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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.