Prospect watch 2011

Derrick Williams is making a strong bid for #1 right now. The game is only half over, but he's played VERY well so far. He's the only reason Arizona is even in this game.
 
I'm getting more and more comfortable on the idea of Derrick Williams playing SF for the Kings. 5 of 6 from the 3pt line today. Not the mind the 32pts and 13 rebs. Wow!

With Marcus Thornton showing consistency, the idea of letting Tyreke play PG again and drafting Williams as our SF is rapidly growing in me.

Hope the lottery gods smile on us finally.
 
Vlade4GM said:
We have to do whatever it takes to get Irving.
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Yes. totally agree he would be the PERFECT addition to our team. After that a good vet and resign Thornton/Dally I think we might surprise teams and become 7-8 seed next season.

If there is one.
 
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Man I wish I could of watched that AZ/Duke game last night. By the looks of it Williams had a hell of a game.
 
kingsboi said:
Man I wish I could of watched that AZ/Duke game last night. By the looks of it Williams had a hell of a game.
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Try to find his tip slam dunk on youtube. It's a thing of beauty. What gets me is that I read on some draft report that Williams wasn't very athletic. What are they guys watching? ;)

Nice to see Coach K with facial contortions due to his team melting down in the second half.;)
 
As impressive as the stats were for those who didn't see the game, and they were very impressive, the crazy thing is Derrick Williams' game yesterday was even more impressive than the stats indicate. Arizona had nothing going in the first half and it very well could have been a blowout already except that Williams was scoring at will, pulling down big boards through two or three Duke players, and getting his hands in the passing lanes and causing turnovers. He was a one-man wrecking crew out there. In the second half his teammates showed up and that's when Arizona pulled away and made it into an easy win. For a key stretch in the second half when Arizona made a 5 or 6 point lead into a 14 point lead he was actually on the bench. He had 25 of his team's 38 points in the first half. He probably could have put up another 25 in the second half if they needed him too. He was just unconscious. The three-point shooting is for real.

Kyrie Irving's game didn't stand out as much. I saw afterwards that he scored 28 points and I swear I missed half of those somehow. Duke was in an unfortunate position trying to fit him back into the offense on such short notice. He looked the best off of fast breaks when he could put his speed and finishing ability to best effect. He led the game in free throws by a wide margin. His mid-range pull up shot looks pretty automatic too. But he didn't get to set up his teammates that much as it looked like Duke still wanted Nolan Smith to be the lead guard. I don't think this performance will hurt his stock any. But he might get leapfrogged by Derrick Williams anyway. I've moved Williams up to number 1 on my wishlist.
 
Derrick Williams' best case scenario will be like Antawn Jamison, and while that's pretty good, that's not worth taking over Irving, not by a long shot. Irving can score, facilitate, shoot, defend, and he has good leadership intangibles. Irving is for real and you don't pass up that kind of talent for talents like Williams. Even though the league is flooded with PG's at the moment, I just think that Irving's talent is still far more rare than Williams'. While there may be a ton of PG's right now, there's still a lack of true heady facilitators, and Irving is that. I may just be geeking out on him, but I think what I'm saying has merit.

Also, I really don't trust Evans to run an offense. Taking Williams is putting way too responsibility on Evans to incorporate the other scorers of Thornton, Cousins, and Williams. I don't he's ready to do that, and honestly, I don't he'll ever be up to that task.

Right now my top 5 list for the Kings is: Irving, Valanciunas, Williams, Sullinger, and T. Jones
 
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Geek away. We need a player now. The team needs a SF and a PG. Which is the more desparate need? I would get a free agent for the desparate need.
 
Vlade4GM said:
Derrick Williams' best case scenario will be like Antawn Jamison, and while that's pretty good, that's not worth taking over Irving, not by a long shot. Irving can score, facilitate, shoot, defend, and he has good leadership intangibles. Irving is for real and you don't pass up that kind of talent for talents like Williams. Even though the league is flooded with PG's at the moment, I just think that Irving's talent is still far more rare than Williams'. While there may be a ton of PG's right now, there's still a lack of true heady facilitators, and Irving is that. I may just be geeking out on him, but I think what I'm saying has merit.

