Sactown Royalty

Better Know a Draftee: 2012 Rookie Wing Prospects

2012-05-16T19:00:18Z

This is the second in a three part series in which I analyze the 2012 NBA Draft by position. As a source I used DraftExpress's mock draft and for statistics I used both DraftExpress and Sports-Reference. All statistics used are for the prior college basketball season. Because of the lack of advanced statistic information, difference in playstyle and the dearth of quality foreign players in this year's draft, I have only included NCAA players in this analysis. For information such as player position, school, height, etc. please click on the player's name and it will take you to their DraftExpress page with all that information.

The search for the Kings wing of the future continues for the fourth straight year following Ron Artest nee Metta World Peace's departure in a trade. Since then the Kings have attempted to fill the spot with the likes of Andres Nocioni, Donté Greene, Francisco Garcia, Omri Casspi, Dominic McGuire, Ime Udoka, Desmond Mason, Antoine Wright, John Salmons, Travis Outlaw, Tyreke Evans and Terrence Williams. Either the players have been wholly unfit for the role, or were slotted out of position at the SF spot out of sheer desperation for some production there.

Sacramento had a chance to rectify the problem once more in last year's draft with top prospect Kawhi Leonard available, but the Kings (and 14 other teams) opted to pass on Leonard. They did grab Tyler Honeycutt with their first pick in the second round, but Honeycutt has proven to be a very raw player and it is still a complete unknown if he will ever develop into an NBA rotation player let alone a starter.

This year's draft has a few players who could easily become the Kings Small Forward of the future should the team opt to go that way.

Basic Stats

Name	MPG	PPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	TRB	APG	STL	BLK	TOV	PF
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	31.1	11.9	0.491	.255(13/51)	0.745	7.4	1.9	1	0.9	2.2	2.4
Harrison Barnes	29.2	17.1	0.44	.358(49/137)	0.723	5.2	1.1	1.1	0.3	1.9	1.8
Terrence Ross	31.1	16.4	0.457	.371(72/194)	0.766	6.4	1.4	1.3	0.9	2	2.8
Quincy Miller	24.4	10.6	0.447	.348(24/69)	0.816	4.9	1.4	0.7	0.6	1.8	1.9
Jeff Taylor	32.1	16.1	0.493	.423(66/156)	0.605	5.6	1.7	1.3	0.4	2.2	1.9
Moe Harkless	36.1	15.5	0.452	.215(17/79)	0.676	8.6	1.5	1.6	1.4	2.5	2.3
Darius Miller	26.1	9.9	0.474	.376(56/149)	0.797	2.8	2.1	0.8	0.3	1.5	2.2
Will Barton	35.3	18	0.509	.346(37/107)	0.749	8	2.9	1.4	0.7	2.1	2.1
Kevin Murphy	34.5	20.6	0.444	.416(79/190)	0.721	5.2	2.3	0.8	0.2	3.3	2.2
Jae Crowder	32.9	17.5	0.498	.345(61/177)	0.735	8.4	2.1	2.5	1	1.3	2.7
Kris Joseph	32.2	13.4	0.421	.345(51/148)	0.745	4.7	1.5	1.4	0.6	1.5	1.7
Hollis Thompson	31.1	12.8	0.464	.430(58/135)	0.679	5.5	1.5	0.7	0.5	1.7	2.2
Khris Middleton	28.8	13.2	0.415	.260(20/77)	0.75	5	2.3	1	0.3	2.2	1.9

