I was looking through Youtube videos this week searching for a good video and I saw the clip from the jersey unveiling. And I must say, I got a little nostalgic. Here we are getting ready for what’s truly our first draft, which will totally complete our first season of professional basketball. And to think back how it all started and how we thought logos and jersey designs were the most important thing in the world. I will say that I definitely like the uniforms more and more. I think the home jerseys are completely classic. I love the crisp white and the perfectly outlined lettering. The road jerseys leave a little to be desired, but hey, it was the first run. Anyway, more than anything this is just a “Remember when?” video.
Brandon Jennings (along with Jonny Flynn and Jrue Holliday) worked out for the Kings today and while the workout was interesting, the real good stuff came in the interviews. Basically, Jennings, who played once against Ricky Rubio in Europe last season, called the young Spaniard out (video in the link – the good stuff starts at about 5:00).
Well, put it like this: If he was in a workout with me [and fellow point-guards] Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Tywon Lawson, Stephen Curry, he wouldn’t probably be at the top.
But he wasn’t finished. He was then asked if he thought he was a better player than Rubio.
Yeah, I think I’m a better player than he is. I just shoot the ball better than he can. The only thing I’ve seen him do sometimes is when he has a home-run pass or something like that. I think the dude is just all hype. I can’t even front. I’m just going to be real with you guys.
Strong words. (And how awkward was that for poor Jonny Flynn. He was just trying to laugh it off.) And yes, Rubio didn’t score in their head-to-head, but he played just eight minutes, according to this USA Today recap of the game. Rubio also didn’t attempt a shot as he was still playing one-handed due to his broken wrist. Jennings had 12 points and two assists in 23 minutes. Keep Reading…
The No. 25 pick the Thunder is something easily forgotten about when you’re picking in the top three. But it honestly can be just as important. I’m too lazy to go back and spend three or four minutes on Wikipedia finding all the great NBA players picked outside of the lottery, but just trust me, there’s lots of good players there. You can’t necessarily expect to hit a home run at No. 25, but if you do your work, you can find a quality contributor and sometimes if you’re lucky, a real stud.
So we’re looking at the guys that are fringe lottery players and those just outside of it. There’s a bunch of players up for consideration here, so it’s pretty subjective. Once you start getting around your 20th and 30th best players, it’s kind of a crapshoot. So don’t hate us if you have Wayne Ellington as one of your five best players. We all see these guys differently. Also, keep in mind, a few players on this list are still in the “testing the waters” phase and haven’t signed an agent. (Taj Gibson, Gani Lawal, Austin Daye, Jeff Teague and Patty Mills among a few others. The deadline for withdraw is Monday)
(Remember, NOT a mock draft. Just a ranking of the prospects with an eye toward Thunder needs. Since there was so much variation in this list and really no way to come to a consensus, this list is separated between my 13-30 and Joe’s. Obviously though, my list is better and more correct. Just to help with seeing where we had differences, in parenthesis on my list is Joe’s ranking for that player and vice versa for his.)
Royce’s 13-30
13. Eric Maynor – 6’3″/ G/ Virginia Commonwealth (15) – highlights
I love four-year players. During time at college, they’re able to pick up on so much and come into the league with more intangibles than a 19-year-old with insane athleticism. When I look at Maynor, I see Chauncey Billups written all over him. He’s got an excellent mid-range jumper, he’s an absolute leader on the floor and has the quicks to get around anyone. He’s the type of guy that might not ever be a star, but he’s going to lead a team when he’s on the floor. He can even play off the ball a little and I think him coupled with Russell Westbrook could make a dynamic backcourt.
14. Jrue Holliday – 6’4″/ G/ UCLA (13) – highlights
I don’t see it. I’ve watched and watched, but I just don’t see a top five player here. Yes, he’s got a lot of skill, but he’s a guy that would’ve done himself a favor by going back for his sophomore season. His game is extremely raw and I see the comparison to Russell Westbrook in the sense that his athleticism may develop into skill quickly, but Westbrook played two years in college. Keep Reading…
David Berri looking closely at Jordan Hill: “Jordan Hill – a power forward out of Arizona – is generally thought to be a 
lottery pick (Ford’s latest mock has him going 10th to Milwaukee). Although Grant and Thomas are not considered “stars”, each had productive seasons in the NBA. Across 12 seasons, Grant produced 60.3 wins and posted a 0.135 WP48. Most of these wins were produced for Portland and Miami. In seven seasons with these two teams, Grant produced 51.3 wins with a 0.167 WP48. Again, Gottlieb thinks Grant is the best case scenario for Hill. And that doesn’t look to bad. But what if Hill is actually Thomas? Thomas had had trouble staying healthy, but he has produced 17.3 wins with a 0.125 WP48 in his career. His third season was the only time he managed to appear in more than 75 games, and that season he produced 5.6 wins with a 0.143 WP48.”
