The Toronto Star (Doug Smith) reports: The one player who seems to be on his way out is restricted free agent Carlos Delfino. Because of financial constraints, and the desire to give coach Sam Mitchell a chance to establish a regular rotation, Delfino doesn’t appear to have a future with the Raptors. And because of those same issues, it’s unlikely Toronto would entertain a sign-and-trade proposition for Delfino, who may end up heading to Europe, where he’s sure to command a greater salary than he’ll get in the NBA.
Nets happy with Draft
The New York Post (Fred Kerber) reports: The Nets are nowhere near a finished product, but in one draft night containing a very significant trade, the Nets addressed most of their often-glaring needs. In short, they liked their draft. Team president Rod Thorn and general manager Kiki Vandeweghe drafted 7-foot center Brook Lopez for size and toughness, 6-10 forward Ryan Anderson for shooting and 6-6½ swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts for scoring and depth. That was after they landed 7-0 big upside project Yi Jianlian and 6-6 veteran Bobby Simmons from Milwaukee for Richard Jefferson. With the $22 million they will save, (Jefferson is due $42.4 over three years, Simmons gets $20.4 over two) the Nets can make a spirited run in 2010 at free agent LeBron James.
Knicks rookie Danilo Gallinari to wear jersey no.8
The New York Post (Marc Berman) reports: In wearing jersey No. 8 for Armani Jeans Milan, Knicks rookie Danilo Gallinari had a legacy to fulfill. A former Italian League point guard star, Mike D’Antoni, also wore 8 for Milan. “Mike D’Antoni’s a legend in Milan,” the 6-foot-10 Italian Stallion said yesterday during a press briefing at the Knicks’ practice facility. “So playing in Milan with that number, there’s some pressure about that.” Gallinari can’t begin to know the pressure awaiting him now. The 19-year-old, 6-10 forward will wear No. 8 for the Knicks, not to honor his favorite player Kobe Bryant, but because his birthday is Aug. 8, 1988 (8/8/88).
Nets extend qualifying offer to Nenad Krstic
The New Jersey Nets have extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Nenad Krstic, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today. The qualifying offer allows the Nets to retain the right of first refusal in regards to Krstic. As a restricted free agent, Krstic is able to sign an offer sheet with any team, however the Nets will have the right to match the offer.
Krstic, a four-year NBA veteran from Serbia, was the Nets’ first round selection (24th overall) in the 2002 NBA Draft. Since joining the Nets in 2004, Krstic has played 226 games over four seasons with New Jersey, posting averages of 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. In 2007-08, Krstic appeared in 45 games, averaging 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Nuggets make qualifying offer to J.R. Smith
The Denver Nuggets have made a qualifying offer to restricted free agent J.R. Smith, Nuggets Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today. Per team policy, terms of the offer were not released.
In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its right of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent, the team must tender the player a qualifying offer prior to June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but is subject to a right of first refusal with the team for which the player last played.
Smith, 6-6, 220, has averaged 12.6 ppg while shooting .396 (306-772) from three-point range in his two seasons with the Nuggets since being acquired in a trade with Chicago on July 20, 2006. This past season, he averaged 12.3 ppg in 19.2 minutes in 74 regular season contests and 18.3 ppg in 27.0 minutes in four playoff games.
Kidney issue causes Darrell Arthur drop
Kansas forward Darrell Arthur sat and sat, finally selected no.27 in the first round by the Hornets. (A trade may send him to the Blazers soon.)
An alleged kidney issue caused his drop, according to ESPN and some other outlets. Arthur was not going to be a top pick but he was expected to go in the teens.
I asked Arthur after he was selected how it felt sitting and waiting and he seemed level-headed and calm about it.
Arthur also said that recent tests revealed his kidney is not an issue, and then remarked that word of the good results must not have spread.
Roundup of first 15 picks
Raw, unedited blog live from NBA draft by InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner.
Fans booed David Stern when he came out. Stern responds by breakdancing and telling them that it’s ON. No, not really. But that would be cool.
