Kings 2009-2010 NBA Draft:

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I got a chance to see Omar Samhan twice recently. By the way, St. Marys has a pretty good basketball team. Their one of those teams that could sneak up on someone in the tourney. Anyway, back to Samhan. He certainly has good height and size at 6'11" and 265 lb's. One also can't argue with his results. He scores and he rebounds, and he's decent at defense, especially in man defense. However, his lateral movement doesn't look very good to me, nor does he appear to have very good hops or explosiveness. In fact, he just doesn't appear to be a very good athlete.

Don't get me wrong. He's not a terrible athlete, or uncoordinated by any means. I just think his lack of athleticism will limit him at the next level. That doesn't mean he's incapable of playing at the next level. I see him as a backup center that can come in and be physical and grab some boards for you. I will say this, he's kind of fun to watch. He loves to bang, and as I said. You can't argue with his results. You never know. He may be one of those guys that will fool you.
 
I got a chance to see Omar Samhan twice recently. By the way, St. Marys has a pretty good basketball team. Their one of those teams that could sneak up on someone in the tourney. Anyway, back to Samhan. He certainly has good height and size at 6'11" and 265 lb's. One also can't argue with his results. He scores and he rebounds, and he's decent at defense, especially in man defense. However, his lateral movement doesn't look very good to me, nor does he appear to have very good hops or explosiveness. In fact, he just doesn't appear to be a very good athlete.

Don't get me wrong. He's not a terrible athlete, or uncoordinated by any means. I just think his lack of athleticism will limit him at the next level. That doesn't mean he's incapable of playing at the next level. I see him as a backup center that can come in and be physical and grab some boards for you. I will say this, he's kind of fun to watch. He loves to bang, and as I said. You can't argue with his results. You never know. He may be one of those guys that will fool you.
Nice! He's in there with Parakhouski for me and as you said, the production isn't just good, its really good. Seems like the type of guy who's the answer to everyone's wish that Brockman was 4 inches taller. Not saying I want to pop the #2 pick on him, but he's a definite 2nd round prospect. I'd take a chance on him all day over a guy like Jerome Jordan.

BTW - Samhan's a redshirt senior, but he's a very young senior. He's the same age as juniors like Aldrich and Larry Sanders and only 8 months older than Hassan Whiteside. So he started college when he was 16.
 
Monroe had 12+12+7 game today. Actually it was 12p+7r+12a game.:)
Samhan is below average athlete in the NBA. But Sean May is still in the league so Omar has a chance.
 
Just getting the chance to comment on Kansas and Texas the other night.

Aldrich deffinetly had his moments. Absolutely shut down Pittman. Got in some foul trouble. Probly should have fouled out earlier than he did, but the Refs let a few questionable ones go. He really doesnt seem to be a big part of the Kansas offense right now. When he gets the ball, good things happen, but he rarely does. Thats College ball I guess. Shouldnt surprise me, but still.. It would be nice to really get a look at what Aldrich can do on offense. He seemed to coast a little bit in the second half. Kind of 'loafing' around the court on offense. Setting some lazy screens and didnt get back to the offense from defense very fast. Seemed like he was the last guy down the court a lot of time. I still like him, and like I said, looked very solid on defense. Thats what we would need from him, so overall I thought he looked pretty good.

Damion James played great. I know Bajaden has mentioned him a few times, and he really was the MAN on monday. He has power and determination. Seems like he would be a great fit on any team. When I watch college basketball, I watch to be entertained and look for players that would fit on either the Kings or Celtics. I say this because as much as James impressed me, the chances of him actually becoming a king are slim to none. He'll probly get taken right in the middle of the first round/late lottery. Unless we acquire another pick we'll miss him. Not to mention the current logjam at that spot right now..
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Monroe had 12+12+7 game today. Actually it was 12p+7r+12a game.:)
Samhan is below average athlete in the NBA. But Sean May is still in the league so Omar has a chance.
Yeah, and he's taller than May.. I've become more careful about jumping to conclusions about players and their athleticism, or lack thereof. I remember the first time I saw Marc Gasol play I thought there was no way that dude could play in the NBA. He just looked slow and plodding to me. Well, I was wrong. It wasn't the first time either. So now I wait a while before jumping to conclusions.

