Ric Bucher

[Kingsin07]

4. Sacramento Kings




•Our buddy Bucher just popped in to say that the Kings supposedly are not interested in Rubio.

•Here's video of Curry discussing how he'd fit in with the Kings during his visit over the weekend, courtesy of The Sacramento Bee.

 

[Fear the Putin]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draf...raft2009/insider/news/story?page=09DraftBuzz2

Here's what Chad Ford had to say:

POSTED: June 22 -- 11:32 p.m. ET Chad Ford: The Sacramento Kings finally got their wish on Monday … Ricky Rubio in their gym. Unfortunately for Rubio and the Kings, he was playing one-on-none after going a month without picking up a basketball. The results shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone. Several sources surrounding the Kings said Rubio didn't blow anyone away. Of course he didn't. Rubio is a pass-first point guard who makes everyone around him better in a five-on-five game. In a one-on-none I wouldn't expect him to be great. He's not going to shoot the lights out. He's not going to put up highlight-reel dunks. He's just not that type of player. But they did get to see him live. They got his measurements (6-foot-5 in shoes with a 6-foot-7 wingspan). They got to check out his body language and English skills. Most importantly, the Kings got word that Rubio was making progress on a deal with his club in Spain DKV Joventut that will lower his buyout to roughly $4 million. When you factor in that Rubio will be allowed to make his payments over several years, there is no longer a huge financial impediment for Rubio to come to the draft. The question on everyone's mind right now? What will the Kings do? The answer? It depends. First there's a chance Rubio might not be there at No. 4. The word on Monday night is that it looks like Hasheem Thabeet will be the Grizzlies' pick at No. 2 if they don't trade the pick. With Thabeet gone, Thunder GM Sam Presti will decide between Rubio, James Harden and Stephen Curry. If they take Rubio … then the Kings will likely draft either Tyreke Evans or Jonny Flynn. If Rubio is on the board, it will be a pretty tough decision. As we've written previously, this is a debate about upside versus present value. Evans and Flynn are ready to play now. No question. Rubio? It may take him a while to adjust (though some in the league think he's actually more ready to play in the NBA after years of experience playing pro ball in Spain). I don't think there's any question that Rubio has the most upside of the group. Given the fact that the Kings are so dreadful at the moment, wouldn't they choose the best player for the long-term health of the franchise? It depends. Most of the Kings' front office staff is in the last year of their contracts. Do they want to stick their necks out for Rubio when they could take a safer pick like Evans or Flynn? You get the picture. If the Kings pass, a number of teams are trying to get Washington's pick at No. 5. Presumably Rubio is the target of at least some of the Wizards' suitors. The Timberwolves at No. 6 are also high on Rubio. So are the Knicks at No. 8."

NOTE 2: I've restored the original post. The article in question was posted on the main part of the board and not via Insider. Sorry for the confusion. My bad.

 

[JB_kings]

See that just is hogwash. Evans and Flynn are not win now kind of players. They are college kids who will need just as much time to adjust their game as Rubio. If the front office is win now oriented, then they better start dealing all their picks for vets who can get them to sniff the playoffs. I refuse to believe Petrie is going to throw his rebuild out the window mid-stream. If they believe Rubio will be the best player down the line, then they damn well better take him.

 

[jimbodan]

I'm going to be seriously pissed off if we pass on Rubio because a couple front office people are looking out for themselves instead of the franchise. I just hope that Petrie still has some authority (and talent evaluation skill left) and makes the right call and grabs Rubio if he is there at 4.

I still don't see how Evans fits with this team, I love this talent, but he is just a poor fit here. Him and Martin on the court at the same time is going to be dreadful, there will be no ball movement and neither Evans or Martin are the type that make their team mates better through their play making ability.

 

[KingGiant49erFan]

I'm going to be seriously pissed off if we pass on Rubio because a couple front office people are looking out for themselves instead of the franchise. I just hope that Petrie still has some authority (and talent evaluation skill left) and makes the right call and grabs Rubio if he is there at 4.

