Draft Thread: What Should the Kings do at #12

[Jerichoholic]

After putting my mock draft together it looks like the Kings are going to be in a tough spot at #12. This certainly isn't my final mock but the players in it will probably be almost the same just with a potential order change. Here's what I have so far...

#1 Chicago: Derrick Rose
Easy pick here.

#2 Miami: Michael Beasley
It may not be Miami making this pick but it will be Beasley nonetheless.

#3 Minnesota: O.J. Mayo
Lopez would be a better pick to move Jefferson back to PF, but they can't pass on a potential superstar in Mayo.

#4 Seattle: Jerryd Bayless
Seattle needs a PG and Bayless will be great.

#5 Memphis: Brook Lopez
Darko is not going to get it done at center and with Lopez still on the board Memphis can't pass him up.

#6 New York: Russell Westbrook
The first major surprise, the Knicks need a PG especially with D'Antoni on board, Westbrook is the best left...also don't expect Gallinari to stay in the draft.

#7 LA Clippers: Eric Gordon
Potentially the next Dwayne Wade or potential bust, knowing the Clippers luck he probably won't be Wade but they will hope.

#8 Milwaukee: Anthony Randolph
Easy pick, they need the position and he is the best on the board.

#9: Charlotte: Kevin Love
I'm not sure what Charlotte has been building towards but they take the best player available.

#10: New Jersey: DeAndre Jordan
New Jersey has the time to take a chance to develop Jordan, they really need a center as well so he fits.

#11: Indiana: D.J. Augustin
Indiana needs a PG like nobody's business, easy choice here.

#12: Sacramento: ...

So what does Sacramento do here? Obviously if Gallinari decides to stay in the draft then this changes things, I hope he does so some players can drop. Let's look at the players left that most feel are lottery players.

Joe Alexander: The next Shawn Marion...hardly. This guy has some hops but he doesn't have enough athleticism to rely on it in the NBA like he did in college. His jump shot is very average and he has no 3-point shot. He has a quick first step but his poor ball handling evens that out. Good rebounder but not a good defender. This guy has bust written all over him.

Darrell Arthur: Please No! I don't like to put a lot of stock in combine type workouts but his average athleticism showed in his college game as well. He has a good mid-range shot and some moves around the basket but his rebounding is very poor and don't expect many blocked shots either. Oh not to mention he might foul out of every game.

Donte Green: This guy has a lot of potential, shot 42% from the field and 35% from 3-point range, his shot is still a work in progress but it is getting better. He also is a tremendous athlete with a huge wingspan. Great rebounder for his position and his length gets him some steals and blocks. Very good penetrator when he chooses to be and he will fit right in with his poor one on one and team defense, that really is the biggest knock on him. But do the Kings really need another wing player?

Marreese Speights: He is a project as well but I really like him. He has a good mid-range shot and a lot of nice moves around the basket, shot 62% from the field. Also a very good rebounder who should average double digits in starting minutes. He is a big guy who can get bigger, he could be an Al Jefferson type player.

The Rest:
Kosta Koufos
JaVale McGee
Nicolas Batum
Roy Hibbert

It's time to summarize because this is getting long. At #12 it looks like the Kings will have to take on a project or reach for a mid to late first round player unless they decide to trade. It would be nice to get a couple of mid to late first round picks so they could possibly grab a couple good players like Batum and Hibbert. It will be tough though because no team has multiple mid round picks to trade. I don't know if they can package their two second rounders to move up, they would probably need to throw a player like Quincy Douby or Sheldon Williams to make it work.

 

[Bballkingsrock]

I think Gallinari did officially say he is staying. So change your mock draft. You have good format and reasons with it.

 

[bajaden]

You forgot Alexander, who has moved into the top 12 on most mock drafts.

 

[Gary]

Love will go no later than the Clippers pick.


Alexander might have replaced Jordan in the top ten.. Which might be a good thing because Jordan could fall to us.

I have been watching DeAndre for a couple years now (his senior year of HS was the first year I saw him), and this kid can flat out play.. He suffered from inconsistent playing time at A&M, and horrible coaching for his play style.