I mean an idiot can watch Wall or Turner and know that their going to be very good players in the NBA. Whats hard is picking someone that looks like Samhan and knowing he's going to be a good player. By the way, thats not what I'm saying. But I'am saying that I'm not passing judgement yet.
 
If we draft a guy like Cousins in the draft then turnaround and use some of the cap room for a guy like Camby we would finally be able to say we might have our front court problems solved or ATLEAST some depth.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
If we draft a guy like Cousins in the draft then turnaround and use some of the cap room for a guy like Camby we would finally be able to say we might have our front court problems solved or ATLEAST some depth.
Well lets get Cousins first. Look, I love Camby, but he's 35 years old and he's probably looking at his last contract. Were a young team, and there's not doubt that a player of Cambys experience would be a great asset. The question is, how much money are you willing to commit to a 35 year old player and for how many years. You know he's going to want at least a three year contract, maybe four.

If he was 30 years old I'd be a lot more interested. But at 35 and he'll be 36 next year, I'd have to be able to get him cheap and for only a couple of years with the second year being the team option. And I doubt he would go for that, when he can get more money from a contender and also have a shot at a ring.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Just getting the chance to comment on Kansas and Texas the other night.

Aldrich deffinetly had his moments. Absolutely shut down Pittman. Got in some foul trouble. Probly should have fouled out earlier than he did, but the Refs let a few questionable ones go. He really doesnt seem to be a big part of the Kansas offense right now. When he gets the ball, good things happen, but he rarely does. Thats College ball I guess. Shouldnt surprise me, but still.. It would be nice to really get a look at what Aldrich can do on offense. He seemed to coast a little bit in the second half. Kind of 'loafing' around the court on offense. Setting some lazy screens and didnt get back to the offense from defense very fast. Seemed like he was the last guy down the court a lot of time. I still like him, and like I said, looked very solid on defense. Thats what we would need from him, so overall I thought he looked pretty good.

Damion James played great. I know Bajaden has mentioned him a few times, and he really was the MAN on monday. He has power and determination. Seems like he would be a great fit on any team. When I watch college basketball, I watch to be entertained and look for players that would fit on either the Kings or Celtics. I say this because as much as James impressed me, the chances of him actually becoming a king are slim to none. He'll probly get taken right in the middle of the first round/late lottery. Unless we acquire another pick we'll miss him. Not to mention the current logjam at that spot right now..
Yeah, I love James. And what you saw, he does every game. He's one of those guys that you swear that there's two of him on the floor at times. He's a terrific athlete and extremely quick, and has made himself into a very good rebounder averaging double digit rebounds for the year. Texas has him playing PF a lot of the time, but I think his true position is SF.

He does have some holes in his game, but then who doesn't. He really needs to improve his ballhandling and passing ability, and actually most of his bad passes are just bad decisions. If he can improve his ballhandling it would really increase his ability to create his own shot. He's a pretty good defender and is athletic enough to become a very good defender. I haven't really pushed for him since we have a pretty good group at the SF position already. But you can never have enough good players and he is capable of playing some PF in the right matchup. He's certainly strong enough. He also has to become more consistant with his outside shot. In fairness he has improved in that area, its just that he's a little steaky in that dept.

I'll sum it up by saying that he's the glue that keeps that team together. There's no doubt that he's the leader of the team.
 
Well lets get Cousins first. Look, I love Camby, but he's 35 years old and he's probably looking at his last contract. Were a young team, and there's not doubt that a player of Cambys experience would be a great asset. The question is, how much money are you willing to commit to a 35 year old player and for how many years. You know he's going to want at least a three year contract, maybe four.

I wasn't even taking his age into account hahaha Id even look at a guy like Haywood if Petrie was definately going into this draft and free agent period looking to add depth and talent to our front court. But regardless of free agency as for the draft if we are postioned right I really think Cousins is our guy.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
I, like Kingster would be very surprised if we took Monroe with our first pick. For one thing, right now were picking in the number 4 or 5 range, and thats way too high to take Monroe. Secondly, unless we aquire a defensive big through a trade, I don't see us picking someone like Monroe when our greatest need is interior defense.

