and with the #1 pick in the 2009 NBA draft the Kings select...

Is Derozan just another overhyped out of HS pogo stick like James White and Gerald Green?
He could definitely be, although I wouldn't say he's as athletic as those guys even. What sets him apart is that he shows a pretty decent midrange game and has a knack for pulling up off the dribble, whereas Green could really only hit anything if he was wide open and White didn't have much of a game at all besides dunking. But DeRozan disappears for loooooong stretches, can't shoot from distance, and is still incredibly raw. He needs to stay in school, and even then I think he still has some big question marks.

This frosh class is incredibly underwhelming.
 
Hmmm.... guess who moved up to #12 on nbadraft.net's mock:

http://www.nbadraft.net/2009mock_draft

I kind of liked the time when he was off everyone's radar. Let's hope people forget again.
Brackins seems to have a NBA game. GMs get all gooey over guys with height and skill - a guy like Brackins. He could go higher.

Interesting that they have Aldrich going #6 in their 2010 mock...I wonder where they would place him in this draft if he declares?
 

hrdboild

Moloch in whom I dream Angels!
Staff member
At this point, the various draft sites are mostly just trying to one-up each other by being the first to raise or drop people and prove that they got the scoop before the other sites did. For example, that site had Greg Monroe 5th yesterday and now he's 10th. Did anything happen yesterday which necessitated such a huge drop? No, they just woke up this morning and decided his "stock" is down. In another week maybe it will be "up" again. It's all just fabricated. It's a ballpark idea of who the likely lottery picks are right now, and a handy place to keep track of their stats throughout the season. That's really all it's good for.
 
although I dont see this happening but do we take a flyer on someone like Derozan if he falls to the houston pick. I have seen his stock drop all year, but I think he's someone who will impress in workouts so he wont fall that much.
 
Iowa St./Baylor from yesterday-

Baylor has one of the bigger/more athletic front lines with Kevin Rogers (6'9") and Diene (7'1"). They really bothered Blake Griffin earlier in the season and basically reduced him to garbage points. This wasn't the best game for Brackins, but he still showed quite a bit of skill.

Brackins really struggled early, as did the whole Iowa St. team. He was trying to make too many things happen -- shot a 3 that didn't go in and had a nice-looking fadeaway over Diene that all but went down. Got the ball stripped on a double and burned for an and-one by Diene.

Finally got going midway through the first half. Had a great catch, drop step and dunk for the and-one. Broke up an alley-oop, ran down the floor, caught another tough pass and threw down a one handed jam. Had a sick alley-oop off of an inbounds. Really got up. Annnnd another dunk going baseline. Basically just dunk dunk dunk. Came out quiet in the second half, wasn't really getting the ball and for once the rest of the Iowa St. team was stepping up. Then slipped through.... for another dunk. After five dunks hit his first outside shot, from the three point line with his foot on the line. Finished his scoring with a jump hook in the lane.

Never able to hit much from outside, and he's forcing it there. He's not yet consistent enough to shoot from 3 unless he's wide open. Finished with 19/12.

Ultimately I like this guy more than Monroe and maybe as much as Griffin. He's got such a better motor than Monroe, he's more athletic, incredible hands, and although he's not the passer he's got more all-around offensive skills. His dribbling is seriously amazing for a 6'10" guy. He can just do it all offensively at either the 3 or 4. Needs to work on his help defense and shot selection, but he really has to be considered one of the ten best prospects in the draft and I'd be shocked if he was around for Houston's pick.
 
UConn/Marquette-

Thabeet was quiet early as Marquette was content to bomb from outside. Then they tried to drive inside and.... not happening. Thabeet was blocking everything. Even got the benefit of doubt on a few no-calls, which almost never happens. Marquette was able to drive straight into him for some hoops, but for the most part he altered the dynamic of the game with his blocks. In the 2nd half got the ball on the block and just fumbled it away, and they didn't go back to him for a long time. Finally started getting the ball down the stretch and had a nice catch and finish, a drop step and finish, had a nice offensive board and put back for an and-one. Really played well down the stretch, although Marquette doesn't have anyone close to how big he is. Came up with a crucial block with 2 minutes left on a McNeal layup attempt. Finished with a "quiet" 14/15/5 blocks. Hardly got the ball, hit all 4 of his shots and 6-7 of his free throws.

