Pick up an additional pick and draft Hibbert in the second half of the first round. Run him at the 4 and Hawes at the 5 on offense, and the opposite on defense. Frontcourt is covered for the next ten years.

Yes, I have some irrational liking of Hibbert. There’s no ‘splaining it.

The Kings need a true rebuild. Deal Salmons, Moore, Miller, Artest and anyone not named Martin, Garcia or Hawes. One of these guys, along with 1 or both of our second rounders might get us back around the 18-25 range in the first. Sheldon Williams and Quincy Douby might make a nice trade package with their 5 million in expiring contracts (with options) that could land the Kings a trade exemption and a pick. This is a very deep draft, filled with Kings specific need players (points and powers). I would not be opposed to 2 or 3 first rounders, signing Beno, playing on the cheap until the big money falls off two years from now. In two years, Martin would still be in his prime, the rookie class and Hawes will have been evaluated and needs can be filled at that point through free-agency. Add a high lottery pick or two while the rebuild happens and we could be back on track in 2 years when Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix and Houston are falling off.

I trust Petrie with 3 picks, but those picks have to be in the first rounders to have any chance of success.

You would think that Golden State (14), Denver (20) and Orlando (22) would all be willing to deal their picks to “win now” if you could come up with the right scenario. Artest would fit in Golden State, especially with Pietrus and Barnes becoming free agents. Artest would also work in Denver and Miller in Orlando. The trick is coming up with the appropriate deal, which currently seems to be out of the scope of my ability.

With an assist via Sam Amick. The Josh Howard rumor is a terrific start in many ways. Another point would be that the team still needs shot blocking/rebounding/athleticism and needs it in the worst way.

For example, though, if you brought out Josh Howard and all that nonsense, what would you do if you had the first pick? Would you pick Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley? Would you pick neither? How do you go that route? I still would argue Rose myself, but I’m open to Beasley arguments. I think it could go either way, and 10 or so un-told/un-known issues will crop up that settle that argument.

I think this team can compete if it deals Artest for Howard, primarily because Howard won’t use up so much of Reggie Theus’ maneuvering to grab the locker room in his firm grasp, and in part because Howard won’t take shots away from Kevin Martin. That’s not a terrible thing is it?

I think if the Kings stay @ 12, well that’s a totally different story. I mean, it’s quite simple, and there is no easy answer here, but one is to decide whom you must have 3 years down the road under any circumstance. I think Martin, Hawes, Garcia, and to a degree, Udrih all fit that circumstance.

Because in this draft there probably isn’t a true impact game changing player who will make your team go from 22 to 42 wins in a single season, and those are quite rare (unfortunately I haven’t been able to drop a 7 part draft related series on the history of the draft due to personal issues), and the players you would think have done it, haven’t in short. Jordan, O’Neal, Russell, Chamberlain all didn’t make their teams 20 games better. In fact the players who have done so aren’t players you would think of off the top of your head. Bob Cousy is one (betcha ya didn’t know that did ya?), and Elton Brand is pretty close to another (and the Clippers didn’t even make the playoffs his first season either). Larry Bird is another, but that again, is another story as the circumstances surrounding the team totally changed (like Bird and Tiny Archibald who weren’t on the previous year’s team). As I said that’s totally unique situation, and totally a non-indicator of potential ring winnings.

I think the biggest thing about this team is that Petrie doesn’t lock Artest down long term, and Artest doesn’t opt out, because with so many teams making changes Artest could be an extremely attractive short term option, and that Petrie doesn’t look for the game changing franchise altering/lifting player in this upcoming draft. (Even if you’re a Chris Webber nut licker, you have to admit the man wasn’t, particularly on a per minute basis, the greatest rebounder ever. He had holes in his game. The injuries, and per minute rebounding mostly, but that’s why I would have never paid him 122 mill. Yes, I said that in 2001.)

I also think that the team makes a decision on whose totally expendable. Is Douby not worth including in an upcoming trade with Artest? What about Garcia? Is he THAT untouchable, especially if you’re bringing Josh Howard back in a trade, that you wouldn’t trade him? Eh, the conondrum of satisfying demanding never satisfied groups. Joy Joy!

and the Kings hold on to the 12 spot. Let’s further assume that nobody who is a nobrainer in that position slips to us (Mayo, Gordon, Love, B. Lopez, etc.). Who do we take? We know that our most pressing needs are an athletic, tough big man and a franchise point (regardless of whether we get Beno back). Can we afford to reach on a project like DeAndre Jordan (who Chad Ford has us taking), or a guy like D.J. Augustin whose game might not translate well in the NBA? Can Kings fans suffer through another Petrie drafting another Euro dude that nobody has ever seen? If these questions had obvious answers, we wouldn’t be killing ourselves trying to turn Quincy Douby into a first rounder on the WWL’s Trade Machine. I guess I’ll stop dancing around the issue. Isn’t anybody else just the least bit enticed by the prospect of going another year without a legit enforcer in the middle and just drafting Donte Green? If I’m alone, I’ll shut up, but I got the chills envisioning Hibbert and Hawes as our frontcourt for the next ten years…

I like Donte Greene, but to be fair he is as much of a “project” as guys like Jordan, and it’s impossible to say whether his game will “translate” better than Augustin’s. Hibbert is a non-lottery pick at this point, so I don’t think you have to worry about Hibbert/Hawes resulting from the 12th pick.

Because the Kings need help at the point (even with the re-signing on Udrih they still need another PG) and the 4, it is only natural that most KIngs fans would have little interest in Greene, Gallinari, Budinger or Batum. Guys like Augustin, Westbrook, Jordan, or Arthur fill needed slots on this team without us having to conjur up trade scenarios.

All of that said, if Petrie pulled the trigger on Greene, I would be intrigued, given GP’s draft track record.