Ron Artest is going to be a Laker. The guy that almost came to blows with Kobe Bryant during the Lakers-Rockets series will now be his teammate. Kobe, you want to follow in MJ’s footsteps? You now officially have your Dennis Rodman.

More thoughts on this move (and the Pistons signings) over the weekend, but for now let me just say that I really like this move for LA. My respect for Ron Artest jumped about eight levels while watching him play during my US travels in April and May. I genuinely like the guy now. I would love to have him on my team. You might think that he hates Kobe and vice versa, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. When this news becomes official and Kobe responds, he’ll say all the right things about being disappointed by Ariza’s departure and losing a “younger brother”, but deep down inside you can be sure that Kobe Bryant loves this move.

Check these links for more info:
John Hollinger’s take
Forum Blue and Gold
David Aldrige at NBA.com
Lake Show Life
JA Adande at ESPN
Ball Don’t Lie
Sports Illustrated

As most Detroit fans probably know by now, coach Curry has been given the axe after just one season. I have mixed emotions about this: part of me is wrapped that this horrific little experiment is over, but part of me is sad it couldn’t work out - I can’t help but feel Curry was extremely unfortunate to lose Billups just days into his first tenure. But one thing we know about Joe D is that he’s never been afraid to pull the trigger, and the question now remains, who does he chose to take over the reins?

Doug Collins has been mentioned, as has Avery Johnson, and up until just minutes ago I was in limbo about who I would rather see at the helm. That is, until I read this post. It is now clear to me. Joe, you must hire Bill Laimbeer. The time for Combat Basketball has come.

I know what you’re thinking.  ”Hire Laimbeer?  My whining, flopping ex-teammate whose only coaching experience is with a women’s team?!”

Yes.  And not just because he won two championships as your teammate and three as coach of that women’s team.  Not because he elicits simultaneously hilarious and fearsome nicknames like “Man of War,” “Prince of Darkness,” and “The Shocker.”  Not even because he’s the only guy on earth with the guts to follow up the phrase “Michael Jordan may be a very good, outstanding basketball player” with the word “but”.

You must hire Bill Laimbeer because…

Read more at The Mitten…

TWO: Shaq goes to Cleveland. We saw this coming, then it disappeared, then it finally happened. Shaq has succeeded in his quest to play alongside every great perimeter player of the past 15 years: Anfernee Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash and now Lebron James. To be honest, I’m more intrigued about the extreme sorry state of the Phoenix Suns camp following this trade than I am about what Shaq and Lebron could potentially achieve. I’ve spent the past few days counseling a few Suns supporters I know and having visited a few Suns blogs/forums lately, I legitimately fear for Steve Kerr and Robert Sarver’s life. Way to completely fuck up a franchise guys. As for the Cavs? This trade doesn’t push them in the direction I would be hoping for if I was a Cavs fan, for a few reasons. Firstly because I struggle seeing how he fits in the decently effective Cavs offense of A) Give it to Lebron and let him score or B) Give it to Lebron to drive and kick to the open shooters. Secondly, because this is such a band aid solution that gives Lebron no real incentive to want to remain in Cleveland (surely they don’t re-sign Shaq, and it doesn’t matter anyway because he’s freaking old). And thirdly, this reeks of a knee-jerk reaction to getting beaten by Orlando and wanting to plug the middle with someone who can hold Dwight. Unfortunately for Cleveland, Howard was just one of several reasons they lost - the more pressing need in my opinion would have been a more versatile/athletic four. But Shaq is Shaq, and if he can continue the form that made him a deserved All-Star in 2008-2009, and if he doesn’t destroy the offense that worked so well for Cleveland for so much of last season, things could get interesting come next May.

THREE: Vince to Orlando rounded out a trio of big changes to championship contenders (Third Quarter Collapse has you covered from a Magic perspective). Will Orlando miss Rafer Alston? Not really. Courtney Lee? Perhaps, but this team is built to win now and Carter simply brings so much more to the table than Lee. Can you seriously win a championship with Vince Carter on your team? Probably not. But If there’s one word that came to my mind where I heard this trade, it was “redemption”. Vince Carter has been counted out for years, overlooked, overrated, practically resigned to the history books as Slam Dunk Comp freak while his career is still playing out. At some point between being traded to New Jersey and Kidd leaving town, Vince Carter became completely irrelevant to the basketball world. And the strange thing is, he almost became better. He became a better leader, he started pulling out clutch games week after week, and seemed to happily embrace his role as elder statesmen while Devin Harris was built up as the face of the franchise. Watching Vince the past couple of years made me think he was happy for this to play out as his career faded - after all, how could he be blamed for not being a “winner” on a team that was rebuilding and had no business being in the playoffs? It was the perfect situation for Vince.

But now the Magic come and whisk him away to face the post-season music, and to put Vince back on the stage that he seemed so uncomfortable to walk on earlier in his career. It is a truly fascinating turn of events, because one of only two things can happen as far as Vince Carter is concerned: 1) The Magic win a title and Carter completely redeems himself and retires with a legacy as one of the game’s all-time most gifted athletes and the difference-maker in a championship team. Or 2) he retires as a perpetual choker who was brought to an already title-contending team but ultimately made them worse. Either way, one thing is for sure: Vince Carter is now highly relevant once again.

