Around The World: June 19

06/19/12

Written by: DHawes22

June 19

Trail Blazers: Mock Draft Database

Draft Express: Pre-Draft Measurements

Trailblazers.tv: Video: June 18 Pre-Draft Workouts

Trailblazers.tv: Video: Trail Blazers Courtside

Trail Blazers: Ford: Trail Blazers Looking At Three Players At #6
"Finally, Ford believes the Blazers could be eying three players at No. 6. Most everyone would assume those three to be the aforementioned Drummond, Weber State point guard, Damian Lillard, and should he fall to them, North Carolina small forward, Harrison Barnes. But as Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend!" Instead of the silky, smooth wing from UNC, Ford says it's the 6-4 scoring guard out of Syracuse, Dion Waiters, who has caught the attention of Rip City's personnel."

Trail Blazers: 2012 NBA Draft By Position: Centers
"Without question, the most physically talented big man in the draft. There have been some references to his motor, but his size and athletically ability make him a safe bet in the draft. I don’t think he will ever be a 20/10 guy, but he has the potential to be a very good 15/10/3 guy, without a coach having to call any plays for him. But should he ever develop his offensive game, the sky’s the limit."

Trail Blazers - LaMarcus Aldridge: Another Good Week
"This Thursday I'll hit the six-week milestone in my recovery, which means I can start running again, and I'm really looking forward to that. Take care."

Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers, Windermere And Community Celebrate Refurbished Meyer Boys & Girls Club
“It’s always important to give back to the kids and the community that helped today, Windermere, the Blazers and everybody coming together, all the volunteers, really make this whole thing go because without them this just can’t get done,” Kersey said. “It’s as much about having a place to come and play and everything, but it’s a safe haven, a place to keep learning during the summer, so when you go back in the fall to school, you know you kept up with your skills or your skills have gotten better."

Columbian: Blazers quiet on coach search
"In the meantime, Blazers coaches and executives got to evaluate O'Quinn, who listed LaMarcus Aldridge as his favorite player. Asked if he tries to copy his game after the All-Star, O'Quinn answered, "he's my favorite player. Of course I'm trying to copy him."

CSNNW: Blazers workout: Rivers and Wroten in; Kidd-Gilchrist out
"It was speculated that Kentucky forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would be in attendance as well, but his agent, Rich Paul, says Kidd-Gilchrist will not workout for the Trail Blazers."

CSNNW: Olshey enjoying camaraderie with staff, but decisions on their future to come
“It's been great. There's a lot of good personalities in the room and we're all working together for a common purpose,” Olshey told CSNNW.com. “Rich (Cho) brought in Steve Rosenberry and Bill Branch and (Kevin) Pritchard brought in Chad Buchanan and Mike Born. There are five mindsets in the room with different backgrounds and strengths and that is a luxury to have.”

Blazersedge: 2012 NBA Draft: The Portland Trail Blazers and Harrison Barnes
"This guy's shot is sweet and pure. He rises straight, releases high. He's not just a catch-and-shoot guy either. In fact that may be the weak point in his shooting game. He's mister two dribbles, back you off with the drive threat, then swish it over your head. He's the Magician of Mid-Range. You're used to seeing Trail Blazers wings getting lost as soon as they put the ball on the floor. That's how Barnes' offense gets found. He's not only comfortable shooting on the move, he's masterful at it, hitting J's or drawing fouls with ease. The ability to get to the line should pad his scoring stats nicely."

ESPN: 2012 NBA Draft Rater
"One player that Draft Rater isn't crazy about is Damian Lillard of Weber State, who compiled strong numbers but did so against a weak schedule and is much older than most of the prospects at his position. He not only failed to outrank the top point guards above but also rates behind the less-heralded Tyshawn Taylor of Kansas. No. 6 clearly seems a stretch for Lillard, who looks more like a mid-to-late first-rounder in this analysis."

Fox Sports Florida: James not first to join stars in search of title
"I think it was a great move," Drexler said in an interview with FOX Sports Florida about James' decision to go to the Heat. "Because, if you look at the team he left, would you want to stay with that team? . . . If you keep playing 48 minutes and scoring 40 points, it's going to take years off your career, and you still may not win. But if he's going to go play with some other (top) players, one, he's got some help, which means a lot. Two, he's got a better chance to win. And living in Miami is not really a bad place. It's a no-brainer (James going to Miami). If I had not gone to Houston, I would not have a ring . . . You need multiple stars (to win a championship). You always have . . . When I was in Portland, we had players good enough to get to the Finals but the super teams are going to get us."

Oregon Live: NBA High-5: Hiring of ex-Oregon assistant Mike Dunlap reflects state of Bobcats, affects Blazers
"Mike Dunlap absolutely elevates every player and team he comes in contact with," Karl tells Bonnell. "He takes you from good to great. Name every top- level, elite coach in the game – the only difference between Mike and them is their addresses. ... There is absolutely no one better"

Ball Don't Lie: Four things to watch in Game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals
"That doesn't mean he still can't rise above, take in a couple of backdoor plays or reverses and come through with the sort of sparkling 30-point output that would make the Heat just about impossible to guard if LeBron approximates his usual output. The schedule has lightened somewhat, with the Heat now playing its fourth game in nine days following the seven-game Eastern conference slogfest against the Boston Celtics, and with Thabo Sefolosha looking to help and dive into passing lanes in the Thunder's newly-activated defense, Wade could work his way into a throwback game of sorts."

