Sports pages grading us all over the place

Emma

Emma

Starter
Real GM (Grade: D+)

Kings: I was one of Tyreke Evans' biggest fans throughout this process, but saw him as the kind of player with a limited set of teams where he would excel. Evans would have been an excellent pick for Golden State, Toronto and New Jersey, but he is a bad fit for the Kings' current roster. He is a shooting guard with some point guard abilities, which will mean he dominates the ball unlike any player we've seen since Allen Iverson. He is Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury with a little more size, a little less athleticism and a less talented playmaker in setting up teammates.

Rubio should have been an easy selection for Sacramento.

I saw Omri Casspi as a perfect fit for the Kings at 23 for several weeks, giving them a big wing scorer who moves well without the ball and can score inside. Moving without the ball will come in handy for Casspi considering how seldom he'll have it with Evans running the point.

Jon Brockman doesn't do it for me at all as an NBA player, even though he could stick for a few years as an agitator. All nine picks after Brockman would have been better.

Alternative pick: Ricky Rubio

ESPN’s Chad Ford . (B+)

Analysis: I'm a little split on what to give the Kings
On the one hand, I really liked their draft. Evans is a talented guy and one of the most NBA-ready guards in the draft, a terrific, physical slasher who knows how to score. Casspi is tough as nails with a high-energy game. Brockman is a lumberjack in the paint and will knock heads with anyone. Put these three draft picks together with the acquisition of Andres Nocioni in
February, and you can no longer call the Kings soft.

On the other hand, I think the Kings chose the safest route, picking now over the future. Ricky Rubio was a better fit than Evans, who is a not a point guard -- he has a scorer's mentality, and Sacramento already has a star shooting guard in Kevin Martin.

The Kings felt Rubio was too far away, too much of a risk. Compared to Evans, he might be. But in the coming years, Rubio might make them wish they had grabbed him while they could.

CBS Sportsline (wait and see)

Kings: There seemed to be some paralysis by analysis in the Kings' front office. Or maybe it was just healthy debate about Rubio, Tyreke Evans and Flynn. But don't ridicule the Evans pick yet. Kings assistant GM Jason Levien has as keen an eye for overseas talent as anyone in the league. If he didn't feel strongly enough about Rubio to take him, that says something. And assuming Levien had input on the 23rd pick, Israeli Omri Casspi, I give him the benefit of the doubt there, too.
Yahoo Sports (7 out of 10)

Sacramento Kings — Tyreke Evans(notes), Omri Casspi(notes), John Brockman

There's nothing actually wrong with any of these selections, but on a team that can't rebound to save its life, Blair would have helped.

Evans has huge upside, Casspi can play and was much-bandied about heading into the Draft, and even Brockman might contribute given a good summer, but you're still left wanting with this team. Wanting, maybe, Ricky Rubio and DeJuan Blair. Time will tell.
Score: 7

It looks as though the Kings front office has done it again. Another semi-controversial draft that has the analysts all spun around saying to themselves: "yeah they were good picks, but I would have..." I just like to look at these things and pick them apart, so I decided to put these here for Kings fans enjoyment.

If you can find any other websites doling out grades concerning the draft I would also like to see those :)
 
Some grades from smaller websites/blogs:

NBC Sports (Grade: A-):
http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25400111/ns/sports-nba/?pg=36#spt_NBA_draft_reportcard2009
So much for the infatuation with Ricky Rubio. A team that needs a ready-made contributor seemingly got that with the selection of Memphis' Tyreke Evans at No. 4. On a roster lacking much in the way of star appeal or even athleticism, Evans could wind up providing both. A combo guard who could work well in tandem with Kevin Martin, Evans plays fast, plays athletically and plays strong. To their credit, the Kings did not give in to the Rubio hype. Instead, they got a tangible NBA-level rookie starter. They followed up with the smart pick at No. 23 of Israeli forward Omri Casspi, who, with the Kings' limited roster, could become the first player from his country to make the league. From there, they dealt the top pick in the second round to Portland for Sergio Rodriguez, who also will help at point guard.

