Prospect watch 2011

[Gary]

I like Charles Jenkins, but at Hofstra I didn't get to see him much at all. I saw only parts of a couple games. Seems kinda of slow for a PG prospect, and he's small. Kind of reminded me of a smaller version of Tyreke in a way. Maybe a mix between Thorton and Evans.. A budget version of those two. Not sure where he would fit in as a King though. I would like to see us giving Thorton, and Evans a year to play together in the starting lineup and see what they can do before I start looking for replacements.

I would REALLY like to get a look at Jordan Hamilton. He's a spot up shooter, which is really what the Kings need at SF. We don't need a guy holding the ball and trying to create for himself. We need what Peja is to Dallas right now. someone that can come in and hit those spot up jumpers as a last resort, or that can camp out at 3pt land.

I would like to see if we could get Wes Johnson away from Minnesota. Doubt it would happen but Petrie should make the call and see what we could give up to get him.

 

[bajaden]

Jenkins showed PG potential this year, but again it's the classic argument...is this year an aberration, or is he really a late blooming PG? His first three years he was nearly turning the ball over as much as he was passing. And then this year he may have gotten it together. Yes he's unselfish, but I prefer to look at his overall body of work, and I'm not impressed. 43 players in this draft have a better body of work in the ballhandling/passing department than he does, if we were to look over the course of their careers. If he's really a late blooming PG, then obviously there's more to work with, but I can't really subscribe to that argument yet. But this year his passing does look mighty impressive.

As for Wright, I actually like him for us...especially if we were to lose Casspi. There's a real dearth of uppity athleticism on our team despite the youth, and Wright has that athletic factor working for him. Reminds me of Gerald Wallace back in the day, a little bit. Garcia and Greene are more the smooth long range shooting athletes, and Wright is the yang to their yin. There's use for that kind of guy on this team.

As for Jackson, I noted that as well...at the end I think he's a decent shooter. Not as good as the 40%+ he's putting up this year. But anyway he has a swath of skills, and I think that height+passing+rebounding combination will really help him, and he's NBA-ready. That's a lot of good stuff in my book, and he should succeed in some fashion.

I have to agree with you on Jenkins having his best year assist wise. Probably just me, but I worry less about PG skills being just one lucky year, than I do shooting percentage being just one lucky year. But I'll give you that one. As I said, I like Wright, its just that he has no outside shot at all, and to play SF He'll have to develop one thats at least respectable. I'd be more inclined to go after Singleton, except he's going to be a first round pick. The Gerald Wallace comparison is a good one though. Give me a guarantee he'll turn out as well and I'm on board.

 

[bajaden]

I like Charles Jenkins, but at Hofstra I didn't get to see him much at all. I saw only parts of a couple games. Seems kinda of slow for a PG prospect, and he's small. Kind of reminded me of a smaller version of Tyreke in a way. Maybe a mix between Thorton and Evans.. A budget version of those two. Not sure where he would fit in as a King though. I would like to see us giving Thorton, and Evans a year to play together in the starting lineup and see what they can do before I start looking for replacements.

I would REALLY like to get a look at Jordan Hamilton. He's a spot up shooter, which is really what the Kings need at SF. We don't need a guy holding the ball and trying to create for himself. We need what Peja is to Dallas right now. someone that can come in and hit those spot up jumpers as a last resort, or that can camp out at 3pt land.

I would like to see if we could get Wes Johnson away from Minnesota. Doubt it would happen but Petrie should make the call and see what we could give up to get him.

Hamilton is one of my favorites. And he's more than just a spot up shooter. He's very good at coming off screens and he's effective in the pick and roll. His shot is a little flat, but he makes the damm thing. Hamilton is an outstanding rebounder for a SF, and usually led the team in rebounds night after night despite playing with Tristan Thompson. He's an above average athlete and also has a very good post up game. After a disappointing freshman year, he really took a giant step forward this season. He handles the ball well enough for the position, and well enough at the college level at least to create his own shot.

His main weakness was a tendecy to dribble into traffic, leading to turnovers or forced shots. Defensively, he was very good at times. And other times he was just OK. He's certainly athletic enough to become a good defender, but time will tell. I think he has a lot of upside, and if chosen by the Kings, probably wouldn't be asked to contribute too much right away.

He can also play the SG position, but defensively, I think that will be a bigger adjustment. I probably saw Texas play, 20 to 25 times this year, so after a while you tend to get a little biased about some players.

 

[Kingster]

We've had five surefire lotto candidates pass on this draft (Barnes, Sullinger, Henson, Jones, Jones), which by my count is as many (if not more) surefire lotto players as have passed on the previous three drafts together (all of which were stronger drafts). Wy they would want to skip out on a weaker draft to enter one which is expected to be stronger seems curious. I'm not sure it's all about the lockout anymore - I think perhaps there are winds blowing suggesting that the NBA will succeed in forcing "two-and-done" through in the next CBA. If so, the 2012 draft will be decimated - and these five guys will have little competition for the top spot. I just wonder if that's the reasoning.

