Mike Conley Jr.

Getting closer and closer to the NBA Draft means it was another hectic day in (and out of) the Dime office. First up was Media Day with the green room guys: Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, the Florida trio, Mike Conley, Yi Jianlian, Jeff Green — everyone except Al Thornton, Brandan Wright and Nick Young, who are in town for the draft but had other things going on. You can probably guess which guys had the biggest crowd of reporters around them: Oden, Durant, Yi, etc. As for the smallest crowds? Rodney Stuckey and Acie Law’s tables were a little more, let’s say, intimate, and Julian Wright surprisingly wasn’t mobbed. Noah was of course in full comedian mode, and wearing a white tee and shorts while everyone else put some effort into getting dressed. And according to the Washington Post, an NBA official pulled Joakim aside after the media session to remind him of the dress code for future endeavors. Joakim did say his Draft-day suit will be “Funky with a capital F,” though. Austin was our guy on the floor at the event and posted his live Media Day report … Later on we dropped by a swanky like exclusive party thrown by Oden’s agent, Bill Duffy, at a sick Manhattan apartment that was actually right down the street from our office. And when we say sick, we’re talking multi-level, pool on the balcony, penthouse entrance, the whole nine. Everyone we talked to was shocked that someone actually lived in this place. In addition to Oden and Conley Jr., Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash and Syracuse forward Terrence Roberts were also in the house, and the DJ was none other than Isiah Thomas‘ son … At the party, Oden was introduced as “the No. 1 pick in the draft.” We thought it was just Oden’s people hyping their man up, but come to find out that the Oden camp has reportedly been informed by the Blazers that Greg is indeed gonna be their pick. So much for suspense … Other than the pre-draft stuff, yesterday began and ended with trade rumors flying all over the League. The big one, again, centered on Kevin Garnett. This time the talked-about deal is a three-way with Minnesota, Phoenix and Atlanta; the Suns get KG, the Wolves get ATL’s No. 3 and No. 11 picks, and the Hawks get Amare Stoudemire. On the surface it seems crazy for the Suns to give up 24-year-old Amare for 31-year-old KG, but consider that Steve Nash only has so much time left to play at the level he’s been playing (especially if the Suns never find him a decent backup). Sure, Amare could end up being the best big man in the League after a few years in Atlanta, but KG is a better short-term solution to take advantage of Nash’s short window of opportunity … And with the KG-to-L.A. deal reportedly close to dead, we hear the Lakers have started talking to the Pacers again about Jermaine O’Neal … According to the Dallas Morning News, there have been discussions between the Mavs and Bucks on a trade that would send Devin Harris to Milwaukee for the No. 6 pick. The Mavs with a Lottery pick? Adding someone like Conley Jr. (a natural PG, unlike Devin and Jason Terry) or Brandan Wright (interior scoring) to a 67-win team just doesn’t seem fair … Another rumored deal that could go down before today’s Draft has the Sonics sending Luke Ridnour to ATL for the No. 11 pick. With that pick, it’s been speculated, Seattle would grab the hometown kid Stuckey, or they could go with Acie Law as Luke’s replacement at the point. We like this one for the Sonics if it happens. Imagine Ray Allen, Durant and Stuckey, and if they can re-sign Rashard? Buckets … The Charlotte Observer says the Bobcats turned down New Jersey’s offer of the No. 17 pick for Sean May. The paper also says the Bobcats want to make a free agency play for Chauncey Billups … In a last-minute workout for the Sixers yesterday, Big Baby sprained his ankle. The injury isn’t supposed to be that bad, but considering Big Baby also got hurt in his first workout with the Sixers (elbow) a few weeks ago, Philly might see him as a little injury-prone … Drop by Dimemag.com throughout the day for some Draft-related stuff, and again after all the picks are made for our ‘07 Draft breakdown. Then tonight, head over to Foxsports.com, where we’ll be doing pick-by-pick analysis live from MSG … We’re out like Joakim’s suit …