Official Draft thread (merged)

[Bricklayer]

I would have little interest in Warrick as a PF. Too Small, albeit as an uber-athlete. But if he is instead regarded as a SF, then THAT's interesting. A physical dynamic rebounding force at that position. Thing is though, this team under Geoff and Rick almost NEVER "goes big". If they have a tweener they never take advantage of their superior size/rebounding etc. at the "smaller" position they play, and almost always try to put them at their "larger" position to get a skill advantage there.

Mentioned before an alternative to Warrick mght be Joey Graham. Another big time athlete but with more polished skills and more clearly a SF. Less potential, but more polish. And less chance of being Gerald Wallaced right to the end of the bench. Is predicted to go somewhere right around where Warrick is:

NBA Comparison: Caron Butler

Strengths: Graham is a tough nosed, no nonsense type, power 3 ... A physical specimen with great leaping ability who finishes very well … Has a chiseled body with excellent size, wingspan and great strength … Very tough player, enjoys contact, rebounds and takes the ball inside especially well … Has a very effective jump shot … Has range out to 18 feet, with excellent touch on his shot … Huge hands make him tough to rip the ball away from and give him an advantage on drives to the basket … Has a solid base and good rebounding fundamentals … Plays hard, hustles … Solid defender … Unlike many draft prospects Graham has the experience of 4 years of progression in college. He is one of the most NBA ready prospects out there … Extremely strong body, he can bench press over 400 pounds… Has good post skills with face up and back to the basket ability ... Excellent free throw shooter ...


Weaknesses: Plays a little stiff, mechanical… Doesn’t have great intangibles relating to ball skills … His vision, passing and ball handling are just average … Court awareness and feel for the game are just average … His ability to put the ball on the floor and create is a work in progress ... What you see is what you get, although he has shown great improvement offensively in his Senior season ...

-Aran Smith 2/9/05

 

[funsc]

i heard a young guy with 7'8" , why not him?

 

[dagiantsrule15]

sun ming ming (7'8 dude) is very raw, not at all developed, only 7 years of competitive bball and u kno well that adelman cant develop. it wud b an interesting pick if we decide to go for him tho, coz he cud turn out to be a dominating force in the nba, provided he develops

 

[VF21]

sun ming ming (7'8 dude) is very raw, not at all developed, only 7 years of competitive bball and u kno well that adelman cant develop. it wud b an interesting pick if we decide to go for him tho, coz he cud turn out to be a dominating force in the nba, provided he develops

No interest whatsoever on my part in a raw project case, regardless of how tall he is.

Dig to Adelman aside, the last thing the Kings need is a roster spot filled by someone like that. This isn't a charity situation. It's the NBA, and the Kings needs to do everything they can to retain their elite status.

 

[Joker112]

There seem to be a lot of opinions, here and elsewhere, that the Kings should go after one of the tweener SF/PFs in the draft. Why add another body to the logjam at the forward position? I personally think that with Bobby on his last year of his contract the Kings should look to PGs. Either that or one of the "point-forwards" that can play multiple positions like Marquis Daniels. With the influx of young players trying to beat any forthcoming age restrictions, there is certainly some talent being pushed farther down than it should. Players such as Jarrett Jack or Julius Hodge would seem to be good value and fill roles the Kings need. Of course, Petrie picks with the Best Player Available method so the draft is wholly unpredictable.

 

[mazzystar]

I would have little interest in Warrick as a PF. Too Small, albeit as an uber-athlete. But if he is instead regarded as a SF, then THAT's interesting. A physical dynamic rebounding force at that position. Thing is though, this team under Geoff and Rick almost NEVER "goes big". If they have a tweener they never take advantage of their superior size/rebounding etc. at the "smaller" position they play, and almost always try to put them at their "larger" position to get a skill advantage there.

