With No. 3 Pick in Hand, Draft Process Continues
Aug 20 2009 5:08PM
SECAUCUS, N.J. -- And now comes the fun part.
It’s already known that the Thunder holds the third overall pick of the June 25 NBA Draft.
The team’s basketball operations staff is already hard at work compiling any data on players they feel will be available at No. 3.
Thunder General Manager Sam Presti, Assistant General Manager Rich Cho and Head Coach Scott Brooks were expected to be back in Oklahoma City early Wednesday join the fray.
Only 37 days till draft night in New York City.
Now the question begs, what will the Thunder do with that draft pick?
Naturally, there’s several options.
The team can keep the pick and draft the best available player at the three slot.
It can trade the pick to move up or down in the draft.
It can package the pick with a player to get another established player in return.
Either way, the pick will be put to good use.
“This is definitely a great position for us to be in,” Presti said. “I think we’ll definitely get some phone calls and we’ll have some options. We also like the group of players who will be there. I’m excited because this is a fun time of the year for the organization … having a chance to pick third only puts some momentum behind what we’re trying to accomplish in Oklahoma City.”
And Presti was quick to point out that what the Thunder aims to accomplish in fielding a competitive basketball team won’t happen overnight. Seldom does it happen that way in basketball, let alone all professional sports.
But there’s plenty to accomplish in the immediate.
First, the Thunder has to address its needs. If you take the simplistic approach based on what the Thunder already has and what Presti addressed at his season-ending press conference, perimeter shooting and interior defense come to mind.
But Presti said it’s too early to target one particular need.
“We just have to continue to evaluate the players who are going to be on the board at that point,” he said. “We can’t predict what happens so we have to be ready for any scenario.”
For now, the Thunder front office will be busy on the phone lines to set up workouts with a more concentrated group of prospects. Because players workout with handfuls of teams prior to the draft, it could take some time to bring in a coveted prospect or two.
Regardless, this is the time of the year when the Thunder pulls out all the files, charts and video clips of prospective players it’s compiled throughout the years.
The workouts, Presti said, will provide “a little bit of additional information” to the draft process. A lot of work has already been done.
“It may not be the first week or the second week but we’ll get a look at everyone,” Presti said, “get to know them as people and have enough time to evaluate what the best use of our draft pick is this year.”
NEWS AND NOTES
Some leftover observations from Tuesday night’s draft lottery:
One conversation I would’ve loved to eavesdropped on: NBA Commissioner David Stern, former player Chris Webber, Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson and TV talent Ahmad Rashad, all of who chatted for about five minutes before the national broadcast.
Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks got some camera time with Webber, who also serves as an on-air personality for TNT and NBA TV. The two joked back and forth about their playing days before Webber put on his serious face and asked Brooks about the Thunder. Webber concluded the interview by saying he sees the Thunder as a “diamond in the rough” type of team for next season.
Thunder Assistant General Manager Rich Cho sat in the studio audience alongside Renae Riley, the wife of Golden State Warriors general manager Larry Riley.
Newly appointed Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins might have been the last player, coach or team executive to leave the media tent on Tuesday evening. He sat at a high-top table until the end of the Lakers-Nuggets game.
So did anyone catch a glimpse of the suit jacket worn by Los Angeles Clippers president Andy Roeser? The jacket’s lining was stitched with the numbers “1” and “23” on either side. The assembled media played guessing games as to what it stood for. The general consensus was that the “1” stood for the first overall pick, which the Clippers secured, and the “23” was for the college jersey number of Blake Griffin, the consensus first pick. Roeser, meanwhile, said it stood for the jersey numbers of the Clippers’ Baron Davis (1) and Marcus Camby (23).
I was on the same flight home as Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, who was wore a Yankees cap and toted a Joseph Aboud garment bag. Griffin, of course, flew first class. He also didn’t draw any attention at the airport terminal. Seemed like he was trying to keep a low-key profile.
This was the first time Thunder General Manager Sam Presti was in the sequestered room for the actual lottery drawing. He left knowing the outcome before anyone else in the studio audience, but had to keep mum. He described the process like this:
“It’s kind of funny knowing the outcome ahead of time,” he said. “It’s tough. But once you get into that top three, in any draft, you know that you’re having a good night. And I was excited for Scott. I think he represents so many of the things that we want to be, and his passion for this organization, especially his passion for the vision of this basketball team, knowing that we’re going to add a player he’s going to have a chance to coach and build a relationship with and put in the mix with our other players. It was fun to watch on stage.”
Contact Chris Silva
It’s already known that the Thunder holds the third overall pick of the June 25 NBA Draft.
The team’s basketball operations staff is already hard at work compiling any data on players they feel will be available at No. 3.
Thunder General Manager Sam Presti, Assistant General Manager Rich Cho and Head Coach Scott Brooks were expected to be back in Oklahoma City early Wednesday join the fray.
Only 37 days till draft night in New York City.
Now the question begs, what will the Thunder do with that draft pick?
Naturally, there’s several options.
The team can keep the pick and draft the best available player at the three slot.
It can trade the pick to move up or down in the draft.
It can package the pick with a player to get another established player in return.
Either way, the pick will be put to good use.
“This is definitely a great position for us to be in,” Presti said. “I think we’ll definitely get some phone calls and we’ll have some options. We also like the group of players who will be there. I’m excited because this is a fun time of the year for the organization … having a chance to pick third only puts some momentum behind what we’re trying to accomplish in Oklahoma City.”
And Presti was quick to point out that what the Thunder aims to accomplish in fielding a competitive basketball team won’t happen overnight. Seldom does it happen that way in basketball, let alone all professional sports.
But there’s plenty to accomplish in the immediate.
First, the Thunder has to address its needs. If you take the simplistic approach based on what the Thunder already has and what Presti addressed at his season-ending press conference, perimeter shooting and interior defense come to mind.
But Presti said it’s too early to target one particular need.
“We just have to continue to evaluate the players who are going to be on the board at that point,” he said. “We can’t predict what happens so we have to be ready for any scenario.”
For now, the Thunder front office will be busy on the phone lines to set up workouts with a more concentrated group of prospects. Because players workout with handfuls of teams prior to the draft, it could take some time to bring in a coveted prospect or two.
Regardless, this is the time of the year when the Thunder pulls out all the files, charts and video clips of prospective players it’s compiled throughout the years.
The workouts, Presti said, will provide “a little bit of additional information” to the draft process. A lot of work has already been done.
“It may not be the first week or the second week but we’ll get a look at everyone,” Presti said, “get to know them as people and have enough time to evaluate what the best use of our draft pick is this year.”
NEWS AND NOTES
Some leftover observations from Tuesday night’s draft lottery:
“It’s kind of funny knowing the outcome ahead of time,” he said. “It’s tough. But once you get into that top three, in any draft, you know that you’re having a good night. And I was excited for Scott. I think he represents so many of the things that we want to be, and his passion for this organization, especially his passion for the vision of this basketball team, knowing that we’re going to add a player he’s going to have a chance to coach and build a relationship with and put in the mix with our other players. It was fun to watch on stage.”
Contact Chris Silva