On the other hand I can't see what all the hype is about Alexander... He is good, but he has come from nowhere in the last month or so. Those type of players you should watch out for.

 

[Smills91]

DeAndre Jordan will bust. Book it. He's going to be terrible, especially if picked in the top 10. I hope he does. If I was choosing between Jordan and Alexander, I take Alexander without hesitation.

I really like Love/Westbrook/Speights I want one of those three guys.

If they're gone I'd be content with Arthur/Alexander/Gallinari

I'd be neutral on Augustin

I'd HATE McGee/Jordan/Greene - just say no, nO NO!!!

 

[CruzDude]

Gallinari is "in" the draft but has made it clear he'll only play for the Nets or Knicks but the Knicks are a lot smarter now with Walsh in control and they don't need Gallinari but do need a top PG. Then Gallinari falls to the 2nd round where he can make more bucks than as a 1st rounder compared to what he likely would get in Italy. So he is "out" of any of my mocks.

Any "big" the Kings might take is to get mentored by Brad to be a starter in 2 years time (pretty quick actually with what would be available at 12) and put Hawes at the 3 or 4. The Kings need shooters/scorers who can hit the jumper or easily drive to score or get to the FT line. Alexander seems to fit that mold. Darrell Arthur is the only other big consistently put in the top 12-14 range.

 

[SacKings7]

DeAndre Jordan will bust. Book it. He's going to be terrible, especially if picked in the top 10. I hope he does. If I was choosing between Jordan and Alexander, I take Alexander without hesitation.

I really like Love/Westbrook/Speights I want one of those three guys.

If they're gone I'd be content with Arthur/Alexander/Gallinari

I'd be neutral on Augustin

I'd HATE McGee/Jordan/Greene - just say no, nO NO!!!

What difference does it make where he's picked???

Anyway, I think McGee will be a bust, and I'm kind of on the fence with Jordan. I think Greene will be a good player eventually though

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Gallinari is "in" the draft but has made it clear he'll only play for the Nets or Knicks

I think that's complete misinformation out of the New Jersey camp. Why would Gallinari go work out with Minnesota this week (according to DX) if he was only willing to play for the Knicks or Nets? He's in the draft to stay, and I think he'll sign wherever he's picked.

 

[One and Done]

What should the Kings do at #12? History says, take a wing or a PG:

Finding IV: Good and great wing players can be found in the second quarter of the first round: Exactly half of the 62 wing players selected in the second quarter of the first round go on to be stars (26%; not that much lower than the 34% in the top quarter) or solid starters (24%). Star point guards (8%) are hard to find at this stage, but solid starters are not (46%). Less than a third of big men become stars (7%) or solid starters (25%).

An interesting article that uses statistics of players drafted in the 1st round from 1980 to 2001 and their respective 5-year outcomes. Doesn't bode well for Hawes, haha...however, while this report is not the gospel, it's a nice tool to take into consideration - using historical fact - of what are chances are of drafting a good player:

http://www.draftexpress.com/article...s-and-Failure-through-Historical-Trends-1362/

 

[91sickness]

Chad Ford's newest mock fraft has the Kings taking Anthony Randolph. That would be an absolute steal if we could land him at 12!!! im hoping for Randolph n this is the first time ive seen him being picked by us.

Heres the top 12 picks just for reference, not sure if this is already posted on Kingsfans:

1. Chicago - Derrick Rose
2. Miami Michael Beasley
3. T-wolves - O.J. Mayo
4. Sonics - Jerryd Bayless
5. Memphis - Kevin Love
6. Knicks - Russell Westbrook
7. Clippers - Eric Gordon
8. Milwaukee - Joe Alexander
9. Bobcats - Brook Lopez
10. Nets - Danilo Gallinari
11. Pacers - D.J. Augustin
12. Kings - Anthony Randolph

The skinny: If Randolph is still on the board here, the Kings will have to pull their trigger. They have a pretty big hole at the power forward position, and Randolph is one of the five best talents in the entire draft, in my opinion. If they were to team him with high-scoring guard Kevin Martin and an up-and-coming center in Spencer Hawes, the Kings would have the makings of a nice young core.