FOUR: Of course, the downside of the Carter trade (at least from my perspective) was the likelihood they’d lose Hedo Turkoglu, and sure enough, the man opted out of his contract two days ago. As I said during the Finals, Hedo was clearly the Magic’s MVP during that series. I could go on and on about what I love about him, but the most succinct way I can say it is that few players in the league have the combined skills and size that Hedo does. He’s Peja Stojakovic mixed with Lamar Odom and more clutch than both of them combined. After the Vince trade Magic GM Otis Smith said this: “Vince gives us a veteran, go-to scoring presence, especially at the end of games. Our goal remains the same — to win a championship. Any time you can add an All-Star to help you reach your goals, you have to do it.” Except that go-to scoring presence seems to be exactly what Hedo does, and what Vince has often been so questionable at doing in the playoffs. If the Magic succeed in re-signing Turk, then they come out far better than the Spurs or the Cavs after their big trades. But if they lose Turk, which is more than likely, then honestly, I think they really screwed up.

FIVE: The guys from the Sport Count are back in action with an amusing look at the worst draft picks of the last 10 years. Their analysis of Robert Traylor I found particularly insightful: “Able to dominate despite — and partly because of — his weight in college, Traylor was a mess playing against professional athletes. While his natural ability was clear, his inability not to be fucking enormous limited his playing time and contributions.”

SIX: My YouTube Clip of the Week.

There’ll be more of this in tomorrow’s Sunday Six Pack, but for now here’s a few post-draft links about our own Patty Mills. And can I just say, how cool it is to be able to link to a bunch of Australian newspaper sites for a change. Every major paper around the country is running an article on Patty and the draft. Go Aussie!

- Trailblazing Mills goes to work - Canberra Times
- Portland pounces on Patrick Mills, Joe Ingles misses - Herald Sun
- Mills ready to blaze in Portland - Brisbane Times
- No guarantees for NBA-bound Mills - ABC News
- Draft Night Digest - Blazers Edge
- NBA Draft: as the dust settles - A Stern Warning
- Blazers grab PG Patrick Mills with their final pick - OregonLive.com
- It’s all about Pat Mills (lots of good links) - JR On Fire

RD: OK first off, were you surprised Patty Mills went that low? We all thought first 5-6 picks of the second round, but he almost fell off the map. How did this happen?

JB: The thing that hurt Mills was by the second round or even late first round where I would have him go, a lot of teams wanted point guards or players that they could hide overseas in Europe for a few years before bringing them over. Add to that and a lot of teams are looking for role players in the second round (a lot of specialist shooters went) and it makes it hard. Plus, some teams made some poor second round draft selections.

RD: What can we expect to see Patty do in Portland? Some are suggesting they won’t have a roster spot for him, while others think he could eat into Steve Blake’s minutes. Your thoughts?

JB: It’ll be initially hard I would say for Patty to crack the rotation. Obviously Steve Blake is the starting point guard now, but my early pick for Most Improved Player next year would be Jerryd Bayless, and as a result I would find it hard for Patty to find meaningful minutes. However in saying that, Coach McMillan is developing his team, and he saw first hand what Mills can do in the Olympics (being an assistant to Coach K) and he found minutes for Sergio Rodriquez last year. So it will all depend on the pre-season Mills has and making the most of his opportunities when they present themselves.

RD: What will happen to Joe Ingles?

JB: He will probably do the Summer League song and dance before probably trying for a gig over in Europe.

RD: In a draft full of surprises, what were the most baffling picks/non-picks in your mind?

JB: I think Evans being taken by Sacramento over Flynn and Rubio is a little interesting. Obviously they see him as a nice fit as a point guard; but Rubio is a bonafide point guard talent who can become iconic. They sort of made up for it trading for Rodriguez off of Portland who I still think has a chance to be great - but still, could have been better on that front. Also, I would say the non-selection of Josh Heytvelt. I understand he’s an older senior with a lot of off-court problems, but a 6′11 guy who can shoot is a rare and valued commodity in this day and age.

RD: There’s clearly a few trades yet to remain based on some of the picks we saw, T-Wolves taking Rubio and Flynn being one example. What follow-up trades do you see unfolding in the coming days?

JB: There actually seems to be a good chance that Rubio and Flynn will play together. Though apparently Rubio’s father told reporters he may stay in Europe for a season or two. The Rockets got a couple of picks in the second round (Budinger, Llull and Jermaine Taylor) and where all very high picks. I wouldn’t be surprised if they plan on packaging a couple of these players with T-Mac in a trade at some point in the future.

RD: Which teams would you grade the highest for their draft-day performance?

JB: I think San Antonio and Oklahoma City Thunder are my top two. The Spurs grabbed a great rebounder in Blair who slipped about 20 picks, and Jack McClinton is a shooting threat with athletic ability which means he can play a role for the Spurs in the future. The Thunder get a workhorse in Harden, as well as a player whom in two or three years could be a very handy centre in BJ Mullens, and the Thunder are in a good position to develop him. A third would be Memphis, who despite not getting the best player available at their picks, got three defensive minded and tough players which could help change the style of play and perception in Memphis.

RD: Which teams would you grade the lowest?

JB: I don’t rate what the Cavs did at all. I understand why they took Eyenga, a young athletic freak who they can stow away for a few years - but he would have been available at their second round pick. Truth be told, I don’t think he should have been drafted in the first place. And their second round pick being Danny Green I can semi-understand, but Heytvelt was still there, the shooting 4 who could allow Shaq to be on the court a lot longer due to a stronger offensive structure. Outside of that, no other team really had a bad draft.

RD: Lets fast forward to next May. Who’s in the 2000-2010 All NBA Rookie First Team?