NBADraft.net (Grade: C-):
http://draftday.nbadraft.net/node/7960
On one hand, the trio adds much-needed toughness to a very soft team. On the other hand, Evans isn't a true point guard and will struggle to get shooters like Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia involved. They should have went with Rubio. Casspi should be a nice addition on the wing, though. Brockman: NBA, really?

Fanhouse (Grade: A-):
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/06/26/western-conference-draft-grades/
Give Kings general manager Geoff Petrie credit. He felt Evans was a better future pro and better fit for Sacramento than Ricky Rubio and he went in that direction. He's going to take some heat for passing on Rubio, but Petrie's track record is solid. Evans is an immediate talent upgrade for the Kings and has a chance to be a starter.

"America's White Boy" (Grade: A+):
http://americaswhiteboy.blogspot.com/2009/06/2009-nba-draft-team-grades.html
The Kings came into this draft needing impact players. They traded away a lot at the trading deadline last year and basically only have Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson as cornerstones. Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi will help them immediately and I really love the Evans pick. They traded for Jon Brockman, so they will have an all-Huskies frontcourt in Sacramento.
 
i wont put israeli websites of course but most of them are saying that kings should have picked rubio.. i donnu what about you guyz but i think the same!

but anyways! CASSPI IS THE BEST.! :P
 
Doesn't surprise me. The pundits always have something negative about the Kings even if we do something right. Chalk in a 17 win season and we are lucky they are even writing about us in a positive light at all.

What concerns me is that Petrie and the FO almost enjoy picking controversial picks/or moves.

Since when has Petrie done anything we expected? NEVER. Peja, Kmart, Hawes, Thompson, Theus, Westphal. Practically no one expected those moves to be executed.

It concerns me because it seems that Petrie has fallen in love with looking like a genius. I read a Petrie quote somewhere where he stated that "If you want to lead the orchestra you have to turn your back to the audience". I believe the quote came from the Hawes draft.

I just don't like when people make controversial moves just for the sake of being controversial. It's akin to someone saying their favorite movie is "Blue Velvet", when it is really "Transformers 2." It feels pretenious. Who knows how many superstars we will pass up in order to draft the diamond in the rough EVERY YEAR. Sometimes the consensus pick is the right pick.


BTW, this has nothing to do with Rubio. I am a Tyreke Evans fan and I am glad he is on the Kings.
 
Here's Scott Howard-Cooper's SI Grades:

Sacramento Kings: B
They just set themselves up for years of comparison -- Tyreke Evans, the pick, vs. Ricky Rubio, the pass -- not to mention decades of abuse if it goes bad. But the Kings were not the only team that would have made the same tough call. In fact, there is a good chance they would have taken Jonny Flynn over Rubio at No. 4 had Evans been gone. Point guard was the obvious position problem and point guard was addressed, with Evans and the Sergio Rodriguez trade with the Trail Blazers. Evans is not a natural playmaker, so the risk is obvious. Forward Omri Casspi, the 23rd pick, is willing to play in Israel another season if the Kings want to save the money. Washington power forward Jon Brockman will go from No. 38 to being a fan favorite, if he makes the team, just on his demolition-derby style of play.
Click to expand...
 
Grawlix said:
Doesn't surprise me. The pundits always have something negative about the Kings even if we do something right. Chalk in a 17 win season and we are lucky they are even writing about us in a positive light at all.

What concerns me is that Petrie and the FO almost enjoy picking controversial picks/or moves.

Since when has Petrie done anything we expected? NEVER. Peja, Kmart, Hawes, Thompson, Theus, Westphal. Practically no one expected those moves to be executed.

It concerns me because it seems that Petrie has fallen in love with looking like a genius. I read a Petrie quote somewhere where he stated that "If you want to lead the orchestra you have to turn your back to the audience". I believe the quote came from the Hawes draft.

