[bootstrenf]

i kind of wanted the clippers to get #2......

[Dream Hakeem]

It's been a while since the Sonics get another big man

[Floods]

Originally Posted by Damian Necronamous

I wish...don't see it happening, though. Blake Griffin doesn't deserve the Clippers.

Maybe the Clippers trade it and Randolph or Kaman for a big time player?

But he does deserve the Grizzlies???

[Floods]

Originally Posted by Hibachi!

I hate the ****ing draft... GOD DAMNIT... I mean seriously? ****... There were three players I could see making a big impact on the Kings. Griffin, Rubio, and Thabeet. We will get none of those. ****...

P.S
Poor Blake Griffin

I'm optimistic that we can still land Rubio.

The Clippers, IMO, are locked into Blake Griffin. Given how much that franchise has sucked recently and over the long haul, I think they'll take Griffin for PR reasons alone.

Memphis is the team I'm concerned about. OKC has no use for Rubio, they already have Westbrook and are loaded with guards and swingmen. They need a big. Memphis has to decide if they want make a certain upgrade at the point (or so it would seem), or create a twin towers combo of Gasol and Thabeet. If they pick the latter, I think the Kings are in the clear. We need Rubio if we're going to get out of the ****ter anytime soon.

Originally Posted by HKF

Dude, the four worst teams were in the West. Washington will be in the playoffs next year with a healthy Arenas and Haywood.

Disagree. You can't guarantee one bit that their recent injury luck will turn around, and Jamison is getting long in the tooth. Even with a full bill of health I don't see them doing anything more than sneaking into 8th and getting whacked by whoever is the one seed. East is a bit better now than it was when they were making yearly first round exits from the six or seven slots.

[bootstrenf]

sorry, but i don't think rubio will get past #2......maybe not even #1......there are rumors already circulating that the clippers are seriously considering rubio over griffin......

even if griffin goes #1 to the clippers, i think memphis can't afford to pass up a talent like rubio.....not only would he be the BPA, but imagine the grizzlies running a d'antoni style offense with rubio at the helm....rubio would be absolutely perfect for that scheme...

pg: rubio
sg: mayo
sf: gay
pf: warrick/arthur not sure
ce: gasol

they would set the record for fastbreak points and alley-oops.....rubio to mayo, gay, warrick, and the rubio/gasol spanish connection...

so much youth and speed, this would be like the new blazers.....the potential to get this kind of team would be very hard to pass up......this team would bring the crowds in because imagine how entertaining they would be to watch......

[Floods]

Originally Posted by bootstrenf

sorry, but i don't think rubio will get past #2......maybe not even #1......there are rumors already circulating that the clippers are seriously considering rubio over griffin......

Same situation as the Blazers and Kevin Durant, really. Teams don't usually outright declare who they plan to take, even if inside they know damn well who the guy is. They'll create speculation, if for no other reason, just for ****s and giggles.

I'd be floored if Blake Griffin isn't a Clipper.

even if griffin goes #1 to the clippers, i think memphis can't afford to pass up a talent like rubio.....not only would he be the BPA, but imagine the grizzlies running a d'antoni style offense with rubio at the helm....

pg: rubio
sg: mayo
sf: gay
pf: warrick/arthur not sure
ce: gasol

From Memphis' perspective, a frontcourt of Gay, Gasol, and Thabeet is equally as appealing, if not more, granted I'm not Memphis. Its not like they are desperate at point guard, unlike other teams. Gasol has already established himself as a solid, young player, and when you get the chance to build a whole front line that has a nice chance to be pretty damn good, I think you take it.

The Grizzlies have never had a good center (they had a good big man for a while, Gasol, but he wasn't and still isn't a good center).

so much youth and speed, this would be like the new blazers.....the potential to get this kind of team would be very hard to pass up......this team would bring the crowds in because imagine how entertaining they would be to watch......

Not true. The Hornets don't draw anything, and they've been a solid team the past two years with the league's (arguably) most exciting player on center stage. I don't see how people will flock to Grizzlies games while they play an untempo yet extremely uneven style, and possibly grab the 8th seed and get ousted pretty quickly in the first round. Remember, it will be all young guys running this, unlike Phoenix who was comprised of vets who knew the game and had been around a while.

[rocketeer]

Originally Posted by Jacoby_Ellsbury

But he does deserve the Grizzlies???

the grizzlies would have been the perfect situation for griffin. he steps in immediately at pf and the team already has young talent lined up to start at every other position.

Originally Posted by Jacoby_Ellsbury

I'm optimistic that we can still land Rubio.

The Clippers, IMO, are locked into Blake Griffin. Given how much that franchise has sucked recently and over the long haul, I think they'll take Griffin for PR reasons alone.

Memphis is the team I'm concerned about. OKC has no use for Rubio, they already have Westbrook and are loaded with guards and swingmen. They need a big. Memphis has to decide if they want make a certain upgrade at the point (or so it would seem), or create a twin towers combo of Gasol and Thabeet. If they pick the latter, I think the Kings are in the clear. We need Rubio if we're going to get out of the ****ter anytime soon.

the kings aren't getting rubio at 4.

the thunder will take whoever remains between rubio and thabeet. they need a big and they need a pg. if thabeet is gone(and he will be if memphis has faith in conley and thinks a thabeet/gasol frontcourt will work), oklahoma city will be taking rubio to be their pg.

[croco]

Originally Posted by Jacoby_Ellsbury

Disagree. You can't guarantee one bit that their recent injury luck will turn around, and Jamison is getting long in the tooth. Even with a full bill of health I don't see them doing anything more than sneaking into 8th and getting whacked by whoever is the one seed. East is a bit better now than it was when they were making yearly first round exits from the six or seven slots.

