Kings 2009-2010 NBA Draft:

[chasen4r1]

Yes, but I think LeBron feels the need to be seen in a certain light more than Kobe does. I think LeBron is motivated most by adulation, while Kobe is motivated most by winning. He's much more of a competitor than LeBron IMO.

I agree with this. I understand that it'd be hard to not have an ego when you're as talented as Kobe and LeBron, but sometimes it just seems ridiculous. LeBron's ego just gets to me. As sad as I am to say this, if I had a choice to root for Kobe or LeBron, I'd possibly go with Kobe despite my hatred towards him.

Both egos are over the top, I just think LeBron might be a little more self centered than Kobe (and we all know how self centered Kobe is)

 

[chasen4r1]

Would you like to see what lebron would be capable of if he had bynum, gasol, and odom as part of his arsenal?

This kind of goes along the common "if only LeBron had a supporting cast" idea. I get kind of tired of the idea that LeBron would be a perennial NBA champ if he had any good teammates. Seems like that's a bit disrespectful to the players he has competing for him. He has Mo Williams, an all star pg. He also has 2 worthy centers in Shaq and Big Z. Both centers are getting worn down, but they can compete and they are big experienced bodies that can contribute to a number of contending teams. Not to mention Anderson Varejao and Antawn Jamison who can certainly hold their own. LeBron has plenty of help on his team. Time for him to do something about it.

 

[Vlade4GM]

So you have a kid who's on covers of magazines when he's a teenager, has media surouding his every move, expectations like we've never seen before, and he exceeds these expectations and you think he doesn't have as much of a desire to win as Kobe does? You're delusional dude. Lebron is building a contender, Kobe was drafted into one and was just handed another one. Would you like to see what lebron would be capable of if he had bynum, gasol, and odom as part of his arsenal? Kobe is a conundrum. Very hard to figure out. Always has been. Kind of an outcast. Anything he does or says to sway people one way or another is just him being his weird self. Lebron just expresses himself. And you know what you're gonna get out of him. With Kobe, you never know what he's gonna do or say.

Bottom line, no way lebron has a bigger ego than Kobe. Kobe chases stats and records. Lebron doesn't give a rats a** about that. Remember when Kobe was trying to break Jordans 40 pt game streak in '03? Lebron gets triple double after triple double and you somehow try to say that him getting assists is still part of his greedy self. Get a grip dude.

You know, I started writing a response to your points, but then I figured it's better I not waste my time with someone who has no idea how to respectfully disagree with someone.

 

[est.1999]

Respectfully disagree? You sir have no idea what in the world you're talking about. Possibly the reason for no response. Good excuse.

 

[est.1999]

Oh and chasen, great point. Bring up shaq. It's amazing all the things he's done for lebron while he was in Phoenix and Miami. Oh wait a minute, he's only been there this year. And he's injured, no? Jeez, some of you just don't get it.

 

[Dime Dropper]

I'll have to disagree once again on Kobe vs. LeBron. No way is LeBron's ego bigger than Kobe's. Kobe is the guy who, up until a few years ago, wouldn't even pass the ball to his damn team-mates because he didn't "trust" them. Is he arguably the best player in the NBA? Yes (although I'd take LeBron over him). Is he a ferociously hard worker? Yes. Is he the best in the league at closing out games? Yes. But he's got a huge ego, one that not even LeBron can match. At least IMO.

It's all moot, though. Both are HOF'ers.




Was disappointed to see Kentucky bow out although in all honesty, they didn't deserve to go through. No one on that team can shoot the ball. Not a fan of WV but can't complain. Wall solidified himself as the top pick in the upcoming draft with his show of athleticism. I retract my earlier sentiment that Turner might have just as much upside. As good as Turner is (and he's very, very good), Wall just shows the killer instinct and athleticism that could make him a superstar.

Cousins didn't have a very good game, but he was crowded out of it and none nof the Kentucky players played particularly well.

I've somewhat lost interest in the tournament now. No big name players left in it which is unusual. I guess I'll be rooting for Baylor who I saw the other day. Udoh looks like he has very good size and has good athleticism. Good rebounder. But you can tell his upside is limited. I'll have to see him again before I can get a good read on him.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

I can see Petrie drafting Craig Brackins if he is still on the board with our 2nd rounder.

