Kings 2009-2010 NBA Draft:

Heard in the Kansas game that scouts are projecting Aldrich as a top 15 pick. That sounds about right if it's in the 10-15 area.

What was Callipari screaming at Cousins about? I didn't know Callipari was a screamer.
 
I don't know if I see Cousins as an NBA C. I had always pictured him as a PF. I guess just watching his games I pictured him there.. I may be wrong though! You know who I REALLY would like to put in the front court with Cousins if we had him? Roy Hibbert.. I think the two would really play well together. I have no educated basis on this other than seeing the both of them play (separately of course), but I just think they have styles that would mesh.

Cousins is a center. The dude is 6'11" and has a 7'6" wingspan. He also weighs 275 pounds. As much as I love the guy, he's not quick enough to play PF. Also, lest we forget, Cousins is 18 years old!! Think what he's doing at the age of 18. He may not even be done growing yet.
 
Heard in the Kansas game that scouts are projecting Aldrich as a top 15 pick. That sounds about right if it's in the 10-15 area.

What was Callipari screaming at Cousins about? I didn't know Callipari was a screamer.

If you watched the Kansas/Kansas St. game, then you have a good idea of what your getting with Aldrich. He's a very good rebounder and a very good defender. And I see both those qualities tranfering well to the NBA. As an offensive player, he's still rough. So if we end up drafting him, don't expect him to come in and score 15 to 20 points a game. I think he can get you 10 a game by just taking what comes his way. But he will be a stopper in the middle. He's a very good shotblocker and a very good man defender. He has a very strong lower body and is hard to move in the post.

My point is, that this guy is a defensive player with a little bit of offense. Doesn't meant he can't develop more offense over time, just don't expect it right away.
 
Cousins is a center. The dude is 6'11" and has a 7'6" wingspan. He also weighs 275 pounds. As much as I love the guy, he's not quick enough to play PF. Also, lest we forget, Cousins is 18 years old!! Think what he's doing at the age of 18. He may not even be done growing yet.
Not to take anything away from him but he will be 20 by the start of NBA training camp. Not sure he has much growth ahead of him but he definitely can shed some baby fat and add some more weight and strength.
 
I was really pulling for Mississippi State today, I hope they find a way into the tournament. Last night I think they were part of the projected "Last 4 out" but with a strong game against a good team, hopefully they'll get in.

Jarvis Varnado was impressive. If we did draft Cousins, I'd love to grab Varnado in the second round. I think theyd work out well together. Hes also in the Dorsey/Brockman mold, but better than both those guys in almost every way. Best shotblocker in the country.
 
also in the Dorsey/Brockman mold, but better than both those guys in almost every way.

I'm not really sure about the comparison--he's taller than Brockman and seems to play longer than Dorsey. He'd be an instant upgrade over either as a backup defensive big. That said, given his consistently strong play and Miss State's scare of Kentucky, I'm not sure he'll slip to the second round.
 
No one will argue that Turner has a good assist to turnover ratio. And while Turner is a very good passer, he's not really a point guard. But he's been forced to play point for Ohio St. He handles the ball probably 80% of the time. He's also their best scorer and their best defender, and their best rebounder. Thats a lot of responsibility for a 6'6" SG. He is, as they say, The Man! So I'm willing to overlook his bad assist/turnover ratio. Its something thats easily corrected at the next level. His biggest weakness is his outside shot. But unlike Tyreke, he does have good form on his shot. He just shoots it a little to flat at times.

Yeah, today's the first time I've been able to get a real good look at Turner. After hearing so much about him, I'm not all that impressed with his ball handling skills, but he has made some nice passes in transition and swinging the ball around the perimeter. His shooting, though, has seemed better than advertised--and if we're lucky enough to have a chance to pick him, I wouldn't worry too much as shooting seems to be one of the easiest skills for players to improve.

