It's early, but anybody have a draft wish list yet?

[Telemachus]

I have four players I really like, and two of them I have liked for a few years now.

These aren't necessarily the guys I would take at #1, but these are guys that could all be in our range come draft time (7-14).

Michael Gilchrist - One of the best competitors I've seen in a long time. He's so good because he really wants it more than everyone else. So fun to watch, and has a game I can easily see translating into the NBA.

John Henson - Henson has been a favorite of mine for 2 years now. He was really raw, and still is raw, but unlike so many other freak athletes who get drafted on potential alone he has actually gotten better. Like, tangibly better. Better in ways you can see when you watch him that also show up in the stat sheet. He is an absolute monster athlete and shot-blocker, and quite honestly just about a perfect fit next to DeMarcus Cousins. He's at the top of my Kings wishlist right now.

Kendall Marshall - If this ball movement problem we have doesn't figure itself out by seasons end, Kendall Marshall is a guy we could bring in and change that problem right away. Far and away my favorite PG in this years draft. I wouldn't call him a 'flashy' passer like Ricky Rubio, but he is so smart and can read a defense so well .... I'm going to be very jealous of whichever team drafts him.

Austin Rivers - Rivers reminds me of the version of Harrison Barnes we saw last season. Super huge prospect with a ton of pressure on him but hasn't been able to live up to it thus far. I still think he has superstar potential though, and if he's there when we pick ... damn, it would be hard to pass him up. The problem is he is just a terrible fit on this roster right now, so while I like him, it would be hard to justify drafting him if the roster stays the way it is right now.

My ideal scenario is somehow drafting both Marshall and Henson. I don't know how we'd do it ... If Marshall is there around 14 or so I'd try and swing Jimmer to a team for him. I suppose you could also try and swing Hickson (with his bird rights) and Honeycutt for a pick in that range as well.

I'm just saying, if you can inject Kendall Marshall and John Henson into this lineup with Cousins and Evans ... Those are the exact type of role players you want on the floor with your two stars.

So far I really like Gilchrist. His only weakness is his outside shooting, but is good at getting to the basket, handling the ball, and a very good passer. Of course, his best attribute is his defense and rebounding. As hard as he competes and wants to win, I just don't see him not getting better at shooting the ball.

I agree with you about Henson. Last year, he was pretty much an athletic guy who could rebound, block shots, and score on stuff around the basket. It has surprised me how much his post game has improved in one year. He still needs to get a little bigger and stronger, but don't see him having much of a problem translating his skills to the NBA. He still needs to work on his offense, but should be a good defensive player right away.

The only question about Marshall will be how well he can defend other PGs in the NBA. No one can question his passing ability. I would like to see him be a little more aggressive looking for his own offense, but think that will come.

I haven't watched Rivers enough to really form much of an opinion. It is obvious that he has a lot of talent, but I want to see more.

My favorite is defenitely Anothony Davis, but don't think the Kings will have any shot at getting him.

 

[bajaden]

Because I don't have a TV right now and am unable to watch college games, I'm going to totally rely upon bajaden. When I get a TV for March Madness I'll then contradict him on everything he says...

It wouldn't be the same without you! What happened to your TV? I've got an extra one you can borrow. Bring a friend to get it though, its a 36" dinosour, and it weighs a ton. I watched 5 college games yesterday and I'm recording 4 today. Looking forward to Duke/Virgina..

 

[bajaden]

I have four players I really like, and two of them I have liked for a few years now.

These aren't necessarily the guys I would take at #1, but these are guys that could all be in our range come draft time (7-14).

Michael Gilchrist - One of the best competitors I've seen in a long time. He's so good because he really wants it more than everyone else. So fun to watch, and has a game I can easily see translating into the NBA.

John Henson - Henson has been a favorite of mine for 2 years now. He was really raw, and still is raw, but unlike so many other freak athletes who get drafted on potential alone he has actually gotten better. Like, tangibly better. Better in ways you can see when you watch him that also show up in the stat sheet. He is an absolute monster athlete and shot-blocker, and quite honestly just about a perfect fit next to DeMarcus Cousins. He's at the top of my Kings wishlist right now.

Kendall Marshall - If this ball movement problem we have doesn't figure itself out by seasons end, Kendall Marshall is a guy we could bring in and change that problem right away. Far and away my favorite PG in this years draft. I wouldn't call him a 'flashy' passer like Ricky Rubio, but he is so smart and can read a defense so well .... I'm going to be very jealous of whichever team drafts him.

