Just a thought...

by Caliballer91 on Nov 9, 2008 3:05 PM PST Comment 62 comments

So looking into this season, I do not think we will be the worst team in the league, but what if we are in the bottom 5? If we were to be in the bottom five we would have a chance at getting the #1 or 2 pick. I am not saying I want the team to tank out and lose games, because we need to keep fire in our young guys and we cannot let them be satisfied by losing, but IF, just IF something like that happened and we got a top pick.... we would have a chance of drafting Brandon Jennings. Idk if everyone has heard of him but to put it short and simple, he's a BEAST. He would be perfect for our team since we need a good passer and a fast tempo player at the point, and Jennings isn't just good, he's great. I don't want to get everyone's hope up, but I just realized this and figure I would share my thoughts.

(This is a FanPost from a member of the Sactown Royalty community. The views expressed come from the member, and not Sactown Royalty staff.)

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Has he even played a game yet?

Lots of guys look like beasts against high school competition. The fact that he didn’t have the work ethic to get a passing score on the SAT puts him in the “all things being equal, I’ll take the other player” category.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 9, 2008 3:54 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

i got a 1330 on the SAT's and youve seen the quality of my comments

SATs= Math and English, areas that are not at all related to basketball. If youve been told your entire life that youre a pro in the making why would you study for some test or even school at all when neither relate to your chosen career. Its silly to say all things equal ill take the guy with higher SAT’s, thats your deciding factor, really?
Dan Marino scored a 16 on the wonderlic exam where 50 is the high, 21 is average, and 14 and below is dumbedy dumb and look where he ended his career.

by passionforPERPS on Nov 9, 2008 4:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

same problem I have with Rubio

Not saying he won’t be good, but who knows until you see them against good competition. using a top 5 pick . . . .

I’d want to be very very sure.

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 9, 2008 4:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

But we have seen Rubio against

good competition. He’s been a pro in Europe for a number of years and recently played a tournament against some of the best players in the world. We’ve had a few more chances to see what he can do than any of this years incoming freshmen.

It’s too early to tell with any of these guys, less so with Ricky.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 9, 2008 4:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I unno

He looked great out there, when he played against the US National team. He was a ball hawk when he was playing up against Jason Kidd/D-Wade. He held his own…and this is against the best talent in the world.

by CloudyEyes on Nov 10, 2008 4:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

While I agree that

the SAT doesn’t measure basketball ability. I didn’t say take the guy with the higher SAT. I said if he doesn’t have the work ethic to do the bare minimum(and the SAT requirement for college entry is a bare minimum), I’d rather take the guy that put in the work. How many players each season do we hear about that can’t get into college because of SAT scores? It’s not many. If you know that you need to pass this test to get into college and take next step towards becoming a multi-millionaire, most people do what it takes and pass the test. And if he’s not willing to do what it takes, what does that say about him? All else being equal, I take the other guy.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 9, 2008 4:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Just to be clear

I’m not saying he can’t play. I’m not saying that he might not be the #1 pick. I’m not saying that he shouldn’t be the #1 pick. All I’m saying is we haven’t seen most of these guys play, and I wouldn’t rank him #1 right now, because of his failure to do the minimum to get into college. He may overcome this setback, but it is a setback.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 9, 2008 4:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Going into the 2003 draft

Did you have Carmelo over James just because lebron failed to do the minimum to get into college? Or what about a few years earlier, were you happy when the lakers traded ahead of us to get an academically lazy, Kobe Bryant?

by passionforPERPS on Nov 9, 2008 8:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Can't draft

H.S. players anymore, so your point doesn’t translate. Lebron and Kobe chose to go straight to the NBA. Did they try to go to college and fail? I don’t think so.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 9, 2008 8:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

right

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 10, 2008 11:59 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

just sayin, acadmics dont at all relate to basketball

The work ethic shown in academics does not translate to work ethic shown on the court.

by passionforPERPS on Nov 11, 2008 7:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Why doesnt the spell check work in the title, spelling academics wrong lol

by passionforPERPS on Nov 11, 2008 7:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

So

all else being equal you’d rather take the guy that failed his SAT. I’d rather take the guy that passed his. OK.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 11, 2008 9:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

but

all things wont be equal. we should take the best player available that fills a need. thats all that should be said about this topic.

