http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14271606p-15082169c.html
Mirror, mirror -- what's the call?
Draft options are many for the Kings, who seek the fairest fit.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, June 25, 2006
There will be no swimsuits, no scripted dialogues about peace on earth or a panel of judges waiting to crown the next Miss America.
But make no mistake, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said, Wednesday's NBA draft is nothing short of a beauty contest.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Petrie said. "When you get to that day, you have to decide who's beautiful."
As always, Petrie isn't saying who might be named Mr. Sacramento. But in his preparation, he said the list of so-called contestants was even longer this year than last, when more than 40 players came for workouts. The Kings' No. 19 pick is their highest since selecting Hedo Turkoglu at No. 16 in 2000. They have no second-round pick.
Petrie isn't the only NBA executive who has gone to great lengths in his assessments. If there is a unique quality about this draft, it is the lack of a definitive hierarchy. Even the top-picking teams -- Toronto, Chicago, Charlotte, and Portland -- seem unsure who should be taken first.
"There's no obvious dominant-type player," Petrie said.
Petrie isn't quite sure yet how that will affect who's available later.
"You still have 18 teams picking in front of you," he said. "By Wednesday, you may have some decent sense of who's going where and who's left. There's always surprises in there."
Whatever the pick, this year's selection likely will be telling in shaping the Kings' future roster. If they select a point guard, it would be their fourth. Jason Hart, who exercised his $1.68 million player option for 2006-07, was unable to secure his spot as a reliable backup for Mike Bibby last season, when the duty often fell to rookie swingman Francisco García. Fellow rookie Ronnie Price consistently received high praise from the former coaching staff for his practice prowess and potential but remains unproven in games.
The two most likely point guards to come the Kings' way are Spain's Sergio Rodríguez and UCLA's Jordan Farmar. Petrie also has worked out Rutgers high-scoring point guard Quincy Douby, who likely will play shooting guard in the NBA and is expected to be available late in the first round.
Should Petrie opt for a power forward, it would also be the fourth. While the rotation of Kenny Thomas and Shareef Abdur-Rahim often was effective in the second half of last season, neither is content coming off the bench, and both are signed through 2010. What's more, Corliss Williamson is entering the final year of his contract and will earn $6.5 million, a hefty price for a player who was used in 37 games and averaged 9.8 minutes.
Among forwards who had Kings workouts was Cal's Leon Powe, whose agent, Aaron Goodwin, called him "the most versatile and strongest man in the draft."
"We'll try and do our best to get a player who can eventually contribute, sooner rather than later," Petrie said. "A lot of it depends on what happens, where we go with our roster going forward."
While the Kings' workouts seemed heavy on point guards, Petrie said that's not necessarily telling.
"There's nothing that's safe to say," he said. "We've had in a lot of players."
Or, considering Petrie has denied rumors about a trade involving Kings center Brad Miller and free-agent-to-be shooting guard Bonzi Wells for Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, he might look to add post depth to compensate for Miller's defensive weaknesses.
Connecticut's Hilton Armstrong -- a 6-foot-11, 240-pound player who could be long gone by No. 19 -- put his defensive and shot-blocking skills on display for Petrie at the Kings' practice facility in mid-May.
Senegalese 7-footer Mouhamed Saer Sene could be available. The 20-year-old is seen as a project, but he could develop quickly with his 7-8 wingspan, agility and ability to run the floor.
On paper, both appear more versatile than 10-year veteran Vitaly Potapenko, the little-used backup to Miller who has one year remaining on his deal for $3.3 million.
Out of necessity, Petrie has been handling the draft even more than in past years. The workouts began when Rick Adelman still was the coach and continued through the coaching search and eventual hiring of Eric Musselman.
And although Musselman has been on hand for workouts since coming to town, he said his input has been minimal. Nonetheless, he has watched tape and called college coaches regarding potential draft picks.
