2014 Draft Prospects:

[miltonap]

Just give me Cauley-Stein and I'm happy. An interior defender/defensive anchor is the King's biggest need. Honestly it would make a huge difference. Yea I think Aaron Gordon might be a good energy guy but I think it's time that the Kings try to look at fixing the holes on the roster.

 

[bajaden]

I don't think that's the case - the Wolves didn't bring Rubio over right away and he was picked way up at #5. The nice thing about the second round pick is that there's no predetermined salary scale, and the low salary at the end of the first round often seems to scare away foreign players who are already making more in Europe, etc. But first round picks don't need to come over right away. That said, I don't think that it's the best idea for the Kings to stash this pick.

I think what your saying is correct if the player wants to voluntarily stay over in europe and play. But if the player is more than willing to sign for the rookie scale, I don't think the team can refuse to sign him. Of course if there's a big buy out, or his current team won't allow a buy out, then that's a different story. Anyway, typically when players are stashed, it's usually done with a second round pick.

 

[Gilles]

Team doesn't have to sign anyone. If a player really want to come over right now, but team that drafted him doesn't, all he can do is press his agent to find another team with assets, who likes him. NBA teams lose rights to drafted players, only if they don't play pro basketball for 1 season. Most NBA ready guys from Europe are earning salary comparable to what they would be making in NBA. That's why Pekovic was #31: he had buyout issues at the time of the draft, and it was understood, that by the time he would be ready to come over Pekovic would make much more in Europe, than the salary of a pick in the 20s would offer. 2nd round picks are indeed more preferable as it doesn't lock players into fixed salary scale. However in current CBA this rule was modified, and now in three years after the draft teams can ignore rookie scale for first-rounders, and offer players any amount of money they have available for any free agent, as long as it's more than respective rookie scale. That's why it's now possible for Bulls to lure Mirotic from Spain (he was drafted in 2011). Still if you draft&stash a player with first-rounder, and he becomes really good in two years, you'll likely have to wait another to get him.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I think Gordon is better than Trob, I'll give him that.

They both had sort of the same pedigree at this point in their careers, though. Great athlete, tad undersized, yadda yadda yadda. However, I think Gordon has a much, much better head on his shoulders, and that means everything. Robinson never had an honest view of himself. I remember during the combine he was talking about how hes the best player in the draft. He should go #1, etc. I just feel like he thinks hes better than he is. He never understood his role(s) and he isn't a guy who wants to do the little things because he thinks he should be doing the big things.

Gordon, on the other hand, can be a fine role player. This isn't to say he doesn't want to be more than that, but I think he is much better at understanding who he is and what he's capable of, and on the flip side of that - what he needs to work on. I don't know if Robinson ever understood any of these things.

I think Gordon has one of, if not THE best mentality/mindset in this draft. I would have never said that about Robinson.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

I think what your saying is correct if the player wants to voluntarily stay over in europe and play. But if the player is more than willing to sign for the rookie scale, I don't think the team can refuse to sign him. Of course if there's a big buy out, or his current team won't allow a buy out, then that's a different story. Anyway, typically when players are stashed, it's usually done with a second round pick.

baja, portland drafted petteri koponen and stashed him overseas. he wanted to come over but portland didn't. to this day, he's still not in the nba.

 

[The_Jamal]

I'm really starting to convince myself on McDermott, if we miss out on the top guys and are picking in the 7 or 8 range. The guy is absolutely perfect to play off Cousins or a guard who commands attention like IT. He's got the flawless shot as a spot-up shooter or creating for himself, his TOV rate and efficiency is absolutely bonkers (good) for how high his USG is. I see him as someone who can come in to our team and understand right away that he's not going to be the #1 option he was at Creighton and fall into his role right away.

Most importantly, I think he's a guy who knows how to work to become a better player. His time at Creighton showed him adding improvements to his game each year. That's really important to me for a young player to have the drive to do. A lot of the one and done guys don't develop that work ethic until they get into the NBA for a few years, if they do at all. We've seen that progression and growth from McDermott throughout his career. He wasn't a one year wonder who's production all of a sudden exploded his senior year.

While his defensive potential is certainly limited, he's an extremely hard-worker on that end. There have been many plays this year where we saw his effort overcome any athleticism deficiencies. With a defensive coach like Malone, I don't see him having any issues fitting into a defensive system and being a liability.