Mentioned before an alternative to Warrick mght be Joey Graham. Another big time athlete but with more polished skills and more clearly a SF. Less potential, but more polish. And less chance of being Gerald Wallaced right to the end of the bench. Is predicted to go somewhere right around where Warrick is:

NBA Comparison: Caron Butler

Strengths: Graham is a tough nosed, no nonsense type, power 3 ... A physical specimen with great leaping ability who finishes very well … Has a chiseled body with excellent size, wingspan and great strength … Very tough player, enjoys contact, rebounds and takes the ball inside especially well … Has a very effective jump shot … Has range out to 18 feet, with excellent touch on his shot … Huge hands make him tough to rip the ball away from and give him an advantage on drives to the basket … Has a solid base and good rebounding fundamentals … Plays hard, hustles … Solid defender … Unlike many draft prospects Graham has the experience of 4 years of progression in college. He is one of the most NBA ready prospects out there … Extremely strong body, he can bench press over 400 pounds… Has good post skills with face up and back to the basket ability ... Excellent free throw shooter ...


Weaknesses: Plays a little stiff, mechanical… Doesn’t have great intangibles relating to ball skills … His vision, passing and ball handling are just average … Court awareness and feel for the game are just average … His ability to put the ball on the floor and create is a work in progress ... What you see is what you get, although he has shown great improvement offensively in his Senior season ...

-Aran Smith 2/9/05

Although I haven't seen this kid play, I would be happy if Geoff picked him up. Draftcity.com says this kid plays pretty good defense. Maybe his game is similar to that of Andre Iguadola? Anyone seen graham play?

 

[hrdboild]

What I would not like to see is a project. We need someone on the roster who can help us. I'm not big on the idea of drafting a PG because the good ones are almost always snatched up quick, and you might as well just sign a veteran PG to a minimum contract. There's a lot of them available every year with about as much chance of making an impact and staying longer. Anybody who is actually ready to play (ie not a project) and over 7 feet will be gone in the lottery, so I wouldn't try and draft a center either.

What's left? A lot of talented swingmen go late in the first round or even early in the second round. With all the euro-centers and high-flying high schoolers with "potential" there's always a chance that some quality players will slip through the cracks and wind up in the bottom of the first round. Usually they have some kind of percieved problem -- be it lack of size (undersized PF), lack of strength (skinny guard/forward), or just little upside (semi-skilled college bruiser).

First of all, the undersized power forwards. I don't think it's correct to say that we have a lot of them. What we have is an excess of small forwards and a corresponding lack of legitimate power forwards. Kenny Thomas is more of a small forward. His game is mostly on the perimeter, although he does manage to put up PF level rebounding numbers. I think he's a quality player that would help a lot of teams, but he's just not ideal for this team. I hope he gets traded to a team that wants him. I agree that a guy with PF skills in a SF body (ie Corliss Williamson) is not really going to help us a lot. On the other hand, when you've got somebody like Ike Diogu who's incredibly skilled in the paint and a real leader for his team, you consider taking him at 23. He's a lottery pick for sure if he's an inch taller. Two inches and he's top 5. Sean May is someone to consider too if he's still around. He's got all the skills you want in a PF/C but doesn't have the body. As far as risk factor goes, this is the highest - with the most possible reward.

The skinny guard/forwards are always a tantalizing group. They've got the skills, they've got the stats, all they need is a little time in the weight room. Unfortunately, this gets dangerously close to being a 'project' category like the unskilled 7 footers are. They do little good sitting at the end of the bench waiting to 'develop'. Usually it's worth taking the chance on one of these guys if they have some kind of plus skill. Examples are 3-point shooting (Francisco Garcia), passing ability (Julius Hodge), ball-handling (Kennedy Winston). There's a lot of talented swingmen in the NBA, it could be a risk to commit a roster spot on one who might not develop when you could just scoop up one of the several available free agents each year with the MLE. Then again, there's only so much MLE to go around, which makes this another way to improve your roster without trading away key assets. And a low first round draft pick is costing you less than a proven swingman at market value. This is a medium risk option which does regularly result in a good payoff for some teams. We could do worse than the above mentioned guys. And we do have a need at SG, though we drafted one of these guys last year too with Kevin Martin and we saw how much playing time he got. Rudy Fernandez is an intriguing pick if he's miraculously still available at 23.

