Following 2019 draftees!!!

Ozymandias · Oct 21, 2018

I'm not sweating the 4 bigs thing, it's overblown, on a per-dollar basis they are not what ails this team. It's just something that stands out when people are trying to deconstruct and evaluate the roster. to make a long story short, my stance is Skal is way too cheap to worry about moving this season or next.

With the 2 expirings in Z-bo and Koufos the Kings do still have plenty of roster flexibility, and flexibility with the bigs. I think willie is a lock to be resigned. So im guessing they'll be in the market for a vet big, a mauler of some type, so I was thinking it's unlikely that player will be signed for more than 2 or 3 years, why not 'pair' the signing with drafting a mauler big thats young, a project and has some offensive touch/potential.

bajaden said:

Yeesh the results of yesterdays G-League draft seem to be confirming this in resounding fashion....

I didn't realize Schnieder Herard left college, he lands in the 4th round. Willie Reed goes #1 and Chinanu Onuaku goes #2, and Onuaku's still younger than some players we'll see drafted this year...

It's rough out there for some of these bigs with these archetypes.. Kansas should be an interesting case study in this with Udoka and David McCormack.

Ozymandias · Oct 21, 2018

@Dave_Matter

Missouri sophomore forward Jontay Porter will miss the season with torn ACL & MCL in his right knee. Team plans to announce shortly.

7:39 PM - Oct 21, 2018

Capt. Factorial · Oct 21, 2018

Ozymandias said:

Bummer. Snakebit family.

bajaden · Oct 21, 2018

Ozymandias said:

Wow, bummer! Must be the gene pool. Really disappointed. I was looking forward to seeing him take another step this season... Hey, maybe he'll slip into the 2nd round for us... It could happen...

kingsfan1984 · Oct 21, 2018

Ozymandias said:

This is why if your a 1st rnd pick then you enter the draft. Too much risk staying another year

Ozymandias · Oct 22, 2018

Reports: HS player gets million-dollar shoe deal

Darius Bazley signed an endorsement deal with New Balance worth up to $14 million and a guaranteed $1 million, according to reports from the New York Times' Marc Stein and via Twitter from The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Bazley is a former Princeton (Cincinnati) High School standout who said in March that he would play in the G League instead of at Syracuse. He then announced in August that he had reconsidered and decided not to play in the G League, instead using the year to train and prepare for his pro career.

For Bazley to reach the full value of the deal at $14 million, he would have to achieve difficult incentives, including winning rookie of the year, Finals MVP and be an All-Star in each year of the deal.

The 6-foot-9 forward explained in April that he was entering the G-League draft because it gave him the best opportunity to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA.

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim insisted that Bazley, a former Orange commit, made a mistake and should own it, according to syracuse.com, adding that Bazley was advised not to play in the NBA G League "because he'd get killed."

Earlier, Boeheim predicted that Bazley's decision to not play at Syracuse "will cost him," and said he wasn't sure Bazley will be selected in the 2019 NBA draft's first round.

Boeheim said he wished Bazley well, but added that the G League will never take the place of college basketball as a path to the NBA for a prospect.

Bazley committed to Syracuse after de-committing from Ohio State.

Through a new professional path starting next summer, the NBA's G League will offer "Select Contracts" worth $125,000 to elite prospects who are at least 18 but not yet eligible for the NBA draft, according to an announcement last week.

Bazley was among players Christian Dawkins said via text - provided by the U.S. government - that he paid, according to a report via Twitter from Adam Zagoria. Dawkins was arrested by FBI agents last year as part of an investigation into college basketball corruption and charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office with three counts of wire fraud and one count of money-laundering conspiracy.

Ozymandias · Oct 22, 2018

Alabama hoops transfer cleared to play for No. 5 Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Alabama transfer Braxton Key has received a waiver from the NCAA and will be eligible to play for No. 5 Virginia this season.

Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett made the announcement Monday. Key, a Charlotte, North Carolina, has two years of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound guard averaged 7.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 26 games for the Crimson Tide last season after missing 10 games with a knee injury.