For us, he'd be a no-brainer if we landed the #2 pick. I'd like his passing next to Reke and think both could improve their shooting enough for it to work. I also think the concept of Reke driving and dishing to Turner for a secondary drive on the baseline could be effective as well. Beno's recent play has been great, but at the end of the day I hope Cisco improves enough to start or we land someone like turner so we can keep Reke at the one, with all of the advantages that brings.
 
Not to take anything away from him but he will be 20 by the start of NBA training camp. Not sure he has much growth ahead of him but he definitely can shed some baby fat and add some more weight and strength.

Thats what I get for listening to the annoucers of the last game I watched instead of looking it up. They commented during the game that he would turn 19 this summer. I should have known better than to trust a talking head.

Anyway, yeah, he may be done growing. Most people are at age 20, but there are exceptions. None the less, he's plenty big enough to play center right now.
 
I'm not really sure about the comparison--he's taller than Brockman and seems to play longer than Dorsey. He'd be an instant upgrade over either as a backup defensive big. That said, given his consistently strong play and Miss State's scare of Kentucky, I'm not sure he'll slip to the second round.

I'm not sure that he did anything new that the scouts were surprised by. He's the all time leading shotblocker in NCAA history, so they already knew he was a very good defensive player. I think the question marks about him are his ability to add much to his thin frame, and how his body will stand up against the powerforwards in the NBA. Reasonable questions, when you consider your basicly drafting a defensive player with a little bit of offense. I would certainly grab him if he's there in the second round. Remember that Pittman and Parakhouski will probably be second round picks as well. So there should be some decent choices in the second round.
 
Hey Bajaden, can you put together a list of all the teams in the tournament with potential lottery picks that we should be watching/scouting for our Kings team?
Thanks.
 
Yeah, today's the first time I've been able to get a real good look at Turner. After hearing so much about him, I'm not all that impressed with his ball handling skills, but he has made some nice passes in transition and swinging the ball around the perimeter. His shooting, though, has seemed better than advertised--and if we're lucky enough to have a chance to pick him, I wouldn't worry too much as shooting seems to be one of the easiest skills for players to improve.

For us, he'd be a no-brainer if we landed the #2 pick. I'd like his passing next to Reke and think both could improve their shooting enough for it to work. I also think the concept of Reke driving and dishing to Turner for a secondary drive on the baseline could be effective as well. Beno's recent play has been great, but at the end of the day I hope Cisco improves enough to start or we land someone like turner so we can keep Reke at the one, with all of the advantages that brings.

If you watch him enough, you'll realize that he's a very good ballhandler. It's one of his strengths. The only part of his jumpshooting that need work is his 3 point shooting. His midrange shot is excellent. I think Turner would be a great compliment to Tyreke. He can handle the ball. He's a good passer, and he's unselfish. He's a good defender and he's a good rebounder. And he can score a little bit if you need it, or a lot if you need it.
 
would certainly grab him if he's there in the second round. Remember that Pittman and Parakhouski will probably be second round picks as well. So there should be some decent choices in the second round.

This is a deep draft...

In addition to Pittman, Varnado and Parakhouski, here are a couple other 2nd round guys I like who I don't hear a whole lot about, along with a wild-eyed best case scenario:

Jimmer Fredette from BYU - Solidly built 6'2 195 pound ultra-shooteing PG. Not just a JJ Redick shooter, he's a legit PG who can dribble and pass. 45% from 3 and 90% from the line. Solid 4.7 apg. He's really one of the best 5-10 players in the nation...Wild-eyed optimism sees him as potential Steve Nash or Mark Price.

Kenneth Faried from Morehead St - 6'8 220 lb PF. The stats are overwhelming...16.6 ppg on 56% FG, 1.6 stl, 1.9 bpg and most importantly 13.0 rpg. Second straight year of 13.0 rpg. He's very young for a junior, younger even then freshman Hassan Whiteside. Wild-eyed optimism sees him as a potential Dennis Rodman.
 
This is a deep draft...