SAT scores? really?

Your 2002 Western Conference Champions the Sacramentoooooooo KINGS!!!

by Raiders19494 on Nov 12, 2008 7:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

all things will never be equal

there will always be another decider other than SATs. No two players will have the exact same stats, hustle, court intelligence, athleticism, defensive ability, upside(had to include that dreaded word). There will always be something else to look at. SAT scores arent even a good measure for college, as i said i got a 1330 and im a dropout working in a restaurant, some indicator of my academic future let alone my basketball talent.

by passionforPERPS on Nov 12, 2008 10:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Arguing this is just stupid

If you actually read my post, I have no clue why you are making a big deal out of it. I never said you choose based on SAT scores.

If I tell you, in 2 years I’ll give you 50 million dollars if you can get 650 on your SAT, and in 2 years you can’t. To me that says you don’t really want the money. If you can’t do what it takes to pass your SAT as a required step to get to the NBA, then I question your desire to do what it takes to succeed in the NBA. That’s it. I question his attitude and desire. That’s it, that’s all I said. I never said SAT has anything to do with learning, or intelligence or is a predictor of basketball ability or a predictor of success in life. But it is a required step to enter college and that is the fastest, best path to the NBA.

If you disagree, fine. But since his DraftExpress ranking was in the top 3 right after the NBA draft and is now down around 7, I don’t think I’m alone in my assessment.

Jennings is extremely lucky that he was a top 5 talent coming out of HS and was able to get a European contract. If he were a top 30 or lower HS player he’d be playing for some Junior College right now hoping he can hook up a D-League tryout in a couple of years and maybe make the NBA that way.

Finally, of course all else will never be equal, but right now we don’t have much info on these guys, so right now rating him higher than another relatively equal high school PG that did the work required makes little sense. Once the college season gets under way and we have a chance to see some games played against decent competition, then you start adjusting the rankings of the players. That’s all I said. So for me, right now all else is equal and I rank him lower. That may change, but not yet.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 12, 2008 2:11 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs

You're dangerous when motivated

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 12, 2008 2:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well said

After reading multiple posts questioning your comments, I thought I might need to explain your position from a different angle, but hopefully that gets your point across.

by smgmatt on Nov 12, 2008 3:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/membership_svcs/eligibility-recruiting/faqs/ie_quick_ref.pdf

D1 schools have a sliding scale so its possible he needed as a high as a 1010 to get in. Not only that but I believe he dropped more because hes coming off the bench and his stats are not jumping off the page, especially with the stingy euro assist rules. If all else is equal right now then we should leave it at that. There is no reason to pursue it further with addition of SATs, its something that just doesnt belong in the conversation.

by passionforPERPS on Nov 13, 2008 10:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Hahahaha

If you actually read the post and what you took from it was the 650 and that that was what was important, then I don’t know what to say.

And now you’re saying he’s dropping because of playing in Europe? Sounds like he should have made the effort to get into a University here. Might of helped his career.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 14, 2008 12:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I really think PG may not be our priority

lets wait and see. We may need a SG/SF and another big man once MM, Q and SWilliams are gone.

Depends on how Donte’ develops but – well, thats my guess on how it will work out.

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 14, 2008 1:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

But you're right

pulling the 650 out was not relevant or to the point at all.

remeber PFP, we wern’t saying they won’t/aren’t good, we’re just reserving judgement for now.

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 14, 2008 1:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

but hes not reserving judgement,

by passionforPERPS on Nov 15, 2008 11:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

excuse me, that was presumptious

(s)he

by passionforPERPS on Nov 15, 2008 11:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

to me,

dropping numbers without anything backing them up is important and there is a big difference between a 650 and a 1010. That said, i think it was LPA who mentioned learning disabilities. I just dont see how SATs or book smarts plays into evaluating a basketball player. If all else is equal right now then leave it at that, there’s no reason to take it a step further by including arbitrary measures.

by passionforPERPS on Nov 15, 2008 10:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You're still missing the point

but whatever. It wasn’t an important comment and you’ve blown it all out of proportion by focusing on minutia.

Getting into College is hardly arbitrary(it’s a known step along the most direct established path to the NBA) and many people with learning disabilities get into college and play in the NBA.

