Sactown Royalty, a Sacramento Kings community

In a game of cat and mouse, NBA general managers salivate to outmaneuver each other come draft day. Yet, unless there is a trade for a pick, there is only so much wiggle room in which to work, as each team’s pick is already determined. Their strategy: maximize their chances of landing the player they want, while minimizing any action which could reduce their chances.

The main advantage [to amnesty] is the ability to go out and spend it again. That's not something we've really had much discussion about, the second part of it. Just in it of itself, it just creates more room and less tax and if you're not going to spend the money again it doesn't make any difference.

Asked if all three candidates still were in the running, [Geoff] Petrie said, "I guess at this point, if it was a horse race, it may end up being a photo finish."

There's no reason to think that more candidates would be added to the list that includes [Kurt] Rambis, Paul Westphal and Tom Thibodeau. And judging from the conversations I had tonight, I'd call it a close race between Westphal and Rambis with Thibodeau bringing up the rear. To be clear, that's more of a sense on my end than it is an indirect statement from anybody of relevance in this situation.

I'm glad we don't have to make a decision today. There's more work to do.

"It takes work. That’s why Geoff has been successful in the Draft, because he’s taken the time to go to Europe twice, in like two weeks, to make the effort to go there and see these players firsthand. So he’s not relying on everybody else. He does the leg work. Our scouts do the leg work. They work very hard at gathering the information — psychological testing, physical testing, mental testing and everything you can to hope you can ensure that we will pick the best possible player at that spot."

"When we do get a call, Gavin or myself, we just ask them to get a hold of Geoff and that Geoff would be happy to talk to them, and then Geoff and that particular candidate can go from there. That's what I tell them. ... I don't turn anybody down. I think if somebody calls us, and they're interested enough to make the call, what I usually tell them is that Geoff is making the decision, he's the president of basketball operations, and you have to square it with him and go through him."