Advanced Stats

Name	PER	TS%	FTR	ORB%	DRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	21.2	0.57	0.59	10.3	16	10.8	1.9	2.8	17.3	20.3
Harrison Barnes	21.2	0.528	0.37	6.9	11	7.2	2	1.1	10.8	28.1
Terrence Ross	22.3	0.558	0.2	4.7	17.6	9.2	2.3	3	12	25.3
Quincy Miller	19.4	0.541	0.37	7.5	16.1	11.6	1.7	2.9	15.4	23.9
Jeff Taylor	23.7	0.58	0.37	8.4	12.1	12.6	2.4	1.4	13.6	26.4
Moe Harkless	21.1	0.504	0.33	8.4	18.2	9.6	2.6	4.2	14	24.9
Darius Miller	18.1	0.593	0.23	4.3	7.3	14.4	1.9	1.2	14.8	19.2
Will Barton	26.6	0.55	0.4	7.6	18.5	17.4	2.4	2.1	12.3	25.8
Kevin Murphy	20.8	0.549	0.32	3.3	15.3	16.3	1.4	0.7	14.8	32.3
Jae Crowder	28.8	0.598	0.37	7	20.6	13.5	4.3	3.1	7.9	23.4
Kris Joseph	19.7	0.534	0.4	5.5	10.8	8.7	2.6	2.2	10.6	22.5
Hollis Thompson	19.1	0.568	0.24	5.5	15.3	10.5	1.4	1.7	12.9	22.5
Khris Middleton	18.9	0.486	0.21	5.4	15.5	20	2.1	1	13.7	29.7

Analysis

The player that will receive the most accolades in workouts and from scouts is Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of Kentucky. MKG was a superb all-around player for Kentucky this year, contributing with tough defense, good rebounding, and an aggressive attacker's mentality. By all accounts, Gilchrist is a guy you would love to have in your locker room, a player that works hard and puts the team before himself. We all know just how much the Kings could use someone like that. Gilchrist would not solve the Kings outside shooting woes as he himself is a poor outside shooter, but he does have good mechanics and a solid mid-range game. Gilchrist thrives offensively by attacking the basket, where he does an amazing job of getting to the line, with a Free Throw rate reminiscent of a big man. He's also the youngest player in the draft, turning 19 in late September, so he still has plenty of upside.

A less versatile but still intriguing option is Harrison Barnes, who is more likely to be available when the Kings pick. Barnes is a scorer first and foremost, but possesses great size and length for an NBA SF. He reminds me of someone like Rudy Gay, but unlike Gay he doesn't possess the same explosiveness and also isn't that great at creating his own shots. Barnes lives on getting open for spot-up opportunities, and he still wasn't all that efficient doing that despite having one of the best set-up men in the country in Kendall Marshall. Of the wings in the draft, Barnes was the third least efficient.

Gilchrist and Barnes are probably the only wings that go in the lottery, but Terence Ross and Quincy Miller both deserve at least a mention. Ross took over the mantle of Washington's star from Isaiah Thomas and did well. He can score, rebound and defend. Pac-10 schools often get overlooked and I think Ross probably deserves a look in the late lottery. Miller on the other hand came out of school too early. He wasn't particularly good on a mediocre Baylor team, and he is still very raw. There's upside in Miller, but definitely not enough worth taking in the first half of the first round. If he falls from the first into the second (unlikely but I've seen stranger things happen) then he'd easily be worth the pick.

In the second round there are a couple options I really like. Darius Miller played a key bench role for Kentucky and fit well with all the talent they had. He was efficient from the field, and also moved the ball as well. Another player worth a look is Jae Crowder, who played more of a big man role for Marquette. Still, he'll probably have to make a living at the wing in the NBA thanks to his height. He's a good rebounder, but not an amazing one that indicates he'd make a great NBA big like Kenneth Faried (who he looks like, dreadlocks and all). Crowder is exceedingly versatile though, able to shoot, pass, steal and block while also barely turning it over. Crowder might not be the answer as the starter at the wing, but he would be a great option as a roleplayer off the bench.

The rest of the wings are a bit of a mixed bag. Will Barton deserves a mention for his good all-around game, but his measurements are similar to that of a super skinny Tyreke Evans, which isn't really ideal for an NBA caliber SF.

Sacramento could potentially solve this cursed wing problem at last via the draft, but I have a hard time seeing that happen. Gilchrist appears to be the only sure thing, and the Kings are only getting him if they get lucky in the lottery. Barnes is a player who I wouldn't feel too enthused about drafting, although the talent that made people fall in love with him out of high school is still there. Ross will be available, but I don't think he's good enough to outstrip other players (notably big men) that would also be available.

NOTE: I left Perry Jones III off of the wings list as I put him with the bigs. A lot of people feel that he is better suited to be an NBA SF than a PF but I disagree. More on that tomorrow.

SBNation.com: Worst NBA Team Slogans Of All-Time

2012-05-16T16:08:55Z

SBNation.com: Worst NBA Team Slogans Of All-Time

The Kings make a cameo.

