and with the #1 pick in the 2009 NBA draft the Kings select...

Sptsjunkie · Nov 5, 2008

That's the one nice thing we have going. Petrie has nice, young players at all positions and most are versatile in what they can play. PG would be fantastic. However, we have solid enough young talent at every position that if Petrie sees a player who he feels is a franchise type player he can take him regardless of position.

chasen4r1 · Nov 5, 2008

I'm going to have to save my opinion on Derozan until after I've seen him play some college ball. During his highlight film, I couldn't get passed the fact that he was only playing against other high school players. His handle looked good in comparison to a high school guard, but looked considerably weak in comparison to a college guard, in my opinion.

Sptsjunkie · Nov 5, 2008

One and Done said:

I think it's too early to say that. There may not be a Shaq, LeBron, Oden pre-season consensus #1 in this draft. However, we will have no idea how good the top of the board will be until the end of the season. Last year was supposed to be weak and Rose is a potential superstar now (and Beasly is no slouch if he learns D).

Rubio looked very good against the Dream Team. Jrue could be a potential superstar, plays extremely well on both sides of the ball. Mullens has looked raw, but if he puts it together, 7 footers with his size, skill and athleticism are few and far between. Demar Rozen has gotten Kobe comparisons. Even though there is about a 1% chance he gets there, the comparisons are still made for a reason. And Jennings looks shaky in a pro league right now, but the learning experience could reap big benefits for him instead of dominating kids his age for a season.

Point is, every year there is no Shaq/LeBron people worry it will be a weak draft. 90% of the time, it turns out to be very strong at least at the top.

BawLa · Nov 5, 2008

Our biggest needs are

-Passing PG
-Defensive PF/C

So I will be watching Jennings and Thabeet the closest.

Gary · Nov 5, 2008

in re: to Mullens I think it was the reason Koufos came out this year. No way Koufos would have got a lot of PT with Mullens even if they played side by side.

I am really wanting to see how well Mullens does though. Jrue Holiday as well.

Sptsjunkie · Nov 5, 2008

Gary said:

Jrue really intrigues me. I probably know a bit more about him than the other guys, because I went to UCLA and follow our guys a bit more. However, he can shoot, score, distribute and plays great D (something he should improve further under Howland). I think it remains to be seen is he can be a true distributer/creator or more of a combo/scoring guard. Even if it is the latter, he will still be more of a playmaker than a Ben Gordon type. More Dwayne Wade-esque. If he can set up teammates well enough, I would not mind getting him and havin a lineup with Holiday, KMart, Garcia/Greene, Thompson, Hawes. With Beno, Brown, Garcia/Greene, Williams and Rockets #1 pick coming off the bench. In theory Miller and Salmons factor in too, although they may not be around by next season.

That's not a bad, young lineup. The two biggest weaknesses are no shot blocking big man and SF if Greene does not progress. Both of those can be filled rather easiliy since the big body would not have to start and SF is one of the easiest positions to fill.

RiffRaff · Nov 5, 2008

Thats another thing, what are they doing with Greene? I hope they develope him and not just trade him away

NME · Nov 5, 2008

Sptsjunkie said:

Hawes already looks to be good for two blocks per game. Only a few guys in the league do much better than that. I would think JT will average better than one per game given starter's minutes.

Sptsjunkie · Nov 5, 2008

NME said:

He has blocked some shots, but I would not call him a "shotblocker." He can block some shots inside, but he cannot control the paint. I also think he is blocking more shots right now because players are underrating his shot blocking ability, but as they catch on his averages will go down. I think we still need a big body, shot blocker we could bring off the bench who could help to control the paint.

Spike · Nov 5, 2008

Sptsjunkie said:

If they "catch on", doesn't that mean that he's doing a better job of controlling the paint? If teams learn not to go at him because he's blocking shots, then it's mission accomplished.

