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Michael Beasley's name has been floated as a possible target for the Lakers before the trade deadline. The rumors are heating up, but would Beasley work in Los Angeles?

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Who is the future of the Timberwolves?

Kevin Love is reportedly staying in Minnesota for four more years after a contract extension, but is he a bigger piece of the puzzle than Ricky Rubio?

SportsNation

Who is more important to the future success of the Timberwolves?

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    81%
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    19%

Discuss (Total votes: 25,227)


Who do you want going forward?

We're asking you about Love's peers in the 2008 draft below, but what about post prizes from the 2006, 2008 and 2009 drafts?

SportsNation

Which forward would you most want for the long haul?

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    12%
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    47%
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    41%

Discuss (Total votes: 77,363)


How would the 2008 NBA draft play out with the benefit of three-plus seasons of hindsight?

The 2008 draft has been in the news recently, with players such as Russell Westbrook, Danilo Gallinari and Kevin Love signing big extensions a year after Derrick Rose represented the class by winning MVP. Who would come off the board first in a 2008 NBA redraft? Below you'll find 15 players from the class who have already made an impact in the league.

2008 NBA re-draft

D.J. Augustin

D.J. Augustin

2008 draft: No. 9

Nicolas Batum

Nicolas Batum

2008 draft: No. 25

Michael Beasley

Michael Beasley

2008 pick: No. 2

Mario Chalmers

Mario Chalmers

2008 draft: No. 34

Danilo Gallinari

Danilo Gallinari

2008 pick: No. 6

Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon

2008 pick: No. 7

Roy Hibbert

Roy Hibbert

2008 draft: No. 17

Serge Ibaka

Serge Ibaka

2008 draft: No. 24

DeAndre Jordan

DeAndre Jordan

2008 draft: No. 35

Brook Lopez

Brook Lopez

2008 draft: No. 10

Kevin Love

Kevin Love

2008 draft: No. 5

O.J. Mayo

O.J. Mayo

2008 draft: No. 3

Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose

2008 draft: No. 1

Jason Thompson

Jason Thompson

2008 draft: No. 12

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook

2008 draft: No. 4

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We can understand if you don't want to take the time to grade your tech-support help on the other end of the telephone, but when we're talking about the dollars and emotion you've invested in sports, we think it's worth the effort. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.

Take part in the 2011 MLB survey
2010 MLB Ultimate Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels (Overall: No. 3)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Overall: No. 6)
3. Colorado Rockies (Overall: No. 13)
4. Minnesota Twins (Overall: No. 14)
5. Atlanta Braves (Overall: No. 15)

Take part in the 2011 NFL survey
2010 NFL Ultimate Standings
1. New Orleans Saints (Overall: No. 1)
2. Indianapolis Colts (Overall: No. 4)
3. Green Bay Packers (Overall: No. 9)
4. Arizona Cardinals (Overall: No. 19)
5. Baltimore Ravens (Overall: No. 20)

Take part in the 2011 NBA survey
2010 NBA Ultimate Standings
1. Orlando Magic (Overall: No. 2)
2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: No. 7)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: No. 10)
4. Dallas Mavericks (Overall: No. 24)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (Overall: No. 25)

Take part in the 2011 NHL survey
2010 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 5)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 8)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 11)
4. San Jose Sharks (Overall: No. 12)
5. Chicago Blackhawks (Overall: No. 16)

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A consolidation of player power in Miami is the talk of the offseason, for obvious reasons. But when do we talk about a diffusion of power in the Western Conference?

Phoenix moves on without Amare Stoudemire but with Hedo Turkoglu. Utah has to hope Al Jefferson and Raja Bell equal the departed Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver. Dallas kept Dirk Nowitzki, no minor feat, but it's hard to envision Tyson Chandler as the missing piece of the puzzle. Will impending free agency distract Carmelo Anthony? Will Yao Ming stay on his feet for an entire season? Should we just let the Lakers skip ahead to the NBA Finals?

In following Horace Greeley's advice, Al Harrington said he picked the Nuggets instead of the Mavericks based on each team's potential (the extra money inherent in suggestions that the Mavs were loathe to give him five years probably didn't hurt). We say if Harrington can judge Western Conference potential, he's a better man than us.

jay (uptown dallas)

are the mavs seeking ant other trade scenerios right now

ESPN Dallas' Jeff Caplan
Matt Williamson

Jay, Donnie Nelson says the team will be as active as ever. They'll continue to probe New Orleans about Chris Paul. the Hornets just fired GM Jeff Bowers, so things are in flux there and Paul is getting increasingly uneasy about the direction of the franchise. Otherwise, the Mavs will keep calling clubs for trades, kicking around Carmelo, as if that's going to happen, but yes, they will be looking for trades, particularly a blockbuster to land a star to pair with Dirk. I think the percentages are low. Full transcript

mcbrinkosu

Great signing by Denver. Al Harrington was the only bright spot on a horrible Knicks team. He's young and from NJ so you know he has energy and toughness.

-- mcbrinkosu

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It's just like the census, only this one is fun and doesn't come in the mail. And nobody from FOX News or MSNBC will yell at you about it. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.