In addition to Pittman, Varnado and Parakhouski, here are a couple other 2nd round guys I like who I don't hear a whole lot about, along with a wild-eyed best case scenario:

Jimmer Fredette from BYU - Solidly built 6'2 195 pound ultra-shooteing PG. Not just a JJ Redick shooter, he's a legit PG who can dribble and pass. 45% from 3 and 90% from the line. Solid 4.7 apg. He's really one of the best 5-10 players in the nation...Wild-eyed optimism sees him as potential Steve Nash or Mark Price.

Kenneth Faried from Morehead St - 6'8 220 lb PF. The stats are overwhelming...16.6 ppg on 56% FG, 1.6 stl, 1.9 bpg and most importantly 13.0 rpg. Second straight year of 13.0 rpg. He's very young for a junior, younger even then freshman Hassan Whiteside. Wild-eyed optimism sees him as a potential Dennis Rodman.

I really, really like Kenneth Faried. I haven't mentioned him much because he's in all likelyhood a second round pick. The kid is a freak athlete. I would sort of compare him to Gerold Wallace. Wallace was forced to play center in college and Faried has suffered the same fate. Obviously at 6'8" he's not going to play center in the NBA. I know the team wants him back for another year, but if your him why would you go back when your forced tp play out of postion.

I see him as a SF/PF in the NBA. Which means he has a lot of work to do on the offensive side of the ball. But in the second round you would be getting yourself one hell of an athlete to work with.
 
Hey Bajaden, can you put together a list of all the teams in the tournament with potential lottery picks that we should be watching/scouting for our Kings team?
Thanks.

OK, here's the schedule for thursday. As CBS has the broadcast rights to all the games, that means they'll regionalize them. So unless you but the NCAA package your limited to the games shown in your area.

THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE:

Florida/BYU: CBS at 9:30 Pacific: No big men persay to look at but BYU does have a very good and unhearlded point guard named Jimmy Fredette.
This is the game scheduled in the San Diego area. Perhaps all of california.

Robert Morris/Villanova: CBS at 9:30 Pacific: Features Villanova point guard, and I use the term loosely, Scottie Reynolds. He's more of a shooting guard than a point. And, he is a very good shooter. He's really a shooting guard trapped in a point guards body. Not a particularly good ballhandler or passer.

Murry St./Vanderbilt: CBS at 11:30 Pacific: Vanderbilt features Andrew Oqilvy. A 6'11"/7' center. Not very athletic. I would compare him to a Brad Miller type of center, although Oqilvy doesn't mind getting into the post and mixing it up a little. I see him as a career backup center in the NBA at best.

Sam Houston/Baylor: CBS at 11:50 Pacific: One to watch if you can get it in your area, or if you have the NCAA package. Baylor features 6'10" Ekpe Udoh. One of my favorite players in the draft. He's an athletic PF that can pass the ball, score inside and outside, and by outside I mean 12 to 15 foot jumpers, not three point shots. He's an excellent defender and shotblocker.

St Mary's/Richmond: CBS at 11:50 Pacific: This game is also scheduled in the San Diego area. St. Mary's features 6'11", 265 LB center Omar Samhan. Not particularly athletic or explosive, but amazingly puts up consistant numbers game after game. Smart crafty player, who some might call a dirty player. He's very physical under the basket and gets a lot of blocked shots. Not a bad guy to have on the bench when you need some heads knocked. He does have skills though as he regularly scores 20 points and grabs 10 plus boards.

UTEP/Butler: CBS at 1:45 Pacific: Tough draw for Butler. UTEP is a very good basketball team and could make it all the way to the final eight if they get on a roll. Butler features unhearlded Gordon Haywood. A 6'9" PF. He's one of those glue guys that just goes out and gets the job done game after game. He's not particularly impressive to look at, but he gets his 18 or so points and grabs his 10 boards and a couple of assists. He's one of those hustle guys, but with talent.