JB: Curry, Griffen, Harden, Hansbrough, Flynn

RD: Looking a little more to the future, I’ll ask you the same question I ask every year. Which guy in this draft is the diamond in the rough that could become an all-time great? I’m talking the Amare at #9 or Kobe Bryant at #14 kind of pick.

JB: I don’t think this is the kind of draft that will produce one, but if I had to say it would be Jrue Holiday first and formost, picked by Philly at 17. He’s a guy who needs a few years in the system, but has a great array of skills, a defensive presence and physicality on his side. If he can learn to play the point and can elevate his consistency in his shot, he could be a very good point guard in 3-4 years.

Lastly, here are my top three picks for the 2010 draft to give readers a chance to YouTube these guys ASAP. The draft already seems twice the caliber of ‘09, so get ready for it.

1. John Wall - PG From Kentucky
2. Derrick Favours - PF From Georgia Tech
3. Ed Davis - PF From UNC

RD: Cheers Jobba. Go Blues.

I have covered the pre-Draft period for three or four years now, and I can safely say there has never been as much hardship in predicting what will happen on draft day.  The fact that this is a weak draft, that the NBA has a deeper talent pool now than any time probably in 20 years, and that teams want to get under the salary cap for the super free agency in 2010 means that anything could happen. This is also hampered by the amount of players who have a massive draft range, and the amount of teams wanting trade to gain or get rid of picks. This isn’t ‘mocking’ as much as it is guessing. Anyway, enough of me covering my cute behind, on to the last mock draft of the year.

#1 - The Los Angeles Clippers select Blake Griffin, a 6’10 PF From Oklahoma
Ok. This is a no brainer, and is the only definitive thing that will happen in this years draft.

#2 - The Memphis Grizzlies will select Hasheem Thabeet a 7’3 C From UCOnn.
This was 50-50 to be traded before ‘Sota pulled the Randy Foye for the 5th overall trade. It now makes it 70%+ more likely as now the Wolves have the package (5th, 18th and 28th) or it will spring the Knicks into action as now they are not the favorite to claim the pick if it were traded. However, the Wolves have said previously they want two top 10 picks, which means they stay pat. I’m going to assume they keep it, and will select Thabeet because he has said he wouldn’t mind playing there (he declined workout due to Visa complication supposedly). If this is Rubio, look for a draft day trade to be announced as the night progresses.

#3 - The Okalahoma City Thunder will select Ricky Rubio a 6’3 PG From Spain.
GM Sam Presti and the Thunder organization are one of the best at hiding their thoughts, and as such, this is a pick that’s hard to predict. Harden seemed to be the guy when Thabeet was the consensus second overall, but that has changed with rare information coming that Rubio and his agent have met with the Thunder to talk to Rubio regarding buyouts and other such intricacies. If Rubio goes at 2, this would be Thabeet.

#4 - The Sacramento Kings will select Johnny Flynn, a 6’0 PG From Syracuse.
The Kings were either going to get Rubio if he fell, Flynn or Brandon Jennings. It seems that they are not as high on Jennings are as the other two, and with Flynn being seen as the best point guard still on the board outside of Ricky Rubio, he gets the nod at 4.

#5 - The Minnesota Timber Wolves will select James Harden, a 6’5 SG From Arizona State
If Rubio goes at 2 the draft will see someone fall. If Rubio doesn’t go at 2, the draft will be just as hard to call. But as you can see, the 2nd overall pick is where it all hinges on. If the draft is to go the way I see it going, Harden will fall to the Minnesota Timberwolves either at 5 or 6. Either way, Harden is a talent who would fit and play for both organizations and I cannot see him falling any further.

#6 - The Minnesota Timber Wolves will select Stephen Curry, a 6’1 PG From Davidson
The Wolves lose Randy Foye, but gain a whole new solid backcourt which with Love, Jefferson and like players could make this a fun team to watch – especially when you consider they’d have a lot of pieces. It is possible that if Rubio goes at 2, and Harden at 3 than Thabeet will fall to 5 or 6, but if he doesn’t I’d expect the Wolves will definitely get Curry.

#7 -  The Golden State Warriors will select Jordan Hill, a 6’10 PF From Arizona
The Warriors have said that Ellis is their starting point guard, but you have to question his longevity with the Warriors. His moped indiscretion, followed up by his unhappiness at the team for his punishment, followed up by the mini tantrum regarding his long term vision of himself in a Warrior uniform may start to add up. Either way, the Warriors at 7 will pick a player who will fall, but if not, go for the BPA (Best player available). The player that falls is Jordan Hill, and whilst he is like Randolph or Wright, he certainly is the Best Player Available. Jennings is also a strong option here.

#8 - The New York Knicks will select Tyreke Evans, a 6’5 PG/SG From Memphis
It has been stated that the Knicks wish list is Rubio first, Curry at second then Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday. There is a chance that this could be Jrue Holiday if Rubio falls to the Thunder or Kings at 3 and 4 respectively but in this mock Evans falls. They will still try a power play to get the second overall, but their hope was to get the 5, then package it with this pick for pick 2. The T’Wolves got in first and it now seems likely they are stuck at 8. Expect them to look to buy or trade into to a later first round pick - presumably for Jrue Holiday.