Austin Rivers - Rivers reminds me of the version of Harrison Barnes we saw last season. Super huge prospect with a ton of pressure on him but hasn't been able to live up to it thus far. I still think he has superstar potential though, and if he's there when we pick ... damn, it would be hard to pass him up. The problem is he is just a terrible fit on this roster right now, so while I like him, it would be hard to justify drafting him if the roster stays the way it is right now.

My ideal scenario is somehow drafting both Marshall and Henson. I don't know how we'd do it ... If Marshall is there around 14 or so I'd try and swing Jimmer to a team for him. I suppose you could also try and swing Hickson (with his bird rights) and Honeycutt for a pick in that range as well.

I'm just saying, if you can inject Kendall Marshall and John Henson into this lineup with Cousins and Evans ... Those are the exact type of role players you want on the floor with your two stars.

You know how I feel about Gilchrist. Until this year I wasn't that hot on Henson, but this season he's impressed me. He's definitely a top 10 player. He's added some muscle and his offensive game has improved.

Marshall is the best pure PG in the entire draft. The only knock on him is his lack of athleticism. Personally, I don't care. He is the heart and soul of that North Carolina team. Terrific court vision and a very creative passer. He can hit the open shot, but seldom shoots the ball. He's Rubio without the flash.

Rivers is a very talented player. But, so far I'm not sold on him. Don't get me wrong, he's definitely NBA material. There's just a little too much (Me) in his game. He picked the right school though, in Duke. If anyone can straighten him out its coach K.

As far as drafting a defensive player next to Cousins. My first choice is Davis. But Henson is a nice fallback option.

 

[cuad]

Wait a minute. What's so special about a smaller, shorter and skinnier Hassan Whiteside?

 

[Dime Dropper]

Wait a minute. What's so special about a smaller, shorter and skinnier Hassan Whiteside?

I'll assume you're talking about Henson. And he's better in every category than Whiteside. You can't teach what's between the ears. I'm not giving up on Hassan yet, but I'm starting to doubt whether he has the correct attitude/smarts to succeed. Henson certainly does, but my worry with him is weight/strength.

 

[gunks]

Super competitive, crazy motor, strong defender who plays a position of need for us?

Gilchrist please.

Edit: or if we REALLY luck out and get a top 2 pick, Anthony Davis. I didnt realize the dude can play the 3(!). We would have an INSANELY tall team with him at SF.

 

[Uk kings fan]

How many draft picks do we have this year is it one, two or three??

 

[UK_King]

2 unless we fall outside the top 13 in which case it goes to Cleveland, i believe.

 

[Uk kings fan]

so we need to make the playoffs or we get two??

who's pick did we get for IT this year

 

[TTown Kings]

Man, I just can't get on board with the Henson thing. I like my 7 footers to weigh more than 125 lbs.

 

[cuad]

What do you think of Meyers Leonard?

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Man, I just can't get on board with the Henson thing. I like my 7 footers to weigh more than 125 lbs.

From Draft Express
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/John-Henson-5236/

His frame is still skinny, however, and despite almost three years of weight training and conditioning, he only weighs around 220-pounds.This is a tremendous development considering he weighed just 183-pounds as an incoming freshman, but he still has a lot of work to do before proving that he's strong enough for the NBA post.

Sure, he's still skinny, but at least he's trending in the right direction in every single statistical category AS WELL as improving his frame to deal with NBA bigs. He's clearly a worker.

I really like him.

 

[Gilles]

What do you think of Meyers Leonard?

Very interesting prospect. Has physical tools to be a two-way player and improved a lot after playing for under19 team this summer. Pretty advanced post game. At this stage more of an offensive player with defense and rebounding to work on. But again made huge improvements to his game over this summer. Right now I would say more athletic Roy Hibbert.

 

[bajaden]

If we get a high pick, trade it. Enough of this getting young talent. We keep doing that, we'll still be looking at the draft for help as Reke walks, and then Cousins. Time to push towards postseason basketball, not waiting a couple years on developing young talent. Also highly doubt a top 5 pick in this draft will like the idea of coming in and taking a back seat to Cousins, Reke and Thornton.

The better the draft, and this will be a good one, and the higher the pick, the more we can get in a trade. I AM NOT looking at the draft as an opportunity to get another 19 or 20 yr old, not that anyone cares what I think. But no! Trade the damn pick.