Roy Hibbert is the dark horse here. Last year, Sacramento had Hibbert ranked ahead of Hawes on its draft board. I've heard rumblings that the Kings would consider taking him at No. 12. Though I don't think they would pass on Randolph, if he's gone, don't be surprised to hear Hibbert's name called.

NOOOOO NOT HIBBERT!!! THAT WOULD BE AN AWFUL CHOICE!!!!!

 

[Gary]

DeAndre Jordan will bust. Book it. He's going to be terrible, especially if picked in the top 10. I hope he does. If I was choosing between Jordan and Alexander, I take Alexander without hesitation.

I really like Love/Westbrook/Speights I want one of those three guys.

If they're gone I'd be content with Arthur/Alexander/Gallinari

I'd be neutral on Augustin

I'd HATE McGee/Jordan/Greene - just say no, nO NO!!!

You obviously did not see him in HS if you are saying that. You should know he was not coached properly in college, and his playing time was REALLY sporadic. I was talking about him last year before he entered college as someone I would like to see slip to us. Well the gods have smiled on us and he might have slipped with Alexander hitting the top ten.

You really cannot fault Jordan though for playing in the wrong system. He did as well as he could with the coaching/playing time he got. imo he gives the Kings what we need right now. Rebounding, blocks, defense, and a big body.

Basically what I am trying to say is that DeAndre Jordan did VERY well for the system he was in at A&M, and his stats were far better than I would have thought from him given the circumstances. That's why Jordan is still top 15 talent even with his horrible "stats" year. This being in a strong "big" draft.

There were so many times that Jordan would get in for 5 minutes, then he's out.. In again for 5 then out.. You really couldn't get a rhythm if you had 5 here and 5 there right? Same happened to Jordan which made his stat suffer. So you need to look beyond his stats and go back to when he got playing time. Unfortunately that was HS.

 

[Gary]

What should the Kings do at #12? History says, take a wing or a PG:



An interesting article that uses statistics of players drafted in the 1st round from 1980 to 2001 and their respective 5-year outcomes. Doesn't bode well for Hawes, haha...however, while this report is not the gospel, it's a nice tool to take into consideration - using historical fact - of what are chances are of drafting a good player:

http://www.draftexpress.com/article...s-and-Failure-through-Historical-Trends-1362/

It's just not correct.. Sometimes I don't think people actually watch these guys play and just go by stats. Hawes really showed us something this year in the way he can shoot/pass. It's like you know he's going to be good, but it's just going to take some time. It's not like someone said "wow" about Hilton Armstrong's game when he finished his first year. (although Hawes, and Armstrong's stats were similar their first year)

 

[Smills91]

You obviously did not see him in HS if you are saying that. You should know he was not coached properly in college, and his playing time was REALLY sporadic. I was talking about him last year before he entered college as someone I would like to see slip to us. Well the gods have smiled on us and he might have slipped with Alexander hitting the top ten.

You really cannot fault Jordan though for playing in the wrong system. He did as well as he could with the coaching/playing time he got. imo he gives the Kings what we need right now. Rebounding, blocks, defense, and a big body.

Basically what I am trying to say is that DeAndre Jordan did VERY well for the system he was in at A&M, and his stats were far better than I would have thought from him given the circumstances. That's why Jordan is still top 15 talent even with his horrible "stats" year. This being in a strong "big" draft.

There were so many times that Jordan would get in for 5 minutes, then he's out.. In again for 5 then out.. You really couldn't get a rhythm if you had 5 here and 5 there right? Same happened to Jordan which made his stat suffer. So you need to look beyond his stats and go back to when he got playing time. Unfortunately that was HS.

H.S. ???? Com;n even ME of all people was able to play Varsity level HS ball. I'm all of 6'0 with about a 27 inch vertical. ANYONE over 6'8 in HS SHOULD dominate.

