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It's forlorn former star day here in SportsNation. First, we had the suggestion Michael Vick might be wishing he was lucky enough to be Trent Edwards. Then it was Charlie Weis wishing we were a landlocked country. Now we turn to Allen Iverson, who it sure seems like is wishing he never signed with the Grizzlies. Iverson has been granted a leave of absence from the team, a perk what few season-ticket holders there are in Memphis would assuredly love to pursue. The owner says he'd know if Iverson was contemplating retirement, but will the guard's career in Memphis make Jerry Tarkanian's run with the Spurs look like FDR's time in the Oval Office?

• Vote: Has your opinion of Iverson changed over the years?
• Your Power Rankings: We know the Grizzlies aren't No. 1, but are they No. 30?
• SportsNation thought T.O. and the Bills was a worse match than A.I. and the Grizzlies.

“

Here's how to deal with the bench role: put up the numbers, make your coach take notice to the point where he has no choice but to put you in the starting lineup.

” -- infamoss

“

Iverson continues to show the behavior that put the NBA in decline. Wade, Lebron, Bosh, are the New Skool now and they are doing it on the floor and off it with professionalism. Iverson is still holding onto to values of his era which had the NBA on the police blotter frequently. He didn't change with the times and this is already seeming like the end is going to sad instead of celebrated

” -- chellowebb

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.

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Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd are listed as probable on the "SportsNation" TV injured list. Go ahead and start them on your fantasy team this week.

Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPNEWS at 4 p.m. and ESPN2 at midnight ET.

Note: Broadcast voting results as of this afternoon (ET).

Who has the better fist pump?
Does Rafael Nadal, king of clay and thorn in Roger Federer's side, or Tiger Woods, rival of Ernie Els, have the better celebratory gesture?

How many games will the Cowboys win this season?
More than nine? Fewer than nine? Nine exactly? Emmitt Smith pegs the team at seven wins if the coach and QB don't improve.

Is Memphis a good fit for Allen Iverson?
A.I., using that newfangled Twitter service, said Wednesday that he's going to play for the Grizzlies. One fan predicted a team that averages zero assists.

Will Brett Favre start 16 regular-season games?
The Vikings were quick to toss their other QBs under the bus for him, and he's only one game from a tie for the NFL's longest games played streak.

Which team will win the Titans-Steelers game?
LenDale White is unapologetic for stomping on the Terrible Towel last season, which has Steelers fans frothing at the mouth.

What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

• Vote: Take the Quentin Richardson tour of the country.

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.

• Voters don't think Dwyane Wade is sticking around beyond this season.
• Groups: Real Miami Heat Fans | Minnesota Sports Fans | Memphis Grizzlies fans

“

Ok, Q must be filming a reality show.

” -- ZEEKERINI

“

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

“

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

” -- laranadepaz

It seems safe to say Allen Iverson will someday find his way to Springfield and the Basketball Hall of Fame. He's already No. 16 all time in points in the NBA, and he's about one good season away from passing Patrick Ewing, Jerry West, Reggie Miller and Amazing Grace Smith. Heck, it was just a year ago that SportsNation ranked him on the cusp of its own Redeem Team (Joe Dumars begs to differ).

Now if only we could figure out what city will come before the not-so-gem of Massachusetts on his career itinerary.

Iverson is hardly alone in NBA circles in his current quest for employment, but with each Andre Miller and Lamar Odom signing, he's starting to stand out more and more. It's one thing for Jamaal Tinsley to need work; it's another for a Hall of Famer who is younger than Steve Nash.

A month ago, SportsNation thought the Heat would be the best fit of the teams rumored to be in the mix. Now the Knicks are in play and rumors have extended all the way to Greece (hey, at least SportsNation thinks he'd be as good an ambassador for basketball as David Beckham has been for soccer in the United States). Surely some team will give Iverson the mid-level exception and 18 shots a game, right?

• 62 percent of SportsNation believes Iverson can still contribute for a contender.
• Beyond the Nation: Bill Simmons makes a case (No. 50) for an Iverson comeback.
• Beyond the Nation: Iverson talks about his image and the nature of celebrity.

