Monday Bolts – 6.7.10
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! published a report yesterday saying Sam Presti is potentially being sought after by Portland. The Blazers have made “fact-finding” calls on Presti, though no official decision has been made on Kevin Pritchard. My question: What high profile GM would want to leave a great situation and a great relationship with his ownership group to go somewhere where the current and very popular GM is being ran out of town? Would you jump at that opportunity?
Presti: “Portland has a general manager, and I have a great job here in Oklahoma City,” Presti said Sunday. “I am excited to be a part of what we are building.”
OKC likes German Tibor Pleiss at No. 26? His Draft Express profile.
A couple ESPN analysts like Trevor Booker: “Trevor Booker gets my vote too. I have always advocated for second-round selections who have what I call “winning skills.” These are players that bring high energy on the court, a specific high-level skill and are low maintenance off the court. Booker fits this perfectly. After four years as an ACC starter, he has competed against — and in some cases dominated — guys who are already in the NBA. His power, explosive jumping ability, nose for the ball and experience would make for a great rotation player early in his career on a team like the Celtics. Think of him as a Glen Davis or Leon Powe type, both of whom had knocks on them coming out of college, but helped the Celtics win a title in 2008.”
Could KD be on the cover of the re-branded NBA Elite 11?
Daniel Orton goes 13th in this mock draft on Fanhouse.
A writer from Fox Sports Southwest thinks OKC needs a shooting guard. James Harden anyone?: “I think they may look to add a shooting guard to play next to Russell Westbrook in the backcourt or a power forward to add strength in front court. There also has been talk of taking back a contract to get into the top five picks. If they can manage to move into the top five, Demarcus Cousins of Kentucky would be an attractive addition. He can score anytime he touches the ball and has a 7-6 wingspan. He has soft hands and is a force on defense and above average passing skills for a big man. He would be their answer to Andrew Bynum of the Lakers.”
A bunch of pictures of KD’s China trip. As this picture shows, KD has a couple tattoos. Who knew?
Jon Schuhmann of NBA.com looks at teams that can spend this summer: “Thunder: Ideal Fit: Bosh or Redick. If you can get Bosh, you get him. With Kevin Durant, you don’t need him to be the star that the Raptors needed him to be. Redick would fit the long-term plan and give the Thunder the outside shooting that they need without being a liability on defense. He’s restricted and probably won’t come cheap, but as the team on this list closest to a championship, the Thunder have the most to gain by taking a financial risk.”