Also, I really don't trust Evans to run an offense. Taking Williams is putting way too responsibility on Evans to incorporate the other scorers of Thornton, Cousins, and Williams. I don't he's ready to do that, and honestly, I don't he'll ever be up to that task.

Right now my top 5 list for the Kings is: Irving, Valanciunas, Williams, Sullinger, and T. Jones
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I've heard the Antawn Jamison comparison before, and it doesn't make much sense to me. Jamison is a volume shooter who's made his living 15-20 feet away from the basket and seems to shy away from contact. Williams has superficially similar physical characteristics except I think he's already a bit stronger now as a college sophomore than Jamison ever was. But aside from physical traits, Williams is mostly a banger in the post who takes 1 or 2 threes a game and makes them at an astonishing 60% clip. He's an almost impossibly efficient scorer, partially because he leads the NCAA in free throw attempts per game this year. Obviously he's not just hanging out on the perimeter. He's a solid rebounder, a weak side shot blocker, and a constant threat for alley oop and put back dunks. And you want to talk about leadership? Irving is playing for the defending champs and they just got blown out by Williams' team, which could have been eliminated twice already if he hadn't made game-saving plays for them. Williams has stepped up big time.

Aside from that, my personal belief is that Williams is a better fit for this team than Irving would be. Tyreke Evans is a playmaker who plays better with the ball in his hands. Marcus Thornton is more of a scorer, but he's shown himself capable of running pick and rolls in his time here so far. He can catch and shoot or he can create his own shot. Kyrie Irving would be another player who's most effective with the ball in his hands. On the one hand, three play makers would be a good problem to have. Irving's shot looks solid and would play with either Thornton or Evans in a three guard rotation. However, we'd also have a concentration of talent in the backcourt in that scenario and very little production from our forwards.

What's really impressed me about Derrick Williams is that he's far and away the best player on his team but he still manages to play a supporting role and do it effectively even in college. He gets a lot of offensive rebounds and put backs because he doesn't quit on plays and rotates to the baskets off of his teammates shots. He plays center defensively and he's able to put pressure on opposing post players by holding his ground and, most importantly, avoiding foul calls. When he catches the ball on the perimeter he's just as likely to take the shot as to drive to the basket and finish with a dunk or layup. What that all adds up to for me is a solid third option in the offense next to Tyreke and Cousins who will take his points when he can get them and the rest of the time will make contributions as a rebounder and defender.
 
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hrdboild said:
I've heard the Antawn Jamison comparison before, and it doesn't make much sense to me. Jamison is a volume shooter who's made his living 15-20 feet away from the basket and seems to shy away from contact. Williams has superficially similar physical characteristics except I think he's already a bit stronger now as a college sophomore than Jamison ever was. But aside from physical traits, Williams is mostly a banger in the post who takes 1 or 2 threes a game and makes them at an astonishing 60% clip. He's an almost impossibly efficient scorer, partially because he leads the NCAA in free throw attempts per game this year. Obviously he's not just hanging out on the perimeter. He's a solid rebounder, a weak side shot blocker, and a constant threat for alley oop and put back dunks. And you want to talk about leadership? Irving is playing for the defending champs and they just got blown out by Williams' team, which could have been eliminated twice already if he hadn't made game-saving plays for them. Williams has stepped up big time.

Aside from that, my personal belief is that Williams is a better fit for this team than Irving would be. Tyreke Evans is a playmaker who plays better with the ball in his hands. Marcus Thornton is more of a scorer, but he's shown himself capable of running pick and rolls in his time here so far. He can catch and shoot or he can create his own shot. Kyrie Irving would be another player who's most effective with the ball in his hands. On the one hand, three play makers would be a good problem to have. Irving's shot looks solid and would play with either Thornton or Evans in a three guard rotation. However, we'd also have a concentration of talent in the backcourt in that scenario and very little production from our forwards.