That might be a factor. The other would be that I just don't think those players were all that good. T. Jones would be the one exception out of that group. None of the other players impressed me, and even T. Jones is very raw offensively. Now if Irving, Williams, Knight or Kemba opted out, then that would be a different story.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I actually really like Hamilton too. Unfortunely he seems a little too far out of our range. But if we make no SF splash this offseason and traded down for him I'd be pretty happy. He just seems good at everthing. I'm actually not sure why mock drafts dont have him higher ... When your looking at our pick and see guys like Walker and Knight in that range, From a talent standpoint I dont see a huge gap between Hamilton, Knight, and Walker .. and we cleary need a guy like Hamilton more than those two guards. In between Knight/Walker and Hamilton is a load of international players, who could all be great, but they are clearly ranked higher than Hamilton because of potential ... I see no way those guys are better than Hamilton right now.

He's one of those guys where you'll watch him play ... you'll look at the tools he has, and you realize that if he becomes the best player in the draft you would'nt be shocked. I know I wouldnt be. I see way more bust potential in all the international players ahead of him and some of the college players like Leonard, Walker, and the Morris brothers who may not have NBA positions. Im fairly certain Hamilton will be a solid solid SF in this league for a long time, with the potential to get to allstar level.

 

[bajaden]

I actually really like Hamilton too. Unfortunely he seems a little too far out of our range. But if we make no SF splash this offseason and traded down for him I'd be pretty happy. He just seems good at everthing. I'm actually not sure why mock drafts dont have him higher ... When your looking at our pick and see guys like Walker and Knight in that range, From a talent standpoint I dont see a huge gap between Hamilton, Knight, and Walker .. and we cleary need a guy like Hamilton more than those two guards. In between Knight/Walker and Hamilton is a load of international players, who could all be great, but they are clearly ranked higher than Hamilton because of potential ... I see no way those guys are better than Hamilton right now.

He's one of those guys where you'll watch him play ... you'll look at the tools he has, and you realize that if he becomes the best player in the draft you would'nt be shocked. I know I wouldnt be. I see way more bust potential in all the international players ahead of him and some of the college players like Leonard, Walker, and the Morris brothers who may not have NBA positions. Im fairly certain Hamilton will be a solid solid SF in this league for a long time, with the potential to get to allstar level.

Yep, were in agreement on this one. I think you summed it up when you said he's good at almost everything. He's already a good outside shooter, and with more isolation in the NBA and much better shot slection, I think he could be very good in a couple of years, and possibly a star player down the road. A lot of folks forget that some of these guys are the top rated players coming out of highschool. Then they fizzle their freshman year, and everyone forgets about them. Thats exactly what happened to Hamilton. Terrible freshman year, and boom, he explodes his sophmore year.

What I liked about him, was that after his freshman year, he was so disappointed in himself that he went to his coach and asked for help. He spent the entire summer working on the things the was told to improve, and thus the good year he had. He's a smart kid with a good work ethic, and good basketball IQ, and I agree, that I don't see that big a gap between him and the others. At 6'7" he doesn't have idea height for a SF. But he plays much taller than his height, and doesn't shy away from physical play. I'd be just fine with picking him.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Hamilton might be available at #16 if we trade Casspi and our pick for Iguodala and Philly's pick

 

[bajaden]

Hamilton might be available at #16 if we trade Casspi and our pick for Iguodala and Philly's pick

Anything is possible, but my gut tells me that after the combine, and team workouts, your going to see Hamilton start climbing up the draft boards. When this kid is squared up with the ball, he's almost automatic. And he has a lightning quick release. As I stated, his biggest adjustment will be on the defensive side of the ball. Against SF's I think he'll be fine, but against some of the quicker SG's in the league, I think he could have some trouble.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Jordan Hamilton's NBA-ready, but I'm wondering a bit what will be his bread-and-butter in the NBA. He was a good college scorer but based on his two years at Texas I'm questioning whether his shooting is really that good as his career 37% suggests--I'm of the belief that it might not be that good in the NBA. He'll probably be worse offensively in the league than at college. His offensive construct is nothing to write about, but it isn't terrible either, and all in all I just think he's an OK NBA scorer--more scorer than shooter. He's also a decent rebounder for his height, so the idea is as a 6'7" 220 strength scorer with some rebounding, maybe like a Michael Finley type--given that he takes nearly half of his shots as threes, if he develops as a shooter there's hope he's JRich. His passing is very meh, and at SF standards, and I get the feeling that he can be better defensively--he invests his energy on offense and rarely fouls but makes very few defensive plays. He's NBA ready but my biggest concern is that lack of bread-and-butter if his scoring isn't above average in this league, as he's quite 1D largely in scoring. I think his range is 18-35 because of that.

Klay Thompson also signed an agent, and I've touched on what I thought were some shades of Tayshaun Prince in my last report--if he can convince scouts/teams the same, he'll be drafted high. His stock, like Reggie Jackson's, is rising rapidly after all the big guns have withdrawn from the draft, and he's a real sleeper in all of this. Thompson is an elite college scorer largely on his ability to shoot the ball, which is also lottery material; his offensive construct is nothing to write home about, but there's valid reason to be skeptical of his scoring: there's enough holes surrounding his offense that give him severe bust potential in this area. At the end, it might split the difference and he can be just an adequate scorer with very good shooting ability on offense. Thompson's ballhandling/passing is at SF standards and very nondescript, and his defense actually sports potential: he makes quite a few defensive plays at only 6'6" and doesn't foul too much as well, and that's reminiscent to Prince. The shooting and defense (3's and D combo) is a valuable thing in this league, and he does them at a good enough level I think it can overcome the concerns about the bust potential. He can go 15-33 in my book, depending on those concerns.