I just don't like when people make controversial moves just for the sake of being controversial. It's akin to someone saying their favorite movie is "Blue Velvet", when it is really "Transformers 2." It feels pretenious. Who knows how many superstars we will pass up in order to draft the diamond in the rough EVERY YEAR. Sometimes the consensus pick is the right pick.


BTW, this has nothing to do with Rubio. I am a Tyreke Evans fan and I am glad he is on the Kings.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've had that concern about Petrie myself. I don't know if it's necessarily fair, but honestly I have had it.
 
Grawlix said:
Doesn't surprise me. The pundits always have something negative about the Kings even if we do something right. Chalk in a 17 win season and we are lucky they are even writing about us in a positive light at all.

What concerns me is that Petrie and the FO almost enjoy picking controversial picks/or moves.

Since when has Petrie done anything we expected? NEVER. Peja, Kmart, Hawes, Thompson, Theus, Westphal. Practically no one expected those moves to be executed.

It concerns me because it seems that Petrie has fallen in love with looking like a genius. I read a Petrie quote somewhere where he stated that "If you want to lead the orchestra you have to turn your back to the audience". I believe the quote came from the Hawes draft.

I just don't like when people make controversial moves just for the sake of being controversial. It's akin to someone saying their favorite movie is "Blue Velvet", when it is really "Transformers 2." It feels pretenious. Who knows how many superstars we will pass up in order to draft the diamond in the rough EVERY YEAR. Sometimes the consensus pick is the right pick.


BTW, this has nothing to do with Rubio. I am a Tyreke Evans fan and I am glad he is on the Kings.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you threw that last part in there because if you didn't, many probably would've just rolled their eyes and moved on assuming this was another Evans attack.
 
I really liked Rubio, I wanted him on our team. But our front office (which has the player exposure) saw something in Tyreke Evans which warranted picking him over Rubio.

I was just thinking about how alot of the world (crazy huh?!, the freakin' whole planet!!), is confused about us passing on Rubio, but they know almost nothing about Tyreke Evans. And we in Sacramento know almost nothing about Rubio. It's like a cultural flip flop.

This is what I know about Tyreke Evans: he has had a ball in his hands since he was 4, been playing like a beast since he was 8, draws comparisons to Anfernee Hardaway (and has had him as a mentor for a while), he was being called "the next best thing" since his early teens, played varsity christian academy ball in the 7th grade!!! His PG production coming out of college was similar to (better than?) Deron Williams. Dude can defend 3 positions and he is tough. Tough like Casspi, tough like Doug Christie. Only downsides are a sketchy legal matter in his past and he can dominate the ball.

This is what I know about Rubio: He is a great team player, a pass first point guard, flashy, famous like a rock star in the Euroleague. been playing pro ball since he was 14. Been injured about a year, disguising his potential. He played well in the Olympics, he doesn't always need to score to help his team win (ala Jason Kidd), and he can play decent defense. Downsides are contract situation, physical readiness, and he will have a big old huge target on his back for a long time. How will the 18 year old react to the constant punishment?

So based on all of that, I say we made the more sensible pick. In regards to our other picks:

Happy as hell we picked up Casspi. I cheered when we got him, for sure I thought he would be gone. I'm probably more excited about him than Evans because that spot is where Petrie usually makes the magic happen. Besides, the dude is clutch and isn't afraid to get beat up. By anybody.

Last, I'm a little leary about Brockman. I don't usually dig on one dimensional bruisers. He's even more confusing than most because he is an offensive player and a rebounding machine. Usually rebounding role players are defensively inclined. Picking that low is kind of a shot in the dark, so we'll see about him.

So I gave us an A in one of the other threads. I still give us an A.
 
Just a request ... There are already TONS of threads of discussion about Rubio v. Evans. If at all possible, it would be really nice to keep this one about the various takes people are finding on other sports blogs.

