2016 NBA Draft Discussion

[Capt. Factorial]

Ouch.....

Akis Yerocostas‏@Aykis16
Per our annual big boards, Here's what Kings drafts would look like if they had listened to @SactownRoyalty readers

I really only see one instance there where the fans were actually more on top of things than the front office - and that was 2011 when the Maloofs made Petrie draft Jimmer because...well, I don't know. Some sort of marketing thing. Three times the selection would have been the same, two (2014, 2009) are looking pretty much like a push, and 2008 was a win for the front office. That leaves 2015, which is too early to tell. But outside of 2011, which we all know was an unmitigated disaster, I'm not seeing much evidence that the fans are more on top of things than the various front offices.

 

[LPKingsFan]

when the Maloofs made Petrie draft Jimmer because...well, I don't know.

Did that really happen? I've heard it speculated, but it always smacked of revisionism meant to make Petrie look good. But I wouldn't expect that from you, Cap'n, so I'm curious what you base this on.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Did that really happen? I've heard it speculated, but it always smacked of revisionism meant to make Petrie look good. But I wouldn't expect that from you, Cap'n, so I'm curious what you base this on.

I've heard a bit of scuttlebutt that that was the case, but it was second or third hand - nothing rock solid. But I do think it is most likely true.

 

[dude12]

Looking at Basketball Insiders and their mock drafts today....4 different ones and by guys I don't know very well but cover teams.
2 have us taking Brown, 1 has us taking Skal Lab., and the other one has us taking Hield.....I think it was Hield. One of them had Hield going 10. Doesn't mean much to us....just something to chew on while we wait for the draft. Interesting that no one has us taking Wade Baldwin.

 

[ockingsfan]

really don't know what the fascination with TROB was back then. he looked like an undersized tweener in the vids with not much game in his highlight videos.

TRob never looked good to me.

I wanted Andre Drummond badly.

There is something to be said that when a player "slides" in the draft, it is not always best to "catch" and "save" them in their free fall. There was obviously a reason he fell in the draft.

 

[funkykingston]

TRob never looked good to me.

I wanted Andre Drummond badly.

There is something to be said that when a player "slides" in the draft, it is not always best to "catch" and "save" them in their free fall. There was obviously a reason he fell in the draft.

But there's also the example of Paul Pierce who fell for no apparent reason and became one of the best players from that draft class.

 

[ockingsfan]

But there's also the example of Paul Pierce who fell for no apparent reason and became one of the best players from that draft class.

True.

The Kings seem to catch the wrong sliding player (i.e. TRob, Ben McClemore).

But, we did get DMC on a slide.

 

[206Fan]

Hindsight, T-Rob and McLemore were great picks. T-Rob has busted, while McLemore has under performed. Kings whiffed big time on Jimmer though...

Tyreke was a decent pick despite us passing up on Curry and co. I don't think we can get upset at that pick. We mismanaged the crap out of Tyreke, and I don't know if anyone could honestly argue that point..

Stauskas was interesting. I wanted Payton, but I was fine with Stauskas too. However, I think the consensus was pretty upset at that pick. The jury is still out on him.

WCS is a solid pick, but I think we passed up on A LOT of talent. Turner, Mudiay, Winslow, and Johnson.


Great pick: Cousins

Good picks: Tyreke, WCS, JT, Casspi, McLemore?????

Good pick that didn't pan out: T-Rob

Bad picks that everyone knew would not pan out: Jimmer, Stauskas????

 

[funkykingston]

Robinson wasn't a good pick. Raw, undersized and a poor fit with Cousins & Evans. That was my sentiment on draft night.

I wanted Drummond. Petrie loved Lillard. He would later say he thought JT would leave in free agency and that's what drove that pick.

In hindsight Petrie was right about Lillard. Take him and either Klay or Kawhi from the previous draft and things would have been drastically different.

As a small market team the Kings HAVE to do well in the draft.

 

[dude12]

You see what an elite defensive big does in the playoffs in Tristan Thompson, I sure hope Joerger can turn WCS into something like that. WCs may go from a good pick to a great pick.

I'm still miffed at the Staukas pick....thought it was as bad as any pick we have made except probably Jimmer.

