Alright, we got the 8th pick, options...

[Folsomkingsfan]

I agree that Randle is more NBA ready, but he wouldn't make sense, as he occupies the same space that our cornerstone center would. I would look at a defensive player if possible, one who wouldn't need the ball to make an impact. If that means trading down, then I'd be OK with that.

That is my main concern with randle as well. I really like his game, but his shot isn't reliable enough. Most likely he will spend the majority of his minutes camping around the paint taking space away from cousins.

If you want a defender aaron Gordon is the way to go as he is clearly the best defender out of the bunch. If you want to trade down (which I am a fan of) elfrid Payton is the next best defender and is projected to anywhere from 12-20. We could always work something out with the magic, 76ers, or nuggets to acquire an additional asset as well as their pick.

 

[dude12]

I think the Kings are probably stuck in the muck with this pick. Unless they can make a deal for a young pro like a Schroder, they are probably going to pick McDermot for the simple reason that he should be able to immediately take the floor and shoot open shots and spread the floor for Cousins. He can run around screens to get open, and possibly he can do more than just that at the next level . His athletic tests came in higher than expected. Three to five-year can't shoot projects like Gordon and Smart aren't going to make Cuz happy. A legit 3 point shooter would, although when he plays D, and Cuz has to cover for him, Cuz might change his mind.

Another scenario, although lower probability, is that the Kings trade down. Say Smart is there at #8 and some team is salivating for him because he's so great, I'd trade the pick. Go for the bonanza with both Capela and LaVine. If you hit a home run with one, the draft is a whopping success. If not, you're probably not any worse off - the guy you would have taken is probably a future role player, or maybe out of the league entirely. But, as I said, that's low probability. The Kings want a guy who can play now. A senior shootist like McDermot probably fits their bill.

Couldn't disagree more with your post. Most guys who come out of the drafts don't shoot well in the beginning and your just assuming that McDermott will. Gordon is a tricky one to peg but he will be able to play defense....Smart can play defense and can contribute now and most teams or experts seem to have him as potentially high as 4 or 5.....but you want,us to take McDermott...I don't get it.

I'd rather sign proven vets who can make 3s in Morrow or Meeks or other such guy. I want proven shooters not another rookie who needs time to develop his outside game......defense from a rookie can play now though

 

[HereWeBoogie]

Randle strikes me as another tweener that will struggle against the NBA front courts

 

[kennadog]

So Tyler Ennis is a Canadian. That's a plus in my book.

 

[kingsboi]

I still can't hop on the draft Gordon wagon. He is a defensive minded guy coming out of that U of A program but he screams tweener to me and we drafted one two drafts ago and failed.

 

[roasthawg]

Couldn't disagree more with your post. Most guys who come out of the drafts don't shoot well in the beginning and your just assuming that McDermott will. Gordon is a tricky one to peg but he will be able to play defense....Smart can play defense and can contribute now and most teams or experts seem to have him as potentially high as 4 or 5.....but you want,us to take McDermott...I don't get it.

I'd rather sign proven vets who can make 3s in Morrow or Meeks or other such guy. I want proven shooters not another rookie who needs time to develop his outside game......defense from a rookie can play now though

McDermott is undersized and was historically bad at piling up defensive stats while in college... I'll pass on him as well. Agree on signing Morrow and drafting Gordon... would be estatic if both of those things happen!

 

[Gary]

Randle strikes me as another tweener that will struggle against the NBA front courts

6'9 in shoes at the combine. That's Kevin Love size. He's definitely not a tweener. He is a rebounding machine like Love, but not as gifted offensively.

But we are not talking about a 6'7 PF that weighs 225lbs who couldn't rebound in college. He's a solid 6'9 (like Randolph and Love) and 250lbs (if not more).

He's definitely NOT a tweener. He's the furthest thing from.

 

[Gary]

I still can't hop on the draft Gordon wagon. He is a defensive minded guy coming out of that U of A program but he screams tweener to me and we drafted one two drafts ago and failed.

Me neither. Gordon can defend but he's a 6'8 PF that weighs 220. He was a decent rebounder in college but because of his build I don't think it will translate. He's not a 3pt shooter so he couldn't move to SF. I don't think there would really be a decent position in the NBA for him and that's probably why he's in our draft range. He's a good player but people probably don't want to take a chance that he wouldn't have a position in the NBA.

