Where Does OKC Go From Here?
Caution: to prevent temporary loss of vision, avoid looking directly at my dome. I’m now a part of the International Bald Brotherhood
-DM-
Open Mike Podcast: Harden, Mullens & Head Fakes
Sports editor Mike Sherman and I are back in the booth with more banter.
In today’s installment, we discuss whether James Harden is fat, if B.J. Mullens is any good and why GM Sam Presti passed on Ricky Rubio.
Join us.
(Oops. Technical difficulties on the first try for anyone who clicked on it. That was an old podcast. Today’s is now posted.)
-DM-
Thunder Get Their Man, And It Was Harden All Along
I knew James Harden would be the pick since the draft lottery balls bounced the Thunder the third pick on May 19.
Sold I was that he would be the one putting on an Oklahoma City cap before walking up the steps of the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden, reaching the top of the stage and shaking NBA Commissioner David Stern’s hand while staring out at flashing bulbs.
Then Thunder GM Sam Presti misdirected me with his maneuvers over the past week. First he flew to L.A. to meet with Ricky Rubio last Saturday. Wanted to glance over his problematic contract and parlay with Rubio’s family and representatives. Three days later, word got out the Thunder had hired a Spanish law firm to give that complicated contract a careful once over.
It knocked me off my pivot. I should have held my ground.
Few understood how or why I had reached such a firm conclusion on Harden. My explanation was the same, through tens of radio interviews and tons of talks with editors and co-workers, friends and fans.
“He fits the Thunder way.”
My Top Seven Draft Options
A little outdated now given what we know has developed over the last week. But in this video with sports editor Mike Sherman, I offer my top seven draft options for the Thunder at pick No. 3. We recorded the video last week, but even though the Thunder’s draft board has likely fluctuated since then I still think these are the best players for the Thunder in order of worst to best.
-DM-
Sam Presti Talks NBA Draft
Just got off a teleconference with Sam Presti. The Thunder’s general manager addressed his team’s needs going into tomorrow night’s NBA Draft, why the organization hired a Spanish law firm, what they could possibly do with the 25th selection and the newest rumor that has the Thunder trading up to get the 14th overall pick from Phoenix.
Presti was asked about what he learned from his meeting with Ricky Rubio last week and whether he is more comfortable with the situation after examining his contract, but he called the situation an “internal matter.” Presti was also asked about Russell Westbrook’s comments in ESPN The Magazine, but because he was unaware of the context of the question he felt it was inappropriate to comment on Westbrook’s comments. Presti did reiterate that Westbrook is a team-first guy, a competitor and a winner and has always been that way.
With that, I give you a transcript of your general manager’s thoughts on Thursday night’s draft.
Q: Can you talk about your areas of need are heading into Thursday? What are the areas you’ll be looking to address as you head into tomorrow?
A: We’re always looking for ways to improve the team, and the draft is another opportunity for us to take a step forward as an organization. Hopefully add a player or players to the team that we feel like have a chance to grow with us and continue to grow with the team that we have in place. I wouldn’t say that we’re going in looking to fulfill every need that we have as a ball club in one night. I don’t think that would be realistic. But we’re going to look to try to get a little bit better on Thursday night and ultimately see if we can add another piece to the puzzle.
Q: Can you say in any specific nature in terms of you guys needing more interior defense or more shooters, things that you may be looking for in these players that you will draft?
A: As a ball club that didn’t make the playoffs last year and obviously didn’t have the kind of success that we’d like to have from a win-loss standpoint, we’ve got a lot of needs. We’re no different than a lot of teams in the NBA. We’d love to be able to continue to add shooting and continue to improve our defense and continue to play more efficient basketball. That’s important to us. Like I said, we’re not going to address everything in one night. And one thing that I think is important for us organizationally, and maybe beyond the draft on Thursday, is the continued development and improvement from our players on our current roster. As we know we’ve got a younger team. And with younger teams, summertime is an important time for development. And Scott and his group have made a very consistent and conscious effort to hold a real sense of accountability for individual development and ultimately team development. So we’re looking forward to that being an important part to our summer and our overall improvement.
Q: Did you guys hire a Spanish law firm, and if so, what for?
A: I believe that the report was confirmed from the team. And secondly we want to be as thorough as we possibly can as we prepare for the draft in all aspects. It’s not specific to one piece of information that was reported.
Live Chat at 1 p.m.
Let’s talk NBA Draft.
Join me for a live chat on NewsOK.com at 1 p.m.
-DM-
Chase Budinger In Today
Thunder just announced a five-player workout for today, a group of swingmen that includes Arizona’s Chase Budinger, Memphis’ Antonio Anderson, Temple’s Dionte Christmas, LSU’s Garrett Temple and Villanova’s Dwayne Anderson.
Budinger is the biggest name on the list, the only one who projects as a first-round pick. He could be a candidate for the Thunder at No. 25 if the team keeps the pick and he’s still on the board. Seems he’ll have to impress today in a session in which he’s without a doubt the best prospect in the workout.
