Point guard of the Future

[=LarryLegend=]

We all know Beno isnt the answer. Which point guard do you think is the best fit?

 

[Heuge]

This is silly. We have no clue what will occur in the next few years.

 

[Jespher]

No Ricky Rubio option huh? That would be my pick...

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Rubio isnt here because it looks like he is staying.

 

[Bricklayer]

I'm going to scoot this over into the personnel section.

 

[fnordius]

There are expected to be some promising looking PGs in the 2010 draft. This year, I'm doubtful that we'll take one with our early pick, and don't think that our late pick will get a starting qualitry PG. So I'm voting for "none of the above," even though the poll doesn't have such a choice.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

I think both Pattie Mills and Darren Collison will still be around when Houstons pick is made.

I am ok with either.

 

[nbrans]

Two votes for Holiday already??? Guys, even the draft sites have dropped Jrue Holiday. You can stop hoping he's the future now.

 

[Spike]

I'm going with the young guy who's already proven that he can be a solid NBA player. That list of college PGs is devoid of well....point guards. I'll defer to the experts, but in this case, my gut says to go with Sessions. Now, were Rubio on that list I'd change my mind. Mills may have been my pick were he a little bigger, and Curry would be a maybe in my book.

 

[Kev.in]

I'm not 100% sold on any one pg from the '09 draft class and I like Sessions but I hope the Kings don't blow their cap savings to sign a little guard who is such a liability on defense. I'd rather see the Kings build up their team a little bit, THEN find the right point guard to lead the way. Maybe we need a speedy creator (Sessions), or a steady ballhandler and defender (Rondo pt 2?), or a scoring point (Mike Bibby pt 2?). But before all that this team needs more interior defense/rebounding, more athleticism and more shooters.

 

[Gary]

Ricky Rubio

 

[PFFFT!!]

Personally I would grab an FA for a point guard and use the draft pick to pick the best player available regardless of position.

 

[HighTopKicks]

Is this my dream wish or logical? Well, my dream wish is Rubio but since he isn't there, I'll go logical.

Sessions will cost us our whole cap space and leave us with a 9 man team, so no.

Jennings,Curry & Teague are top 10 and I want Griffin #1, so no.

Collison & Holiday are also out of range of our second #1, so no.

Flynn, Mills, Lawson, & Maynor may be available with our second #1.
Flynn is a pass 1st PG , but doen't finish well or shoot the 3pt well(34%), small 6'0"
Mills is a slightly better finisher & 3pt shooter(36%) and also 6'0"
Lawson is best pure PG, great 3pt shot, with great asst/to ratio, short 5'11"
Maynor another pure PG, good shooter, but poor finisher because of strength, but height good at 6'2".

Based on who we might get with Houston's pick, I choose Maynor on his ability & potential, but could have gone with Lawson based on immediate impact, but I see him as a backup because of his height.

 

[Gary]

With Houston's pick (if we still have it at the end of the year) I would take Lawson.. I have a feeling about this guy for some reason. He always seems to be under control, and great at setting up teammates this year. Rarely makes mistakes, and is pretty fast on his feet. He is a bit small, but there are a lot of PGs that are 6'0 now so why not...

 

[6th]

I'm going with the young guy who's already proven that he can be a solid NBA player. That list of college PGs is devoid of well....point guards. I'll defer to the experts, but in this case, my gut says to go with Sessions. Now, were Rubio on that list I'd change my mind. Mills may have been my pick were he a little bigger, and Curry would be a maybe in my book.

If this is a wish list, and does not take into consideration any salaries, then I'm right there with you Spike. Even considering salary, these are workable if we trade Beno and his overpaid paycheck.

 

[vikinginferno]

What about the 2010 options? John Wall? I believe he is the top high school recruit right now, but I guess we can't put our hopes into a high schooler...

 

[6th]

What about the 2010 options? John Wall? I believe he is the top high school recruit right now, but I guess we can't put our hopes into a high schooler...

