The Sports Rumors

If You’re Tired of hearing about Kobe and K.G…

If you are one of the many who is tired of the 24 hour a day coverage of the Kobe and Garnett circus that has been thoroughly covered by ESPN, your local news, and your 4 year old nephew’s cartoon station, then this is the article for you. I’m going to talk about things such as, I don’t know, the rest of the league perhaps.

Let’s start with the much anticipated NBA Draft which is approaching us in less than 6 days now on June 28^th.

Actually before I go into this, let me just forewarn you that you’re not going to find some annoying mock draft on this site yet. I’m not going to be one of those people who has a mock draft up 4 months before the draft, then changes it on a daily basis. This is a busy week for the NBA with potentially some big trades that could go down which directly effect draft picks and teams with high draft choices. So from me, you will get one mock draft with thorough explanation for each pick, one or two days before the event actually occurs. I am not a fan of changing mock drafts or pow

rankings 10 times a day like other folks. Now that that’s off my chest, let’s continue with the article.

This is one of the deepest drafts that we’ve had in recent memory and without a doubt is a credit to the age limit that the NBA implemented. This is what so many people could not come to grips with for the past 15 years. One year of college actually does make a difference. Look at how many more quality players are in the top 15 of this years draft as opposed to the past drafts where you had high school “developing” players coming out completely unready for the commitment and the grueling hard work the NBA requires. Look at Kevin Durant alone! You would not have known what he is capable of or how good he is if you didn’t see him star at the University of Texas. Of course everyone knows the top two picks are going to be Greg Oden and Durant, in that order most likely.

However, there is a little debate going after recent workouts, with some sportswriters suggesting the Blazers should take Durant over Oden. Oden apparently has a few nagging injuries including the wrist that sidelined him for a few games last season with Ohio State, as well as a few back problems. Durant has continued to impress (other than the fact that he can’t bench 185 even once). However, given the makeup of the Blazers with emerging star Brandon Roy in the backcourt and a solid coach in Nate McMillan, it should be a lock for Oden to go number one overall, despite the injury rumors.

Since 1998, either Shaquille O’Neal or Tim Duncan has been in every single Finals series. Think about that for a minute. That is nine years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Kevin Durant will have a stellar career. This isn’t only because he is immensely talented but because during the NCAA tournament, he showed heart and desire. That’s something you didn’t see from guys like Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler, to name a few. However, we can’t set aside the fact that Durant is 6’9 weighing 225lbs while Oden is a 7 footer close to 300lbs (280 to be exact). Size matters in the NBA no matter what you say. Take the Washington Wizards for example; Superstar scorer in Arenas, solid wingman with Butler and a sixth man of the year as well as All-Star forward Antawn Jamison. Sounds like the makings of a title contender, especially in the joke that is the eastern conference. What do the Wizards lack? Inside presence. They do have a 7-footer in Haywood but he is softer than a twinkie left in a car parking lot during 95 degree weather. Oden brings defense right away so he’s already on the level of Emeka Okafur, a solid player. His offense is developing and will get better with time so he has the makeup to become an absolute stud.

Let’s also not forget that the Blazers were not THAT bad last year. Yes, I know they were 32-50 but that’s only 9 games away from a .500 record in the Western Conference. Also, give me another year under star-in-the-making Brandon Roy’s belt as well as player like Oden and I’d feel confident that the Blazers can muster another 10-12 wins. That’s why them getting the first pick was such a shocker. Look for them to be battling for the 7^th or 8^th playoff spot next year, especially if Kobe leaves the Lakers and they are out of the picture.

Durant will bring versatility and some added excitement to a franchise that needs it as much as any. The duo of Ray Allen and Durant should work well. Both Oden and Durant are a can’t miss pick for 1 and 2 respectively. However, at the end of the day, the better pick for pretty much any franchise other than the Spurs or Suns would be to take Greg Oden.

Other Stories and Potential Relocations Around the League:

-Antawn Jamison’s contract expires after next season and he will become an unrestricted free agent. The Wizards will already have their hands full trying to hold on to star guard Gilbert Arenas, despite what he writes on his blog, because there will be plenty of teams salivating at the opportunity of signing him. Zach Randolph’s name of the Blazers has been thrown around quite a lot as a possible trade piece. I’ll keep you posted on this in the coming weeks.

-Andrei Kirilenko is a baby. As if literally crying about his role during the playoffs wasn’t bad enough, Andrei is still whining about it. You would think that, after crying like a 9 year old girl who’s Daddy just told her she can’t have a white pony, the guy would man up a little and bust his behind in the offseason to get better so that he’s not in a situation like this next year. Instead, he has whined some more to management through his agent about possible trades. Utah has said they will not trade him so that’s that. If Andrei picked up a dumbbell as often as he picks up a tissue, maybe he wouldn’t be in this situation. Just a thought.

-Jermaine O’Neal to the Lakers is a deal all but dead. It doesn’t look like O’Neal really wants to go to L.A. now due to recent, ahem, developments out of that city’s basketball team with certain players. New York is the other option but the Knicks aren’t really overflowing with quality trade material so we’ll probably end up seeing #7 in Indy for another year, or maybe just until All-Star break.

I’m going to include an article tomorrow about the Gilbert Arenas situation in Washington and what I foresee regarding his future with the team, despite what he writes on his blog. So look out for that. Also, check in if you want the latest on the Kobe/KG situations as well as other breaking news stories regarding the NBA.

Banged up wrist or not, Oden is a sure thing.