2009-10 Kings draft position thread

[Kingster]

Robinson at Kansas

Aldrich? Whatever....

Robinson, however is definitely on my radar screen. Wow. What an athlete. 6'9", well muscled freshman, very fast, quick, jumps very well, blocked a shot in the first half, then smushed a shot with both hands and got a BS call, stole a couple of balls, defended extremely well, can pass extremely well, seems to have a very good feel for the gams. Took and missed a shot, then missed both free throws. Major, major athlete. It looks like shooting is an issue, but as of now, Robinson is on my "prove to me why you can't play" list.

 

[Kingster]

First on Alabi. I will grant you this. Its hard to get into a flow when your constantly in and out of a game. Some players can do it and others can't. Alabi falls into the can't catagory so far. I really want to like him, but so far he just hasn't been impressive. Of course I haven't see all of his games and I'm not about to pass judgement just yet.

On Varnado, I think your wrong. I've seen him play quite a bit. He certainly wasn't lethargic in the UCLA game. Its almost as if were watching two different players. I'm by no means saying that the Kings should draft him, but I'am saying that he's the best shotblocker I've seen in some time. Please don't judge him on one game in the tourney.

I had people telling me last year, after watching Griffin play one game that he could't jump. Wasn't athletic, and that he was too short. This is a guy I had seen play at least 20 times and these people are arguing with me based on one game. I never get too excited about one game either way. Too many times the first time I see a player he'll go for 25 points and 10 boards. But the next time I see him he goes for 6 points and 4 boards. So which is the real player. You've got to see a guy play a lot of games to really get a feel for what he capable of. And even then, you can get fooled sometimes, because of the system he plays in, or the lack of competition in his conference. Oh well, I won't bore you with things you probably already know. Anyway, try watching him again and see if you don't see a different player than you thought...

I looked in satellite TV guide, checked ESPN.com after finding the day of the game. Couldn't find it listed. At least not yet anyway. They play the day before Christmas. I'll check again in a couple of days.

 

[bajaden]

Aldrich? Whatever....

Robinson, however is definitely on my radar screen. Wow. What an athlete. 6'9", well muscled freshman, very fast, quick, jumps very well, blocked a shot in the first half, then smushed a shot with both hands and got a BS call, stole a couple of balls, defended extremely well, can pass extremely well, seems to have a very good feel for the gams. Took and missed a shot, then missed both free throws. Major, major athlete. It looks like shooting is an issue, but as of now, Robinson is on my "prove to me why you can't play" list.

You really like to go for long range potential don't you. Yeah, Robinson is an athlete for sure. Just doesn't have much offense right now. As a result he's not getting a lot of minutes. Plus he a freshman. If they can keep winning and using him sparingly, I think they will. That way he's not a one and done. Sounds conspiritorial I know, but its one way to keep your investment around for another year.

Right now the two best players on Kansas are Collins and Henry. I'm starting to think that there's a factory somewhere that just keeps pumping out these small, stocky, lightning quick point guards. I wouldn't be surprised if Henry enters the draft. He's a very savy player, and talented. He's also a very good athlete..

I keep trying to like Aldrich, and to be fair, he playes pretty good defense at the college level, and is a better athlete than most give him credit for. He just doesn't impact the game the way I wish he would..

 

[bajaden]

I found the Florida St./Georgia Tech game. Its on at 2:30 PM. tomorrow afternoon pacific time. The only espn channel I could find it on was their espn college pay tv channel. However its on about 12 other channels as well. A couple of comcast channels and quite a few fox sports channels as well. So anyone that gets the foxsports channels should be able to watch the game. Keep an eye on Derrick Favors. He's played solid basketball so far this year..

 

[Kingster]

I found the Florida St./Georgia Tech game. Its on at 2:30 PM. tomorrow afternoon pacific time. The only espn channel I could find it on was their espn college pay tv channel. However its on about 12 other channels as well. A couple of comcast channels and quite a few fox sports channels as well. So anyone that gets the foxsports channels should be able to watch the game. Keep an eye on Derrick Favors. He's played solid basketball so far this year..

Thanks! I found it on 696 on Directv. I tevo'ed it. I'm really looking forward to seeing Favors.

 

[Kingster]

You really like to go for long range potential don't you. Yeah, Robinson is an athlete for sure. Just doesn't have much offense right now. As a result he's not getting a lot of minutes. Plus he a freshman. If they can keep winning and using him sparingly, I think they will. That way he's not a one and done. Sounds conspiritorial I know, but its one way to keep your investment around for another year.

