Monday Bolts – 6.1.09

The 66ers are suing the arena that they played in last year: “The ownership group of the 66ers — a minor league

professional basketball team affiliated with the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder — has filed a lawsuit in Tulsa County District Court against Home Ventures Inc., the SpiritBank Event Center’s owner and operator. The 66ers’ ownership group is led by Clay Bennett, who also owns the Thunder. The 66ers played one basketball season, 2008-09, in the Bixby arena but will have a new home next year. The 66ers claim that the SpiritBank center’s ownership group, led by President Tim Remy, owes more than $100,000 and hasn’t paid anything to the professional basketball franchise during its one year as a tenant in the arena. The 66ers seek more than $200,000 in compensatory damages.”

Evidently, the Thunder likes Ricky Rubio – shocking, I know: “What, then, will the Oklahoma City Thunder do with the third overall pick? The buzz being sent out by the team is that they might go shooting guard, and names like James Harden and DeMar DeRozan have been thrown out there for the media to feast upon. Yet while we’ve been in Chicago catching up with anyone and everyone in the NBA, we’ve learned that the Thunder are actually very seriously considering taking Ricky Rubio with the #3 and moving Russell Westbrook, who is a Brandon Roy type of point guard, over to his more natural position off the ball. Keep in mind that this is the time of misdirection and distraction. NBA general managers don’t want anyone to know who they really like, as that knowledge empowers a team above them to out-maneuver them by taking their player and then offering to trade him down for a lower pick and an additional asset. Most of the teams are just starting to truly understand who these players are, and this year more than any other in recent memory we’ll see June workouts influence who teams ultimately choose at the draft. If the draft were today, however, we’re assured that the Thunder would most likely go with Rubio, improving what is already the best young nucleus in the NBA.”

OKC likes Steph Curry a lot too, supposedly: “Oklahoma City has a Stephen Curry fixation. The Thunder attended all of Curry’s home games at Davidson this past season and is looking at him as a potential shooting guard. But they’ll almost certainly move down from the No. 3 pick if they decide to take him. Scouts are not only high on Curry’s shooting, but also think he can make players better around him. “When you look at that Davidson team, they barely had any other Division I players,” said one scout.”

A new mock draft from Bleacher Report: “Thunder – James Harden: OKC goes with Harden, the scorer, over Thabeet here. I think the Thunder will look to bring in a veteran post player, either by trade or free agency. The trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden will make many teams stay up late preparing in 2009-10.”

Another one: “Oklahoma City — James Harden, SG, Arizona State, So – Harden exploded onto the draft scene this season as he torched the nets all year long in Tempe. Don’t let the dismal tournament performance fool you, this kid can flat out score. He’s got great size to go along with his sweet jumper, although I’d love to see him be more aggressive taking the ball to the cup. Harden could slide nicely into the rotation in Oklahoma City and form a very solid backcourt with Russell Westbrook. And who better to show him the ropes than Kevin Durant.”

Tyler Smith on OKC’s workouts: “Some teams, he tells me, do things their way.  Smith has worked out for several teams, including the Thunder. What Smith told me about his Thunder work out runs in concert with stories from other players. Namely, the first thing that happens in Oklahoma City  is a “2 or 3 hour battery of medical exams–everything you can imagine, they test it.””

Second season ticket sales have been extremely good so far: “Thunder officials project 80 to 85 percent of fans who purchased season tickets the inaugural season will renew. “We’ve had great feedback,” said

, vice president of ticket sales and services. “Some of the 15 percent that aren’t renewing are consolidating with other clients. They’re staying with us. Not many are walking away completely.” The league record for season-ticket renewals was nearly 80 percent two years ago. That figure dropped to 78 percent this past season. Early estimates are it could drop as low as 70 percent next season. Oklahoma City could be an exception.”

Tons of interviews from Draft Express:

HoopsWorld on DeJuan Blair: “There generally aren’t too many surprises in store for NBA executives when they gather for the NBA pre-draft process. They’re getting to know players they haven’t talked to, finding out more about the guys they’ve been watching on tape, but legitimate surprises are pretty rare. This year, there was a sure-fire, jaw-dropping shocker waiting for the teams who reached out to Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair. He stepped off the NCAA court for the last time a few weeks ago weighing 315, but weighed in on Thursday at a svelte (and chiseled) 276.”

Ian Thompson: “Hasheem Thabeet will be the slider. The likely candidates to draft UConn’s Thabeet up high are No. 2 Memphis, No. 3 Oklahoma City and No. 6 Minnesota — otherwise he may slide past Toronto at No. 9 and out of the top 10. This would not necessarily be a bad thing for him. Like every player in this draft, it’s crucial that Thabeet land with a team that can accommodate him. Don’t you think Brook Lopez is happy he slid last June to No. 10 with New Jersey, where he filled a huge need by averaging 13.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks?”

Blake Griffin is on the cover of the newest Dime Magazine issue: “Just a few days after Blake announced he was going pro, we went to Norman, Okla., to shoot him for the cover. While you can probably imagine the kind of determination and work ethic Blake possesses, Andrew Katz’s cover story also uncovers a young man who is more quirky and interesting than you would know just by witnessing his stone-faced, Robocop demeanor on the court.”

James Harden cancelled workouts with teams outside the top five: “Arizona State SG James Harden has reportedly canceled all workouts with teams picking outside of the Top-5. This comes on the heels of a widespread rumor that the OKC Thunder have targeted Harden with the No. 3 overall pick. With Harden at the two and Kevin Durant at the three, OKC could have one of the League’s top scoring wing combos for years to come. (Or at least until KD bolts the pasture as soon as possible to play in a big market.)”