Take part in the 2010 MLB survey
2009 MLB Ultimate Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels (Overall: No. 1)
2. Milwaukee Brewers (Overall: No. 7)
3. Tampa Bay Rays (Overall: No. 16)
4. Minnesota Twins (Overall: No. 23)
5. Philadelphia Phillies (Overall: No. 24)

Take part in the 2010 NFL survey
2009 NFL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (Overall: No. 3)
2. Green Bay Packers (Overall: No. 13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (Overall: No. 14)
4. Tennessee Titans (Overall: No. 15)
5. New England Patriots (Overall: No. 19)

Take part in the 2010 NBA survey
2009 NBA Ultimate Standings
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: No. 5)
2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: No. 9)
3. New Orleans Hornets (Overall: No. 12)
4. Houston Rockets (Overall: No. 17)
5. Orlando Magic (Overall: No. 18)

Take part in the 2010 NHL survey
2009 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Carolina Hurricanes (Overall: No. 2)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 4)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 6)
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 8)
5. St. Louis Blues (Overall: No. 10)

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Lakers fans are understandably excited about the new season, and the defending champs are a popular choice to repeat among bloggers in the ESPN.com community.

"I've never been more excited for the opening of any season, any sport," blogs kurtnaphansen. "The combination of being on the heels of the Lakers winning the NBA championship, of all the trash talk from Cavs, Celtics, Magic, Spurs and even Blazers fans, and of a very new interesting development with the addition of Sheed to Boston, Shaq to Cleveland and Artest to LA."

Below are fan blogs and predictions about the season, which tipped off this week. Click through to respond. If you don't already have an ESPN profile, create one now and start blogging.

More fan blogs

Bulls preview | Cavaliers preview | Celtics-Cavaliers | Cuban best owner in sports | Eastern Conference predictions | Jordan among untouchables | Jordan memories | Letter to LeBron | Magic preview | NBA questions | No worries in Lakerland | Remember the Bulls? | Teams to watch | Traveling rule | Western Conference predictions | Wizards' issues

Fan pictures

Lakers fans Magic fan Cavs fans

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These are heady times in the Twin Cities. Brett Favre (steady on, you may hear that name a few more times today) gets his first look at the Packers tonight on Monday Night Football. Tuesday brings the Twins trying to complete a less tiresome comeback when they face the Tigers in a playoff ... tiebreaker ... really big game.

And we haven't even gotten to Sunday's thriller in front of roughly 4,000 people that saw the Timberwolves torch the Bucks (Roko Ukic vs. Mustafa Shakur; it's fantastic!) in the NBA preseason. Or the Wisconsin Badgers improving to 5-0 and claiming Paul Bunyan's Axe by beating the Golden Gophers on the gridiron in Minneapolis Saturday. You usually need a snow shovel to have this much fun in Minnesota.

We've got plenty of questions about the Packers and Vikings and Tigers and Twins, but first and foremost, which game is a bigger deal?

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So we've learned SportsNation would rather watch new Barcelona point guard Ricky Rubio than Barcelona soccer payer Lionel Messi. But is Rubio fast becoming the most tiresome story out of Minnesota since another type of football great tortured our summers?

The Spanish point guard isn't yet part of the Minnesota sports scene -- and 71 percent of SportsNation believes he never will be after delaying his NBA arrival until at least 2011. But the story fatigue sure feels like watching a remake of the Brett Favre soap opera, as Timberwolves general manager David Kahn suggests Rubio backed out of a deal, and Rubio suggests a move to Minnesota was too risky.

Rubio knows highlights, but considering 80 percent of voters don't think he'll ever be a star, blogger bball4life578 may speak for many in destroying -- in detail -- the Rubio myth.

uncgradtc11

Rubio is just what I thought he was...a soft little European punk....I called his pick a waste b/f he was a no show---he ought to be banned for life from the NBA.

-- uncgradtc11
da_mad_hater

He'll get picked up by somebody in 2 yrs... He just won't be a starter like he would've probably been with the Wolves... His heart is more into getting paid.. not playing basketball at the highest level... What he fails to realize is the money and fame will come when you show and prove... Or maybe young Rubio does realize this and he's trying to get as much as he can upfront in fear that his Spainard game doesn't cut it in the NBA...

-- Da_mad_Hater

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Los Angeles has Kobe Bryant and Blake Griffin. Miami has Dwyane Wade and Hanley Ramirez. Maybe Washington, D.C. will even get in on the act with Alex Ovechkin and Stephen Strasburg.

But if you're talking about the sheer exhilaration of watching two highlight-worthy athletes, Barcelona may rule the world. When it comes to Lionel Messi and Ricky Rubio, just edit highlights, add music and you've got instant goose bumps.

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Apparently Quentin Richardson comes with a warning that if you do not forward him to a friend within 30 days, great misfortune will befall you. Although considering the Clippers, Grizzlies, Knicks and Timberwolves are among the teams he's been "employed" by since last playing an NBA game, maybe the curse is more of a retroactive deal.

Richardson is not a star player. His impact on the upcoming season probably ranks somewhere in the vicinity of Glen Davis remaining in Boston or Leon Powe heading to Cleveland. But we can't help ourselves; Richardson's tour, paper tour though it may be, of NBA cities is worthy of a blind Greek poet (preferably of the deceased variety).

Let's run through this. On April 15, Richardson scored nine points in 11 minutes as the Knicks closed the regular season with a win against the Nets. On draft night, the Knicks dealt him to the Grizzlies (for Darko Milicic of all people). Then the Grizzlies traded him to the Clippers, who traded him to the Timberwolves, who just traded him to the Heat.

Considering Richardson shot 39 percent from the field last season, we're starting to wonder if Washington, D.C., really has the most popular "Cash for Clunkers" program.

zeekerini

Ok, Q must be filming a reality show.

-- ZEEKERINI
dwayne_johnson23

I feel bad for Q now. He's no where near as bad as Mark Blount. The Heat might as well throw a parade just for getting rid of that guy

-- Dwayne_Johnson23
laranadepaz

Q must have some serious frequent flyer miles. He's gonna be a good bench warmer for the heat.

-- laranadepaz

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