Right now the two best players on Kansas are Collins and Henry. I'm starting to think that there's a factory somewhere that just keeps pumping out these small, stocky, lightning quick point guards. I wouldn't be surprised if Henry enters the draft. He's a very savy player, and talented. He's also a very good athlete..

I keep trying to like Aldrich, and to be fair, he playes pretty good defense at the college level, and is a better athlete than most give him credit for. He just doesn't impact the game the way I wish he would..

I like athletes because ultimately in the NBA you've got to be very athletic to make an impact. The thing that grabs you about Robinson is that he didn't do anything offensively, yet had a very big impact on the game. I think Robinson should come out this year so the Kings can nab him round 2. Just let Carril coach Robinson for a couple of years and he'll be better than Aldrich.

I'm not paying a whole lot of attention to guards right now. Unless the guard just flashes at me as a major penetrator, finisher and defender (kind of sounds like Tyreke, doesn't it?), I'm not interested.

I saw the Fl St./GT game. Alabi had three air balls. So I'm now on record that if the Kings have the 5th - 10th pick in the draft, that I want them to take a guy who had three air balls in a game. A ringing endorsement!
He's a project that I'd like to see the Kings develop. Has aggression, incredibly length, good reflexes, good mobility, good ft percentage. If the guy can shoot 80% on free throws, I'm going to take the chance that he's going to develop a pretty good offensive game eventually, given his mobility.

Favors just wasn't a factor. I'm not holding it against him. I want to see him in space. He just didn't have it with the poor guard play of GT and the smothering zone of Fl St.

 

[bajaden]

I like athletes because ultimately in the NBA you've got to be very athletic to make an impact. The thing that grabs you about Robinson is that he didn't do anything offensively, yet had a very big impact on the game. I think Robinson should come out this year so the Kings can nab him round 2. Just let Carril coach Robinson for a couple of years and he'll be better than Aldrich.

I'm not paying a whole lot of attention to guards right now. Unless the guard just flashes at me as a major penetrator, finisher and defender (kind of sounds like Tyreke, doesn't it?), I'm not interested.

I saw the Fl St./GT game. Alabi had three air balls. So I'm now on record that if the Kings have the 5th - 10th pick in the draft, that I want them to take a guy who had three air balls in a game. A ringing endorsement!
He's a project that I'd like to see the Kings develop. Has aggression, incredibly length, good reflexes, good mobility, good ft percentage. If the guy can shoot 80% on free throws, I'm going to take the chance that he's going to develop a pretty good offensive game eventually, given his mobility.

Favors just wasn't a factor. I'm not holding it against him. I want to see him in space. He just didn't have it with the poor guard play of GT and the smothering zone of Fl St.

I'll start with the last one first. Despite everything, Favors ended up with the same stat line that Alabi did. So I guess if you like Alabi, then you have to like Favors.

It is surprising to me that a guy that shoots 80 plus percent from the freethrow line is incapable of making a 10 foot jump shot. I mean the amazing thing about his air balls were that he wasn't that far from the basket. Both were from the wing though, so maybe its a depth perception thing.

As far as paying attention to guards. I have only one name for you. Evan Turner. He's not playing right now because of a back injury. But if you haven't seen him play, then I seriously suggest you do when he comes back. If he completely recovers I'am stating right here and now, that he will be a huge star in the NBA. Like Evans, he has that ability to get to the basket with ease. He has a midrange shot. His outside shot is still suspect, but his form is good. This is another kid that can do it all. He was averaging 10 rebounds a game when he was injured. He's a good passer, and basicly was the defacto point guard for Ohio St. even though he was playing the SG position. He's also an outstanding defender.

You put Turner next to Evans, and you have a hellious backcourt to match up with. Oh, and I forgot, he has serious handles to go along with all of the above. My second choice would be Wesley Johnson. Similar player to Turner, especially with the rebounding from the SG position, but not as dynamic.

 

[Kingster]

I'll start with the last one first. Despite everything, Favors ended up with the same stat line that Alabi did. So I guess if you like Alabi, then you have to like Favors.

It is surprising to me that a guy that shoots 80 plus percent from the freethrow line is incapable of making a 10 foot jump shot. I mean the amazing thing about his air balls were that he wasn't that far from the basket. Both were from the wing though, so maybe its a depth perception thing.