I might be in the minority with him, but I also see our lack of floor spacing and lack of consistent role player production as big a hole as fixing our defense. Teams next season are going to start taking Boogie seriously. He's going to start taking even more punishment in the post and seeing more double teams every time he touches the ball. We need guys on the floor with him to keep defenses from just packing the paint.

 

[bajaden]

Team doesn't have to sign anyone. If a player really want to come over right now, but team that drafted him doesn't, all he can do is press his agent to find another team with assets, who likes him. NBA teams lose rights to drafted players, only if they don't play pro basketball for 1 season. Most NBA ready guys from Europe are earning salary comparable to what they would be making in NBA. That's why Pekovic was #31: he had buyout issues at the time of the draft, and it was understood, that by the time he would be ready to come over Pekovic would make much more in Europe, than the salary of a pick in the 20s would offer. 2nd round picks are indeed more preferable as it doesn't lock players into fixed salary scale. However in current CBA this rule was modified, and now in three years after the draft teams can ignore rookie scale for first-rounders, and offer players any amount of money they have available for any free agent, as long as it's more than respective rookie scale. That's why it's now possible for Bulls to lure Mirotic from Spain (he was drafted in 2011). Still if you draft&stash a player with first-rounder, and he becomes really good in two years, you'll likely have to wait another to get him.

My mistake. Where I went wrong was the part where if a player was playing for a professional team, the NBA team that drafted him would still retain his rights. I thought that if a player wanted to sign a contract, and the team that drafted him refused, then after a year they would lose his rights. But your right about the pro contract and retention of rights. In general though, most teams that stash international players do it with 2nd round picks. I don't think a team like the Kings can afford to use the 7th pick in the draft on a player that they have to wait a couple of years for. Of course they did it with Peja, so what the hell do I know?

 

[bajaden]

I'm really starting to convince myself on McDermott, if we miss out on the top guys and are picking in the 7 or 8 range. The guy is absolutely perfect to play off Cousins or a guard who commands attention like IT. He's got the flawless shot as a spot-up shooter or creating for himself, his TOV rate and efficiency is absolutely bonkers (good) for how high his USG is. I see him as someone who can come in to our team and understand right away that he's not going to be the #1 option he was at Creighton and fall into his role right away.

Most importantly, I think he's a guy who knows how to work to become a better player. His time at Creighton showed him adding improvements to his game each year. That's really important to me for a young player to have the drive to do. A lot of the one and done guys don't develop that work ethic until they get into the NBA for a few years, if they do at all. We've seen that progression and growth from McDermott throughout his career. He wasn't a one year wonder who's production all of a sudden exploded his senior year.

While his defensive potential is certainly limited, he's an extremely hard-worker on that end. There have been many plays this year where we saw his effort overcome any athleticism deficiencies. With a defensive coach like Malone, I don't see him having any issues fitting into a defensive system and being a liability.

I might be in the minority with him, but I also see our lack of floor spacing and lack of consistent role player production as big a hole as fixing our defense. Teams next season are going to start taking Boogie seriously. He's going to start taking even more punishment in the post and seeing more double teams every time he touches the ball. We need guys on the floor with him to keep defenses from just packing the paint.

I like McDermott a lot, but I have the same reservations everyone else does. How will he fare on the defensive end of the court. I agree that he certainly puts out the effort on the defensive end, and perhaps your right, that on a team that plays good team defense, he'll be fine. McDermott is also a very good post player. His ability to score at the basket makes him a little different from some of the other players that were noted for their outside shooting, like Mike Miller or Kyle Korver.

I'm torn, because I tend to lean toward skilled players over just athletic players. Of course if I can have both, great! Here's the thing. In general, players that have at least one above average skill that stands out, usually find a their nitch in the NBA. So McDermott's chances are pretty good. There are exceptions of course, but I'd bet more good athlete's without skills fail more than average athlete's with skills do.

 

[The_Jamal]

I like McDermott a lot, but I have the same reservations everyone else does. How will he fare on the defensive end of the court. I agree that he certainly puts out the effort on the defensive end, and perhaps your right, that on a team that plays good team defense, he'll be fine. McDermott is also a very good post player. His ability to score at the basket makes him a little different from some of the other players that were noted for their outside shooting, like Mike Miller or Kyle Korver.

