"Always" Next wrote:

warriorsstepup wrote:Celtics wanting to move Rondo would be a huge mistake for them, if its not broke don't fix it. He is a nice fit for there system, what they need to do is get back a healthy KG. Don't see any rookie point guard coming in and doing what Rondo has done for the Celtics.

Boozer ended the year bad due to the injury, plus with Arenas and Brand being the big signings of bad injuries, then missing most of the year, Pistons would be smart to stay away from Boozer.

Not saying that Rondo is a cancer or anything, but if your PG does not want to be a part of your team, no matter how good he is, the situation is not going to work out. Maybe Rondo has gotten a swolled head after his early success and now he doesnt feel the need to play 4th fiddle for the Celts.

This to me seems the only reason that the C's would even consider trading him. He does fit perfectly for them. He plays D, is a great distributor and mixes it up on both sides of the floor.

Ohh man this is a tough one for the Celtics then, plus am sure there standing with Rondo doesn't help much knowing he is in trade talks.
I suggest Doc Rivers takes a trip to Rondo's crib try and get on the same page.

More Draft Buzz

POSTED: June 24 -- 12:43 p.m. ET

Chris Broussard: Rajon Rondo is definitely on the market. I'm told he's very hard for Doc Rivers to coach, and that although Rondo gets along OK with his teammates, he's far from a great teammate. The fear in Boston is that if Rondo is this difficult to handle on a rookie-scale salary, he'll be a monster once he earns big money.

One GM told me, "They won a championship with this guy, and he's coming off a tremendous playoff performance ... and they're looking to trade him. That tells you how bad things are."

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POSTED: June 24 -- 1:59 p.m. ET




Andy Katz: Minnesota and Memphis haven't talked about a trade for the No. 2 pick yet, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.

Memphis owner Michael Heisley and GM Chris Wallace are scheduled to meet Wednesday night to discuss their options.

As for the Timberwolves, they want to climb to No. 2 to draft Ricky Rubio but are trying to figure out who could drop to them at No. 5 if they stay put.

If Memphis keeps the No. 2 pick and takes Hasheem Thabeet, Oklahoma City picks James Harden at No. 3 and Sacramento takes Stephen Curry or Jonny Flynn at No. 4 ... then Rubio will be there at No. 5.

The other Wolves scenario in which they would at least get Thabeet could occur if Memphis picks Tyreke Evans at No. 2, Oklahoma City picks Rubio at No. 3 and Sacramento picks Flynn or Curry at No. 4. In that instance, Thabeet would fall to No. 5.

As much as Minnesota wants Thabeet and Rubio, the source said it may be too difficult to pull it off.

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POSTED: June 24 -- 3:41 p.m. ET

Henry Abbott: There have been rumblings and suggestions that if things get extremely complicated with Ricky Rubio's Spanish team, DKV Joventut, he might not be able to afford to play in the NBA. Depending on where he's drafted, it's conceivable that his NBA salary will approximate the buyout he owes his original team. In other words, he might play in the NBA without making a penny.

Rubio says that wouldn't bother him. "I have a dream," he said. "I want to play in the NBA."

The point guard, who presumably could make some money from sponsorships, could not have been clearer that it's not about the money. If his rookie contract nets him zero, he says, "I don't care."

In a video that will be on TrueHoop shortly, he also was asked to react to various NBA cities. His gut reaction to the word "Minnesota" was: "Too cold." Oklahoma City earned a "My best friend lives nearby." And when Rubio thinks of Sacramento, the first thing that comes to mind is: "Nice weather."

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I have heard Jennings may fall as low as 19. As long as he is not a Warrior, I will be happy

POSTED: June 24 -- 5:08 p.m. ET



Curry
Andy Katz: Brandon Jennings said he's not going to the New York Knicks at No. 8. Does he know that for sure? No. But he is confident that the Knicks will get Davidson's Stephen Curry.

"That's who they want,'' Jennings said. "They'll make it happen."

• Curry said he'd be comfortable going to Sacramento at No. 4, where he worked out last Sunday, because he sees the Kings as a team ready to turn things around.

Curry's affection for the Knicks, and the reciprocal feelings, are real.

"They told me that if I was on the board that I would be their No. 1 guy,'' Curry said. "That doesn't mean it's guaranteed. I went to other workouts and made it tougher on them."

more draft buzz

Chad Ford: Watch out for the Houston Rockets. Sources say they have been really active during the past 24 hours, having contacted the Grizzlies, Thunder, Kings and Timberwolves about trying to get into the lottery.

It sounds as though virtually everyone on Houston's roster is available. Teams report that the Rockets are trying to parlay Tracy McGrady's expiring contract and Aaron Brooks' newfound celebrity status into one of Minnesota's lottery picks. Carl Landry and Shane Battier also were mentioned as possible trade pieces.

The Rockets also are among several teams that will be making a run at Amare Stoudemire. With Shaq gone, expect the Stoudemire rumors to start to heat up again.

even more draft buzz

The message coming in from rival executives -- while acknowledging that everything is fluid with so much chatter in the air -- is that Memphis is looking increasingly likely to keep the No. 2 overall pick unless Minnesota sends No. 5 and No. 6 to the Grizzlies.

The Wolves, by all accounts, still aren't ready to give up that much.

The latest scenario floated to us is that the Wolves, with those back-to-back picks, are leaning toward taking Stephen Curry and Tyreke Evans. Conventional wisdom, by contrast, suggests that the Wolves would take one guard and one big man if they keep Nos. 5 and 6, especially given their need for someone who can guard the rim.