Personally, I think it is too early to tell. Once he puts his 1 year into college, if that works out well, then you pick him up as 3rd pg. Way too young to know if he can run an NBA team, IMO.

 

[Amory]

If we don't get Griffin this year then I think that we should get Wall, Rubio or Holiday next year. If not, pick up Jennings.

 

[hrdboild]

I still think Jennings has got a shot at being the best player in this draft. People are down on him because his Euroleague stats are low, but stats have always been skewed in the Euroleague. You can't, for example, compare Stephen Curry's 5.8apg this season to Jennings' 1.5apg or so and say Curry has been the better PG this season. Who knows what type of numbers Jennings would be putting up at Arizona? The biggest knock against Jennings I've heard is that he hasn't asserted himself, but is that really what we're expecting from a 19 year old playing with a team of professionals in a foreign country where he doesn't speak the same language? I think it's a good sign that he hasn't completely fallen on his face. He just had 10 steals in limited minutes in a recent game. He's not a total non-entity over there. He's doing some things.

I suppose there is still concern over his decision to skip college, but he's hardly the first professional basketball player to make that decision -- just the first once since the new draft eleigibility rules. Maybe the Euroleague decision has hindered his chance to show what he can do against kids his own age and possibly lowered his draft stock, but who really cares about draft stock anyway? We're just trying to find the best player we can with our pick. I expect we'll be hearing about Jennings a lot once the workout period begins and people start to get a first hand look at what he's capable of.

 

[Vlade4GM]

I've always kept Jennings in the backburner if no one else steps up. He's got the best upside of any other guard in the draft. It's hard to commit to a guy who has gotten so little of a chance to show what he's made of, hopefully he's making up for it by improving his abilities in the halfcourt. He's going to be on nbatv tomorrow morning for anyone who has it available.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

I, for some reason, think Geoff will eventually trade for an already proven PG that's not that old, the WHO part I'm of course not sure of yet...or, we could just suck for another year and get a PG in next year's draft when there will be a decent list of potential franchise starting PG's.

 

[Gary]

I, for some reason, think Geoff will eventually trade for an already proven PG that's not that old, the WHO part I'm of course not sure of yet...or, we could just suck for another year and get a PG in next year's draft when there will be a decent list of potential franchise starting PG's.

I was thinking about this earlier.. If Milwaukee were to sign and then trade Sessions to us and we give them Houston's pick, and just absorb the salary. Since we would be under the cap we don't have to match salaries. Milwaukee wouldn't be left in the cold, and Petrie would be shedding the million or so a year for three years that the draft pick would have received... Basically like a million off per year for Sessions. If he were to get more creative with this he could send Greene, and the pick for a re-signed Sessions which would in essence keep Milwaukee from the lux tax, give them two prospects, and give the Kings Sessions.

 

[Henkel]

If Lawson is still around for our second first round pick he could be steal. I could see him being a nice starter. Some where along the lines of a Jameer Nelson.

I really like Teague. Kid can get anywhere he wants on the floor. Nice shot but isn't afraid to go to the basket while knowing how to finish despite his size. I'm just not convinced hes a pg. Depends on whats available when we pick, but i would be alright with picking him up early especially if we trade down from a top 3 pick.

I wish i could see more of Jennings. If we ended up picking him i would simple have to take a wait and see attitude.

 

[upinsmoke]

Teague would be nice but but he will not be around after the kings first pick.

 

[Sarunas]

I suppose there is still concern over his decision to skip college, but he's hardly the first professional basketball player to make that decision -- just the first once since the new draft eleigibility rules. Maybe the Euroleague decision has hindered his chance to show what he can do against kids his own age and possibly lowered his draft stock, but who really cares about draft stock anyway? We're just trying to find the best player we can with our pick. I expect we'll be hearing about Jennings a lot once the workout period begins and people start to get a first hand look at what he's capable of.