When The NBA Realized That The Maloofs Were Being Ridiculous

2012-05-16T14:49:26Z

Apparently, the NBA knew back in late February that the Maloofs were being ridiculous with specific demands on a revised term sheet -- revisions demanded two days after George Maloof told the TV cameras that what we know as 'the deal' was 'fair.'

Ransacked Media is getting some deserved attention for publishing emails between George Maloof and the NBA from back on February 29. (The handshake deal came on February 27 in Orlando.) I'll let you connect the dotes on how Ransacked, an arena deal opponent, got the emails, but regardless, it's valuable information that I'm glad was published.

Because while it makes the Maloofs' case that the Kings immediately informed the NBA of the issues it had with the handshake term sheet, the emails make an even stronger case that the Maloofs knew right from the start that their absurd demands were out of line with NBA norms, and that they were focused on making the deal as untenable as possible to guarantee its doom.

Like when George told NBA lawyer Harvey Benjamin that the team wanted to amend the term sheet to eliminate collateral on a city refinancing of an existing Maloof loan. Benjamin's response on February 29 (some 12 minutes after George sent his note):

Regarding collateral, I thought you understood in Orlando that there's no way of avoiding the fact that the debt will come due when the team leaves Natomas and that the city will not refinance the debt without collateral. ... Also, the required amount of collateral will only be the amount equal to the debt, which is a big win since collateral value in excess of the debt is often required.

Benjamin instantly recognizes Maloof's angle, and instantly shuts it down completely. And remember, the NBA is representing the Maloofs' interests. It's worth noting that the Maloofs' current loan ($68 million, or thereabouts depending on recent payments) has a collateral of just $25 million. The Kings got a sweetheart loan in 1997, and they tried to push for an even sweeter deal this time. If only they didn't have a problem with defaulting on massive debt ...

Want some more? How about Maloof pushing back on game-day municipal expenses (like for cops, etc)? Benjamin's response:

Every team pays game day expenses. You pay them now.

On the Maloofs' wish for a lease shorter than the 30 years for which the city would be paying for the arena:

As we told you in Orlando, a team commitment for the life of the lease in a new building funded in large part by public money is totally standard.

Basically, add it all up and the Maloofs are looking for the best arena deal in the history of the NBA (which is saying something). The NBA is pushing back immediately. THE NBA was immediately telling the Maloofs that their arena demands were out of line! This is the same NBA whose arena model is essentially the institutionalized menace of threatened relocation.

And when the NBA quickly made it clear to the Maloofs that these were not sticking points but ridiculous demands in Benjamin's immediate response (excerpted above), what did George do? He doubled down. He kept plugging. He leaked the story to the L.A. Times. He had that ridiculous press conference in New York. He vilified KJ and the city, and to some extent the NBA.

I know what case the Maloofs are trying to make by leaking these emails -- that their concerns were made before the City Council approved the term sheet, that despite holding hands with KJ and crying for the TV crews that they had concerns with the deal. Point made. Assertion accepted.

In the process, they have shown just how absurd their position on myriad basic issues was, and have proven once again that they had no interest in legitimately getting a deal for a new Sacramento arena done. This is unassailable proof straight from George's own fingertips. Good job, guys.

Isaiah Thomas Places Seventh in Rookie of the Year Voting

2012-05-15T18:17:18Z

The NBA announced today that Kyrie Irving won this year's NBA Rookie of the Year award. The Kings Isaiah Thomas placed seventh in the voting. Thomas received no first place votes, 6 second place votes, and 10 third place votes.

Although Irving was the expected winner of the award, it is surprising that Thomas finished so low. IT had regularly been debated to place somewhere between second and fourth in voting, in contention with runner-up Ricky Rubio and third place finisher Kenneth Faried. Instead, Thomas was also surpassed by Kawhi Leonard, Iman Shumpert, an Klay Thompson.

Although disappointing, seventh amongst all rookies caps an incredible season for the 60th pick in the draft. "Mr. Irrelevant" earned a role in the Kings starting line-up, finished the season with an average of 11.5 points and 4.1 assist per game, averaging 25.5 minutes per contest. Thomas also won Rookie of the Month honors in February and March. Irving was the only other rookie to win the honor more than once this season.