McDermott is worse than Gordon when it comes to PF prospects. He doesn't have the size. He wouldn't be able to defend at SF either. He's too slow. So basically we're looking at another guy without a position... Pass.....


I don't want any players after #7. Seriously. There is really nobody that really stands out from the rest. After Parker, Wiggins, Randle, Smart, Embiid, Exum and Vonleh (who I am not terribly impressed with) there is basically nobody at the PF position that I like, and nobody that I would waste our pick on. There are a couple in the late teens that I would but we should trade down for them if we could. Maybe trade down and get a 2nd round pick or something.


Kyle Anderson, Capela (who I don't know much of anything about) and Rodney Hood are guys I would take a look at trading down for.

 

[KingMilz]

Kyle Anderson reminds me of a young Boris Diaw, Diaw was a killer point forward back in his leaner days in the Suns and still plays well. Honestly if Gay leaves and IT stays let Anderson play point forward and let IT be the 2nd scoring (assuming we can't get anyone better) option to Cousins. Having a pass first high IQ player who makes others better would not be the worst thing for this squad.

I do have concerns about his ability to defend but I think he's one guy that would help our chemistry out a lot and would give us the freedom to have either a gunner or playmaker @ PG. I would be all for trading down to get him if we can get something out of the deal.

Anderson might never blow you away with his stats but similar to current Diaw his impact on winning is undeniable and eventually when he adds bulk he could go to the post when Cousins is in foul trouble or having a spell and give us another playmaker out of the post as well.

Also aside from LeBron which other SF at 6'8 with great passing ability could feed the ball better into Cousins in the post than Kyle Anderson?

 

[roasthawg]

Me neither. Gordon can defend but he's a 6'8 PF that weighs 220. He was a decent rebounder in college but because of his build I don't think it will translate. He's not a 3pt shooter so he couldn't move to SF. I don't think there would really be a decent position in the NBA for him and that's probably why he's in our draft range. He's a good player but people probably don't want to take a chance that he wouldn't have a position in the NBA.

Chandler Parsons says hi. Shooting is one skill that can definitely be improved upon once you get to the nba.

 

[twslam07]

I really hope the Kings don't draft Gordon. I don't want a non-shotblocking PF next to Cousins, and I don't want a small PF next to Cousins. Gordon happens to be both of those things.

If we were to take Gordon, I would pray that the 18 year old is not done growing...

 

[pshn80]

I really hope the Kings don't draft Gordon. I don't want a non-shotblocking PF next to Cousins, and I don't want a small PF next to Cousins. Gordon happens to be both of those things.

If we were to take Gordon, I would pray that the 18 year old is not done growing...

One observation: I don't believe we can draft at 8 a player that can start next season next to Cuz. So the starter at PF next year needs to be JT whom we have or someone we don't have. Does anyone agree with this?

 

[randymoss1881]

More Paytonr love.


Would the Kings possibly move back in the draft to select Elfrid Payton?

Chad Ford
(1:44 PM)
If they do, they shouldn't move back very far. Payton was terrific in a workout for them and the NBA teams that have gone to see him workout in Thousand Oaks have been impressed as well. He has great size, athleticism, defensive ability. He's a jump shot away. If Marcus Smart was off the board, I think he'd be a great choice at 8. However, I think the Kings, like the Lakers, would prefer a young veteran that can help them in their drive to the playoffs this year.

 

[twslam07]

One observation: I don't believe we can draft at 8 a player that can start next season next to Cuz. So the starter at PF next year needs to be JT whom we have or someone we don't have. Does anyone agree with this?

I think the expectation of drafting someone at 8 is that they should become a starting level talent in the NBA. I didn't necessarily mean Gordon would start right away, but I don't want to take a flyer on a PF that doesn't have the skills to be a good compliment to Cousins down the road.

We need to start bringing in players who fit. The more we try to acquire talent without any regard to fit, the longer it will take our team to start developing chemistry and click. If we keep bringing in ill-fitting players, we'll continue to be a frustrating team to play for and watch.