 

[Gilles]

The best big guy I saw today was Kelly from Kansas State. If the Kansas St. guards would not have gone brain dead and got him the ball in the second half, they go to the Final 4. Kelly has talent. Quickness, coordination, fluidity, length, shooting ability. He's better than Thompson is right now.

Cousins finished shots from great dribble drives by Wall et al, and made one good offensive rebound. Other than that? - Whatever....

You didn't mention two things: defense and rebounding. For those things you mentioned we already have Landry.

 

[chasen4r1]

Oh and chasen, great point. Bring up shaq. It's amazing all the things he's done for lebron while he was in Phoenix and Miami. Oh wait a minute, he's only been there this year. And he's injured, no? Jeez, some of you just don't get it.

Can you please tell me where I talked about all the great things shaq has done for him? I simply said shaq is a big experienced body that can contribute. And my post wasn't just about shaq.. He was just merely mentioned among other players that can sure as heck compete. I was writing this in response to the idea that Lebron has no help.. not sure why you find it necessary to take offense and fire back responses to something I never said.

 

[chasen4r1]

This lebron talk is a pointless argument anyways and it has nothing to do with the draft.. I'll just not worry about it for now, at least in this thread.

 

[bajaden]

Thompson played in a Micky Mouse conference mi agigo...

And some of those, as you call it mickey mouse conference teams knocked off some very good teams in the tourney this year. All I'm saying is that I don't get all excited about one game from any player. Good or bad. I judge players on their whole body of work. Or as much of it as I'm capable of seeing. Kelly's a nice player. And I could go through all the conferences and find you a lot of Kelly's, some of which might end up in the NBA, and playing well. While others won't even get a sniff.

What do you know about Kelly other than the one game. He's an undersized PF that signed with UCONN orginally and couldn't get any significant minutes. So after his sophmore year he transfered to K. St. and had to sit out a year. He's been what I would call an inconsistant player. He'll give you 22 points one night and 6 the next. Which is OK in the K St. system which puts more emphasis on defense. But his rebounding is average at best. There have been games I've watched where he only had a couple of rebounds. However, this year has been a huge improvement over his first two at UCONN. I doubt he'll enter his name in the draft. He has a year of eligiblity left and if he continues to improve, who knows, he may work his way up the draft board next year.

 

[bajaden]

I'll have to disagree once again on Kobe vs. LeBron. No way is LeBron's ego bigger than Kobe's. Kobe is the guy who, up until a few years ago, wouldn't even pass the ball to his damn team-mates because he didn't "trust" them. Is he arguably the best player in the NBA? Yes (although I'd take LeBron over him). Is he a ferociously hard worker? Yes. Is he the best in the league at closing out games? Yes. But he's got a huge ego, one that not even LeBron can match. At least IMO.

It's all moot, though. Both are HOF'ers.




Was disappointed to see Kentucky bow out although in all honesty, they didn't deserve to go through. No one on that team can shoot the ball. Not a fan of WV but can't complain. Wall solidified himself as the top pick in the upcoming draft with his show of athleticism. I retract my earlier sentiment that Turner might have just as much upside. As good as Turner is (and he's very, very good), Wall just shows the killer instinct and athleticism that could make him a superstar.

Cousins didn't have a very good game, but he was crowded out of it and none nof the Kentucky players played particularly well.

I've somewhat lost interest in the tournament now. No big name players left in it which is unusual. I guess I'll be rooting for Baylor who I saw the other day. Udoh looks like he has very good size and has good athleticism. Good rebounder. But you can tell his upside is limited. I'll have to see him again before I can get a good read on him.

I reluctantly put Kentucky in my final four. Just had to based on their talent and record. I did say before the tournament that their weakness was their outside shooting and that I was afraid it would bite them in the but before it was all said and done. When you miss 19 three point shots in a row, your probably going to lose the game. All year long, the way to beat Kentucky was to keep them on the outside and make them shoot the ball. If you catch them on one of their good days you might lose anyway, but if you can keep Wall out of the paint and the ball away from Cousins, you have a good chance of beating them.

I'm naturally rooting for Baylor today. Remember when watching Udoh that he's not the focus of Baylors offense. But that doesn't mean he's incapable of scoring the ball. The guys to watch for scoring on Baylor are Tweety Carter, the point guard and LaceDarius Dunn the shooting guard. Dunn can be a scoring machine, and so goes Dunn, usually, so goes Baylor. If Carter or Dunn, or both, struggle. Look for Udoh to get more involved in the offense.

