maybe it’s a guy that was taken in the top 10 and never averaged more than 20 minutes a game in his NBA career (Kwame Brown) Maybe it’s a guy that came into the league with a ton of hype, had a fairly productive career but yet didn’t live up to the expectations placed on him (Joe Smith). Maybe it’s an international player that never makes it over the United States (Yotam Halperin, among many). Maybe it’s a talented guy that gets plagued by injuries and can’t produce (Michael Olowokandi). Or maybe even it’s just a nice college player taken in the late first round that never makes any kind contribution. It all just depends on how you look at the player.

Obviously, the highly regarded and highly drafted players that bust are the most visible. Those disappointments are unavoidably going to come up around this time of year. The Darko’s, the Robert Swift’s, the Michael Olowokandi’s. A guy like Andrea Bargnani is a nice NBA player but since he was the top pick in the 2006 draft, he could potentially be tagged as a bust. The expectations on the No. 1 overall guy are higher than anybody else. Really that’s true for any top five pick. They are supposed to be game changers. Guys that may need some grooming, but will surely have a positive impact on the team they are on. Keep Reading…

The first ever Daily Thunder MockTest

by Royce Young on June 22, 2009 at 12:24 pm 38 Comments

Who wants something free? Well, if you do then get ready to join the first ever Daily Thunder Mock Draft Contest. Basically, it’s simple:

Predict what happens with both the Thunder’s first and second pick. 10 points awarded for nailing the first, 15 for nailing the second. 5 points if the player is taken one spot (on either side) of your pick.

You can predict a trade, but don’t try and include players. But you do have to predict who OKC traded with. That counts as getting the pick correct. (Example: If you think OKC trades either it’s pick or the player they are drafting, just put “OKC trades third pick to Toronto.”)

Also, select ANY four other teams (except one can’t be the Clippers) and predict their FIRST ROUND pick (if the team has two in the first, just pick one and specify the number). Trade predictions still accepted. 10 points for nailing it, five for being within one on either side. Doesn’t matter what teams. I’d advise against Orlando though. They don’t have one.

Highest point total wins something wonderful (and gets acknowledged for being smarter than all of their Thunder peers). Maybe it’s a Chucky Atkins banner. Maybe it’s courtside season tickets. Maybe it’s Major League II on DVD. The only way to find out is to enter and win. Second place may or may not receive a congratulatory email from me. We’ll see how I feel that day.

Email your picks to royceyoung41@gmail.com. I promise I’ll be fair. Unless your last name is “Young” and you happen to be my wife. Then all bets are off.

Monday Bolts – 6.22.09

by Royce Young on June 22, 2009 at 8:00 am 51 Comments

thunderbolt2315 Finally, eh? Just four days until this madness is over and then we get to start the next round of it. Right now, there’s so much information, misinformation and whatever else circling around, it’s hard to keep up. So forgive me if I don’t. I think for this week, I’m going to keep the Bolts live, so check back for any potential additional updates throughout the day.

Nick Prevenas of NBADraft.net looking at if this draft is all-time bad: “This year’s draft pales in comparison. It’s highly unlikely that it’ll match last year’s draft in terms of quality depth, and it will have an impossible time measuring up against any of the other terrific drafts of this era (the Durant-Oden 2007, the Roy-Aldridge 2006, the Paul-Williams 2005, the Dwight Howard 2004, and of course the James-Melo-Wade class of 2003). Twenty years from now, hoops scholars will look on that six-year stretch as one of the most pivotal eras in NBA history. The amount of quality talent came into the league during that stretch boggles the mind. Surely, the league was due for a down year eventually, right? Well, it appears as if this is that down year.” I always laugh when people talk about how “bad” this draft is. How do we really know? There could be 10 All-Stars in this class. Sure, on paper it doesn’t look so wonderful but can’t we let guys play out their career or maybe at least just one game before we label this the worst draft ever?

Sean Deveney put prospects on the spot with that question – Is this draft weak?: “James Harden, Arizona State: ‘Weak? I don’t believe that. I think there are a lot of underrated players who could wind up in the bottom of the first round, a lot of good players who aren’t really talked about enough. What matters is whether the guys who get drafted produce when they get to the right team. You can’t judge a draft before it even happens.’”

