[HB]

Why do they need Jordan?

[Peja Vu]

Maybe some of these mocks don't take team need into effect until after the lottery?

[Peja Vu]

Originally Posted by Peja Vu

Damn, I wish I was a season ticket holder!

Kings seek fan for lottery luck

And the lucking winner is....Margie/Section 111


http://www.nba.com/kings/fans/lottery_bracket.html

[Peja Vu]

Tidbit time...

* I was told that Cal's Ryan Anderson (an Oak Ridge High product from El Dorado Hills) will be working out with the Kings.

The big man has a lot of Spencer Hawes in his game and is in the process of gauging his draft position. Because he hasn't hired an agent, he can still return to school for his junior season and just might do so if he can't get a first-round promise.

The Kings, who will likely stay at No. 12 for the June 26 day in New York, have two second-round picks with which they'd love to pick up a first-round type talent like Anderson. That, however, is exactly what Anderson doesn't want. Or who knows, maybe he's the shock of the first round at the No. 12 spot after a wondrous workout?

As for other names to watch out for in relation to the Kings and who may be there at that spot: Italian small forward Danilo Gallinari, UCLA center Kevin Love, Texas A&M center DeAndre Jordan, and point guards who won't likely fall that far in D.J. Augustin (Texas) and Russell Westbrook (UCLA). A sleeper-type to watch in general is Nevada big man JaVale McGee. The only potential emphasis in terms of hoped-for types will be athletic big men. That, of course, could mean nothing at all since the talent vs. need debate often goes to the former when the talent is too good to pass up. Somehow moving up in the draft, however unlikely, is a real objective as well.

Lastly, CBS College Sports recently reported that Cal State Fullerton's Josh Akognon would work out with the Kings on June 2. The guard is considered a fringe second-rounder. And as I learned by way of this video , there is a Quincy Douby connection here.

[Peja Vu]

Rumors: Where Will Arthur Land?

The thoughts amongst NBA scouts is that Arthur has a lot of upside and could develop into one of the elite power forwards in the league with his combination of size, speed, and athleticism. He's still got a long way to go, but is definitely worth an investment in the lottery.

Because there are some questions about the effort and consistency that you're going to get on a nightly basis with Arthur, the top 10 is out of reach. However, at twelve the Sacramento Kings would really give Arthur some consideration.

As a team that battles size issues and is constantly outrebounded by the opposition Arthur is an ideal fit for the Kings. He'd give them a dynamic presence at the power forward position that they haven't had since Chris Webber's departure (sorry Kenny Thomas and Shareef Abdur-Rahim). He isn't the passer that Chris was, but has a lot of similar strengths.

[Peja Vu]

The Kings currently hold a 93.55 percent chance of securing the 12th pick in the Draft, a 3.89 percent chance of having the 13th pick and a 0.02 chance of obtaining the 14th pick. In more exciting news, the team also has a 0.7 percent chance of securing the first pick, a 0.83 percent chance of locking in the second pick and a 1.01 percent chance of landing the third pick. Should the team land a top three pick after finishing the 2007-08 season with a 38-44 record, the Kings would become just the fifth team since the lotto was introduced in 1985 to have won at least 38 games and garnered a top three selection, joining the '87 Pacers (38-44), '90 Sonics (41-41), '93 Magic (41-41) and the '06 Bulls (41-41). Of the four previous 38-plus win teams that secured a top three pick, only the Magic won the lottery, while the others all were slotted at the two-spot.

http://www.nba.com/kings/news/draft_lottery08.html

[Peja Vu]

Lottery is only beginning of Kings' draft fun

It's just fun speculation, of course, because the Kings never would spend a lottery pick on a center for the second year in a row. Or on a power forward who is curiously identical to the Spencer Hawes selection of 2007 in ways both pleasing and concerning. Or a point guard with much to prove about being a point guard. Or a small forward when the coach shovels praise on the one they already have.

Except it's not just for fun. It's real and it's possible.

The lottery arrives today with the Kings on a mathematical path to land the No. 12 pick in the draft June 26 – barring a long-shot payoff that jumps them into the top three or the Warriors or Portland knocking them back a spot or two by drawing into royal-flush territory – and facing options wrought with concern and great hope. Not the usual concern and hope that accompanies any pick that far into the first round, either.

Options that might offer the great temptation of unique potential against the reality of obvious conflict.

All four possibilities – Love, Batum, Westbrook and McGee – are projected to go in the 8-to-14 range, with greater shifts possible once they start individual workouts that raise or lower draft stock. Some might even return to school.

Or the Kings could beat massive odds, pull into the top three and not consider any of them, at which point the draft reaches an entirely different level of intrigue in Sacramento.

[Peja Vu]

Here we go!

[Peja Vu]

And the Kings will select..................12th. Not moving up.

[Peja Vu]

[Peja Vu]

Mock Drafts: 5/27/08

NBADraft.net: Russell Westbrook
DraftExpress.com: Russell Westbrook
ESPN.com: Darrell Arthur
NBAMock.com: D.J. Augustin
MyNBADraft.com: Russell Westbrook
HoopsHype.com: Donte Green
InsideHoops.com: Joe Alexander

[Peja Vu]

Sacramento Kings – Draft Day Preview

Team Needs: point guard, youth in the frontcourt

2008 Draft Picks:

#12, First Round – With Quincy Douby being the only point guard the Kings have under contract next season, the likely target here for Sacramento is a floor general that they'll be expecting to log plenty of minutes in his rookie campaign. Although it remains likely that the team will re-sign Beno Udrih, he'll need a formidable backup and the team needs some form of insurance just in case he chooses to leave. Possible targets include D.J. Augustin and Russell Westbrook, but should OJ Mayo or Jerryd Bayless slide a few spots, the Kings may look to move up in the draft to snatch one of them up.

#42, Second Round – Having received this pick from Atlanta in the Mike Bibby swap, the Kings have a chance to add some youth to their crop of bigs. Kenny Thomas and Shareef Abdur-Rahim have been hampered by injuries with increasing age and although they could still be solid players, their best years are behind them as Sacramento waits for their contracts to mercifully expire. The Kings ought to look for a bruising big man that can complement the finesse game of both Spencer Hawes and Brad Miller – Joey Dorsey, Richard Hendrix, or Nathan Jawai are all possibilities.

#43, Second Round – It doesn't really matter which order the team decides to go in, but with this second pick in the second round, Sacramento should look to shore up their frontcourt depth with an athletic swingman. With Ron Artest likely returning, John Salmons' solid production as a backup, and Francisco Garcia's development, the Kings have a stable of reliable players to use at the swing spots of the 2/3 and could invest in the development of a raw athlete over the course of a year or two. Additionally, this gives the team significant insurance should Artest opt out or anyone go down with an injry during the season. Some names that should be considered include Bill Walker, Davon Jefferson, JR Giddens, Kyle Weaver, or Will Daniels.