Rashard Mendenhall

who do you have to offer.

look at my team…tell me what u want?

no one from your team that i really want.

v

 no one from your team that i really want.

Kyrie Irving – Pick originally owned by the Los Angeles Clippers
There was a great debate over whether or not the Clippers should have protected the 2011 first-round pick that the paired with Baron Davis in exchange for Jamario Moon and Mo Williams (for a detailed breakdown of exactly why the Clippers couldn’t protect the pick, read Larry Coon’s article here). Due to significant restrictions and hurdles, though, they let go of the potential top-10 pick in a draft they felt was relatively weak anyway.
 

That pick turned into Lillard, who was the Co-MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League. In the end both teams got what they wanted; Portland gets their future point while the trade helped Brooklyn eventually lock of theirs of the present. Even if Lillard goes on to become a top-five point guard in the league, it’s a reasonable price to pay to help keep Williams.

The Tarheels need McAdoo to be a stud for them this season and if he can carry the load on a nightly basis, he’ll go a long way towards locking himself into the top of the 2013 class.

The 2013 NBA Draft is still 297 days away, so a lot can and likely will change between now and then, but as NBA teams open camp at the end of the month, some teams will have their eyes on the next draft day prize.

The Hornets are bringing back just five players from last year’s squad including Xavier.

To believe that because a player is on the roster today means he owes something to the team that holds his rights is not only naive, it’s downright foolish.

Will Barton – The Blazers got a great performance out of Lillard’s teammate, rookie Will Barton, who had 21 points on 8-11 shooting to go with nine rebounds.  Barton, at 6’6″, started at small forward and showed that the Blazers have drafted some talent (along with big-man Meyers Leonard).

Cory Joseph – The San Antonio Spurs point guard had a tough time against the Miami HEAT defense with 10 turnovers against his five assists.  He also missed all three of his three-point attempts.  The Spurs took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter until Miami exploded for 28 while holding the Spurs to just 14.  Joseph, going into his second year, is being brought along slowly by San Antonio who naturally relies on Tony Parker along with Gary Neal and Patty Mills at the point.

There are a number of people around the NBA who will tell you that the Oklahoma City Thunder have not done enough this offseason to keep up with their competition for the 2012-13 NBA crown. The Miami HEAT added new depth with veterans like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, the Boston Celtics beefed up their backcourt with Courtney Lee and Jason Terry and the Los Angeles Lakers, of course, added two All-Stars in Steve Nash and Dwight Howard.

“Jose is a pro,” Colangelo said. “He has been around the block. He has been a big part of this organization and has done a lot for us. I anticipate that as long as he is here, he is going to continue to do the things that are going to help this team win basketball games.”bsgf