FYI - there are a few places that have specifically requested us in the past NOT to copy and paste their stuff here. So if you post a link and article from a site and it disappears, that will be the reason why.

Welcome to all our new members, our returning members and our ongoing members. It looks like we're gonna have some fun.

:)
 
Everyone i've seen on ESPN or NBA TV that has discussed the picks, has loved the Kings draft.

Including Jon Brockman. In fact David Aldridge said some really funny things about Brockman "he may not be the most talented guy, but boy does he throw the body around. When he gets on the floor people MOVE!" He liked the pick.

Everyone has basically said Evans was the 2nd most talented player in the draft
 
My bad, thought I'd throw out that apples and oranges stuff because I haven't seen that particular take on the board yet. And I thought I'd give that POV for our friends from Israel. If you'd like, we can remove that paragraph about Rubio.
 
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Grawlix said:
Since when has Petrie done anything we expected? NEVER. Peja, Kmart, Hawes, Thompson, Theus, Westphal. Practically no one expected those moves to be executed.

It concerns me because it seems that Petrie has fallen in love with looking like a genius. I read a Petrie quote somewhere where he stated that "If you want to lead the orchestra you have to turn your back to the audience". I believe the quote came from the Hawes draft.

I just don't like when people make controversial moves just for the sake of being controversial. It's akin to someone saying their favorite movie is "Blue Velvet", when it is really "Transformers 2." It feels pretenious. Who knows how many superstars we will pass up in order to draft the diamond in the rough EVERY YEAR. Sometimes the consensus pick is the right pick.
Click to expand...

Huh? How many superstars has Petrie passed on? Rondo? FWIW, you are completely misrepresenting what the quote means. Saying 'turn your back on the audience' means doing what you think is right and best for the team, not what is going to be popular. That does not mean refusing to do what is popular. I am fully confident that if GP liked Rubio he would have taken him. The thing is, he has more exposure to these players then any fan or pundit does. He would be doing a disservice to the team to even think about what is popular. I think that's the point- that half the time he probably doesn't even know what is the popular or expected pick. How much time do you honestly think he spends reading mock drafts on ESPN's website?
 
captain bill said:
Huh? How many superstars has Petrie passed on?
Click to expand...

Ummm, I really don't think you want to go there. Every GM who has been in the NBA for long has misevaluated talent, and these things devolve into unresolvable discussions about "well, sure, hindsight is 20-20..." and junk like that. Pointless discussions about whether Peja was a better fit for the team than Nash would have been, JWill versus Pierce or Nowitzki, Gerald Wallace vs Gilbert Arenas. Let's just say that every veteran NBA GM has messed up before, and leave it at that.

I never take these draft post-mortems very seriously, so I looked at a few which declared various teams winners or losers in the draft, saw that none of the journalists I read put the Kings in either category, and moved on. They really don't seem to think too much about the context of our team's history, the choices of general direction that are open to us at a given moment, or anything else beyond what players they like or not. I know that they aren't reading/watching every little thing to come from our coaches and managers (like we do), for example. They couldn't be, half of the articles I read clearly show that they aren't.

Journalists opinions are like 1-on-0 workouts, or youtube highlights. Worthless, except when they confuse people with misguided and irrelevant impressions.
 
captain bill said:
Huh? How many superstars has Petrie passed on? Rondo? FWIW, you are completely misrepresenting what the quote means. Saying 'turn your back on the audience' means doing what you think is right and best for the team, not what is going to be popular. That does not mean refusing to do what is popular. I am fully confident that if GP liked Rubio he would have taken him. The thing is, he has more exposure to these players then any fan or pundit does. He would be doing a disservice to the team to even think about what is popular. I think that's the point- that half the time he probably doesn't even know what is the popular or expected pick. How much time do you honestly think he spends reading mock drafts on ESPN's website?
Click to expand...

