Poll: Which player do you think we should pick at #3 if Wall & Turner are gone?

[Prince_XY]

Hypothetically, if we get the #3 pick and Wall and Turner are gone, who would you like to draft at this point in time to wear the Kings uniform comes 2010-2011 season?

1.) DeMarcus Cousins ( 6' 11", 270 lbs, PF/C - 19 yrs. old )
2.) Derrick Favors ( 6' 10", 246 lbs, PF - 18 yo )
3.) Wesley Johnson ( 6' 7", 195 lbs, SF - 22 yo )
4.) Cole Aldrich ( 6' 11", 250 lbs, C - 21 yo )
5.) Ekpe Udoh ( 6' 10", 240 lbs, PF/C - 22 yo )
6.) Greg Monroe ( 6' 11", 240 lbs, PF/C - 19 yo )
7.) Al-Farouq Aminu ( 6' 8", 210 lbs, SF/PF - 19 yo )
8.) Ed Davis ( 6' 9", 215 lbs, PF, 20 yo )
9.) Patrick Paterson ( 6' 8", 223 lbs, PF, 21 yo )
10.) Undecided

Poll will close after 14 days ( on 5/22/10 ).

 

[King-Da-Yah]

1) Have to pick Big Cuz!

 

[Uncia03]

I love Cousins.

He is going to be an absolute beast.

He's a fantastic rebounder and is a post player who likes to get physical.

He's also extremely good in passing out of the double-team. It's as if he understands that when he gets the ball in the post, he knows that he's got the other team in trouble and he's looking for the double-team, and he makes the right pass to the open man. A shocking concept, I know.

From a defensive standpoint, Cousins is a big man. I think that he'll do well guarding the other team's Centers and will hopefully be able to contain those bigs who killed us all last year.

He isn't an elite shotblocker, but he'll get his fair share of blocks.

He's a good athlete when you consider how big he is, but the real question will be how well he can handle pick-n-rolls. I would image that Favors will have a clear advantage in pick-n-roll defense over Cousins just due to being a better athlete, but Cousins should have better success guarding the bigger centers in the league.


If Turner wasn't in this draft I would prefer Cousins on this team over Wall. Of course Wall's chance to be a superstar clearly trumps Cousin's chance, so you'd have to pick Wall over Cousins regardless of need, but Cousins is going to be one of those young Bigs you really wish you had on your team.

I know he's got supposed 'attitude' issues, but he hustles and plays tough when he's on the court, and in all frankness, I'd rather my Center be tough, physical, and mean, rather than soft and a 'nice guy'.

Plus, Tyreke says he wants Cousins as I believe he's played with him in AU ball, so that's all the more reason to want Cousins.

With all that said I will make one comment in regards to Favors.
I think that Favors has the best chance to move up from the 4th pick he looks to be sitting at to the 2nd or 3rd spot depending on how he measures out at the Combine and how he works out when the teams start bringing in the players.

G-Tech was a horrendous team and I think that if Favors can show he's truly special he could move ahead of Cousins or even Turner. I don't think it will happen, but I'm not going to be surprised if it does.

But at this moment in time, after watching the two play, I prefer Cousins hands down for this Kings team.

 

[Sac.1989]

goona have to go with Cousins, most of the knocks on him are in regards to maturity and his coachability which is a bit of a concern i feel. Cant pass up the potential though

 

[fnordius]

Favoring Favors at this point, since Beasley's been reminding me that "immature" can go way beyond inconvenience.

 

[pshn80]

I'm undecided until Petrie and staff make the choice. In other words, I'll be happy with who my high level staff choose. I expect and usually get good service from them for the big bucks I pay to sit and watch games.

 

[rainmaker]

Cousins-he can change the dynamic of this team more than any other player. We need help at center more than any other position, and Cousins would step in and help our frontline both offensively and defensively, right away. How often does a player come around that has the ability to anchor your frontline both offensively and defensively for the next decade. Maybe I'm a little high on Cousins, but thats exactly the kind of potential I think he has.

Aside from that, has anyone noticed how Jason Jones has said a couple times that there aren't any bigs that can make an impact in this draft? That anyone picked after Turner/Wall is a project. Can't count on the Bee for anything at this point. It sucks that our Bee reporter who is responsible for covering the Kings, is more clueless about this draft than the majority of this board.

 

[bajaden]

Favoring Favors at this point, since Beasley's been reminding me that "immature" can go way beyond inconvenience.

