A Geoff Petrie Stunner

I too don’t want the Kings to pick DJ. I would much rather that they take a PF such as Kevin Love, Marreese Speights, Tyler Hansbrough or Jason Thompson. Russell Westbrook is overrated just like Corey Brewer was last year. I had Corey WAY lower than everyone else. Westbrook is in the same category this year for me as Corey was last year. Can Russell become a very good PG someday? Yah but the Kings don’t need a PG to blossom in 5 or 6 years from now, they need one to blossom much sooner. I don’t see a PG in the draft at 12th position ready to do that.

Here is my argument:

Hinrich was a top 10 prospect for the 2003 draft while Aaron Miles went undrafted and was not considered a top prospect by anybody. Darren Collison IS considered a top 15 pick and Westbrook is not considered a top 10 draft pick in almost all of the mock drafts.

Also, let’s compare Westbrook’s statistics with Hinrich’s in each of their sophomore years:
RW: 33.8 min, 12.7 ppg, 4.3 apg/2.5 tpg, 3.9 rpg, 1.6 spg, 46.5 FG%, 33.8 3-pt%
KH: 32.7 min, 11.5 ppg, 6.9 apg/3.4 tpg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 spg, 50.0 FG%, 50.5 3-pt%

Aaron Miles was the PG for Kansas but unlike Collison that was about all he could do! Collison can score, Miles couldn’t. Miles was ONLY a distributor. He could not have played the SG role if he had wanted to. Collison can play the SG role if the coaching staff felt that was where he was better suited but they chose to put Darren in the role of PG over Westbrook. Even with Miles running the point, Hinrich averaged nearly 7 assists and shot 50% from three. Hinrich also had two big scorers above him in Drew Gooden and Nick Collison (Collison here too? Creepy), so scoring 11.5 is just as good as Westbrook’s 12.7.

Even with Collison playing the PG for UCLA, he only averaged 3.8 assists. Seems like if Westbrook was such a great PG, he would have been the main playmaker. Collison is average at it compared to what Miles was yet he gets the nod over Westbrook. If Hinrich would have played the PG, Miles would have had to be his backup coming off the bench but there was nobody else to play the small forward role so Kansas had to keep Miles in the starting line-up.

Either way, Hinrich is a nice player but is he a great PG? Not really. I don’t see Westbrook being even as good as Hinrich. I just hope the Kings don’t take him with other, better, PF prospects out there.

If there are PF prospects “way lower than 12”, then mightn’t it be prudent to pick up a better PG at 12 and then get those PF prospects later?

Where are the depth positions in this draft (it’s usually swing guards)?

Which is the deeper need position (PF)?

What is the drop off for PG prospects versus PF prospects that late in the draft?

Do you think that the Kings should pick up multiple PF prospects (at the cost of a young PG) for a better chance at getting the right one? This could be worth the gamble if one of your picks pays off (like Boozer – high 2nd Rounder), but is that a risk you’re advocating? That puts a lot of eggs in the “Resign Beno” basket.

This brings up the age-old draft question of “best available” vs. “need”.