I understand where you are coming from. GP has been solid as a GM for years and his ability to see talent is obvious.

What I was trying to articulate is that Petrie may be blinded by that previous success. He consistently and predictably picks shooters and tweeners or undersized big men (Evans and Brockman being the ones in this draft). He also likes international players and players from small schools. Why?

Most of us here cringe when we see a prospect that plays no defense and can shoot lights out for a reason. It screams Petrie pick. I do not mean to say that Petrie should draft the popular pick. What I am saying is that Petrie should open his drafting strategy to people out of his comfort zone.

He actually surprised me with the Evans pick and I am satisfied with it. I just felt that every year the FO does something unconventional. This year was no exception. It just so happened to work in our favor.

Who here would be surprised if he picked a tweener SF over John Wall next year?
 
Grawlix said:
Doesn't surprise me. The pundits always have something negative about the Kings even if we do something right. Chalk in a 17 win season and we are lucky they are even writing about us in a positive light at all.

What concerns me is that Petrie and the FO almost enjoy picking controversial picks/or moves.

Since when has Petrie done anything we expected? NEVER. Peja, Kmart, Hawes, Thompson, Theus, Westphal. Practically no one expected those moves to be executed.

It concerns me because it seems that Petrie has fallen in love with looking like a genius. I read a Petrie quote somewhere where he stated that "If you want to lead the orchestra you have to turn your back to the audience". I believe the quote came from the Hawes draft.

I just don't like when people make controversial moves just for the sake of being controversial. It's akin to someone saying their favorite movie is "Blue Velvet", when it is really "Transformers 2." It feels pretenious. Who knows how many superstars we will pass up in order to draft the diamond in the rough EVERY YEAR. Sometimes the consensus pick is the right pick.


BTW, this has nothing to do with Rubio. I am a Tyreke Evans fan and I am glad he is on the Kings.
Click to expand...

I don't think he's in love with the controversial pick. Corliss, Gerald Wallace, and Hawes were all expected. Hedo was a a small surprise, but the most recent mocks had him going just a couple of picks behind us. Westphal was immediatley speculated by people when we were looking for a new coach. Even then is sounds like we may have preferred Rambis, but he wanted more time and money than we were willing to give.

Petrie just takes who he likes and seems like he could care less about conventional wisdom or public perception.
 
Grawlix said:
I understand where you are coming from. GP has been solid as a GM for years and his ability to see talent is obvious.

What I was trying to articulate is that Petrie may be blinded by that previous success. He consistently and predictably picks shooters and tweeners or undersized big men (Evans and Brockman being the ones in this draft). He also likes international players and players from small schools. Why?
Click to expand...

I agree with some of this. Obviously Petrie likes shooters and highly skilled players. I think part of this is because we have often drafted so late in the draft, that those players have high success rates that late. I agree though, he is less likely to pick raw projects.

I don't know where you get that he has some affinity for tweeners. In the history of Petrie's first round picks here Corliss, Douby and Evans are the only players I can remember who were tweeners. Wahad, Peja, Williams, Hedo, Wallace, KMart, Cisco, Hawes and JT were far from undersized or tweeners.

As for small school and international players. I think he had a period where he drafted several of them because they were underrated. Petrie got Bodiroga, Peja and Hedo all within a relatively short time frame before other GMs caught onto international players. He hadn't drafted one until Casspi for a long time. He's actually passed on a number recently including Rubio and if anything I've always wondered why he didn't gamble on more in the second round.

Small school players is a newer trend, because they were and maybe still are undervalued.

I don't think Petrie is blinded by his previous success. He takes who he thinks is best and this year took a player (Evans) who does not fit his preference for shooters when he had a safer pick (Rubio) and a great shooter (Curry) there if he wanted them.
 
Grawlix said:
Doesn't surprise me. The pundits always have something negative about the Kings even if we do something right. Chalk in a 17 win season and we are lucky they are even writing about us in a positive light at all.