Fans also booed being told that the Bulls are up first and have five minutes to make their selection.
During the wait some fans started chanting ‘OJ Mayo.’
Pick 1 in the first round: Bulls take Derrick Rose, as expected. So will Chicago now try to trade Kirk Hinrich? If so, they still need a legit shooting guard. Ben Gordon is unsigned and better off the bench.
Pick #2: Heat take Michael Beasley, as expected. So he can play small forward, Shawn Marion can keep doing his undersized power forward thing, and Dwyane Wade gets some help.
Pick #3: Wolves take OJ Mayo, as expected. He is a new building block alongside Al Jefferson
All good, logical picks so far.
Pick #4: Sonics take guard Russell Westbrook. So will they trade him to the Clippers? Or keep him and trade Luke Ridnour or Earl Watson?
Pick #5: Grizzlies pick Kevin Love. Now Mike Miller and Rudy Gay have a big guy worth giving the ball to. Love can bang and be a true power forward yet hit from outside when open.
Pick #6: The Knicks take Danilo Gallinari. Fans boo, VERY loudly, for a long time. They wanted Jerryd Bayless. Some fans start chanting ‘USA’ – clearly not fans of overseas talent, which has not met expectations. And in the interview after being drafted he seemed unphased by the boos and said it’s part of the game. He also smartly didn’t offer an explanation as to how he is different from other international players.
Pick #7: Clippers took Eric Gordon. They really needed a point guard – Eric is a scorer and shooting guard – but they must have felt that he was the best overall talent available. They did also need a two so this does make sense.
Pick #8: The Bucks took Joe Alexander, a small forward with insane hops. They just traded for Richard Jefferson, though. Perhaps Joe wil pretend to be a power forward for limited stretches.
Pick #9: The Bobcats, led by new coach Larry Brown, apparently do not believe Raymond Felton is their point guard of the future, because they took tiny, scoring floor general DJ Augustin.
Pick #10: The Nets got a fairly decent steal with Brook Lopez, who said he will bring energy and toughness to the Nets. He admitted to be pretty surprised that the Nets took him, especially since he didn’t work out for them.
Pick #11: The Pacers are expected to trade for TJ Ford soon, and now they have drafted Jerryd Bayless, a scorer who is the size of a point guard but has the game of a scoring two-guard.
Pick #12: The Kings need size and took Jason Thompson, who a few weeks ago was not considered a lock to go first round. He had good workouts.
Pick #13: The Blazers have shooting guard star Brandon Roy and they have drafted shooting guard Brandon Rush. Will they use Roy at the point? Rush can play undersized small forward but only for stretches. And will Martell Webster be traded?
Pick #14: The Warriors took Anthony Randolph, a lanky forward who is still refining his game. I guess he is a Don Nelson type of player. Or something. He is talented though.
Pick #15: The Suns take Robin Lopez, a big man role player who can back Shaq up and bump into people and stuff.
Sonics deny Clippers trade rumor
The Seattle Times reports: The Sonics steadfastly denied an earlier ESPN report that they would send their fourth pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 7 pick and a first-round pick in 2009. And now ESPN has backed off, saying the deal is off.
Chit-Chat: 2008 NBA Draft
6:50 PM Seems everyone is waiting for this thing to get rolling, though it’s almost that time. Please check back as we will be yapping draft this evening.
Derrick Rose has been the Bulls’ pick for several days. No chance of a trade-out. Chicago has their man. The fun begins at #2 with Miami. Lots of talk centering around OJ Mayo and clandestine workouts, but when the dust settles we believe Michael Beasley will be the Heat selection.
7:50 PM If only the NFLDraft moved this briskly. No idea what the Sonics do here.
Hardly breaking news there, we know.
Draft stock: Joe Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and Courtney Lee seem to be climbing. DeAndre Jordan, the big man from Texas A&M is dropping like a rock.
We all know about the Toronto/Indy deal with teams swapping TJ Ford & the 17th pick for Jermaine O’Neal. Ditto the Richard Jefferson for Yi, Buck/Net deal. Now the Memphis Grizzlies are rumored to be shopping the 5th overall pick – perhaps as part of a package – to maneuver upwards in this draft.
