Brandon Jennings: ‘I’m better than Ricky Rubio.’ Posted by John Paulsen (06/12/2009 @ 4:58 pm) Brandon Jennings isn’t shy. When being interviewed by the Sacramento Bee after a workout with the Kings, Jennings had some sharp words for Ricky Rubio. [Transcript from The Sporting Blog.]
Jennings: Well, put it like this: If he was in a workout with me, Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson, Stephen Curry, he wouldn’t even probably be at the top. Reporter: You think he’s all hype? Jennings: Yeah. Reporter: Because? Jennings: Because he played in the Olympics, he been playing pro ball since he been 14, so you know, there it is right there. And you know, his stats? 26 minutes, and he be having like 16 points, 7 assists [inaudible — sounds like he says 900] steals? Come on. Twenty-six minutes, and you have all that? So I really don’t know. I really don’t know. I can’t wait to play him, though. I’m just letting y’all know that now. I can’t wait. Reporter: You think you should go before Ricky Ruubio in the draft? Jennings: Yeah, I think I’m a better player than he is. I can shoot the ball better than he can. The only time I’ve seen him do something is when he has a home run pass or something. So I think the dude is all hype. I can’t even front. I’m going to be real with you guys.
Two weeks out, Rubio is still considered the top point guard in the draft, but his stock isn’t quite as high as it once was. While they love the “feel” that he has for the game, some personnel people are concerned about his overall athleticism and his suspect jumper. Meanwhile, Jennings stock has slipped considerably since midseason largely because he got inconsistent playing time while in Italy. Rubio is definitely more pass-first than he is shoot-first, and the opposite is true for Jennings, at least reputation-wise. Of the best point guards in the league, most are pass-first, so it’s no surprise that Rubio is favored right now. Consensus NBA Mock Draft (6/10) Posted by John Paulsen (06/10/2009 @ 12:57 pm) Both ESPN (Chad Ford) and NBADraft.net updated their mock drafts today, so it’s a good time to update our consensus mock draft. (Come on, DraftExpress and DIME, your mocks are getting stale!) 
A few things to note: – Whether or not Jordan Hill slips might depend on what happens with James Harden. If he’s there at #5, the Wizards could very well take him, and the teams picking #6 through #9 will probably pass on Hill, leaving him for the Bucks at #10. As a Bucks fan, I’d be happy if the team got Hill in the draft and re-signed Ramon Sessions. – It doesn’t look like Ricky Rubio is too keen on going to Memphis, but he probably won’t slip past the Kings at #4. If the Thunder see Russell Westbrook as their point guard of the future (which is what Chad Ford is reporting), then it wouldn’t make sense for OKC to draft him, though they could try to trade down and pick up a good player in the process. They could trade down to #5 and grab Hill, but the Wizards aren’t looking to trade up. – Brandon Jennings’ range in this consensus is #7 to #14. Expect that to change as he does a few individual workouts. He was considered the top talent in his class by many coming out of high school, but his stock has slipped some since he played (inconsistently) over in Italy this season. – The four mocks have the Warriors taking four different point guards. It just goes to show what kind of depth there is at the position this year. – Of these four mocks, the one I trust least is DIME. From Earl Clark going #6 to the Jazz passing on Hansbrough at #20, there are a few headscratchers. I’d like to see an updated mock from DIME. Posted in: NBA, NBA Draft, News, Rumors & Gossip Tags: 2009 NBA consensus mock draft, 2009 NBA Draft, Brandon Jennings draft, consensus mock draft, Jordan Hill draft, NBA Draft, NBA Draft rumors, Ricky Rubio draft
NBA draft and free agency rumors: Jordan Hill slipping, Ron Artest to Greece and more Posted by John Paulsen (06/08/2009 @ 3:03 pm) 
DraftExpress is over at the Reebok EuroCamp, and reported some rumors that are making the rounds. Jordan Hill potentially slipping into the bottom of the top-10 or even possibly slightly beyond. The talk is that the Washington Wizards’ 5th pick could very well end up being claimed by Stephen Curry (whether for them or another team trading up), and that since Minnesota, Golden State, New York and maybe even Toronto appear to be looking at other positional needs, Hill could be on the short end of the stick come draft night.