The bruiser type guys are guaranteed role-players. If you like what they can do for you, you're picking up another decent player to fill out your bench. There's little chance you're getting something better than a #7 option though (and even that is being optimistic). In this draft, you're looking at guys like Ronny Turiaf, Wayne Simien, Channing Frye. Not bad options if you need a PF (like we do) but you can probably do better on the free-agent market. Then again, there aren't a lot of good PF free-agents available this year and our need is severe. I hope we trade to get a starting PF somehow, but I wouldn't be surprised if our pick was used on Turiaf as insurance.

 

[SacTownKid]

i heard a young guy with 7'8" , why not him?

I have seen the guy move and he makes Muresan look like Tmac. He is very awkward and has a hard time moving up and down the court. He doesn't have to really jump to dunk though!

 

[swisshh]

Bogut's feet are sloppy, footwork looked UGLY in games that I saw, I wouldn't want to give up a bunch to get him.

What about that euro guy who's in the stromile swift/KG breed? 6'11 guy I think.

 

[BK_KingsFan]

I read on another forum that the Kings are working out with Ronny Turiaf. I hope this isn't true, although I like Turiaf, but I was really hoping the Kings would draft Joey Graham. I think he can develop into a Ron Artest or Shawn Marion type of player.

 

[SacTownKid]

I read on another forum that the Kings are working out with Ronny Turiaf. I hope this isn't true, although I like Turiaf, but I was really hoping the Kings would draft Joey Graham. I think he can develop into a Ron Artest or Shawn Marion type of player.

#1 I doubt Graham will drop to the Kings spot.

#2 At least, if the rumors are true, the Kings are looking at a true POWER FORWARD that blocks shots and rebounds.

I wouldn't mind drafting Turiaf.

We DON'T need to draft a SG. We got a big time steal when we got Kevin Martin last year and I would rather him get some playing time then going after another SG, even if he is the most talented player at the time.

 

[Pacboy]

No interest whatsoever on my part in a raw project case, regardless of how tall he is.

Dig to Adelman aside, the last thing the Kings need is a roster spot filled by someone like that. This isn't a charity situation. It's the NBA, and the Kings needs to do everything they can to retain their elite status.

I see no problem in taking a second pick on him. This isnt' a charity, but we do need to bring in some potential. Look what spur stole with the late first round and second round.

 

[Bricklayer]

I read on another forum that the Kings are working out with Ronny Turiaf. I hope this isn't true, although I like Turiaf, but I was really hoping the Kings would draft Joey Graham. I think he can develop into a Ron Artest or Shawn Marion type of player.

I like Turiaf -- mentioned him in an arlier post in one of these draft threads. Exactly the sort of hustler/banger/enthusiastic defender + rebounder we need. Does the dirty work and LOVES doing it.

That said, I would like to see a Graham fall to us too. If we could somehow land both guys I would be pretty happy with out draft. No future all-stars, but a couple of young athletic defense/rebounding oriented forces at their positions. Of course that is unlikely as Graham is projected at somewhere around #20 and Turiaf somewhere around #30. We're stuck in between, and would have to get lucky (without more moves) to be able to get both with the #23 and #53 (or whereever our 2nd pick is).

 

[VF21]

I see no problem in taking a second pick on him. This isnt' a charity, but we do need to bring in some potential. Look what spur stole with the late first round and second round.

My point was specifically about the 7'8" Sun Ming Ming, who was described as very raw and not at all developed. Drafting him, IMHO, isn't potential. It's simply drafting someone because they're tall and I'd much rather see us take someone who has actually shown a knack for some of the qualities we could use - i.e., rebounding, passing, shot blocking if he's big; DEFENSE if he's breathing; etc.

 

[Kingsgurl]

#1 I doubt Graham will drop to the Kings spot.

#2 At least, if the rumors are true, the Kings are looking at a true POWER FORWARD that blocks shots and rebounds.

I wouldn't mind drafting Turiaf.

We DON'T need to draft a SG. We got a big time steal when we got Kevin Martin last year and I would rather him get some playing time then going after another SG, even if he is the most talented player at the time.

Agreed. Man, the big regret I have about the Christie trade is losing the mentorship he had over this kid. I spoke with him (Kevin) on a couple occasions about it, and he was so EAGER to soak up everything that Doug had to offer. Really devasted by the loss of Doug. I think if Doug hadn't been here at the beginning, Kevin would have had a totally different mind-set going in. He thought he was here to learn from the master, soak up the defensive tricks Doug uses, and incorporate them into his offensive game. Think, if we manage to keep him, a lot of people are going to be pleasantly surprised with Kevin next season.

