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So if you couldn’t guess by now, this is my 2010 Mock Draft with a Street Fighter influence thrown in.  I’m only going with straight-up characters from a Street Fighter-branded game (no Marvel vs. Capcom or SNK vs. Capcom please).  Also, character/player associations are based on fighting/playing style and not necessarily influenced by the history of the character or the popularity of the character, relative to the Street Fighter franchise. 

You may disagree with my list/association(s) and that’s fine.  The analysis in regards to value to the Kings is admittedly light, but we already have so many great 2010 Mock Draft posts that goes deeper than what I can provide here.  One more thing, I have a feeling that I’m going to eventually tell my girlfriend or a casual friend about this list with all seriousness and get nothing but a blank stare in return—that’s the life of an off-season STR member, I guess.

1.    John Wall, aka Vega

He will demolish you in two modes-fast and faster.  Insane speed, agility, and even length.  Wall can finish extremely quickly and knows his game.  The main drawback is that he can't compete from a distance (sorry no projectiles aside from the verbal-type)-until he jumps onto the fence in the background and brings his game right INTO YOUR FACE.  Also, I heard from an uncle who's the neighbor of the cousin of the guy who washes dishes at the diner across the street from the high school across Wall's hometown that he will debut the "Wall Claw" in the NBA.  Yep.  TOTALLY legit source, man.

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2.    Evan Turner, aka Ken

Turner's game is about all around performance.  If you're being picky, his long distance game is not as great as can be, but then again, he's a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none type guy.  Every team could use this guy as he defines the term "glue guy."  He will probably annoy opposing teams with his tenacious defense...or dragon punch you back to the change machine (for us 90's kids)-one or the other I'm sure.

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3.    Derrick Favors, aka Sagat

I really think he has what the Kings needs down in the post.  Athletic big man that can defend NOW, with side of potential.  Power game inside, a shooting touch outside, and a scar the size of the Grand Canyon on his chest.  Tiger Uppercut and Knees aside, Favors is primed to become the world warrior of basketball.

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4.    DeMarcus Cousins, aka Balrog

No, I didn't go there with the E. Honda reference so just get over it.  Cousins is a great offensive force, but at the (apparent) cost of behavior problems.  I don't know him, nor do I know anyone who knows him, so this is just all he said she said.  Still, I wouldn't be surprised if someday he and Jon Brockman break the skulls of opposing frontcourts.  THROW IT DOWN BIG MAN, THROW IT DOWWWN!

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5.    Ekpe Udoh, aka Adon

Yes, I placed him 5th.  I think this guy's defensive presence and improving offensive game will really help out the Kings.  I don't care if he's old.  Also, like Adon, he'll always be second fiddle to Sagat.

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6.    Wesley Johnson, aka Ryu

Remember in Street Fighter II, when you could only select one character in a two-person fight?  And remember when your buddy picked Ryu right before you did?  So you had to settle for Ken?  They were essentially the same characters with different clothes.  Eventually Street Fighter started having more editions than a Ford Mustang, and Ryu turned out to have the better hadouken and long-rang game.  This is kind of the way I feel about Evan Turner and Wes Johnson.  Johnson has the range, Turner has the polish, but both are similar.

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7.    Greg Monroe, aka Abel

For those of you not versed in Street Fighter, Abel debuted as a new character in Street Fighter IV.  He can do some damage offensively, but isn't the powerhouse that Zangief is.  Like Abel, Monroe can do some damage up close, but he also has a lot of mid-range attacks that can change a defenders' normal approach.  Many STR members would say this is a ‘Petrie Pick' but I'd like to argue that he'd be picked only because he was the best of what's available, and not necessarily because he was the favorite.

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8.    Cole Aldrich, aka Birdie

Some would define Aldrich as "meh" or similar, but I say he's good for his comparatively limited athleticism.  A limited skill set but you know what you're going to get:  a big man that can take hits and will occasionally land a big hit of his own.

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9.    Al-Farouq Aminu, aka Guy

I'm scared for this guy.  He's got a small forward's body but no small forward-y skills.  He and Guy both are crazy-fast, but they have no long distance game and are a little light-weight.  A few seasons of seasoning should help Aminu, but I doubt the Kings would want to add a developing wing, when they have like a bazillion other guys who play that position as well (or better).  Guy's moves are based off of Ken and Ryu, and Street Fighter has like a bazillion other dragon punch/fireball type guys already (Dan, Akuma, Evil Ryu, Gen, Sagat) so it's sorta redundant to add a lesser man of the same moves.

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10.  Hassan Whiteside, aka Dhalsim

Have you seen his wingspan?  He could practically send your shot back from the other side of the court.  A little on the skinny side, and seen more as a defensive-type guy more than anything else.  He can throw out the fireball from a distance and can keep attackers at bay with those long arms.  His NBA game will probably consist of him waiting for opposing teams to attack, then unleashing a Yoga Flame worth of smackdown upon them.  Oh, and did anyone else notice that he's been teleporting in and out of the media this year?

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11.  Patrick Patterson, aka Charlie

The pluckiest of all, Charlie somehow finds a way to get things done despite being average.  No outstanding skills or moves, just enough on offense and defense to get by.  Patterson is small for his position, but also finds a way through grit and determination.  Still, the Kings already have a Carl Landry-type player named, uh, Carl Landry.  So welcome to the Department of Redundancy Department.

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12.  Avery Bradley, aka Fei Long (if he had fireball skills)

This is one crazy sparkplug.  He's like an inconsistent John Wall with a developing mid/long range game.  Definitely NOT worth the 5th pick, but we have to fill out these draft boards and I'm definitely reaching with the Street Fighter associations so umm...

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13.  Luke Babbit, aka Guile

Stick with me here.  I think he'll grow to be a great NBA player, and most teams will find his skills extremely useful.  A tad unathletic, but hey, who needs to be fast when you can flash kick your way back to relevancy?

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14.  Ed Davis, aka T. Hawk

Another big man with athleticism (how many times have you seen that?), but not seen as an offensive force.  However, both Davis and Hawk can get very technical when it comes to their types of games so they can mix it up with the best of them.  Like T. Hawk, I think Davis will eventually retire to Mexico someday.

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15.  Xavier Henry, aka Rolento

Henry's main game is to attack from far away.  I believe he can really flesh out his game, though he won't ever be a slasher.  The new, slower, not-as-talented-of-a-shooter Peja.  Also, bombs away.

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