Loud Links: 06|21|10

Twitter / Jonathan Givony: So much BS out there. I co ...
So much BS out there. I could spend the rest of the day talking on the phone & tweeting all the rumors I'm hearing. Tempting, but will pass.

Presti's love affair with Orton is hopefully some of the aforementioned BS. ESPN took a poll with all the draftees. Guess who is the most overrated player.

ESPN The Magazine's NBA Draft Confidential Poll - ESPN Insider
Who's the draft's most overrated player? Scouts see Daniel Orton's springy 6'10", 260-pound frame and envision Kendrick Perkins. But his peers look at the ex-Kentucky player and see a frosh who had zero starts and saw just 13.2 minutes per game. Said one of the 20% who tabbed Orton as most overrated: "Top 20? Come on. He came off the bench for a good college team!"

NBA PM: Blazers Toy With Pritchard - Hoopsworld
On the other hand, the Blazers are more than willing to use Pritchard's expertise through Thursday's 2010 NBA Draft. Evidence of that came today when they allowed a move of sending the #44 overall pick to the Golden State Warriors with cash for the #34 pick. Teams can send up to $3 million in a pick acquisition and while this move likely involved far less, it's telling the team is entrusting spending of their cash to a general manager they would seem to not want to keep.

ESPN 2010 NBA Draft Tease Link

NBA Draft 2010: Pistons, Bulls, Rockets, Spurs among teams looking to trade - ESPN Insider
I've heard that the Kings, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets have all been talking about moving picks. The Kings, Pacers, Hornets and Bucks would like to trade down, while the Pistons, Grizzlies, Raptors, Rockets, Spurs, Thunder, Blazers and Nuggets would like to move up. And if the Pacers and Hornets can't move down, they, along with the Bulls, might look to get out of the draft completely.

That's a lot to digest and here's why. All of these teams are talking to each other. Some teams are looking at three or four different scenarios with the teams above. You can expect that teams will begin narrowing choices Monday to get things done in enough time before the draft.

From what I can gather, the Pacers, Hornets, Raptors, Spurs and Thunder are the most active right now.

Twitter / Jonathan Givony: 13 confirmed Green Room In ...
13 confirmed Green Room Invites so far: Wall, Turner, Favors, Cousins, Johnson, Monroe, Aminu, Udoh, Davis, Hayward, Aldrich, Babbitt,George

Jamaican Sensation | Jerome Jordan Interview | NBADraft.net
NBADraft.net: Playing at Tulsa, you didn’t get a lot of chances to play in front of a national audience. How would you describe your game to somebody that hasn’t seen you play?

Jerome Jordan: I think I can get a lot of stuff done on the court. At the defensive end: block shots, rebound, able to move pretty well, able to, you know, I can guard a couple positions, I’m more mobile, [I can guard] fours, and fives, even probably some threes. On the offensive end, you know, I can mix it up, go down low, score with my back to the basket, step away from the basket shoot from 15-17 feet.

2010 NBA Draft: Five Players That Could End Up In Oklahoma City | Bleacher Report
It's weird not having a lottery pick in Oklahoma City. Next month when the draft comes along, the Thunder will have a late-round pick in the first round, trying to reach for a solid role player. But I guess it's a nice problem to have.

Knowing Oklahoma City's needs, obviously they'll probably go after some big guys with potential. However, with two first-round picks, the Thunder could afford to go with a safe pick then go with a risky pick.