 

[mazzystar]

I don't think the Kings even have a 2nd round pick. On Draftcity it has the second round pick going to Boston for the Songaila trade.

 

[SacTownKid]

Yeah the Kings have no second pick. It doesn't matter anyway.

 

[kingsofnba]

Wayne Siemens

the kings should be looking for some rebounding and defensive help... Wayne Siemens of Kansas seems like the hard nosed player the kings can really use... he's 6'9" and 255lbs and avg. 20.3pts and 10 rebs. per game... he has a nba type wide body and can contribute right away in the league... i would love the kings to address their biggest need in the draft by drafting big and for rebounding and nastiness...

 

[ParniValjak]

I am not sure if this bloke has been mentioned before but what about Charlie Villanueva????

Has anyone seen him play and is there any chance he would be avaiable when our pick comes along????

If not would we consider trading up for him????

DraftCity compares to to Webber and young Derrick Coleman.

Thoughts?

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Just what I always wanted; the next Derrick Coleman...

 

[Kev.in]

I'd be very surprised if Villanueva fell to us.

From what I've seen of him, he's nothing like Coleman and even less like Webber. I'd say he's looked more like a mix of Jonathan Bender and Kwame Brown. I do think he'll turn out to be better than what those two have shown so far, so I guess you could say he's a combination of those two. Combine two underachievers and you might get yourself one "achiever".

 

[dagiantsrule15]

What about Julius Hodge? Very versatile, it might fill a need if we trade Kenny Thomas

 

[hrdboild]

Yeah but only if we draft a PF too. Utah's probably looking to dump a second round pick. They've got three of them.

 

[CaminoChaos]

The Cincy Post Reports Kings are intrested in Randolph Morris.

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050523/SPT0202/505230329/1035/SPT

Morris distances himself from Wildcats

By Victoria Sun
Post staff reporter






Zoom



University of Kentucky center Randolph Morris was among the record 108 players on the NBA's early-entrant list, which the league released last Thursday.

Morris, who averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in his freshman season at the UK, was among the 73 college underclassmen and high school seniors on the list for the June 28 draft. Also on the list are 35 international players.

Since Morris made his decision known weeks ago by faxing a letter to the UK basketball office instead of talking to head coach Tubby Smith or telling any of his three fellow freshmen, he has been unreachable.

Morris hasn't returned phone calls to numerous media outlets including The Post, reportedly hasn't spoken with Smith and cut off even those who were closest to him including his AAU coach, Wallace Prather.

So when the 6-foot-10 Morris surfaced at the Adams Park recreation center in Atlanta to scrimmage over the weekend with players including Georgia Tech's Jarret Jack, B.J. Elder and Ismail Muhammad and Charlotte's Eddie Basden and Curtis Withers, one source who was once in Morris' inner circle said he was "totally surprised" to see Morris.

Another source in attendance who spoke with Morris said Morris told him he had not hired an agent and that his father, Ralph, had been handling his affairs.

If Morris doesn't hire an agent and withdraws his name from the draft by June 21, he will be eligible to return to UK for his sophomore season provided he sends a written letter to UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart within 30 days after the draft to have his eligibility restored.

Morris told the second source that he has three to four workouts scheduled with NBA teams. As long as Morris pays for the expenses incurred with these workouts he will retain his college eligibility provided he completes the aforementioned steps, but Morris' return to UK seems unlikely at this point.

NBA teams including Utah, Sacramento and Denver have expressed an interest in bringing Morris in for a workout.

HAYES UPDATE - Former UK player Chuck Hayes has had workouts with the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks according to his agent, Calvin Andrews of BDA Sports Management.

Andrews said the 6-6 Hayes will continue to prepare in Lexington to play in the Chicago predraft camp June 7-10 and will participate in more individual workouts after the camp.

"He's fared well in both workouts," Andrews said.

 

[Fillmoe]

a 6'10 center?

 

[whozit]

Lots of upside, but should stay in School for at least another year. Might be worth the gamble.