E.Tennessee/Kentucky: CBS at 4:15 Pacific: Kentucky features three players that should go in the first round. Two of which might go in the top four. DeMarcus Cousins, a 6'11" 275 LB center. John Wall, a 6'3"/6'4" PG, and Patrick Patterson, a 6'8" PF. Patterson is probably a little udersized for a powerforward, but he's very athletic and has the ability to score inside and outside. His outside shot, while improved, still needs work.

Ohio/Georgetown: CBS at 4:25 Pacific: Georgetown features 6'11" PF/C Greg Monroe. Probably the best passing big man in the draft. He has a good 15 to 17 foot jumpshot and this year has improved his post game and his rebounding. He has had the label of soft in the past, but there's no denying his talent.

Washington/Marquette: CBS at 4:20 Pacific: Two players to keep an eye on in this game are Quincy Pondexter, a 6'7" SF from Washington and Lazar Haywood, a 6'6" SG/SF from Marquette. This game is scheduled for the San Diego area.

Lehigh/Kansas: CBS at 6:30 Pacific: A chance to see Cole Aldrich, a 6'11" Center, Xavior Henry, a 6'6" SF, and Sherron Collins a 5'11" PG. All from Kansas and all probable first round picks. Kansas also has a backup point guard for the future in 6'3" Tyshawn Taylor.

Wake Forrest/Texas: CBS at 6:35 Pacific: On paper Texas should win this game, but I wouldn't bet on it. Texas has really been on a rollercoaster ride of late. To be fair they've lost their point guard and a couple of other key players to injury. So they go into the tournament nursing their wounds. Texas features 6'10", 295 LB center, Dexter Pittman. One of my favorite players in 6'8" Damion James, a SF/PF, and Avery Bradley, a 6'3" SG/PG. Bradley is a freshman and now is the point guard by default. Very talented kid and a freak athlete. Susposedly has a 40" vertical. Wake Forrest features probable top ten pick Al-Farouq Aminu. Another freak athlete who can run like a deer and jump out of the building. At 6'8" he plays PF for Wake, but I see him as a SF in the NBA. Unless he gets drafted by the Warriors of course. Then he'll play center.

San Diego St./Tennessee: Bad matchup for San Diego. Tennessee has been on a roll beating all the top teams and knocking them out of first place. Not a good team to meet right off the bat. Ironicly, Tenn. went on this run after their suppossedly best player Tyler Smith, was suspended for the year.

I'll have fridays schedule later....
 
OK, here's the schedule for thursday. As CBS has the broadcast rights to all the games, that means they'll regionalize them. So unless you but the NCAA package your limited to the games shown in your area.

Every single game of tourney is streaming online starting Thursday to championship game. You won't miss any of the games live (except lots of games tip at/near same time early on) or view highlights of games later.

http://mmod.ncaa.com/?ttag=MMOD10_on_all_jato_iab_0001
 
Here's an article from RealGM on players to watch in the tourney. I don't agree with all their opinions, but by and large they're fairly close.

http://www.realgm.net/src_feature_p...players_to_watch_in_the_2010_ncaa_tournament/

They do say a few strange things in this one, though:

(Greg) Monroe is one of the better passing bigs we have seen in recent seasons and he has the capacity to have a long NBA career not unlike Marcus Camby because of that ability. He isn't a natural shotblocker and isn't athletically special...

Marcus Camby isn't what I would consider to be a great-passing big man, he's a shotblocking big man. He never broke 2.0 assists per game before he was 30, and in his first 13 seasons he had one (the most injury-shortened of his career) in which he had more assists than blocks. If his college game is any indication, the first NBA season in which Greg Monroe will have more assists than blocks will be the 2010-2011 one, and every one following. Comparing Greg Monroe to Marcus Camby is...strange. They're completely different molds of player.

Even though there is plenty of scouting to be done for the other players, there apparently are a few unconvinced that Wall isn't a significantly better prospect than Turner.