Hill has a lot of upside, picked up the game late, and still averaged 18.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game for a NCAA tournament-caliber team in a power conference. He has long arms and a great reach, and he can jump out of the gym. The only concern from his combine numbers is a lack of lateral quickness. He’d be a good fit for the Bucks at #10 and even the Raptors at #9, though Toronto might be interested in finding a banger so that they can move Chris Bosh to power forward full time. Read the rest of this entry » Posted in: NBA, NBA Draft, News, Rumors & Gossip Tags: 2009 NBA Draft, 2009 NBA free agency, 2009 NBA free agents, DeJuan Blair, DeJuan Blair draft, DeJuan Blair knees, Jordan Hill, Jordan Hill draft, NBA Draft, Ricky Rubio, Ricky Rubio draft, Ron Artest, Ron Artest Greece, Ron Artest to Greece
2009 NBA Mock Draft Version 2.0 Posted by John Paulsen (06/04/2009 @ 4:30 pm) 
It has been about two weeks since I published my first mock draft, so it’s a good time to check back in with all the news and rumors and take another stab. Like I said in the intro of my first mock, it’s tough for me to make predictions about what teams will do because I’m constantly thinking about what they should do. These are obviously two very different things. For this go-around, I’m going to try something a little different. I’ve compiled the picks for four mock drafts from sites that I respect — ESPN (Chad Ford), Dime Magazine, DraftExpress and NBADraft.net — and then I’ll provide my own picks taking their picks into account, to form some sort of consensus. Let’s get on with it… Read the rest of this entry » Posted in: NBA, NBA Draft, Rumors & Gossip Tags: 2009 Mock Drafts, 2009 NBA Draft, 2009 NBA mock draft, Austin Daye, Austin Daye draft, B.J. Mullins, B.J. Mullins draft, Blake Griffin, Blake Griffin draft, Brandon Jennings, Brandon Jennings draft, Chase Budinger, Chase Budinger draft, consensus mock draft, DaJuan Summers, DaJuan Summers draft, Darren Collison, Darren Collison draft, DeJuan Blair, DeJuan Blair draft, DeMar DeRozan, DeMar DeRozan draft, Earl Clark, Earl Clark draft, Eric Maynor, Eric Maynor draft, Gani Lawal, Gani Lawal draft, Gerald Henderson, Gerald Henderson draft, Hasheem Thabeet, Hasheem Thabeet draft, James Harden, James Harden draft, James Johnson, James Johnson draft, Jeff Teague, Jeff Teague draft, John Paulsen, Jonny Flynn, Jonny Flynn draft, Jordan Hill, Jordan Hill draft, Jrue Holliday, Jrue Holliday draft, Marcus Thornton, Marcus Thornton draft, NBA Draft, NBA mock draft, Nick Calathes, Nick Calathes draft, Patrick Mills, Patrick Mills draft, Ricky Rubio, Ricky Rubio draft, Sam Young, Sam Young draft, Terrence Williams, Terrence Williams draft, Ty Lawson, Ty Lawson draft, Tyler Hansbrough, Tyler Hansbrough draft, Tyreke Evans, Tyreke Evans draft, Wayne Ellington, Wayne Ellington draft
NBA free agency and draft rumors Posted by John Paulsen (06/04/2009 @ 2:04 pm) 
– Charlie Villanueva is open to joining the Cavs, and given the current state of the economy, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the best he’ll be able to do is a deal at the mid-level (~$5.8 million). The Bucks first have to decide whether or not to make the qualifying offer (~$4.6 million) and they may elect not to in order to avoid going over the luxury tax threshold (~$71 million, and could drop). Without Villanueva (and Ramon Sessions, who is also slated to become a restricted free agent), the Bucks’ payroll is at about $61 million with only eight players under contract. Villanueva would give the Cavs a good matchup for Rashard Lewis. Both players are slender power forwards who can shoot the ball, though Charlie V isn’t known for his defense. – UFA Andre Miller doesn’t have a problem with the Sixers’ hire of head coach Eddie Jordan. The Sixers are over the cap but well under the luxury tax, so I’d expect them to sign the 33 year-old to a one- or two-year deal in the $6-7 million range. He is unlikely to get that on the open market, but Portland is a team with cap space that could use his leadership. – Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo plans to keep Chris Bosh and try to surround him with better players, unless the talented power forward expresses serious doubts about re-signing. By sending Jermaine O’Neal to the Heat for Shawn Marion (and his expiring contract), the Raptors have about $10 million in cap space heading into the summer. While that may not be enough to land someone like Carlos Boozer, it is enough, coupled with the team’s mid-level exception, to add two or three pretty good players to the roster. How about Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva/Chris Andersen? I’d expect the Bosh rumors to heat up next season if Toronto struggles again early on. – Hoopsworld says that there’s a rumor making the rounds that the Thunder might take DeMar DeRozan #3. This sounds a little fishy to me because everything I’m seeing shows DeRozan slipping a little after poor agility and sprint tests at the combine. James Harden has the better standing vertical and is just 1.5″ off of DeRozan’s max vertical. Harden also beat DeRozan soundly in the agility and sprint tests and is the much more polished offensive player at this point. DeRozan is 1.5″ taller, but Harden has a higher reach because he has a longer wingspan. – With Jonny Flynn and Jrue Holiday climbing the draft charts, Ricky Rubio is suddenly open to interviews and workouts with teams picking #2 to #4, which includes Memphis, Oklahoma City and Sacramento. Rubio apparently didn’t play very well in his season finale, and his camp may be worried about him slipping out of the top four if those teams in question find a guy they like better. Posted in: NBA, NBA Draft, Rumors & Gossip Tags: 2009 NBA free agency, 2009 NBA free agents, Cleveland Cavaliers, DeMar DeRozan, DeMar DeRozan draft, free agency rumors, James Harden, James Harden draft, Jonny Flynn draft, Jrue Holiday, Jrue Holiday draft, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA Draft rumors, NBA free agency, NBA free agency rumors, Ricky Rubio draft, Toronto Raptors
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