Sptsjunkie · Nov 5, 2008

Spike said:

Partially agree; however, part of catching on means just not taking it up directly into the player. The same thing happened with Biedrens when he first started getting minutes with the Warriors. He had a full month where he blocked over 2 shots a game because players were challenging him directly. Once players were smarter about shooting around him, his blocks decreased; however, he had limited enough range that he could not "control the paint" and cover for mistakes by the Warriors guards. Right now players are challenging Hawes and he is proving to be more athletic and fluid than he looks. However, he does not have the athleticism, hops or range of motion that even a Keon Clark had. I think we need a good weakside shotblocker who can cover for our guards gambling.

NME · Nov 5, 2008

Could be. Clearly, there's no confusing Spencer with Mutombo, but he and JT both have a lot to learn on the defensive side and it will be a while before we know what they're capable of.

Of course, we can always fall back on the Thabeet Gambit (TM)!

SacKings7 · Nov 5, 2008

With a top 3 pick, you have to go with the best player available, or the one with the best chance of becoming a star (at least IMO). I haven't familiarized myself with the entire draft class yet, but I really like Blake Griffin. If not Griffin, then Rubio.

Gary · Nov 5, 2008

Sptsjunkie said:

ditto.. While Hawes has shown improvement on the D and Blocks I wouldn't call him a shot block specialist or a D specialist either..

But since it's time for Kings BBall I'm out.

oaklandking · Nov 5, 2008

its 4 games into the season

Vlade4GM · Nov 5, 2008

bajaden said:

It's just a "for fun" list. Thing about Rubio is that he had wrist surgery and is going to be out for a few months, will give him less time to work on his shot and the rest of his game before the draft. His stock might not be high enough come draft time and he might skip next year. We'll know plenty of information on them by the time the draft rolls around though. Jrue Holiday I'm going to be keeping a close eye on. I think he can play the point for us.

Vlade4GM · Nov 5, 2008

One and Done said:

Tough to say right now who #1 could be, even the top 3. So much can change with a full season of college/euroball.

What is certain is that this is a pretty weak class...Kings picked the wrong year to suck, huh? I've been following these guys, here's my opinions...again, alot can change between now and the draft:

Barring injury, I have a feeling that Blake Griffin may go #1...questions to be answered: is he tall enough? 6-9 listing in college is usually 6-7 at the NBA pre-draft combine. how are his knees? how much will he improve this season?

BJ Mullens hasn't been impressive in a lot of camps recently, but still has plenty of upside. His big problem, besides being raw, is his motor and consistency. If he puts up DeAndre Jordan stats this year, expect him to stay another year.

Jennings has not performed well in Europe, his weak jumpshot and finishing skills have reflected a poor FG%. Low assist #'s too. Kinda disappointing, but maybe he'll improve later in the season.

DeRozan is promising...I'll be watching him this year. Athletic, tough, scoring mentality. But if we draft him, where does that leave Kevin Martin?

There's been good buzz about UCLA's Jrue Holiday...keep an eye on him.

I hope Thabeet improves this year, especially on his man-to-man defense and rebounding...or else he'll be nothing more than a roleplayer at best.

As of right now, I'm liking DeRozan, Holiday, Griffin...and remain intrigued on how Thabeet & Mullens improve this season.

I think DeRozan and Martin could definitely play together. I just don't see DeRozan as a guy who you can really rely on in clutch situations, more Vince Carter than Paul Pierce. That's just right now though, obviously a lot can change in a year.

Sptsjunkie · Nov 6, 2008

Vlade4GM said:

I don't mean this the wrong way, but what is it that give you that impression? I mean he's a high school senior. Did his high school team choke in big games? Does he not have the speed, athleticism, etc. to create his own shot against a good defender? It is something about his personality? I am just interested in what gives you that impression.

Dime Dropper · Nov 6, 2008

One and Done said:

I bet this comes as a shock to those who think it's easy to dominate in Europe. It's extremely hard to stand out in Europe (even though individually not as good as NBA, it's more of a team game and harder to be a typical "star"), which is what Rubio has been doing for 3 years. I do like Jennings talent and I do think he will be better suited to the NBA than Euro ball, but I take Ricky over him every day of the week.

And again, BIG on Tyreke Evans. Really think he can be a star.

Warhawk · Nov 6, 2008

oaklandking said:

I know, but these draft guys never listen to reason. They will be starting draft threads for 2024 pretty soon.....

I think it is an addiction, and they need a 12-step program.