And by the way, props to Cleveland for taking Tristan Thompson when they did in that draft....IIRC, Cleveland really reached on Tristan.

 

[ParniValjak]

Robinson wasn't a good pick. Raw, undersized and a poor fit with Cousins & Evans. That was my sentiment on draft night.

I wanted Drummond. Petrie loved Lillard. He would later say he thought JT would leave in free agency and that's what drove that pick.

In hindsight Petrie was right about Lillard. Take him and either Klay or Kawhi from the previous draft and things would have been drastically different.

As a small market team the Kings HAVE to do well in the draft.

Could not agree more but would add to you last comment that Kings also HAVE to do well in trades. When I recall what we lost Tyreke and IT for in terms of trade value, I feel like banging my head against the brick wall.

 

[bajaden]

Did that really happen? I've heard it speculated, but it always smacked of revisionism meant to make Petrie look good. But I wouldn't expect that from you, Cap'n, so I'm curious what you base this on.

You can take his as truth or not, but I knew someone in the organization, who will remain nameless, and that person told me that when Jimmer worked out for the Kings. the Maloofs fell in love with him. He was the college player of the year, and they thought he would be a great PR guy for the team. I predicted at the time that the Kings would draft Jimmer. Some thought that I was endorsing that, but all I was doing was stating inside info. When you think about it, looking at Petrie's past track record, Jimmer didn't look like a player that Petrie would draft. Thomas Robinson was a Maloof choice as well. Petrie wanted to draft Lillard, but the powers that be wanted a PF.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Did that really happen? I've heard it speculated, but it always smacked of revisionism meant to make Petrie look good. But I wouldn't expect that from you, Cap'n, so I'm curious what you base this on.

No idea, but I remember it was widely speculated at the time. This idea, whether right or wrong, wasn't a revisionist one. Plenty of people were calling GP a puppet and calling for him to step down if he didn't want to make his own choice. I don't think anyone has been trying to make Petrie look good. Think it's more likely that the Magoofs messed up badly.

 

[206Fan]

Holy hell, you never realize how big Simmons is...until you put him into perspective:

Unless that concrete is slopping down.....he looks EXTREMELY comparable to KAT...He even looks bigger.

 

[King Baller]

Simmons is considerably bigger than KAT. Look at his wrist and leg thickness!

 

[pshn80]

Hindsight, T-Rob and McLemore were great picks. T-Rob has busted, while McLemore has under performed. Kings whiffed big time on Jimmer though...

Tyreke was a decent pick despite us passing up on Curry and co. I don't think we can get upset at that pick. We mismanaged the crap out of Tyreke, and I don't know if anyone could honestly argue that point..

Stauskas was interesting. I wanted Payton, but I was fine with Stauskas too. However, I think the consensus was pretty upset at that pick. The jury is still out on him.

WCS is a solid pick, but I think we passed up on A LOT of talent. Turner, Mudiay, Winslow, and Johnson.


Great pick: Cousins

Good picks: Tyreke, WCS, JT, Casspi, McLemore?????

Good pick that didn't pan out: T-Rob

Bad picks that everyone knew would not pan out: Jimmer, Stauskas????

Good points. I would add that except for Jimmer they were all reasonable at the time hey were made.

 

[passionforpurple916]

Hindsight, T-Rob and McLemore were great picks. T-Rob has busted, while McLemore has under performed. Kings whiffed big time on Jimmer though...

Tyreke was a decent pick despite us passing up on Curry and co. I don't think we can get upset at that pick. We mismanaged the crap out of Tyreke, and I don't know if anyone could honestly argue that point..

Stauskas was interesting. I wanted Payton, but I was fine with Stauskas too. However, I think the consensus was pretty upset at that pick. The jury is still out on him.

WCS is a solid pick, but I think we passed up on A LOT of talent. Turner, Mudiay, Winslow, and Johnson.


Great pick: Cousins

Good picks: Tyreke, WCS, JT, Casspi, McLemore?????

Good pick that didn't pan out: T-Rob

Bad picks that everyone knew would not pan out: Jimmer, Stauskas????

You say the jury is still out on Stauskas, but then you say, 5 lines later, that he was a "bad pick that everyone knew would not pan out". I'm confused....