There is some discussion of the award and voting in Dub_TC's fanshot. A full breakdown of the votes can be found after the jump.

Rookie, Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland	117	2	1	592
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota	-	49	12	70
Kenneth Faried, Denver	1	30	34	129
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio	1	9	15	47
Iman Shumpert, New York	1	7	7	33
Klay Thompson, Golden State	-	5	15	30
Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento	-	6	10	28
Brandon Knight, Detroit	-	6	3	21
Chandler Parsons, Houston	-	3	5	14
MarShon Brooks, New Jersey	-	1	1	4
Kemba Walker, Charlotte	-	-	3	3
Josh Selby, Memphis	-	-	1	1

WATCH: 'Small Market, Big Heart'

2012-05-15T16:00:53Z

Small Market, Big Heart is now available for free online viewing ... right here! (You can full screen down in the lower right corner of the video.) If you saw it at The Crest or on FOX 40 already, there is a new epilogue from Kevin Johnson to enjoy.

You can rep the city with a SMBH t-shirt, too. Support the film(makers).

Here she is. Enjoy, and comment away in this thread.

Better Know a Draftee: 2012 Rookie Guard Prospects

2012-05-15T15:00:12Z

This is the first in a three part series in which I analyze the 2012 NBA Draft by position. As a source I used DraftExpress's mock draft and for statistics I used both DraftExpress and Sports-Reference. All statistics used are for the prior college basketball season. Because of the lack of advanced statistic information, difference in playstyle and the dearth of quality foreign players in this year's draft, I have only included NCAA players in this analysis. For information such as player position, school, height, etc. please click on the player's name and it will take you to their DraftExpress page with all that information.

The draft has been both a boon and a curse to Kings fans over the years. Despite their poor records over the last few years, Sacramento has routinely fallen down in the draft. For the most part though, the Kings have still managed to find some quality players regardless of where they have drafted. Considering the lack of Free Agent options available to the Kings and their stingy owners, the draft is the most surefire way to improve the team.

Currently, the Kings have a lot of potential in their backcourt. Their four main rotation players there are all young and still have upside while also demonstrating NBA worthy talent at times. Last year had the Kings draft two guards in Jimmer Fredette (10th) and Isaiah Thomas (60th). While Jimmer Fredette struggled at times (okay, most of the time), Isaiah Thomas blossomed and eventually became the Kings starting Point Guard. Because of Thomas' emergence and the lack of good quality wing options on the team, the Kings resorted to playing a lot of three guard lineups with Marcus Thornton at the two and Tyreke Evans at the three.

At first glance it might look like the Kings don't need to draft another guard considering the depth they already have at the position. Still, a team that has done as poorly as the Kings the last few years can't afford to overlook talent for need, and there are definitely some good guard talents in this draft, if not the smorgasbord of the last few years.

