Loud Links: June 10, 2009

4D reporting from Jessica Alba ravaged Oklahoma City. It appears that Griffin would draft Curry with the #2 pick. Rubio sues DKV Joventut, but the team dealt his contract to someone else. An apparent NBA draftee "has not legs but a gelatinous mass of flesh not unlike a slug that leaves a trail of greasy discharge when he runs the court on a fast break". Really, who? Gortat loves him some M.J. Our new draftees will debut in OKC on the 27th. Jenni Carlson is trying to pull a fast one on the Clips. Plus more, as always…

Chat: NBA prospect Blake Griffin -SportsNation - ESPN
Jeremy (Rochester, NY): In your opinion, who is the best player besides yourself in the draft? Blake Griffin:  Stephen Curry.

Report: Ricky Rubio sues as rights go to Spanish IRS - ESPN
The guard has been trying to get out of his contract with Spanish league team DKV Joventut but has met resistance. On Tuesday, according to the Spanish news agency EFE, Rubio sued the team after learning that it had transferred the rights to his buyout to Hacienda, the Spanish version of the Internal Revenue Service. The rights were sold to satisfy a debt Joventut had with Hacienda.

HoopChill: NBA Teams… Draft James Harden
James Harden, a 19 year old shooting guard out of Arizona State, is the next great player for the NBA and should be drafted second this year. Yes I know the NBA finals are on right now, but the NBA draft is the only event for teams that aren’t involved in the playoffs look forward to. James Harden is one of the most complete players in this year’s draft, and got all the respect he deserved at the start of the college basketball season. Many teams ranked him as the 2nd best player in this year’s draft. Now as we near the NBA draft, his stock has fallen and he has moved down a lot of mock drafts. This is greatly undeserved, Harden is a spectacular player that could be the next great player in the NBA.

NBA Draft: Young Too Old? - Basketball News & NBA Rumors
A two time all-Big East selection, Young possesses a polished all around game with a knack for performing best in his team's biggest games. The small forward averaged 23.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, leading the team to the Elite Eight. Despite all of these accomplishments, however, Young will likely slip out of the draft lottery and into the latter part of the first round largely because of his age.

NBA.com: Recapping what was learned from 2009 Eurocamp
Mills may have been a bit inconsistent in terms of his playmaking skills and perimeter shooting, but he left a strong impression with his blazing speed, terrific ball-handling skills and excellent mid-range game, which had some teams comparing him to Aaron Brooks. Mills likely stays in the Draft now, and could be a solid pick late in the first round or early in the second.

FreeDarko Presents: Ken’s Mock Draft of Players that He’s Read Brief Paragraphs About and Only Seen Play on You Tube
I normally respect Sam Presti and his giant pulsating brain, but he will make the greatest mistake of his career by drafting Harden. Sure, shooting guard is a glaring need for an otherwise promising team, but I heard from a guy who knows a guy who dated a girl who read on a blog that Harden is such a bad athlete that he entered a 3 km race with a rabbit and only won because the rabbit was so confident of winning that he decided to take a nap midway through the course. Further, I hear that the slothful James Harden has not legs but a gelatinous mass of flesh not unlike a slug that leaves a trail of greasy discharge when he runs the court on a fast break.

Thunder schedule draft workout - USATODAY.com
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Another group of NBA draft prospects is coming to Oklahoma City for a workout session with the Thunder. Former Big 12 stars DeMarre Carroll of Missouri and Damion James of Texas are among four forwards scheduled to participate in Wednesday's session. Omri Casspi from Israel, DaJuan Summers from Georgetown also were invited for the workout. Thunder spokesman Michael Ravina says DeMar DeRozan of Southern Cal had a separate workout for the team this week.

Marcin Gortat of Magic told by Reebok he must cover his Air Jordan tattoo
This may be one of the most ridiculous and hilarious stories you'll hear about today. Marcin Gortat of the Magic has an Air Jordan tattoo on his leg. Yet, he entered into a contract with Reebok, who happened to not take a look at the giant MJ tattoo on his leg.

Immediate Needs: Los Angeles Clippers - Basketball News & NBA Rumors -
Mike Dunleavy struts into the tunnel at STAPLES Center, leaving his battered players to finish out the year. The Oklahoma City Thunder (23-59) lead 76-53, en route to a 41-point victory over the home team. The general manager/coach of the Los Angeles Clippers gets an early ejection midway through the third quarter as an awful season finally nears a close.

Curry/Knicks situation very uncertain (The Knicks Fix) - Newsday.com
Thunder - Rubio will work out for them this weekend, but it doesn't sound like they want to move Russell Westbrook to the 2. Harden or Thabeet would be good calls here, but apparently the Thunder may be also listening to trade up offers. No. 3 seems too high for Curry, especially with Thabeet, Rubio and Harden to choose from.

OKC Thunder Roll Through Oklahoma|NewsChannel 8
MidFirst Bank and the Oklahoma City Thunder present the "Thunder Summer Caravan", a series of Thunder Basketball events throughout the state for fans of all ages. The 12-stop tour, which is free and open to the public, will tip-off on Saturday, June 27 when the Thunder plans to debut the team’s newest player(s) to the public at MidFirst Bank (5800 N Western Ave.) in Oklahoma City. The players will be making their first appearance in Oklahoma City following the NBA Draft on June 25.

The Trap and Myth of the Next | Daily Thunder.com - Where Thunder Happens
Around draft time - or really around any time - whenever a young player’s name gets brought up, the inevitable happens. He gets compared to someone else. Oh yeah, I see a lot of Josh Smith in him … He’s got a bigger Brandon Roy written all over him … If he develops a jumper, he’s the next Dwyane Wade. It’s unavoidable.

2009 NBA Mock Draft: Version 4.0 - ESPN

Blake Griffin to be featured on ESPN’s ‘Rookie’ | NewsOK.com
Former OU basketball star Blake Griffin is being featured in the second season of ESPN’s "The Rookie," consisting of three webisodes on ESPN.com and a half-hour special June 30 on ESPNU and ESPN2.

No. 1 priority: Griffin working hard to prove worth as top pick - USATODAY.com
Blake Griffin has carried sandbags up hills, sometimes wiping grit from his mouth and eyes. That's the way the 6-10 star forward from Oklahoma, the consensus national college player of the year, trains in the offseason. "I look at him like a robot," said renowned San Francisco-based trainer Frank Matrisciano, who puts Griffin and his older brother, Taylor, through extreme workouts.

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