I'm torn, because I tend to lean toward skilled players over just athletic players. Of course if I can have both, great! Here's the thing. In general, players that have at least one above average skill that stands out, usually find a their nitch in the NBA. So McDermott's chances are pretty good. There are exceptions of course, but I'd bet more good athlete's without skills fail more than average athlete's with skills do.

I think what really intrigues me most about McDermott is 1. the consistency of being an excellent college player. You don't get to be 5th all time in scoring in the NCAA without being so and 2. The added improvements he's made to his game while still in school. A lot of the one and done guys are drafted because of tools and their potential. Heck, outside of Parker, who fits both categories, I think the first 5-6 picks in this draft are being drafted because of what they can be in 3 years, as opposed to what sort of immediate impact they make. You hope they take their tools and develop a work ethic to become big time NBA players.

We don't have to worry about that with McDermott. We know he's willing to work on his game and is able to apply his work to in-game situations. And personally, I love the idea of bringing someone with that sort of work ethic and basketball smarts to surround Cousins with.

 

[bajaden]

I think what really intrigues me most about McDermott is 1. the consistency of being an excellent college player. You don't get to be 5th all time in scoring in the NCAA without being so and 2. The added improvements he's made to his game while still in school. A lot of the one and done guys are drafted because of tools and their potential. Heck, outside of Parker, who fits both categories, I think the first 5-6 picks in this draft are being drafted because of what they can be in 3 years, as opposed to what sort of immediate impact they make. You hope they take their tools and develop a work ethic to become big time NBA players.

We don't have to worry about that with McDermott. We know he's willing to work on his game and is able to apply his work to in-game situations. And personally, I love the idea of bringing someone with that sort of work ethic and basketball smarts to surround Cousins with.

Well, the idea of one and done is a subject we could spend hours on. I just read a good article by Rex Chapman on that very subject. He does a great job of breaking down how many players are successful as one and done players, and where they were taken in the draft. On average, your chance of getting a star outside of the top ten in any draft is slim. Your chance of getting a contributing player outside the top 20 is slim. Naturally there are exceptions, but on average your best chance is in the top twenty. And he was referring only to one and done players, not four year players like McDermott.. That doesn't mean you won't get a bust in that group, but your chances of getting a bust, or perhaps, an out of the NBA player, is better once you get out of the top 20.

That's why before we got into this highschool, and then one and done players, it was a lot easier to figure out who was and who wasn't going to make it in the NBA. As you said, when you draft a one and done player, your betting he'll develop into what you want him to be.. To give this some prespective. Think about this. If we were still under the old system, how much playing time would the Harrisons have gotten, along with Randle and Young, with Anthony Davis, Gilchrist, and Terrence Jones and company still there. They would have been coming off the bench fighting for minutes, and learning the game. They would have been practicing against those guys in practice. Not to mention the entire college game would be a lot more competitive. Competition breeds excellence. The tougher the competition you sharpen your skills against, the better player you'll be when you get to the NBA. Not only is the NBA suffering because of unready players entering, but college is suffering because it can't keep its talent for more than a year..

 

[N0tmyfault]

Just give me Cauley-Stein and I'm happy. An interior defender/defensive anchor is the King's biggest need. Honestly it would make a huge difference. Yea I think Aaron Gordon might be a good energy guy but I think it's time that the Kings try to look at fixing the holes on the roster.

Cauley-Stein is coming back to Kentuck for his senior year. Cross him off your draft list.

 

[LPKingsFan]

THIS is why I kept trying to rebut all the claims that the Kings could just get their shotblocker/interior defender in the draft. You never know.

 

[bajaden]

Cauley-Stein is coming back to Kentuck for his senior year. Cross him off your draft list.

Really sorry to hear that. I'd say there's always next year, but next year we might/should be in the playoffs and probably won't have a chance to draft him because we won't have a draft pick. Arrrrgh!!!!

 

[hrdboild]

Looks like it's Embiid or bust for defensive bigs this year. Vonleh and Capela could get there but they're long-term projects and probably a couple years away from becoming fixtures in an NBA rotation. Larry Sanders is sounding better and better though isn't he? Just me?