I've seen Chandler Parsons in some mocks, but while there's slight potential lurking beneath the surface, it's questionable whether he will achieve it. Parsons can really rebound the ball at 6'9" 200 lb, and also has very good ballhandling ability/court vision, although a large part of that might stem from his very poor offense--I think his jumper's very poor in particular. That offense might improve in the league because he actually attempts to shoot from deep and from slash, but there's equally holes in his game which might hold back the offense, as he does have bust potential. But at 6'9" he has that skeleton of a versatile player who can pass, rebound and optimize all areas of the floor, even if the first two don't hold up as well and the last one doesn't even hold up. He can go 25-45, 25 if GMs really believe in that skeleton, and 45 if they think he can't accomplish any of that goals set forth by that skeleton.

Steven Gray (Gonzaga) actually is underrated, particularly offensively, in my book--he's a pretty good shooter and can hit the three and draw fouls, so while that offense is mediocre at college it might look better in the NBA. At 6'5" 205 he's also on the upper end of the combo PG scale, so he can play PG in a pinch in the league as well. But there's quite a few kinks in his offense and bust potential, stemming from bad competition, a reason by Matt Bouldin, Adam Morrison, Blake Stepp, and other guards from Gonzaga haven't had success in the league in recent years. But if he can provide even a reasonable facsimile of an all-around offensive player with some passing and shooting on the side, it wouldn't be a stretch to call him maybe a worse shooting version of Jon Barry in the league. Gray is a bad rebounder and poor at making defensive plays, but again might be conserving his energy on offense as he doesn't really pressure that much on this end of the floor. There's also questions about Gray's commitment to basketball, as he's into a slew of other activities. He's certainly talented enough to at least get some glimpses in the league (at least training camp), but that could also knock down interest in him. He can be a 38-55 type pick.

 

[Gary]

Jordan Hamilton's NBA-ready, but I'm wondering a bit what will be his bread-and-butter in the NBA. He was a good college scorer but based on his two years at Texas I'm questioning whether his shooting is really that good as his career 37% suggests--I'm of the belief that it might not be that good in the NBA. He'll probably be worse offensively in the league than at college. His offensive construct is nothing to write about, but it isn't terrible either, and all in all I just think he's an OK NBA scorer--more scorer than shooter. He's also a decent rebounder for his height, so the idea is as a 6'7" 220 strength scorer with some rebounding, maybe like a Michael Finley type--given that he takes nearly half of his shots as threes, if he develops as a shooter there's hope he's JRich. His passing is very meh, and at SF standards, and I get the feeling that he can be better defensively--he invests his energy on offense and rarely fouls but makes very few defensive plays. He's NBA ready but my biggest concern is that lack of bread-and-butter if his scoring isn't above average in this league, as he's quite 1D largely in scoring. I think his range is 18-35 because of that.

Klay Thompson also signed an agent, and I've touched on what I thought were some shades of Tayshaun Prince in my last report--if he can convince scouts/teams the same, he'll be drafted high. His stock, like Reggie Jackson's, is rising rapidly after all the big guns have withdrawn from the draft, and he's a real sleeper in all of this. Thompson is an elite college scorer largely on his ability to shoot the ball, which is also lottery material; his offensive construct is nothing to write home about, but there's valid reason to be skeptical of his scoring: there's enough holes surrounding his offense that give him severe bust potential in this area. At the end, it might split the difference and he can be just an adequate scorer with very good shooting ability on offense. Thompson's ballhandling/passing is at SF standards and very nondescript, and his defense actually sports potential: he makes quite a few defensive plays at only 6'6" and doesn't foul too much as well, and that's reminiscent to Prince. The shooting and defense (3's and D combo) is a valuable thing in this league, and he does them at a good enough level I think it can overcome the concerns about the bust potential. He can go 15-33 in my book, depending on those concerns.

I've seen Chandler Parsons in some mocks, but while there's slight potential lurking beneath the surface, it's questionable whether he will achieve it. Parsons can really rebound the ball at 6'9" 200 lb, and also has very good ballhandling ability/court vision, although a large part of that might stem from his very poor offense--I think his jumper's very poor in particular. That offense might improve in the league because he actually attempts to shoot from deep and from slash, but there's equally holes in his game which might hold back the offense, as he does have bust potential. But at 6'9" he has that skeleton of a versatile player who can pass, rebound and optimize all areas of the floor, even if the first two don't hold up as well and the last one doesn't even hold up. He can go 25-45, 25 if GMs really believe in that skeleton, and 45 if they think he can't accomplish any of that goals set forth by that skeleton.