 

[bajaden]

You obviously did not see him in HS if you are saying that. You should know he was not coached properly in college, and his playing time was REALLY sporadic. I was talking about him last year before he entered college as someone I would like to see slip to us. Well the gods have smiled on us and he might have slipped with Alexander hitting the top ten.

You really cannot fault Jordan though for playing in the wrong system. He did as well as he could with the coaching/playing time he got. imo he gives the Kings what we need right now. Rebounding, blocks, defense, and a big body.

Basically what I am trying to say is that DeAndre Jordan did VERY well for the system he was in at A&M, and his stats were far better than I would have thought from him given the circumstances. That's why Jordan is still top 15 talent even with his horrible "stats" year. This being in a strong "big" draft.

There were so many times that Jordan would get in for 5 minutes, then he's out.. In again for 5 then out.. You really couldn't get a rhythm if you had 5 here and 5 there right? Same happened to Jordan which made his stat suffer. So you need to look beyond his stats and go back to when he got playing time. Unfortunately that was HS.

I will trust your judgement on this one. Everytime I saw him play, he didn't impress me, and It was mostly his motor that I questioned. He seemed to react slowly to the ball sometimes, and got posted up and beat by guys that were smaller than him. I grant you, all these things are correctable. But hand eye coordination and reflex action aren't. I'm sure someone has given him these tests, so they should be a moot point when he's drafted by someone.

 

[Gary]

H.S. ???? Com;n even ME of all people was able to play Varsity level HS ball. I'm all of 6'0 with about a 27 inch vertical. ANYONE over 6'8 in HS SHOULD dominate.

There is a different between you and Jordan. That's totally not a good argument. Jordan was highly scouted since he was about 14 years old. I am saying that his stats in college don't mean much because of how he was used.. If you cannot see that then I am talking to the wrong person. I have been scouting him for a couple years now, and I say his game is much much more than what he showed in his little 5 minute stints here and there at A&M. When he played in the post-HS camps last summer he REALLLY impressed. This was against other top freshman. Plus he played at an academy HS which is WAY DIFFERENT then your typical HS.

Another note.. His per40 paced is higher than his per40 which should also tell you something. He will probably never be a dominant offensive player, but he can fly into the scene to get an offensive board+putback. He reminds me a lot of Tyson Chandler, Andrew Bynum.. BUT he can turn into a Darko Milicic too. He would be one of my last choices if he fell to 12th (Westbrook/Augustin ahead of him) but he is not a crap player by any means. If all you did was watch last season, or try to gauge by his stats then you are always going to be way off.

 

[Gary]

I will trust your judgement on this one. Everytime I saw him play, he didn't impress me, and It was mostly his motor that I questioned. He seemed to react slowly to the ball sometimes, and got posted up and beat by guys that were smaller than him. I grant you, all these things are correctable. But hand eye coordination and reflex action aren't. I'm sure someone has given him these tests, so they should be a moot point when he's drafted by someone.

He never got time to really show anything. He would be in there at the most 10 minutes at a time.. Most of the time it was 5 minutes. He was not happy, and he voiced it a few times last year. I feel for him because watching him in high school he showed much much more. Smills argument was that everyone should dominate at HS level. Well duh.. If you are any good you should, but Jordan carried it over to the pre-college camps, and the McDonalds all American games as well because he got consistent minutes. Not 5 minutes here, and 7 minutes there.

If he fell to the Kings, and Augustin, and Westbrook are gone then I wouldn't mind taking a chance on him over say McGee, Speights, Greene, Hibbert and so forth.

 

[bajaden]

He never got time to really show anything. He would be in there at the most 10 minutes at a time.. Most of the time it was 5 minutes. He was not happy, and he voiced it a few times last year. I feel for him because watching him in high school he showed much much more. Smills argument was that everyone should dominate at HS level. Well duh.. If you are any good you should, but Jordan carried it over to the pre-college camps, and the McDonalds all American games as well because he got consistent minutes. Not 5 minutes here, and 7 minutes there.

If he fell to the Kings, and Augustin, and Westbrook are gone then I wouldn't mind taking a chance on him over say McGee, Speights, Greene, Hibbert and so forth.