The flurry of trades are almost a certainty to continue this evening. We are now under 3 minutes until the commissioner takes the podium.
7:45 PM Ok, so we are looking at the T-Wolves pick coming up. OJ Mayo anyone? Best player on the board according to many out there. Could even be dealt before the evening is over.
7:53 PM Not sure what the Sonics do here, but we will take at stab with Eric Gordon.
So much for that. The pick is Russ Westbrook out of UCLA. Once again, could be traded. To the Clips maybe?
8:00 PM That’s about as far as I go with the draft forecast. It could get really ugly if I continued down that road. Memphis just nabbed Kevin Love from UCLA.
Personally, I am not a fan of the player. A heady plodder who will need to rely on everything but his athletic ability. I’m not sure that will be enough to guarantee Love will be anything but a bit player throughout his career.
8:10 PM And what’s not to love about Knicks fans lamenting their pick of Gallinari? You knew it was coming. This selection has the fingerprints of D’Antoni all over it. Don’t know much about the kid, but I do trust Donnie Walsh. The same can not be said of former Knick brass.
8:15 PM Love the pick by LA. Eric Gordon is a go-getter. Attacks the rim, outstanding athleticism, and can score the ball. Does this mean anything for Corey Maggette or am I reading too much into the pick?
Mark Jackson making no bones about it, in not so many words, questioning the Knicks’ selection of Gallinari. “Better go with a guy who can step in and help right away.”
Joe Alexander wanted to go to Milwaukee. Sounds a lot like Yi last year, eh? Hah, ok. Maybe not.
I do like this pick a lot. Alexander has not been playing the game long. This is a kid who averaged less than a bucket per game three years ago for the Mountaineers. Last year, he was right at 17 points per contest. Decent enough rebounder and a seemingly quick study. Given his athletic ability, a risk definitely worth taking considering the upside.
8:28 PM As if it weren’t obvious enough: Larry Brown not the biggest Raymond Felton fan out there. DJ Augustin of Texas to the Bobcats.
8:35 PM With Jason Collins out of the fold, the Nets felt compelled to fill their vacant twin-from-Stanford slot. Seriously, good value for Jersey here.
And there goes Jerryd Bayless to the Pacers. Solid pick for a team that desperately needs explosion and point production from its backcourt.
Jason Thompson would be the first real surprise of the draft, going a lot earlier than many thought. The Kings taking the Rider big man a year after drafting Spencer Hawes in the top ten.
8:50 PM Blazers take Brandon Rush. Great shooter, good defender. Still nothing solid at the point.
The Warriors select Anthony Randolph. Saw several of his games in high school. Same with Chris Bosh and LaMarcus Aldridge. Randolph’s game compares favorably with the Portland power forward. And he will turn 19 yeard old in three weeks.
9 PM The second of the Stanford twins – Robin Lopez – goes to Phoenix. Amare’s days as a center are long gone. Or that seems to be the plan anyway.
Marreese Speights to Philly.
Roy Hibbert to Toronto. Talk about a guy whose draft stock took a hit by going back to school.
JeVale McGee heading to D.C. And we are cruising along here.
9:15 PM Not exactly a revelation here, but Kevin Pritchard, the Portland GM, is fast becoming known around NBA circles as a thief. Not sure how this Bayless/Diogu for Rush/Jack deal will work out, but count me in the Blazer corner for now.
JJ Hickson goes to Cleveland. Very good talent, but whispers abound about his attitude. Word is, the folks close to the team in Raleigh were not sad to see him leave.
9:30 PM Award for the rawest looking talent to this point goes to Alexis Ajinca, who just went to Charlotte. Mix in a ribeye, kiddo.
Ryan Anderson to the frontcourt-heavy Nets. This was the pick received in the Kidd deal. A self-made guy who has worked hard on his game since going to Cal. Good shooter, rebounder.
