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ESPN’s Chad Ford offers the Sports Leader’s take on the impending NBA Draft.
It’s almost draft day, and the picture is getting clearer and fuzzier simultaneously.
We’ve been able to narrow down the list of prospects that each team is considering, but two things stand in the way of getting a complete picture.
One, this is a time when many GMs are notorious for dropping smoke screens. A source in Memphis swears the team is taking Joakim Noah. Another says to bank on the Grizzlies’ taking Mike Conley. Someone is misinformed or bluffing.
Two, there is a flurry of trade conversation, starting with Memphis, Boston, Charlotte and Chicago all talking about trading away their lottery picks. Meanwhile teams such as Golden State, Phoenix and the Lakers are trying hard to move up. Others — like Portland, Indiana and Toronto — are trying to get in or grab another pick.
The talk in Phoenix about trading up in the draft has gotten so hot that the Suns have gotten Noah, Jeff Green and Corey Brewer to agree to a workout on Tuesday. They’ll try to add Brandan Wright as a fourth. That shows you how much players want to play in Phoenix — they’ll drop everything just for the chance. It could be the most competitive workout of the draft.
Their consensus draft board:
1. Portland Trailblazers - Greg Oden - C
2. Portland Trailblazers - Kevin Durant - SF - Texas
3. Atlanta Hawks - Al Horford - PF - Florida
4. Memphis Grizzlies - Mike Conley - PG- Ohio State
5. Boston Celtics - Yi Jianlian - PF - China
6. Milwaukee Bucks - Jeff Green - SF - Georgetown
7. Minnesota Timberwolves - Joakim Noah - PF - Florida
8. Charlotte Bobcats - Corey Brewer - SG - Florida
9. Chicago Bulls (via New York Knicks) - Spencer Hawes - C- Washington
10. Sacramento Kings- Brandan Wright - PF - North Carolina
11. Atlanta Hawks (via Indiana Pacers) - Acie Law - PG - Texas A&M
12. Philadelphia 76ers - Al Thornton - SF - Florida State
13. New Orleans Hornets - Nick Young - SG- USC
14. L.A. Clippers - Julian Wright - SF - Kansas
15. Detroit Pistons (via Orlando Magic) - Rodney Stuckey SG - Eastern Wash.
Click the link for more in-depth analysis and for the second half of the draft.
Michael Jordan and his wife of 17 years have filed for divorce.
Michael Jordan and his wife, Juanita, filed for divorce Friday after 17 years of marriage. “Michael and Juanita Jordan mutually and amicably decided to end their 17 year marriage,” the couple said in a statement issued through their lawyers. “A judgment for dissolution of their marriage was entered today. There will be no further statements.”
 Juanita Jordan previously filed for divorce in January 2002, but withdrew her petition a month later when the couple announced they were attempting a reconciliation.
During her last divorce petition, Jordan said attempts to reconcile their marriage had failed and future ones “would be impractical and not in the best interests of the family.”
Truly a shame. Jordan’s lifestyle is not the most conducive to maintaining a stable marriage, unfortunately.
The Charlotte Bobcats today have become the first NBA franchise to drop its sponsorship of a WNBA team.
The Charlotte Bobcats said Wednesday they have stopped operating the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting and turned over control to the NBA-owned women’s basketball league, which is in negotiations to sell the franchise. “As we have changed our management structure, we have made the decision to focus all of our resources and efforts on the operation of the Charlotte Bobcats,” Bobcats Sports and Entertainment President Fred Whitfield said in a statement.
The Sting, an original WNBA franchise, reached the league’s championship series only once in their 10 seasons in Charlotte and have suffered from declining attendance in recent seasons.
Now, granted, Charlotte hasn’t been a great NBA town, let alone a great WNBA town. The Hornets are in New Orleans now, after all. And this is a state with several big time college basketball teams: UNC, Duke, NC State, and Wake Forest.
Still, it doesn’t bode well for the WNBA when its own league drops a team. At some point, isn’t it time to acknowledge that there is rather little fan interest in women’s professional basketball?
An NBA player was arrested overnight for firing gunshots near the White House.
Lonny Baxter, a forward on the NBA Charlotte Bobcats and a former University of Maryland standout, was arrested on weapons charges early this morning by uniformed Secret Service agents after they received reports of shots being fired a few blocks from the White House. Secret Service Spokesman Eric Zahren said that a civilian flagged down an officer about 2.30 a.m. to report the sound of gunfire in the vicinity of 18th and H Streets, NW. A few minutes later, officers pulled over an SUV at 17th and I Streets, NW and found in plain view spent shell casings.
It’ll be interesting to learn the story behind this. While 18th and H is indeed quite close to the White House, it’s even closer to the IMF and World Bank.
Now, anti-trade protestors often target these buildings, especially during international conferences. Sometimes, for reasons I’ve never figured out, they wear turtle suits. Baxter is a former Maryland Terrapin. Their mascot? A turtle. Their motto? “Fear the turtle.”
 
Could there be a connection?
Well, almost certainly not. Still, if it turns out that Baxter is an anti-trade zealot, you read it here first.
OTB
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