Since quite a few talking heads have now handed out grades for this draft, I thought I'd collect all of their foolishness into one place. I found it amusing that, although nobody gave us better than a C+, there's little consensus about the details.
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College Hoops: C-
I don't get the infatuation with Thompson. Perhaps the Kings think they've found another mid-major gem like Kevin Martin. To me, he's a mediocre athlete, that's already physically mature and doesn't offer much room for improvement. Basically, he's just a career backup.
http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/Draft/2008/reportcard.htm
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Walker Sports
Sacramento Kings Grade C-)Thompson was a strange and I think a bad pick at 12 they could have done better.
Sean Singletary could be the steal of the draft. He is a gamer, just a bit on the small side, but he knows how to work the ball up the court and get it to the open man or put it in the bucket if he needs to. However, he will need a lot of help.
http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/Walker_Sports_Gives_Out_NBA_Draft_Grades/282982
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Kelly Dwyer, Yahoo
Sacramento Kings
Additions: Jason Thompson, Sean Singletary, Patrick Ewing Jr.
Score: 4/10
You get the feeling that they were so surprised that
every player the Kings thought they had a chance at had gone so swiftly in the minutes before their pick, that they just bite the bullet and went with the last remaining player at the top of the "best player available" list.
Sort of out-thinking yourself without thinking at all, and getting caught when you get too cute. There's no way they should have had this guy ranked this high, but they probably never thought they'd have to be forced into considering taking Thompson, and it may come back to bite them. Hopefully it doesn't, Geoff Petrie's so good at what he does that you'd like to hope for the best and see it actually come through.
Then again, when you think about Patrick Ewing Jr. (has he ever shown us anything that could be parlayed into a pro career?), it makes you wonder, even if he is a second round pick.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...lt=Asw.dnAsfNcqS3MOInB.HMu8vLYF?urn=nba,90778
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Sam Smith, Sporting News: D
Sacramento Kings. It's not like you're getting instant Hall of Famers with the 12th pick in the first round, but going for Jason Thompson from Rider was the biggest surprise of the first round and certainly of the lottery. (Russell Westbrook at No. 4 is a close second, though.) Throw in the fact the Kings took Spencer Hawes in last year's draft and more confusion ensues, though it means Brad Miller should be dealt now. Maybe Ron Artest is making the picks. And they got the wrong Patrick Ewing.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=428492
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Mike Kahn, Fox
Sacramento Kings
First round: Jason Thompson, F-C, 6-11, 250, Rider
Second round: Sean Singletary, PG, 6-0, 180, Virginia
Second round: Patrick Ewing Jr., SF, 6-7, 225, Georgetown
Thompson is a solid, lunch-pail guy that should be able to give them minutes, if not just fouls. Singletary seems like a strong candidate for the NBDL, but Ewing is a relentless defender and explosive athlete that will give them energy from the bench. The roster is better than it was before the draft.
Grade: C-plus.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8288054/Did-your-team-make-the-grade-in-NBA-draft?
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Marty Burns, SI
C
Sacramento Kings Jason Thompson (12);
Sean Singletary (42);
Patrick Ewing Jr. (43); Thompson was projected to go lower, but president
Geoff Petrie must have been either unwilling or unable to trade down. Singletary and Ewing Jr. appear to be solid picks at their respective spots.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/marty_burns/06/27/grades/index.html
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Chad Ford, ESPN
Sacramento Kings Grade: C-
Round 1: Jason Thompson (12)
Round 2: Sean Singletary (42),
Patrick Ewing Jr. (43)
Analysis: A team should not be criticized just for doing the unexpected. But the Kings made a huge reach for Thompson at No. 12. He's going to be a solid rotation player at best. But it looks like he might be the Shelden Williams of this draft. With solid players like Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers and upside guys like Anthony Randolph and Marreese Speights on the board, I think the Kings blew it.
Singletary could be a nice second-round pick. But I have a hard time believing Ewing has a spot in the league.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=DraftGrades-080627