Isn't Anderson the key to the off-season? Sure seems like if that domino goes down that it opens up a big Gay trade that could bring in a quality point guard.
Do not see what getting Anderson (PF) has to do with trading Gay (SF).
Isn't Anderson the key to the off-season? Sure seems like if that domino goes down that it opens up a big Gay trade that could bring in a quality point guard.
Baldwin might be raw but he is better than what we drafted at 13. Have you seen Papas stats?? The guy averaged like 8 points a game last year overseas? He is a 100% project who will not contribute at all next year. Hopefully Richardson and Skal turn out to be good because our PG situation is terrible right now with no future because of a bad 13 pick
I am not a Euro expert but some of my best friends are Euros.If I remember correctly, any tall guy who gets regular minutes on a very good team in Europe and is 18 is a highly valued ball player. I think I even remember some great NBA player who got 10 minutes a game in Europe as a kid and turned out to be spectacular. I can't remember who.
Would you have been happy if Bender had fallen to us at 8 instead of Criss? He averaged 4.5 pts & 2.6 rbs playing in a weaker league. Young kids get limited minutes over seas, which is why you can't just look at their numbers.
Gotta love the post draft reaction. I was as guilty of it on draft night as anyone. But if the GM drafts for need then fans cry out that drafting for need is a terrible strategy. But if they draft whoever is at the top of their board regardless of position then fans cry out that they didn't fill a need.
I was a Wade Baldwin fan. But he projects out as a better shooting Marcus Smart who lacks Smart's toughness and ability to finish inside. Or as a poor man's George Hill. Wade Baldwin will likely be a solid backup PG/combo guard in time, IF he develops.
Wade Baldwin won't (or at least definitely shouldn't) be a starting PG next season. He may never be a starting PG in the NBA. And he definitely wouldn't start on the Kings over Collison. My hope was that they drafted him and either re-signed Rondo or another vet PG or traded for a vet PG so that Baldwin could be the third string PG behind Collison and whoever they brought in.
This very weak draft was not how the Kings were going to find their future starting PG unless Dunn fell to them at 8 or they paid the high price (Vlade didn't say what it was only that it was more than they were willing to do) to move up and get him.
And yes, Papagiannis' numbers last season are unimpressive. Low minutes played, low PPG and low RPG. And they are also almost identical to Kristaps Porzingis' numbers in a similar league at nearly the exact same age. That's not to say they are similar players - they aren't - but that using numbers from European leagues to judge a young player doesn't work. It's a different culture where talented youngsters play limited minutes and earn their stripes instead of the NBA where top picks are usually starters and allowed to play big minutes even through mistakes and when their play doesn't help their team.
I won't pretend Papagiannis was who I was hoping the Kings would draft (or that he was even on my radar) but I'm going to wait until at least summer league before forming a judgement on his NBA potential. NOBODY drafted at 13 or later is going to be a difference maker for an NBA team next season. Contributor maybe. Difference maker? No.
The Kings level of success next season is going to be determined by what Vlade does this summer in free agency and with trades. These picks are guys to be developed for down the road and anything they provide in the near term is just gravy.
The Kings will not get anything of value from Free Agency. Guys like JR Smith, Evan F., Mike Conley, etc. are not going to come here. Our only chance is to make a difference in the draft. We cannot afford to be taking project picks at number 13
I would rather have Chriss than Skal and Papa. As I said, the trade worked out well and the Marco for the 22nd was miracle work, but to do all of that and take a project C at 13 was the mistake.
I would rather have Chriss than Skal and Papa. As I said, the trade worked out well and the Marco for the 22nd was miracle work, but to do all of that and take a project C at 13 was the mistake.
Ok so you are saying he is a good player? I guess that is news to all 100 of the media who are giving us a draft grade D for taking him. I guess they are clueless too?
Sacramento Kings
Thomas Robinson (5): T-Rob is a relentless rebounder who slid a few spots, but will give the Kings another force up front to pair with DeMarcus Cousins. Robinson is a man who can step in immediately and make an impact on the glass. This was a terrific get for Geoff Petrie, one of the best drafters in the NBA.
GRADE: A+
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/19442655/2012-nba-draft-report-card-for-all-30-teams
Detroit Pistons
Andre Drummond (9): He's so talented, so physically gifted, but Joe Dumars needed more of a sure thing. Drummond is a nice kid -- too nice. He doesn't play with much intensity, hasn't developed any low-post moves and has a mediocre basketball IQ. I hate to kill this pick because, again, Drummond is a high-character kid. But this was a major risk, even at number nine.