Ball Don't Lie: Serge Ibaka says LeBron James is not a good defender, presumably after taking crazy pills misses
"Way to go, Serge Ibaka! Trash talking makes everything more fun. Remember how much we liked it when Kevin Durant backed down Dwyane Wade, shot over him, then smiled and told him he was "too small"? (Of course you do. That happened literally two days ago, in Game 3.) Now we will all be like, "Oooh, intrigue!" every time Ibaka and James share the floor, and be able to laugh and smile about how great it is that two young, competitive, combative teams are willing to mix it up for our amusement. Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight!"

Ball Don't Lie: NBA competition committee discusses postgame flopping penalties
"On top of that issue, the entire use of flopping is that it makes the intentional look unintentional. Even when divorced from the clamor of in-game officiating, assessing a charging or blocking foul for intent is a tricky task. Can we really know if a player meant to fall? What should we make of situations where there is legitimate foul-worthy contact and embellishment? Where do they draw the line? If players are allowed to appeal flopping rulings (which seems necessary, especially for this type of transgressions), then we could see arguments over intent usually kept to courtrooms and theological conferences."

The Basketball Jones: David Lee has Russell Westbrook’s fishing lure shirt
"Kind of worried about this, you guys. Since Russell Westbrook refuses to allow anyone to get the best of him, I’m assuming the Thunder point guard is going to let somebody bite a giant hole in his arm that will eventually become infected, force him to miss a bunch of games and possibly lead to amputation."

The Basketball Jones: SVideo: This tiny Thunder fan totally hates the Heat
"At the 2:42 mark, this little kid becomes a great majority of basketball fans."

The Baskeball Jones: The 1990′s NBA draft remix
"Nowitzki showed that the “soft” European big man could not only play in the NBA, but excel and lead his team to a championship. Pierce should go down as one of the all-time best Celtics and that says a lot. Vince Carter was yet another “next Michael Jordan” type of players, but he was his own man (see: attending his college graduation the day of a crucial playoff game) and not like Jordan (see: no rings). At one point, he captivated the masses with his dunking ability, but also did more than just throw it down, eventually scoring more than 21,000 points. Jamison has put up some impressive numbers in his career, but always seemed underappreciated. Lewis came straight out of high school and became one of the more consistent scorers and three-point threats while with the Seattle SuperSonics. He is now consistently mentioned when it comes to bad contracts, so there’s that."

SLAM: Ramon Sessions Declines Player Option, Will Become Free Agent
"Lakers point guard Ramon Sessions, acquired in a mid-season trade from the Cavaliers, has decided not to pick up his player option for the 2012-13 season, according to Lakers beat writer Mike Bresnahan. The option would have paid the 26-year old $4.5 million in the upcoming season. He averaged 11.3 points and 5.5 assists in 64 games this season."

SLAM: Austin Rivers, No. 14 (Mock)
"Some experts have criticized Rivers for being too ball dominant and he definitely could stand to shake some of the AAU mentality in an effort to look for his teammates, but it’s that same alpha dog mentality that could drive Rivers to grow into an All-Star. His crossover’s sick; his jumper is silky; and he’s an explosive scorer with a knack for getting points efficiently. We want a player who can become the face of the franchise. Austin Rivers can be that cat."

SLAM via Detroit Free Press: Kyle Singler Returning to Detroit Pistons
"After scoring 12 points in Real Madrid’s decisive Game 5 loss in the ACB League (Spain) title series, former Duke standout and Detroit Pistons second- round pick Kyle Singler will return to play with the Pistons summer league team. Over the span of 36 regular season games for Madrid, Singler averaged 8 points per game, shooting 54 percent from the field and 43 percent from behind the arc."

SLAM via ESPN: Jared Sullinger Medically Red Flagged By NBA Doctors
"Oh boy. After undergoing a series of medical tests at the NBA Draft combine last week in Chicago, Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jared Sullinger has been medically red flagged by NBA doctors, due to an ailing back that some believe could potentially shorten his NBA career. ESPN’s Chad Ford has the details: “Some have advised their teams not to draft him in the first round."

ESPN: Who has been the surprise of the Finals?
"It can't be anything other than Shane Battier, right? He's shooting 73.3 percent from 3-point range in this series and has a true shooting percentage of 101.4 percent. He's also not shying away from shots at all. He almost has that Eddie House thing going, of releasing the shot before the pass even gets to him. He's trying to put the dagger in OKC at all times."

Sports Illustrated via Hoopsworld: Report: Cleveland Cavaliers will draft Florida guard Bradley Beal if available
"Beal may not last until the fourth pick, either. While Kentucky’s Anthony Davis will almost certainly go No. 1 to the New Orleans Hornets, the Charlotte Bobcats and Washington Wizards could go numerous ways with the second and third picks. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could go to either team. Charlotte recently has been linked to Kansas forward Thomas Robinson."

Sports Illustrated: For OKC to beat Miami in Game 4, Kevin Durant must avoid foul issues
"I always want to be a guy that does it on both ends, a two-way player, and that's what you have to do on both ends is play hard as you can," Durant said. "LeBron is a tough guy to guard. Everybody knows it. But I'm going to play my hardest and try and play smarter. Hopefully I'll put myself in that position again, and I'll do a better job."