Believe me, I know what bad coaching can do, and its more prevalent at the highschool level than anywhere else. My best friend's son, Ryan, was the pt guard at Del Campo when Matt Barnes was there. Ryan was a very good player, but Barnes was the best player there. The coach there had no idea what so ever how to use Barnes. He jerked them in and out of the game so much, neither one could get into a rhythm.
Ryan by the way went on to University of Arizona and got a degree in journalism, was ingaged to one of the twins that danced at the Kings games, and when last heard, was the news anchor in Seatlle. A little worthless info...

 

[Dreadnought]

Why does everyone think Pacers will take DJ Augustin? Don't the Pacers have a strong PG in Jamal Tinsley already?

I wouldn't mind having DJ on the Kings.

 

[hrdboild]

Why does everyone think Pacers will take DJ Augustin? Don't the Pacers have a strong PG in Jamal Tinsley already?

I wouldn't mind having DJ on the Kings.

Three reasons (why the Pacers are trying to trade Tinsley):

(1) Tinsley is injured more than he's healthy
(2) The team is rebuilding and Tinsley is not getting any younger (or cheaper)
(3) He's one of the remaining players from the "basketbrawl" team and has had his own off-the-court problems

But, as I've said before, I don't think its a given that the Pacers are drafting a point guard because they've consistently taken BPA. If Westbrook and Augustin are available though, they probably would be the best player available.

 

[SacKings7]

Three reasons (why the Pacers are trying to trade Tinsley):

(1) Tinsley is injured more than he's healthy
(2) The team is rebuilding and Tinsley is not getting any younger (or cheaper)
(3) He's one of the remaining players from the "basketbrawl" team and has had his own off-the-court problems

But, as I've said before, I don't think its a given that the Pacers are drafting a point guard because they've consistently taken BPA. If Westbrook and Augustin are available though, they probably would be the best player available.

I can almost guarantee that they take Wesbrook or Augustin if they are available. If they're gone, for some reason I see them taking Donte Greene

 

[Emma]

NOOOOO NOT HIBBERT!!! THAT WOULD BE AN AWFUL CHOICE!!!!!

Why? Explain to me your reasoning. Hibbert is my dark horse as well and since he continues to impress in workouts he is slowly becoming my choice at #12. I think he could be Al Horford Pt. 2.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Why? Explain to me your reasoning. Hibbert is my dark horse as well and since he continues to impress in workouts he is slowly becoming my choice at #12. I think he could be Al Horford Pt. 2.

We already have a center.

 

[TR_9]

Im hoping Augustin is there at our pick. I'm on the fence with Alexander and Jordan.

 

[Jerichoholic]

At #12 I think it might be best to reach for potential because there most likely won't be any sure contributors available at that spot.

IMO, Augustin won't be a quality starter in the NBA, he is not the PG of the future. He's got a lot of game on the offensive end but I really worry about his lack of height. On defense he is already a liability and that problem will most likely stay with him.

If Jordan is available I would go with him over Augustin because while he might be a bust he has all the tools needed to be a superstar if he has the right coaching and the motivation. It might even be worth reaching for a guy like Batum or Speights.

I think Hibbert can be a solid NBA player but definitely not a star and the Kings already drafted their center of the future last year so he just doesn't fit.

 

[bajaden]

At #12 I think it might be best to reach for potential because there most likely won't be any sure contributors available at that spot.

IMO, Augustin won't be a quality starter in the NBA, he is not the PG of the future. He's got a lot of game on the offensive end but I really worry about his lack of height. On defense he is already a liability and that problem will most likely stay with him.

If Jordan is available I would go with him over Augustin because while he might be a bust he has all the tools needed to be a superstar if he has the right coaching and the motivation. It might even be worth reaching for a guy like Batum or Speights.

I think Hibbert can be a solid NBA player but definitely not a star and the Kings already drafted their center of the future last year so he just doesn't fit.

Considering we have a lack of big men, I think Hibbert wouldn't be a bad choice. All we have now is, Miller, Moore, Hawes, K. Thomas, SAR, and Williams. Hmmm.... Well, maybe I better rethink this one.