Ya know, I kind of think people are overlooking AJ Price a bit. It's amazing how much he's like Ben Gordon (for better or worse). But he looked pretty incredible tonight. 36 points, 8-13 from 3, 6 rebounds, 6 assists. Had a truly sick play where he broke McNeal's ankles with a crossover, looked him down and pointed at him for the insult, and then drained a jumper. Put the game away with a clutch 3. He's not the type of guy you'd want as a full-time point guard and he may have too much Juan Dixon in him, but had a pretty awesome night. Not a bad choice for a 2nd round pick, especially if we can get another one.

Jerel McNeal is also a decent prospect. He's sort of like a poor man's Teague -- not quite as athletic, not quite the shooter, not quite the finisher, and a senior, so behind in terms of development. But he's got some pretty good all around skills and ablet o hit tough shots. Not totally convinced he has the ballhandling skills to be a PG, and at 6'2"/6'3" way too short to be a shooting guard.

Stanely Robinson was just a beast.
 
UConn/Marquette-

Thabeet was quiet early as Marquette was content to bomb from outside. Then they tried to drive inside and.... not happening. Thabeet was blocking everything. Even got the benefit of doubt on a few no-calls, which almost never happens. Marquette was able to drive straight into him for some hoops, but for the most part he altered the dynamic of the game with his blocks. In the 2nd half got the ball on the block and just fumbled it away, and they didn't go back to him for a long time. Finally started getting the ball down the stretch and had a nice catch and finish, a drop step and finish, had a nice offensive board and put back for an and-one. Really played well down the stretch, although Marquette doesn't have anyone close to how big he is. Came up with a crucial block with 2 minutes left on a McNeal layup attempt. Finished with a "quiet" 14/15/5 blocks. Hardly got the ball, hit all 4 of his shots and 6-7 of his free throws.

Ya know, I kind of think people are overlooking AJ Price a bit. It's amazing how much he's like Ben Gordon (for better or worse). But he looked pretty incredible tonight. 36 points, 8-13 from 3, 6 rebounds, 6 assists. Had a truly sick play where he broke McNeal's ankles with a crossover, looked him down and pointed at him for the insult, and then drained a jumper. Put the game away with a clutch 3. He's not the type of guy you'd want as a full-time point guard and he may have too much Juan Dixon in him, but had a pretty awesome night. Not a bad choice for a 2nd round pick, especially if we can get another one.

Jerel McNeal is also a decent prospect. He's sort of like a poor man's Teague -- not quite as athletic, not quite the shooter, not quite the finisher, and a senior, so behind in terms of development. But he's got some pretty good all around skills and ablet o hit tough shots. Not totally convinced he has the ballhandling skills to be a PG, and at 6'2"/6'3" way too short to be a shooting guard.

Stanely Robinson was just a beast.
Only saw bits and pieces of the game .. will rewatch it later .. DVR :)

But I couldnt agree more on Price. I like him more and more everytime I watch UCONN play. Obviously I watch UCONN for Thabeet and the fact that there a localish team, but this guy impresses me almost every time.

Its odd though, because as good as I think he is nobody talks about him .. When it comes to UCONN people only mention Thabeet and Griffin ( who I played with in high school :) ) .. I'd love him with a second rounder.
 
Ya know, I kind of think people are overlooking AJ Price a bit. It's amazing how much he's like Ben Gordon (for better or worse). But he looked pretty incredible tonight. 36 points, 8-13 from 3, 6 rebounds, 6 assists. Had a truly sick play where he broke McNeal's ankles with a crossover, looked him down and pointed at him for the insult, and then drained a jumper. Put the game away with a clutch 3. He's not the type of guy you'd want as a full-time point guard and he may have too much Juan Dixon in him, but had a pretty awesome night. Not a bad choice for a 2nd round pick, especially if we can get another one.
Worse. ;)
 