Tortured clause of the month award! Taken literally, this means that most scouts think that Turner is basically as good as Wall. But I kind of doubt that's what he means. I think the writer tripped himself up on an unnecessary double negative - why not just simply say "most believe Wall is a better prospect than Turner" (or the alternative, if that's what you mean) and be done with it? I had to diagram the sentence and I'm still not sure whether he meant what he said.
 
I'd say Marcus Camby is a good passing big man, he's not going to get a lot of assists because he's just not going to have that big of a role in an offense because of his lack of scoring ability.
 
I'd say Marcus Camby is a good passing big man, he's not going to get a lot of assists because he's just not going to have that big of a role in an offense because of his lack of scoring ability.

While that may be true, I don't think thats the first thing one thinks of when one thinks of Camby.
 
If we can get Wes or Cousins with our pick, i'll be satasfied. Of course theres wall but I think we will get the 5-6 pick.

We need a big man. Its possible that we'll get on through freeagency. But I would still like to pick up one in the draft. Its possible that Aldrich might slide. I doubt he'll slide all the way to 9 or 10, but he might slide as far as 7, maybe 8. After Aldrich I would go after either Whiteside or Udoh. Both have a chance of being there at 7, 8, or 9. Whiteside can play center and has the biggest upside. Udoh is a PF, but can make a contribution right now. I think either player would be a valuable pickup. I think Aminu will go somewhere in the top 10, maybe top 8. I hope so, because I'm not that high on him and if he can push a better player down to us, Great!

Unless we end up in the top four, you can forget about Cousins.
 
Unless we move up quite a bit or have a shot at Wes Johnson, a big man is probably going to be the likely direction since that is where it's at in this draft.
 
THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE:

Florida/BYU: CBS at 9:30 Pacific: No big men persay to look at but BYU does have a very good and unhearlded point guard named Jimmy Fredette.
This is the game scheduled in the San Diego area. Perhaps all of california.


Murry St./Vanderbilt: CBS at 11:30 Pacific: Vanderbilt features Andrew Oqilvy. A 6'11"/7' center. Not very athletic. I would compare him to a Brad Miller type of center, although Oqilvy doesn't mind getting into the post and mixing it up a little. I see him as a career backup center in the NBA at best.

Sam Houston/Baylor: CBS at 11:50 Pacific: One to watch if you can get it in your area, or if you have the NCAA package. Baylor features 6'10" Ekpe Udoh. One of my favorite players in the draft. He's an athletic PF that can pass the ball, score inside and outside, and by outside I mean 12 to 15 foot jumpers, not three point shots. He's an excellent defender and shotblocker.

St Mary's/Richmond: CBS at 11:50 Pacific: This game is also scheduled in the San Diego area. St. Mary's features 6'11", 265 LB center Omar Samhan. Not particularly athletic or explosive, but amazingly puts up consistant numbers game after game. Smart crafty player, who some might call a dirty player. He's very physical under the basket and gets a lot of blocked shots. Not a bad guy to have on the bench when you need some heads knocked. He does have skills though as he regularly scores 20 points and grabs 10 plus boards.

UTEP/Butler: CBS at 1:45 Pacific: Tough draw for Butler. UTEP is a very good basketball team and could make it all the way to the final eight if they get on a roll. Butler features unhearlded Gordon Haywood. A 6'9" PF. He's one of those glue guys that just goes out and gets the job done game after game. He's not particularly impressive to look at, but he gets his 18 or so points and grabs his 10 boards and a couple of assists. He's one of those hustle guys, but with talent.

E.Tennessee/Kentucky: CBS at 4:15 Pacific: Kentucky features three players that should go in the first round. Two of which might go in the top four. DeMarcus Cousins, a 6'11" 275 LB center. John Wall, a 6'3"/6'4" PG, and Patrick Patterson, a 6'8" PF. Patterson is probably a little udersized for a powerforward, but he's very athletic and has the ability to score inside and outside. His outside shot, while improved, still needs work.