He was named to the All-SEC freshman team in 2016-17 after averaging 12 points and 5.7 rebounds.

Virginia opens the 2018-19 season against Towson on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

bajaden · Oct 23, 2018

Ozymandias said:

Really talented kid. Dam shame we can't watch him play this year. Also a shame the Kings don't have a 1st rd pick. Be nice if they could get one that's between 10 and 20. Not sure where Bazley will go, but without playing, it's possible he'll slide down into that range. Funny how different drafts favor different positions. This coming draft has a lot of SF's in it.

Ozymandias · Oct 24, 2018

bajaden said:

Bazley is a jackpot scenario in our current draft position. **crosses fingers**

Ozymandias · Oct 24, 2018

had a feeling this was coming

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/...-de-sousa-kansas-jayhawks-play-pending-review

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa will not play Thursday in the No. 1-ranked Jayhawks' exhibition basketball opener after the attorney for an Adidas executive last week in federal court said coach Bill Self requested a $20,000 payment to De Sousa's guardian through a consultant for the shoe company.

"Information was presented during the current trial in New York -- some of which we knew, some which we didn't," Self said Wednesday in a statement released by Kansas. "We have decided to withhold Silvio from competition until we can evaluate and understand the new information."

Self also said in the statement that Kansas has discussed the trial developments with the NCAA.

The statement Wednesday was the first by Kansas or Self regarding the trial since it began. Testimony in New York also connected Adidas executive James Gatto and consultant T.J. Gassnola with an alleged $90,000 payment to the mother of former Kansas player Billy Preston.

In closing arguments Friday, Michael Schachter, an attorney for Gatto, said the alleged KU-requested payment to De Sousa's guardian, Fenny Falmagne, came as an attempt to help De Sousa "get out from under" a pay-for-play scheme to attend Maryland.

"Due to the trial in New York being ongoing, I will refrain from any comment that is directly related to the trial," Self said later Wednesday at Big 12 media day. "That has been a mandate given to me."

Self also reiterated what he said in his statement about De Sousa.

"We will wait for an eligibility review to be done jointly by our university and the NCAA," he said. "And timetable on that is unknown, due to, obviously, the ongoing trial, and also when all parties can actually complete that review."

Later, Self added, "I don't see a scenario where I won't coach [De Sousa] again."

The 6-foot-9 De Sousa, originally from Angola, graduated from IMG Academy in Florida last December and joined the Jayhawks immediately. He was held out of action to address eligibility concerns before playing in 20 games.

His emergence late in the season helped Kansas win the Big 12 tournament and earn a trip to the Final Four.

Forward Dedric Lawson said De Sousa has not missed any practice time in the preseason.

The Jayhawks will host Division II school Emporia State on Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse. The 14-time defending Big 12 champions open the regular season Nov. 6 against Michigan State.

bajaden · Oct 25, 2018

Ozymandias said:

Yeah, you knew this was probably going to happen. Besides De Sousa, I wonder how all this is going to affect Self?

Ozymandias · Oct 25, 2018

bajaden said:

It's a ticking time bomb, Maryland is implicated heavily in the De Sousa affair as well... Kansas has no big recruits in 2019 yet and just lost Jeremiah Earl-Robinson to Nova. Plus their team is gonna be pretty good this year, its feasible that a lot of their talent declares, Devon Dotson is one kid no one has on their 2018 draft boards yet but i believe. Come to think of it, pre-seasaon last year I had Trae Young in the 1st rd of my draft board in similar fashion.

Perhaps most relevant to this thread is that now ensures Dedric Lawson is gonna get a ton of minutes, and he could be a 2nd rd quality pickup for the Kings. Also we'll see LaGerald Vick at the 3 more probably as a result.

Ozymandias · Oct 25, 2018

Word is Washington whoopeed on Nevada in some exhibitions without Noah Dickerson playing.

Thybulle supposedly was impressive, with like 6 assists and steals and blocks. Nowell 12/15 from the field.