"I learned to put a high premium on watching guys on film playing in a real game and the value of talking to college coaches," Musselman said. "That comes from the minor leagues, where you don't go out and scout because you don't have the budget. … Surprisingly, I found that those guys are pretty doggone good.
"(But) the draft stuff is really Geoff. … I think we'll get a player that, in time, can help us, because the draft is fairly deep. I think we're talking about all positions, and the players who might be available."
In other words, the best-looking.
What's in a number?
Barring a trade, the Kings will pick 19th in Wednesday's NBA draft. Players drafted at No. 19 since 1990:
Year Player School Team Comment
'05 Hakim Warrick Syracuse Memphis Played 68 games in rookie season.
'04 Dorell Wright South Kent Prep (H.S.) Miami Has played 23 games in two seasons.
'03 Aleksandar Pavlovic (Serbia-Montenegro) Utah Spot starter for Cavs after trade.
'02 Ryan Humphrey Notre Dame Orlando Started once in 85 NBA games.
'01 Zach Randolph Michigan State Portland 14.4 ppg average in five seasons.
'00 Jamaal Magloire Kentucky Charlotte Started every '05-06 Bucks game.
'99 Quincy Lewis Minnesota Utah Out of NBA since December 2003.
'98 Pat Garrity Notre Dame Milwaukee 8.0 ppg average in eight seasons.
'97 Scot Pollard Kansas Detroit Rebound average 5.0; scoring 4.7.
'96 Walter McCarty Kentucky New York Has 5.2 ppg average in 10 seasons.
'95 Randolph Childress Georgia Tech Detroit Was out of NBA after two seasons.
'94 Tony Dumas Missouri-KC Dallas 7.3 ppg average in four seasons.
'93 Acie Earl Iowa Boston 5.1 ppg in five seasons.
'92 Don MacLean UCLA Detroit 11.1 ppg average in nine seasons.
'91 LaBradford Smith Louisville Washington 6.7 ppg average in three seasons.
'90 Dee Brown Jacksonville Boston 11.1 ppg in 13 seasons.
- Compiled by Vic Contreras
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Mirror, mirror -- what's the call?
Draft options are many for the Kings, who seek the fairest fit.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, June 25, 2006
There will be no swimsuits, no scripted dialogues about peace on earth or a panel of judges waiting to crown the next Miss America.
But make no mistake, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said, Wednesday's NBA draft is nothing short of a beauty contest.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Petrie said. "When you get to that day, you have to decide who's beautiful."
As always, Petrie isn't saying who might be named Mr. Sacramento. But in his preparation, he said the list of so-called contestants was even longer this year than last, when more than 40 players came for workouts. The Kings' No. 19 pick is their highest since selecting Hedo Turkoglu at No. 16 in 2000. They have no second-round pick.
Petrie isn't the only NBA executive who has gone to great lengths in his assessments. If there is a unique quality about this draft, it is the lack of a definitive hierarchy. Even the top-picking teams -- Toronto, Chicago, Charlotte, and Portland -- seem unsure who should be taken first.
"There's no obvious dominant-type player," Petrie said.
Petrie isn't quite sure yet how that will affect who's available later.
"You still have 18 teams picking in front of you," he said. "By Wednesday, you may have some decent sense of who's going where and who's left. There's always surprises in there."
Whatever the pick, this year's selection likely will be telling in shaping the Kings' future roster. If they select a point guard, it would be their fourth. Jason Hart, who exercised his $1.68 million player option for 2006-07, was unable to secure his spot as a reliable backup for Mike Bibby last season, when the duty often fell to rookie swingman Francisco García. Fellow rookie Ronnie Price consistently received high praise from the former coaching staff for his practice prowess and potential but remains unproven in games.
The two most likely point guards to come the Kings' way are Spain's Sergio Rodríguez and UCLA's Jordan Farmar. Petrie also has worked out Rutgers high-scoring point guard Quincy Douby, who likely will play shooting guard in the NBA and is expected to be available late in the first round.