Ohio/Georgetown: CBS at 4:25 Pacific: Georgetown features 6'11" PF/C Greg Monroe. Probably the best passing big man in the draft. He has a good 15 to 17 foot jumpshot and this year has improved his post game and his rebounding. He has had the label of soft in the past, but there's no denying his talent.

Washington/Marquette: CBS at 4:20 Pacific: Two players to keep an eye on in this game are Quincy Pondexter, a 6'7" SF from Washington and Lazar Haywood, a 6'6" SG/SF from Marquette. This game is scheduled for the San Diego area.

Lehigh/Kansas: CBS at 6:30 Pacific: A chance to see Cole Aldrich, a 6'11" Center, Xavior Henry, a 6'6" SF, and Sherron Collins a 5'11" PG. All from Kansas and all probable first round picks. Kansas also has a backup point guard for the future in 6'3" Tyshawn Taylor.

Wake Forrest/Texas: CBS at 6:35 Pacific: On paper Texas should win this game, but I wouldn't bet on it. Texas has really been on a rollercoaster ride of late. To be fair they've lost their point guard and a couple of other key players to injury. So they go into the tournament nursing their wounds. Texas features 6'10", 295 LB center, Dexter Pittman. One of my favorite players in 6'8" Damion James, a SF/PF, and Avery Bradley, a 6'3" SG/PG. Bradley is a freshman and now is the point guard by default. Very talented kid and a freak athlete. Susposedly has a 40" vertical. Wake Forrest features probable top ten pick Al-Farouq Aminu. Another freak athlete who can run like a deer and jump out of the building. At 6'8" he plays PF for Wake, but I see him as a SF in the NBA. Unless he gets drafted by the Warriors of course. Then he'll play center.


I'll have fridays schedule later....


Thanks Bajaden, I'll try to check out the games above that I bolded. MOstly interested in frontcourt players
 
Wes Johnson faded in Big East play and didn't looked that impressive. I think right now he doesn't deserve to be in top-5 and barely - in top-10 just because other guys in that range are not impressive either. Syracuse may also have a very short Tourney without Onuaku. Not very good for his stock.
 
Wes Johnson faded in Big East play and didn't looked that impressive. I think right now he doesn't deserve to be in top-5 and barely - in top-10 just because other guys in that range are not impressive either. Syracuse may also have a very short Tourney without Onuaku. Not very good for his stock.

Yeah, Syracuse was orginally one of my choices for the final two. But the loss of Onuaku is a big blow. Not sure if they can recover from it. Johnson's play did fall off at the end of the season. I'm not sure how much that will affect his draft status. I think if he shows well at the combine and then the team workouts he'll be ok.
 
Wes Johnson faded in Big East play and didn't looked that impressive. I think right now he doesn't deserve to be in top-5 and barely - in top-10 just because other guys in that range are not impressive either. Syracuse may also have a very short Tourney without Onuaku. Not very good for his stock.

This is kind of what I thought too. His play at the beginning of the season was insanely good which put him at the top of the draft board, but it just hasn't held up. In the context of him being 22 (close year to 23) it doesn't really hold up to the other top 6-8 guys. Another team in the top 10 may like him, but I don't see ANY reason for the Kings to draft him.
 
This is kind of what I thought too. His play at the beginning of the season was insanely good which put him at the top of the draft board, but it just hasn't held up. In the context of him being 22 (close year to 23) it doesn't really hold up to the other top 6-8 guys. Another team in the top 10 may like him, but I don't see ANY reason for the Kings to draft him.

I can think of two reasons: his outside shooting (NBA range) and his superior athleticism. He would compliment Tyreke's game really well. Plus, he is an outstanding rebounder for his position SG/SF.

I like him or Aldrich in the 6-10 range. Aldrich is less flashy, but he is a defensive presence, can run the floor, and doesn't need the ball on offense to be effective (sets great screens and is a good offensive rebounder). Another guy who would compliment Tyreke.
 
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