Not sure why you would assume the Udoh doesn't have much upside. His game improved this year. And though he's a little older than some others, its because he redshirted for a year after transfering to Baylor. He's a good athlete and has good size and length. I believe he averaged over three blocked shots a game this year. He deceptively quick when he wants to be. He's a good rebounder, but its a part of his game that can improve with more balance between his defensive and offensive rebounds. He's also a decent to good offensive player, either under the basket or away from it. I hope I don't jinx him by saying this, but he seldom gets into foul trouble.

Should be a good game. Duke is a very good defensive team and so is Baylor. This is a great comeback year for Baylor after having their whole program dismanteled 6 or 7 years ago for NCAA infractions.

The guy to keep an eye on for Duke is Brian Zoubek, their 7'1" center. He's not much of a scorer, but like Udoh, or maybe even less, he's not the focus of the offense. But in games where he plays good defense and rebounds the ball, Duke usually wins. If you look back over their season and look at their losses, Zoubek had bad games in all of them. A lot of Duke's late season sucess can be attributed to the improvement in the play of Zoubek.

 

[bajaden]

Respectfully disagree? You sir have no idea what in the world you're talking about. Possibly the reason for no response. Good excuse.

I think Vlade's response was intended more toward your attitude than your opinion. You sort of took the "I'm the smart one and your just plain stupid for saying what your saying" approach. Vlade and I disagree with one another all the time, but I try to do so as if I were talking to a friend.

Trust me when I say that Vlade's refusal to continue the discussion had nothing to do with his inability to do so. I know from experience that he can be a pittbull about what he believes in. It had nothing to do with what you said. It had all to do with how you said it.

 

[est.1999]

Gotcha. But he was making claims without any facts. Or even taking into account each players career and how they got to where they are at.

 

[bajaden]

Gotcha. But he was making claims without any facts. Or even taking into account each players career and how they got to where they are at.

I understand your point of view, and if thats what you believe, then thats what you say. But nicely.. Peace!

 

[bajaden]

Well my last final four team and the one I picked to win it all bit the dust. Baylor did have a nice run though. Anybody that watched the game saw that Udoh is a pretty darned good player. Several times in the game he was on the perimiter guarding one of Duke's guards and had no problem keeping the player in front of him. He has excellent lateral movement. He had trouble getting his shot to fall today, but still ended up with 18 points and grabbed 10 boards. He showed off some of his passing skills with 6 assists to go with only one turnover. He also had a steal and blocked 5 shots. All in all a very nice game for him. He wears number 13. When asked why he chose that number? He said it was to remind people of the friday the 13th and nightmare on elm streets movies. Because on the court he was going to be the devil and the other teams worse nightmare.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Today was only the second time I got to see Udoh play, and the first time in a full game. Was very impressed. He's not a center, but he actually looks like the perfect fit at PF for this team. Unselfish, athletic, very smart, good passer, very good shot blocker and defender, solid offensive game. He also has very good handles for a big man. Really is skilled although you feel he's not given the ball enough. He has no major holes and from what I've read/heard, he's a hard worker and very bright.

His only possible hold-back at the next level is that he's not very strong. I can never see him being the cornerstone of a franchise, but that's really not a problem. He doesn't have to be. If he can get stronger and keep his athleticism, you have a very good starting PF. His blocking was very impressive today. As pointed out earlier, it wasn't just weakside blocks. He was challenging his own man and using his length.

Udoh makes me feel much better about not being in the top 3. I have to say I'd be very happy if we came out of the draft with him. Not the coveted center we all want, but the answer to our problems at the PF position. JT can come off the bench as an energy guy, where he's actually done pretty well recently. Quality bigs who play defense and are smart offensively are hard to find.

As an aside, don't know who I want to win it now. Just not Duke. I could sleep watching them. Haven't seen Michigan play all year which is unusal. Don't know much about Butler. I know there's been alot of upsets this year, but I still don't find it as exciting as past years. I like having a few big prospects to watch in the final four and they're lacking this year.

