Around The June: June 7

06/07/12

Written by: DHawes22

June 7

Trail Blazers: Mock Draft Database

Trail Blazers: Who Will Go No. 2?
"Plays as hard or harder than anyone in this years draft. He’s tireless worker who knows how to play HIS game. Which translates well at the next level because you don’t have to worry about him getting outside himself. A double-double guy at Kansas, he was the best big in the NCAA tournament not named Davis and some good workouts will only increase his stock. He’s the undisputed 2nd best talent in the class so this wouldn’t come as a shock either."

Oregon Live: 2012 NBA draft: Should the Trail Blazers draft Perry Jones? (poll)
"Jones is somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades, master of none, as he can do a little of everything, but nothing in his game is especially polished. He does not have a consistent means of putting the ball in the basket, and he goes through long stretches where he doesn't have any impact on the game, although part of that may have to do with the way he was utilized. He sees the biggest share of his possessions in the post, either with his back to the basket, or facing up from the mid-post. He doesn't really have the strength or toughness to be overly effective backing opponents down, but his excellent size, length and quickness allows him to get shots off here with relative ease."

Oregon Live: Blazers Insider: Coaching search should extend beyond Kaleb Canales
"And when talking about his vision for the franchise, Olshey apparently isn't far-sighted, as he again zeroed in on Canales, saying "he has already proven he has the ability to execute that vision. So, what you have to weigh is the risk/reward of, if you go outside the organization and someone tells you what you want to hear in the interview, then runs off and works contrary to what we are trying to accomplish. You are setting yourself back instead of moving forward. So, like I said, Kaleb has set the bar high for anybody who would like to compete for the coaching job."

Oregon Live via Sporting News: NBA draft rumors: Golden State Warriors ready to shop all four draft picks
"Plan A is to package the No. 7 overall pick, one of their second rounders (either No. 30 or 35) and Dorell Wright in a deal for Philadelphia 76ers forward Andre Iguodala. They would use their remaining pick in the 30s on a big man like St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson, and target a free-agent point guard like Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton or Kirk Hinrich with their mid-level exception, according to the Chronicle."

Oregon Live via Sports News: 2012 NBA draft: Trade talk revving up heading into Chicago predraft camp
"The problem with having two picks in this draft was explained by one East general manager: “If you get both of them right and you wind up with two really good players, you’re probably not going to be able to pay both of them when their contracts come up in the same summer. That’s just the economic reality everyone is looking at.”

CSNNW: Combine in Chicago: Chris Haynes with Damian Lillard
"Chris Haynes spoke with Weber St. PG Damian Lillard about his draft stock and the possibility of playing in Portland. Lillard, a 6'2'' PG, is considered an option for Portland at the #6 pick."

Portland Tribune: Savvy Olshey knows personnel
"His real calling is personnel," Dunleavy says. "Neil has a great work ethic. You go to Timbuktu to see a player, he'll be there, too. He has a good eye for talent. He's a smart guy. He picks up things very quickly."

Ball Don't Lie via ESPN: Stephen Jackson explains why the Thunder beat the Spurs
"It sucks," Jackson said after the media crowd around him dispersed, not quite believing that his near-perfect evening didn't do more to stop the young-no-more Thunder from closing out the Western Conference finals. "But those mother------s," Jackson quickly conceded, "were just better than us."

Ball Don't Lie: Kevin Durant embraces family in the final moments of Game 6 (VIDEO)
"However, when the game was well in hand, Kevin Durant focused on being a son rather than a conquering hero. After dishing out a key assist for a Kendrick Perkins dunk and seeing James Harden grab the rebound from a missed Manu Ginobili 3-pointer, Durant walked over to his mother Wanda and two brothers Tony and Rayvonne for a family hug. It was a touching scene, as well as a fitting cap to a remarkable performance for one of the league's brightest and most likable stars."

Ball Don't Lie: The Miami Heat’s season might end earlier than some anticipated. Again
"This is what happens when you pair LeBron, who has never learned how to work away from the ball, and another player of his ilk in Dwyane Wade. Neither have mastered anything more than a two man game. This isn't to say that either is selfish offensively, far from it, but neither superstar has the vision and prescience to see beyond the obvious open man. It's either a score or an assist for these two, and never the play that leads to the pass that leads to the screen that leads to the second past that then leads to the assist."

The Basketball Jones: Jan Vesely learned a lot this season
“During the season I learned a lot of ghetto slang words from my Wizards teammates.”

SLAM: Post Up: OKC Wins West
"The best of them all was Kevin Durant, who is now arguably the best player in the NBA. He has all of the tools, the freakish mold, the statlines from the core of the Earth. But now, too, he has splayed out these guts or balls or a careless disregard for his body and his future. It is the final intangible. He played all 48 minutes because they needed him to, because they were down 18 so quickly, because he’s 23 years old, because that’s what young players tend to do when they want statues of themselves melded into the sidewalk outside of their home arenas. It’s the only way the Thunder could’ve won, so he did it. They won."

SLAM via LA Times: Deron Williams Unsure if the Lakers Can Afford to Sign Him
“I know they don’t have any money to just go out and sign me,’ said Williams, who has a player option for $17.8 million next season with New Jersey. ‘It’ll have to be some kind of deal.’ [...] ‘I used to hate them. They pushed us out of the playoffs three years in a row,’"

SLAM via San Francisco Chronicle: Report: Bulls Expected to Part Ways With CJ Watson
“Two things overheard in the NBA pre-draft combine lobby that might interest Warriors fans: 1. Chicago is not expected to pick up the $3.7 million option on point guard C.J. Watson; 2. Swingman Josh Howard would love to play for the Warriors.”

SLAM via Orlando Sentinel: Report: Brian Shaw Leading Candidate to Become Magic Coach
“Shaw, by all accounts, is already the leading candidate for the Magic coaching job.”

ESPN: Bottom falls out on Spurs' ascent
"I thought this was definitely our time," Duncan said, putting words to the disappointment that was so clear in those unmistakable eyes. "A time to get back to the Finals. A time to push for another championship."

ESPN: Daily Dime
"Five fourth-quarter Spurs turnovers helped the Thunder complete their comeback in Game 6. Three of them came on offensive foul calls, during a stretch when every time the whistle blew it seemed to go against the Spurs. When Popovich wasn't registering complaints to the nearest official he turned to an assistant to say, incredulously, "You've got to be kidding me." Yes, the Thunder got some favorable calls on their way to the NBA Finals. That shouldn't detract from their effort, including Durant drawing what everyone agreed was his first charge of the season."

Sports Illustrated: What's at stake for LeBron James, Miami Heat in Game 6? Everything
"But I do know this: Spoelstra has been put in a difficult spot. I know most coaches would roll their eyes at that -- he has three All-Stars, including a three-time MVP, and other coaches are thinking "Gimme some of that difficulty, pal." I get that. But Spoelstra is expected to win championships -- anything else is a failure. And he must do it with no depth and two stars with similar offensive skill sets. The Heat are just another contending team, but people don't see the roster. They (naturally) see the expectations. And that seems to affect how Spoelstra's team plays."

Sports Illustrated: Tough-minded Lillard leaps from mid-major to potential top-10 pick
"Oakland breeds toughness, and guys who don't back down and will guard whoever," Lillard said. "So I definitely want to hold that standard so people see that I'm an Oakland guard. I've got that same fire to me as those other guards, and hopefully I'll prove myself."