#9 - The Toronto Raptors select Gerald Henderson, a 6’5 SG From Duke
There seems to be a growing discontent with Chris Bosh and the Toronto organization. The easiest way to fix that and at least have a greater chance of retaining Chris Bosh in 2010 is through selecting the best player available who will help them win instantly. They’ll stick with a guard and my bet will be Gerald Henderson, a defensive stopper and a guy who will help them score from beyond the arc. The other possible pick is DeMarr DeRozan, but he’s a 2-4 year project player, and Chris Bosh could be long gone by then. Another possibility is James Johnson from Wake Forrest.

#10 - The Milwaukee Bucks select Brandon Jennings, a 6’0 PG From USA (Played in Italy)
The Bucks pulled a semi-mega trade sending Jefferson to the Spurs and getting essentially Bowen, Amir Johnson and Kurt Thomas. This probably means they will let Villanueva walk in free agency, and if they get Flynn do the same with Ramon Sessions. It seems probable that the Bucks will have either Flynn or Jennings to pick at this point, however if they are gone, DeRozan or Jeff Teague will be likely back up picks.

#11 - The New Jersey Nets will select DeMarr DeRozan, a 6’6 SG/SF From USC
The Nets are high on three players it would be indicated through NJ media outlets. Tyler Hansbrough, Gerald Henderson and Terrance Williams. My guess is that they would take Henderson, Williams and Hansbrough if those players are available. But in saying that, if they aren’t available someone will fall. For me that would seem to be DeMar DeRozan. With Vince Carter in trade rumors (which will pick up as the year goes on I would assume) the Nets may look to take a project player for the future with this pick.

#12 - The Charlotte Bobcats will select Terrance Williams, a 6’6 SG/SF From Louisville
The same three players that are linked with the New Jersey Nets seem to be linked with the Charlotte Bobcats (Hansbrough, Henderson and Williams). As a Bobcats fan, I’d be happy to see either of those three in the carrot-vomit orange. But with Henderson gone, I’d say it would be Williams here. If it turns out to be Tyler Hansbrough, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bobcats made a trade. A rumor that I have heard is Raja Bell for Kelenna Azebuike and Marco Bellinelli.

#13 - The Indiana Pacers will select Tyler Hansbrough, a 6’9 PF From UNC
I think the consensus now is that Hansbrough is the best Power Forward on the board after Griffin and Jordan Hill. I’d say that the Pacers would value him higher than Blair and see him as a better overall player to play alongside Danny Granger and Brandon Rush. However, if Jennings or Flynn were to fall I’d see Larry Legend take those players over anyone else (as he should).

#14 - The Phoenix Suns will select James Johnson, a 6’8 SF/PF From Wake Forrest.
James Johnson is an enigma to me. I have no idea what he could be as an NBA player -  he’s strong and a good power forward in college, but is only 6′8. My bet is that the Suns will take the BPA out of points and wings, and that for me would be James Johnson.

#15 - The Detroit Pistons will select BJ Mullens, a 7’0 C From Ohio State.
There is a rumored promise that the Pistons have made with BJ Mullens. For me, this link has been strengthened with the trading of Amir Johnson to the Milwaukee Bucks, and with Rasheed Wallace off the books, I’d say Mullens is the best bet for the long terms front court of the Pistons. It would also indicate they’ve officially given up on the championship window. Which we half suspected after they traded Chauncey Billups.

#16 - The Chicago Bulls will select DeJuan Blair, a 6’6 PF From Pittsburgh
The Bulls really have a need for an interior presence with offensive prowess, but really in this draft, the only foreseeable options are Hansbrough or BJ Mullens. Both may be gone at this point. But that would mean DeJuan Blair would drop. It may allow for the Bulls to get a guy like Villanueva in free agency, but if not, they will get an effort player who will give them extra possessions and be a different type of interior defender

#17 - The Philadelphia 76ers will select Ty Lawson, a 6’0 PG From UNC
Ed Stefanksi, Philly GM has basically said we are taking a guard. My guess is that it will come down to three players, Teague, Lawson and Eric Maynor. Lawson is the guy with the most chance of being a facilitator and a guy who can push the tempo which the 76ers have been known for. He also is a more complete point than the others.

#18 - The Minnesota Timber Wolves will select Earl Clarke, a 6’10 SF/PF From Louisville
How many 6′10 players have the ability to handle the ball, shoot it fairly consistently and crash the boards? That’s they type of player Clarke is, and if it wasn’t for some issues regarding decision making and off the court stuff, he would be a top 10 player in this draft. But at pick 18, whether that remains the Wolves’ or it goes to the Grizz, Clarke is the type of player that is warranted at this pick.

#19 - The Atlanta Hawks will select Jeff Teague, a 6’1 PG From Wake Forrest.
Some have mentioned Teague with the 10th pick, as the Bucks are rumored to be extremely high on him. However, if Flynn or Jennings is available, I can’t see the Bucks taking Teague. If that happens, he could free fall all the way to the Hawks at 19. They already have Bibby, but with his contract out and Josh Smith being very hard to trade (Smith has to agree with it), the Hawks may take a chance on Teague as their long term point (and their insurance if Bibby isn’t re-signed).

#20 - The Utah Jazz will select Wayne Ellington, a 6’5 SG From UNC
The Jazz could go in multiple directions with this pick. Realistically, they would have to be worried about Boozer announcing he could see himself in a Pistons uniform, and that Brewer, CJ Miles and AK47 won’t handle the offensive needs on the wing. My guess is they’ll go with a shooter who can play ying to Deron Williams’s yang, and give them more versatility and structure to their line-up. That could be Budinger, but Ellington encompasses all that the Jazz are looking for.