“

AI/Mayo/Gay/Rando lph/Gasol. Not a bad starting 5 that can definitely run and put up some points. They would be a better team with this move. Warrick could still be good off the bench for them though. They need D with that lineup from somewhere.

” -- XmanY

“

Iverson fans need to give it up. We're not saying he's not great. He's great. But you have to have a pretty bad team if he can do it more good than harm. And while this is something he could fix if he wanted to, it's getting very late for that dog to learn any new tricks. I'd love to see him do it. But even then, he wouldn't be proving the "haters" wrong - he'd be proving that he should have been listening to them all along.

” -- The Pragmaticist

NO. 1: LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Bill Simmons thinks Blake Griffin should run away as fast as he can. Even after watching his favorite coach head to New York and Shaquille O'Neal come and go, Steve Nash still has it easier than Griffin, according to SportsNation. And did we mention the traffic? Welcome to the NBA, kid.

• More than half of voters think Griffin would have gone third or lower last year.
• Clippers jokes aside, 43 percent expect them in the playoffs within two seasons.
• Oklahoma one of only states that expects Griffin to be an NBA star.

“

I feel bad for Clipper fans. The organization sucks, not the team. They manage to MISmanage every star player they have had. I used to think it was all Elgin Baylor but he his gone and they still suck. Oh well Griffin will get paid and do his time. When his rookie contract is up he will jet.

” -- BigVilFromWestPhil

NO. 2: MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Good barbeque and bad basketball. Since Robert Traylor's no longer in the mix, the former isn't enough of a selling point to convince current prospects to fix the latter. Ricky Rubio supposedly won't go there. Hasheem Thabeet canceled a workout. How are they supposed to draft someone they can later give away in a trade?

• SportsNation thinks Hasheem Thabeet a better fit for Grizzlies than Ricky Rubio.

“

Memphis is tailor made for Rubio, you need 2 solid PGs to succeed in this league, sometimes 3.

” -- walnutkid07

NO. 3: OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
It appears a Red River tandem of Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin isn't in the works, but Taylor Griffin is still available. Hey, it worked for Harvey Grant.

• SportsNation and Chad Ford concur; it's Ricky Rubio to the Thunder.

“

Blake Griffin is obviously the best talent, but I believe a defensive minded, rebounding center like Hasheem Thabeet would be a great fit for the talent currently on the roster. He would essentially knock Krstic down to the four, Green to the 3, and Durant to the 2 guard slot while his body fills out. Only if Griffin isn't available, though.

” -- dustemoff151

We like to think that somewhere, in whatever afterlife, reincarnation, biodegradable scenario you choose to believe in, we will all be held accountable for our mock drafts. Let's just say that if you don't get at least 10 picks right, you're coming back as a Clippers fan.

With that out of the way, let's take a spin around SportsNation's mocks.

• Things take a quick turn for the different in TheGodOf6thGear's mock, with the Thunder passing on both Ricky Rubio and James Harden to get Kevin Durant some frontcourt help.
• Things are a tad more conventional in manny24435's take on things, although even Duke alum Grant Hill didn't have Gerald Henderson going this high in ESPN The Magazine's mock draft.
• The top 10 is all codywin25 concerns himself with (come on, Michael Jordan could use all the help he can get), but that's enough time to find an interesting home for Stephen Curry.
• Blogger GOBIIIGCOUGS dispenses with the first round and goes right to lobbying on behalf of Washington State guard Taylor Rochestie as a second-round sleeper. Too much time in the Palouse may have gone to his head.

Join in lottery conversations: No. 1 Clippers | No. 2 Grizzlies | No. 3 Thunder | No. 4 Kings | Nos. 5, 6 Timberwolves | No. 7 Warriors | No. 8 Knicks | No. 9 Raptors | No. 10 Bucks | No. 11 Nets | No. 12 Bobcats | No. 13 Pacers | No. 14 Suns

“

If God cares about Blake Griffin, he will compel the Clippers to trade the #1 pick to OKC.