If the Wizards are healthy, they are absolutely a playoff team. Depending on what they do with the draft pick, even more might be possible. Flip Saunders is always getting his teams to the playoffs, can't deny that and the Wolves/Pistons breakdown when he left is also speaking volumes about his ability to get the most out of the personnel he has.

[HB]

The Grizz should pick Thabeet. Supposedly Kaman has some chronic foot problems, so he might be shipped out. No doubt the Clips will pick Griffin.

[rocketeer]

Originally Posted by HB

The Grizz should pick Thabeet. Supposedly Kaman has some chronic foot problems, so he might be shipped out. No doubt the Clips will pick Griffin.

kaman having chronic foot problems would be something that kept him from getting shipped out(something other than his contract).

the clippers are going to have a lot of trouble moving randolph or kaman. if i had to guess, i'd say camby ends up gone and they are forced to hold onto the other two because they can't find good enough deals for them.

[Floods]

Originally Posted by rocketeer

the grizzlies would have been the perfect situation for griffin. he steps in immediately at pf and the team already has young talent lined up to start at every other position.

Tounge-in-cheek joke, Memphis has been equally as awful as LAC (for the most part) since they've been in the league.

the kings aren't getting rubio at 4.

the thunder will take whoever remains between rubio and thabeet. they need a big and they need a pg. if thabeet is gone(and he will be in memphis has faith in conley and thinks a thabeet/gasol frontcourt will work), oklahoma city will be taking rubio to be their pg.

Russell Westbrook. I think he's a fine point guard, due in no small part to the fact that he provides great defense on the opposing point guards. He's not much of a distributor, but that's a skill that can be acquired. Guys who aren't good at defense when they first enter the league rarely end up being anything more than strictly average on that end. Westbrook has serious value at point guard, in my book. OKC also has two (one pretty damn good, one with potential) shooting guards, and a very good small forward. If not the starting point guard, they don't really have anywhere to put Westbrook, unless Durant suddenly stops sucking at defense enough to be an effective SF. Until then, I think a front three of Westbrook-Durant-Green is a better all-around trio than Rubio-Westbrook-Durant.

Originally Posted by croco

If the Wizards are healthy, they are absolutely a playoff team. Depending on what they do with the draft pick, even more might be possible. Flip Saunders is always getting his teams to the playoffs, can't deny that and the Wolves/Pistons breakdown when he left is also speaking volumes about his ability to get the most out of the personnel he has.

That's the best case scenario. I'm noting what I think is realistic. I think injuries should be taken into consideration when making these predictions, since they are a part of the game and Washington has a negatively consistent history with them.

Minny had KG at his most dominant during Flip's time there, and in Detroit he walked into a team coming off two consecutive Finals appearances. I'm not too impressed. Minny was already declining when he was canned mid-season, and that summer the roster experienced an overhaul aside from KG. Detroit's failures this season were due to Allen Iverson much more than Michael Curry.

[rocketeer]

Originally Posted by Jacoby_Ellsbury

Tounge-in-cheek joke, Memphis has been equally as awful as LAC (for the most part) since they've been in the league.

sure, but the clippers are set up to continue to be awful with randolph, kaman, and baron all with big longterm deals while memphis appears likely to be a team on the rise.

Russell Westbrook. I think he's a fine point guard, due in no small part to the fact that he provides great defense on the opposing point guards. He's not much of a distributor, but that's a skill that can be acquired. Guys who aren't good at defense when they first enter the league rarely end up being anything more than strictly average on that end. Westbrook has serious value at point guard, in my book. OKC also has two (one pretty damn good, one with potential) shooting guards, and a very good small forward. If not the starting point guard, they don't really have anywhere to put Westbrook, unless Durant suddenly stops sucking at defense enough to be an effective SF. Until then, I think a front three of Westbrook-Durant-Green is a better all-around trio than Rubio-Westbrook-Durant.

westbrook is horribly inefficient. he turnovers the ball over a ton, isn't a good distributor, and can't shoot the ball.

oklahoma city doesn't have a decent sg on the team(other than westbrook). durant is absolutely a sf. sf is his best position offensively and defensively and he really wasn't much better this season than last season until they made the coaching change and moved durant over to his real position. green is a 3/4. if they take rubio, it's so they can eventually start rubio/westbrook/durant/green and get up and down the court. all that team needs is a big shotblocking center that can run the floor(which is why thabeet is a better fit than rubio) and you've got a very dangerous team. but if thabeet is gone, rubio is the choice no doubt. westbrook is never going to be a good fulltime pg. he either is going to slide over to the 2 to be an undersized but very athletic sg, or he'll stay at pg but they'll pair him with a playmaking sg(like harden from this draft if they wanted to try to swap picks with the kings).

[bootstrenf]

i just think it would be crazy to take thabeet over rubio just because of need.....i think it would make sense for the grizzlies to take thabeet over rubio if they were close in talent, but the gap in talent between the two seems huge.....rubio is a lot better at the 1 spot, than thabeet is at the 5.....


thabeet doesn't really have an offensive game, and would a gasol/thabeet frontcourt really work??? is gasol quick enough to guard quick 4's???

at #2 overall, i think you have to go for the BPA rather than need....

[croco]

Originally Posted by bootstrenf

at #2 overall, i think you have to go for the BPA rather than need....

Absolutely. Neither of those teams is in a position to just fill holes unless two players are similarly talented. You should almost always go for BPA if your team is not very good and clearly, none of the Top 4 teams projects to be in the playoffs next season (except for the Clippers if some other things happen over the summer that aren't going to happen...)

[bootstrenf]

another thing to consider, is that while thabeet will undoubtedly improve the grizzlies interior defense, he will do little else........on the other hand, the presence of a pg like rubio would improve everyone around him.....