The morning after
OK so the Sonics didn’t get a top two draft pick Tuesday night at the NBA Draft Lottery meaning they more than likely won’t have a shot at drafting Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. But like Oklahoman columnist Berry Tramel wrote today, it’s a disappointment not a death sentence.
There is still quality left at No. 4, with guys like O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love and Eric Gordon being the most likely options for the Sonics. That’s assuming they don’t trade up, down or out.
Here is how productive each of those players were last season…..
O.J. Mayo: Guard, USC, Freshman, 6-5, 200 pounds – 20.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 spg, 44.2 FG%
Jerryd Bayless: Guard, Arizona, Freshman, 6-3, 200 pounds — 19.7 ppg, 4.0 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 spg, 45.8 FG%
Eric Gordon: Guard, Indiana, Freshman, 6-4, 215 pounds — 20.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.3 spg, 43.3 FG%
Brook Lopez: Center, Stanford, Sophomore, 7-foot, 260 pounds — 19.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.1 bpg, 1.4 apg, 49.6 FG%
Kevin Love: Forward, UCLA, Freshman, 6-10, 271 pounds — 17.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 bpg, 55.9 FG%
And here’s a link to Q&As with some of the representatives at the lottery courtesy of DraftExpress.com. A snippet of the Q&A with Kevin Durant….
“Honestly, I was a little bit shocked. It would have been nice to get either of those guys going one or two, but I’m happy with what pick we have. I know, probably starting this minute, management is going to be looking at guys that we (can potentially) take with that pick.”
Since everyone seems to be into mock drafts, it’s worth noting that ESPN.com, DraftExpress.com, SI.com and NBADraft.net all have the Sonics taking Bayless at No. 4.
At No. 24, NBADraft.net has the Sonics taking Kansas guard Mario Chalmers, DraftExpress has the Sonics taking an international center named Alexis Ajinca and ESPN.com and SI.com both have the Sonics taking an international power forward named Serge Ibaka.
Sticking with the mock draft angle, here’s a draft simulator from RealGM.com that I have enjoyed toying around with for years. If you’re a hoops junkie like me you could find yourself spending a lot of time messing around with different draft scenarios.
Here’s a Chicago Sun-Times article quoting Derrick Rose on the possibility of playing for his hometown team.
Also, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is not a fan of the lottery…..”It’s a typical situation,” he said. “We’ve been in the lottery so much and have never gotten the No. 1 pick. It doesn’t make any sense. Last year, I said it was a screwed-up system. This year, I think it’s a screwed-up system.”
Longtime NBA scribe Sam Smith weighs in on the lottery, saying in this piece that a flurry of off-season trading could soon begin now that the official draft order is determined.
Miami Herald columnist Israel Gutierrez suggested last week that the NBA change the lottery system. Miami Heat officials might agree with him now that they’re drafting second despite having the worst record in the league this season.
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Chris Paul coming to OKC
The bad news is the Hornets fell short against the Spurs last night in the Western Conference Semifinals. The good news is Chris Paul will now be coming to Oklahoma City to host his youth basketball camp for the third straight year after the Hornets came up short in their quest for an NBA title.
Had the Hornets made the NBA Finals, the dates would have conflicted with the camps in OKC. The camp is June 16-18. The NBA Finals start on June 5 and could last until June 19.
While it’s disappointing for a lot of people that the Hornets are out, a lot of kids will now have a summer to remember when they attend Chris Paul’s camp. Here are some of the details.
The camp is in its third year. The cost of the camp is $199, the same it’s been since it began in 2006. The camp will be held at Heritage Hall High School and Oklahoma City University. There will be four sessions, two morning and two afternoon sessions at each site all three days.
And Chris Paul will be there. His name is not just on the event. The past two years kids received T-shirts, autographed basketballs from Chris Paul and a photo. For more information about the camp visit www.chrispaul3.com or www.procamps.com.
In other news, the NBA Draft Lottery gets underway in a few hours. The Seattle Sonics have the second best chance to land the No. 2 pick. Here’s my story from today about how the Sonics can get out of the dreaded lottery and turn into a perennial playoff team and eventual championship contender.
Sonics GM Sam Presti is scheduled to be available to the media following the lottery’s announcement. Kevin Durant, who will represent the Sonics on stage tonight, might be available as well. Check back for their thoughts and more tonight.
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Durant to rep Sonics at Lottery
ROY winner Kevin Durant will represent the Sonics at the Draft Lottery on May 20 in Secaucus, N.J.
You can read my story here.
Players, coaches and front office personnel normally take some sort of good luck charm to the event hoping to get their team a top three selection in the draft. No word on what, if anything, Durant might take.
The Sonics are currently slated to pick second and are guaranteed a top five pick.
The consensus top two picks this year are Kansas State forward Michael Beasley and Memphis point guard Derrick Rose.
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