There are some differences of note though. Cousins is a center, and I think we can safely say that he's established that. When I watched Beasley play at Kansas St., I wasn't sure how his game was going to translate to the NBA. He played PF, but was a long way from being a typical PF. He played away from the basket a lot and relied on his quickness and ability to put the ball on the floor to get shots in the paint. I just didn't see that working for very long in the NBA unless he could establish some kind of post game. Which he still hasn't. He also played with a look of arrogance and confidence. I wondered how he would handle things if it didn't come as easy to him in the NBA. The answer is, not very well.

Finally, when I saw him match up against Thompson at Rider it was obvious that Thompson was much bigger and taller than he was. Thats when I seriously began questioning his height.

So my point is that Beasley and Cousins may both have immaturity problems, but I think Beasley had a lot of potential size and skill problems going in, that Cousins won't have. And with an immature player, the less work related problems he has, the easier it'll be. I'm not saying it won't be a problem. I just don't think Beasley is the right comparison.

 

[bajaden]

It sucks that our Bee reporter who is responsible for covering the Kings, is more clueless about this draft than the majority of this board.

It shouldn't come as a great surprise though.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Cousins is the clear cut #3. He's huge at 6'11" 270, especially for a 19-year old, and not only that, he's extremely skilled--he'll be an excellent scorer in the NBA, and his rebounding is already the best among all college players, and he does it on both ends of the court. Two primary elite skills already packed into a NBA-ready body pretty much already makes him a top 5 pick already, honestly. Not to mention he's extremely active in altering shots (he'll be above average for a center) and especially swiping at balls for a big. Yes he's extremely foul prone, which is why he only played 23 a game but with his impact on the court, it's understandable. Offensively, only Jerome Jordan is his equal at being an extreme foul magnet while commanding a good share of the offense; the only gripe may be that he's not a very good free throw shooter. There are some questions that he's not overly athletic which makes his game on the more skilled side than on the physical brute side (and we'd probably prefer physical brute, honestly) but he's elite on two levels and extremely competent in the deflections level, and has a good frame, that it doesn't matter. Clear cut #3.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Favors. Seems like a good character guy, has all the tools to be a very good defender, young for his class, NBA body, underutilized in his system, good hands, and good potential offensively.

I'll consider us lucky to get Cousins as well, but I don't feel secure with his issues, and you have to consider (just like you have to consider the opposite with Favors) that he had a system that catered to his strengths.

 

[fnordius]

So my point is that Beasley and Cousins may both have immaturity problems, but I think Beasley had a lot of potential size and skill problems going in, that Cousins won't have.

Agree that there are some differences of that sort. But on the other hand, Beasley had little in the way of red flags. Did you see this interview with his college coach, just before the draft?

Bulls.com: Beasley is quick to admit he’s “still a kid” when fielding questions about his character. What’s your assessment of him?
Martin: “I wish my kids will grow up to have his character and I’ve got three of them. He’s phenomenal and he’s a treat to be around. He makes coaching an easy profession. He cares about winning and nothing else. He wants to be the best, so he works at it, but he doesn’t go around thinking he’s the best. He’s receptive to coaching. You could go back and speak to any one he’s ever been a student of, coached by, or played with, and you won’t find one person who will give you a negative comment about Michael Beasley. I was a schoolteacher for many years, and the stuff that he’s done, it was nothing more than a young teenager looking for attention. He’s never placed harm on anybody and he never will place harm on anybody. It’s not in his personality and it’s not who he is. He doesn’t steal, he’s not into drugs and he’s not a gangbanger. He’s a simple kid who enjoys being a kid. He never missed a practice. He’d roll an ankle, but he’d refuse to come out of a drill. He’s an unbelievable person.”

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/martin_080623.html

When it comes to Cousins, there is a lot that's uncertain (unverified), like the rumor that he's on some sort of serious psychiatric meds, or one fan's claim that he was punched by Cousins after a game, or the rumor that he's tried to pick fights at parties. Any or all of those could be complete fabrications. Some of the brouhaha surrounding hard/flagrant fouls he's committed has been overblown. But we know he was kicked off his HS team as a soph for punching an assistant coach in the face, and sequences like this do leave me scratching my head. The foul aside, his demeanor and body language afterward set off my "anger management issues" alarm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xXty-iN-ck&feature=player_embedded

Just as it's been argued that Turner would be a better choice than Wall, because he's a better team fit than Wall, and their talents are close, I'm feeling like Cousins and Favors aren't miles apart, and that it's not unthinkable to consider more factors than raw talent in making a decision.