I still don't see how Evans fits with this team, I love this talent, but he is just a poor fit here. Him and Martin on the court at the same time is going to be dreadful, there will be no ball movement and neither Evans or Martin are the type that make their team mates better through their play making ability.

Perhaps drafting for THIS team isnt what we need to do. Just get the best talent we can now and then later if it isn't a great fit trade a piece or two for one that does.

 

[Aenadin]

could be a smokescreen again. kings are one of those teams rumored to be highly coveting rubio as a point guard.. only They have the work outs. and if they say they werent blown away.. and they arent impressed it could give grizz, okc or other teams that want him 2nd thoughts.. only the kings brass know what actually happened.. did they release the videos or is it confidential?

 

[Emma]

Oh, I love it! The intrigue! the smokescreen... This is a beautiful pre-draft. Best one ever. It's like playing a game of Clue: Ricky Rubio at #2, traded to the Kings for Evans and a candlestick. Colonel Mustard is in the corner with a pistol. Miss Scarlet is eyeballing Hasheem Thabeet's shoulder while holding a rope, scaring everybody away.

My next few days are gonna be filled with all kinds of internet lurking. And I am gonna thank KingsFans.com for my impending divorce.

 

[bajaden]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draf...raft2009/insider/news/story?page=09DraftBuzz2

Here's what Chad Ford had to say:

"POSTED: June 22 -- 11:32 p.m. ET Chad Ford: The Sacramento Kings finally got their wish on Monday … Ricky Rubio in their gym. Unfortunately for Rubio and the Kings, he was playing one-on-none after going a month without picking up a basketball. The results shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone. Several sources surrounding the Kings said Rubio didn't blow anyone away. Of course he didn't. ..."

Here's what I find interesting. In all the years that Petrie has been with the Kings, the amount of information that has come out of him prior to the draft or a trade you could put on the head of a pin. Me thinks that a leopard doesn't change its spots.

So then, who is the culprit thats leaking this info. And why hasn't Petrie put a stop to it. This is just my opinion, but I think Petrie runs a tight ship. And I don't think he would tolerate these kind of leaks. So, either someone is making this stuff up, or the leaks are intentional. Since there's been no denial from the Kings organization, I'm inclined to believe the latter.

If you were hoping that Rubio would drop into your lap at #4, I don't think you would rave about how great he was in his workout. I don't think you would tell the world that you can't wait to get him into a Kings jersey. Nope! I think you would say exactly what the leak says. Nothing special. Didn't blow my socks off. Of course I'm sure that Memphis and Oklahoma are thinking the same thing. But there's always that seed of doubt. It just needs a little water..

 

[rainmaker]

I could care less what Ric Bucher has to say. If the Kings are not interested in Rubio then why did he come back for a 2nd visit? Chances are this is all disinformation given out by the kings so Memphis and OKC have a little more doubt about taking Rubio.

 

[Bricklayer]

Here's what I find interesting. In all the years that Petrie has been with the Kings, the amount of information that has come out of him prior to the draft or a trade you could put on the head of a pin. Me thinks that a leopard doesn't change its spots.

So then, who is the culprit thats leaking this info. And why hasn't Petrie put a stop to it. This is just my opinion, but I think Petrie runs a tight ship. And I don't think he would tolerate these kind of leaks. So, either someone is making this stuff up, or the leaks are intentional. Since there's been no denial from the Kings organization, I'm inclined to believe the latter.

If you were hoping that Rubio would drop into your lap at #4, I don't think you would rave about how great he was in his workout. I don't think you would tell the world that you can't wait to get him into a Kings jersey. Nope! I think you would say exactly what the leak says. Nothing special. Didn't blow my socks off. Of course I'm sure that Memphis and Oklahoma are thinking the same thing. But there's always that seed of doubt. It just needs a little water..