As far as paying attention to guards. I have only one name for you. Evan Turner. He's not playing right now because of a back injury. But if you haven't seen him play, then I seriously suggest you do when he comes back. If he completely recovers I'am stating right here and now, that he will be a huge star in the NBA. Like Evans, he has that ability to get to the basket with ease. He has a midrange shot. His outside shot is still suspect, but his form is good. This is another kid that can do it all. He was averaging 10 rebounds a game when he was injured. He's a good passer, and basicly was the defacto point guard for Ohio St. even though he was playing the SG position. He's also an outstanding defender.

You put Turner next to Evans, and you have a hellious backcourt to match up with. Oh, and I forgot, he has serious handles to go along with all of the above. My second choice would be Wesley Johnson. Similar player to Turner, especially with the rebounding from the SG position, but not as dynamic.

Stats don't tell the story. They don't tell how missed shots there were because of Alabi or how many shots weren't even tried because of Alabi. I'm looking forward to seeing Turner play. Hopefully, he'll come back 100%
I'm not down on Favors. I just want to see him in space. And in this particular game there was no space. He obviously has excellent hands and reflexes, but couldn't tell much after that.

 

[fnordius]

Update:

1. NJN .065 (2-29)
2. Minn .226 (7-24)
3. Philly .267 (8-22)
4. GSW .300 (9-21)
5. Indiana .310 (9-20)
6. Was .333 (10-20)
7-8. NYK/Det .367 (11-19)
9. Chi .393 (11-17)
(Cha and Milw are both .414 and 12-17, but are headed for the EC playoffs, so will be out of the lottery)
10. LAC .433 (13-17)
11. NO .464 (13-15)
12-13. Mem/Sac .467 (14-16)

Oh, goodie. Back to no playoffs, and no hope in the draft.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Update:

1. NJN .065 (2-29)
2. Minn .226 (7-24)
3. Philly .267 (8-22)
4. GSW .300 (9-21)
5. Indiana .310 (9-20)
6. Was .333 (10-20)
7-8. NYK/Det .367 (11-19)
9. Chi .393 (11-17)
(Cha and Milw are both .414 and 12-17, but are headed for the EC playoffs, so will be out of the lottery)
10. LAC .433 (13-17)
11. NO .464 (13-15)
12-13. Mem/Sac .467 (14-16)

Oh, goodie. Back to no playoffs, and no hope in the draft.

Well, there's still a lot of season left if that cheers you up

 

[Bricklayer]

Update:

1. NJN .065 (2-29)
2. Minn .226 (7-24)
3. Philly .267 (8-22)
4. GSW .300 (9-21)
5. Indiana .310 (9-20)
6. Was .333 (10-20)
7-8. NYK/Det .367 (11-19)
9. Chi .393 (11-17)
(Cha and Milw are both .414 and 12-17, but are headed for the EC playoffs, so will be out of the lottery)
10. LAC .433 (13-17)
11. NO .464 (13-15)
12-13. Mem/Sac .467 (14-16)

Oh, goodie. Back to no playoffs, and no hope in the draft.

Headed in the right direction now however. Not hovering, not sinking.

 

[Sptsjunkie]

Headed in the right direction now however. Not hovering, not sinking.

Exactly, there is a huge difference between the pre-Petrie Kings who has no star, no direction and hovered around the 8-10 pick every year stuck in a trap of mediocrity and a team with a potential superstar and other great young talent getting what might be there last late lottery pick before starting a playoff run.

 

[Kingster]

I still think the Kings will be in the 5th to 10th ping pong ball slot. The schedule is rough for the remainder of the year with vast streches of away games. Also, I just don't see Martin having a major positive impact for the remainder of the season.

 

[bajaden]

I still think the Kings will be in the 5th to 10th ping pong ball slot. The schedule is rough for the remainder of the year with vast streches of away games. Also, I just don't see Martin having a major positive impact for the remainder of the season.

Its really hard to say where we'll end up. All of our judgements are being made on the current make up of the team. There's no way to know how Martins return will affect the team. Or if any trades will go down prior to the deadline, and how they might affect the team. All questions we'll have answers to at some point, but right now, its hard to predict anything.

 

[dbfish]

I think it's safe to say that when the season started most of us were figuring getting one of the first four picks in the 2010 draft.
And now??

 

[fnordius]

I think it's safe to say that when the season started most of us were figuring getting one of the first four picks in the 2010 draft.
And now??

I wouldn't say that, as one of the more pessimistic, I predicted 24 wins, which would have worked out to 6th or 7th pick last year. Moving up to a top 3 pick would have taken some lucky ping pong ball action.