What's really impressed me about Derrick Williams is that he's far and away the best player on his team but he still manages to play a supporting role and do it effectively even in college. He gets a lot of offensive rebounds and put backs because he doesn't quit on plays and rotates to the baskets off of his teammates shots. He plays center defensively and he's able to put pressure on opposing post players by holding his ground and, most importantly, avoiding foul calls. When he catches the ball on the perimeter he's just as likely to take the shot as to drive to the basket and finish with a dunk or layup. What that all adds up to for me is a solid third option in the offense next to Tyreke and Cousins who will take his points when he can get them and the rest of the time will make contributions as a rebounder and defender.
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Clutch play is not the same as leadershp, but I meant that Irving has that floor general ability and hoop IQ. I should have made that more clear. I understand your view on this if you think Evans is up to the task, but I don't think he is, nor do I think he will be. I think having a true floor general like Irving is more important than getting a good complementary wing scorer.

Jamison was a post player and a banger too when he was in college. It's not until he got into the NBA where he emphasized and polished his perimeter skills more. He had to do that because he didn't have that a true PF body, just like Williams doesn't. Williams is 6'8 230-240, he's not going to be able to bang and play the post like he does in college. He's going to become more of a perimeter player, and more of a tweener like Jamison. As far as shot blocking goes, no college player that averages .7 bpg in 30 mpg ever goes on to become a good shot blocker at the NBA level.
 
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I've been watching some recorded Kentucky games I've had, and I think I'm back on T. Jones' bandwagon. I think I was too down on him over his jump shot. The reality is that he's about 6'8 240-250, explosive, has triple threat skills, can post up, can block shots, and can board. Considering that shooting is one of the easiest skills to improve on, if he adds that, then he's a beast.
 
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Vlade4GM said:
Clutch play is not the same as leadershp, but I meant that Irving has that floor general ability and hoop IQ. I should have made that more clear. I understand your view on this if you think Evans is up to the task, but I don't think he is, nor do I think he will be. I think having a true floor general like Irving is more important than getting a good complementary wing scorer.
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Why anyone would continue to question Tyreke's ability as a playmaker despite all evidence to the contrary continues to mystify me, but we can agree to disagree on that one. :)
 
hrdboild said:
Why anyone would continue to question Tyreke's ability as a playmaker despite all evidence to the contrary continues to mystify me, but we can agree to disagree on that one. :)
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Tyreke sure looked good today. I am out of my league here but is a short guy who is floor general, whatever that is, necessary? We have Tyreke and Cuz. We have Thornton. Either Reke or Cuz will take over a game and that is fact. Thornton can shoot incredibly well. Where would we put this PG who is a great floor general? And, no, don't push Tyreke to the SF position. Do we bench a 20 PPG player and if so, which one? This team has changed since the Kyrie Irving show began to be of interest. Now if he is unbelievably great and clearly will have no problem in the NBA, we still have the problem of having Thornton who clearly can play offense and defense and makes me think of Rock-lite.

Chances of us being in a position to draft Irving are remote. We just went 3-1 on a road trip. I'd rather draft a SF and sign a free agent SF especially with our team make up.
 
Glenn said:
Tyreke sure looked good today. I am out of my league here but is a short guy who is floor general, whatever that is, necessary? We have Tyreke and Cuz. We have Thornton. Either Reke or Cuz will take over a game and that is fact. Thornton can shoot incredibly well. Where would we put this PG who is a great floor general? And, no, don't push Tyreke to the SF position. Do we bench a 20 PPG player and if so, which one? This team has changed since the Kyrie Irving show began to be of interest. Now if he is unbelievably great and clearly will have no problem in the NBA, we still have the problem of having Thornton who clearly can play offense and defense and makes me think of Rock-lite.