My perference would be that we aquire a defensive big either through a trade, or through free agency. That we somehow aquire another first round pick in the mid to low first round. We could then pick the best player available with our first pick and take a flyer on a big man with our second first round pick. I would hate to make reach at number 4 or 5 when someone like Turner or Johnson is sitting there. Now if we can get Cousins or Aldrich with that pick, then thats another story.

I think that there are some big men that could turn out to be pretty good in the later part of the first round. Possibly even with our second round pick.
I agree with everything you said except for one word that needs to be omitted: Aldrich.
 
He wanted Noah over Hawes. How does that fit the stereotype?
Noah was a no brainer. Look, there's a long way to go, but if we're sitting at 7 or 8 this summer... and Favors, Cousins, and Aldrich are all off the table... you don't think visions of passing big men will be dancing in his head?
 
Noah was a no brainer. Look, there's a long way to go, but if we're sitting at 7 or 8 this summer... and Favors, Cousins, and Aldrich are all off the table... you don't think visions of passing big men will be dancing in his head?
I think at this point in the season, that's about where Monroe belongs. He's still probably a tick behind Ed Davis but he's in the conversation and arguably ahead of guys like Whiteside, Alabi and Udoh.

It took me a long time to come around on Monroe. I didn't like him last year, and I was skeptical of his strong start this year. But he just keeps getting better and better.

Here's the case for Monroe:
1) It helps his assist numbers, but GT's slow pace and system hold down his scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking numbers. They're all pretty solid now, but in a faster system they'd be more eye-popping. Same thing happened to Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert.
2) He's a very young sophomore. He's the same age as freshmen Cousins and Wall and a full year younger than Whiteside. He's a full year younger than fellow soph Ed Davis. This rarely gets tracked with as much pub as whether or not they're frosh, soph, or junior but its much more important. Particularly for a big man growing into his body.
3) Defensively he's not an eraser, but the block numbers are decent. The steals numbers are oustanding, which indicates he's active. Maybe he won't be a defensive anchor, but the potential is there to be a very good post and team defender in the Kurt Thomas mold.
4) Considering his age, and the improvements he's made this year he really has a sweet upside. Particularly if he measures out like a center. He's not an elite run jump athlete, but he's still at least average, and some players like that can dominate with their skill. Think of a Brad Daugherty type.
5) Virtually no downside. Ready made offensive game and NBA frame that will at least make him passable on D.
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
Noah was a no brainer. Look, there's a long way to go, but if we're sitting at 7 or 8 this summer... and Favors, Cousins, and Aldrich are all off the table... you don't think visions of passing big men will be dancing in his head?
Well we don't know where we'll picking, so its kind of foolish to really speculate now. But I do understand where your coming from. I would say there are more factors than just how many bigs were interested in. That happens to be our greatest need. But the needs of the other teams will come into play as well.

There is a combination of players that could fall into the top 8. In no particular order, except the way my confused brain remembers them they are.

1. Wall
2. Turner
3. Johnson
4. Aldrich
5. Favors
6. Cousins
7. Davis
8. Motiejunas
9. Aminu

There are at least 5 or 6 other players that could play their way into the top 8 by the time of the draft.

Then you have the teams that are likely to be involved in the top 8 and what their needs are.

1. Nets
2. T. Wolves
3. Warriors
4. Wizards
5. 76's
6. Pistons
7. Pacer's
8. Jazz (from Knicks)
9. Bucks
10. And the Kings.

Its hard to say what each team is going to need by the draft. There could be trades by the deadline that might affect the needs of a team. Based on the current roster of each team the one's that leap out as probably going for a center are the T. Wolves, Pistons and the Kings. Now that could change of course depending on trades that might be made. But lets say that the T. Wolves remain at number two. And lets assume that the Nets draft Wall. Do the T. Wolves then pass on Turner in favor of Aldrich or Cousins. Especially since the Wolves need help in the SG area as well, and Turner is a sure thing.

Its possible that the Warriors would be interested, but as long as Nelson is there, it would be a wasted pick for them to pick either Aldrich or Cousins. If Nelson steps down, then its another story. Maybe the Pacers might be interested if their not sure that Hibbert is the answer for the future. Anyway, its a crap shoot at best right now. I'm fairly confident that the Kings will get a good player. Whether its the player I want or not is another matter.
 