Cousins has been playing a bit better than Favors overall, but what would you say if it turned out that the "bigtime meds" rumor were true?

I'm hoping that the team does some good background checking this year.

 

[bajaden]

Agree that there are some differences of that sort. But on the other hand, Beasley had little in the way of red flags. Did you see this interview with his college coach, just before the draft?
http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/martin_080623.html

When it comes to Cousins, there is a lot that's uncertain (unverified), like the rumor that he's on some sort of serious psychiatric meds, or one fan's claim that he was punched by Cousins after a game, or that the rumor he's tried to pick fights at parties. Any or all of those could be complete fabrications. Some of the brouhaha surrounding hard/flagrant fouls he's committed has been overblown. But we know he was kicked off his HS team as a soph for punching an assistant coach in the face, and sequences like this do leave me scratching my head. The foul aside, his demeanor and body language afterward set off my "anger management issues" alarm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xXty-iN-ck&feature=player_embedded

Just as it's been argued that Turner would be a better choice than Wall, because he's a better team fit than Wall, and their talents are close, I'm feeling like Cousins and Favors aren't miles apart, and that it's not unthinkable to consider more factors than raw talent in making a decision.

Cousins has been playing a bit better than Favors overall, but what would you say if it turned out that the "bigtime meds" rumor were true?

I'm hoping that the team does some good background checking this year.

I've got to admit that I hadn't heard the med's rumor. Obviously, if true, it would be a concern. But I would have to know what kind of med's and what he was being treated for. For instance if he has Bi-polar desease, I wouldn't be as alarmed as if he were being sedated to keep him normal. My son in law has bi-polar and leads a very normal life. But if he goes off of it, he becomes Mr. Hyde.

Look, I hate to comment on a rumor that hasn't been substanciated. You mentioned the the kid accusing Cousins of punching him after the game. Well I saw the film of what happened after the game, and until they did a slow mo of it and zoomed in, it appeared to be Cousins that did the Punching, if you want to call it that. But when they slowed everything down, because it was total chaos with all the fans on the floor, you can see Cousins walking past the scorers table and leaving the arena.

Not more than 20 seconds later you can see Patrick Patterson walking the same route that Cousins took and just after passing the scorers table he's confronted by a fan for the other team and thats when the punch took place. It really looked more like a shove than a punch to me. But the point is, that it wasn't even Cousins. Just like another incident where Cousins was on the floor fighting for possession of the ball when the other player suddenly brought his knee up and slammed into the side of Cousins face. He responded by slamming his forearm into the other players neck area. Unfortunately for Cousins, he was the one the ref's saw.

I'm not excusing his behavior. But he came into college with a reputation, and every team he faced tried to bait him into doing something stupid. When you have a person that has a quick temper, its the equivalent of dangling cocaine in front of a drug addict.

When I was his age I had a quick temper. I did some very stupid things. But I learned to deal with it. And now I'm this sweet loving person. Well maybe I exaggerate a little. I would hate to condemm Cousins at such a young age. To the best of my knowledge all of his incidents have happened on the court. I don't recall him beating his girlfriend or punching out anyone on campus. I don't know all the details of the incident in highschool. Hopefully Petrie will have a good truth and tell session with him when they work him out. I'll leave it in his hands.

 

[Sptsjunkie]

There are some differences of note though. Cousins is a center, and I think we can safely say that he's established that. When I watched Beasley play at Kansas St., I wasn't sure how his game was going to translate to the NBA. He played PF, but was a long way from being a typical PF. He played away from the basket a lot and relied on his quickness and ability to put the ball on the floor to get shots in the paint. I just didn't see that working for very long in the NBA unless he could establish some kind of post game. Which he still hasn't. He also played with a look of arrogance and confidence. I wondered how he would handle things if it didn't come as easy to him in the NBA. The answer is, not very well.

Finally, when I saw him match up against Thompson at Rider it was obvious that Thompson was much bigger and taller than he was. Thats when I seriously began questioning his height.

So my point is that Beasley and Cousins may both have immaturity problems, but I think Beasley had a lot of potential size and skill problems going in, that Cousins won't have. And with an immature player, the less work related problems he has, the easier it'll be. I'm not saying it won't be a problem. I just don't think Beasley is the right comparison.

