Posts tagged OjMayo at FanHouse

Marc Gasol hasn't been dominant in Beijing, but it's pretty clear the Grizzlies may have gotten themselves a valuable asset in Pau Gasol's little brother. The younger Gasol is bigger, meatier, and shows a very un-Pau-like penchant for diving after loose balls and playing physical basketball, while displaying a very Pau-like touch offensively. So much so that the Memphis Commercial Appeal points out that he's getting praise from all sorts of members of Team USA.

The most interesting may have come from Kobe Bryant, though. In the article, Kobe drops this delicious little insight into the mind of a superstar with the authority to have impact on personnel decisions:

"In hindsight, we probably didn't have to give him up to get Pau," Bryant said. "We should have kept Marc, too."

Okay, Kobes. Didn't realize you had so much experience in negotiating trades. I kid, I kid. Kobe's obviously just trying to complement the guy. But if we were to take a closer look at it, there are two ways you can take the statement from Mamba. It's either A. an admission that the Lakers may not have ripped off the Grizzlies quite as bad as initially thought (a paradigm that's becoming more and more popular with each Grizzlies move), or B. the exact opposite, an even further condemnation of how little the Grizzlies' front office are to be thought of. As in, they probably didn't have to give up Marc to get Pau, since the Grizzlies will let pretty much anything go.

Not that "jumping ability" is a manner for judging the O.J. Mayo - Kevin Love trade. But it's early (far too early) and frankly, I'm feeling kneejerkish today. And they're going to be compared for the rest of their careers anyway, so we might as well start now. Unfortunately, the following dunk was actually against Hilton Armstrong, not Love. But it's still nasty.



The Grizzlies might not win the Western Conference. And they might not win a ton of games. But they are, with Rudy Gay, Mayo and Mike Conley, at the least going to be exciting to watch, no?

Via TrueHoop

Shockingly, not everyone in Memphis thought trading Kevin Love, Mike Miller, and taking on more bad salary -- all for the services of O.J. Mayo -- was a good idea, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Minnesota czar Kevin McHale discusses the feeling he got from the Grizzlies when finalizing the negotiations.

"I really had a feeling there was a huge contingency in Memphis who didn't want to do it. In fact, I know that. They told me that."

Oh come on! Why wouldn't you want to add another would-be point guard to your bloated backcourt, as well as Antoine Freaking Walker and Marko Jaric in exchange for your biggest trade chip and a stud-to-be 19-year-old power forward?

To be honest, as simply awful as this deal is for Memphis, it's no great shakes for Minnesota either. For all the hubbub around the summer of 2010, exactly who among the holy trinity of LeBron, Wade and Bosh will be knocking down McHale's door to join what will then be the worst defensive team in the league? Half the league plans on having cap space in two years; Minnesota is not remotely going to be an attractive option.

And if Miller was the hinge to this deal for the Wolves, but the deal was made with the summer of '10 in mind ... doesn't it matter that Miller's contract expires in 2010! There's a strong chance that a) Miller and the hypothetical 2010 superstar never play together, or b) you'll be offering a 30-year-old MiMi a fat six-year contract in 2010. HMMM.

I liked Mayo on the Wolves and Love on the Grizzlies a lot more than I like the current situation.

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

NOW AUDITIONING: Kevin Durant's back-up singers. REQUIREMENTS: Must be cheap, not prone to angry bouts of choking, love Oklahoma!.

Picks: #4, #24, #32, #46, #50, #56. Send thanks to Otis Smith and Steve Kerr.

Needs: Cheap talent at every position, except the one Durant happens to be playing any given year. Point guard and center are the biggest needs, however.

Best case scenario: An aim including trades might involve thievery of Michael Beasley. That looks difficult considering the lack of food in Seattle's cupboards (beyond picks upon picks). As such, Jerryd Bayless -- a guard in the mold of Gilbert Arenas who will certainly be on the board -- appears to be the pinnacle of opportunity for Sam Presti.

Both the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel discuss rumors the Heat could trade down in the lottery, as they don't seem entirely sweet on Michael Beasley. Strangely, both papers press Memphis at #5 as the best option, with some hefty contracts and Kyle Lowry predicted to change hands.

The real question is, for me: will O.J. Mayo still be around at #5? Word has been over the last few weeks that Mayo's the guy Pat Riley wants. If Derrick Rose and Beasley go 1-2, what does Minnesota do? Brook Lopez was the first-guess choice there, given the lack of an able center in Minneapolis. But Lopez has been said to be slipping. You wouldn't think Jerryd Bayless or Mayo would make sense there, given the presence of Randy Foye and Rashad McCants, both of whom Kevin McHale seems to believe in. Does Kevin Love actually go this high? Small forward's a huge need -- is Danilo Gallinari on option?

Seattle's less of a wildcard -- folks still suspect Bayless here, and I think the idea Sam Presti would trade down to pick up extra cheap assets is valid. Mayo seems rather unlikely to go to Seattle in any case, given Kevin Durant's padlock on shot attempts.

So there's the risk Miami would have to take if they, in fact, want to trade down to take O.J. Mayo. It seems likely he'd be around ... but if the move has been telegraphed this far in advance by two different papers, how hard would it be for someone like Presti to figure it out and throw a wrench to get himself another concession?

This is why the "test the waters" process is mishandled. NC State forward J.J. Hickson declined an invitation to the NBA's pre-draft camp.