Sptsjunkie · Nov 6, 2008

Warhawk said:

Normally I would agree about it being too early to talk draft. However, this is the first year we could really have a top pick. there is no doubt that barring a major trade, our ceiling is probably about 35 wins and our basement is about 15. I imagine we will be following potential top picks a lot more this year than normal. It would be much harder and much more fruitless to start talking about potential #12 picks at this point of the year.

Dime Dropper · Nov 6, 2008

Warhawk said:

Nothing wrong with it to be fair. It's harmless and it's fun to talk about up and coming college players, regardless of whether they'll ever end up playing for us or not.

Warhawk · Nov 6, 2008

Dime Dropper said:

I just get tired of us being a handful of games into the season and y'all are debating who we will be getting with the 6th (or whatever) pick in the draft next summer. Really, I do. Like anyone knows exacly which teams over- and under-acheive, how our record will end up this year, how the balls will get picked on draft night, how many college players will come out for the draft, which ones will be injured this year and which won't, and after the trade deadline, what our and other teams in the league will even look like and what our needs are. And then you start talking about next year!

Can't you at least wait until the all-star break or trade deadline so your discussions might be even possibly somewhat informed, and not just some wild-a** guesses pulled out from your behind?

Maybe this is just my pet peeve over-reaction to some here who propose at one point or another that we get every signle flipping potential draftee because in the last game they saw had a monster dunk or something, and then the next week stinks because their new "can't miss" prospect blocked his shot in the next game.

I wish I had your free time and energy to watch all these players and spend on such things.

Sorry, I feel better now. Carry on. From now on I'll try to ignore the inane blathering anout guys I've never heard of (and many will never make an impact in the NBA) and just look for posts that don't meet forum guidelines.

Dime Dropper · Nov 6, 2008

Warhawk said:

Dude, anger management!

I'm not one of the guys who does all that, I just like to watch young talent (I get to watch college games and NO NBA games so I watch as much college as I can) and talk about it. There's just as much inane blathering in the main forums, I guess that's just how message boards are.

Anyway, I don't think this thing should be bothering you as much as it is. Relax, it's nothing serious.

Warhawk · Nov 6, 2008

Dime Dropper said:

No worries, just a pet peeve.

I guess I come here for the "fun" of the Kings, not the "fun" of pouring over college players that may or may not be drafted in the next 5 years. That just seems, well, boring and fruitless, when the season is only 5 games old.

=LarryLegend= · Nov 6, 2008

the draft threads are good when the team can win a game on the road, keeps fans busy. draft threads are alot more healthy than fire a good coach thread. I like talking about college basketball too.

upinsmoke · Nov 9, 2008

BawLa said:

bullseye!

bajaden · Nov 9, 2008

NME said:

You just won't let go of that GAMBIT will you?

Spike · Nov 10, 2008

[cajun]
Oh ho! Thabeet! Oh ho!
[/cajun]

Henkel · Nov 12, 2008

Assuming we land a good draft pick i foresee a couple problems with taking a big at the top of the draft. This team is in desperate need of another competent ball handler. We are rebounding the ball better while turnovers and a lack of play making are obviously our biggest weakness on the offensive end. Also by drafting a big in the top 5 one of our three bigs would be forced into a lesser role. It's nice to have a great big rotation but not when there is such a glaring need for a play maker. This draft should have some great talent but isn't very deep and point guards go almost as quickly as big men so unless a big separates him self from the pack and we have the number one pick i hope we take the best point guard/combo guard available. This is of course assuming that the draft has a pg worth taking with a high pick, which i believe is going to be the case.

Lots speculating here, which i suspect Warhawk will enjoy...

and with the #1 pick in the 2009 NBA draft the Kings select...

Starter

Starter

Starter

Starter

All-Star

Starter

Prospect

Starter

Starter

Subsidiary Intermediary

Starter

Starter

Starter

All-Star

G-League

All-Star

All-Star

Starter

All-Star

Give blood and save a life!

Starter

All-Star

Give blood and save a life!

All-Star

Give blood and save a life!

Starter

All-Star

Hall of Famer

Subsidiary Intermediary

Starter