Possible, but a few things have changed -- we are drafting much higher, putting the media spotlight squarely on us. Where we could work int he shadows when picking #20, you pick #4 there really are no shadows. Secondly, the internet has exploded since the early petire days -- the amount of information both uncovered and demanded has skyrocketed as a result. There are 100 sites and a thousand reporters/commentators. We all know everybody who is brought to town, exactly when thyeyare being worked out. And because we have such a spread of picks, there have been literally dozens of players and agents passing through town, all possible sources of leaks. And finally, people may be missing that Geoff is not in compete control of the ship anymore. His position has been undercut. He's probably got his own Judas sitting over there as his putative right hand man (Levien, the slimy former agent), and if there ever was an iron fist rather than just a tacit meeting of the minds between the whole front office, its not there now. This isn't a Petrie-centric show anymore, and until/unless he drags us out of this mess, its unlikely he will have that sort of absolute control/loyalty again.

 

[ElRey]

Here's what I find interesting. In all the years that Petrie has been with the Kings, the amount of information that has come out of him prior to the draft or a trade you could put on the head of a pin. Me thinks that a leopard doesn't change its spots.

So then, who is the culprit thats leaking this info. And why hasn't Petrie put a stop to it. This is just my opinion, but I think Petrie runs a tight ship. And I don't think he would tolerate these kind of leaks. So, either someone is making this stuff up, or the leaks are intentional. Since there's been no denial from the Kings organization, I'm inclined to believe the latter.

If you were hoping that Rubio would drop into your lap at #4, I don't think you would rave about how great he was in his workout. I don't think you would tell the world that you can't wait to get him into a Kings jersey. Nope! I think you would say exactly what the leak says. Nothing special. Didn't blow my socks off. Of course I'm sure that Memphis and Oklahoma are thinking the same thing. But there's always that seed of doubt. It just needs a little water..

Bajaden makes some excellent points. Petrie NeVER, ever leaks any info on any prospects he likes. I doubt he even tells his wife, much less other members of the Kings organization or the national media.

I get the sense that if Petrie passes on Rubio for whatever reason, the city of Sacramento is going to get burned down on draft night!

 

[venom_7]

Oh, I love it! The intrigue! the smokescreen... This is a beautiful pre-draft. Best one ever. It's like playing a game of Clue: Ricky Rubio at #2, traded to the Kings for Evans and a candlestick. Colonel Mustard is in the corner with a pistol. Miss Scarlet is eyeballing Hasheem Thabeet's shoulder while holding a rope, scaring everybody away.

My next few days are gonna be filled with all kinds of internet lurking. And I am gonna thank KingsFans.com for my impending divorce.

its exactly what it is too.

what do you think happens if the Kings come out and say "YES Ricky is just too many kinds of awesome! His workout was just phenomenal!"

Chris Wallace then drafts him, licking his chops at getting a " trade-able asset."

Granted, this is shaping up to be one of the better hypes for a draft since the '03 lottery. I think the Kings are pulling the strings as best as they can at this point.

 

[beb0p]

•Our buddy Bucher just popped in to say that the Kings supposedly are not interested in Rubio.

This can only mean one thing:

The kings are VERY interested in Rubio.

 

[Gary]

Perhaps drafting for THIS team isnt what we need to do. Just get the best talent we can now and then later if it isn't a great fit trade a piece or two for one that does.

So what do we do? Get rid of everyone except for this draft pick? So Hawes, Thompson, Martin, everyone is out of here?

 

[KingGiant49erFan]

So what do we do? Get rid of everyone except for this draft pick? So Hawes, Thompson, Martin, everyone is out of here?

Way to take it to extremes. I see Evans as a potential top 2 guard who one day could have an offense run through him. If the kings FO feels the same or thinks one of the other guys has top-player potential then they have to choose him. If Evans is the choice then maybe Martin would need to be traded for a 1, 3, or 5 in a couple years depending on who of our prospects work out and who don't (Greene, Hawes). What about my statement led you to believe that every piece would need to be traded to make room for this draft pick?

