Armed with the No. 2 pick, the Grizzlies didn't get the trade possibilities they wanted. So as figured, they finally got the big, shot-swatting center they've wanted ever since the team moved to Memphis.

They didn't hesitate in drafting UConn's Hasheem Thabeet, two-time Big East Conference defensive player of the year, a 7-3 roadblock that will toughen the soft middle of the Grizzlies' defense immediately.

"We kept coming back to the fact of where are you going to find a 7-3, shot-blocking center?" Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said.

It didn't matter to coach Lionel Hollins that the Grizzlies just got a solid rookie season from center Marc Gasol. Hollins felt Thabeet's strength as a defender—though his offense needs a lot of work—was too good...]]> Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:02:27 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,sportsxchange:20080101:nba,article,teamreports-2009-nba-mem:1 If you're a contending team and looking for a bargain, you just might be in luck. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:47:00 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,yhoo:20050301:nba,article,jy-freeagentrankings063009:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13cr9v34c/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/2009-NBA-Draft-Best-and-worst-dressed?urn=nba,173066 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:00:00 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,yhoo:20050301:nba,article,yhoo-ept_sports_nba_experts-173066:1 AP

On a draft day that felt like the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Clippers never considered a deal. Not when they were the ones who could take Blake Griffin. Following a flurry of head-turning trades around the NBA, the Clippers started Thursday night's draft with the obvious choice: Griffin, the only player considered a sure thing in a class full of question marks.