Jeff Green talked with the official team site about what he’s doing this summer: “He snorkeled the blissful coastline of Costa Rica and rode a zip line through its rainforest. And hardly a soul knew it was Jeff Green. That’s just how Green likes it, especially since this was his first vacation in what seemed like forever. The Thunder forward has since resumed classes at Georgetown University. He hits the books just like any other college kid, and even has a six-page English paper due next week. All the while Green has made plenty of time for the weight room and basketball court in an effort to return to Oklahoma City a better player than he left it.”
James Harden has a workout scheduled with the Thunder: “Harden also has workouts scheduled with the Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies. Of the teams he’ll audition for, the Thunder has the greatest need at shooting guard after drafting Russell Westbrook to play point guard last year. The Wizards have Gilbert Arenas to run the team, but he missed most of last season with a knee injury. Memphis drafted O.J. Mayo last year after drafting point guard Mike Conley in 2007. The Kings have Kevin Martin at shooting guard, so Harden would have to show he could run a team in addition to scoring to fit in with Sacramento. Harden said he sometimes initiated the Arizona State offense to take pressure off the point guards. He admits doing that in the NBA would be different, but feels the teams he’s working out for could use him.” Keep Reading…
With the first edition of the big board, Joe and I reserved the right to update and revise our opinion after the pre-draft combine results came in. And good thing we did because there was some fairly big information to come from it. Players being short, being medically red flagged or players not testing at all. There was definitely enough info in some situations to revise and re-evaluate. Remember, this is NOT a mock draft. It’s the top players according to us, with an eye towards the Thunder’s needs. Since OKC picks third, a lot of these guys will be irrelevant, but there’s always the possibility to move down or move up from No. 25 as well.
(In parenthesis is what the player was ranked in our first big board. Players 13-30 will be up tomorrow. Get excited.)
1. Blake Griffin (1) – 6′10″/ F/ Oklahoma (highlights)
Royce: Sigh… if only. If only.
2. Ricky Rubio (2) – 6′3″/ G/ DKV Joventut (highlights)
3. James Harden (3) – 6′5″/ G/ Arizona State (highlights)
Royce: I’m actually extremely close to bumping Harden to the two slot. I just think he fits with this team like Ace Ventura in parking spots. His game compliments every other Thunder starter and he would form a nice two-guard combo with Thabo Sefolosha. Really the only reason Rubio remains above Harden is the hype. I just can’t ignore it, even though I’m desperately trying.
4. Stephen Curry (5) – 6′3″ / G/ Davidson (highlights)
Royce: I’m on the wagon. I’m totally convinced he’s going to be a solid NBA player. I don’t know if he’ll dominate or if he’ll score 20 a game, but he’s going to be good. He’s one of those guys that you can just kind of sense it. He’s got an entirely polished game, is well-spoken, has great basketball lines and any question about athleticism was answered at the pre-draft combine. He’s a legit 6’3, moves extremely well side-to-side, can leap better than we thought and handles the ball extremely well. Honestly at this point, since he can play two spots, I’m beginning to wonder if he’s more of a Presti guy than Harden.
Joe: We agreed that Curry needed to be higher than we had him on our original big board. I was impressed with his numbers at the combine. He same max vertical leap as Blake Griffin and he racked the bench 10 times and he was a legitimate 6’3 1/4 in shoes. Keep Reading…
It’s a slow news day in Thundertown. But the good news: We’re just 14 days away from the draft. That’s two weeks. 
Remember when we were waiting for the lottery, about to go nuts with anticipation? Then we thought we’d get some clarity once the lottery was over? Well, all we know now is that every player in the draft appears to be an option for Sam Presti, except for the one we all really, really wanted. And even still, Presti does have that magic wand he can wave to maybe pull it off.
Season ticket renewals remain strong for the Thunder: “About five out of every six season ticket-holders are expected to renew their seats for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s second season. Senior vice president of ticket sales and service Brian Byrnes said Wednesday the team projects a renewal rate of about 83 or 84 percent.”
