We're #2! (merged)

[KingsFanSince85]

Considering 99% of the NBA seems to believe that Doncic/Ayton are both franchise talents, it would be rather concerning if Vlade didn't.

But both of them won't be available at #2. Only one of them will. What if Vlade only considers one of them as a franchise talent and that player is off the board? Let's be real. Both have defensive concerns. Doesn't mean they won't be franchise players but nothing is guaranteed. It all depends on how they value the player that falls to them.

I believe Vlade is all in on Luka. But if PHX takes him and he doesn't feel Ayton is the best fit or a transcendent player, I could see option B presenting itself.

 

[Sac.1989]

I'd be over the moon with ayton at 2, the sun's take luka and we all move on.

My biggest fear is vlade not taking Ayton when he is on the clock

 

[Sac.1989]

One other thing and don't flame me for this as I'm just bringing it up as yet another option Vlade might have.

As much as we most of us like Ayton or Doncic, what IF Vlade decided to trade down like Boston did last season (and still got Tatum) and was able to still get a player such as Michael Porter Jr. or Mikal Bridges to fill the SF hole while also landing a 1st round pick in the 2019 draft (since the Kings don't currently have one)??

Would anybody be ok with that? Or it is Doncic or Ayton or bust???

Doncic, Ayton or bust for me. This year isn't the year to trade down.

 

[Tetsujin]

I'd be over the moon with ayton at 2, the sun's take luka and we all move on.

My biggest fear is vlade not taking Ayton when he is on the clock

"And with the second pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings select... Trae Young!"

 

[Sac.1989]

You guys are absolutely nuts who don't want Doncic. That kid is the best wing prospect in at least a decade and Ayton is the best bigman prospect since Greg Oden, who would have been an incredible player if his knees weren't busted. This is the easiest slam dunk decision in the whole draft. If Doncic goes #1 we get Ayton. If Ayton goes #1 we get Doncic. Either way I'm sprinting to the podium with that pick. You can mess around trying to find the next Donovan Mitchell if you want but I'm taking the 6'8" teenager who is out there right now dominating grown men like the second coming of Pistol Pete or the monster 7 footer who's built life a Greek God and can shoot, handle the ball, and pull-up and shoot fadeaways like a guard. This is the easiest draft position ever. Phoenix is literally going to make our decision for us and I'm cool with that because I love both of these guys. Don't overcomplicate things. This is the best possible outcome for us. Phoenix gets all the pressure of history on their shoulders and we get a franchise changing talent no matter what.

Exactly. Just hope vlade doesn't do anything different then making the pick we all could make

 

[mac]

"And with the second pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings select... Trae Young!"

Or random European big nobody's heard of

 

[The_Jamal]

"And with the second pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings select... Trae Young!"

I'm 100% certain that'd be the end of my tenure as a Kings fan.

 

[chief bromden]

What an exciting outcome, definitely nice to have some mind candy for the Kings future again

 

[ParniValjak]

It's a good day to be a Kings fan!

Either way, I don't think we can lose to be honest. Whoever Suns overlook, we should pick. In a perfect world, I would want Ayton and then use WCS as a trade bait to get a pick good enough so that we can pick Mikal Bridges and round out the starting 5 that we would be looking to move forward with. Alternatively, use WCS as a trading chip for a SF in the right age bracket to complete the team.

If Suns pick Ayton, Luka can come in and fill in as a SF. Either way it is a big talent upgrade for the franchise.

With Kokoskov at the helm, we cannot assume who Suns will pick. He will ask for what he thinks is the best for the team. Relationship with Luka might influence that decision. I am hoping it does but I am not counting the chickens before they hatch.

Either way, we as Kings fans should be very happy.

 

[Tetsujin]

I'm 100% certain that'd be the end of my tenure as a Kings fan.

I've come to the conclusion that if Vlade's bad Boogie trade couldn't do the trick, nothing will and I'm just doomed to be a Kings fan forever.

 

[John Galt]

One other thing and don't flame me for this as I'm just bringing it up as yet another option Vlade might have.

As much as we most of us like Ayton or Doncic, what IF Vlade decided to trade down like Boston did last season (and still got Tatum) and was able to still get a player such as Michael Porter Jr. or Mikal Bridges to fill the SF hole while also landing a 1st round pick in the 2019 draft (since the Kings don't currently have one)??

Would anybody be ok with that? Or it is Doncic or Ayton or bust???

I would be ok with it. Would also be ok with Bagley or JJ at #2. I'm weird.