” -- bman5780

“

This is a very important week for the Wolves, lets hope Khan doesn't jack it up. Thursday: Draft. Friday: Find a head coach. Saturday: Apologize to Al and the remaining players on the team who didn't get traded away Thursday night. Sunday: Send out email to season ticket holders and potentials kissing their butt. Big week Khan. Big week.

” -- n0tbradpitt

The Washington Wizards apparently cast their vote on the strength of this year's draft class, reportedly bailing out of the No. 5 spot in a trade with the Timberwolves that landed them Randy Foye and Mike Miller, but is this year's collection of talent really the hoops version of Patti Blagojevich, John Salley and the rest of the "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me out of Here" marooneed C-listers?

At the very least, this year's group of NBA rookies may be no less compelling than their NFL peers. Almost the same percentage of SportsNation deems the basketball rookies to be above average as held the same view about Matthew Stafford, Michael Crabtree and the gridiron newcomers in April.

While Chad Ford, Doug Gottlieb, Jay Bilas and others have their opinions, here's how SportsNation rates the top talents.

1. Blake Griffin (SN predicted pick: No. 1, Clippers)
2. Ricky Rubio (SN predicted pick: No. 3, Thunder)
3. Hasheem Thabeet (SN predicted pick: No. 2, Grizzlies)
4. Stephen Curry (SN predicted pick: No. 8, Knicks)
5. Tyreke Evans (SN predicted pick: No. 6, Timberwolves)
6. James Harden (SN predicted pick: No. 4, Kings)
7. Jonny Flynn (SN predicted pick: No. 10, Bucks)
8. Brandon Jennings (SN predicted pick: No. 13, Pacers)
9. Jordan Hill (SN predicted pick: No. 5, Timberwolves)
10. Jrue Holiday (SN predicted pick: No. 7, Warriors)

• Rank your own top 10 | Fill out a first-round mock draft
• Fan groups: OKC Thunder | Memphis Grizzlies fans | Minnesota Sports Fans

Even as Wimbledon begins without Rafael Nadal, Spain offers up perhaps the biggest certainty and arguably the most compelling uncertainty of the week in sports. Even as SportsNation comes around to the idea that the United States is probably going to lose to Spain in the Confederations Cup, the curious case of Ricky Rubio continues.

Chad Ford's latest mock draft has Rubio going to the Thunder with the third pick in this week's NBA draft. A plurality of SportsNation voters agree he goes third, but that still means 62 percent of them think he's coming off the board before or after that. We don't know if Doug Gottlieb voted, but as the video below suggests, he's hedging his bet on exactly where Rubio goes.

• SportsNation blogger dedalotw2003 is two mocks behind Ford's pace, but we'll excuse it just this once. He adds to the Rubio speculation by suggesting he'll slip to No. 5.
• Is Ricky Rubio not this draft's best bet among guards?

“

This draft is better than people realize. How can you say there won't be any stars? Emeka Okafor, Tyrus Thomas, Marvin Williams, Gred Oden & Michael Beasley were projected to be stars immediately and ALL FIVE have disappointed.

” -- migarvin21

“

This is indeed a weak draft. Beyond the top 3, teams will be banking on a kid being a surprise talent or a role player only. I'm sure that those surprise players will show up, it's just really hard to tell from this year's group of "talent"

” -- kinglywarrior

While the Washington Nationals prepare for a summer of exchanging pleasantries with Scott Boras (because summer in a city built on a swamp isn't excruciating enough as it is), SportsNation gets to talk to the potential No. 1 pick who really has the power to bring change. Former Oklahoma star and possible future Clippers star Blake Griffin stops by to chat at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Although it's not set in stone quite yet, everyone expects the explosive post player to come off the board first in the NBA draft. That includes mock drafts from SportsNation bloggers dedalotw2003 (who also has an intriguing trade at No. 2) and bball4life578 (who also has a trade at No. 2 ... what does everyone have against Memphis?). Chat with Blake at 3:30!