Basic Stats

Name	MPG	PPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	TRB	APG	STL	BLK	TOV	PF
Bradley Beal	34.2	14.8	0.445	.339(63/186)	0.769	6.7	2.2	1.4	0.8	2.1	2.1
Jeremy Lamb	37.2	17.7	0.478	.336(71/211)	0.81	4.9	1.7	1.2	0.6	2	1.7
Damian Lillard	34.5	24.5	0.467	.409(94/230)	0.887	5	4	1.5	0.2	2.3	1.9
Kendall Marshall	33	8.1	0.467	.354(28/79)	0.696	2.6	9.8	1.2	0.2	2.8	8.1
Austin Rivers	33.2	15.5	0.433	.365(58/159)	0.658	3.4	2.1	1	0	2.3	2.2
Marquis Teague	32.6	10	0.412	.325(26/80)	0.714	2.5	4.8	0.9	0.3	2.7	2.3
Tony Wroten	30.3	16	0.443	.161(9/56)	0.583	5	3.7	1.9	0.4	3.8	2.7
Dion Waiters	24.1	12.6	0.476	.363(41/113)	0.729	2.3	2.5	1.8	0.3	1.3	1.9
Tyshawn Taylor	33.4	16.6	0.477	.382(58/152)	0.688	2.3	4.8	1.3	0.2	3.5	2
John Jenkins	33.6	19.9	0.474	.439(134/305)	0.837	2.9	1.2	0.8	0.3	1.6	1.2
Doron Lamb	31.2	13.7	0.474	.466(76/163)	0.826	2.7	1.5	0.5	0.1	1.1	1.8
Darius Johnson-Odom	32.9	18.3	0.447	.385(77/200)	0.764	3.5	2.7	0.9	0.1	2.4	2
Orlando Johnson	34.4	19.7	0.451	.427(70/164)	0.698	5.8	2.9	1.1	0.7	2.5	1.8
Marcus Denmon	34.6	17.7	0.46	.407(99/243)	0.896	5	2.1	1.5	0	1.2	1
Scott Machado	35.5	13.6	0.495	.404(40/99)	0.811	4.9	9.9	1.6	0.2	3.3	2.6
Tu Holloway	36.7	17.5	0.429	.346(45/130)	0.862	3.6	4.9	1.5	0.1	3	2.1
William Buford	33.8	14.5	0.419	.358(62/173)	0.825	5	2.7	0.8	0.2	2.2	1.8
J'Covan Brown	35.6	20.1	0.417	.369(80/217)	0.863	3.4	3.8	1.2	0.1	2.7	1.9
Jared Cunningham	34.6	17.9	0.45	.338(50/148)	0.737	3.8	2.8	2.5	0.4	2.8	2.4

Advanced Stats

Name	PER	TS%	FTR	ORB%	DRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%
Bradley Beal	22	0.575	0.44	4.8	18.1	12.7	2.5	2.6	14.3	23
Jeremy Lamb	22.1	0.556	0.27	3	11.1	10.1	2.1	1.7	11.7	23.9
Damian Lillard	34	0.635	0.52	1.9	14.8	27.1	2.5	0.7	10.7	33
Kendall Marshall	17.2	0.558	0.35	0.5	7.3	45.1	2	0.5	27.8	13.9
Austin Rivers	16.9	0.538	0.46	2.2	9.2	13	1.7	0.1	13.9	25.2
Marquis Teague	13.2	0.491	0.34	1.6	6.6	25.6	1.7	0.8	21.1	20.2
Tony Wroten	20.4	0.488	0.59	8	9.8	24.5	3.5	1.2	18.7	31.2
Dion Waiters	26.3	0.565	0.33	2.4	8.2	21.2	4.6	1.5	10.4	26.7
Tyshawn Taylor	19.8	0.569	0.42	0.7	6.9	29.7	2.4	0.5	19.5	27.5
John Jenkins	26	0.656	0.33	1.7	8.2	8.4	1.5	1	9.4	26.2
Doron Lamb	19.2	0.624	0.4	1.5	7.7	8.8	0.9	0.2	9.1	19.7
Darius Johnson-Odom	20.1	0.568	0.35	2.3	9.2	17.7	1.6	0.4	12.7	27.2
Orlando Johnson	26	0.56	0.4	5.8	12.9	19	2	2.4	12.2	30.5
Marcus Denmon	25.6	0.621	0.31	3.9	13.8	11.5	2.7	0.1	7.6	23.6
Scott Machado	23.5	0.605	0.39	3.1	12.9	44.2	2.5	0.6	22.5	19.9
Tu Holloway	22.2	0.587	0.65	1.3	9.8	27.5	2.5	0.3	16.7	25.1
William Buford	17.4	0.521	0.23	3.2	14.4	15.1	1.5	0.8	13.4	24.1
J'Covan Brown	23.2	0.55	0.34	2.9	8.1	25.3	2	0.4	12.9	29.5
Jared Cunningham	22.1	0.568	0.61	3.4	9.6	15.7	4.1	1.2	15.2	26

Analysis

At the top of the draft there is only one real guard standout in a very big-heavy lottery and that is Bradley Beal. Beal is a very versatile guard who can do a bit of everything. He was the clear star of his Florida team and the focus of opposing defenses. In High School, Beal was a standout shooter, something that he struggled with a bit in college, as evidenced by the poor 3P%. Beal is also an excellent rebounder for his position, far outstripping his peers in that regard. Still, Beal is primarily a scorer, and he doesn't possess elite athleticism or size for defensive purposes. He reminds me a lot of a guard the Kings already have in Marcus Thornton.