 

[The_Jamal]

One other thing and don't flame me for this as I'm just bringing it up as yet another option Vlade might have.

As much as we most of us like Ayton or Doncic, what IF Vlade decided to trade down like Boston did last season (and still got Tatum) and was able to still get a player such as Michael Porter Jr. or Mikal Bridges to fill the SF hole while also landing a 1st round pick in the 2019 draft (since the Kings don't currently have one)??

Would anybody be ok with that? Or it is Doncic or Ayton or bust???

At 3, I'd definetly consider trading down to 7 or 8 and picking up extra assets. There's not a huge talent gap in that 3-8 range.

But no, unless a team gives us a godfather offer for 2 (meaning something fairly unrealistic), I'm not trading this pick. Ayton and Doncic are legitimately 2 of the best offensive prospects to come out in a long, long time and have a real shot at being top 20 players in the league. There's not much that would entice me to give up 7 years of team control on either of these 2 guys

 

[kingsboi]

I've come to the conclusion that if Vlade's bad Boogie trade couldn't do the trick, nothing will and I'm just doomed to be a Kings fan forever.

that about sums up my situation too...only reason I wouldn't remain a Kings fan is if they would of relocated, other than that, I can handle way more than I should when it comes to incompetence and losing

 

[bajaden]

I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the occasional appearance but other than that? Who knows?

Bricky and I have had a love/hate relationship over the years, but I truly respect him, and would be happy to see him back. Not many people realize the work he put in on this forum. And, to be fair, I have tremendous respect for you as well. Hey, maybe all is well in the universe. At least for tonight.

 

[bajaden]

I love him too. He could become a great player. This choice could be a lot tougher than just Ayton-Doncic. I'm just glad we don't have to pick between Sexton, Carter, Bamba and Bridges!

I hate to bring this up, but the Kings, if they're interested, might have just entered the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes as well. They now have something of great value that the Spurs might be interested in. Just a random thought...

 

[BeerNerd916]

Bricky and I have had a love/hate relationship over the years, but I truly respect him, and would be happy to see him back. Not many people realize the work he put in on this forum. And, to be fair, I have tremendous respect for you as well. Hey, maybe all is well in the universe. At least for tonight.

If the Kings get Ayton he will be back. With bells on.

 

[BeerNerd916]

I hate to bring this up, but the Kings, if they're interested, might have just entered the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes as well. They now have something of great value that the Spurs might be interested in. Just a random thought...

Only with a sign and trade deal which means the Kings have to give up a player with a larger contract. Shump or something of that ilk

 

[hrdboild]

So Ayton is a better big man prospect than KAT or Embiid or Cousins?

Can't speak for anyone else, but yeah I think so. He's got the crazy skillset of those guys with even better athleticism. Imagine what Cousins could do if he was a freak athlete on top of everything else? That's what I'm seeing with Ayton. He's been my number 1 guy in this class for years. I think I posted something about him here two years ago after a particularly miserable game when even VF21 was losing hope about the future. (And Fox was my favorite player in last year's class for most of the year too so this is a dream come true for me if we can put those two on the court together) I expect Ayton to be in the conversation for First Team All NBA for a long time once he gets going. He might not have the defensive ceiling of Embiid but there's nothing this guy can't do on the offensive end and he's shown he can defend one on one and move well enough to stop pick and rolls when he wants to. The team defense is a work in progress like it is for every teenager. That defensive potential may be a little longer in coming but I would have no reservations about picking Ayton if he's on the board. This guy is so freaking good that even talking about his weaknesses is really just an exercise in going through the motions. Nobody comes into the league as a finished product. People are making a big deal about Ayton sometimes looking lost on defense but it he was already an elite defender on top of everything else, I'd question if he was even human.

And after all that, Ayton is still number 2 on my board which tells you what I think about Luka Doncic. I haven't wanted to get my hopes up because we never move up in the lottery but now that we're #2, it's time to get hyped! This is THE year to have the #2 pick. It's really more like 1A and 1B. I still can't believe this is real.

 

[Chupacabra]

WOW! Didnt we have the 7th worst record?

 

[KingsFanSince85]

Someone may have already posted this, but, just in case:

Source: Jason Jones, SacBee

Even this season, luck wasn't all the way on the Kings' side. They lost a tiebreaker with the Chicago Bulls, who were slotted sixth going into the lottery. Both teams finished 27-55.

That loss proved to be a win because if the Kings had won the coin toss, the number combination of 14-7-6-8 would have belonged to Chicago.

