Drafting For The Real World In The 2nd Round

With the possible exception of Ball In Cup, I don't think that anybody here saw (or particularly liked) our 2nd round picks at the time that they were made. Sean Singletary received a collective "Meh!" at best, and Patrick Ewing Jr. brought down the house (and damn near the SB Nation server).

The 2nd round of the NBA draft is a romantic place, where conversation of the legends of Carlos Boozer and Michael Redd and Gilbert Arenas take place regularly. European players are squirreled away until they are needed, at which time their wrath is unleashed on the NBA. Of course we know these to be the exception of the rule. That's why the "legend" part applies.

The NBA is also a place where the Kings have drafted (under Geoff Petrie) Tyus Edney, Dejan Bodiroga, Jason Sasser, Anthony Johnson, Jerome James, Ryan Robertson, Jabari Smith, Maurice Jeffers, Corsley Edwards, and Ricky Minard. There are a few years where we had no picks, the residue of Geoff Petrie somehow dealing those picks in spite of the fact that he doesn't make deals.

There are some hits and misses on that list. Edney was decent until injuries got the better of him, Johnson has had a solid career, James made the most of playing a few good games against us in the playoffs, and Smith has earned several NBA paychecks. Sasser, Robertson, Jeffers, Edwards and Minard never panned out, and Bodiroga chose to stay in Europe his entire career.

As 2nd round picks go, that' not a bad track record. If you look at those picks by year, some were made in the hopes of filling an immediate need (Edney), while some were project picks (James), while others were a roll of the Euro dice (Bodiroga).

This year it appears that Petrie went for need, twice. In Singletary, the Kings drafted a true point guard. He is no more ready to be a starting NBA point guard than Tyus Edney or Anthony Johnson when we drafted them, but the KIngs need a starting and a backup PG at the moment, as well as a 3rd "emergency" PG. The Kings hope that Singletary can fill part of that bill.

In Ewing Jr., the Kings select...well, I think they selected a slighlty bigger Dahntay Jones. Should Ewing Jr. make the team, he will probably wind up in the D-League, unless the glut of wings currently on the roster is addressed. But Ewing Jr. is big, strong, fast, and has great leaping ability. He is a "pro," he is a team player. Should he make the roster, Ewing Jr. can fill the 12th chair on a bench without bitching and moaning about it (Jason Hart, hello! - Tony Massenburg, hello!), and he will give his all at every practice, driving to make his team and teammates better. And maybe, just maybe he'll be given the opportunity to use some of his fouls on Kobe Bryant. He will play his role, and that can not be underestimated.

So Petrie chose to fill needs as opposed to drafting even more big man prospects (or is that "projects") like Richard Hendrix or DeVon Hardin, or stashing Euro's like Ante Tomic or Goran Dragic, or taking a chance on an injury riddled talent like Bill Walker, or a talented youngster with past discipline issues like Mike Taylor. Petrie chose players that might contribute to the bigger picture here, guys that might help the Kings take the next small in the right direction.

Sean Singletary and Patrick Ewing, Jr. May their stays (however long) be beneficial to them and to us. I welcome them both to Sacramento.