=LarryLegend=
Starter
Sacramento Kings – Draft Day Preview
Team Needs: point guard, youth in the frontcourt
2008 Draft Picks:
#12, First Round – With Quincy Douby being the only point guard the Kings have under contract next season, the likely target here for Sacramento is a floor general that they'll be expecting to log plenty of minutes in his rookie campaign. Although it remains likely that the team will re-sign Beno Udrih, he'll need a formidable backup and the team needs some form of insurance just in case he chooses to leave. Possible targets include D.J. Augustin and Russell Westbrook, but should OJ Mayo or Jerryd Bayless slide a few spots, the Kings may look to move up in the draft to snatch one of them up.
#42, Second Round – Having received this pick from Atlanta in the Mike Bibby swap, the Kings have a chance to add some youth to their crop of bigs. Kenny Thomas and Shareef Abdur-Rahim have been hampered by injuries with increasing age and although they could still be solid players, their best years are behind them as Sacramento waits for their contracts to mercifully expire. The Kings ought to look for a bruising big man that can complement the finesse game of both Spencer Hawes and Brad Miller – Joey Dorsey, Richard Hendrix, or Nathan Jawai are all possibilities.
#43, Second Round – It doesn't really matter which order the team decides to go in, but with this second pick in the second round, Sacramento should look to shore up their frontcourt depth with an athletic swingman. With Ron Artest likely returning, John Salmons' solid production as a backup, and Francisco Garcia's development, the Kings have a stable of reliable players to use at the swing spots of the 2/3 and could invest in the development of a raw athlete over the course of a year or two. Additionally, this gives the team significant insurance should Artest opt out or anyone go down with an injry during the season. Some names that should be considered include Bill Walker, Davon Jefferson, JR Giddens, Kyle Weaver, or Will Daniels.
Trade Probability Factor: Low
After adding potentially three draft picks, likely re-signing Udrih, and Artest choosing to return, the Kings would have a full 15-man roster. Most GMs tend to want to keep an open spot for mid-season pickups or trades that bring in an additional player than the number sent out. It's possible that the Kings shed one of their two second-rounders (or both) by packaging them with one of the team's many power forwards (Mikki Moore, Thomas, Abdur-Rahim, or Shelden Williams).
Don't count on it, though, with the more likely scenario being the Kings having to hang on to their veteran power forwards until at least the trade deadline. With two years left on the contracts of Moore, Thomas, and Abdur-Rahim, the Kings will find it difficult to find a taker for that level of financial commitment ($11.9 million for Moore, $12.8 million for Abdur-Rahim, and $17.2 million for Thomas). Both Thomas and Abdur-Rahim are coming off of the worst statistical seasons of their respective careers, so they aren't particularly attractive commodities for their price tag.
A possible move the team may consider could be looking at T.J. Ford in a swap for a second round pick and Thomas, whose contract expires a year earlier than Ford's.
Thomas could provide the Raptors with some toughness inside (if he's healthy), allowing the team to immediately send the message to Jose Calderon they want him back as a starter, and they'd pick up a second round pick (they currently do not own one) to build some needed depth.
The Kings would get their franchise point guard (if he's healthy) to pair with Udrih for one of the stronger duos in the league and can look into using their first-round pick on taking the best player available to inject their squad with some youth. They'd likely look into taking a raw player like Donte Greene, Darrell Arthur, Marreese Speights, or JaVale McGee, although the Kings could also draft a more polished player like Joe Alexander, whom they are reportedly already interested in bringing in for a workout.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=8849
Joe Alexander.....I like him...but...not really a petrie pick....a freak dunker compared to Shawn Marion.
Team Needs: point guard, youth in the frontcourt
2008 Draft Picks:
#12, First Round – With Quincy Douby being the only point guard the Kings have under contract next season, the likely target here for Sacramento is a floor general that they'll be expecting to log plenty of minutes in his rookie campaign. Although it remains likely that the team will re-sign Beno Udrih, he'll need a formidable backup and the team needs some form of insurance just in case he chooses to leave. Possible targets include D.J. Augustin and Russell Westbrook, but should OJ Mayo or Jerryd Bayless slide a few spots, the Kings may look to move up in the draft to snatch one of them up.
#42, Second Round – Having received this pick from Atlanta in the Mike Bibby swap, the Kings have a chance to add some youth to their crop of bigs. Kenny Thomas and Shareef Abdur-Rahim have been hampered by injuries with increasing age and although they could still be solid players, their best years are behind them as Sacramento waits for their contracts to mercifully expire. The Kings ought to look for a bruising big man that can complement the finesse game of both Spencer Hawes and Brad Miller – Joey Dorsey, Richard Hendrix, or Nathan Jawai are all possibilities.
#43, Second Round – It doesn't really matter which order the team decides to go in, but with this second pick in the second round, Sacramento should look to shore up their frontcourt depth with an athletic swingman. With Ron Artest likely returning, John Salmons' solid production as a backup, and Francisco Garcia's development, the Kings have a stable of reliable players to use at the swing spots of the 2/3 and could invest in the development of a raw athlete over the course of a year or two. Additionally, this gives the team significant insurance should Artest opt out or anyone go down with an injry during the season. Some names that should be considered include Bill Walker, Davon Jefferson, JR Giddens, Kyle Weaver, or Will Daniels.
Trade Probability Factor: Low
After adding potentially three draft picks, likely re-signing Udrih, and Artest choosing to return, the Kings would have a full 15-man roster. Most GMs tend to want to keep an open spot for mid-season pickups or trades that bring in an additional player than the number sent out. It's possible that the Kings shed one of their two second-rounders (or both) by packaging them with one of the team's many power forwards (Mikki Moore, Thomas, Abdur-Rahim, or Shelden Williams).
Don't count on it, though, with the more likely scenario being the Kings having to hang on to their veteran power forwards until at least the trade deadline. With two years left on the contracts of Moore, Thomas, and Abdur-Rahim, the Kings will find it difficult to find a taker for that level of financial commitment ($11.9 million for Moore, $12.8 million for Abdur-Rahim, and $17.2 million for Thomas). Both Thomas and Abdur-Rahim are coming off of the worst statistical seasons of their respective careers, so they aren't particularly attractive commodities for their price tag.
A possible move the team may consider could be looking at T.J. Ford in a swap for a second round pick and Thomas, whose contract expires a year earlier than Ford's.
Thomas could provide the Raptors with some toughness inside (if he's healthy), allowing the team to immediately send the message to Jose Calderon they want him back as a starter, and they'd pick up a second round pick (they currently do not own one) to build some needed depth.
The Kings would get their franchise point guard (if he's healthy) to pair with Udrih for one of the stronger duos in the league and can look into using their first-round pick on taking the best player available to inject their squad with some youth. They'd likely look into taking a raw player like Donte Greene, Darrell Arthur, Marreese Speights, or JaVale McGee, although the Kings could also draft a more polished player like Joe Alexander, whom they are reportedly already interested in bringing in for a workout.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=8849
Joe Alexander.....I like him...but...not really a petrie pick....a freak dunker compared to Shawn Marion.