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Kingster

Hall of Famer
Noah was a no brainer. Look, there's a long way to go, but if we're sitting at 7 or 8 this summer... and Favors, Cousins, and Aldrich are all off the table... you don't think visions of passing big men will be dancing in his head?
No, I don't. And Noah wasn't a no-brainer over Hawes. It's not a no-brainer when the guy can't shoot. He weighed Noah's athleticism and rebounding over shooting and passing of Hawes. That doesn't fit into the stereotype that you're buying into. You can't have it both ways.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
No, I don't. And Noah wasn't a no-brainer over Hawes. It's not a no-brainer when the guy can't shoot. He weighed Noah's athleticism and rebounding over shooting and passing of Hawes. That doesn't fit into the stereotype that you're buying into. You can't have it both ways.
Yeah, I have to agree with you. As a matter of fact, before the draft, if you would have asked me who Petrie would pick between Hawes and Noah, I would have said Hawes. Hawes just fits more into what Petire has always looked for in a player. So I was surprised when I heard that Petrie was aiming at Noah.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I think at this point in the season, that's about where Monroe belongs. He still probably a tick behind Ed Davis but he's in the conversation and arguably ahead of guys like Whiteside, Alabi and Udoh.

It took me a long time to come around on Monroe. I didn't like him last year, and I was skeptical of his strong start this year. But he just keeps getting better and better.

Here's his case:
1) It helps his assist numbers, but GT's slow pace and system hold down his scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking numbers. They're all pretty solid now, but in a faster system they'd be more eye-popping. Same thing happened to Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert.
2) He's a very young sophomore. He's the same age as freshmen Cousins and Wall and a full year younger than Whiteside. He's a full year younger than his calssmate Ed Davis. This rarely gets tracked with as much pub as whether or not they're frosh, soph, or junior but its much more important. Particularly for a big man growing into his body.
3) Defensively he's not an eraser, but the block numbers are decent. The steals numbers are oustanding, which indicates he's active. Maybe he won't be a defensive anchor, but the potential is there to be a very good post and team defender in the Kurt Thomas mold.
4) Considering his age, and the improvements he's made this year he really has a sweet upside. Particularly if he measures out like a center. He's not an elite run jump athlete, but he's still at least average, and some players like that can dominate with their skill. Think of a Brad Daugherty type.
5) Virtually no downside. Ready made offensive game and NBA frame that will at least make him passable on D.
I'm assuming your talking about Monroe. I was a little confused when you mentioned Ed Davis as being his classmate. Since Davis plays for North Carolina and Monroe plays for Georgetown. Unless they went to highschool together, which I have no knowledge of.

Anyway, we could do worse than Monroe, thats for sure. I've been hesitant to jump on his bandwagon because of how he played last year. But this year he seems to be getting better with every game. The main factor is that his rebounding has improved, and his interior play has improved. Both things that turned me off to him last year. I'm still not ready to fly his flag yet, but I have to admit that so far this year I'm impressed with his play.
 
I'm assuming your talking about Monroe. I was a little confused when you mentioned Ed Davis as being his classmate. Since Davis plays for North Carolina and Monroe plays for Georgetown. Unless they went to highschool together, which I have no knowledge of.

Anyway, we could do worse than Monroe, thats for sure. I've been hesitant to jump on his bandwagon because of how he played last year. But this year he seems to be getting better with every game. The main factor is that his rebounding has improved, and his interior play has improved. Both things that turned me off to him last year. I'm still not ready to fly his flag yet, but I have to admit that so far this year I'm impressed with his play.
Classmate like they're both sophomores. I edited up top to be more clear.

I was pretty much in the same boat. I didn't like him as a prospect last year and remained extremely skeptical to start this year. But I've seen him play 4-5 times this year every time he just seems better to me. Skilled, plays hard, plays smart, solid athlete with an NBA frame. The only big men I would 100% draft ahead of him at this point are Favors and Cousins. Aldrich, Davis and Monroe are basically interchangable for me at this point and clearly ahead of the next pack.

