Matt Watson Posts

Once upon a time, Vince Carter and Rasheed Wallace were almost teammates -- the former Tar Heels missed each other at North Carolina by just one season. A decade and a half later, Carter hopes to make up for lost time, openly campaigning for Wallace to sign with the Orlando Magic.

"He's a veteran guy who knows how to play the game first and foremost," Carter said on Saturday. "He's an unbelievable shooter. He's very smart and he's a motivator. Just from playing against him, he knows how to play basketball and he makes very [few] mistakes on the court. So, I think that's big for our team.

"A guy like that who makes [few] mistakes at that level can get the team over the hump, because he's been there. Not only has he been in the Finals, he's won one. He knows what it takes to win. So, hopefully, we can bring him aboard, and I'm doing all that I can."

Shortly after the Lakers' championship run, Phil Jackson admitted that he'd like to return to the sidelines for the final year of his contract but couldn't commit until doctors put him through a series of medical tests. He did so this week, and he was given the thumbs up.

"After consulting with Lakers team internist Dr. John Moe, I feel confident that I can gainfully pursue an NBA season with another long playoff postseason. All things point to go!" Jackson said in a statement posted on the Lakers official site.

While most NBA draft picks are preparing for summer league play in Orlando and Las Vegas next week, rumors continue to swirl that Ricky Rubio may wait a year -- and perhaps even longer -- until he makes the jump to the NBA.

According to El Periodico, a Spanish newspaper, Rubio has already ruled out playing this coming season, and in fact plans to drop the lawsuit he filed against DKV Joventut, his current Spanish team, regarding his buyout clause, which he previously argued was too much money for what Joventut has been paying him.

Before fans in Minnesota get too upset, they should consider the source: El Periodico's report neither cites a source nor includes a byline -- this could be nothing more than re-hashed speculation that we've been hearing all week.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's the mindset that Ron Artest has apparently taken following today's news that he's agreed to join Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. Artest was instrumental in helping the Rockets take the eventual champion Lakers to seven games during the Western Conference semifinals. Instead of serving as Kobe's antagonist, he'll become Kobe's sidekick.

According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, Artest met with Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss and spoke with Phil Jackson on Thursday before instructing his agent to get a deal done. Details of the agreement -- both the length and the amount -- are still unknown, but from the sounds of it, Artest isn't about to quibble over the details.

---

---

When the Kings opted for Tyreke Evans with the fourth pick, Ricky Rubio fell to the Timberwolves at No. 5. Considering it wasn't that long ago that Rubio was talked about as a potential No. 1 pick, you can't blame Minnesota for taking a player who should be their point guard of the future.

Except, just five minutes later, the Timberwolves took Jonny Flynn out of Syracuse, giving them the two best point guards of the draft. Are they going to hold on to both players? It's theoretically possible, but a more likely scenario is that we'll see one of them involved in another trade, possibly announced sometime tonight.

Update: Make it three: with the 18th overall pick, the Timberwolves selected Ty Lawson, although ESPN's Ric Bucher just reported that he's headed to Denver for a future first-rounder the Nuggets picked up from the Bobcats. Bucher was presumably referring to the conditional pick the Nuggets received in the Alexis Ajinca trade last year, which is top-12 protected in 2010, top-10 protected in 2011, top-8 in 2012, top-3 in 2013 and unprotected in 2014.

Blake Griffin went first, of course. There was no drama about that -- Clippers VP Andy Roeser essentially let the cat out of the bag with his unbridled praise for Griffin minutes after winning the NBA lottery. The real question mystery started at No. 2, and the Grizzlies answered that question by going with Hasheem Thabeet from Connecticut.

Thabeet is a bit of a project offensively, but that's to be expected -- unlikely most prospects who practically grow up in a gym, Thabeet has only been playing the sport for seven years. Will he pan out? Or will he follow the path of another failed No. 2 pick who happens to be Thabeet's new teammate, Darko Milicic, who never found stardom before settling into the life of a role player?

Time will tell, just like time will tell if Thabeet and Darko will ever share a locker room -- with Marc Gasol already anchoring Memphis' frontcourt, Milicic is rumored to be on the block. Stay tuned. (Update: That didn't take long -- Darko was traded to the Knicks for Quentin Richardson and cash.)

Entering Thursday's draft, there's only one pick we can take for granted: Blake Griffin is going to L.A. He's been the overwhelming favorite from the minute the Clippers won the lottery -- but once he's off the board, absolutely anything could happen.

After weeks of combines, workouts and rumors, all we know for sure is that there's no consensus whatsoever among fans and teams how the rest of the first round should play out. And with several teams getting a jump-start on the trade market earlier this week, there figures to be plenty more movement before the day is done. Keep tabs on who's going where after the jump.

---

Did Shaquille O'Neal learn that he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers via a tweet on Twitter? It certainly would appear that way judging from his responses to a pair of fans who reached out minutes after the trade was announced online:

allonso: @THE_REAL_SHAQ is it true u a CLEVELAND CAVALIER
THE_REAL_SHAQ: @allonso I didn't hear dat yet

Phil Jackson confirmed during a radio interview on Tuesday that he hopes to return to the sidelines for the final year of his contract in 2009-10, although a final determination won't be made until early next month when he undergoes a series of medical exams. Jackson's physical condition has been an ongoing storyline during his time with the Lakers; he's had both of his hips replaced since 2006, and he missed a road game last April due to swelling in
his legs.

But even if he's medically cleared for another season (perched atop his elevated chair) on the sidelines in 2009-10, there's a chance he might miss a few more games, telling ESPN Radio 710 that he's considered passing the clipboard to assistant coach Kurt Rambis while staying behind as the team embarks on several grueling road trips.

Just hours after being traded from the Spurs to the Bucks, Fabricio Oberto is reportedly on the move yet again, this time going to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Amir Johnson. The deal has yet to be officially announced by either team, but multiple outlets, including Sean Deveney of Sporting News, who broke the story, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, cite unnamed sources within the Bucks organization confirming the deal. (Update: It's official.)

As if being traded twice in one day wasn't enough, Oberto should probably wait by the phone; his contract is only partially guaranteed, meaning the Pistons have the option of waiving him before July 1 and only be on the hook for $1.9 million of the $3.8 million he'd otherwise be owed.