Mike Baldwin has evidently asked a few scouts, and they say OKC should take Thabeet. I’m curious as to if these might be scouts from the Nuggets, Blazers and Timberwolves: “He changes games,” said one Eastern Conference scout. “If he doesn’t give you anything on the offensive end he can change the game defensively. There’s not a lot of guys in this draft that can come in with their presence alone who can alter the game. “I’m not saying he’s as good as Blake Griffin but I think he can alter a game defensively more than Blake Griffin. That’s why (Thabeet) is unique, especially in this draft that has so many point guards.” Another scout had a similar comment. “It’s not like he’s a stiff offensively,” the scout said. “He has a couple of signature moves. That’s something he can develop. If he does develop a little offensively, and picks up his intensity a little bit, he could become an All-Star.” Keep Reading…
Update: Chad Ford with a new mock draft: 
“The Thunder have been their typical quiet selves. GM Sam Presti has told a number of agents that he is interested in their players, but it has been difficult to ascertain the direction toward which they are leaning. We continue to hear that the Thunder have expressed interest in Rubio, Thabeet, James Harden, Jordan Hill and Stephen Curry. Rubio likely will make a visit to OKC sometime before the draft, but major questions exist about how he would fit there. The team sees Russell Westbrook as its point guard of the future and isn’t sure how he would fare without the ball in his hands. Maybe more importantly, 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. But if he doesn’t, and if Rubio is off the board, the team will have to make a tough decision. Thabeet would give the Thunder the shot-blocking they desperately need. Harden would give them the savvy of a veteran. Curry would give them shooting. Hill would give them rebounding and energy. Oklahoma City could use all those things, but our guess is that it will settle on Harden.”
Now this is a mock draft: “OKC – James Harden – I normally respect Sam Presti and his giant pulsating brain, but he will make the greatest mistake of his career by drafting Harden. Sure, shooting guard is a glaring need for an otherwise promising team, but I heard from a guy who knows a guy who dated a girl who read on a blog that Harden is such a bad athlete that he entered a 3 km race with a rabbit and only won because the rabbit was so confident of winning that he decided to take a nap midway through the course. Further, I hear that the slothful James Harden has not legs but a gelatinous mass of flesh not unlike a slug that leaves a trail of greasy discharge when he runs the court on a fast break.” I sense sarcarm…
Sam Young could slip simply because of his age. I hope he slips right to No. 25, because I absolutely love his game: “A two time all-Big East selection, Young possesses a polished all around game with a knack for performing best in his team’s biggest games. The small forward averaged 23.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, leading the team to the Elite Eight. Despite all of these accomplishments, however, Young will likely slip out of the draft lottery and into the latter part of the first round largely because of his age. At 24, Young is older than even most of his classmates which, by NBA Draft standards, is ancient. He might as well be Abe Vigoda. Few players in this draft have the combination of skills, athleticism and experience that Young has yet he still isn’t considered a top prospect in this draft.” Keep Reading…
Headlines
- VP Biden called Durant to thank him for donation
- KD named All-NBA first team, Westbrook second team
- Perk donates $25,000 to help build shelters in schools
- Report: Mo Cheeks to interview with the Pistons
- Thunder land the 12th pick in the 2013 draft
- Thunder donate $1 million to aid with disaster relief
- Kevin Durant donates $1 million to disaster relief
The Trap and Myth of the Next
Around draft time – or really around any time – whenever a young player’s name gets brought up, the inevitable happens. He gets compared to someone else. Oh yeah, I see a lot of Josh Smith in him … He’s got a bigger Brandon Roy written all over him … If he develops a jumper, he’s the next Dwyane Wade. It’s unavoidable.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s also not always fair to the player. Immediately, he’s got expectations placed on him. If the young prospect doesn’t at least reach the level of the player he’s being compared to, it’s almost like he’s failed. When in reality, he didn’t ask for the comparisons. He didn’t ask for the expectations.
FreeDarko’s Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac has a chapter titled “The Myth of the Next” where they look at who players were compared to early on in their career.
Brilliant stuff. A very recent and poignant example of an offhand comparison becoming snowballed hype can be found in Ricky Rubio and his Pete Maravich link. Some examples FreeDarko uses:
Myth of the Next Dirk Nowitzki – Pau Gasol, Darko Milicic, Nikoloz Tskitishvili
Myth of the Next Dwyane Wade – Brandon Roy, Rodney Stuckey, Randy Foye
Myth of the Next Magic Johnson – Penny Hardaway, Jalen Rose, Toni Kukoc
Myth of the Next Tracy McGrady – J.R. Smith, Dorell Wright, Gerald Green
There’s many more, but the point rings true – just because a player resembles another’s skillset and abilities, doesn’t mean he will turn out to be that same guy. And you have to be very careful tagging someone that way or you could end up looking like Dean Blevins on painkillers. In other words, stupid. Keep Reading…