The measurements are key though. If he measures at 6'9" in socks I'm less interested. But if he's a 6'10"+ 245lb 19 year old with the frame and wingspan to boot then I will be waving his flag hard come draft day.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Classmate like they're both sophomores. I edited up top to be more clear.

I was pretty much in the same boat. I didn't like him as a prospect last year and remained extremely skeptical to start this year. But I've seen him play 4-5 times this year every time he just seems better to me. Skilled, plays hard, plays smart, solid athlete with an NBA frame. The only big men I would 100% draft ahead of him at this point are Favors and Cousins. Aldrich, Davis and Monroe are basically interchangable for me at this point and clearly ahead of the next pack.

The measurements are key though. If he measures at 6'9" in socks I'm less interested. But if he's a 6'10"+ 245lb 19 year old with the frame and wingspan to boot then I will be waving his flag hard come draft day.

I have him ranked ahead of Davis. And I know its impossible to tell on television how tall someone is, but you can do comparisons of who he's up against. To me, he looks taller than last year. He also looks as though he's carrying more weight, and I'm not saying that as a bad thing. One thing that I've been impressed with is how he runs the floor. He has good speed and I think he's going to show at the combine that he's a better athlete than some think. He's also suspossed to have a 7'3" wing span. Anyway, he's an interesting player with a lot of skills, thats showing more toughness this year. We'll see..
 
I have him ranked ahead of Davis. And I know its impossible to tell on television how tall someone is, but you can do comparisons of who he's up against. To me, he looks taller than last year. He also looks as though he's carrying more weight, and I'm not saying that as a bad thing. One thing that I've been impressed with is how he runs the floor. He has good speed and I think he's going to show at the combine that he's a better athlete than some think. He's also suspossed to have a 7'3" wing span. Anyway, he's an interesting player with a lot of skills, thats showing more toughness this year. We'll see..
That's pretty much what I've seen too.

Additionally, his main criticisms: The lack of toughness, the inconsistent motor, and the unwillingness to dominate a matchup...I haven't seen much that supports those. I'm not saying he gets after it like a taller Brockman, but he does seem to really play with a consistent effort and solid toughness. I think it just doesn't seem like he plays hard and tough because he's so smooth in his movements and isn't an explosive athlete.
 
I think Petrie will draft either Aminu or Ed Davis, simply because Petrie always reaches a little when he drafts.

Plus, he has an aversion to guys over 6'9.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Bajaden, I'm sure you've mentioned him before but what do you think of James Anderson?
Sorry, I've got company visiting so I haven't been on the computer for a while. Anderson is a very good shooter. Having said the he's not shooting as well this year as he has in the past in the games I've seen. He's a good athlete and a pretty good defender in my opinion. His weakness is his ability to create his own shot. He's just not a good ballhandler and can be a turnover machine with his passing. He is a scorer and has a variety of shots in his bag of tricks.

If he ever improves his ballhandling he would move up higher on the charts. He looks at the ball when he dribbles it, which doesn't work when your driving into traffic. Like Turner and Johnson he's a good rebounder for his position. He has terrific lateral movement and could become one of those guys that defends the other teams best wing. I like him, but don't see him going much higher 20th in the first round.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I think Petrie will draft either Aminu or Ed Davis, simply because Petrie always reaches a little when he drafts.

Plus, he has an aversion to guys over 6'9.
It all depends on where were picking. If we're in the top five I don't see Petrie taking either of those guys. If were picking in the 8, 9, or 10 range, its possible. I still take Monroe over Davis. And because of our current need, I'd take Davis or Monroe over Aminu. Aminu is a terrific athlete, but I'm still not sold on him being able to translate what he does to the NBA.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
I think Petrie will draft either Aminu or Ed Davis, simply because Petrie always reaches a little when he drafts.

Plus, he has an aversion to guys over 6'9.
Because only two of our last four first round picks were over 6'9", and the other two were a PG and a SF? Man, you gotta try a little harder than that.
 
Because only two of our last four first round picks were over 6'9", and the other two were a PG and a SF? Man, you gotta try a little harder than that.
All I'm saying is that Petrie is prone to drafting guys that are similar to himself:

Guard/Forwards with passing and shooting skills in between 6'4 and 6'9. 6'10 at the most.

His skill at drafting traditional big men (with traditional big men skills) is marginal at best.