Steven Gray (Gonzaga) actually is underrated, particularly offensively, in my book--he's a pretty good shooter and can hit the three and draw fouls, so while that offense is mediocre at college it might look better in the NBA. At 6'5" 205 he's also on the upper end of the combo PG scale, so he can play PG in a pinch in the league as well. But there's quite a few kinks in his offense and bust potential, stemming from bad competition, a reason by Matt Bouldin, Adam Morrison, Blake Stepp, and other guards from Gonzaga haven't had success in the league in recent years. But if he can provide even a reasonable facsimile of an all-around offensive player with some passing and shooting on the side, it wouldn't be a stretch to call him maybe a worse shooting version of Jon Barry in the league. Gray is a bad rebounder and poor at making defensive plays, but again might be conserving his energy on offense as he doesn't really pressure that much on this end of the floor. There's also questions about Gray's commitment to basketball, as he's into a slew of other activities. He's certainly talented enough to at least get some glimpses in the league (at least training camp), but that could also knock down interest in him. He can be a 38-55 type pick.

Meh.. He's got a good form, and one of the quickest releases I have seen in some time. He's a perfect for for our team..

Basically what our SFs do right now is hold the ball and try to create for themselves or their teammates. They also try to drive to the lane. They don't spend most of their time camping and making the defense keep a guy out there on them. The D can collapse if they know they don't have to worry about a catch and shoot type player.

We need a player in our starting lineup that can keep the defense honest. I know you were a bit worried about his shooting % but the kid can shoot. He's got great form, and a quick release. He can practice and get it up to 38-42% in no time. I would liek to see him taking 5-7 shots from 3pt and maybe 1 or 2 from inside the 3pt line. That's the type of player Hamilton can be for us.

 

[Kingster]

Hamilton is one of my favorites. And he's more than just a spot up shooter. He's very good at coming off screens and he's effective in the pick and roll. His shot is a little flat, but he makes the damm thing. Hamilton is an outstanding rebounder for a SF, and usually led the team in rebounds night after night despite playing with Tristan Thompson. He's an above average athlete and also has a very good post up game. After a disappointing freshman year, he really took a giant step forward this season. He handles the ball well enough for the position, and well enough at the college level at least to create his own shot.

His main weakness was a tendecy to dribble into traffic, leading to turnovers or forced shots. Defensively, he was very good at times. And other times he was just OK. He's certainly athletic enough to become a good defender, but time will tell. I think he has a lot of upside, and if chosen by the Kings, probably wouldn't be asked to contribute too much right away.

He can also play the SG position, but defensively, I think that will be a bigger adjustment. I probably saw Texas play, 20 to 25 times this year, so after a while you tend to get a little biased about some players.

If the Kings end up out of the top 5, I can see them picking a guy like Hamilton, or Jimmer.

 

[Uncia03]

Since we all seem to be singing our love of Jordan Hamilton, I thought I'd chime in.

I watched him a lot this year. I actually really enjoyed watching Texas play, and my primary focus was on Hamilton.

As mentioned, he's got a very quick release, but his shot is very flat. I'd like to see him get a bit more arch on his shot, but he is a good shooter.

Through-out the year I was sort of comparing him with Barnes, and for about 75% of the season I thought that Hamilton was the better player. Barnes was horrendous early, but came on strong towards the end, and ultimately proved to me that he was the better prospect.

To be honest, I have Hamilton as the 2nd tier of prospects in this draft, and towards the end of the season, when it became obvious that the Kings were going to be really bad and have a very high pick, I sort of put it into my mind that Hamilton wasn't a player we would end up with, as it would be too much of a reach.


Putting all that aside, Hamilton has the ability to become a very good player, and I could actually see him in a starting role on this team if we don't solidify the SF spot through free-agency.

He's more athletic than most of the players on our team and he's a fantastic rebounder. He doesn't look as if he'd be that good of a rebounder, but he just has a knack of finding his way into good rebounding position on both the offensive and defensive end.

He's very good at coming off of screens and quickly pulling up for the jumpshot. In fact one of his favorite moves is to use a down-screen, come up to the 3pt line at the top of the key, receive the hand-off, then turn and pull-up for the 3pt shot.
Texas did this multiple times each game, and though the shot is flat, Hamilton had very good success with it.

Hamilton also likes dribbling down to the baseline, then pulling up for the 12-15ft jumper, and he has good success with that.

While watching Hamilton, I was trying to picture him playing the SG spot, and the biggest issue was whether or not he'd be able to play defense there.
I think that I felt he could, provided he wasn't matched up against players like Monte Ellis or Eric Gordon.
From a defensive stand-point he can absolutely play the SF position.

I think his biggest weakness is his decision-making off the dribble. He has a decent handle, but got himself into trouble dribbling into too much traffic, rather than pulling up for the jumpshot. He also had problems passing while dribbling in the lane, and though he tried it, it wasn't as successful as he'd like.
He does have a good pull-up jumpshot, and there were also some games where he was effective in posting up.

Another thing he liked to do a lot was throw an alley-oop pass to Tristan Thompson. He'd stand at the 3pt line (usually the left wing), and then throw the pass to Thompson for the jam. They always tried that at least once each game.
So though he isn't a passing dynamo, he has shown the ability to pass, though as mentioned earlier, he needs to work on his passing off the dribble.

I'm hesitant to say this, but the game he most reminds me of is Paul Pierce.
Now I'm not saying that he's going to be anywhere near as good as Paul Pierce. But something about his game reminds me of Pierce's.
He's deceptively athletic, he has a whole array of offensive moves, he has a good knack at getting to the spots he wants on the floor, and has a good pull-up, even in awkward positions.