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Cauley-Stein is coming back to Kentuck for his senior year. Cross him off your draft list.

This will probably reduce the angst level on the board by 75% when we draft (insert non shot-blocker here).

 

[Big Cuz 15]

My mistake. Where I went wrong was the part where if a player was playing for a professional team, the NBA team that drafted him would still retain his rights. I thought that if a player wanted to sign a contract, and the team that drafted him refused, then after a year they would lose his rights. But your right about the pro contract and retention of rights. In general though, most teams that stash international players do it with 2nd round picks. I don't think a team like the Kings can afford to use the 7th pick in the draft on a player that they have to wait a couple of years for. Of course they did it with Peja, so what the hell do I know?

my understanding is, if you are drafted and do not play professionally for a year or maybe 2 then you are eligible to be drafted again. gotta look it up but its out there some where...

 

[Tetsujin]

my understanding is, if you are drafted and do not play professionally for a year or maybe 2 then you are eligible to be drafted again. gotta look it up but its out there some where...

I don't think that's correct. I mean, I'm pretty sure we still have Dejan Bodiroga's draft rights twenty years after we drafted him. Of course, he never really made an attempt to enter the NBA anyways

 

[Gilles]

my understanding is, if you are drafted and do not play professionally for a year or maybe 2 then you are eligible to be drafted again. gotta look it up but its out there some where...

It's one season.

I don't think that's correct. I mean, I'm pretty sure we still have Dejan Bodiroga's draft rights twenty years after we drafted him. Of course, he never really made an attempt to enter the NBA anyways

Bodiroga was the leader of Barcelona for years. I'm sure, he got some money out of it.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Very questionable decision by WCS from a basketball viewpoint, and obviously terrible for us. I would have been very happy with putting him next to Cousins. I think he was the best fit next to Cuz in the entire draft. Oh well. Be interesting to see how this one plays out. My guy feeling is still that we'll take Gordon, but hopefully not. Don't dislike him but like some others for us a lot more.

 

[Gilles]

Kentucky has a really overcrowded frontcourt. Dakari should declare.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Quite bummed out about WCS, and as Gilles noted, if Dakari sticks around as well it REALLY doesn't make sense. With Marcus Lee possibly getting in the mix, along with any other big recruits ... I just don't get it.

I'm all for players staying in school when they should, and if WCS wasn't on Kentucky I'd understand the move more, but that's just not the right school to spend more time than you have too at.

Harrell is also going back to school.

 

[Gilles]

If WCS wasn't reliable enough to keep starting place over Dakari, Lyles and Towns will certainly send him to the bench.

 

[Kingster]

I think what really intrigues me most about McDermott is 1. the consistency of being an excellent college player. You don't get to be 5th all time in scoring in the NCAA without being so and 2. The added improvements he's made to his game while still in school. A lot of the one and done guys are drafted because of tools and their potential. Heck, outside of Parker, who fits both categories, I think the first 5-6 picks in this draft are being drafted because of what they can be in 3 years, as opposed to what sort of immediate impact they make. You hope they take their tools and develop a work ethic to become big time NBA players.

We don't have to worry about that with McDermott. We know he's willing to work on his game and is able to apply his work to in-game situations. And personally, I love the idea of bringing someone with that sort of work ethic and basketball smarts to surround Cousins with.

That is one thing I'm going to keep my eye on in the Kings draft. They may want to go more for a finished product with a lower ceiling than a project with a higher one. I think Stauskas might fit into that category as well, and what intrigues me about Stauskas is that he's more versatile: he's a playmaker and a shooter. The Kings have said they want another playmaker.

Also, it's a tad premature because we don't know what draft slot the Kings are going to have, but if they do get 7, they could think about moving up in the draft. They almost did that last year with McLemore.

 

[Hallama]

I don't think that's correct. I mean, I'm pretty sure we still have Dejan Bodiroga's draft rights twenty years after we drafted him. Of course, he never really made an attempt to enter the NBA anyways

My understanding was the Kings released his rights at some point due to cap issues. Too bad, Bodiroga is one of my favorite basketball players of all time.

WCS - seriously a bad decision. Not that high on him anyway, but he's losing some money by staying.