#21 - The New Orleans Hornets will select Chase Budinger, a 6’7 SG/SF From Arizona.
I think the Hornets will look for another scoring option on the wing. Chandler/West/Armstrong are three capable players in the front court, and you add combo forward Wright and Posey into that mix your front court looks healthy. But when you have a player like Paul who can execute the Pick and roll or pick and pop with Chandler or David West, spacing the floor is vital. Thus I think they’ll go with a capable shooter. First choice would be Wayne Ellington, second would be Chase Budinger.

#22 - The Portland Trailblazers will select Jrue Holiday, a 6’4 PG/SG From UCLA
Jrue Holiday is another enigma player, some scouts are very high on him because of his potential, others are not because to this point he has achieved nothing. It also doesn’t help that he is talking himself up as a point guard without actually playing the position. But he is a handy player and worthwhile taking a chance on.

#23 - The Sacramento Kings will select Austin Daye, a 6’10 SF From Gonzaga.
A better-than-decent shooter from the wing, and at 6′10 with a decent skill set has the potential to be a very handy player at the next level. This would be a good pick if they could combine it well with whoever the Kings get at 4, and if it were to be a guy like Daye who could be an X-factor type player in a couple of years time, it could bode very well for Sacramento’s future.

#24 - The Dallas Mavericks will select Toney Douglas, a 6’1 PG/SG From Florida State.
The Mavericks really wanted Terrance Williams, but when it became obvious he wouldn’t fall to them at 22, they traded the pick for a lower first rounder and a second round pick fairly early in the round. My bet is that they will take the BPA, and specifically a player that can help at the point as Jason Kidd won’t be around forever. Douglas is a guy similar to Terry who can shoot it, but also play multiple positions despite being undersized.

#25 - The Oklahoma City Thunder will select Eric Maynor, a 6’3 PG From VCU
If the Thunder selects Ricky Rubio this could be a more interesting pick. But I’m going to say they don’t and will pick up a solid back-up point with their second pick. Maynor falls a little, but the lack of shooting touch and the fact he’s a senior who went to a relatively small school means he does. A solid player that will probably only be a back-up.

#26 - The Chicago Bulls will select Marcus Thornton, a 6’4 SG From LSU
The Bulls will be sweating on Ben Gordon’s free agency decisions, but regardless of what they do in that respect, they would probably like to add more 3-point shooting threats to their perimeter to give players like Rose, Deng and John Salmons more room to operate off penetration and picks. Thornton is the best 3 point scoring threat still on the board, and maybe second or third overall.

#27 - The Memphis Grizzlies will select Darren Collison, a 6’0 PG From UCLA
The Grizzlies currently hold this pick, and if the draft day trade action goes down like it could, the Grizzlies may trade this pick as they will have relatively no use for it. But assuming they take it, they would be smart to find a back-up point guard for Mike Conley Jnr. Collison is a better fit than say Beaubois or Patty Mills as he can shoot the ball but is a very good defender - the perfect person to play as an off-guard when OJ Mayo has the ballin his hands.

#28 - The Minnesota Timber Wolves will select Omri Cassipi, a 6’8 SF/PF From Israel.
Cassipi is a very interesting prospect, and whoever has this pick at the end of the day would be getting a player who has talent and some very unique and serviceable skills. A combo forward at 6′8 he possesses a funky shooting stroke and as a result is fairly inconsistent from out there, but he is a tough, grind like player who can be very effective facing up and putting the ball on the floor. Gives whoever drafts him a player that could give a different look every now and again.

#29 - The Los Angeles Lakers will select Jonas Jerebko, a 6’9 SF/PF From Sweden
Jerebko was the star player at the Treviso camp, and possesses a nice array of skills which could see him be a very valuable role player to the Lakers in the future. He sort of sprang up into first round talks after the Euro camp at Treviso, and when doing research for him came across the Draftexpress.com interview with him, and sounds like he knows what it takes to be a role player. With the fact that he is European, he may be left to simmer overseas, and for the reigning NBA champs, that is probably the best idea.

#30 - The Cleveland Cavaliers will select Josh Heytvelt, a 6’11 PF From Gonzaga
[NOTE: This was written before the Shaq trade]. The Cavaliers won’t be going much further than last season when you consider that Illgauskas and Wallace are pretty much done as NBA players. Whether or not they play on this season (Wallace has indicated that he may not) and Big Z has a player option (which I would assume he would take) then probably be on his way out after next season. For a replacement, Heytvelt isn’t to bad. Is tall at 6′10/6′11, but can hit the mid-range shot consistently, allowing the Cavs to extend the defense like they cannot do if Varajao is the prime offensive tall on the court.

Patty Mills sadly falls to the second round, but I can’t see him not being taken in the first 5-6 picks. I wouldn’t be surprised if either Portland or New York made a bit of a play for Patty as McMillan and D’Antoni both were ‘witnesses’ to Mills’ play in the Olympics being assistant coaches. Either way, he’ll find a team that he has more of a good chance of playing some minutes for and having a role - which is I suppose better for us Aussie NBA fans in the long run.

No doubt that between me finishing this, sending it to Rob, Rob actually making it readable on the blogosphere, and the actual posting of this on NBAMate, many more draft rumors and draft day trade rumors or actual trades will happen (thank you Shaq) which will make a large portion of this invalid. But hey, that’s what we love about the draft, right?