Capt. Factorial · Oct 27, 2018

So I'm looking for a bit of advice/guidance here. I'm looking forward towards my college hoops draft-watch season and trying to plan out which players I'm going to take a look at. I can only get to about 35-40 in a good year watching 1-2 full games apiece rather than just highlight packages. The problem is, since I don't follow the high-school game I don't have necessarily the best starting point for figuring out which players I ought to look at in the first place. I do my best to glean things off the internet, but I would guess that a few folks here would have some insight.

That said, my first blind guess here looks like this, in three super-broad tiers (but not necessarily ordered within the tiers):

Tier 1: Make sure to get a look at these guys
RJ Barrett, Duke
Zion Williamson, Duke
Cameron Reddish, Duke
Nassir Little, UNC
Quentin Grimes, Kansas
Romeo Langford, Indiana
Tyler Herro, Kentucky
Keldon Johnson, Kentucky
Bol Bol, Oregon
Louis King, Oregon
Nazreon Reid, LSU
Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky
Kris Wilkes, UCLA
Daniel Gafford, Arkansas
Ja Morant, Murray State
DeAndre Hunter, Virginia
Jalen Smith, Maryland
Simi $h!ttu, Vanderbilt
Darius Garland, Vanderbilt
Jalen McDaniels, San Diego State
Jordan Brown, Nevada

Tier 2: Try to look at these guys, probably will be able to get a look at most of them
LaGerald Vick, Kansas
EJ Montgomery, Kentucky
Jaylen Hands, UCLA
Moses Brown, UCLA
Jaylen Hoard, Wake Forest
Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
Zach Norvell, Gonzaga
O'Shae Brisset, Syracuse
Nikeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech
Bruno Fernando, Maryland
Aric Holman, Mississippi State
Sagaba Kanate, West Virginia
Lindell Wigginton, Iowa State
Austin Wiley, Auburn
Eric Paschall, Villanova
Herb Jones, Alabama
John Petty, Alabama
Shamorie Ponds, St. Johns

Tier 3: Probably won't get to see them, keep an eye on draft stock, jump to Tier 2 if stock rises
Ashton Hagans, Kentucky
PJ Washington, Kentucky
Kenny Wooten, Oregon
Killian Tillie, Gonzaga
Tyus Battle, Syracuse
Kevin Porter, USC
Caleb Martin, Nevada

So, if anybody wants to take a look, is there somebody obvious that I've missed to fill out Tier 3 (or above)? Especially guys like Trae Young last year who just wasn't on the mock draft radar to start the year and then was obviously a lottery pick before conference play.

Is there anybody that should be bumped to a different tier?

bajaden · Oct 28, 2018

Capt. Factorial said:

Ok, for starters, I'd move Zach Norvell into tier one, and I'd move Killian Tillie into tier two. Probably move PJ Washintgon into tier two as well. Three players that I have in my tier two, and you can do with them what you will, are Sam Hauser from Marquette, Robert Franks from Wash St., and a player I really like, Dylan Winder from Belmont. Hauser can really shoot the rock. To tier three I'd add Jeremy Harris from Buffalo, and maybe Brady Manek from Oklahoma, well have to see how he adjusts this year without Trae Young.

Speaking of Trae Young, who do I think might be the big mover up the draft board as the season progresses, probably Ja Morant. Really talented kid with all the tools. Another kid to keep your eye on is Collin Gillespie from Villanova. He's sort of a combo guard who will get a lot more minutes this year, and could emerge like Donte DiVincenzo did last season. Speaking of Nova, don't forget about Phil Booth, who should be the starter at PG this season. I see you have a couple of Alabama players in there but forgot Donta Hall. But hey, if you watch the other two, you'll see Hall as well.

One last player for tier three would be Daejon Davis the PG for Stanford. I have him in my tier two and believe he could move into tier one as the season progress. Everyone has their favorites for different reasons. I like skills and place more emphasis on that than I do athleticism. Having both isn't a bad thing though. By the way, my early season pick to win the Tournament is Gonzaga. You heard it here first.