It’s the second workout for Christmas, which is interesting because the Thunder doesn’t currently have a second-round pick and the No. 25 is considered way too high to draft him. I did have Christmas as a potential sleeper, though. Maybe the Thunder would like to trade into the second round and grab him, or even do a post-draft trade similar to the Kyle Weaver acquisition and bring him in.
More From The Chad Ford Q&A
In today’s editions of The Oklahoman I did a Q&A with Chad Ford, who covers the NBA Draft for ESPN.com. Here’s more of what Ford had to say.
Q: What’s your approach to covering the draft?
A: I don’t really think the fans care so much what I think about a particular player. I, like everybody, have opinions about who I like and who I don’t like in the draft. But what I want to try to capture for them is what NBA scouts and NBA GMs think about the draft. Who they like and why? Why sometimes a great college player doesn’t translate to the pros? Or why sometimes a mediocre college player gets ranked so high? And what I try to do in my top 100 is build a consensus from all the scouts and front office people that I’ve talked to to try to get a look at overall who are the best players in the draft.
Q: Do you look forward to this time of the year, sort of like a child looks forward to Christmas?
A: I love it. From 2001-05 I covered the entire NBA. The draft was just a part of what I did. When I moved to Hawaii and became a professor, the one piece that I couldn’t give up was the draft. I’ve always loved it. I loved it since I was a kid, and it is Christmas. I don’t care how much work it is. The last two days I probably won’t sleep a minute talking to people through the night and then writing from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. and then doing ESPN Radio starting right after that. But I love it, and I think I’ve got the best job in the world.
Q: Is it true you spend 11 months out of the year in Hawaii and come here and hit the circuit from the period between the draft lottery and the draft?
A: Yeah about 10 months out of the year in Hawaii. Then I’m traveling around in May and June and a little bit of April.
Q: How do you sift through all the smokescreens this time of year and decipher what’s real?
A: That’s hard. And, listen, I get stuff wrong. I have two criteria. I try to get multiple people for confirmation on something or more than one person telling me the same thing who didn’t hear it from the other guy who told me. The second thing is just about relationships. I know these guys over time. I know the people who tend to mislead me when it comes to the draft. I’ve definitely been burned on more than one occasion by a number of guys in the league. I take their reputation with me into account when sifting through things. But it’s a dicey business because, especially right now, there is very little that an NBA GM or agent will tell you that isn’t self-serving. If they are leaking something it’s because it’s in their best interest.
Camby To OKC? Presti Meets Rubio. Thabeet To Memphis?
I just got back in town from a weekend away and was out of touch, but I wanted to make sure I posted everything that’s been going on while I was away. And there was quite a bit of news over the past two days.
The Thunder had a workout Friday morning with six prospects, all of them power forwards. The session included Oklahoma’s Taylor Griffin, USC’s Taj Gibson, Michigan State’s Goran Suton, Villanova’s Dante Cunningham, Texas’ Connor Atchley and Pittsburgh’s Tyrell Biggs.
The biggest news of the weekend, however, involved Ricky Rubio, the most puzzling player in this year’s draft. The Sacramento Bee first reported that Thunder officials traveled to Los Angeles to meet with Rubio on Saturday. Rubio has confirmed the report on his Twitter page. The Bee also reported over the weekend that Rubio’s buyout situation is close to being resolved, perhaps providing closure to the biggest question hovering over the 18-year-old point guard’s draft status.
Will Rubio Visit OKC?
Ricky Rubio’s visit to Sacramento has officially come to an end, the Sacramento Bee is reporting, and now the question is whether the Spanish point guard and his representatives will come to Oklahoma City to meet and greet Thunder officials.
Rubio flew back to Los Angeles from Sacramento today, leaving California’s capital city without working out for the Kings after becoming ill. The 18-year-old Rubio is reportedly being treated with antibiotics after his temperature reached 101 degrees.
There is all kind of uncertainty over Rubio’s schedule over the next week leading up to the draft. Rubio could indeed come to OKC, while a visit to Memphis still seems to be a possibility and perhaps a return visit to Sacramento as well. ESPN.com, meanwhile, is reporting that Rubio’s visit to Sacramento — which lasted the entire NBA-mandated maximum of 48 hours — did little to ease the Kings’ concerns over Rubio.
What’s growing more and more evident is Rubio doesn’t appear likely to workout for any of the additional teams he might visit over the next week. The ESPN.com report says the Thunder is pushing for a meeting, physical and a review of Rubio’s contract in Spain, adding that if he feels better and is up for the visit he will travel to Oklahoma City next.
While a visit to Oklahoma City would serve as just one more small piece of the entire evaluation process, it’s seemingly an important one for Thunder officials to experience before deciding whether to draft Rubio. It’s the most intimate and extensive time organizations spend with players and, without it, it’s hard to see the Thunder selecting and keeping Rubio.
Stay tuned.
-DM-