Yet it also must be acknowledged that the Wolves are at the heart of numerous trade scenarios with the four first-round picks they possess.

Thanks for taking the time to update all this rumors about the draft, Bada.

Most of them are worthless, but it gives us something to talk about.

And once again, some more draft buzz ;)

POSTED: June 25 -- 2:13 p.m. ET




Andy Katz: The Lakers sold their No. 29 pick to the Knicks, according to multiple sources, for $3 million. The Knicks are looking to add another guard in the draft, according to a source, and may look at Miami's Jack McClinton in that spot. The Knicks have made inquiries with the University of Miami about McClinton as late as Wednesday.

• Memphis and Minnesota talked again about trading the No. 2 pick (Memphis) to Minnesota for the Nos. 5 and 6 picks or the No. 5 or 6 and Kevin Love. But the price was too high for Minnesota, so Memphis plans on keeping the pick. According to multiple sources, Memphis would pick Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet.

• Minnesota is hoping to land a specific player at No. 18 -- who could be Earl Clark (Louisville) or James Johnson (Wake Forest), among others. If that player isn't available, then the Wolves are expected to trade the pick, according to a source.




• Cleveland held on to the No. 30 pick in the trade with Phoenix for Shaquille O'Neal and wants to get a point guard with the selection. The Cavs are hoping a point guard projected to go higher drops down to them, according to a source.

• Brandon Jennings is scheduled to be one of the 15 players in the green room at the draft. But he could be pulled from the green room. Representatives of Jennings were huddling to make a decision on Thursday.

The fear is that Jennings will slide if Golden State (unlikely after the trade to get Speedy Claxton and Acie Law from Atlanta for Jamal Crawford) at No. 7, the Knicks at No. 8 or the Bucks at No. 10 all pass on him. If that happens then Jennings would likely fall into the 20s. Jennings' camp wants to avoid an embarrassing situation where Jennings is sitting there and not selected for a while. If his reps can get assurances that he will be picked high enough then he will stay in the room.

• Oklahoma City, Detroit and Chicago made assurances early on Thursday that they weren't dealing their top 16 picks.

• Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon received a number of calls earlier this week, and as late as Thursday, about DeJuan Blair's knees. Dixon, who is en route to New Zealand to coach the USA under-19 national team playing in the world championships, said he told the teams, including Indiana at No. 13, that Blair never missed a practice or game in his two years. Blair's knees have been questioned because he had ACL surgery on each knee in high school.

Wow that's quite a freefall for Jennings...

Best player coming out of High school. I don't think that move to Europe was the best idea.

Can be electric, the more i look at his game the more I think Allen Iverson.
I don't think many teams are willing to give the reign to Jennings. It will be a steal for a team that gets him if he does in-fact slide that low.

Jennings has been advised to not attend the draft.

other buzz

POSTED: June 25 -- 6:40 p.m. ET



Thabeet
Chad Ford: As we creep closer to the draft here's a rundown of what's going down along with our latest 7.3 Mock Draft …

• Looks like the Grizzlies are still searching for a trade partner and if they don't find it … it will be Hasheem Thabeet.

• The Thunder are sending mixed signals with people in Ricky Rubio's camp, thinking Rubio is going No. 3 and people in James Harden's camp thinking Harden is going No. 3. Stephen Curry seems out of the mix. Thabeet is there too if he's on the board.

• The Kings were debating still among Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn … with things leaning Evans' way at the moment.

• The Wolves were still trying to get to No. 2 to take Thabeet, not Ricky Rubio. Memphis wants Evans and Kevin Love if they do the deal. That may be a problem if the Kings take Evans.

• The Warriors were talking to the Suns about a deal with Amare Stoudemire that would have them giving up the No. 7. If they keep it, they probably take Jordan Hill. But James Johnson is a wild card and Curry still a possibility.

• The Knicks are praying either Jordan Hill or Curry fall to No. 8. For it to happen, Flynn and Harden need to crack the Top 6. If they don't they'll likely take UCLA's Jrue Holiday.

• Seems like DeMar DeRozan is still a little ahead in Toronto

• Bucks are torn between Flynn, Jennings and Holiday but Jennings remains in the lead.

• With the Nets trading for Courtney Lee, I think that seals the deal for Terrence Williams in New Jersey.

• Michael Jordan may get his way and get Johnson of Wake Forest ahead of Duke's Gerald Henderson.

• Indiana will likely take Holiday if he falls. If he doesn't, I think it's Ty Lawson in a narrow win over Eric Maynor and Tyler Hansbrough.

• Phoenix? They are a tough read right now but I'm hearing Earl Clark. But B.J. Mullens and Johnson are in the mix. So are Hansbrough and Henderson.

• The Pistons like Earl Clark, Austin Daye and Mullens , but look for them to take Daye.





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Sacremento just traded for Sergio Rodriguez from Portland.

I wonder what that means for their pick at 4. Trade? Set on Tyreke Evans?

Don't remember last years draft being this crazy. Sac get a point guard in Sergio, am so confused why they do that.

fine wrote:Sacremento just traded for Sergio Rodriguez from Portland.

I wonder what that means for their pick at 4. Trade? Set on Tyreke Evans?

What I remember from Sergio is that he had some games where he got alot of assists, but he may not be starting material. Coul be another Udrih story