As the news came out this morning from our friends at Draft Express, that Ricky Rubio was upset at the way the NBA draft lottery turned out, a rumor quickly followed behind that the Memphis Grizzlies would look to trade the pick rather than use it themselves. While Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace has been openly interested in Rubio, we're being told that the Grizzlies would rather have the $3 million they'd likely get from a team looking to move up, as well as a slightly lower pick.
The first issue is, of course, Rubio's buy-out. In order for Rubio to come to the NBA he must first buy his freedom from DKV Joventut, which is proving to be a fairly cut-and-dried scenario. They want 6 million Euros and they won't negotiate. No payment plan, no percentage of endorsements and contracts signed . . .pay it all, cash up front. Rubio is essentially DKV Joventut's version of LeBron James. They're nothing without him. For that reason, they want to keep him around as long as possible, and if they have to give him up they want to have the cash to bring in several players to replace him.
Assuming Rubio would be willing to come up with the cash - and his NBA team would only be able to contribute $500K to the effort - it comes down to which team would be most fitting for his talents. It's a given that he'll want to start, but we're not talking about another Derrick Rose here. A better comparison might be OKC's Russell Westbrook. He started slowly, but was quite good by the last month or so of the season. As much as the Grizzlies were initially high on Rubio, the arrival of Lionel Hollins as head coach, his admiration for starting point guard Mike Conley, and Conley's emergence under Hollins' direction make it less likely that Memphis would even want to explore a starting point guard at this point. What they really need is a back-up point guard, and they can get one of those in the middle of the first round and get some cash in the process.
With that in mind, don't get too excited thinking the Portland Trail Blazers are going to pull another draft day miracle and reunite Rubio with former teammate Rudy Fernandez. While that idea is intriguing, it would be a step backward for the Blazers. Expect them to make an offer to Andre Miller and Jason Kidd - established point guards who are legitimate upgrades over Steve Blake. But bringing in a rookie when they already have Jerryd Bayless on the bench would make little sense for the Blazers, who are looking to get to the second round of the playoffs and beyond next season.
More likely might be the Philadelphia 76ers, who will likely lose Miller, or the Washington Wizards, who thought they were going to get the #2 pick and have already given Rubio a lot of thought.
One thing is certain: the number two pick in the 2009 NBA Draft is for sale. Stay tuned to HOOPSWORLD as we continue to follow this story.
Lakers Want Out Of First Round
In a related note, HOOPSWORLD's Eric Pincus has learned that the Los Angeles Lakers are openly shopping their first round, the 29th overall selection. They would be willing to sell it outright, or trade it for a lower pick.
McGrady Talking The Talk
Somewhere, deep down, Houston Rockets fans want to believe in Tracy McGrady. They want to take the news that McGrady will be ready to go full speed come training camp as good news. Having seen the team advance to the second round of the playoffs and push the Los Angeles Lakers to seven games, fans see that the Rockets are probably one player away from being a championship team. Somewhere, in the back of their minds, even though they don't want to admit it, Rockets fans are wondering if McGrady just might have one more strong season and playoff run left in him.
As for McGrady himself, he dismisses any talk that the team was better without him, a sentiment fans echoed throughout the second half of the 2008-09 season.
"In the past, when I was out, you really never heard that," McGrady said in an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. "Because, finally, they put a team together to start winning when I'm not in the lineup, I mean, that's expected. Those guys did a great job, can't take anything away from them, they played well, they played well without me. Are they better without me? I don't think so. If you asked those guys on the team, they'll tell you the same thing. They played well, it looked good, but again, I'm sure all those guys would take me on that team."
Everyone likes Tracy, that much is true. And certainly, at least as far as they'll admit publicly, the players all feel that the team will be even better with Tracy back in action next season. Tracy, for his part, admits he had a hard time sitting and watching his team battle without him.
"Watching my guys lose (was hard). They just went through so much with me being in and out of the lineup this year, Shane (Battier) missing some games this year, Ron (Artest), as well - for those guys to overcome that and get the chemistry they had late in the season and prevail, it was great to watch. I was at my place in Chicago just jumping up and down watching guys go out there and compete."
The question, then, is whether or not that passion, that disappointment will push McGrady to new heights. Can he find a way to be the force behind a championship run next season? The fans in Houston, whether they admit it or not, are harboring a secret hope that he can. It will be up to Tracy to make sure that hope is not misplaced, in what will likely be his last chance to win an NBA championship.
NBA Chat Tomorrow!
Coach Anthony Macri from IMG will be holding his weekly chat tomorrow at Noon Eastern, and you won't want to miss out. Coach has had some of the top potential draft picks in the 2009 NBA Draft in his gym this week, so you'll want to pick his brain about how they look going in. Coach Mike's chat fill up quickly, so drop your questions in now!
First Look At Tonight's Action
Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers: The two teams started the Western Conference Finals relatively healthy, which played no small part in each of them reaching this stage of the postseason. Now one game in, Denver is suffering some fairly concerning issues. JR Smith, one of the best sixth-men in the NBA this season, is listed as "probable" despite a calf strain; Kenyon Martin is "probable" despite a fractured ring finger on his left hand; and Renaldo Balkman is "doubtful" with a right ankle sprain. Injuries aside, expect another hard-fought game as the series goes into Game 2. We saw Denver jump out to an early lead in Game 1, which the Lakers answered in the second quarter, and it ultimately came down the last play of the closing seconds that determined that game. It's exactly what a Conference Finals game should be, and so far we're two-for-two this postseason.
COURTSIDE BLOG!
