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Dennis' Basketball Blog

Playing Catch-Up On A Holiday Weekend

Sunday July 6, 2008

Bye Bye Seattle

The Fig Cap: The "S" will probably be changing to "OKC" as in - goodbye Seattle, hello Oklahoma City!

(Queue music) In the last blog post, we talked about the 2008 NBA Draft and as predicted by most, Derrick Rose went first to the Chicago Bulls. Michael Beasley went to the Miami Heat at number two and the biggest surprise of all, Russell Westbrook went to the Seattle SuperSonics at number four.

Speaking of the SuperSonics, we'll be calling them something else next season as the Sonics will be moving to Oklahoma City. Sonics owner, Clay Bennett and the rest of his ownership group will be paying the city of Seattle $75 million in order to make the move. Seattle retains the rights to the SuperSonics name. It's basically been a foregone conclusion ever since Bennett, whose business is based in Oklahoma City, purchased the Sonics in 2006. However, there is a small ray of hope that a team can come back to Seattle, but the chances seem slim.

However, what won't be slim are a few players' bank accounts. Chris Paul agreed to an extension for four years and $68 million. Baron Davis will be leaving the Bay Area to go back home to Los Angeles with the Clippers as the two sides agreed to a five-year, $65 million deal. And because Antawn Jamison agreed to a four-year $50 million deal with the Washington Wizards, it was easier for Gilbert Arenas to also re-sign with them for six years and $111 million.

Okay, that's it for now... a quick recap of what's been going on in the NBA. I hope everyone in the U.S. had a great holiday weekend, but it's over now and I'll be around a lot more on the regular. How do you all like the redesign of About.com? Pretty awesome if you ask me!

Photo: Doug Pensinger/Gettty Images

The 2008 NBA Draft... The Future Is Now!

Thursday June 26, 2008

The NBA Draft Board

The Fig Cap: This is where amazing happens.

Tonight, the NBA holds its annual rite of passage for young men hoping to lace up their kicks and have the sole of their sneakers touch an NBA court. However, before doing that, the solid choices to go within the first 15 picks or so will need to sweat it out in their seats, wonder how they're going to give NBA commissioner David Stern a pound, and find out where they'll be living for the next three or four years.

Here at About.com, we did a series of mock drafts:

But then, naturally, on the eve of the NBA Draft, teams thought they would mess around with everyone that does mock drafts professionally, such as myself, and throw a curveball into the process by making several trades that potentially changes the draft board. Here are the trades that went down on the eve of the draft that actually still either await league approval or become finalized between the teams in question:

So, if those trades do go through, and the basketball gods know there are rumors of even more trades going down, what will the draft order be? Check out NBADraft.net for the updated order, as well as their own mock. We respect their work and figured we'd share.

If you want some background on tonight's roundball meat market, peep the following:

In any case, let's all remember kids, that anything can happen at the NBA Draft. Not only will players' fortunes change, but franchises as well. Ask the Boston Celtics who, amongst other things like send Al Jefferson to the Minnesota Timberwolves, traded their lottery pick in order to get Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, two huge difference makers in helping the Celtics go from having the second-worst record in the league one season to an NBA championship the next. So, you never know... you never know.

The 2008 NBA Draft goes down at Madison Square Garden's WAMU Theater at 7PM ET and can be watched on ESPN. Teams get five minutes to pick in the first round and only two minutes in the second round. So, check it out because the future is now!!!

Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

2008 Olympics Basketball Roster Named

Tuesday June 24, 2008

LeBron James and Company hope to avenge a poor showing in 2004

After only winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, how will USA Basketball respond? By sending these players to try to get back the gold and once again cement the United States' footing as a dominant force in internation men's basketball.

The addition of current NBA MVP, Kobe Bryant, made a difference during last year's FIBA America's qualifying tournament and he should do the same at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China... despite what Shaquille O'Neal raps about Kobe.

Photo: Robert Laberge/Getty Images

About.com Contributors 2008 NBA Mock Draft - Update!

Sunday June 22, 2008

Derrick Rose Looking To Be Number One

Okay, folks, we are thisclose to being done with this NBA mock draft amongst some of the contributors here at About.com. So, check out the UPDATE. Looking at other mock drafts, on a personal note, it was nice to see that my "stretch" for Russell Westbrook for my New York Knicks wasn't too much of one. Why do I say that? In NBADraft.net's latest mock, they also have Westbrook at six. Genius!

Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

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