Post-Draft Anarchy
Written by Benn Hodapp, Friday June 26 2009
All the experts say that Tyreke Evans is the best guard in the draft and that I, as a Kings fan, should be ecstatic that they took him.
So why am I not?
I'm not sure. I don't know a great deal about Evans. There I said it. But what I do know is that he is a ball-dominating TWO guard that is a bad shooter.
Cool...
But this isn't about what Evans is or isn't. The fact is that I don't know what he is and I won't for a good long while. Maybe he's Brandon Roy. Maybe he's Derrick Rose. I just don't know.
However, in the aftershock of yet another Kings shockwave of disillusionment I can't help but wonder what happened in the war room. It was all set up so perfectly. The first three picks went just as I imagined. When the Thunder announced that they were justifiably taking James Harden I did a little mental dance of joy.
"Rubio is OURS!" I thought. But still, there was the knowledge that the Kings had fallen in love with Evans during his workouts. I felt then, and I still feel now, that the best way to put asses in the Arco seats would have been to take Rubio and called the day a success.
But they took Evans. It is probably unfair to him that I felt so betrayed and sunken emotionally when I heard his name called. Like I said, maybe he's Brandon Roy. I don't know, it just seems like the wrong decision to me right now.
I don't know what to make of Omri Casspi from Israel either. I am not impressed with a guy who averaged 12 ppg in Israel last year. I am pretty sure I would be a valuable role player in the Israeli league.
It isn't fair for me to jump to conclusions about him either, but I would have slept a lot better last night had they just had the courage to take DeJuan Blair. I don't care about his knee surgeries. It's not like they were reconstructive or the dreaded microfracture surgeries. All I know is that he put No. 2 pick Hasheem Thabeet over his knee and spanked him like an ornery child when Pitt played UConn last year. He is the catastrophic rebounder that the Kings so desperately need.
Even more tragic is the team that ended up getting Blair. The effing Spurs. Possibly the one team that needed him the least but was smart enough to just do it. Teams will have horrible dreams of Duncan and Blair swallowing up every rebound for the next five years.
After swapping second round picks with the Blazers (in a move that brought point guard depth to Sac in the form of Sergio Rodriguez) the Kings ended up with Jonathan Brockman from Washington. Brockman and Spencer Hawes have played together since eighth grade and were teammates at Washington. Brockman was a fierce rebounder in college, but his size (6'7") makes me wonder if he will be able to do the same in the NBA where he will face much greater competition than he did in the weak Pac-10.
But as far as that pick goes I have no complaints. With the 38th pick, sure you're looking for Michael Redd or Carlos Boozer, but the likelihood that he is there is minimal. Looking to fulfill a need at that spot is what you are looking to do. If he ends up being a good rebounder then that pick was more than justified.
As far as Rodriguez goes, I am pretty happy to see him join the team. He averaged 4.5 pts and 3.6 asts last season in just 15 mpg. Those assist numbers are certainly welcome for a team that was 27th in the NBA in apg last year, especially if he plays 20-25 minutes and those assists end up around 5 per.
The point of this article is that I don't know what it all means. I trust Geoff Petrie. None of us knew who Peja Stojakovic, Hedo Turkoglu or Jason Thompson were either. They all ended up being pretty good to the Kings. I just can't help but feel disappointed in the immediate afterglow.
It's up to Tyreke, Omri and Jonathan to prove my feelings incorrect.
I want to be incorrect. I really do...
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Consider this article null and void. Hahaha. Tyreke for President. I was really wrong.