Report: Rubio’s contract will be reduced: ”The prospect of drafting Ricky Rubio is about to become less risky. A source close to Rubio said the $6.6 million buyout of the Spanish point guard’s contract with his current team, DKV Joventut, was likely to be reduced Sunday or today to an amount where “he knows he’ll be able to make the payments.” Such a resolution will, in effect, clear a major obstacle for teams considering Rubio as their first pick in Thursday’s NBA draft but that have concerns about the financial albatross to which he has been tied.” Keep Reading…

Report: Thunder interviewed Rubio in Los Angeles

by Royce Young on June 21, 2009 at 2:55 pm 41 Comments

Sam Amick of the Sac Bee:

Just as the notion of Ricky Rubio in a Kings uniform is seeming less likely by the day, there is this unsurprising news: he is moving on.

A source with knowledge of the situation said Rubio was visited in Los Angeles today by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have the No. 3 pick in the June 25 draft. This matters mostly because Rubio’s visit in Sacramento this week came with unspoken terms, an understanding of sorts that a Rubio promise on the Kings’ part could have stopped his American tour with just one concert. But that clearly never happened, and certainly not only because Rubio was unable to get on the floor Thursday when he fell ill.

Well wouldn’t you like to know how that went? I’m truly beginning to think Sam Presti has his targets narrowed to three or four. With under a week left, he’s surely got his guys he likes with option A, B and C. (And if you’re wondering who I think those may be, I’m thinking James Harden, Rubio and Stephen Curry. With of course the option to see a trade.)

Also, Outside the Lines had a great feature on Rubio Friday with Fran Fraschilla adding some excellent commentary on the Spanish point guard. Definitely worth a watch. Let me tell you, I have no idea what to really think of Rubio, but every time I see something like this, I get excited about him.

Oh and in case you didn’t see it, Hasheem Thabeet canceled his workout with the Grizzlies, citing a shoulder injury. Add another red flag to the previous 200 piled up on him. That means he hasn’t worked out for a single team before the draft and also didn’t work out at the combine. Yeah, that’s not exactly encouraging stuff from a potential top five pick. Just say no Presti. Just say no.

Saturday Morning Cartoons: KD’s ridiculous swag at Barry Farms

by Royce Young on June 20, 2009 at 7:30 am 75 Comments

(One of the reasons I started these Saturday morning video posts was to give a pseudo open thread for folks to stop by and visit about anything going on with the team. Some have been treating them as such already, but feel free to ramble on about whatever within. And in the meantime, maybe enjoy a random video that I thought was worthy of showing you.)

This video has been around for over a year, but I just saw it for the first time last week via TrueHoop. It’s just an awesome street ball video featuring one of those very near and dear to our heart. Kevin Durant is playing with others in the Goodman League and he goes all Rookie/Sophomore game on them. He dropped 62 points during the game and basically decided he was going to score at will, especially down the stretch. KD returned and played in the league again late last night, but results haven’t been posted yet. In the meantime, enjoy Kid Delicious absolutely dominating last year’s game.

What to do with that other pick

by Royce Young on June 19, 2009 at 10:18 am 84 Comments

We’ve spent the last month talking about what Oklahoma City will do with the third pick in this draft. So much time in fact, that it’s easy to forget that the Thunder have a second pick in the first round. I know, who knew?

So what to do there? Obviously, the 25th pick is directly related to what happens with the third choice. If the Thunder goes big at three, then they need to address guard issues at 25. If OKC goes guard at three, then they could take a big man or maybe take a guard opposite of what they took at three. Know what I mean? That’s not some big sports revelation there – if you draft a position with your first pick that fills a need, then you take something different with your next pick. Someone should let the Detroit Lions know that.