Capt. Factorial · Oct 28, 2018

bajaden said:

Ok, for starters, I'd move Zach Norvell into tier one, and I'd move Killian Tillie into tier two. Probably move PJ Washintgon into tier two as well. Three players that I have in my tier two, and you can do with them what you will, are Sam Hauser from Marquette, Robert Franks from Wash St., and a player I really like, Dylan Winder from Belmont. Hauser can really shoot the rock. To tier three I'd add Jeremy Harris from Buffalo, and maybe Brady Manek from Oklahoma, well have to see how he adjusts this year without Trae Young.

Speaking of Trae Young, who do I think might be the big mover up the draft board as the season progresses, probably Ja Morant. Really talented kid with all the tools. Another kid to keep your eye on is Collin Gillespie from Villanova. He's sort of a combo guard who will get a lot more minutes this year, and could emerge like Donte DiVincenzo did last season. Speaking of Nova, don't forget about Phil Booth, who should be the starter at PG this season. I see you have a couple of Alabama players in there but forgot Donta Hall. But hey, if you watch the other two, you'll see Hall as well.

One last player for tier three would be Daejon Davis the PG for Stanford. I have him in my tier two and believe he could move into tier one as the season progress. Everyone has their favorites for different reasons. I like skills and place more emphasis on that than I do athleticism. Having both isn't a bad thing though. By the way, my early season pick to win the Tournament is Gonzaga. You heard it here first.

Thanks, Baja!

As far as pre-season tourney predictions, I'm not sure how I see it all shaking out yet, but I am pretty convinced of one thing, and that is that this is NOT the year that the Sun Belt Conference champion wins it all. You heard it here first!

bajaden · Oct 30, 2018

Capt. Factorial said:

Wow, your really going out on a limb there....

Ozymandias · Oct 30, 2018

Capt. Factorial said:

Solid list. There's a few guys i'd mention but you have their teammates listed so you'll see em anyways(Nick Weatherspoon Miss st., Tyus Battle Syracuse, Jordan Poole Michigan ).

I check the HS recruiting lists religiously, at least 1x per update, I actually had Trae Young in my pre-season mock last year in the 20's cuz I figured he'd profile as a guy team would love to have coming off the bench

. I'm pretty good at sifting thru the fringe-5 star, and 4-star recruits. Even with the lack of a pick, I'm liking this draft from a Kings fans perspective because i'm looking for guys who can play fast, without further ado here's 4 diaper dandies to add to your list;

-(Tier 1)Coby White 6'5" combo guard UNC. This kid is built to play fast, he's 6'5" with an NBA build and he's a solid player already, good awareness.

-(Tier 2) Devon Dotson 6'2" PG Kansas. Razor sharp PG, I don't think it's going out on a limb to say he'll be drafted higher than his predecessors Devonte Graham and Frank Mason.
-(Tier 2) AJ Lawson 6'6" Swingman South Carolina. Skinny Canadian import, I like this kid looks like a surefire NBA player to me.
-Talen Horton-Tucker 6'5" swingman ISU. skilled and fierce wing, very strong kid. Late riser up the recruiting ranks but his transition to college will be easier than most.
-Ayo Dosunmu, 6'4" CG, Illinois. If this kid shoots the rock better than expected his stock is explosive. He is a dynamo at getting to the rack.

As for 4-star super-sleepers, I'll throw out a few names; Michael DeVoe 6'3" PG Georgia Tech, and 6'11" (skinny) Marcus Bingham at MSU, and 6'6" swingman Aaron Wiggins at MD.

There's a few sophomores I'd suggest adding to the list too.
-(Tier 1) Kezie Okpala 6'9" SF Stanford.
-(Tier 1) Nic Claxton 6'10" F Georgia.
-(Tier 2) Quinton Rose 6'8" SG/SF Temple.
-(Tier 3) Jericho Sims 6'9" PF Texas.
-(Tier 3) Brandon Randolph 6'6" SG/SF Arizona

I would also suggest moving Keving Porter from Tier 3 to Tier 1.

bajaden · Oct 30, 2018

Nice group, some of which I thought of mentioning, but didn't want to over do it. Totally agree on Porter. At minimum I'd move him into tier two. Somehow I overlooked him. Considering our draft status, I'm restricting my views to players that can play fast and have the right skill level, along with the the right size for the position. I'm tired of looking at 6'5" SF's. However, I can be convinced otherwise by a players performance on the floor.

