So, I wouldn’t group Griffin with Oden/Rose. How good would Rose or Beasely or Mayo have been in college this year? Durant in his sophomore year?

That said, looking back Brand was a pretty solid #1. I count 6-8 “wins”(Duncan, Brand, Yao, LeBron, Howard, Rose and maybe Oden and Bogut) out of the 12 drafts you listed. So if Griffin ends up with Brand’s level of talent, that would have to go down as a success.

Also, I think your 2005 comment is interesting when looking at this season.

Good read.

I’ve certainly campaigned against Griffin, but it was always in the sense that I prefer Rubio. It’s been said many time around here, and I’ve really adopted it as my motto: either way the team should be better. As long as we get a top 2 pick.

has become a philosophical debate about what kind of basketball people feels are the best kind condusive to winning.

One side is that people believe Bigger players are more valuable because they play closer to the basket and are more reliable for both offensive and defensive purposes.

The best counter-argument I’ve seen made is that a player has to be a real franchise player, and putting up great stats, while nice, is not necessarily condusive to being great at the pro level. Yes, it’s a strong indicator usually, but I’m willing to bet the number of guys who’ve led the NCAA in rebounding, while more successful than guys who’ve topped the NCAA in scoringm, still haven’t necessarily been the best players at the NBA level.

It’s very easy to argue about whether or not Griffin will be great at the next level, but that’s really not the argument with Griffin. It comes down to one simple fact if you’re Geoff Petrie (and in position to take either guy): Is he a franchise player?

Rubio side of all this:

Is Rubio a franchise player? (Nobody knows that for certain. It’s all guesswork. Just like Griffin.) Does Rubio aggragate stats mean anything playing in the ACB? Not really, no. Most European players (as younger players) have either excelled at the high levels of European basketball before coming to the US (like Peja Stojakovic or Manu Ginobili—and Manu was drafted before he played in Europe I might add), or made a distinct impression at a place given for an individual player to excel (Dirk Nowitzki at the Hoop Summit). Something along those lines generally is what gives NBA teams the reason they need to commit a high pick.

 The reason Rubio’s stats don’t mean anything is for one simple reason: His team doesn’t play him enough.

Rubio’s question marks (unlike Griffin whose question marks have been more along the skills/abiities trac) are more of his physical traits (athleticism/quickness) and include that he doesn’t shoot a very reliable jump shot yet.

I’ve already weighted in on whom I think is going to be better, but at some point, recognition by fans will have to include that where the players come from is not necessarily where players of yesterday came from. Unique talent is unique talent, and if for some reason the Kings get Griffin instead of Rubio, then that’s a good day. If Rubio pulls out and the Kings have no choice but to take Griffin instead, okay, and? I’ve heard of worse possibilities.

All I know is that the Kings need the first overall pick this year to really make this work for them.

i hate to be the one to bring this up, but we haven’t secured a top-two pick yet. now i, of course, have every hope and inclination that we will. but, as we are kings fans, wouldn’t it be prudent of us to hold off on this presumptuous debate until after the thing is officially ours? there has to be some sort of juju that’s turning against us as we speak. oh god.

And we have the choice between Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio, I am very confident Petrie will make the right choice. Petrie’s strong point is evaluating talent in the draft. Almost (See Douby, Quincy) every player he’s selected has gone on to have a good NBA career and those picks were for the most part in the upper tier.

Now that we have a top 4 pick, the decision should be even easier for Geoff.

Personally, I’ll be celebrating a Griffin or Rubio pick. Anything else will leave me with a meh feeling. (Unless we can get Teague with the 23rd pick. Also not happening).

who would you pick if we get a third or fourth pick and Rubio & Griffin would be already gone?
Would you go for a pg, as Jennings or Lawson, or would you go for someone else?

Griffin has taken guff for being one-dimensional (for some reason, a guy that can finish that efficiently at the basket should force himself to score away from the basket) or that the game comes too easy for him (the same was said of Durant, by the way).

- it amazes me that a guy could be this good at the college level, playing division one, excelling whenever he faced better teams, and that some fans would not want him on their NBA team. To prefer Ricky Rubio is one thing, but to not want Blake Griffin at all? It does not make sense to me.

I would have used a stronge phrase than ‘amazes me’ of course. Some of the anti-Griffin rhetoric is near hysterical.

section, you have articulated my similar opinion on this debate wonderfully with:

“To prefer Ricky Rubio is one thing, but to not want Blake Griffin at all? It does not make sense to me.”

Along with:

“…I could learn to limp along with Blake Griffin’s fanaticism at the rim.”

But I also rec’d it for this gem:

“Unable to track down Colleen Maloof for her opinion, I was forced to forge on alone.”

All-Stars make great teams, only occasionally (very) do great teams make someone a temporary All-Star – and those teams good fortunes tend to be fleeting.

Unless you’re SURE JT and or SHawes are destined to be All-Stars – our work rebuilding the frontcourt is not over. You’ve got to have an All-Star in the frontcourt to be a real contender.

Yes, even more so than a PG. Recent history of Title teams and true contenders seems to bear that out.