NBA Rumors: Wizards’ pick, Williams’ promise and Rubio’s first workout
Posted by John Paulsen (06/23/2009 @ 2:15 pm)

Promise for Terrence Williams?
Williams went back for a second workout with the Bobcats on Monday against Gerald Henderson. Sources said after the workout that Williams met with the Bobcats and might have walked away with a promise that the Bobcats would take him at No. 12.
Williams has been moving up of late, and now it looks like he may have leapfrogged Henderson in a pretty thin shooting guard draft class. The Warriors are reportedly high on him at #7 as well.
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Posted in: NBA, NBA Draft, News, Rumors & Gossip
Tags: 2009 NBA Draft, 2009 NBA Draft rumors, Darren Collison, Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Timberwolves preview, NBA Draft rumors, NBA rumors, Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Trail Blazers rumors, Ricky Rubio, Ricky Rubio Kings, Ricky Rubio workout, Ty Lawson, Wizards draft rumors, Wizards rumors
NBA Rumors: Rubio, Boozer, T-Mac and more
Posted by John Paulsen (06/19/2009 @ 2:26 pm)

Chad Ford writes about why Ricky Rubio is being so selective in his workouts.
First of all, the idea that Rubio is the only one doing it is silly. James Harden has only worked out for four teams. Even the Knicks couldn’t get him in. Hasheem Thabeet will likely only work out for three. DeMar DeRozan has been really selective, and so has Stephen Curry.
It’s pretty simple as to why Rubio is being selective: He is going to have to pay a lot of money for the privilege to play in the NBA next season. His buyout will cost him something between $5 and $7 million of his own money. That’s a lot of money, especially when you consider that Rubio wasn’t making a ton of dough in Spain. He essentially will be signing over his paychecks for the next couple of years to his team in Spain.
The Kings have an obvious hole at point guard on a young team. It seems to be the place his camp wants him to land. If the Kings draft him, I don’t think there’s any question that Rubio would pay the buyout and come. The question is, will the Kings draft him? I think the odds are in Rubio’s favor, but it sounds like some in the organization still need to be convinced.
Rubio’s future might depend on something he has no control over — is Russell Westbrook a point guard? A statistical study I did a few weeks ago revealed that he was turnover-prone and shoot-first, though obviously as a young rookie, there is room for improvement. If the Thunder think he’s a point guard, then I doubt they take Rubio. They’ll take James Harden, who averaged 4.2 assists during his senior year even though he was taking 13 shots per game.
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Tags: 2009 NBA Draft, 2009 NBA Draft rumors, 2009 NBA free agency, Ben Gordon, Ben Gordon Detroit, Carlos Boozer, Carlos Boozer Detroit, Carlos Boozer free agent, Carlos Boozer Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Mark Jackson, Mark Jackson Minnesota, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA Draft, NBA free agency, NBA free agency rumors, Ricky Rubio, Ricky Rubio draft, Ricky Rubio Kings, Ricky Rubio Oklahoma City, Ricky Rubio rumors, Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings, Tracy McGrady, Tracy McGrady trade, Utah Jazz