What concerns me is that Petrie and the FO almost enjoy picking controversial picks/or moves.

Since when has Petrie done anything we expected? NEVER. Peja, Kmart, Hawes, Thompson, Theus, Westphal. Practically no one expected those moves to be executed.

It concerns me because it seems that Petrie has fallen in love with looking like a genius. I read a Petrie quote somewhere where he stated that "If you want to lead the orchestra you have to turn your back to the audience". I believe the quote came from the Hawes draft.

I just don't like when people make controversial moves just for the sake of being controversial. It's akin to someone saying their favorite movie is "Blue Velvet", when it is really "Transformers 2." It feels pretenious. Who knows how many superstars we will pass up in order to draft the diamond in the rough EVERY YEAR. Sometimes the consensus pick is the right pick.


BTW, this has nothing to do with Rubio. I am a Tyreke Evans fan and I am glad he is on the Kings.
Click to expand...

Blue Velvet is amazing, havent seen Xformers 2 yet :p

I kinda agree with you though, Petrie does seem to be wacky at draft day. Thing of it is; his wackyness usually pays off. He has drafted soooooooo many great to solid players, with picks all over the place. If he's making the goofball picks to seem genius, at least he researches them.

Also, I think I remember Hawes being the consensus pick at #10. So Petrie doesnt ALWAYS go out on a limb.
 
Grawlix said:
Doesn't surprise me. The pundits always have something negative about the Kings even if we do something right. Chalk in a 17 win season and we are lucky they are even writing about us in a positive light at all.

What concerns me is that Petrie and the FO almost enjoy picking controversial picks/or moves.

Since when has Petrie done anything we expected? NEVER. Peja, Kmart, Hawes, Thompson, Theus, Westphal. Practically no one expected those moves to be executed.

It concerns me because it seems that Petrie has fallen in love with looking like a genius. I read a Petrie quote somewhere where he stated that "If you want to lead the orchestra you have to turn your back to the audience". I believe the quote came from the Hawes draft.

I just don't like when people make controversial moves just for the sake of being controversial. It's akin to someone saying their favorite movie is "Blue Velvet", when it is really "Transformers 2." It feels pretenious. Who knows how many superstars we will pass up in order to draft the diamond in the rough EVERY YEAR. Sometimes the consensus pick is the right pick.


BTW, this has nothing to do with Rubio. I am a Tyreke Evans fan and I am glad he is on the Kings.
Click to expand...

Strong words. While Petrie often is unconventional, he's often picked the consensus guy too.

Garcia
Hawes
Douby
Corliss

were all expected picks at the time if they were there when we picked, even Jason Williams was, sort of.
 
Rubio is not NBA ready right now, and he may never be. Rubio is not a 'hit the ground running' guard. People think they picked Evans because he will be the best player eventually. People think they picked Evans because of the shorterm contrast to Rubio's situation. Well which is it? If Evans is better in the short term, and will be the better overall player, why is this pick viewed as a risk or the "diamond in the rough" pick? It's NOT. Rubio would be, because he's gotten a ton of hype over his POTENTIAL. He is a playmaker and good passer, but poor athlete and poor shooter. Usually point guards who can't shoot can compensate with their speed and strength (i.e. Rondo), which isn't the case with Rubio. How is he going to create plays when he will be at a huge athletic disadvantage and he doesn't have the developed skills to compensate that? A lot of people bought into the hype and didn't actually look at what he could do in the NBA. IMO, Rubio would be the risk, and I don't think he will ever be a star in this league. Evans has a better chance at making an impact both in the short term and long term.
 
ALL over the place, for sure. Not so diverse opinions on how most other teams handled their picks. Is it any wonder the reactions being seen here? :)
 
Showtime said:
People think they picked Evans because he will be the best player eventually. People think they picked Evans because of the shorterm contrast to Rubio's situation. Well which is it?
Click to expand...