UPDATE: “The Milwaukee Bucks agreed to trade Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs for Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas, a source said on Tuesday. In a simultaneous deal, the Spurs will send Fabricio Oberto to the Detroit Pistons for Amir Johnson who then goes to the Bucks”.

UPDATE: “The Washington Wizards are close to a deal that would send the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s draft, Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas and Darius Songaila to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, a league source told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher on Tuesday.”

• Apparently the Hawks want Amare, the only source for this being Stephen A Smith’s Twitter:   “The hawks won’t do any better than they did this year unless they get who they want: Amare Stoudamire. They’re after him.”
• The Lakers are going to keep D.J. Mbenga despite him only playing seven games these playoffs for a total of 16 minutes
• Apparently the T-Wolves are trying to package a deal that would net them the #5 pick from Washington, including moving pieces like Mark Madsen (expiring 2010) and Mike Miller (expiring 2010). Then using the #6 and #5, try and trade up to #2 to get either Ricky Rubio or Thabeet.  Complicated? Yes. Likely bullshit? Yes.
• Sota’s GM David Kahn has offered Mike Miller to the Clippers for Kaman, but the Clippers want to trade out Marcus Camby instead. So far: Stalemate.
• The Wizards are definitely shopping the #5 pick. Likely destination is New York.  But not for who you thought, the deal here involves… wait for it… Larry Hughes and Jared Jeffries.
• Another rumor going around is that the Knicks are pushing Wilson Chandler for the #5.
• Apparently, despite the clear rule violation in relation to the July 1 deadline to begin talks, the Pistons have offered Ben Gordon $11mill per year. So much so, that the Pistons included Gordon’s photo in a newsletter to fans that discussed free agency this summer.
• The Cavs are looking at Vince Carter (yeah, wtf?) this off-season to put them over the top in the playoffs. Apparently the Shaq trade is on the back burner, as the Suns want more than two semi-expiring contracts in Pavlovic and Ben Wallace. Also, I just vomited putting the words “Vince Carter” and “over the top in the playoffs” in the same sentence.
• Hasheem Thabeet has joined the Ricky Rubio School of Piking and apparently doesn’t work out for draft scouts any more. “He’s not going to block shots in a workout, and that’s what he’s going to do in the NBA”, his agent said. Right. I think I just found a loophole to get me into the NBA. Become an awesome shot-blocker, then tell the draft scouts that “I just can’t block shots in a workout, but that’s what I’ll do in the NBA… just trust me on this one… I’m pretty sure I”ll go top ten”. More than likely though, Thabeet is just trying to hide the extent of his shoulder injury. This isn’t Oden 2.0 is it?
• Latest trade rumor out of the Celtics camp moves Ray Allen to The T-Wolves for Mike Miller, Randy Foye, and Ryan Gomes. And in a trade proposal that quite frankly I find hilarious, the Celtics offered Rondo and Allen to Detroit for Stuckey, Hamilton and Prince! This is how I imagine the situation would have gone down:

Pistons Executive walks hastily into Joe Dumars’ office….
Executive: “Hey Joe, we got a trade offer from the Celtics”
Joe D: “Oh yeah? What’s on the table?”
Executive: “They want Hamilton, Prince and Stuckey for Ray Allen and Rondo…”
Joe D: “Stuckey’s off limits Bob, you know that. But go on…”
Executive:”Ahh, that’s it”
Joe D: “Rip, Prince and Stuckey for Allen, Rondo and who?”
Executive: “Ummm no, that’s it. Just Ray Allen and Rondo”
Joe D: “Rip, Prince AND Stuckey for Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo?”
Executive: “Yep. The offer came through just two minutes ago”
Joe D: …silence…
Executive: “Well…?”
Joe D: …silence…
Executive: …silence…
Joe D: “Get the FUCK out of my office”

• Are you having trouble getting to sleep? Then how about you thumb through Tim Duncan’s graphic novel!
• Look for the Rockets to try and move McGrady, with New York being a possible destination.  Apparently the Knicks think that this washed up injured nobody will help in their quest to win the LeBron 2010 sweepstakes. With $20mill left on his contract, that’s quite an expensive experiment.
• Oliver Miller is making a comeback! “I was 400 [pounds], 405, and 415 before I started working out again. I liked Smokey’s BBQ. I look at myself then and I look at myself now and it’s crazy.” I’m speechless.

Major cred goes to Chucko for finding a lot of these links.

By now I’m sure you’ve heard at least one story about Ricky Rubio and his draft dramas over the past few months. His indecision to declare for the draft, the disagreements with his European club DKV Joventut over his buy-out amount (which he has to pay most of himself), and his bitchy whining about what teams he does/doesn’t want to play for. But today was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Today the HTFU Police came into the possession of some telling evidence. Evidence that strongly suggests Ricky Rubio needs to Harden The Fuck Up.

On Wednesday Rubio was scheduled to have a “light work out” in Sacramento, the team many believe might end up picking Rubio at #4. But Rubio never made the work out because he “became ill”. Jesus Christ. The guy is in America for 48 hours only, one of the few chances he’ll get to make a true impression with his potential future team, and he pulls out because of a sore throat and fatigue?! For fucks sake. Yao Ming was playing with a broken foot before the medics sidelined him for the rest of the playoffs. Kobe Bryant is playing with nine fingers. Luke Hodge once played an entire football game with a rhino horn lodged in his aorta. But Ricky Rubio gets flown all the way from Spain to California and misses the workout because of a fucking sore throat and lack of sleep? Not only that, but he has the nerve to take a pot shot at the Kings basketball home, via Twitter: “visit the Arco Arena … facilities are brutal!”. Facilities are brutal? That’s the way to make an impression on your future team, son. Bag the shit out of their stadium! They’ll take your earnest criticism on board, especially coming from a prima donna teenager who has proved nothing in his basketball career so far. Harden The Fuck Up.