When first looking at the potential draft, there were a whole host of players I would have picked before him, as I saw him as a 2nd tier prospect, who could end up being a very good player if everything came together. But now will all of these players pulling out, and Derrick Williams sky-rocketing up the board, he's now a more reasonable choice than I originally thought.

I would definitely take Williams, Irving, Knight, & Kanter over Hamilton at this point.
I put Hamilton in the next group with Faried, Fredette, Singleton, & Burks, and who of this second group I would choose would be completely dependant on what the organization's free-agency moves were going to look like. ( I don't want Walker on this team, and I haven't seen the International players play, so I can't comment on their ability or the pros/cons of drafting them)

With all the prospects who have pulled out, it really has leveled the playing field, and it is looking as if picks 5-15 are all closely packed, with decisions being about how a player is going to fit with a particular team concept.
So I wouldn't be too disappointed if we ended up with Jordan Hamilton, though I would prefer to end up with him due to some sort of trade or swapping of picks, rather than see him selected with the 5th pick in the draft.

 

[bajaden]

Since we all seem to be singing our love of Jordan Hamilton, I thought I'd chime in.

I watched him a lot this year. I actually really enjoyed watching Texas play, and my primary focus was on Hamilton.

As mentioned, he's got a very quick release, but his shot is very flat. I'd like to see him get a bit more arch on his shot, but he is a good shooter.

Through-out the year I was sort of comparing him with Barnes, and for about 75% of the season I thought that Hamilton was the better player. Barnes was horrendous early, but came on strong towards the end, and ultimately proved to me that he was the better prospect.

To be honest, I have Hamilton as the 2nd tier of prospects in this draft, and towards the end of the season, when it became obvious that the Kings were going to be really bad and have a very high pick, I sort of put it into my mind that Hamilton wasn't a player we would end up with, as it would be too much of a reach.


Putting all that aside, Hamilton has the ability to become a very good player, and I could actually see him in a starting role on this team if we don't solidify the SF spot through free-agency.

He's more athletic than most of the players on our team and he's a fantastic rebounder. He doesn't look as if he'd be that good of a rebounder, but he just has a knack of finding his way into good rebounding position on both the offensive and defensive end.

He's very good at coming off of screens and quickly pulling up for the jumpshot. In fact one of his favorite moves is to use a down-screen, come up to the 3pt line at the top of the key, receive the hand-off, then turn and pull-up for the 3pt shot.
Texas did this multiple times each game, and though the shot is flat, Hamilton had very good success with it.

Hamilton also likes dribbling down to the baseline, then pulling up for the 12-15ft jumper, and he has good success with that.

While watching Hamilton, I was trying to picture him playing the SG spot, and the biggest issue was whether or not he'd be able to play defense there.
I think that I felt he could, provided he wasn't matched up against players like Monte Ellis or Eric Gordon.
From a defensive stand-point he can absolutely play the SF position.

I think his biggest weakness is his decision-making off the dribble. He has a decent handle, but got himself into trouble dribbling into too much traffic, rather than pulling up for the jumpshot. He also had problems passing while dribbling in the lane, and though he tried it, it wasn't as successful as he'd like.
He does have a good pull-up jumpshot, and there were also some games where he was effective in posting up.

Another thing he liked to do a lot was throw an alley-oop pass to Tristan Thompson. He'd stand at the 3pt line (usually the left wing), and then throw the pass to Thompson for the jam. They always tried that at least once each game.
So though he isn't a passing dynamo, he has shown the ability to pass, though as mentioned earlier, he needs to work on his passing off the dribble.

I'm hesitant to say this, but the game he most reminds me of is Paul Pierce.
Now I'm not saying that he's going to be anywhere near as good as Paul Pierce. But something about his game reminds me of Pierce's.
He's deceptively athletic, he has a whole array of offensive moves, he has a good knack at getting to the spots he wants on the floor, and has a good pull-up, even in awkward positions.

When first looking at the potential draft, there were a whole host of players I would have picked before him, as I saw him as a 2nd tier prospect, who could end up being a very good player if everything came together. But now will all of these players pulling out, and Derrick Williams sky-rocketing up the board, he's now a more reasonable choice than I originally thought.

I would definitely take Williams, Irving, Knight, & Kanter over Hamilton at this point.
I put Hamilton in the next group with Faried, Fredette, Singleton, & Burks, and who of this second group I would choose would be completely dependant on what the organization's free-agency moves were going to look like. ( I don't want Walker on this team, and I haven't seen the International players play, so I can't comment on their ability or the pros/cons of drafting them)

With all the prospects who have pulled out, it really has leveled the playing field, and it is looking as if picks 5-15 are all closely packed, with decisions being about how a player is going to fit with a particular team concept.
So I wouldn't be too disappointed if we ended up with Jordan Hamilton, though I would prefer to end up with him due to some sort of trade or swapping of picks, rather than see him selected with the 5th pick in the draft.