Should Petrie opt for a power forward, it would also be the fourth. While the rotation of Kenny Thomas and Shareef Abdur-Rahim often was effective in the second half of last season, neither is content coming off the bench, and both are signed through 2010. What's more, Corliss Williamson is entering the final year of his contract and will earn $6.5 million, a hefty price for a player who was used in 37 games and averaged 9.8 minutes.
Among forwards who had Kings workouts was Cal's Leon Powe, whose agent, Aaron Goodwin, called him "the most versatile and strongest man in the draft."
"We'll try and do our best to get a player who can eventually contribute, sooner rather than later," Petrie said. "A lot of it depends on what happens, where we go with our roster going forward."
While the Kings' workouts seemed heavy on point guards, Petrie said that's not necessarily telling.
"There's nothing that's safe to say," he said. "We've had in a lot of players."
Or, considering Petrie has denied rumors about a trade involving Kings center Brad Miller and free-agent-to-be shooting guard Bonzi Wells for Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, he might look to add post depth to compensate for Miller's defensive weaknesses.
Connecticut's Hilton Armstrong -- a 6-foot-11, 240-pound player who could be long gone by No. 19 -- put his defensive and shot-blocking skills on display for Petrie at the Kings' practice facility in mid-May.
Senegalese 7-footer Mouhamed Saer Sene could be available. The 20-year-old is seen as a project, but he could develop quickly with his 7-8 wingspan, agility and ability to run the floor.
On paper, both appear more versatile than 10-year veteran Vitaly Potapenko, the little-used backup to Miller who has one year remaining on his deal for $3.3 million.
Out of necessity, Petrie has been handling the draft even more than in past years. The workouts began when Rick Adelman still was the coach and continued through the coaching search and eventual hiring of Eric Musselman.
And although Musselman has been on hand for workouts since coming to town, he said his input has been minimal. Nonetheless, he has watched tape and called college coaches regarding potential draft picks.
"I learned to put a high premium on watching guys on film playing in a real game and the value of talking to college coaches," Musselman said. "That comes from the minor leagues, where you don't go out and scout because you don't have the budget. … Surprisingly, I found that those guys are pretty doggone good.
"(But) the draft stuff is really Geoff. … I think we'll get a player that, in time, can help us, because the draft is fairly deep. I think we're talking about all positions, and the players who might be available."
In other words, the best-looking.
What's in a number?
Barring a trade, the Kings will pick 19th in Wednesday's NBA draft. Players drafted at No. 19 since 1990:
Year Player School Team Comment
'05 Hakim Warrick Syracuse Memphis Played 68 games in rookie season.
'04 Dorell Wright South Kent Prep (H.S.) Miami Has played 23 games in two seasons.
'03 Aleksandar Pavlovic (Serbia-Montenegro) Utah Spot starter for Cavs after trade.
'02 Ryan Humphrey Notre Dame Orlando Started once in 85 NBA games.
'01 Zach Randolph Michigan State Portland 14.4 ppg average in five seasons.
'00 Jamaal Magloire Kentucky Charlotte Started every '05-06 Bucks game.
'99 Quincy Lewis Minnesota Utah Out of NBA since December 2003.
'98 Pat Garrity Notre Dame Milwaukee 8.0 ppg average in eight seasons.
'97 Scot Pollard Kansas Detroit Rebound average 5.0; scoring 4.7.
'96 Walter McCarty Kentucky New York Has 5.2 ppg average in 10 seasons.
'95 Randolph Childress Georgia Tech Detroit Was out of NBA after two seasons.
'94 Tony Dumas Missouri-KC Dallas 7.3 ppg average in four seasons.
'93 Acie Earl Iowa Boston 5.1 ppg in five seasons.
'92 Don MacLean UCLA Detroit 11.1 ppg average in nine seasons.
'91 LaBradford Smith Louisville Washington 6.7 ppg average in three seasons.
'90 Dee Brown Jacksonville Boston 11.1 ppg in 13 seasons.
- Compiled by Vic Contreras
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
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