Chances of us being in a position to draft Irving are remote. We just went 3-1 on a road trip. I'd rather draft a SF and sign a free agent SF especially with our team make up.
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That's more or less my thinking as well. We have a lot of potential playmakers now. A big, physical wing player who can score from anywhere seems like a better compliment to our current team than another PG. I'd be happy with Barnes or Irving as well of course. They're both smart players and they can shoot the lights out. But right now I'm liking what Derrick Williams brings a little bit more. Of the top players in this draft, he's the only one who can take over a game with his athleticism.
 
Glenn said:
Tyreke sure looked good today. I am out of my league here but is a short guy who is floor general, whatever that is, necessary? We have Tyreke and Cuz. We have Thornton. Either Reke or Cuz will take over a game and that is fact. Thornton can shoot incredibly well. Where would we put this PG who is a great floor general? And, no, don't push Tyreke to the SF position. Do we bench a 20 PPG player and if so, which one? This team has changed since the Kyrie Irving show began to be of interest. Now if he is unbelievably great and clearly will have no problem in the NBA, we still have the problem of having Thornton who clearly can play offense and defense and makes me think of Rock-lite.

Chances of us being in a position to draft Irving are remote. We just went 3-1 on a road trip. I'd rather draft a SF and sign a free agent SF especially with our team make up.
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I pretty much hear you on this "short floor general" thing. I look at the Bulls with Jordan who never won anything until Scottie Pippen arrived. Pippen was a point forward and often was "Bulls floor general" in getting their offense set up and especially out in transition with Jordan. Yes, they had true PGs in Armstrong, Kerr and some others at times but the multiple NBA titles were mostly because of Pippen who helped more than any other single player launch Air Jordan up in the stratosphere. Does anybody think that Doug Collins was a bad coach who had Jordan before Phil Jackson took over - and that was the reason for all the later success?

Kings need a star SF more than loading up on more backcourt help. I'd take Williams over Irving if I got #1 pick. Not because I don't like Irving but he's just not likely to be another superstar like Chris Paul or Deron Williams, even though he will probably have an outstanding NBA career. I might even trade #1 pick for more picks or for an established star SF.
 
I really don't think the Kings can go wrong with either Kyrie or Williams. Whichever one we end up with, we will be just fine heading forward because both look NBA ready ala James Harden was for OKC.
 
Kentucky vs. Ohio St

What a helluva game. More testosterone than a bull in heat. Great competitiveness. Guys like Harrellson and Liggins were fantastic. The Ohio St. guys were great too. Definitely some NBA talent in their outside shooters. Craft was wearing Knights shorts, just played a great defensive game, but Knight didn't lose his composure, even as a freshman, and sure enough makes a big 3 down the stretch and then with Carter on him makes the winning shot. WOW.
 
Imagine we have the 5th worst recort in the NBA at the end of the season and with our annual draft lottery luck we end up with the 7th pick. Who do we draft? Kemba, Knight?
 
PurpleHaze said:
No, that would be 1989 NBA draft, and only time the Kings were "lucky" enough to have #1 overall pick. Opps, I just jinxed it - yikes!
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Dude, as long as Derrick Williams is in the draft, which he will be, don't worry about the #1 being Pervis-useless.
 
sterö said:
Imagine we have the 5th worst recort in the NBA at the end of the season and with our annual draft lottery luck we end up with the 7th pick. Who do we draft? Kemba, Knight?
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Frankly, I think if we were to have the #7 pick Knight would be a fine fine option. Maybe Vesely solves our SF problems. Maybe Barnes falls there. And maybe all the guys who are saying they're not going to declare do anyway and Terrence Jones is available. Or Kemba. Or we go Jimmer. Or Kanter. Etc. It's just a bit early to panic about bad luck before we know who is in the draft and how the lottery turns out.

Basically, we're looking at Tyreke + Cousins + a lotto pick + Thornton + Beno + Dally + JT + Omri + Donte and we might be able to add a decent free agent on top of that. If we can play the way we did against Indiana today, adding a lotto pick and a free agent should have us sitting pretty.
 
Why would we draft a guard? We have Tyreke and Marcus as starters. We have Beno who makes a fine third guard. What would this extra guard do because none of our guards are near retirement. Quite the opposite. They need court time.
 
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