Bad idea! The very thought makes me want to vomit. This is the best and the deepest draft in the last 10 or 15 years, and you want to trade away a possible superstar. We got Tyreke through the draft and we got Cousins through the draft. And they are the future of this team. There is no way I trade away Anthony Davis, Drummond, Gilchrist, Henson, Barnes, and I could go on. If you want a veteran player, then go sign one in freeagency, or trade someone off the roster for one. But don't trade away a potential star that could be part of the team for years to come. There are at least 6 players, if not more, that would have been the 1st pick in the draft last year. Now thats just my opinion, but its a fairly well informed one.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

The better the draft, and this will be a good one, and the higher the pick, the more we can get in a trade. I AM NOT looking at the draft as an opportunity to get another 19 or 20 yr old, not that anyone cares what I think. But no! Trade the damn pick.

Right now I think we can't trade the pick, due to the "Stepien Rule". Since the Hickson trade has a conditional pick going to Cleveland, and we can't trade away picks in consecutive years, I think we have to make the pick. Of course, the rule covers future picks, which may mean that once it's a "present pick" (i.e. on draft day) we may be able to trade it, or technically, trade the draft rights of whoever we draft.

 

[bajaden]

Very interesting prospect. Has physical tools to be a two-way player and improved a lot after playing for under19 team this summer. Pretty advanced post game. At this stage more of an offensive player with defense and rebounding to work on. But again made huge improvements to his game over this summer. Right now I would say more athletic Roy Hibbert.

He's definitely more athletic than Hibbert and he's showing some nice skills, including blocking some shots. My gut tells me he stays in school for at least another year. But he's getting his chance to shine this year and he's taking advantage.

 

[bluntsnbball]

Mike Kidd-Gilchrist had a nice game this morning. I just love the intensity and the passion he plays with. Maybe thats only because Salmons has those sleepy eyes and never looks like he gives a s***, but Gilchrist had 17 points and 11 boards today. 2nd leading scorer on a stacked team like that is no easy task.

 

[bajaden]

Right now I think we can't trade the pick, due to the "Stepien Rule". Since the Hickson trade has a conditional pick going to Cleveland, and we can't trade away picks in consecutive years, I think we have to make the pick. Of course, the rule covers future picks, which may mean that once it's a "present pick" (i.e. on draft day) we may be able to trade it, or technically, trade the draft rights of whoever we draft.

Not sure Capt, because yes, once we know we have the pick, then one could assume we could trade it, But what we don't know is whether we'll have our pick the following year. So if we were to trade the pick, and then lose our pick the next year because we made the playoffs, then we would be violating the two years in a row rule. So until the floating pick is resolved, I don't think we can trade a first round pick.

 

[Uk kings fan]

just wondering when is the draft and what time is it ususaly (is it all day thing or just a few hours)

 

[Vlade4GM]

I really like Sullinger. I think Barnes is painfully overrated.

 

[Vlade4GM]

just wondering when is the draft and what time is it ususaly (is it all day thing or just a few hours)

I think it usually starts at 5 pacific, but I'm not sure. It'll go on for about 4 hours.

 

[Glenn]

just wondering when is the draft and what time is it ususaly (is it all day thing or just a few hours)

http://espn.go.com/nba/draft

There are only two players to be picked in the first round and second rounds. Trades frequently are made on draft day. The first day of drafting is usually very exciting. Teams can be made or broken by the proper pick and as it is sometime difficult to project how a 19 year old will play against real men, honest mistakes can be made by the teams' front offices.

The concept of "rebuild" will be thrown around by people who have varying degrees of understanding of what a rebuild is. Intuitively, the term means a team has been good and then by injury, old age, etc. have lost the skilled players to fight for championships and need to rebuild. For some teams based on the large size of the city and the amount of money they have available a rebuild is easy. They can attaract free agents easily. We cannot.

The Kings have essentially only one way to reacquire a good team and that is via the draft.

The Kings cannot attract free agents of any quality as seen by our inability to sign Dalembert and AK47. A trade seldom advances a team. That leaves the draft. The future stars of the NBA are acquired in the draft yet they are seldom able to contribute much until they mature. We are going through this part of the rebuild by acquiring Tyreke and Cousins. They were high draft picks and you have to suck as a team to have the opportunity to draft a potentially great player.

It is NOT intuitive to want to have years where the team is awful but in the rebuilding process, you DO want years where the team is awful. We are in that phase and perhaps this next draft will be our last year with a high pick. (I HOPE!!!) There are several college players who might have been picked high last year yet did not "declare" for the draft so could not be drafted. They will be available this year. A top 10 pick this year may very well result in a starter quality player. In my view, usually only a top 5 pick can contribute as a starter and often maybe only one of the top 3. This year is very different.

So, as it seems we cannot attract free agents, we need to have another bad year and I think if we have at the best one of the worst 10 teams, we may be able to get a starter. That's my guess and I will differ to the real experts in college basketball as I never watch it.