Now I'm thinking more like 11th, with a less than 1% chance of a top pick.

 

[Tetsujin]

I wouldn't say that, as one of the more pessimistic, I predicted 24 wins, which would have worked out to 6th or 7th pick last year. Moving up to a top 3 pick would have taken some lucky ping pong ball action.

Now I'm thinking more like 11th, with a less than 1% chance of a top pick.

Plus knowing our luck, if we did get the first pick, he would instantly break his leg in a jumprope accident and never be the same again.

 

[Kingster]

Its really hard to say where we'll end up. All of our judgements are being made on the current make up of the team. There's no way to know how Martins return will affect the team. Or if any trades will go down prior to the deadline, and how they might affect the team. All questions we'll have answers to at some point, but right now, its hard to predict anything.

It is hard to predict. I predicted the Kings would have next to no wins when Martin was out, so there you go... I'm operating under the assumption that it's not different this time. I just think about other young teams, even talented young teams, and compare them to the Kings. They have to go through stages in getting out the cellar, just like teams have to go through stages in the playoffs in getting to a championship. They should be better with Martin because of his scoring, but then you have to ask yourself: who is Martin substituting for? Greene? If so, then you just lost a considerable defensive presence. Udoka? Again, the guy plays D, he's tough, and his shooting from the outside has been pretty good. Beno? He's a good outside shooter, and can penetrate and create. So, you gain in shooting and lose in toughness and defense and passing. How many more additional wins is that going to give the Kings, compared to what they would win without Martin? Certainly not 10 more wins. Five? Less than five? Zero? It's going to be interesting.

 

[bajaden]

It is hard to predict. I predicted the Kings would have next to no wins when Martin was out, so there you go... I'm operating under the assumption that it's not different this time. I just think about other young teams, even talented young teams, and compare them to the Kings. They have to go through stages in getting out the cellar, just like teams have to go through stages in the playoffs in getting to a championship. They should be better with Martin because of his scoring, but then you have to ask yourself: who is Martin substituting for? Greene? If so, then you just lost a considerable defensive presence. Udoka? Again, the guy plays D, he's tough, and his shooting from the outside has been pretty good. Beno? He's a good outside shooter, and can penetrate and create. So, you gain in shooting and lose in toughness and defense and passing. How many more additional wins is that going to give the Kings, compared to what they would win without Martin? Certainly not 10 more wins. Five? Less than five? Zero? It's going to be interesting.

Only the Shadow knows! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.. Sorry, I couldn't resist..

 

[Kingster]

Only the Shadow knows! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.. Sorry, I couldn't resist..

Ahh, but my dark, dark shadow knows the Kings will be in the 5 - 10 slot. No glory this year, just darkness with glimpses of future glory.

 

[VF21]

Ahh, but my dark, dark shadow knows the Kings will be in the 5 - 10 slot. No glory this year, just darkness with glimpses of future glory.

Um, there have been some pretty good players taken from those 5-10 slot positions over the years. At this point, I'm pretty confident in Petrie's ability to find the real gems in the draft.

 

[TTown Kings]

This got buried and I always enjoyed checking it last year so with our recent slide I thought it might be a good time for an update...

1. NJN (3-37)
2. MIN (9-33)
3. GSW (11-27)
4. PHI (13-27)
5. DET (14-26)
IND (14-26)
WAS(14-26)
8. SAC(15-25)
9. MIL (16-23)
10. NYK (17-24)
11. LAC (18-22)
12. CHI (18-20)
13. MIA (20-19)
CHA (20-19)

Obviously a few of the Eastern Conference teams listed above will make the Playoffs. Phi, Det and Ind are all playing better and GS has had more road games then anyone so far this season. I hate seeing our team on this downward slide, but moving up this board is the only benefit...

 

[Kingster]

Um, there have been some pretty good players taken from those 5-10 slot positions over the years. At this point, I'm pretty confident in Petrie's ability to find the real gems in the draft.

Me no understand. I've been saying for some time the Kings will be in the 5 - 10 slot for ping pong balls. We could get the #1 pick if we luck out. I'm not saying anything deraugatory about Petrie's drafting skills.

 

[fnordius]

Now that some of the more ridiculous expectations of Nov-Dec are out of the way, let's take another look.

Good news: if we finish with around 26 wins, we have a shot at 4th (pre-lottery) draft position. And 4th is a great place to be, in terms of lottery odds. There's just this one last clump of teams we need to pass...

