Who will be a better NBA point guard?

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Dino Gomez

For the last month we have been running a poll here that begs the question, Who will be a better NBA point guard between Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings. We just had to throw that question to our readers after Jenricky_rubio_brandon_jennings_slam_magazinenings publicy dismissed Rubio’s hype and ability on the court long before the NBA draft. Then as we all know, Rubio was drafted 5th overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves while Jennings was taken at the 10th spot to the Milwaukee Bucks. After a few NBA summer league games word is that Jennings is looking solid and quite possibly like the player he describes himself to be, which is bascially: amazing, unstoppable, Jason Kidd in his prime-esk. Meanwhile Rubio is deciding if he will be earning enough money to play here in the U.S. since part of his contract goes to his old team overseas…

Personally I expect Rubio and want Rubio to be a better NBA player. I’ve heard too much about Jennings off the court to have respect for him anymore. Either way, here is what you guys thought. In a survey of 40 participants: 75% or 30 particpants feel Rubio will be a better point guard while 25% or 10 participants feel Jennings will rise up.

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2009 NBA draft Summary

Posted on June 25, 2009 by Dino Gomez

Blake Griffin was drafted one and Hasheem Thabeet second as predicted, but James Harden was drafted third which was a slight surprise. As soon as his first name rang into the microphone from the voice of David Stern, Harden bumped his chest. He’s off to Oklahoma City to play for one of the worst  franchises so he knows he will get playing time and as a direct result a larger contract. Here are some other notes from the first round:2009draftheader

  • Stephen Curry was the best pick in the draft besides Ricky Rubio and James Harden ( not including the consensus first overall pick Blake Griffin). Curry played on a mediocre Davidson team and put up huge numbers. It seems people forget how tough it is to play with terrible teammates. They rarely create easy opportunities for you and if you pass them the ball they rarely hook you up with an assist because they don’t finish.
  • Jordan Hill was booed when his name was called to become a New York Knick? How do you boo Hill who is the first player in the last 30 years from Arizona to average a double double?
  • Terance Williams– One of the most under-rated players in this draft, will kill it in the NBA. Williams has an amazing handle, a step back jumper, and an arsenal of moves in the lane that make him impossible to guard. Watch for him to dominate in New Jersey.
  • Jrue Holiday– Biggest gamble in the draft, picked at 17. Holiday only average 8.5 points a game and 3.5 rebounds as a freshman this past season at UCLA. Now he is young and could have potential but that is exactly why he is a gamble. His numbers don’t suggest he is currently a star so it seems Philly is chancing that he will become one?
  • Minnesota Timberwolves– draft 3 guards with three first round picks, two of which are six foot? They better have a trade lined up.
  • Jeff Teague– will be like a Michael Redd in the league, under the radar but extremely good. Teague is a thug and can score at will. He didn’t get any media the second half of this past season since Wake Forest dropped a series of games in a short period of time; which is why he is an amazing choice for the Atlanta Hawks as the 19th overall pick. He averaged 18 points a game this past season as a soph0more!
  • Eric Maynor– made a name for himself with impressive  play this year in the NCAA tourney. Set a school record for assists. Has a ton of upside and should have been drafted before Ty Lawson.

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Trade News

Posted on June 24, 2009 by stone86

Here’s a quick update on some developing trade news.  The Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to send Mike Miller and Randy Foye to the Washington Wizards.  In return the Timberwolves receive Etan Thomas, Darius SoBangngaila, Oleksiy Pecherov (who?) and the fifth overall pick in tomorrow’s draft.  This means that Minnesota now has both the 5th and 6th picks in the NBA draft.  Will Minnesota continue to wheel and deal?  With time running out, we are bound to find out soon.  In any case, unless something happens, Thabeet, Rubio and Griffin will likely be off the board.  On another note, the Wizards are now stacked with scorers.

In Oakland, it looks like the Warriors are close to moving Jamal Crawford.  According to ESPN, the possible deal has the Atlanta Hawks sending Acie Law and Speedy Claxton to the Warriors for Crawford.  It’s not much of a surprise considering the Glut of scoring guards and forwards on the Warriors already.  More interesting however, is the possible significance that this deal would have on the Mike Bibby contract negotiations.

The next few days are bound to be fun as teams continue to scramble.  We’ll keep you updated.  Also look for a Pac10 basketball preview in the near future.

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Ricky Rubio Vs. Brandon Jennings

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Dino Gomez

Brandon Jennings made it clear to the media recently that he thinks Ricky Rubio is overrated. Jennings said Rubio was all hype and that he had no potential to grow as a player. Jennings based his comments around the fact that Rubio has played  international professional basketball for many years now and therefore has reached his maximum talent level. Jennings says he is a better shooter than Rubio and that he still has room to grow as a player where Rubio doesn’t. Obviously Jennings also needs to mature and grow off the court as well since he is already making enemies before playing a single minute in the NBA. Perhaps Jennings will jump on a motorcycle, crash, and end his basketball career like  Jason Williams of Duke did early in his professional career? I’m not hoping for it but even Lebron James isn’t this full of himself after dominating the league for a few years.  Watch yourself Jennings, Karma is no joke.

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