It wasnt really his decision to forgo college, i believe he failed the SAT and couldnt academically enroll at Arizona. That makes me weary about the kid right off the bat. I dont think hes dumb, so I feel that maybe he didnt pass it because of lack of assertiveness and care, which would make me very concerned. I dont know the facts, but it is quite interesting to think about. Regardless, the kid is a true talent. He looked to have a wider arsenal of skills in the high school all star games then chris paul did back when he was that age.

Overall, I'd go for teague, unless we could somehow get Milwuakee to do a sign and trade for sessions, and we dont have to give up a whole lot. I think teague has BY FAR the highest cieling of any other PG in this draft, and when youre drafting in the top 5, you should be looking at a player's star potential, not just drafting a "solid" guy. I also think "pass first" and "true" point guards are a bit overrated. Dont get me wrong, I realize that guys like paul and d-will are as good as it gets, but it has been proven that you dont need a "true" pg to win a lot of games in this league. Parker, Billups and Fisher being examples.

Most likely scenario though, we unfortunately dont draft teague, so we will take a point with our houston pick, and at that point I'm not really opposed to Collison, Lawson, Mills, or Maynor. I dont think they will all be there at that point, so I doubt we have much of a choice, but I wouldnt complain about any of them taken in the 20's. Pretty good value at that point.

 

[creative one]

Sessions. We need a guy who can score AND pass and has shown the ability to do both at an NBA level. I'm not convinced that guys like Teague and Curry are better than Bayless (look at how he's faring in Portland overall--STEEP learning curve FTL), and I don't think guys like Maynor, Collison, and Flynn are significantly better than the well-traveled Mr. Singletary (who is more of a D-Leaguer than a legit NBA point guard). That said, it'd be a good idea to pay close attention to the tournament to see how these players fare under a high-pressure situation. Will they rise to the occasion like Rose last year? Or will they wilt away like so many others over the years?

People just don't know how hard it is to run a pro offense in 24 seconds. Brandon Jennings is getting crash-course in that, and so far he's not doing so well.

I disagree that "pass-first" PGs are overrated in this league. Would one be a good fit here? Maybe, maybe not. We don't know. Our shoot-first PGs aren't (well, isn't now that the other is gone) really working out, so maybe we need to switch things up a bit by bringing in more shooters and a real playmaker to feed our bigs. On some teams, a pass-first guy is appropriate and even greatly appreciated. Check out what the Magic players think of their new PG. Hedo seemed happier than a pig rolling in slop. They probably can compete with Boston in a 7-game series now that everyone--including Rafer--is sure to get involved.

 

[vfettke]

It makes no sense not to have Rubio there. He'll probably declare for the draft if he thinks he's going in the top 3 then stay in Spain until his contract is up or he decides to do a buy out. If he's rated highly it makes no sense for him not to at least enter the draft.

As far as that list goes, I'm really high on Curry. He seems to be a shoot first PG but his 6 assists per game are pretty helpful too. I wouldn't be disappointed with a Jennings pick though.

 

[Bricklayer]

Beno.

 

[Sarunas]

I disagree that "pass-first" PGs are overrated in this league. Would one be a good fit here? Maybe, maybe not. We don't know. Our shoot-first PGs aren't (well, isn't now that the other is gone) really working out, so maybe we need to switch things up a bit by bringing in more shooters and a real playmaker to feed our bigs. On some teams, a pass-first guy is appropriate and even greatly appreciated. Check out what the Magic players think of their new PG. Hedo seemed happier than a pig rolling in slop. They probably can compete with Boston in a 7-game series now that everyone--including Rafer--is sure to get involved.

Are you referring to Jameer Nelson? Last time I checked his assits per game were about the same as his 3 pt attempts per game. I dont think he is a "true" playmaking PG. If not talking about him then I apologize.

