Hooped Up

There was excitement knowing that Ricky Rubio would be available to the Wolves. When they took the 18 year old point guard from Spain with that fifth pick, applause erupted. There is an excitement about Rubio who is said to be a very exciting player. He made a strong impression during the 2008 Olympics. The ceiling is very high for him, but he likely has a lot to learn before getting to that level.

Star Tribune

When the months of tension-filled preparation ended and the Kings were finally on the NBA draft clock Thursday in New York, they had the same five-minute allotment as the rest to deliberate their pick.

But Madison Square Garden officials needn’t bother with the clock. The Kings had their man.

The team so badly in need of a talent boost opted for Memphis guard Tyreke Evans with the No. 4 pick, taking him without hesitation or concern for the popularity of the pick because they simply see him as special.

Sacramento Bee

The Oklahoma City Thunder had just made the Arizona State shooting guard the third overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft. Harden is now the newest member of the Thunder’s talented young core, joiningKevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook. The Pac-10 Player of the Yearseemingly will become the team’s shooting guard of the future and serve as the answer to the Thunder’s perimeter shooting problems last season.

The Thunder passed on Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio, who is widely considered the second best prospect behind former Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. In doing so, Oklahoma City avoided a potential predicament in which the 18-year-old Spanish sensation likely would have moved Westbrook to shooting guard.

The Oklahoman

Hasheem Thabeet remembers why he used to make people laugh when he first stepped onto an American basketball court.

“When I got here for high school, people said I couldn’t walk, chew gum and dribble a basketball at the same time,” Thabeet said. “It was the joke. But I’ve grown a lot.”

He can say that again.Thabeet grew to stand 7-3, and the center out of the University of Connecticut became even bigger Thursday night when the Grizzlies made him the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft.

Commercial Appeal

Taking Blake Griffin with the No. 1 selection in the NBA draft was the incredibly simple move for the Clippers, the painfully easy open jumper, if you will. Now comes the hard part. ”It’s definitely going to take time, and it’s not all about me,” said Griffin on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

He was speaking minutes after the Clippers took him at No. 1, just the way General Manager and Coach Mike Dunleavy said they would do so back on the night of the draft lottery in May.
LA Times

The New York Knicks have already used their financial might on Draft Day and have purchased the 29th pick in the draft from the Lakers, according to a Knicks source. The price is around $3 million – which is the highest an NBA team can include in a deal.

The deal can not be announced until after the Lakers make the pick tonight, according to NBA rules that prohibit the selling of picks as opposed to draft rights.

The Phoenix Suns select 14th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. Listen to who Fantasy Sports Girl TaraLee thinks the Suns are picking and then check out her selections vitals, strengths, 08-09 stats and draft demo reel after the jump.

For the rest of what’s going to happen in the draft tonight, throw your box of Jenga pieces on your local basketball court, and have LeRoy Smith interpret the results. I’ve heard his Jenga reading rates are reasonable.

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The Indiana Pacers select 13th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. Listen to who Fantasy Sports Girl Kristen thinks the Pacers are picking and then check out her selections vitals, strengths, 08-09 stats and draft demo reel after the jump.

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The Charlotte Bobcats select 12th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. Listen to who Fantasy Sports Girl Candace thinks the Bobcats are picking and then check out her selections vitals, strengths, 08-09 stats and draft demo reel after the jump.

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