Khris Middleton (39): Solid pick for Dumars; Middleton is a skilled wing who can shoot it from the perimeter.
Kim English (44): Has size and can shoot the ball from the perimeter. Quality selection in the middle of the second round.
GRADE: D+
100? Probably an exaggeration. Even so, yes they are clueless. I would place my bet on accuracy who has been aware of this kid since he was 14 and lives in Europe rather than people in this country not willing or not able to put in the work. Watch some videos and make up your own mind. Reading other people's opinions is nothing like seeing him play.Ok so you are saying he is a good player? I guess that is news to all 100 of the media who are giving us a draft grade D for taking him. I guess they are clueless too?
Every pick at 13 is a project pick.
Actually, you make a difference by taking stabs at projects, and getting starters+ out of them. You can get decent guys in FA, but it's having additional good players, often cost-controlled that makes a difference, and pushes you over the top.The Kings will not get anything of value from Free Agency. Guys like JR Smith, Evan F., Mike Conley, etc. are not going to come here. Our only chance is to make a difference in the draft. We cannot afford to be taking project picks at number 13
Exactly! I doubt Chad ford ever watched a college game much less a European game. Their problem is they start believing their own stuff.Ok so you are saying he is a good player? I guess that is news to all 100 of the media who are giving us a draft grade D for taking him. I guess they are clueless too?o
Exactly! I doubt Chad ford ever watched a college game much less a European game. Their problem is they start believing their own stuff.
Chad Ford is only 1 person. You should google draft grades or listen to the Grant Napear show from Friday. A lot of people are unhappy about this pick as well as the media is ripping us for it. We could have drafted the guy at the end of the Round and it sounds like the Pistons fooled Vlade into taking him by saying they would at 18. Why would they tell Vlade that? We made a bad move but it is what it is. No reason to worry about it now, hopefully we can get someone in free agency
Chad Ford is only 1 person. You should google draft grades or listen to the Grant Napear show from Friday. A lot of people are unhappy about this pick as well as the media is ripping us for it. We could have drafted the guy at the end of the Round and it sounds like the Pistons fooled Vlade into taking him by saying they would at 18.
Chad Ford is only 1 person. You should google draft grades or listen to the Grant Napear show from Friday. A lot of people are unhappy about this pick as well as the media is ripping us for it. We could have drafted the guy at the end of the Round and it sounds like the Pistons fooled Vlade into taking him by saying they would at 18. Why would they tell Vlade that? We made a bad move but it is what it is. No reason to worry about it now, hopefully we can get someone in free agency
That same media gave us A grade for McLemore and Jimmer and A+ for Thomas Robinson.Ok so you are saying he is a good player? I guess that is news to all 100 of the media who are giving us a draft grade D for taking him. I guess they are clueless too?
I don't agree with this. Guys like green, Steph, lillard, McCollum, etc all played three or four years... And they all continued to improve in the NBA.In today's NBA, if you're any good with a high ceiling, your drafted after 1 year of college. If you play college for 4 years and become a good player, your ceiling was lower than the one and done and you've probably already maxed it out.
So yes, in today's game you have to draft potential and projects and then develop them
I don't agree with this. Guys like green, Steph, lillard, McCollum, etc all played three or four years... And they all continued to improve in the NBA.
Yeah, outside of Green, they all went to small schools. They were missed. Green is undersized. Didn't fit the mold, so was overlooked. There are always exceptions. You may disagree, but the fact that NBA teams year after year jump after the 18 y.o. player tells you how they perceive the situation.
As has been pointed out, the media consensus on draft grades immediately following the draft is not terribly reliable. The media loved the TRob and Jimmer picks, hated the Peja pick, for examples. Vlade and his staff are paid a lot of money and one of their responsibilities is to have a much better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of prospects and how the draft is going to go down than can be had by sitting around and reading DraftExpress on the weekends. Did you fly to Europe to scout Papagiannis? Because Vlade did. Have you been talking on the phone with the front offices of teams around the league, including Detroit, basically non-stop for weeks? Because Vlade has.
Papagiannis may pan out or Papagiannis may bust - the draft is somewhat of a crapshoot even for NBA front offices. But even if you turn out to be right and Vlade turns out to be wrong (and we won't know for years) I'd be cautious in patting yourself on the back. It's quite safe to say that Vlade knows a hell of a lot more about Papagiannis than you do, knows a hell of a lot more about NBA basketball than you, and is a hell of a lot more invested in the success of the Kings than you. At this point, the more you puff yourself up with your "I'm smarter than Vlade" act, the worse you're making yourself look.