Maybe I should have cleared myself up in my earlier statement, I think GOOD shoot first pg's can succeed in this league and help their team succeed. Obviously a bad shoot first PG is useless (beno), but a guy like Devin Harris, Stuckey, Baron Davis, Billups, Tony Parker, Mo Williams, etc. are all more of score first PG's who have shown they can lead their team to W's despite not dropping 9 assists per game. This is why i think a guy like teague can be a star, and also make our team better without having to be the next nash as far as passing is concerned. We've all said Martin is NOT a #1 guy, and needs other potent scorers on the floor to take attention away from him, and let him score high on a nightly basis. I could almost guarantee Jeff Teague would be getting the respect of the D, thus helping out martin. If you've seen him play, if a guy is open, he will find him. Its not like teague as a shoot-first pg doesnt know how to get rid of the rock and refuses to find open teammates. If he can facilitate decent passing/playmaking along with creating enough offensive havoc to bring defenders away from martin, then I dont see where having a GOOD shoot-first PG is so bad.

Honestly though, I'll take just about anyone at this point.

 

[creative one]

Are you referring to Jameer Nelson? Last time I checked his assits per game were about the same as his 3 pt attempts per game. I dont think he is a "true" playmaking PG. If not talking about him then I apologize.

I was referring to Rafer Alston, which is why I put Rafer's name at the end of my post and made reference to Hedo Turkoglu's statements after last night's game with the Bobcats. Nelson is done for the year, as you're probably aware, and I know he's not a pass-first PG.

Maybe I should have cleared myself up in my earlier statement, I think GOOD shoot first pg's can succeed in this league and help their team succeed. Obviously a bad shoot first PG is useless (beno), but a guy like Devin Harris, Stuckey, Baron Davis, Billups, Tony Parker, Mo Williams, etc. are all more of score first PG's who have shown they can lead their team to W's despite not dropping 9 assists per game.

I'll give you Billups and maybe Parker (who gets away with his shoot-first nature because he plays with a future HOF post player), but the rest?

Mo Williams didn't become a "star" until he got traded to the Cavs. He went from being a "ballhog" in Milwaukee to being "a missing piece" by virtue of meshing with LeBron's style of play.

Devin Harris puts up the emptiest stats in the NBA. His team hasn't improved much, if at all, since he arrived. This year, Vince Carter has had more of a hand in their being able to "hanging around" than Harris.

Baron Davis is a glorified chucker whose teams just don't win. One fortuitous win over Dallas means nothing when compared to what's transpired with his teams since then.

Stuckey isn't a PG. The Pistons' record and their current malaise support that notion.

By no means am I saying that I'd rather have a sucky pass-first PG (Ridnour) as opposed to a top-flight shoot-first guy. I'm saying that we need to switch it up with this team--and that could involve bringing in a good pass-first PG. Would love for it to be Rubio, but he's probably not coming over this year.

This is why i think a guy like teague can be a star, and also make our team better without having to be the next nash as far as passing is concerned. We've all said Martin is NOT a #1 guy, and needs other potent scorers on the floor to take attention away from him, and let him score high on a nightly basis. I could almost guarantee Jeff Teague would be getting the respect of the D, thus helping out martin. If you've seen him play, if a guy is open, he will find him. Its not like teague as a shoot-first pg doesnt know how to get rid of the rock and refuses to find open teammates. If he can facilitate decent passing/playmaking along with creating enough offensive havoc to bring defenders away from martin, then I dont see where having a GOOD shoot-first PG is so bad.

Honestly though, I'll take just about anyone at this point.

I've seen Teague play plenty. A very good college player, but not exactly my cup of tea at the moment. He's not exactly what I'd want at the point here because he's so loose with the ball and has questionable at best decision-making when it comes to running his team's offense. I also question his vision and ability to make the next-level pass. These weren't questions I had with Chris Paul at that same age. With Paul, it was more of a maturity/size issue.

That said, I'd probably take him over Beno right now. Most here would, I'd imagine.