Well put. This is roughly what I was going to post and why I voted Cousins. The knocks on Beasley coming into the draft were attitude, no D and no clear position. Cousins has D and position down and his attitude problems seem to be more that he is a bit of a hot head than he is arrogant and plays like he doesn't care.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I'd be happy with Cousins of Favors, I think Cousins best fits our needs whether we are able to get another big in free agency or wind up with the guys we have.

 

[fnordius]

You mentioned the the kid accusing Cousins of punching him after the game. Well I saw the film of what happened after the game...

Yeah, I never thought the blurry video was useful for anything, and agree that what they caught there was Patterson. I was going on the alleged victim's statement alone. And I don't claim to know whether it's true.

Just like another incident where Cousins was on the floor fighting for possession of the ball when the other player suddenly brought his knee up and slammed into the side of Cousins face. He responded by slamming his forearm into the other players neck area. Unfortunately for Cousins, he was the one the ref's saw.

Agreed. That was the foul I was thinking of when I said "some of the brouhaha surrounding hard/flagrant fouls he's committed has been overblown." I don't think that retaliating for a cheap shot is a good idea, but at least we can tell ourselves it wasn't unprovoked.

I was just trying to explain why I'm hesitant when it comes to Cousins. I'm not saying that he's sure to bomb or anything, but Artest probably made me a little more risk averse than I used to be.

 

[Gary]

I would want Cousins.. Kid is a beast, and is huge.. But I wouldn't be pissed if we got Favors..

I would say I favor Cousins 60-40, but would be happy with either player..

 

[Prince_XY]

Look, I hate to comment on a rumor that hasn't been substanciated. You mentioned the the kid accusing Cousins of punching him after the game. Well I saw the film of what happened after the game, and until they did a slow mo of it and zoomed in, it appeared to be Cousins that did the Punching, if you want to call it that. But when they slowed everything down, because it was total chaos with all the fans on the floor, you can see Cousins walking past the scorers table and leaving the arena.

Not more than 20 seconds later you can see Patrick Patterson walking the same route that Cousins took and just after passing the scorers table he's confronted by a fan for the other team and thats when the punch took place. It really looked more like a shove than a punch to me. But the point is, that it wasn't even Cousins. Just like another incident where Cousins was on the floor fighting for possession of the ball when the other player suddenly brought his knee up and slammed into the side of Cousins face. He responded by slamming his forearm into the other players neck area. Unfortunately for Cousins, he was the one the ref's saw.

I'm not excusing his behavior. But he came into college with a reputation, and every team he faced tried to bait him into doing something stupid. When you have a person that has a quick temper, its the equivalent of dangling cocaine in front of a drug addict.

I've never seen one player in our present roster with that kind of toughness in terms of behavior - you hurt me and I will hurt you more to teach you that I should be the one intimidating and dominating, and not you. Very interesting mentality, physicality that shows a lot of pride, and for sure would be one you can count on when the game gets rougher.

Cousins could be exactly the opposite of Hawes and that is exactly what we need in our center. One who seems to want to dominate physically and not the one who easily folds and gets dominated. For this reason I voted for Cousins, instead of the seemingly very nice kid Favors.

I can still remember the countless threads we have had the whole season where we moaned and groaned because we lack this physically imposing BIG in our front court to complement the already promising back court. I hope Cousins could be the answer to the season-long problem of softness in the 5 the Kings have had.

IMO, with a very good back-up center in Hawes ( who we could also try playing PF ) plus a nicely developing and hard-working Thompson who can also play both PF and center, we won't need the potential over-priced service of Bosh. Save the money later to pay for someone who would balance the team even more.

 

[Jespher]

I've never seen one player in our present roster with that kind of toughness in terms of behavior - you hurt me and I will hurt you more to teach you that I should be the one intimidating and dominating, and not you. Very interesting mentality, physicality that shows a lot of pride, and for sure would be one you can count on when the game gets rougher.

Cousins could be exactly the opposite of Hawes and that is exactly what we need in our center. One who seems to want to dominate physically and not the one who easily folds and gets dominated. For this reason I voted for Cousins, instead of the seemingly very nice kid Favors.

I can still remember the countless threads we have had the whole season where we moaned and groaned because we lack this physically imposing BIG in our front court to complement the already promising back court. I hope Cousins could be the answer to the season-long problem of softness in the 5 the Kings have had.

IMO, with a very good back-up center in Hawes ( who we could also try playing PF ) plus a nicely developing and hard-working Thompson who can also play both PF and center, we won't need the potential over-priced service of Bosh. Save the money later to pay for someone who would balance the team even more.