A lot of the guards on this list, like Beal, are primarily scorers. None was more prolific than Damian Lillard out of Weber State. Lillard was the best scorer in college basketball last year and had the second highest PER to Anthony Davis. Lillard was not just a volume scorer either as he was incredibly efficient from the field, and also played the role of playmaker on his team as well. In my personal opinion, Lillard should be a bit higher on team's boards, but again would fit badly on a Kings team that is already chock full of scorers.

What the Kings are truly lacking at in the backcourt is someone who can play the role of a primary distributor and doesn't need to score the ball to be useful. For the purposes of the draft there are two guards who fill that role: Kendall Marshall and Scott Machado. Marshall is the greater overall talent, running the offense for a very good North Carolina team and nearly averaging double digit assists in the process, a rare feat for a college player. While Marshall is a very good passer, he also is very turnover prone, with a very high turnover percentage. Considering how often he looks for the pass, that's not too surprising, but it's still very high. Marshall doesn't look for his offense much at all, averaging just 4.1 field goal attempts in 33 minutes a game this past season, but that's him deferring to all the scorers North Carolina did have.

The other playmaker in the draft is Scott Machado of Iona, and he should be available in the second round whenever the Kings pick. Machado also averaged nearly 10 assists and on a much less talented team with a lower turnover rate as well. Machado was also able to score 13.6 points a game with good efficiency, showing he can contribute there as well.

Sacramento could also use some better three point shooting, something they really lacked throughout the year. Doron Lamb fits the bill there as one of the purest shooters in the draft and he could also be available when the Kings pick in the second round. Lamb connected on almost 47% of his three point attempts this past season. John Jenkins is another great shooter and posted the highest efficiency of any of the prospective guards.

There are a few guards that I feel entered the draft too early, namely Austin Rivers and Marquis Teague. Both are primarily scoring guards and not great scorers at that. For one, both players were exceedingly inefficient, something the Kings do not need. Teague is the better playmaker but he's not great there by any means. Both players kind of remind me of Jerryd Bayless and I think they'll both struggle early on in their careers unless they land in the right situation.

Still, unless the Kings make a drastic trade involving Tyreke Evans or Marcus Thornton, I have a hard time seeing them use their lottery pick on a guard. The second round pick on the other hand is up for grabs and I think someone like Machado would be a great get there, giving the Kings a different look they can try at times, someone to set up all the scorers that they have and run the second unit. I doubt Lamb will be available in the second round, and besides, Jimmer is probably supposed to develop into that bench scorer.

Maloofs Continue To Ignore The Reality That No One Much Likes Them

2012-05-15T11:31:33Z

You'll remember that a bunch of local business leaders hastily put together a letter denouncing the Maloofs as NBA owners just before the family went to New York to destroy the Sacramento arena plan. That letter really upset the Maloofs -- they like setting relationships on fire themselves, not to watch someone else handle it.

Well, in the long aftermath of the deal's decomposition, the Maloofs apparently caught wind that not all of those 21 business owners actually signed that letter, so they hired a former FBI investigator to look into it. For what reason? At what end? Great question! But, obviously, some of the business owners took umbrage at a Maloof P.I. prying, and CBS Sacramento did a story on the issue over the weekend. Now The Bee is covering it, as the business owner who led the charge on the letter admits that not everyone could make the signing, so a few names are forged.

The Maloofs' mouthpiece Eric Rose, who does not have time to compose responses to letters from fan groups, had time to rip the business owners and say that Think Big Sacramento, the mayor's superlative arena task force, should be called Think Big Fraud.

You know what this is? A massive distraction from the fact that the most powerful business owners in the city want to see the Maloofs lose the Kings. Whether 16 or 19 or 21 business owners signed that particular letter, rest assured that dozens want them out. Thousands of fans want them gone. No amount of B.S. teapot politics will change that.

The Maloof family is not wanted here. Now please leave the team where you found out.

Abdur-Rahim Earns College Degree

2012-05-14T18:19:12Z

Abdur-Rahim Earns College Degree

Apparently it is legal to leave college for the NBA after only one year, makes millions and millions of dollars, and then go back and complete your degree. Who knew?