1. NJN 4-41 .089 <--- Their highest paid player is deep on the bench, with a 2nd rounder rookie starting in his position. Could they be... tanking?
2. MIN 10-38 .208
3. GSW 13-32 .289
4. PHI 15-31 .326
5-6. WAS/DET 15-30 .333
7. IND 16-31 .340
8. SAC 16-29 .356
9. NYK 18-27 .400
10. MIL 19-25 .432

 

[Capt. Factorial]

1. NJN 4-41 .089 <--- Their highest paid player is deep on the bench, with a 2nd rounder rookie starting in his position. Could they be... tanking?

Low blow, low blow. Bobby Simmons is terrible - he got his ridiculous contract way back when after one decent season. And CD-R looks pretty decent (and is a second-year, not a rookie).

You could make the same argument about us, more or less. Our second-highest paid player (KT) is deep on the bench, and lately we've used starting lineups including a second-round rookie (Brock) in his position!

 

[fnordius]

I guess I'm just not quite so negative about Simmons as you are. He's never been worth his contract, which was a huge mistake, but to have him come 4th in the rotation, after not just D-R (who, I stand corrected, is 2nd year), but also rookie Humphries, and even Jarvis Hayes? His stats/48 aren't quite THAT bad.

I wasn't particularly worrying about whether they're tanking or not, though. With a 4-41 start, there is nothing they could possibly do that would leave them with bad draft position. Playing the vets, playing the kids, it just doesn't matter. They suck.

But if they end up winning the Wall sweepstakes, I will still be jealous.

 

[Kingster]

Now that some of the more ridiculous expectations of Nov-Dec are out of the way, let's take another look.

Good news: if we finish with around 26 wins, we have a shot at 4th (pre-lottery) draft position. And 4th is a great place to be, in terms of lottery odds. There's just this one last clump of teams we need to pass...

1. NJN 4-41 .089 <--- Their highest paid player is deep on the bench, with a 2nd rounder rookie starting in his position. Could they be... tanking?
2. MIN 10-38 .208
3. GSW 13-32 .289
4. PHI 15-31 .326
5-6. WAS/DET 15-30 .333
7. IND 16-31 .340
8. SAC 16-29 .356
9. NYK 18-27 .400
10. MIL 19-25 .432

PHI, WAS, and INDY all seem like better teams to me. But GSW and NY don't . I don't know when the GSW injured come back though. If they come back soon, GSW could be a little better. The Kings have to win - HAVE TO win - against Detroit and NY in the next few weeks; otherwise, they could be looking at the 3rd slot (they only have 3 games to make up in the lost column).
Because I'm a positive person, I still say the Kings end up in the 5th to 10th slot.

With a record of 0.089, NJ is doomed. They'll get the 4th slot in the draft.

 

[Vlade4GM]

We're tied with Washington for the 4th spot.

 

[hammystyle]

I guess I'm just not quite so negative about Simmons as you are. He's never been worth his contract, which was a huge mistake, but to have him come 4th in the rotation, after not just D-R (who, I stand corrected, is 2nd year), but also rookie Humphries, and even Jarvis Hayes? His stats/48 aren't quite THAT bad.

I wasn't particularly worrying about whether they're tanking or not, though. With a 4-41 start, there is nothing they could possibly do that would leave them with bad draft position. Playing the vets, playing the kids, it just doesn't matter. They suck.

But if they end up winning the Wall sweepstakes, I will still be jealous.

C'mon Bobby Simmons is shooting 36% from the field. The fact that he's even playing at all shows you how bad the other guys have been too. Humphries is like a 5 or 6 year vet BTW.

They're not tanking, they've just completely gutted the team so it was easier to sell and to have the biggest cap space in the league in '10. It may end up working. I don't think its very likely, but I don't think its impossible that Lebron goes there as a package deal with Bosh...and if they got Wall? He could take over the worst team in the league and win a title the very next year. That's a hell of a story.

 

[bajaden]

C'mon Bobby Simmons is shooting 36% from the field. The fact that he's even playing at all shows you how bad the other guys have been too. Humphries is like a 5 or 6 year vet BTW.

They're not tanking, they've just completely gutted the team so it was easier to sell and to have the biggest cap space in the league in '10. It may end up working. I don't think its very likely, but I don't think its impossible that Lebron goes there as a package deal with Bosh...and if they got Wall? He could take over the worst team in the league and win a title the very next year. That's a hell of a story.

It would be poetic justice if we somehow won the lottery this year and they ended up fourth. But hey, I would be happy with second and let them have first.