 

[206Fan]

You say the jury is still out on Stauskas, but then you say, 5 lines later, that he was a "bad pick that everyone knew would not pan out". I'm confused....

Question mark because I don't think he deserved his own category... he was terrible with the Sixers, and it's not like he wasn't getting an opportunity
over there.. jury is still out on him, but from fan perspective, no one wanted him and thought he was a bad pick at the time. He hasn't panned out for the Kings, but I still think it's too early to say. He's extremely young and can make a 360 turn around...hence the ???

 

[passionforpurple916]

Question mark because I don't think he deserved his own category... he was terrible with the Sixers, and it's not like he wasn't getting an opportunity
over there.. jury is still out on him, but from fan perspective, no one wanted him and thought he was a bad pick at the time. He hasn't panned out for the Kings, but I still think it's too early to say. He's extremely young and can make a 360 turn around...hence the ???

Well, then wouldn't that make him more of a "to be determined" pick, as opposed to a "bad pick everyone knew would not pan out"??? By classifying him as a "bad pick everyone knew would not pan out", you're essentially saying that no one had any hope whatsoever, even on the lower end of the spectrum. But then, right after that, you say that you think it's too early to say and that he can make a 360 turn. To me, personally, that doesn't warrant question marks while including him in the "bad pick everyone knew would not pan out" category, as you don't know that for a fact, and it's just speculation at this point. "To be determined" or "undecided" would be better categories. Correct me if I am wrong. Make me understand your logic if I already don't...

 

[ElRey]

Seems like Jaylen Brown is sliding in some Mock drafts and projected to be picked by us. Even though the guy comes from my alumni, I'm rather nervous about him after watching his highlights. He looks like he is more ATHLETE than basketball player right now. Pure athleticism with excellent potential, but poor skill level and poor feel for the game. Kind of like Ben Mclemore.

 

[The_Jamal]

Wondering if anyone has seen a Jaleel Cousins game and can comment on him? Right now we're doing Boogie a solid by bringing his bro in and likely bringing him on the SL squad, but whats his profile look like at the next level? Can't teach 6'10-265, so would be interesting if there's some talent there.

 

[The_Jamal]

I'm a little nervous about Jaylen Brown but not because I think he's a risky pick -- I actually think he's an ideal candidate for us because he excels at pushing the ball and finishing in transition and he's got the athleticism and the mentality of a defensive stopper, both of which should endear him to our new head coach. I'm nervous because he seems like the kind of player that Vlade will pass on (similarly defensive-minded Freshman wings Stanley Johnson and Justise Winslow were on the board for us last year and passed over by Vlade) because he needs a lot of work on his jumper, handle, and decision-making and I don't think it makes sense to pass on his talent at #8. It drives me crazy when we leave good talent on the board and besides being an elite athlete and a well-spoken, intelligent kid he's already said that he wants to be a defensive stopper in the league and he's trying to mimic Kobe Bryant's work-ethic and workout routine. And he took a graduate class at Cal in his freshman year, learned Spanish in a year, and plays chess for fun? When you talk about off-the-court intangibles, I don't think it gets any better than that. The combination of a superior athlete with a rare combination of physical strength and speed who's also incredibly mature for his age and has a retired hall-of-fame player impressed with his work ethic? Maybe it's fools gold, but that seems like a sure-thing to me.

I remember last year when you and I were on the Stanley Johnson train together. I think you just took a tougher stance on wanting him whereas I was perfectly happy with Winslow, Stanley or WCS where we picked.

But yeah, big/athletic and physical wings like Brown don't come around very often. The reason he's dropping on some people's boards right now is because people think his offensive game is too far away to contribute anytime soon. But I don't think his shot is completely broken and we once again have the luxury of not needing points from Brown and let him focus on what he does well already (defend, rebound, pass). Basically if Brown shot 40% from 3 and a 60% TS on the year, I think he'd be in talked about as the potential #1 pick with Ingram and Simmons. And I think the offensive tools and upside are there if we develop him properly.