(If you really want to know what I really think about this pick though, I see the Thunder trading out of this pick or possibly taking another international player to stash away for a bit. Heck, you could even move into the middle-to-late second round and take another international project. Right now, OKC’s got a lot of playable assets and adding another player either pushes one of its current guys out the door or will leave the new guy stuck on the bench for a while. You can’t forget that the Thunder added Shaun Livingston, Kyle Weaver and D.J. White to its current roster last year and also has Serge Ibaka potentially ready for time. The Thunder depth chart could be getting really crowded, really fast. A good package deal would be for Presti to target his man – Harden, DeRozan, Curry, whoever – judge where he’s apt to go and send the No. 25 pick along with the three to move down to that spot and hopefully grab an immediate contributor in the process. I just don’t see the worth in keeping the 25 pick, unless a guy is there you really want or unless one of the current guys on the roster aren’t in the future plans (Kyle Weaver?). But hey, that’s just me. I’m all for upgrading a position and if you can do that with the 25th pick in this draft, then go for it.)

So based on what happens with the third pick, you’ve got to look position by position. Typically, when you’re drafting in the lower regions of a round, you’re either looking to try and fill a small need or maybe find something that could be a home run years from now. The Michael Redd’s and Carl Landry’s don’t come along all that often. So you need a sense of the needs at each position.

POINT GUARD

Current situation - Russell Westbrook/ Shaun Livingston/ Earl Watson/ Chucky Atkins

If the Thunder goes with Rubio, then point guard obviously isn’t necessary. But if OKC takes Harden of Thabeet or someone else, it needs to look for a quality backup point guard. Livingston is only signed through the end of next year and if he’s successful, he’ll be looking for a team that will make him a full-time point guard. If he’s not successful, then you’re looking for a quality backup anyway. Either way, it’s a position that needs depth. Right now there’s a log jam, but Earl Watson and Chucky Atkins have about as much chance to be in a Thunder uniform by the end of next year as I do.

Three that fit the bill:
Rodrigue Beaubois - I didn’t have him as a top 30 player on my big board because honestly, I didn’t know enough about him. But now, I see him as a definite top 30 player in this draft. His real value is that he doesn’t have to be here right away. Just like Serge Ibaka, Presti could take Beaubois and stash him for a year while he figures out what to do about Shaun Livingston. If Livingston is in the long term plans, you trade Beaubois down the line. If Livingston isn’t, you can bring over your backup point guard when you’re ready. And let me tell you, Beaubois is an impressive athlete – 6’2″, can leap out of the building (39″ vertical) and is a solid shooting point guard. He’s a little like the Euro version of Russell Westbrook, but he’s more of a true point guard. From what I see, pretty good player. And a cool name to boot. Keep Reading…

Friday Bolts – Father’s Day Weekend Edition

by Royce Young on June 19, 2009 at 7:47 am 33 Comments

First off, I want to wish a very happy Father’s Day to my pop and also to my most excellent father-in-law. (Again, I thunderbolt2314 actually have really great in-laws. I know, I’m very lucky.) I guess while technically we’re honoring you for being a dad, it’s also kind of a celebration of me because without me, you wouldn’t be a father. (Well, without me or my two brothers. Whatever.) So I guess happy Father’s Day to me, and also you.

Sean Deveney sticking to form and going off the path with his mock draft: “Oklahoma City. Stephen Curry, G, Davidson. The consensus seems to be that the Thunder will take SG James Harden. But the Thunder almost never do what the consensus indicates. Curry would give OKC a sweet-shooting combo guard to pair with PG Russell Westbrook. They could try for Thabeet or Rubio here, too. There’s been talk about Hill, but Hill has not worked out here.”

The official FreeDarko mock: “Oklahoma City Thunder – Rodrigue Beaubois, France – The Russell Westbrook of Europe meets the Russell Westbrook of … um, America. We (outside of stoicism fetishists like Joey) think of the San Antonio canon as one of boring, solid, workmanlike. But ignore Duncan for a minute. The team that brought us James White! This is what Presti took from the Spurs playbook, beyond the Big Three + flexibility trope: get players who can jump over canyons. I look forward to the first Green-to-Westbrook-to-Beaubois-to-Durant fastbreak in which feet never touch the ground.”

More Twitter brilliance from Nick Collison: “We interrupt our coverage of the escalating nuclear situation in N. Korea OMG!!!!!!! ITS THE JONAS BROTHERS ON LARRY KING!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!” Keep Reading…

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