Rubio had a chance to redeem some of his manliness last week when Brandon Jennings (God bless his soul) called Rubio “overhyped” and set the foundation for what could amount to a terrific future rivalry. This is where you step up to the plate and put your best trash talking skills to use, or at least defuse the situation in a smart ass kind of way that subtly disrespects your opponent while giving you a distinct testicular advantage. Rubio’s response? Silence. He had to wait for a former Italian League coach, Dan Peterson, to come to his rescue and return fire on Jennings. “Jennings is overhyped” said Peterson. “He has it all backwards. He is all about trying to dominate one-on-one, all concerned with individual talent”. Honestly, we don’t care who is overhyped, and “trying to dominate one-on-one” may be considered a weakness in Peterson’s book. But in ours, that is a sign of manliness. You cannot hope to dominate one-on-five unless you first master one-on-one. Just ask Ron Jeremy.

You’d think having missed the Sacramento workout, or having copped a spray from Jennings, or even the general fact that his draft stock has slowly sunk over the last few weeks, might have somewhat humbled Rubio into accepting he’ll have to prove his worth before gaining respect. Not so.

I come here to play and to play the minutes. I didn’t come here to play in the NBA, and (be) done. No, I want to be a really good point guard here in the best league in the world, and I want to have minutes. So I have to find the team who wants me, who really wants me.”

Thank you for providing that clarification Ricky. Now, take off your tiara and let me tell you something. You want to have minutes? Fucking earn them. Cut the whining about how disappointed you were with the draft lottery, or your disgust at the thought of having to play for Memphis or Oklahoma, or your hopes that a draft-day trade will miraculously send you to a big franchise team that will let you start for them while building a statue for you. Buckle down and prove yourself the honest way, the Luke Hodge way. You never heard Darko Milicic, a similar future-projected Euro Star, whining about what teams he wanted to play for or telling Joe Dumars the Palace of Auburn Hills was a shit hole, did you? No, Darko worked his butt off during several workouts that were so blindingly impressive he couldn’t live up to them again for the rest of his career. And you know what happened Ricky? Darko won a ring in his rookie year.

But we don’t want you to be like Darko Milicic, Ricky. Because honestly? We think you can be better than him. And we don’t want you to be like Brandon Jennings cos he’s a bit of a dick. We just want you to Harden The Fuck Up. We’ll put these few minor disgressions behind us if you do.

Having had time to reflect on the 2009 Finals I’ve come to a conclusion on what they really were. Not Kobe’s vindication, or Phil’s coronation. But something else: an anticlimax. There were at least four series that were more entertaining during these playoffs - Boston v Chicago, Houston v LA, Orlando v Boston and Orlando v Cleveland. Each of those series had at least one classic game or signature moment: Lebron’s shot vs Orlando and the subsequent OT game, Big Baby’s shot in Game 4 against Orlando and the Game 7 upset, Ron Artest’s meltdowns and Fisher’s hip’n’shoulder in a series that shocked everyone by going to 7 (side note: the first three games of that series were probably the most brutal and physical games all playoffs, hugely emotional games, amazingly watchable), and of course, everything from the Bulls v Celtics series.

You know the two things that stand out in my memory from these Finals? Courtney Lee’s missed layup and Dwight’s missed free throws. Not Fisher’s heroics in Game 4 (great, but unspectacular), not Kobe’s monster Game 5 (again great, but it was a blow out) and certainly not Kobe’s 40 point Game 1 (again, blowout). The memorable moments from this series were missed shots. Lame.

Last night in the shower just before I exfoliated, I had a sudden flashback to last year’s Finals. I remembered watching the end of Game 6 thinking, “man, these Lakers are not even close to this Celtics team… six game sweep indeed”. Earlier in the day I’d read Bill Simmons article on Kobe (which is as pro-Kobe as you’ll ever hear BS), asking whether Kobe had really changed from last season. But to me, a much more interesting question was whether the Lakers had really changed? Because honestly, I don’t think they’ve changed that much. In fact, I’d argue that Kobe was far better and more efficient in last year’s playoffs. Fisher was more consistent. The Lakers bench was contributing 200% of what they are now. More importantly, they hadn’t showed any weaknesses or breakdowns through the first three rounds (like they did this year). But they had weaknesses alright, and the Celtics exposed them beautifully.

This year they had a more tuned-in Lamar Odom, a handy seven-footer in Bynum, and the dynamic Trevor Ariza (by far the biggest impact from last year). But the question that was bugging me in the shower and still bugs me today, is could they have beaten a full-strength Celtics team?

Honestly?

No.

The Celtics demonstrated these playoffs that even without KG, they are the most supremely drilled, most unrelenting team in the league. The worst possible thing that could have happened to them was to get tangled in a physically and emotionally draining first round series with the Bulls. The toll that took on Pierce, Rondo and Allen was too much, and by the time the Magic came to town in Game 7 of that series, they were a spent force. If they had somehow survived that game they probably would have been blown apart by the Cavs. But I have no doubt whatsoever, that with a healthy KG (and Powe) the Celtics would have handled Orlando and Cleveland and then LA. I can’t prove it, there’s no real facts I can point to. It’s just a gut feeling. Not a feeling I’ve carried all season mind you - the Lakers were my title-favorites for most of the past year - but right now if you had to pit them against the 2008 Boston Championship team, I’m picking Boston every time.