 

[bajaden]

Today was only the second time I got to see Udoh play, and the first time in a full game. Was very impressed. He's not a center, but he actually looks like the perfect fit at PF for this team. Unselfish, athletic, very smart, good passer, very good shot blocker and defender, solid offensive game. He also has very good handles for a big man. Really is skilled although you feel he's not given the ball enough. He has no major holes and from what I've read/heard, he's a hard worker and very bright.

His only possible hold-back at the next level is that he's not very strong. I can never see him being the cornerstone of a franchise, but that's really not a problem. He doesn't have to be. If he can get stronger and keep his athleticism, you have a very good starting PF. His blocking was very impressive today. As pointed out earlier, it wasn't just weakside blocks. He was challenging his own man and using his length.

Udoh makes me feel much better about not being in the top 3. I have to say I'd be very happy if we came out of the draft with him. Not the coveted center we all want, but the answer to our problems at the PF position. JT can come off the bench as an energy guy, where he's actually done pretty well recently. Quality bigs who play defense and are smart offensively are hard to find.

As an aside, don't know who I want to win it now. Just not Duke. I could sleep watching them. Haven't seen Michigan play all year which is unusal. Don't know much about Butler. I know there's been alot of upsets this year, but I still don't find it as exciting as past years. I like having a few big prospects to watch in the final four and they're lacking this year.

Well Butler has Gordon Haywood, a 6'9" PF. He looks like he should be in highschool when you see his face. He's a very skilled player. Good outside shooter all the way out to 3 pt. range. Handles the ball well and is a good passer. He's a decent athlete, and some have compared him to Larry Bird. I would never make that comparison, but he is the glue guy that holds butler together. If you haven't seen him play, you'll be surprised when you do. He doesn't look like much at first glance, but at the end of the day he's got his 18 and 10.

West Virginia has a couple of players to watch. One of my favorites is DaSean Butler, a 6'7" SF and a very clutch player for WV, and Devin Ebanks, a 6'8" PF/SF. Ebanks is really a SF that plays PF for WV. I also am not a big fan of Duke. I think the school gets treated with kid gloves and year after year gets seeded in the weakest bracket. I think Singler is a very overrated player that has huge problems creating his own shot when guarded by a physical player.

 

[Chupacabra]

Its safe to say im now a big Udoh fan. I didnt see too many rebounds go right to him today. He had to pursue most of his boards. As much as it seems like he lacks strength he still didnt allow Zoubek to bully him. Like someone else said Udoh also did a nice job defending dukes guards when needed. Quick feet, long arms, good timing, good IQ. If the Kings dont get lucky enough to pick Cousins or Favors i sure as hell hope its Udoh. None of this Cole Aldrich nonsense.

 

[roasthawg]

Udoh makes me feel much better about not being in the top 3. I have to say I'd be very happy if we came out of the draft with him. Not the coveted center we all want, but the answer to our problems at the PF position. JT can come off the bench as an energy guy, where he's actually done pretty well recently. Quality bigs who play defense and are smart offensively are hard to find.

What about Landry?!?

 

[Vlade4GM]

What about Landry?!?

What about him?

 

[Kingster]

And some of those, as you call it mickey mouse conference teams knocked off some very good teams in the tourney this year. All I'm saying is that I don't get all excited about one game from any player. Good or bad. I judge players on their whole body of work. Or as much of it as I'm capable of seeing. Kelly's a nice player. And I could go through all the conferences and find you a lot of Kelly's, some of which might end up in the NBA, and playing well. While others won't even get a sniff.

What do you know about Kelly other than the one game. He's an undersized PF that signed with UCONN orginally and couldn't get any significant minutes. So after his sophmore year he transfered to K. St. and had to sit out a year. He's been what I would call an inconsistant player. He'll give you 22 points one night and 6 the next. Which is OK in the K St. system which puts more emphasis on defense. But his rebounding is average at best. There have been games I've watched where he only had a couple of rebounds. However, this year has been a huge improvement over his first two at UCONN. I doubt he'll enter his name in the draft. He has a year of eligiblity left and if he continues to improve, who knows, he may work his way up the draft board next year.

Don't read the Bible into one sentence. He played better than any big offensively than anyone I've seen in the tourney. That means he deserves a further look, if I'm a GM. It doesn't mean I'd take him with the #3 pick in the draft. I don't know about his rebounding. His defense looked all right. It's soooo rare these days you see a guy that is good in the post that he stands out like a rose among a garden of weeds.