I see nothing wrong with questioning his desire to do what it takes to succeed in the NBA and to meet his potential based on his failure to take the necessary steps along the path to this goal and then ranking him lower at this time based on my questions about his desire/work ethic.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 16, 2008 12:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Completely agree

It’s not about the score, it’s the effort.

If he won’t put in the effort to pass the SAT, what else is he going to blow off? What else won’t get an appropriate level of effort?

Also, not only will high school games not provide accurate demonstration of his skill level, Europe will not provide the consistent competition that the NCAA would. It’ll be much tougher to determine his true skill level and/or potential.

Never forget: I am a complete idiot

by Exhibit G on Nov 9, 2008 5:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

right also

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 10, 2008 12:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I thought Jennings passed the SAT's anyway

He just wanted to get paid before going to the NBA essentially. (For real, and not under the table.)

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 9, 2008 10:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think he passed it

but with his GPA his score wasnt high enough to get into a D1 school or and Arizona school or something like that. Dont quote me but i believe its a sliding scale where if you get a 2.0 you need a high score and if you have a 4.0 you only need to write your name on the exam.

by passionforPERPS on Nov 11, 2008 7:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree completely

Just because someone isn’t great at one thing, doesn’t mean they suck at a completely different thing. This is true to all things in life.

by CloudyEyes on Nov 10, 2008 4:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Coming itno the season

That’s one area that didn’t seem like a concern. In fact, it doesn’t concern me at all heading toward the future with Martin & Garcia, as well as Salmons & Greene here for the immediate future.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 11, 2008 1:34 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Jrue Holiday

Forget those other guys, how about we get a complete player without all the question marks? Jrue actually plays defense, he has the discipline and intelligence to get into one of the best universities in the country, and he has one of the best coaches in college to help him grow over the coming year.

by cabz on Nov 9, 2008 5:30 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

the best thing

is that there are numerous high level PG’s that may be available in next year’s lottery

by Beagle12 on Nov 9, 2008 5:56 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I agree with that

But Rubio is the ultimate prize.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 9, 2008 10:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Stats of Jennings

I put in another thread few days ago:

MINS: 17.8 pg
PTS: 5.5 pg
FG: 41.2%
3PT: 18.2%
AST: 2.3 pg (remember, these are Euroleague rules so the number is not so bad)

He’s playing a back-up behind Ibrahim Jaaber who isn’t exactly a veteran. It’s just four games and he will probably get better (plus stats are not everything), anyway…

by KingsFanfromCentralEurope on Nov 10, 2008 12:38 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

An option

pick Jenning would be the best option if we don’t have #1 or #2. playing in Europe is better than playing in NCAA in some cases

by Matenja on Nov 10, 2008 5:58 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Which still does not

convince me he is worthy of a high draft-pick (to be honest I did not see his game in Italy).

Still, if you don’t get Rubio or whoever, you can either a) draft high and trade or b) when we are happy with a goos European playmaker, we can search for free-agents, although it is questionable whether they would be much better than Beno and it will be quite difficult to pay them.

by KingsFanfromCentralEurope on Nov 10, 2008 6:18 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

rubio

iono about him. but i will say this geoff pietrie knows foreign talent. so if pietrie grabs rubio he will be great. if we get that pick ofcourse

Your 2002 Western Conference Champions the Sacramentoooooooo KINGS!!!

by Raiders19494 on Nov 10, 2008 7:14 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

BobbyB

Is looking pretty good, maybe PG isn’t a spot to worry about after all? We’ll have to see as the year goes on.

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 10, 2008 12:02 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think Bobby B's ceiling is B Jax's former play at his peak here

Hopefully with better health. I would love to be proved wrong. It’s hard to not love Bobby B.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 10, 2008 3:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The PG pool is deep next year

Frankly, I’m not concerned with who we pick up, as long as we’re in the top 6ish. There’s 3 top tier PGs that jump out at me in next year’s draft…

Ricky Rubio
Brendon Jennings
Jrue Holiday

All of these guys are slated to go in the top 6. Plus, even if by some miracle we don’t pick up any of them, there’s STILL…

Stephen Curry (…remember? He’s that one kid that was averaging around 50 frickin’ points in the NCAA tournaments?)