 

[Sam0ah]

I hope the Kings are able to get Doug McDermott ,or Nik Stauskas if they don't get in the top three. High basketball IQ players will really help the culture of this team going forward. We don't need another project on this team. It seems Pete makes a living bringing projects like Dwill,J Cunningham,Ben Mac, R White etc..... Which I think was great for this year. But for next year its time to start winning and the Kings need more polished players with high basketball IQ to do this.

 

[bajaden]

Kentucky has a really overcrowded frontcourt. Dakari should declare.

I have no explanation. Kentucky has Trey Lyes, a 6'10" PF, and Karl Towns, a 7 foot center coming in. Both are top ten recruits. Someone isn't going to be happy. Johnson isn't ready for the NBA and I think it would be a huge mistake for him to declare. I don't think any of these guys has the skill to play the SF position. Not to mention, Alex Poythress might stay another year, and if so, he has that position sewed up. It would make more sense for the Harrisons to stay another year, especially Andrew. Kentucky has Tyler Ulis, a PG coming in, but he's only 5'9" and unproven. Too bad, Stein would have been a nice fit next to Cousins

 

[bajaden]

I hope the Kings are able to get Doug McDermott ,or Nik Stauskas if they don't get in the top three. High basketball IQ players will really help the culture of this team going forward. We don't need another project on this team. It seems Pete makes a living bringing projects like Dwill,J Cunningham,Ben Mac, R White etc..... Which I think was great for this year. But for next year its time to start winning and the Kings need more polished players with high basketball IQ to do this.

If I have to choose between McDermott and Stauskas, I'm leaning hard toward Stauskas. First, if Gay opt's in, the chance of McDermott getting many minutes is slim. Barring injuries of course. Stauskas is skilled enough to win some minutes away from McLemore, who basically had little competition after Thornton left. Also, Stauskas can play a little PG in the right situation. Not sure I'd want him bringing the ball up under pressure though. I guess what I'm saying is that Stauskas is more versatile. Whereas McDermott is pretty much locked into one position, SF. I also think that Stauskas is a better athlete than McDermott, and hopefully would be better on the defensive side of the ball. Until such time as were locked in at the 7th spot, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the lottery.

 

[Sam0ah]

If I have to choose between McDermott and Stauskas, I'm leaning hard toward Stauskas. First, if Gay opt's in, the chance of McDermott getting many minutes is slim. Barring injuries of course. Stauskas is skilled enough to win some minutes away from McLemore, who basically had little competition after Thornton left. Also, Stauskas can play a little PG in the right situation. Not sure I'd want him bringing the ball up under pressure though. I guess what I'm saying is that Stauskas is more versatile. Whereas McDermott is pretty much locked into one position, SF. I also think that Stauskas is a better athlete than McDermott, and hopefully would be better on the defensive side of the ball. Until such time as were locked in at the 7th spot, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the lottery.

I couldn't agree more. I really hope Pete doesn't think about trading the pick for some odd reason.

 

[Gilles]

I think what really intrigues me most about McDermott is 1. the consistency of being an excellent college player. You don't get to be 5th all time in scoring in the NCAA without being so and 2. The added improvements he's made to his game while still in school. A lot of the one and done guys are drafted because of tools and their potential. Heck, outside of Parker, who fits both categories, I think the first 5-6 picks in this draft are being drafted because of what they can be in 3 years, as opposed to what sort of immediate impact they make. You hope they take their tools and develop a work ethic to become big time NBA players.
We don't have to worry about that with McDermott. We know he's willing to work on his game and is able to apply his work to in-game situations. And personally, I love the idea of bringing someone with that sort of work ethic and basketball smarts to surround Cousins with.

As far as Parker's readiness is concerned check out this article: http://deanondraft.com/2014/04/11/jabari-parker-is-he-the-next-melo-fellow/.

 

[Glenn]

Very questionable decision by WCS from a basketball viewpoint, and obviously terrible for us. I would have been very happy with putting him next to Cousins. I think he was the best fit next to Cuz in the entire draft. Oh well. Be interesting to see how this one plays out. My guy feeling is still that we'll take Gordon, but hopefully not. Don't dislike him but like some others for us a lot more.

Kinda broke my heart, too. He is not a complete ball player but we don't need a complete ball player. He would create chaos around the rim and out to the perimeter. The fact he stayed in college may be a sign of maturity which doubly disappoints me.