He's still behind Hield and Dunn on my big board as I feel way more confident those 2 will be quality starters and less risky, but Brown has become my #3 guy as I've watched more tape on him

 

[lawlman91]

Can't teach 6'10-265

lmao i love this

 

[The_Jamal]

Seems like Jaylen Brown is sliding in some Mock drafts and projected to be picked by us. Even though the guy comes from my alumni, I'm rather nervous about him after watching his highlights. He looks like he is more ATHLETE than basketball player right now. Pure athleticism with excellent potential, but poor skill level and poor feel for the game. Kind of like Ben Mclemore.

You're probably right, but the big difference is Brown is a big bad dude on the court and he isn't afraid to be aggressive and use his size. When he's locked in, he's an excellent defensive player/rebounder and it's insanely hard to stop him getting to the rim when he gets going.

One of Ben's major problems is he has yet to realize he's probably a top 5 athlete in the NBA and use it accordingly on the floor. Always so tentative with his decisions on the court, which leads to mistakes and him disappearing with production. And when we do get the few glimpses of him being aggressive using his athleticism, it almost always results in a positive play because very few guys can keep up with him.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Dunn, if on the board, is the number one choice for me no doubt. However, I think he doesn't get past Minnesota. Brown scares me because as gifted as he is athletically, he leaves a lot to be desired with actual skill and maybe to an extent, basketball IQ. I don't like players with low IQ. Baldwin is interesting to me, I think we could do well by drafting him. A solid shooter and a passer that can play defense and is built like a tank? Yes please. He may have average to above average athleticism, but that's alright. Not everyone can be like Westbrook, that guy is a freak. There's also plenty of players that don't have elite athletic ability and do just fine.

 

[ParniValjak]

Dunn, if on the board, is the number one choice for me no doubt. However, I think he doesn't get past Minnesota. Brown scares me because as gifted as he is athletically, he leaves a lot to be desired with actual skill and maybe to an extent, basketball IQ. I don't like players with low IQ. Baldwin is interesting to me, I think we could do well by drafting him. A solid shooter and a passer that can play defense and is built like a tank? Yes please. He may have average to above average athleticism, but that's alright. Not everyone can be like Westbrook, that guy is a freak. There's also plenty of players that don't have elite athletic ability and do just fine.

My biggest worry with Baldwin is his loose handle and his lack of ability to finish around the rim.

The more I think about it the more I want us to either trade up and draft Dunn or trade the pick with other assets to get some proven vets at PG and SG.

 

[Sac.Kings]

My biggest worry with Baldwin is his loose handle and his lack of ability to finish around the rim.

The more I think about it the more I want us to either trade up and draft Dunn or trade the pick with other assets to get some proven vets at PG and SG.

The biggest issue with trading out of the draft completely is you're going to take a hit financially. A rookie is far far cheaper than even an average vet, especially with the cap going to 94 million. I do think at least one of the PG/SG positions needs to be a good vet, regardless of what we do with the draft. I'm not a fan of handing over the reins to a rookie PG without a good vet next to him. I like Dunn, but what would we have to give up to trade to the number 3 spot for example? It would def take the 8 pick and most likely Rudy. Is Dunn worth it?

 

[Dime Dropper]

Dunn, if on the board, is the number one choice for me no doubt. However, I think he doesn't get past Minnesota. Brown scares me because as gifted as he is athletically, he leaves a lot to be desired with actual skill and maybe to an extent, basketball IQ. I don't like players with low IQ. Baldwin is interesting to me, I think we could do well by drafting him. A solid shooter and a passer that can play defense and is built like a tank? Yes please. He may have average to above average athleticism, but that's alright. Not everyone can be like Westbrook, that guy is a freak. There's also plenty of players that don't have elite athletic ability and do just fine.

I think you are a little confused about Baldwin (even though I agree with the general sentiment) - while he's not weak, he's certainly not built like a tank, and he's definitely not an average athlete. He's a very, very good athlete.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Are we actually talking about James Anderson as a rotation player right now

James Anderson is a superior player to KAT, according to you.

 

[upinsmoke]

Seems like Jaylen Brown is sliding in some Mock drafts and projected to be picked by us. Even though the guy comes from my alumni, I'm rather nervous about him after watching his highlights. He looks like he is more ATHLETE than basketball player right now. Pure athleticism with excellent potential, but poor skill level and poor feel for the game. Kind of like Ben Mclemore.

I don't think that's fair to Brown. His handle and feel for the game are better than Mclemore right now.