ESPN’s Chad Ford reported Monday that the Knicks are one of several teams trying to get ahead of the Jazz at the number 12 pick in Thursday’s draft order to select BYU star guard Jimmer Fredette. At the same time, the Kings are rumored to want Fredette with the seventh pick.

While the risk of drafting Fredette has been debated endlessly, scouts agree that he could fit will into the Knicks’ wide-open offensive system, although New York already features two premier scorers in Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.

On Monday, Fredette told The Dan Patrick Show the Knicks would be his preferred destination, with the Jazz a close second.

In an honor bestowed upon the first 14 players expected to be taken in the NBA draft, Jimmer Fredette has been invited to the green room for next Thursday’s event, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Although he dazzled BYU fans with 28.5 points per game and AP player of the year honors last season, opinion on Fredette as an NBA players is mixed. However, with his invitation to the green room, it would seem Fredette’s stock is rising. The Kings (7th pick), Jazz (12th), and Suns (13th) are all reportedly interested in the sharpshooter.

Former Duke star and potential No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving’s agent Jeffrey Wechsler says that Irving will not be participating in on-court tests and drills at the NBA combine.

Irving left Duke after his freshman season, where he only played in 11 games. He missed the majority of the season with a toe injury before returning for the NCAA Tournament. Irving averaged 17.5 points per game. According to Wechsler, Irving has been working out for two hours every day. He is focused on “getting in the best shape possible.”

Irving will be visiting individual teams before the draft, which will be held June 23.

The NBA draft is moving from New York City to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., The Associated Press reported. An announcement is expected before the Nets’ opener Wednesday night at the Prudential Center, their home for the next two years before a planned move to Brooklyn. The draft had been held in New York City since 2001.

It’s a big day in the NBA today!

Jeff Green the Celtic

Day, not just night, and here’s why. Draft Day for the NBA has two of the most exciting things on the NBA calendar (unless you’re into watching games and that kind of stuff): the draft (obviously), and the pre-draft deadline for dealing teams to make their moves. Obviously, the deadline isn’t a big deal, but it’s a real treat to watch David Stern walk up to say the Celtics have drafted Jeff Green when he knows damn well that he’ll be back out there in two minutes to announce that they have traded the forward to Seattle.

It seems like a ridiculous system, having teams select players for other teams and making the poor kid put on the wrong hat for five minutes and get interviewed under the falsest of pretences. Personally, I’m tickled by it. I thought it was cool seeing Randy Foye in a Boston cap, even if it only was for a brief moment.

As for who could be putting on that cap tonight for the Celtics, two draft outlets have them selecting a point guard with the 58th overall pick (apparently they traded their first-rounder for some guy named Garnett).

DraftEmpire.com has the Green taking Gonzaga senior Jeremy Pargo while ESPN has them going with Southern Illinois point guard Bryan Mullins. Pargo might project a little better to the NBA and is a little taller than Mullins, but Celtics fans aren’t getting caught up with who Danny Ainge will take in the second round. Boston is waiting for his next big move.

Obviously Ainge is a guy who is familiar with trades involving top-10 picks. In addition to spinning Foye in ’06 in a deal for Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff, he also turned Green and parts into Ray Allen in ’07.

This time the rumors are different. Rather than trading out, as they did in the past, the Celtics could be looking to swap Rajon Rando for a package that includes a top-10 choice. While earlier rumors had Rondo and Allen going to Phoenix in a deal that would net them Amare Stoudemire, recent speculation has made a bit more sense.

The most commonly-speculated deal of late has been one in which Ainge sends Rondo and Brian Scalabrine to Memphis in exchange for Mike Conley and Rudy Gay. That’s a pretty fantastic deal for the Celtics, but in a perfect world the Celtics would be able to get the second pick in exchange for Gay and select Memphis shooting guard Tyreke Evans. That’ right, there’s a scenario in which Connecticut’s Hasheem Thabeet doesn’t go second overall, but think of how much that could benefit the Celtics. In Conley they would have a young point guard, and by getting Evans they would have a shooting guard who can learn for a year under Allen before becoming a starter in his sophomore campaign.

The biggest head-scratcher throughout this whole Rondo fiasco is this: if the Celtics are trying to trade Rondo, why is their GM badmouthing him to the media? Isn’t that the opposite of trying to maximize what you get back in return?

Also, in case you’re living under a rock and don’t know, Shaq got traded to the Cavs. Expect LeBron’s points per game to dip because he will no longer have the middle at his disposal. The attention that Shaq will bring to the paint will make it far more difficult for James to drive, but if anyone can make it work, it’s “The Bron.”

And yes, I promised some celebrity couple names, so take your pick: LeShaq (too easy), ShaBron (sounds like the name of a Martin Lawrence movie), and my favorite, LeBraq.