Ty Lawson (was projected at about pick number 12 in the 2008 draft, before he opted to spend another year at UNC)

by CloudyEyes on Nov 10, 2008 2:18 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

They won't all go top 6

Teams always need big men and some will rise to the top 5.

Anyway, we’ll know as the year goes what we need. I still think it’ll be a SG/SF first and another big man with the exit of MM and SWilliams. Maybe one of those will come at the trade deadline though, probably the backup SG/SF which would leave us to get another big and a comboG. we’ve Got to have more deth at the swings though.

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 10, 2008 9:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Darkhorse

CloudyEyes mentioned Stephen Curry. He’ll be playing the point for Davidson this year. He has an NBA pedigree and he is Geoff Petrie’s wet dream – a PG that can that has range from the parking lot in. If the Kings wind up picking 8-12 he could be the guy. I’m not endorsing, I’m just sayin’.

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Nov 10, 2008 10:00 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I saw the write-up on him

You may be right. As long as he isn’t another Q.

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 10, 2008 10:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Is he really a PG though?

He better be at only 6’3"

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 10, 2008 10:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Draft Express

has him at 19 and lists him as a 6’-3" SG, Douby anyone?

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 11, 2008 4:07 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think Douby's a bad player

He & Cisco didn’t develop quite like the Kings had hoped.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 11, 2008 5:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Where did Draft Express have JT at this time last year?

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Nov 11, 2008 6:36 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Rec'd

Good point (regarding ranking), but as a counter I’d offer that he was still probably listed as a PF.

by smgmatt on Nov 11, 2008 6:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

As opposed to what?

A center?

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 11, 2008 7:05 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Or a SF

I was just pointing out that while the draft position is very volatile (a point Section made), the listed positions are usually accurate. This means that if Curry was listed as a SG, he may not be the answer at PG that was be discussed (see: Douby, Quincy or Garcia, Francisco).

As noted below (a follow-up from Section), NBA Draft Net has him listed as a PG, so there’s at least some question as to where he would play in the L.

Sorry if I was too vague in my original reply.

by smgmatt on Nov 11, 2008 8:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No you're right

I just didn’t understand the point. Thanks for the correction, and my bad if that sounded flip. It wasn’t meant to be.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 11, 2008 9:42 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

And

nbadrafnet has him listed as a 6-1 PG going 9th. If last year taught us anything, it is that nobody knows anything, especially at this early stage. It will be interesting to see how Curry develops this year.

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Nov 11, 2008 7:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

…100% about draft position. Outside of a few “can’t miss” prospects, the draft order is almost always a crap-shoot.

As for Curry, it concerns me a little that he’s been listed as a 6’1" PG and a 6’3" SG. That at least 2 inches and 2 positions in question so far . . . not exactly a top notch scouting report, you know?

by smgmatt on Nov 11, 2008 8:50 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Rose was the "can't miss" prospect

Last season, Oden, Durant, Horford all qualified.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 11, 2008 9:43 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Plus Beasley

Going farther back, you can talk about James, Melo, etc. Those guys are always at/near the top . . . outside of the top 2-3 is where things are unpredictable.

by smgmatt on Nov 11, 2008 10:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Tru tru tru tru

No doubt about it smg. But JT is what the doctor ordered as far as getting a quality player, and not necessarily having to “tank” to get it.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 11, 2008 10:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Right!

No tanking. You get the best guy you can find outside the top 2 (unless you get lucky). Plenty to work with there.

I still think its way premature to guess we need another PG, we have beno who will hopefully come around and lets give BobbyB some time to see how it goes.
I still think (guess) we’ll need to look at SG/SF first and another big to eventually add depth after BMiller is gone.
Gotta look ahead.

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 11, 2008 11:30 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I would like the team to be good

Before I worry about depth. I’m not endorsing tanking either. This team will lose plenty of games without Kevin Martin, or whatever ailment hits Brad Miller next that isn’t Ganja related.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 11, 2008 11:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't usually check nbadraft.net

He still reminds me of Douby though. I thought Joe Kleine, Pervis Ellison and Billy Owens taught us that nobody knows anything. I’ll trust Petrie with the choice, but Curry isn’t on my short list at this time.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 11, 2008 12:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs