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Greg Oden Out

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Top draft pick Greg Oden needs to have his tonsils removed and is expected to miss the rest of the Portland Trail Blazers’ summer league games.

After he tapes the ESPY awards in Los Angeles, he will undergo a tonsillectomy Saturday, at the Vancouver Clinic in nearby Vancouver, Wash., the team said.

Recovery time is expected to be two to three weeks.

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Not Another Mock Draft

From Dime Magazine

The NBA Draft Lottery was Tuesday night, and Dime was in the building. Here’s the live recap of the proceedings. While you’re going to be assaulted over the coming days and weeks with mock drafts of who everyone thinks will be taken on June 28, we’re going with who should be drafted by the Lottery teams. No trades (everyone says the Celtics will try to trade up), no assuming GMs will make bad decisions (we can dream, can’t we?); imagine the Draft is going down today, and every team is choosing based on need.

1. Portland Trail Blazers — Kevin Durant, SF/PF, Texas. We know, we know … odds are the Blazers just take Greg Oden and call it a day, but for this team, considering what they have, Durant fits their biggest need. The Blazers don’t have any backcourt/wing scorers beyond Brandon Roy who can create their own shot. Ime Udoka is Portland’s starting three at the moment, and he’s filling in for the perpetually-injured and surly Darius Miles. LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t exactly The Franchise at the five spot, but he’s young and will grow into a good player, meaning Portland doesn’t need Oden as much as they need Durant. The Blazers need buckets, and Durant could lead the League in scoring some day.

2. Seattle Supersonics — Greg Oden, C, Ohio State. This is like the Detroit Lions picking 46 straight wide receivers in the NFL Draft; with every pick that doesn’t work out, the need doesn’t go away. There’s a reason the Sonics have drafted Robert Swift, Johan Petro and Saer Sene in consecutive drafts. It’s because they need a center and still don’t have the answer. Seattle routinely gets killed on D by opposing bigs and gets beasted on the glass regularly. Oden solves those problems.

3. Atlanta Hawks — Mike Conley, PG, Ohio State. The Hawks have needed a PG for the longest. Passing on Chris Paul (and Deron Williams, and Ray Felton) in 2005 is still haunting them, and the Speedy Claxton signing hasn’t worked out. The PG position is thin in this year’s draft, but Conley is clearly the best pro prospect. He’s got a Chris Paul-like game.

4. Memphis Grizzlies — Al Horford, PF, Florida. Two primary needs here: a perimeter player who can score, and toughness in the frontcourt. Horford covers need No. 2, and with him the Grizzlies could move Pau Gasol to center. With Hakim Warrick and Alexander Johnson (think Paul Millsap Lite) coming off the bench, that’s not a bad core of bigs.

5. Boston Celtics — Corey Brewer, SF, Florida. Gerald Green can jump, but he’s not an NBA starting wing yet. Wally Szczerbiak makes starter money, but he’s probably better coming off the bench. Brewer is a do-it-all type who already might be better than any of the current C’s defensively, and doesn’t demand shots, so he won’t butt heads with Paul Pierce.

6. Milwaukee Bucks — Brandan Wright, PF, North Carolina. We’re not as sold on Wright as everyone else seems to be, but the kid has potential to be a smooth scorer from the four spot. Bringing Wright in would allow the Bucks to move Charlie Villanueva to the three, where his size advantage (6-11) over most small forwards would give the Bucks some options when it comes to matchups.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves — Joakim Noah, C/PF, Florida. Kevin Garnett has long needed an enforcer in the paint who can get rebounds and play D. Noah fits that role perfectly. While he’s not a scorer, the Wolves have plenty of guys to do with between KG, Ricky Buckets, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants and Mike James.

8. Charlotte Bobcats — Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown. The ‘Cats need a center; Primoz Brezec isn’t getting it done. Hibbert is 7-foot-2 with nimble feet and a solid passer out of the five spot. He’s usually at his best when it matters most, having stepped his game up from the regular season in two NCAA Tournament appearances.

9. Chicago Bulls — Yi Jianlian, PF/C, China. We’ve been over what the Bulls need; a go-to scorer, preferably one who does damage in the post. Yi is something of a mystery to most people, but the book on him is he gets buckets from all over the court. He’s a little on the skinny side, but at 7-foot, if he bulks up he can be that low-post scorer Chicago needs. Or at least be a hell of a matchup problem off the wing.

10. Sacramento Kings — Jeff Green, SF/PF, Georgetown. Perfect fit here. The Abdur-Rahim/Kenny Thomas combo at the four is obviously on the other side of the hill, and Ron Artest is a walking trade rumor at the three. Green’s passing ability — he led G’Town in assists as the centerpiece of the Princeton offense — works with Sacramento’s roster. We can see him hitting backdoor cutters already.

11. Atlanta Hawks — Spencer Hawes, C, Washington. At this point, almost anyone would be an upgrade over Zaza Pachulia. Or if ATL wants to be damn sure they’ve got the PG spot locked up, they could take Acie Law.

12. Philadelphia 76ers — Acie Law, PG, Texas A&M. The Sixers need size, but they also need a point guard. Andre Miller’s physical breakdown is coming any day now, and he’s always good trade bait with that big contract of his. Philly has to find the PG of the future.

13. New Orleans Hornets — Julian Wright, SF, Kansas. Desmond Mason might be leaving as a free agent, Peja might up and retire, and the Hornets finished last season starting Devin Brown at the two. In other words, there’s a need at the wing spots. Wright is crazy versatile and he’s the best player available here.

14. Los Angeles Clippers — Javaris Crittenton, PG, Georgia Tech. Sam Cassell is knocking on 40 years old and Shaun Livingston might never play again. Jason Hart is decent, but no way he should be playing the minutes he was playing at the end of last year for a playoff-contending team. Crittenton didn’t particularly look good in the NCAA Tournament, but he had some monster games in the ACC season. He’s a PG with size, too, clocking in at 6-foot-5.

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Ron Artest Arrested

Ron Artest was arrested once again in Sacramento for domestic violence.

Geoff Petrie, the Kings’ president of basketball operations, said the team was removing Artest from the team, pending a full investigation.

“The Kings have excused Ron Artest indefinitely from any further participation with the team due to his arrest today for domestic violence,” Petrie said in a statement.