This is probably more than you wanted to know but it may make this year less painfull to watch if you realize the worse we do, the better player we will get to pick in the draft.

 

[bajaden]

I think it usually starts at 5 pacific, but I'm not sure. It'll go on for about 4 hours.

Just to add to this info. The draft is usually held toward the end of June. Around the 23rd after the playoffs. And unless they've changed it up, its a one day afair with two rounds. There has been some talk of adding a third round to give teams a chance to take possesion of the rights of more players with the advent of the developmental league.

It wasn't that many years ago when the draft had 5 rounds, and lasted two days.

 

[bluntsnbball]

i like sullinger too, but i just don't know how mobile we would be with Cousins and Sullinger playing together. We have been developing a bit of a fast break style this season and we would definitely have to play a more half court style offense with those two, which i don't think would benefit tyrke too much.

No Glenn, you are right, we are not attractive to free agents right now. But, if we can get a new stadium going and get Tyreke and Cousins playing up to their potential this season, then i think we will start to look a lot more attractive. Unfortunately those two aspects both remain to be seen at this point

 

[Vlade4GM]

He's not a good fit, but I think he could end up being a top 3 player in this draft. Lamb is also someone I really like, but is not a good fit. Gilchrist and Henson are two that I like that are good fits.

 

[gunks]

After last nights game, this is now my favorite thread.

Only a matter of time before the title gets changed to the now annual "...And with the 1st pick of the NBA draft the Kings select..."


...(which will then lead to annual disappointment as we fall as low as possible).

 

[KevinSalvadori]

Nihad Djedovic- a sleeper. Reminds me of a young Kukoc, with slightly more passing ability and less rebounds. Could be had in later rounds.

 

[Uk kings fan]

this might sound stupid but what happend if a player doesnt like his draft team...

and the timing good because i think i can watch the first few hours... do they talk alot before the draft or just during it

 

[One and Done]

I think with a team this bad, and the lack of development in our youngsters, no one and no position should be safe.

Equally, I've been saying this for years - to successfully rebuild with the draft being your main channel, you've got to be a hell of a lot more aggressive, creative, (and including this year's questionable draft-day trade) smart than the Kings organization has been. As was cited as a model rebuild by both the Kings and other organizations/fans alike, the Portland and OKC rebuilding model is ideal for a struggling franchise. However, whereas both teams were more aggressive in trades, pick acquisitions, and had owners that weren't broke, the Kings have merely taken what the system has given them and finally made a trade this year that, so far, hasn't looked too smart. So with this little tangent in mind, I truly believe that the Kings should leverage their assets to acquire two top-five picks...or at least two lottery picks...with no one being safe.

Right now, it is early, but one of my favorite players to both watch and read about has been Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Why do I love this kid? Because he:

1.) Loves the game and loves winning
2.) Loves playing defense and is good at it
3.) Contributes in every area and scores efficiently
4.) Continues to have upside coupled with a strong work ethic

The kid definitely has his weaknesses - he's not a great scorer, his jumpshot is improving but not great, and he posts more turnovers than I'd like to see. But I truly think this kid will have great value as a top-8 pick and will be the key piece to a winning team for years to come (if he stays healthy).

I'm not so sure about the other blue chippers - I have serious doubts about Drummond... he's got all the qualities of - as Simmons calls - a "athlete who happens to play basketball". He's wildly inconsistent, he doesn't love the game nor does he have ideal work ethic... I think he'll have a place in the league for years, but unless he lands in the perfect scenario, he'll never reach his Stoudemire-like potential.

I like Anthony Davis a lot, but he's got to put weight on and develop some resemblance of an offensive game. As it stands now, he's got a ways to go to be a first-year impact player in the NBA - unless he puts on weight, he'll be ineffective in the post in both offense and rebounding, and with his lack of range, he'll be ineffective on offense once his skinny frame is pushed outside the paint. However, he seems like a good kid who understands team ball, and I think with a few years time (and no injuries) he'll round out to be a great player. But again, his weight and offensive skill need a lot of development...

Harrison Barnes has been really disappointing. I was following this kid since '06...he just didn't live up to the hype. While he's improved this year, he remains extremely one-dimensional, which is never something you want to risk upon a top-five pick. As I've said with most one-dimensional players like Barnes coming out of college - what happens if he can't shoot in the NBA? Utterly disappointing because Barnes was a fantastic passer and rebounder at the HS level.

So as it stands now...I'd draft the following players: Davis, Sullinger, Robinson and Gilchrist.

 

[AleksandarN]

this might sound stupid but what happend if a player doesnt like his draft team...

and the timing good because i think i can watch the first few hours... do they talk alot before the draft or just during it