Good analysis, and very similar to mine. What impressed me the most about Hamilton is that after his horrble freshman season, he took to heart everything his coach told him and really worked hard on his game. His poor shooting percentages his freshman year had nothing to do with his shooting ability, but with his choices on the floor. He really improved his shot selection, but more so, let the game come to him. When he got benched his freshman year for being too selfish on the floor, I think it woke him up.

Funny you should compare him to Paul Pierce, because thats exactly who he reminds me of as well. Once again, I'm not saying he's the next coming of Paul Pierce, but his game is very similar, and he has a similar body type. He's sneaky athletic, and like Pierce, he's a strong physical player thats not afraid to get in an mix it up. We both agree that his shot is too flat, but thats very correctable. And despite it, he shot close to 40% from beyond the arc for most of the year.

I admit to being biased with Hamilton. I followed him from highschool till now, and have seen him play as much, or more, than any other player out there thats not a senior. His ballhandling isn't bad, but improving it would make him even more dangerous. When I look at the draft at this point, I'm looking for two way players. When you start doing that, you really narrow the field. I can see Hamilton as a two way player, and he's not that far away from being that. There may be guys that end up being better offensively, and some guys better defensively. But to find a player thats good at both ends, has more overall value to a team than a guy thats only good at one end of the floor, even if he's better at that end.

 

[Vlade4GM]

If Irving, Williams, Kanter, and Biyombo are off the board, I think I like Burks and Leonard the most.

 

[bajaden]

If Irving, Williams, Kanter, and Biyombo are off the board, I think I like Burks and Leonard the most.

I like both Leonard, who I saw play a lot, and Burks. I just think Hamilton has more polish to his game at the moment than either of the two. I do think that both of them are slightly more athletic than Hamilton, expecially Burks. I still don't get the facination with Biyombo. We know nothing about the guy except he had a great game, in an all star game. As I've mentioned, Saer Sene did exactly the same thing and is now out of the league. I just don't think the Kings are in a postion to gamble with maybe's. But thats just me!

 

[bajaden]

With the combine coming up next week, draftexpress has released the list of those attending, and those not invited. Some like Harrelson of Kentucky, who refused to play in the Portsmouth invitational, may now regret it after not being invited to Chicago. Here's the link:

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/NBA-Draft-Combine-Participants-List-3700

 

[SacKings7]

I don't think Irving and Williams are a lock for #1 and #2 like everyone else do. I do agree that they are the best prospects in the draft by far, but with a big guy like Kanter on top of the draft boards, Irving or Williams could possibly slide to #3 depending on who drafts where. Or if Minnesota wins the lottery, they could possibly even slide to #4 . Then again, if #1 or #2 wants Kanter, they could just swap picks and pick up another asset..

EDIT: DX has Kanter at #8 now. Wasn't he higher before? Anybody know what's up with that?

 

[Vlade4GM]

I'm pretty sure that Irving is a lock to go #1.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I don't think Irving and Williams are a lock for #1 and #2 like everyone else do. I do agree that they are the best prospects in the draft by far, but with a big guy like Kanter on top of the draft boards, Irving or Williams could possibly slide to #3 depending on who drafts where. Or if Minnesota wins the lottery, they could possibly even slide to #4 . Then again, if #1 or #2 wants Kanter, they could just swap picks and pick up another asset..

EDIT: DX has Kanter at #8 now. Wasn't he higher before? Anybody know what's up with that?

I'm not certain, but DX did tweet that he may not be working out for anybody. Maybe they just meant competitive workouts, but either way, with no college games to watch, no competition in the last year, he could certainly slip a bit.

 

[Vlade4GM]

I like both Leonard, who I saw play a lot, and Burks. I just think Hamilton has more polish to his game at the moment than either of the two. I do think that both of them are slightly more athletic than Hamilton, expecially Burks. I still don't get the facination with Biyombo. We know nothing about the guy except he had a great game, in an all star game. As I've mentioned, Saer Sene did exactly the same thing and is now out of the league. I just don't think the Kings are in a postion to gamble with maybe's. But thats just me!

I just think that if Burks or Leonard add some shooting to their game, they can become very good players, and if they don't, I still think they add things of substance. Jordan Hamilton is too meh for me.

Well, I can read scouting reports from people who have seen him, and I can see that he has put up very good numbers in a very respected league. Sene did not do that.

I think the Kings are in a fine position to take a gamble. They already have a few good young core players (assuming Thornton is re-signed) and we're talking about a mid lottery pick in a seemingly weak to mediocre draft.

 

[bajaden]

I just think that if Burks or Leonard add some shooting to their game, they can become very good players, and if they don't, I still think they add things of substance. Jordan Hamilton is too meh for me.

Well, I can read scouting reports from people who have seen him, and I can see that he has put up very good numbers in a very respected league. Sene did not do that.

I think the Kings are in a fine position to take a gamble. They already have a few good young core players (assuming Thornton is re-signed) and we're talking about a mid lottery pick in a seemingly weak to mediocre draft.

I'm not saying we shouldn't draft Biyombo, I really know nothing about the guy other than the one game I watched. So I'll trust Petrie to make that judgement. Him making an educated judgement is one thing. But people who have never seen him play are willing to gamble on him. I'm sure he did play in a good league. But the failure rate for international players if fairly high, good league or not. But if Petrie decides he's the man, Thats good enough for me.