At this point, the various draft sites are mostly just trying to one-up each other by being the first to raise or drop people and prove that they got the scoop before the other sites did. For example, that site had Greg Monroe 5th yesterday and now he's 10th. Did anything happen yesterday which necessitated such a huge drop? No, they just woke up this morning and decided his "stock" is down. In another week maybe it will be "up" again. It's all just fabricated. It's a ballpark idea of who the likely lottery picks are right now, and a handy place to keep track of their stats throughout the season. That's really all it's good for.
There's a chance that Georgetown won't get a bid to the show. That means Monroe might not get a chance to play as much as others, which makes it tougher to compare. Which would certain add some uncertainty, and move him down.
 
The next two games will tell a lot about Thabeet. He of course had two strong games against teams with weak bigs after laying an egg against Pitt.

Next two games are against Harangody, and Blair..
 
What a horrible night for lotto projected players: Teague, Harden (stunk in the 2nd half), and Holiday all had lackluster games.

Guys should be raising their level of play right now, not a good sign overall for this draft.
 
If he is out this year we take him with Houston's pick NO DOUBT! :) I didn't think he would be coming out this year, and I always have liked him as a player that can play both guard spots, yet not hurt you when he's playing PG.

Nick Calathes, G, Florida
There's no polite way to say the obvious: A 6-foot-5 white point guard isn't exactly in vogue in the NBA these days. And many scouts haven't paid close attention to Calathes as they probably should. He may not look the part of an elite NBA point guard, but he's played the part this season at Florida.
He's played really well lately, hanging a triple-double on Georgia in late January and then almost doing it to the Bulldogs again (he was one rebound short) in mid-February. He dropped 33 points on Kentucky and 22 on Alabama, and he's shooting the lights out from 3-point range.
He's not the quickest guy nor is he a great on-the-ball defender -- and he'll probably never be -- but I've heard more and more NBA scouts talking about him as a steal in the late first round or early second round if he declares.
 
Looks like another good game for The Gambit, while more mediocrity from Monroe. If UCONN has a strong tournament, I wouldn't be surprised to see Thabeet a solid top 3 pick. Does Monroe, meanwhile, go back to school if Georgetown doesn't make it? His stock is definitely falling, that's for sure.
 
Dont Forget Griffin, who played with the toughness and hustle we need. jumping over the booth for a loose ball, taking shots to the head and getting layed out on his first game back from a concussion. Had a serious block aswell, not to mention his usual great numbers.

He's your number 1 pick, I pray to god we draft him.
 
Can the Kings really go wrong with either Rubio or Griffin?
Yes.

First of all, it's the Kings we're talking about here.

Second of all, neither one is necessarily a franchise player. Blake Griffin might not be big and skilled enough. Rubio might not be athletic enough or be able to shoot well enough to be more than a one-dimensional passer.

There isn't a sure thing in this draft.
 
Yes.

First of all, it's the Kings we're talking about here.

Second of all, neither one is necessarily a franchise player. Blake Griffin might not be big and skilled enough. Rubio might not be athletic enough or be able to shoot well enough to be more than a one-dimensional passer.

There isn't a sure thing in this draft.
In other words there is not a franchise player in this draft!

So why don't we pick a player whose skills are transferrable to NBA, rather than a pie in the sky, hoping for the home run but end up with a bust type pick that many here are advocating?
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
In other words there is not a franchise player in this draft!

So why don't we pick a player whose skills are transferrable to NBA, rather than a pie in the sky, hoping for the home run but end up with a bust type pick that many here are advocating?
For the simple reason that we just might get the home run... When there isn't a clear franchise player why not take a chance? You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket.
 
we have all the role playing starters/borderline all star guys we need. we need to find a tempo changing, imposing star. Sure, kmart might crack it in reserve one of these days, and maybe hawes/jt. Miller was an all-star at one time too. So was Jamaal Magloire.

We need a true star. Unfortunately we picked the wrong draft (cuz were the kings). You're not gonna get a star by playing it safe in this draft.

Silver lining: If we pick a bust, well crap out into '10 draft too, and we can go grab a better prospect there. Sorry season ticket holders.