I watch as many highschool games as I can, but in some cases, the competition is so poor it's hard to make a proper judgement. In college I can see the same player 15/20 times against varied competition. Much harder to do that with highschool players. But, there are some that just stand out so far above the others you just know this dude is a prospect. Today, most of the top prospects end up at the top highschool basketball academy's, so it's easy to figure out who they are. Not so much 20 or so years ago.

Many years ago I watched Matt Barnes play center for Del Campo highschool while being coached by a man who knew more about teaching English than he did about teaching basketball. It was much tougher then.

Ozymandias · Oct 30, 2018

No. 3 Gonzaga loses Killian Tillie for 8 weeks due to injury

SPOKANE, Wash. – Third-ranked Gonzaga will be without forward Killian Tillie for up to eight weeks after the junior had surgery for a stress fracture in his ankle.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few announced Tillie’s injury on Tuesday. Tillie re-aggravated the ankle injury during fall practice and additional imaging revealed the stress fracture.

The 6-foot-10 Tillie averaged 12.9 points and shot 58 percent last season as a sophomore. Tillie was almost as good shooting 3-pointers, hitting nearly 48 percent of his long-range shots. He was a preseason all-West Coast Conference selection and expected to be one of the top scoring forwards in the country.

Tillie is expected to miss nearly all of Gonzaga’s nonconference schedule that includes games against Washington, North Carolina, Tennessee, Creighton and the Maui Invitational.

Tetsujin · Oct 30, 2018

Tough for Tillie but probably going to be a big boost to Rui Hachimura's draft stock/

Ozymandias · Oct 31, 2018

Tetsujin said:

Yep, Tillie has an extensive injury history too already, and IIRC much of it has been in the foot area.. hope he can return and stay healthy or it's gonna affect his stock for sure.

I'm not sure he's much of a match with this Kings roster neway. Hachimuira is tho for sure.

Ozymandias · Oct 31, 2018

bajaden said:

LOL. I'll never forget seeing Jaylen Brown in HS a few years back playing C at national tournaments. That coach know what he was doing though, those teams used to crush bigger opponents, and also many at the time were convinced/listing Brown at 6'7".

been following this stuff probably like 12 years now maybe more and there's been such huge shifts in the landscape in that time, can only imagine how drastic a change it must seem to those much older than me.

Ozymandias · Oct 31, 2018

Another possible sleeper freshman to keep an eye on at Toledo is Keshaun Saunders, 6'5" combo guard, Canadian import.

bajaden · Oct 31, 2018

Ozymandias said:

Yeah, it's come a long way since I scouted the Dinosaur invitational. There was one caveman that could jump out of the cave. I was really excited about him until a T-Rex ate him.

bajaden · Oct 31, 2018

Ozymandias said:

I can't let myself get excited about Hachimuira until I see some evidence of a consistent 3 pt shot. There's a lot to like about him, but when you look at Jackson right now, what is it that drives you nuts. The dude can hit an open three.

Ozymandias · Oct 31, 2018

bajaden said:

I actually watched this game live Team USA vs Japan, and it was the worst beatdown i've ever seen on a basketballl court... But Rui played admirably for Japan in defeat, and I like the import stories so I root for him.

But yeah if he had a reliable 3pt shot its unlikely we'd even be talking about him in the 2019 draft.

Ozymandias · Oct 31, 2018

Oh one more 4-star sleeper Freshman I have a hunch is gonna show well is Joe Wieskamp at Iowa, 6'5" SG. In-state gem.

Ozymandias · Nov 1, 2018

I'm gonna be tweaking my wishlist towards players who can shoot FT's.... Last thing we need around here is more 60% guys.

Ozymandias · Nov 2, 2018

http://instagr.am/p/BpqkYOylKuK/
Pretty sure he'll be listed at 7'3" or even 7'4" in the NBA.

Following 2019 draftees!!!

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