 

[HighTopKicks]

its exactly what it is too.

what do you think happens if the Kings come out and say "YES Ricky is just too many kinds of awesome! His workout was just phenomenal!"

Chris Wallace then drafts him, licking his chops at getting a " trade-able asset."

Granted, this is shaping up to be one of the better hypes for a draft since the '03 lottery. I think the Kings are pulling the strings as best as they can at this point.

Or the KIngs want Evans. They don't want to show the video and make a derogatory comment about Rubio, so that Memphis thinks we are high on him and takes him over Evans. OKC takes Thabeet, and we end up with Evans the guy we really want.

Or, how many different senarios can we come up with befor Thursday, 10, 20 or 50.

 

[kingsnation]

Or the KIngs want Evans. They don't want to show the video and make a derogatory comment about Rubio, so that Memphis thinks we are high on him and takes him over Evans. OKC takes Thabeet, and we end up with Evans the guy we really want.

Or, how many different senarios can we come up with before Thursday, 10, 20 or 50.

I'm thinking you're off by a few zeroes or so...

 

[Sptsjunkie]

its exactly what it is too.

what do you think happens if the Kings come out and say "YES Ricky is just too many kinds of awesome! His workout was just phenomenal!"

Chris Wallace then drafts him, licking his chops at getting a " trade-able asset."

Granted, this is shaping up to be one of the better hypes for a draft since the '03 lottery. I think the Kings are pulling the strings as best as they can at this point.

I agree. I feel like we are watching a great poker game. This is going to be one of the more entertaining drafts in a long time, even if not many of the players actually become very good. I think the lack of "sure thing" players and different team's preferences for 1 or 2 potential players at their draft spots is leading to a lot more gamesmanship than past drafts. I have followed the draft very intently for the last 10-15 years and I can never remember this much information being leaked by so many teams. It seems to be even far more than last season. I just can't believe that this is the year Givnoy, Ford, Bucher, etc. have suddenly realized how to get real information out of GMs. My guess is that a lot of the information out there is being placed very intentionally.

I can't wait for Thursday. Draft day is like a second Christmas for me. I just hope I end up with a great new toy and not a lump or coal this year

 

[ParniValjak]

If Rubio is there when we have our pick, and we don't pick him, I will be MAJORLY pissed off!

 

[Warhawk]

could be a smokescreen again. kings are one of those teams rumored to be highly coveting rubio as a point guard.. only They have the work outs. and if they say they werent blown away.. and they arent impressed it could give grizz, okc or other teams that want him 2nd thoughts.. only the kings brass know what actually happened.. did they release the videos or is it confidential?

Or it could be the truth. Mem/OKC thinks it is a smokescreen and snags Rubio and he turns into this year's Darko Milicic. You never know....

 

[Kingster]

Here's what I find interesting. In all the years that Petrie has been with the Kings, the amount of information that has come out of him prior to the draft or a trade you could put on the head of a pin. Me thinks that a leopard doesn't change its spots.

So then, who is the culprit thats leaking this info. And why hasn't Petrie put a stop to it. This is just my opinion, but I think Petrie runs a tight ship. And I don't think he would tolerate these kind of leaks. So, either someone is making this stuff up, or the leaks are intentional. Since there's been no denial from the Kings organization, I'm inclined to believe the latter.

If you were hoping that Rubio would drop into your lap at #4, I don't think you would rave about how great he was in his workout. I don't think you would tell the world that you can't wait to get him into a Kings jersey. Nope! I think you would say exactly what the leak says. Nothing special. Didn't blow my socks off. Of course I'm sure that Memphis and Oklahoma are thinking the same thing. But there's always that seed of doubt. It just needs a little water..