Good points all. Look at the weight difference too. 215 vs 260...Cousins does look to be a more physical specimen.

I'm just happy the Kings can add a top 5 talent to their team. They're really going to be fun to watch!

 

[apollo916]

Hassan Whiteside

 

[Prince_XY]

Hassan Whiteside

I heard a lot of good things about this very good player from another thread. If he gets projected to be at least a top 12 pick next time by nbadraft or draftexpress, I will include him on the list when we do this poll again.

 

[Kingster]

I'll take Favors. Cousins gives me a bad character vibe. If you pick a guy at three, the last thing you want is to draft somebody risky in the character department. Favors has excellent potential. No character issues. Why risk it? The only way you would risk it is if you really believe that Cousins is sooo much better than Favors that you're willing to take the chance on him. But, from what I've seen, at the minimum I'd say Favors was equal to Cousins in talent, and I'd probably give him the edge in talent.

By the way, another question is: Who will the Kings take if they have the third slot and Cousins and Favors are available. And I defnitely believe they will pass on Cousins for the reasons noted above.

 

[bajaden]

I'll take Favors. Cousins gives me a bad character vibe. If you pick a guy at three, the last thing you want is to draft somebody risky in the character department. Favors has excellent potential. No character issues. Why risk it? The only way you would risk it is if you really believe that Cousins is sooo much better than Favors that you're willing to take the chance on him. But, from what I've seen, at the minimum I'd say Favors was equal to Cousins in talent, and I'd probably give him the edge in talent.

By the way, another question is: Who will the Kings take if they have the third slot and Cousins and Favors are available. And I defnitely believe they will pass on Cousins for the reasons noted above.

When your giving the edge to Favors in the talent dept, how are you defining talent?

 

[KF8]

Knowing Petrie.. he will surprise all of us with Greg Monroe.

 

[rainmaker]

Knowing Petrie.. he will surprise all of us with Greg Monroe.

I doubt that. Unless we get incredibly unlucky and drop to #6. If anything, from what I've heard, Petrie really likes Favors. I could see him surprising everyone and picking Favors with the #2 or #3 pick.

 

[ElRey]

I doubt that. Unless we get incredibly unlucky and drop to #6. If anything, from what I've heard, Petrie really likes Favors. I could see him surprising everyone and picking Favors with the #2 or #3 pick.

Where'd u hear that about Petrie liking Favors? curious

 

[est.1999]

I like them both but we'd be cluttered at the PF position if we got favors. And I'm not saying you should pass on him because we have PF's on the roster already but since we have such a glaring weakness at the C position and there's no real distinction or seperation in talent level when it comes to these two I'd have to go with cousins. But would be thrilled with either one. We just need the balls to bounce our way on the 18th. Just give me a top 4 pick and I'll sleep like a baby at night.

 

[rainmaker]

Where'd u hear that about Petrie liking Favors? curious

ESPN chat with either Ford or Stein a few weeks ago, can't remember which one. Said that Petrie and Sacramento are high enough on Favors to take him #1 overall.

Now, how much stock do I put in that? Not much. But I brought it up because that is the only name I've heard tied to Petrie. I have read and heard that Sac might take this player or that player, but that was the only time I heard a name that Petrie was high on. But again, it's either Chad Ford or Marc Stein, who can be just as off as you or I.

 

[Vlade4GM]

ESPN chat with either Ford or Stein a few weeks ago, can't remember which one. Said that Petrie and Sacramento are high enough on Favors to take him #1 overall.

Now, how much stock do I put in that? Not much. But I brought it up because that is the only name I've heard tied to Petrie. I have read and heard that Sac might take this player or that player, but that was the only time I heard a name that Petrie was high on. But again, it's either Chad Ford or Marc Stein, who can be just as off as you or I.

Hopefully it's true.

 

[fnordius]

But again, it's either Chad Ford or Marc Stein, who can be just as off as you or I.

IIRC, Chad Ford was the one who released an ESPN Insider mock day before yesterday, which had the Kings taking Favors at #3.

I can kind of imagine that, too, since Geoff was supposed to have really wanted Noah, and Favors is kind of similar to Noah in what he'd bring to the team... plus less goofiness and arguably more upside than Noah. He can run well enough to play well in an open court, and could probably manage some minutes at C after a while in the weight room. Geoff's likely had his fill of shooting bigs at the moment, so I don't find Ford's idea/rumor implausible.