If the Kings took him, it wouldn't be to play center but power forward instead.

 

[NoBonus]

Here's some more info on Randolph Morris

http://www.ukfans.net/jps/uk/Statistics/Players/Morris_Randolph.html


[size=+2]Randolph Morris[/size]

[size=+5]# 33[/size]
Hometown: Palmetto, GA Landmark Christian
Position: C Playing Height: 6-10 Playing Weight: 266
Date of Birth: January 2, 1986
Action Photos: [size=-1](1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)[/size]
Game by Game Statistics
Prep Notes:
Parade All-American
McDonalds All-American

SeasonGames
PlayedMinutesFGFGA%3Pt
FG3Pt
FGA%FTFTA%DefOffTotal
RebsAsst.St.BSFTOTotal
Points2004-053467210519952.80008814361.5905214223273110234298Total3467210519952.800?8814361.5905214223273110234298

 

[NoBonus]

And more here


http://www.ukathletics.com/index.phps=&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=13141

[font=arial, helvetica]Player Bio : Randolph Morris :: Men's Basketball[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Class:
Freshman[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica]Hometown:
Atlanta, Ga.[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica]High School:
Landmark Christian[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica]Height / Weight:
6-10 / 266[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica]Position:
C[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica]Experience:
HS[/font]



General
Has solid touch around the basket but can shoot well from the 10- to 12-foot range ... Has the size and ability to be a dominant inside player, both offensively and defensively ... Is one of three McDonald’s All-Americans in the 2004 class.

High School
Averaged 23.0 ppg, 16.0 rpg and 8.0 bpg as a senior for Atlanta’s Landmark Christian High School ... Earned McDonald’s All-America honors in 2004 and tallied eight points and three rebounds in just 18 minutes of play in the winning effort this March ... Also earned third-team Parade All-America honors in 2004 ... Was ranked the No. 10 overall recruit in the 2004 class by Rivals as well as the No. 2 center in the class ... Was named All-State and All-Region as a sophomore, junior and senior ... Averaged 23.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg and 4.0 bpg as a junior ... His AAU team, the Atlanta Celtics, claimed a national championship in the summer of 2003 and was named the AAU Team of the Year ... Was a member of the high school honor roll and National Beta Club.

Personal
Born Jan. 2, 1986 ... Son of Ralph and Patricia Morris ... Major is undergraduate studies... Chose UK over Georgia Tech and Louisville.

Smith on Morris
“He's just a very good athlete - great hands, great size. He's got all the physical tools to play right. I think he’ll have a good shot of contributing right away, as will all the freshmen.”

Cat Scratches
Full Name: Randolph Albert Morris
Parents: Ralph and Patricia Morris
Siblings: Jonathan and William
Date of Birth: Jan. 2, 1986
Place of Birth: Houston, Texas
High School Coach: Bryan Bartley
Mascot: War Eagles
Major: Undergraduate Studies Questions and Answers
If I could play one-on-one with anyone, it would be: Wilt Chamberlain
If I had to cook all of my meals, I’d live on: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
My dream car is: An armored truck
If I were on the Dream Team, I want these players to join me: Larry Bird, John Stockton, Michael Doleac
My favorite all-time meal is: A junior bacon cheeseburger and sweet tea
My favorite NBA team is: Atlanta Hawks
My favorite current NBA player is: Josh Smith
Most people don’t know this about me, but I: Have asthma
If I had a Derby horse, I would name it: Morristhecat
My first paying job was: A janitor
The people who have influenced me most in life are: My parents
My most memorable moment as a basketball player was: Winning the AAU National Championship
If I could change places with Coach Smith for one day, I would: Make practices harder
If I could compete in the Olympics in any sport other than basketball, it would be: Trampoline or Equestrian
My favorite non-athletic hobby is: Thinking about playing basketball

 

[KingKong]

If I were on the Dream Team, I want these players to join me: Larry Bird, John Stockton, Michael Doleac

He's joking right?

 

[loopymitch]

He's a good player, I remember him in high school BUT he does have asthma which normally wouldn't matter a whole lot BUT this is the Kings. You all know where I'm going with this...