I think the leaks are intentional for the reasons you stated. I wouldn't be surprised if Reynolds was the "leak". And I don't believe that they don't like Rubio. Earlier in the year, Reynolds mentioned Rubio in a Kings game. He crooned like a 15 year old boy that was visiting an all-girls school.

 

[CruzDude]

Bajaden makes some excellent points. Petrie NeVER, ever leaks any info on any prospects he likes. I doubt he even tells his wife, much less other members of the Kings organization or the national media.

I get the sense that if Petrie passes on Rubio for whatever reason, the city of Sacramento is going to get burned down on draft night!

Just like when he drafted an unknown kid out of Serbia in the mid-90's??

 

[theclash4u5]

That link actually showed the entire paragraph about Rubio, and I'm not even an insider

I can't wait until Thursday!

 

[=LarryLegend=]

If Rubio is there when we have our pick, and we don't pick him, I will be MAJORLY pissed off!

I agree. me too!

 

[ElRey]

Just like when he drafted an unknown kid out of Serbia in the mid-90's??

Exactly....except much worse. There is way way more hype surrounding Rubio than John Wallace ever imagined.

 

[Smills91]

If Rubio is there at #4. We HAVE to pick him. We can TRADE him, and he's actually gonna garner more if WE pick him than if Memphis picks him, because he would legitmately play for us.

If Rubio is there at #4 and we're really not sold on him. And the draft went like this:

1) Griffin
2) Thabeet
3) Harden

Then I have no problems trading Rubio to Minnesotay for 6/18 and swapping Beno or Noc for Cardinal's expiring.

T-Wolves nab Rubio. We get one of Curry or Evans or Flynn at #6.

We get an added pick to perhaps select Clark, Johnson or Blair at #18.

We could extract far more value from Rubio's rights than Memphis could. Not to mention, his contract would be nearly a million less as well at 4 vs. 2.

 

[Rockmeister]

If Rubio is there when we have our pick, and we don't pick him, I will be MAJORLY pissed off!

Ditto!

 

[Vlade4GM]

If Rubio is there at #4. We HAVE to pick him. We can TRADE him, and he's actually gonna garner more if WE pick him than if Memphis picks him, because he would legitmately play for us.
If Rubio is there at #4 and we're really not sold on him. And the draft went like this:

1) Griffin
2) Thabeet
3) Harden

Then I have no problems trading Rubio to Minnesotay for 6/18 and swapping Beno or Noc for Cardinal's expiring.

T-Wolves nab Rubio. We get one of Curry or Evans or Flynn at #6.

We get an added pick to perhaps select Clark, Johnson or Blair at #18.

We could extract far more value from Rubio's rights than Memphis could. Not to mention, his contract would be nearly a million less as well at 4 vs. 2.

Exactly.

 

[Gary]

If Rubio is there when we have our pick, and we don't pick him, I will be MAJORLY pissed off!

Same.. No reason to draft positions we already have when we have someone with the ceiling of Rubio.

 

[Gary]

If Rubio is there at #4. We HAVE to pick him. We can TRADE him, and he's actually gonna garner more if WE pick him than if Memphis picks him, because he would legitmately play for us.

If Rubio is there at #4 and we're really not sold on him. And the draft went like this:

1) Griffin
2) Thabeet
3) Harden

Then I have no problems trading Rubio to Minnesotay for 6/18 and swapping Beno or Noc for Cardinal's expiring.

T-Wolves nab Rubio. We get one of Curry or Evans or Flynn at #6.

We get an added pick to perhaps select Clark, Johnson or Blair at #18.

We could extract far more value from Rubio's rights than Memphis could. Not to mention, his contract would be nearly a million less as well at 4 vs. 2.

Ok.. this brings up something interesting.. IF Minnesota were offering Kevin Love, and their pick for Rubio I think I would do it. Love did wonders when starting the last third of the season and we all know how much I am on the Kevin Love bandwagon.