 

[hrdboild]

It's probably time to give up on the idea of trading down. It's too much of a gamble. I have big question marks about a lot of prospects in this particular draft, so I'd feel better just taking the best balance of upside and team fit we can get and forget about trying to game the draft for max value. Aaron Gordon or Elfrid Payton are solid picks at #8. Both guys have a lot to work on but their age and athleticism and commitment to defense are all big pluses. One or both of them should still be there.

I don't really like Smart or Vonleh -- I can see both of them really struggling early in their careers. Supposedly Boston wants Gordon and might take him at #6. I wonder if they would consider trading down 2 spots if Exum is still on the board. It would be tough to pass on Julius Randle if he falls to 8, he might not be a star but he should certainly be a solid starter. He's such a bad fit for us though, and considering how Thomas Robinson worked out, I'd probably pass on Randle for either Gordon or Payton. There's a decent chance I'd regret it but I'm beyond tired of seeing a group of mismatched "assets" masquerading as a basketball team.

 

[dude12]

One observation: I don't believe we can draft at 8 a player that can start next season next to Cuz. So the starter at PF next year needs to be JT whom we have or someone we don't have. Does anyone agree with this?

No...the starter needs to be Evans....I expect JT to be gone

 

[Gary]

It's probably time to give up on the idea of trading down. It's too much of a gamble. I have big question marks about a lot of prospects in this particular draft, so I'd feel better just taking the best balance of upside and team fit we can get and forget about trying to game the draft for max value. Aaron Gordon or Elfrid Payton are solid picks at #8. Both guys have a lot to work on but their age and athleticism and commitment to defense are all big pluses. One or both of them should still be there.

I don't really like Smart or Vonleh -- I can see both of them really struggling early in their careers. Supposedly Boston wants Gordon and might take him at #6. I wonder if they would consider trading down 2 spots if Exum is still on the board. It would be tough to pass on Julius Randle if he falls to 8, he might not be a star but he should certainly be a solid starter. He's such a bad fit for us though, and considering how Thomas Robinson worked out, I'd probably pass on Randle for either Gordon or Payton. There's a decent chance I'd regret it but I'm beyond tired of seeing a group of mismatched "assets" masquerading as a basketball team.

I cannot see the Kings drafting Gordon. I would even go out on a limb and say they are not interested.. We shall see though. The guy only has one thing we need which is defense. Not even sure if his D will translate because of his small size for a PF. Maybe a Darrell Arthur lite type player.

 

[biltalent]

I cannot see the Kings drafting Gordon. I would even go out on a limb and say they are not interested.. We shall see though. The guy only has one thing we need which is defense. Not even sure if his D will translate because of his small size for a PF. Maybe a Darrell Arthur lite type player.

I don't think they are not interested in Gordon. Why would they invite him for a private meeting then? I'm pretty sure they like his athleticism, his abilty to get points in the open floor and his pesonality as well

 

[Dime Dropper]

I cannot see the Kings drafting Gordon. I would even go out on a limb and say they are not interested.. We shall see though. The guy only has one thing we need which is defense. Not even sure if his D will translate because of his small size for a PF. Maybe a Darrell Arthur lite type player.

I don't particularly want Gordon but I disagree here. I actually think the FO does like him based on some previous reports and the fact that Mullin was at plenty of Arizona games. I wouldn't be surprised if we take him.

 

[Gary]

HOPEFULLY they aren't interested after his workout/meeting. We don't need another small PF. We have had too many of them in the last 10 years.

But yah, I forgot about the meeting so you two are right and I am wrong. I was hoping they wouldn't be the least bit interested and just go through the motions with him. Oh well.

 

[hrdboild]

Gordon is the right type of fit for us -- he's a great athlete, a competitor, hard-worker, and a versatile defender. The problem is he has no jumpshot and he's not big enough to guard NBA PFs in the post. Also he's not an elite shotblocker, more of a beyond-the-boxscore defensive talent. He'll have to get a lot better with his shot, but we don't actually need another skilled offensive threat in the front court anyway so much as a hustle guy who can finish open shots and D up. And Gordon is only 18 and grew an inch and a half in the last year. If he grows another inch he'll have great size for a PF and then there's the 39" vertical which makes up for his average wingspan. He wasn't at the top of my list at the end of the season and still isn't, but we're in a tough spot at #8 and I can see a lot of potential there with Gordon.

 

[miltonap]

Honestly I don't see the problem with Gordon being a tweener. Imo I would see the problem if he weren't a good defender but the notion goes that your position is what position you can guard. He can guard the two through the four.