 

[The_Jamal]

Udoh really looked like a nice presence today on the defense end. Correct me if im wrong, but if we do end up picking around 8-10, is that about where he's projected to go? He seemed very atheltic with a solid all-around game

 

[Kingster]

Prince

Does this guy have an outside shot? If he can hit open outside shots, I could easily see him paired up with Tyreke in the backcourt. He's quick enough to guard point guards and long enough to guard two guards. Very athletic. Looks like he has good court sense. You could have a 6'6" and 6'7" backcourt that would be extremely good defensively. This is the kind of guy that could guard a Westbrook.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

What about Landry?!?

Im glad you brought him up. Ive been going back and fourth on this for a while now. Im not sure what to make of Landry. Is he our PF? if he is you better hope our Center is big and can rebound like a machine.

But as far as THIS draft is concerned, it doesnt matter a whole lot .. at least in my opinion. Maybe in a year or so positions will really start to matter, but we still need that talent, and if we feel Udoh is the right guy for this team, it doesnt matter that we already have Landry. Udoh should be able to handle playing Center about as well as JT can. Its not Ideal, but can Udoh and Landry be on the court at the same time in certain situations? I think so.

As an aside, Can Landry play some SF? he has small forward size, and his bread and butter since coming here has been that mid range jumper. The thought of Evans, Greene, Landry, and a PF and a C on the court at the same time could REALLY give some teams a lot of trouble.

 

[bajaden]

Im glad you brought him up. Ive been going back and fourth on this for a while now. Im not sure what to make of Landry. Is he our PF? if he is you better hope our Center is big and can rebound like a machine.

But as far as THIS draft is concerned, it doesnt matter a whole lot .. at least in my opinion. Maybe in a year or so positions will really start to matter, but we still need that talent, and if we feel Udoh is the right guy for this team, it doesnt matter that we already have Landry. Udoh should be able to handle playing Center about as well as JT can. Its not Ideal, but can Udoh and Landry be on the court at the same time in certain situations? I think so.

As an aside, Can Landry play some SF? he has small forward size, and his bread and butter since coming here has been that mid range jumper. The thought of Evans, Greene, Landry, and a PF and a C on the court at the same time could REALLY give some teams a lot of trouble.

Udoh is stronger than he looks. he has a good lower body and if you watch him, his technique is very good. He bends his legs and gets good leverage. I think he could play some center in the right matchup. I also think he could carry a little more weight. He has very wide shoulders and a good frame. Obviously his offense needs a little polish. But the basics are there.

Don't get me wrong. I would still rather have Cousins or Favors. But he's a nice fall back if we can't get either of them. By the way Landry did play some SF the other night. The Kings had Hawes, Thompson and Landry on the floor together.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Baja, what do you think Udoh's ceiling is?

 

[bajaden]

Baja, what do you think Udoh's ceiling is?

Thats a question I always hate to answer. I don't want to raise expectations too high, and at the same time, I hate to put limits on any player. He's a good athlete with good lateral quickness. He has some offensive skills both under the basket and away. He handles the ball fairly well for a big man. He has passing skills and is an unselfish player. He's also 6'10" with a wingspan reported to be well over 7 foot.

I would say that if he really works on his game. Refines his jumpshot and improves his post game, I could see him as a 15 to 18 point and 10 rebounds a game player. On defense he should be able to step right in and help. He's a smart defender in the sense that he knows when he can block a shot and when he can't. Which keeps him out of foul trouble. I can easily see him averaging over 2 blocks a game. One of the things that impressed me about him is that he always seems under control.

My gut tells me that he has a lot of potential that still untapped. As you can tell, I really like him. He's one of those guys that could well end up being better than five or six players picked ahead of him.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Sounds good. I still have a few Baylor games recorded that I have yet to watch.

 

[bajaden]

I read this morning that Aldrich has thrown his hat into the ring. Udoh is still undecided. I think the expiring players agreement will have some influence in potential draftee's decision making. This might be the last year that they can be assured of decent money coming into the draft and a guaranteed 4 years. A year from now the rookie salary may be half of what it is now and it may only be guaranteed for a couple of years, if at all.

If your going to picked in the first round, especially in the upper half of the first round, it would be financially foolish to return to school.