 

[bajaden]

I'm not certain, but DX did tweet that he may not be working out for anybody. Maybe they just meant competitive workouts, but either way, with no college games to watch, no competition in the last year, he could certainly slip a bit.

I think You've hit the nail on the head. Not playing last season, although he did practice with the Kentucky team, and then not going to any competitive workouts has probably moved him down the draft boards a bit. He'll get a physcial at the combine, and if he passes that with flying colors, I think you might see him start to rise again.

 

[Vlade4GM]

I don't think refraining from workouts would be a good play for Kanter. The marks against him are his lack of recent competitive play, and his knees. I don't think the mystery factor would go in his favor, I think it's what is holding his stock back from rising to the top 3 of this draft.

 

[bajaden]

I don't think refraining from workouts would be a good play for Kanter. The marks against him are his lack of recent competitive play, and his knees. I don't think the mystery factor would go in his favor, I think it's what is holding his stock back from rising to the top 3 of this draft.

I think the knee issue will get resolved one way or the other at the combine physical. It'll be interesting to see if he has any individual team workouts planned. I can't imagine he'd just totally deny teams the right to bring him in, and at least put him through some drills. I guess we'll see. At least we know his going to the combine. Well, at least we know he's been invited anyway.

 

[bajaden]

Kawhi Leonard, Jordan Hamilton, Alec Burks:

Three players that have been recently mentioned in regards to the Kings. All three were sophmores this last season, and all three are of similar height. After that, the differences become more pronounced. Personally, I'm looking at all three players from the prospective of the SF position. And, when you use that as the base for your judgement, you start to see each player differently.

Alec Burks: 6'6", 185 Lbs., 20.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 46.9% FGP, 29.2% 3PP. Burks may be the best athlete of the three. But it would be a close call between him and Leonard. As you can see, he's a poor outside shooter at 29%. He also has a slight build reflected by his 185 pounds. Its for this reason that I think he'd have problems playing the SF position in the NBA. He's already slightly undersized at 6'6", and lacks the strength of normal sized SF's. Burks handles the ball well, and is a very good passer. As a result, I see his future as a combo guard, very simlar to Doug Christie's role with the Kings. If in fact, thats what the Kings are looking for, then he'd be my choice of the three. He has the potential to be a lockdown defender at the next level, and the quickness and lateral movement, to guard both SG's and PG's. He does have a decent mid-range game, but too often passes up that shot to drive to the basket. Biggest weakness is his outside shot, and at times, poor shot selection.

Kawhi Leonard: 6'7", 225 Lbs, 15.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 44.0% FGP, 29.1% 3PP. The best way to describe Leonard, is to say he was to San Diego St. what Jimmer Fredette was to BYU. Without Leonard, San Diego St. wouldn't have even made the NCAA tournament. So he has those intangibles that are hard to explain or describe. He was the glue guy, and trust me, that has value. He was always the guy that made the big shot, or grabbed the big rebound etc., at just the moment it was needed. He's a terrific athlete, and is very strong with an NBA body. Like Burks, he's a poor outside shooter hitting only 29.1% of his 3 pt shots. Of course he's aware of this, and doesn't take many 3 pointers. Once again, he has the potential to be an outstanding defender at the next level due to his quickness, and in his case, terrific lateral movement. He's an effective scorer around the basket and in the key where he has a variety of shots. He's also a very good passer, and rebounder, who rebounds out of his area due to his agility and quickness. He has a lot of potential, and I believe he's just a good jumpshot away from being a star at the next level. Think Gerald Wallace with more basketball IQ at the same stage of his career.

Jordan Hamilton: 6'7", 220 Lbs, 18.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 44.0% FGP, 38.5% 3PP. Hamilton, like Leonard, is a strong player with an NBA body. And as you can see by his 38.5% 3 pt percentage, he's the best outside shooter of the three, and probably the most NBA ready to step in and contribute, from an offensive point of view. However, he's not limited to just shooting from the outside. He has a terrific baseline pull up shot that he uses when the defense cuts off the baseline. He uses a similar shot from within the key. He's not a bad finisher around the basket, a stat thats somewhat skewed by his forcing up shots that just aren't there. His biggest weakness is driving into traffic and then not having a shot, or a passing outlet. Thus the forced shot. He's not an elite ballhandler, but its not a weakness, and he's a good passer. He's a very good rebounder, collecting almost 8 boards a game, despite playing most of the time on the perimiter. He simply has a nose for the ball. I don't think he has the defensive potential of the other two, but I do think he can be a good defender at the next level. Athleticly, he's just a notch below the other two, but he's still a good athlete, and I think, quite capable of defending SF's in the NBA. His biggest strength is of course his outside shot, and his lightning quick release that is next to unblockable. He has a very good basketball IQ, and is excellent at using screens.

If the Kings are looking for a SF, then I think you have to elliminate Burks, who I just don't see at that position. Between Leonard and Hamilton, Leonard is your guy if you looking for the most long term potential. As I said, if he can develop an outside shot, he can be a star in this league. If your looking for someone that can come in and play now, and at both ends of the floor, and who still has upside, then Hamilton is your guy.

