Josh Smith Not Available:  There had been reports that Hawks' forward Josh Smith was being made available before the draft as a means to get the Hawks into the top 10 of the draft. The problem with the report is it does not take into account that Smith cannot be moved before August, without his consent, and that if moved he gets a hefty $7 million trade bonus that almost no team can absorb. If you recall the Hawks matched a contract offer from Memphis last summer and as a result they cannot trade him for one-year without his consent. Sources close to Smith said he's not opposed to the idea of a trade if it lands him somewhere he can compete for a title right away, but who in the Top 10 fits that mold? There may be some level of truth to the idea that Atlanta wants to move Josh this off-season, he and head coach Mike Woodson clearly have issues, but as far as a deal before the draft – it's not possible unless Josh does the Hawks a huge favor.

Not Moving Amar'e: The Phoenix Suns are doing one of two things: outright lying to the media and the fans, or not communicating to each other. There is little doubt that the Suns are fielding calls and offers - virtually every team in the league is - but this belief that the Suns are holding a fire sale is getting out of control. Every time Kerr comments, he makes it clear that they will listen, but that he feels like he has the pieces in place to be competitive, and that holding a fire sale is not in the plans.

"There's just a lot of conversation going on and that's it. There's nothing major happening," Kerr said recently on KTAR in Phoenix. "There's a lot of interest. We've got to get our money straight, we've got to get our situation going forward straight in terms of building in the right direction. We took a shot the last couple years, it hasn't panned out. We can't sit here and say we're still championship contenders and because of that, we have to look at every possibility that's out there and see what that is."

People seem to be reading "We can't sit here and say we're still championship contenders" to mean Shaq and Amar'e are available for castoff pieces, and that's simply not the case. If someone offers real value, both of those players are clearly available, but a handful of bad contracts is not going to get you either player, according to what the Suns are saying. Now the question is are they being genuine?

Not Moving Rondo: When rumors of the Celtics looking to trade Rajon Rondo first surfaced, it was easy to dismiss, however after digging deeper there is some real concern about Rajon being on the same page with Doc Rivers and whether he might bring more value in trade. Recently Celtics team president Danny Ainge said he did not envision a situation in which he'd trade Rajon, but given that he's due to be paid in the next 14 months the Celtics may be pressured to make a move. The word is the Celtics want to move into the Top 5 of the draft and have eyes for Tyreke Evans, so a Rondo deal is not out of the question, Danny simply says it's unlikely. Others in the organization have been far more demonstrative in their denial saying trading Rajon Rondo it's not going to happen.

Not Moving Shaq To Cleveland: As mentioned above, the Suns are not moving Shaq for spare parts. Word is 15 teams contacted the Suns when news that Shaq could be had surfaced during the NBA Finals. League sources say this chatter is coming from Shaquille himself and he wants a deal, that makes it far more likely that he is traded at some point, but Suns sources said the rumored deal that would land Shaq in Cleveland for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic simply wasn't going to happen. King Twitter seems to be spinning his own version so be cautious about Shaq rumors, unless it involves the Suns getting real players that help them improve in return.

Not Moving Al Jefferson: Timberwolves president David Kahn reportedly called Al Jefferson when news of a possible trade surfaced in the press yesterday to assure his franchise big man that he was not on the trading block and that he has not entertained trade offers on Big Al. The Timberwolves have flooded the market with trade scenarios so to say there is "zero" truth is unlikely, but it does seem that Kahn is standing firm that Big Al will be on the roster in October. Beyond that it seems unlikely that Kahn, who wants to rebuild the team, would marry himself to Jefferson if he does not get out of the gate strong. This clearly won't be the last Al Jefferson trade rumor, but for the time being don't buy into the hype.

Some Misconceptions About Rubio: The Ricky Rubio situation is complex, there is a reason most media outlets are not getting it right - it's not a simple matter - but here is something to note about Rubio. Once DKV Joventut signed over Rubio's contract to Hacienda (Spain's version of the IRS), his basketball future got a lot less cloudy, because he is no longer obligated to play for another team. In fact Rubio had already exercised his out clause, meaning he can gain clearance to play in the NBA from FIBA if he simply agrees to pay whatever financial settlement is agreed to by the courts. No team is claiming rights to Rubio so this is like any other lawsuit, it is now about money. Rubio may have to put dollars into an escrow account, but there is nothing blocking Rubio from getting his FIBA release to join the NBA. What is remaining is he has to take part in several hearings in front of a judge, namely to decide whether Joventut had the right to "sell" his contract to Hacienda without notifying him. Its highly plausible that a settlement is reached rather quickly, although there is a small chance that Joventut acted improperly and the amount Ricky owes could be far less. Again, this is now a legal process that should in no way impact Ricky's ability to play in the NBA next season, he just may have some hefty attorney fees he'll have to pay.