I've don't recall having heard pro-Rubio fans say that they thought that Evans would be better in the long term. Generally speaking, only pro-Evans fans have said that. So I think the answer to your rhetorical question is, "It all depends on who you ask."
 
ryanandty said:
fans throughout this process, but saw him as the kind of player with a limited set of teams where he would excel. Evans would have been an excellent pick for Golden State, Toronto and New Jersey, but he is a bad fit for the Kings' current roster. He is a shooting guard with some point guard abilities, which will mean he dominates the ball unlike any player we've seen since Allen Iverson. He is Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury with a little more size, a little less athleticism and a less talented playmaker in setting up teammates.
Click to expand...


Ummm, I don't know about you but I am alright with Evens becoming one of those players.....personality aside that is.
 
Showtime said:
Rubio is not NBA ready right now, and he may never be.
Click to expand...

I am kinda tired listening to "he is not ready" stuff.. how the hell do we know it?? He is the only guy who actually played on serious level - Spanish league, Euroleague, Olympics; not against some students in NCAA. And he was damn successful. Even when he was just a super skinny teen, he was better than most veterans, including players with NBA experience. He is just so talented and skilled. And that's why so many people are high on him - he is not just like the others, you cannot use the same patrón for him.

He might not be 100% ready .. yes, he is 18 y.o. in 18 y.o. body; yes, he needs to make a lot of adjustments .. just like any other rookie. But to assert that he is not ready for NBA?? .... at the very least, we do not know it yet. And the truth is that he is the only Top-10 player in the draft who tried real PRO basketball and was successful there. Ask Brandon J. about his PRO experience.
 
Petrie's rep adds about a letter grade to most of those.

Chronicle guy said he liked the draft, that Evans reminds him of JR Rider, but that if Rubio really pans out it could be a mistake. Which is sort of the common theme I've gotten from around the press.
 
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swisshh said:
Petrie's rep adds about a letter grade to most of those.

Chronicle guy said he liked the draft, that Evans reminds him of JR Rider, but that if Rubio really pants out it could be a mistake. Which is sort of the common theme I've gotten from around the press.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it is a gutsy pick for sure. The safe route would have been to draft Rubio and then even if he didn't work out, you would have had all the pundits and "common sense" on your side. Petrie, Westphal and the Maloofs put their reputations on the line here and if Evans does not work out and Rubio becomes a star they will be hearing about it non-stop until we become good again. Even then it will be a historical footnote on their basketball biographies. Time will tell, but at the very least you have to give them credit for not caving into public perception and doing what they believed was best for this franchise.
 
Evans I like. Casspi i dont know anything about but it seems the consensus opinion of him is that hes tough, so thumbs up. Brockman Seems like a Reggie Evans or Danny Fortson type player.

Taking all of those qualities into consideration it seems the Kings wont be short on toughness which is the most glaring hole of past Kings teams. Im hoping for lots of good physical play and defense. Gone are the days of 3rd rate players jogging to the rim through our defense and scoring layups.
 
All these analysts and websites grading the draft are really just like fans, its all speculation at this point. Neither Rubio or Evans has played an nba game yet. You can't grade this draft for another 2-3 yrs, maybe longer.

I don't think anyone can question the talent and ability of Evans. He WILL be a great nba player. But point guard? That remains to be seen.

There is still almost a full offseason full of trades ahead of us, and I highly doubt the rosters that sac and minn have right now will be the same going into training camp. So we also have to wait and see of Rubio and Evans fit with their respective teams, since both teams will acquire more players and talent going forward.

I just think its way to early to worry about draft grades. Both Evans and Rubio will have good, long nba careers. They will both help their teams, but in different ways. But, if evans makes a successful transition to pg, which I think he is capable of doing over the next couple years, I really like the idea of having a physically imposing pg who attacks the paint relentlessly when we get back to the playoffs in 2-5 yrs.
 
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