As long as the rest of the lineup compliments each other well on offense, I don't see the problem.

Now, I'd rather trade down and snag Payton and Capela but if that doesn't work out and we grabbed Gordon I wouldn't complain.

If we do draft Gordon, however, I still think there's a need for a big that can block shots and semi spread the floor. I'd expect we'd get this person through a trade or by some other means

 

[dude12]

Not that anyone is right or wrong right now....speaking of the talent evaluators, but I see more speculation about Gordon that is positive with "tremendous upside" than I do saying he's not going to pan out.....but like I said, it's all opinions....it's a crap shoot.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Apparently Boston really like Gordon at 6. Would be surprised if they took him but it could work out good. Means Smart may fall to 8 if the Jazz don't take him, as LA may prefer whoever's left over from Vonleh/Randle. Maybe wishful thinking, though.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Apparently Boston really like Gordon at 6. Would be surprised if they took him but it could work out good. Means Smart may fall to 8 if the Jazz don't take him, as LA may prefer whoever's left over from Vonleh/Randle. Maybe wishful thinking, though.

I cannot see the Jazz taking Smart with Burke there. I think the only real options for Smart ahead of us is Orlando and LA, or a potential trade up, which looks somewhat likely this year in particular.

 

[Gary]

Honestly I don't see the problem with Gordon being a tweener. Imo I would see the problem if he weren't a good defender but the notion goes that your position is what position you can guard. He can guard the two through the four.

As long as the rest of the lineup compliments each other well on offense, I don't see the problem.

That's the problem though. He's used to guarding 6'6 - 6'8 PFs. in the PAC12. He might be good defensively there but he could struggle mightily against larger players. Then what would we have? An undersized PF who cant shoot or block shots and is average defensively. Too many questions with Gordon.

Also he doesn't really compliment any of our players (in my opinion). The perfect PF for us can block shots, rebound and defend. Gordon only really fills one of those three needs. I know he rebounded decently in college but I think it will be a lot tougher for him in the NBA and I can see his rebounds dropping to 5-6 a game.

 

[hrdboild]

That's the problem though. He's used to guarding 6'6 - 6'8 PFs. in the PAC12. He might be good defensively there but he could struggle mightily against larger players. Then what would we have? An undersized PF who cant shoot or block shots and is average defensively. Too many questions with Gordon.

Also he doesn't really compliment any of our players (in my opinion). The perfect PF for us can block shots, rebound and defend. Gordon only really fills one of those three needs. I know he rebounded decently in college but I think it will be a lot tougher for him in the NBA and I can see his rebounds dropping to 5-6 a game.

Eventually it just becomes an issue of not getting exactly what you want at #8. This is probably not where we fill the shot blocking big need, but that doesn't mean we can't pick up a solid player. A solid player for us would be someone athletic who can defend multiple positions. That allows for some lineup flexibility and perhaps an eventual bench role if we do find that perfect defensive compliment to Cousins down the road. If you're shooting for the moon at the #8 pick, you're most likely going to pick a bust. Who can we get that has the best probability of improving our team and becoming a valuable rotation guy for a long time? That's what we're looking for if we keep the pick and in that respect I feel good about Gordon or Payton and I don't feel good about Smart or Vonleh.

 

[KingsCitizen]

I think there is a situation that would allow us to draft Randle without worrying about him not able to play with DMC down low.
Draft Randle to be supersub bench player, big man that can produce down low. Supposed to be Landry's role I believe but the man never showed up last season.

That would mean JT and Landry needs to be moved, in which I would be ecstatic considering the weight of their contracts on team flexibility.
But while at it, I feel drafting that Nurkic kid, the euro DMC, would make more sense if we are gonna go for a super sub big.

We trade down for 2 picks, which would be Payton and Nurkic, while unloading one or both Landry and JT in the process.
That would be my dream draft night scenario.

 

[KingMilz]

I think there is a situation that would allow us to draft Randle without worrying about him not able to play with DMC down low.
Draft Randle to be supersub bench player, big man that can produce down low. Supposed to be Landry's role I believe but the man never showed up last season.
.

When 90% of the team is made up of subs than it's time to start trading/drafting starters

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

I really hope we trade the pick