I like all three guys, and if we didn't have Thornton on the horizen, I would be more interested in Burks. I'm sure there are some GM's out there that see Burks as having the highest ceiling. They may be right. But at the moment, I don't see him as being the best fit.

 

[pshn80]

Thank you, baja, your presentation above on the three SF candidates is a good read for me and helpful in my big King decisions coming up.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog...spn.go.com/nba/blog?name=nba_draft&id=6534430


Chad Ford has been putting out some good stuff ( I know! Im shocked too! ) for the past few days. He has been in Vegas watching some players work out ..

I have a friend who goes to SDSU and he often texted me over the course of the basketball season about the Aztecs and Kawhi Leonard. So I watched some San Diego State games whenever I got the chance, and I was always impressed with Leonard as a college player. I loved his energy and he seemed like a real leader on the court .. but I didnt love him as an NBA player. I mean, I thought he could play in the NBA .. but I didnt feel like he was anything more than a bottom of the first round pick. I just though he was too big for a SF and didnt have the skill for that position, and at the PF he seemed to small.. super bouncy and super athleti.... but kind of a tweener.

Well, Ford has been writing about him for the past few days, and apparently he has spent a ton of time working on that jumper. Ford also says he a 'first to enter the gym, last to leave the gym' kind of guy, which is something you have to love in a player. He's got a great motor, and he is a very good athlete .. if he can just improve his skill set, like Ford is saying he is .. he wouldnt be a bad fit for this team at all.

And apparently, according to Ford Enes Kanter has been shooting the lights out, and has looked very, very good.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6540086

Heres a video to Ford's Kanter interview .. talks about wanting to play tough, wants to be able to play power forward so he is working on his face up game, and some other good stuff.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Personally, I really like Knight. He brings so much off the court as well as on it. All been well documented so no point repeating what's already known, but you have to love his IQ, intelligence and ferocious work ethic. As well as improving the team, I think he'd do wonders for the young kids' attitudes and morale.

Unfortunately I haven't seen much of Leonard, although I do like what I hear. Same goes for Burks. Seen Hamilton a decent amount of times and I like him, although I'd probably go with a guy like Kanter over him at this point; we'll see how workouts / combine unfolds.

 

[bajaden]

Personally, I really like Knight. He brings so much off the court as well as on it. All been well documented so no point repeating what's already known, but you have to love his IQ, intelligence and ferocious work ethic. As well as improving the team, I think he'd do wonders for the young kids' attitudes and morale.

Unfortunately I haven't seen much of Leonard, although I do like what I hear. Same goes for Burks. Seen Hamilton a decent amount of times and I like him, although I'd probably go with a guy like Kanter over him at this point; we'll see how workouts / combine unfolds.

I think I would go with Knight as well. But we could end up getting lucky in the lottery, or Knight could be gone by our pick if we don't get lucky. So I'm just refreshing myself and hopefully others as well to what the other possibilities might be. We'll have a better idea after next tuesday. My hope is that when they get to number 5, its not the Kings logo staring back at me.

By the way, for those that are in love with Biyombo, here's a quote from the Spurs, Popovich.



Q: As far as improving the roster, what are your offseason priorities? Younger and more athletic?

A: I feel good about this group, knowing full well if there’s a trade that makes us younger and more athletic, fine, but a lot of athletes can’t play basketball. Young and athletic has to come with some sort of a skill. Young and athletic is easy. I can go get five from the D-League who are young and athletic.

 

[bajaden]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog...spn.go.com/nba/blog?name=nba_draft&id=6534430


Chad Ford has been putting out some good stuff ( I know! Im shocked too! ) for the past few days. He has been in Vegas watching some players work out ..

I have a friend who goes to SDSU and he often texted me over the course of the basketball season about the Aztecs and Kawhi Leonard. So I watched some San Diego State games whenever I got the chance, and I was always impressed with Leonard as a college player. I loved his energy and he seemed like a real leader on the court .. but I didnt love him as an NBA player. I mean, I thought he could play in the NBA .. but I didnt feel like he was anything more than a bottom of the first round pick. I just though he was too big for a SF and didnt have the skill for that position, and at the PF he seemed to small.. super bouncy and super athleti.... but kind of a tweener.

Well, Ford has been writing about him for the past few days, and apparently he has spent a ton of time working on that jumper. Ford also says he a 'first to enter the gym, last to leave the gym' kind of guy, which is something you have to love in a player. He's got a great motor, and he is a very good athlete .. if he can just improve his skill set, like Ford is saying he is .. he wouldnt be a bad fit for this team at all.

And apparently, according to Ford Enes Kanter has been shooting the lights out, and has looked very, very good.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6540086

Heres a video to Ford's Kanter interview .. talks about wanting to play tough, wants to be able to play power forward so he is working on his face up game, and some other good stuff.

If Kanter has the ability to play PF, I think I would look at him in an entirely different light. There's no denying his talent. I've always felt that if you have two equally talented players and one is a big man and the other is a little man, then I take the big man. There just aren't a lot of skilled big men coming out of college. We were very fortunate to get one last year. There are exceptions to my rule of course. Such as when a once in a decade player like Derrick Rose comes along.

I have to admit. Kanter looked in great shape in that interview. The dude has huge biceps. If his knee's prove to be solid, I think we have to take a serious look at him.