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-blog/article211204809.html

 

[sactowndog]

Not really because Doncic and Booker both aren't exactly world beaters on that end and while I love the dude, asking Luka to guard point guards is courting death.

I think Booker or Jackson can guard the point. Luca would guard the 3.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

Also just read this from Vlade:

"I've been in basketball for a long time," Divac said. "You can't teach guys and develop them if you don't teach them how to win. ... It's a deep draft, we were fine at seven. Obviously moving up is great, but there's a lot of work to do."

The above is precisely why I've always been against the notion of losing on purpose. It creates a bad aura.

If a team is fielding a lineup of young players that they expect to be part of the future and still losing, fine. But rolling out G-League rosters or pulling your best players late in games to ensure a loss is bad juju. I'm glad the Kings didn't do it. Hopefully the SUNS develop bad karma from using the practice. Same with Philly.

 

[John Galt]

Only with a sign and trade deal which means the Kings have to give up a player with a larger contract. Shump or something of that ilk

ZBo?

 

[KingsFanSince85]

I think Booker or Jackson can guard the point. Luca would guard the 3.

Booker can't guard his own shadow. Jackson is quite athletic but at 6'8 isn't a great fit for guarding quick and speedy point guards.

 

[Blob]

Congrats to the Kings, Vlade, Fox, all the Kings fans including myself.

This is a great day to be a Kings fan! We deserve it !

#2 baby!

 

[jcassio]

If Vlade drafts Luka at 2 I will be in total anti Vlade mode and stand next to the guy that holds the "Impeach" sign for trump on J and 16th everyday, with a picture of Vlade with his face x'd out. I will be there everyday till Vlade is gone.

Dude, are you just going to bash “Luka” with every post?

 

[hrdboild]

Someone may have already posted this, but, just in case:

Finally someone else gets it! We didn't lose the coin toss after all... you only know who won the coin toss after the lottery selections are made because the exact number combinations that get drawn on the ping pong balls are assigned based on draft slot. So after all the talk of tanking, it was a 50-50 coin toss that put us in position to draft Ayton or Doncic. I don't even care about next year's pick anymore. Getting Fox last year (remember we moved into the top 3 to be in position to draft him) and a top 2 player in this draft is worth every asset Vlade traded away and then some. All is forgiven! It's crazy how a little luck can be the difference between a decade of despair, fan attrition, media indifference (or outright mockery) and now unbridled optimism and a path forward that looks like it could lead somewhere really good! I'm not going to question it. It should be one big party in here for the next 2 months at least! All the stress is gone from the draft process this year and next year. All we need concern ourselves with for the next 6 months is trying not to look too smug when fans of other lottery teams want to compare notes.

 

[Joshoua]

Cant they swap out Ayton/Cauley at 4/5 - sort of like when with Cousins? That's what I would do

We could do it with Giles/Ayton that’s elite athleticism, rebounding, and shot blocking

 

[mac]

Finally someone else gets it! We didn't lose the coin toss after all... you only know who won the coin toss after the lottery selections are made because the exact number combinations that get drawn on the ping pong balls are assigned based on draft slot. So after all the talk of tanking, it was a 50-50 coin toss that put us in position to draft Ayton or Doncic. I don't even care about next year's pick anymore. Getting Fox last year (remember we moved into the top 3 to be in position to draft him) and a top 2 player in this draft is worth every asset Vlade traded away and then some. All is forgiven! It's crazy how a little luck can be the difference between a decade of despair, fan attrition, media indifference (or outright mockery) and now unbridled optimism and a path forward that looks like it could lead somewhere really good! I'm not going to question it. It should be one big party in here for the next 2 months at least! All the stress is gone from the draft process this year and next year. All we need concern ourselves with for the next 6 months is trying not to look too smug when fans of other lottery teams want to compare notes.

So potentially getting swept in 1st round playoffs with no other future vs Buddy, Fox and Ayton/Doncic... didnt play out too badly after all.

 

[sactowndog]

One other thing and don't flame me for this as I'm just bringing it up as yet another option Vlade might have.

As much as we most of us like Ayton or Doncic, what IF Vlade decided to trade down like Boston did last season (and still got Tatum) and was able to still get a player such as Michael Porter Jr. or Mikal Bridges to fill the SF hole while also landing a 1st round pick in the 2019 draft (since the Kings don't currently have one)??

Would anybody be ok with that? Or it is Doncic or Ayton or bust???

Given the draft odds you don’t trade out of the top 3. This draft for sure has 3 3-time all stars. Now it’s Vlades job to make sure he gets one of them.