Courtney Lee is a Magic. Solid at this point of the draft. Hurt himself with a shaky NCAA tourney.
Kosta Koufos winds up in Utah. Fitting.
Seattle up next, once again, with another of their half dozen or so picks courtesy of Kurt Thomas. Another project big? Absolutely. Ibaka is the pick.
10 PM The Darrell Arthur slide continues with the Nicolas Batum selection by Houston. Reports of a kidney issue are out there.
Mitch Kupchak might just be moving on this selection. George Hill drafted by the Spurs. Word out there: Lakers LOVE him and the Spurs allegedly sent out a league-wide email shopping this pick.
Darrell Arthur drafted by the Hornets and traded to Portland. Outstanding value here. More frontcourt depth and arguably a lottery-level talent with the 27th pick.
Did Memphis sell the pick? Hard to know. Donte Green taken.
10:30 PM D.J. White and J. R. Giddens round out David Stern’s turn at the podium.
Blazers jumping into the trade waters again. This time, reportedly to send Arthur, whom they just traded the rights for, and a second rounder to Houston for Nicolas Batum.
And now, the second round. Thought I would write it off after 30 picks? “Hoped” is more like it, eh?
Nope, not so much. Still chugging along.
10:45 PM Detroit and Seattle just pulled a deal. DJ White for 32 & 46. White goes to the Pistons.
Nikola Pekovic and Walter Sharpe go off the board to Minnesota and Seattle to start the round.
The brutish Joey Dorsey goes before Douglas-Roberts. Free falling.
10:55 PM Mo Chalmers of Kansas goes to the Timberwolves and now DeAndre Jordan finally comes off the board, going to the Clippers.
Portland, Milwaukee, and Charlotte make picks. Asik to the Blazers. Kyle Weaver, the Washington State guard, to the Hornets. The Bucks took a sure-fire Scrabbler hall of famer. I won’t even attempt to spell it.
Sonny Weems is a Bull.
CDR to the Nets. For my money, great, great pick there.
11:15 PM Australian Nathan Jawai (Pacers) and Pat Ewing, Jr. (Kings) are gone now.
As if you couldn’t tell, I am kinda mailing it in right now. Not entirely, but…yeah, we have definitely fallen off.
11:30 PM Bill Walker and Richard Hendrix are gone now. Walker was once a super athletic prospect who played last year in the shadow of Michael Beasley at Kansas State. Three ACL injuries later, he is now the 47th selection of the 2008 draft.
Dallas stands pat and takes Shan Foster of Vandy. Just what the doctor ordered. Championship. Seriously, the pick and the draft aside, this team is in serious trouble.
Mike Taylor and Sasha Kaun are gone. The Lakers, Pistons, and Celtics shall end this misery for me.
Nets trade Richard Jefferson to Bucks
The New Jersey Nets have acquired forwards Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for forward Richard Jefferson, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today.
InsideHoops.com reaction: This is wild. The Nets clearly want to rebuild for the future, and they have parted ways with RJ’s contract. Is Vince Carter the next to go? Yi Jianlian hasn’t proven anything yet — of course, he’s just entering his second year, so that isn’t saying much. Bobby Simmons got a decent contract from the Bucks and then disappointed them. On paper, as of this minute, the Nets will miss the playoffs again next season. As for the Bucks, this is a good move for them. They have talent up front with Andrew Bogut. Charlie Villanueva is pretty good, though probably best as the main forward off the bench. Though, he’s good enough to start in some situations. The Bucks backcourt of Mo Williams and Michael Redd was disappointing last year, but the additional of RJ will make them better. On paper, Milwaukee now has a pretty decent 1-3, and center. If they can solidify that power forward spot they could make a bit of noise. And by that I mean be a lower playoff seed in the East. Which isn’t that special. But it’s a step in the right direction.
“We feel that Yi can be a very special player,” said Thorn. “He is a 20-year old seven footer who shoots the ball extremely well, and he is an excellent addition to our frontcourt. Bobby Simmons is a veteran NBA player who has averaged 10 points for his career, and should be a rotation player for us.”