Have The Kings Settled In On Flynn? We hinted at this early in the week that Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn may have moved into the top 5. Word is that the Sacramento Kings, namely GM Geoff Petrie is enamored with Flynn and see him as the best "win-now" option at point guard available to the Kings. There is little doubt the pressure is on in Sacramento and with the #4 pick and the #26 pick in the first round they will get a stab a two decent players. Reports suggest that there is a division among the leadership on which direction the Kings should go, with one faction being very high on drafting Ricky Rubio, even if that means trading up to get him. The other faction thinks Flynn is the best option. The Kings will continue workouts this week, but if the draft were held today, the smart money says Flynn is going to Sacramento at #4.

The Kings will see Tyreke Evans for a second work out this weekend and also have DeMar DeRozan and Stephen Curry on their calendar before Thursday's draft.

Warriors Deny Ellis Promises: The Golden State Warriors brass flew out and met recently with Monta Ellis, something they are doing with most of their core players. As the Warriors explain it, the meeting was more about insuring everyone was on the same page and that a solid foundation of communication was established. After that meeting reports surfaced suggesting that Ellis made it known he views himself as the point guard of the team, and that if the Warriors drafted a point guard he'd demand a trade. Since that news, both sides have tried to defuse the story saying that's not what occurred, with Warriors GM Larry Riley telling ESPN's Chad Ford that no such promise was made.

"We did not make him a promise on who we're going to draft," Riley said. "There was none of that. There was no talk about not drafting particular positions or particular players. Our talk was totally about our team and our staff and getting things moving in the right direction. We were trying to get everyone on the same page."

"We told Monta that if we use you at the point, it's going to be your responsibility to get guys more involved," Riley said. "We also want you to help your teammates get off. He's ready to accept that role. Whether he's on the floor at 1 or 2, the important thing is to have him on the floor and let him do what he does the best."

"If the right guy was there at the point, we'd draft him," Riley said. "I'd like to have a little beef. We can always use more size and toughness. We don't really have a gaping hole at any position, so I think we'll draft the best player available. If it's a point guard, then it will be a point guard. If it's a 4, then that's who we'll take."

Brandon Jennings A Leader?: There has been this perception that we here at HOOPSWORLD are "picking" on Brandon Jennings, when in fact we're simply repeating what has been said to us by teams considering Brandon. There is little doubt Brandon may be one of the most talented guys in this class; having met him last year he is a personable nice young man that can really play. The single biggest knock on him has nothing to do with his basketball game, rather everything else in Brandon's life. Jennings has not handled this process well, despite having great workouts with teams. Several teams that have seen him have openly questioned if he'll be a player that can lead a NBA team inside the first two years of his contract and arrived at "No" as the answer. Brandon is doing his best to put his spin on the story telling the Associated Press he thinks he could go Top 5 and start a trend of kids heading to Europe.

"If I go in the top five, I think you'll see more kids go to Europe," Jennings said.

"A lot of the things I learned came off the court," he said. "You really don't know how good you have it till you step outside your boundaries. I've seen the pro game for a year, so I know what coaches and GMs are looking for, and I think I could step in and run a team."

"If they hadn't put that (age requirement) in, I probably would have come out last year," Jennings said. "So I found another way. But I've been a lot of different places and seen a lot of different players. The Euroleague really is a good league."

Brandon is not considered an option in the Top 5, he could go #6 to Minnesota, unlikely at #7 to Golden State, is said to be on the board for the Knicks at #8 but far lower than others that should be available in front of him. The Raptors at #9 are not said to have Jennings on their board, leaving Jennings on the board for Milwaukee at #10 and its unlikely Jennings is picked by Scott Skiles despite his tremendous upside. So unless Minnesota grabs him at #6 which is clearly possible, Jennings could have a long night on the 25th.

UCLA's Jrue Holliday, Syracuse's Jonny Flynn, North Carolina's Ty Lawson, Wake Forest's Jeff Teague, and Jennings will be part of a morning workout with Minnesota this morning so Jennings will have his chance to prove he's better than the guys other teams have projected in front of him.

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Wolves Start Talking Coach: There are a few names that continue to get mentioned with regards to the open Minnesota Timberwolves head coaching job. Let's forget for a minute that the reason Kevin McHale was not offered a contract is because new team president David Kahn foresees a long 16 to 20 month rebuilding process and did not want to put McHale through that out of respect for Kevin. So if you buy that, who takes this job?

Reports from the region suggest that Wolves are looking seriously at former NBA player Mark Jackson, former head coach Mike Fratello and former WNBA coach and NBA player Bill Laimbeer who recently quit his job with the Detroit Shock.

Jackson is said to be the front runner and league sources say that David Kahn had talked to several of these candidates before deciding to formerly end talks with Kevin McHale.

Kahn said yesterday that he did not have a list of candidates, and that he and his staff would start a thorough search after the NBA Draft next Thursday, suggesting that they would take their time finding the next coach, although league sources say the process has begun so take that for what it is.

It's hard to imagine that the Timberwolves could land Mike Fratello without radically overpaying for him, and given that Kahn has set the stage for a brutal 2009-2010 season, bringing in an unproven coach might fit the game plan, and won't coast nearly as much.