I know KG, Davis and Perkins would have won the rebounding battle and provided so many more headaches than Lewis, Dwight and Gortat. I know that the Celtics team defense on Kobe has proven incredibly effective in the past. I know Kobe has problems with guarding Ray Allen. I know that Boston wouldn’t have missed clutch free throws like Orlando did. I know they wouldn’t have lost at home. I know Rondo would have abused D-Fish and never left him open like Jameer did. I know that Doc Rivers is not Stan Van Gundy.

I don’t mean to take anything away from LA. You can only be as good as your opposition, and this championship is not tainted in any way shape or form. But beating Orlando in five games like they did, just seemed a little… anticlimactic. Like sitting through a twenty minute porno without the money shot. If they had knocked off Cleveland it would have at least proved the winner of the Kobe-Lebron debate. If they topped the Celtics it would have proved they’d grown into the hard-assed team we thought they couldn’t become.  But beating the baby-faced Magic reeking of ‘happy-to-be-there’ syndrome, kind of proves… nothing.

And ultimately, that’s probably what I’ll remember from these Finals. Nothing. Just like my memory of the 2007 Finals was hastily purged in the following weeks, the 2009 Finals will probably follow the same pattern. Sure, history was made on Sunday when Kobe got that fourth ring and the Lakers claimed their 15th title.

But the memories were made weeks ago.

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Hard to believe really, that I just watched a replay of the last game of the season. No more games on Foxtel or One. No more huddling around laptops at work with Justin TV streaming during lunch breaks. No more alt-tabbing frantically as the boss walks past your desk. The last Finals of the 00’s decade has been played out, and fittingly, it was won by the same team that kicked it off in 2000. Well, there was no Shaq this time.

The Lakers proved they were the class of the competition, and arguably, saved their best game of the season till last. Watching them overwhelm the Magic today had me perplexed - was this really the team we said was too soft? Was prone to blowing leads? Was lacking focus on the defensive end? It sure didn’t look like it. The Lakers I saw in Game 5 were a relentless team that showed no mercy, that went for the jugular. Finishing the job on the road in front of a hostile crowd seemed to sum that up better than anything.

Kobe Bryant in one foul swoop won his fourth title, his first Finals MVP, and silenced millions of Kobe haters around the world. What will they say now? He’s won without Shaq. He’s proven he can make his teammates better. He’s an MVP. He’s an unquestioned leader. He’s capped off a remarkable two years which saw him take the Lakers from a measly playoff contender to title favorites, through a Finals embarrassment to Olympic gold, to the Finals once again and championship glory. Watching Kobe celebrate earlier today, I started to feel a little relief myself… my own tiny monkey jumping off my back. As a Pistons fan who was relatively neutral about this Lakers v Magic Finals, I was a bit puzzled as to why I felt that way. And then it hit me. Being pro-Kobe the last five years has been a mentally and physically draining job. The ignorance and lack of appreciation of Kobe Bryant by some people has at times utterly astounded me - how blind do you have to be to realise you’re witnessing a “once-every-25-years player” as Jerry West recently said? I’ve spent too many hours arguing with people over beers or in forums or emails, carrying the Kobe flag, trying to balance out the lame and misguided anti-Kobe nonsense with a dose of honest reality. The frustrating thing was that when the Kobe-haters pulled the ‘championship card’, it was hard to argue with them - sure Kobe was great, but if he couldn’t lead his own team to a championship how great could he really be? That question has now been answered. That argument is dead. I can put down the flag. My job is done.

Aside from the insanely entertaining Bulls-Celtics series in the first round, to me, the Orlando Magic will be the most memorable team from these playoffs. They overcame what seemed at the time like two mind-blowing impossibilities - defeating the reigning champion Celtics on their home floor in a Game 7, and then getting past the LeBron James Train of Destiny. Of the three incorrect predictions I made all playoffs, the Magic were responsible for two of them (the Rockets beating the Blazers being the other). The Lakers only really surprised me these playoffs with their lousy play, most notably in the Rockets series - but fundamentally they did everything I expected them to do. The Magic on the other hand stunned me several times, and anyone following this blog knows how much my respect for them has grown in the past two months. I love watching teams rise, watching great players grow and learn - in many ways I’m more fascinated about how Dwight Howard will respond to this Finals loss than how Kobe will enjoy it. So while everyone is congratulating the Lakers, I’d like to thank the Orlando Magic for shaking things up a little and reminding us why we do indeed play out the entire postseason. One month ago a Lakers vs Magic Finals would have seemed ridiculous. As of now, I couldn’t imagine it being any other way.

I’ll have plenty more to say about the Lakers championship, about Kobe, about Dwight and Orlando, about the impending Free Agents, about Phil and Stan, all in the next few days. For now, I’m going to take a deep breath and reflect back on an immensely enjoyable season. Having spent a month in the USA when the season ended and the playoffs begun, and been lucky enough to speak to many of the players and personalities of the game, has meant this season will be etched into my brain forever. It started with a Paul Pierce HTFU, then some Puerto Rican Guy, blossomed into the story of the Platypus, a sprinkle of Ray Allen (for good measure) and perhaps culminating in the Greatest Story on Earth. It’s been real.

The thing is, I have a feeling next season will be better.