Coach Sidney Lowe said last week that Hickson would attend the camp, but would only get a physical. However, his name is not found under "Camp Players" or the separate list of "Skills, Strength & Agility, and Medical Testing." The latter is usually reserved for players who are considered guaranteed first-round picks.

Normally, players who feel they are assured of being a first round pick (basically the top 15-20 players) skip the camp and just have the physical. That means Hickson feels he's guaranteed to be a first rounder. He's basically the only one.

DraftExpress has him as the first pick in the 2nd round. NBADraft.net has him as the final pick of the first round. ESPN has him going 28th.

Fifteen players made the "physical only" list ... which include the likes of O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley and Kevin Love. Yeah, Hickson may be in that same recruiting class, but he isn't in that class of talent right now.

Hickson has yet to sign with an agent, so there is the possibility of him returning to the Wolfpack.

FanHouse's NBA Frankenstein, in which we describe how draft prospects were created. Introducing: the man who has been slipping on draft boards since he turned 12, O.J. Mayo.



Liner notes: A terrific 2007 dispatch from SLAM's Ryan Jones; the New York Times' stunning account of Mayo's recruiting of USC; Michael Wilbon's holier-than-everyone attitude; the score for Jersey Boys; the 11th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Photos by Getty Images. Assemblage by Tom Ziller.

NBA FanHouse presents the most irrational but fast! 1/2-mock draft alive.

#1, Chicago: Michael Beasley. The Bulls pose one of the biggest Beasley-or-Rose quandaries among all lottery teams. One minute, Beasley seems like a no-brainer for a team lacking low-post scoring. But Kirk Hinrich was awful last season, Tyrus Thomas is still considered to be a nice prospect, and Rose is insanely talented. Of course, size always wins. John Paxson is nothing if not by-the-book. Bulls take Beasley, which is one helluva way to kick off an offseason.

#2, Miami: Derrick Rose. No-brainer at this point, and very possibly the guy Miami would've taken with the top pick, had they received it. Rose and Dwyane Wade make a fearsome tandem for years to come; if Shawn Marion comes to camp, this is a dangerous squad. The Heat should be scouring the league for a passable center this summer, despite having no other assets to speak of (assuming Udonis Haslem sticks at power forward and Matrix slides to the three).

#3, Minnesota: Brook Lopez. The Wolves still haven't had an opportunity to see if Randy Foye can run the point reliably, so it seems doubtful a replacement would be picked there. It's not the right decision -- this team needs a damn point guard -- but size also wins on draft day, and the Wolves absolutely need a center to help Al Jefferson man the post. Lopez isn't the right player, and if a sentient human being were manning the controls the Wolves might trade down to stockpile assets. But again, size blinds when the funky suits come out, and no one would be surprised if Minny took Brook.

Picks #4-14, after the jump.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association is very concerned about allegations that O.J. Mayo had been receiving cash and gifts from a street agent over the past four years. Mayo starred (along with Kansas State's Bill Walker) at Cincinnati's North College Hill High School for three seasons ... bringing home the 2005 and 2006 Division III state championship.

The OHSAA wants to know more about what happened:

(OHSAA assistant commissioner Bob) Goldring said Sunday that he believed NCH would not be penalized, based on an OHSAA bylaw that mandates any eligibility concerns must be brought forward within 42 days following the last day of the state championship in that sport. On Monday, Goldring backed off that statement a bit. He said the OHSAA may revisit whether NCH might have to forfeit any games or championships from the Mayo era.

"In digesting things for a day and talking to other staff members, it is more accurate to say that we cannot answer that (forfeits) question at this point," Goldring told The (Cincinnati) Enquirer via e-mail Monday. "We would have to know the exact details of the findings, have proof that they were indeed true and then determine if any of the bylaws would be applicable."

Just as always, a star player receives some perks under the table and leaves a trail of damage behind. Unlike a college program like USC, it's tough for a high school to monitor all these kinds of activities ... even if they have a guy like Mayo who did have some red flags along with him.

Lemme ask you a question: Were you honestly shocked to hear that O.J. Mayo has allegedly taken cash and gifts during his high school and college career? I wasn't.

And neither was ESPN.com's Pat Forde who is putting major blame on USC and coach Tim Floyd:

Especially with a player everyone in Hoopsworld strongly suspected was no amateur before he set foot in Los Angeles. You had to search hard to find a soul who didn't think O.J. Mayo had been prostituted for years as his prep legend grew, starting in seventh grade. (Put it this way: When early Mayo confidant Sonny Vaccaro gets muscled out of the scene, somebody's bringing some serious juice to the table.)

So you take the (Reggie) Bush allegations, add a side of Mayo and ask the question: Has there ever been a more textbook definition of "lack of institutional control"?

Forde even throws around the "death penalty" as an option (even he acknowledges it wouldn't happen).

What riles up many people is the fact that Tim Floyd is flat out denying that Mayo couldn't have done these things. The allegations have a guy named Rodney Guillory -- a guy who was linked to former USC player Jeff Trepagnier's troubles -- financing this deal, which means he is still rooted in the program.

What made other people skeptical was the fact that Mayo chose to play at USC in the first place. Why weren't the North Carolinas, UConns, UCLAs, Kansases, etc of the college hoops world going after him? None wanted any part of the red flags that were thrown up. No offense to USC for bringing him in, but how could they not keep an eye on a guy that was treated like a hot potato?