Workouts...

[pillwenney]

As for Marshall, Tyreke could really benefit from a real PG to get him the ball in a more prime scoring position, so he's not just starting from the top of the key every team, working his butt off to get his own shot. It's the exact same idea as what you have running things through Cuz.

Side note, another workout today: http://sacramentokings.tumblr.com/post/ ... t-workouts

A couple of mid-1st prospects in Harkless and Moultrie. I don't like Moultrie for us much at all, but it seems to support the idea that we're trading down. Hell, I don't really like Harkless for us either.

But then you go right back and compound the shooting issues. Marshall isn't a bad shooter really, it's just he's obviously more comfortable as a true PG who wants to get into the teeth of the defense to create shots. For Tyreke to be Tyreke he needs to have the ball. I still think he can be an awesome option off the ball as a cutter off of a big man like Cousins, but ideally you'd split the sharing of the ball between those guys. Tyreke even just recently came out and said he wants to have the ball more and for him to be the player you drafted he needs to. If that's not what they need out of him and the idea is to find a Lowry or Marshall or even IT as your PG then he needs to go, and the sooner the better because if it doesn't workout he's lost value. He's in a contract year and they can't afford to sit on value like they did last year.

Tyreke can come out and say all he wants. The fact of the matter is giving him that big bulk of playmaking responsibility is not good for your team because Tyreke isn't an advanced playmaker. But you can get him into better positions to penetrate--get his man off balance, and get him in more prime positions to score, and a big part of that is getting a player in the game that is actually competent at running a team. If you rely on Tyreke to run your team, you simply will not be successful. Good shots will not be distributed successfully, and the pattern of a lack of ball movement will continue. Tyreke is a pretty good playmaker, but he can't be your primary one.

[SacKingZZZ]

No way, man. I really think you're way off on him. He's more like Gortat with a little more skill (and head problems), or...well I wouldn't say Noah, but more like Noah than Hawes.

Not as a player, just as a shotblocker. While he's a very good athlete, as a shotblocker he'll tend to stay flatfooted sometimes. He's also the type that tends to stick his hands up Brad Miller style rather than attack shots out of post defense. Very skilled player though. I think he's quite a bit more skilled than Gortat, at least he has more talent IMO.

But he's a talented shotblocker-- it's a big asset in his game. He's much more of one than Zeller, and I think his shotblocking will absolutely translate more than Jones' will. So as a basis for comparison, we really should have worked him out before either of them.

He's not a John Henson or Andre Drummond type, that seems to be what the Kings are looking at. In the NBA Leonard might block shots, but he won't be a great interior force defensively as one.

[SacKingZZZ]

As for Marshall, Tyreke could really benefit from a real PG to get him the ball in a more prime scoring position, so he's not just starting from the top of the key every team, working his butt off to get his own shot. It's the exact same idea as what you have running things through Cuz.

Side note, another workout today: http://sacramentokings.tumblr.com/post/ ... t-workouts

A couple of mid-1st prospects in Harkless and Moultrie. I don't like Moultrie for us much at all, but it seems to support the idea that we're trading down. Hell, I don't really like Harkless for us either.

But then you go right back and compound the shooting issues. Marshall isn't a bad shooter really, it's just he's obviously more comfortable as a true PG who wants to get into the teeth of the defense to create shots. For Tyreke to be Tyreke he needs to have the ball. I still think he can be an awesome option off the ball as a cutter off of a big man like Cousins, but ideally you'd split the sharing of the ball between those guys. Tyreke even just recently came out and said he wants to have the ball more and for him to be the player you drafted he needs to. If that's not what they need out of him and the idea is to find a Lowry or Marshall or even IT as your PG then he needs to go, and the sooner the better because if it doesn't workout he's lost value. He's in a contract year and they can't afford to sit on value like they did last year.

Tyreke can come out and say all he wants. The fact of the matter is giving him that big bulk of playmaking responsibility is not good for your team because Tyreke isn't an advanced playmaker. But you can get him into better positions to penetrate--get his man off balance, and get him in more prime positions to score, and a big part of that is getting a player in the game that is actually competent at running a team. If you rely on Tyreke to run your team, you simply will not be successful. Good shots will not be distributed successfully, and the pattern of a lack of ball movement will continue. Tyreke is a pretty good playmaker, but he can't be your primary one.

With a big like Cousins no one person is going to "run the team". Tyreke, or whatever PG there is will have the chance to make plays on their own or for others, but a lot of times it comes down to a simple play call and I'm telling you, it doesn't take Nash to feed the ball in the post and move to your spot.

[pillwenney]

He's not a John Henson or Andre Drummond type, that seems to be what the Kings are looking at. In the NBA Leonard might block shots, but he won't be a great interior force defensively as one.

Not on the level of those two (potentially at least--I mean all 3 could bust out). Although he'd do it in different ways, I think he could have a similar shotblocking impact to say, Hibbert, or Gortat, or even current Duncan (certainly not prime Duncan though). Not up with the Ibakas and Howards of the world, but more than freaking Brad Miller and Spencer Hawes.

And for what's actually relevant to the argument, again, more than Zeller and Jones...and Moultrie, now that I think of it.

[SacKingZZZ]

I doubt it, he's not as long as Hibbert. Dude, Spencer Hawes is a pretty good shotblocker by the numbers he blocked almost 1.5 shots in only 24 mpg last year, still, nobody would consider him an interior force defensively.

[RIPskaterdude]

Bob Myers and Joe Lacob flew to New York for private separate workouts on Monday with Andre Drummond and Harrison Barnes, according to multiple sources.

The Warriors own the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Myers declined comment when reached at his Oakland office late Tuesday morning.

Wait, what? We couldn't get a private workout with Barnes?

[pillwenney]

1.3 for Spencer in 25 minutes. Still okay numbers-wise.

He's not as long as Hibbert, but he's much more athletic. And again I'm saying different ways. Leonard is a very, very good athlete, and he's got good size and instincts. Most consider his interior defensive presence to be a big part of his potential as a prospect. Again, way more so than Zeller and Jones.

[SacKingZZZ]

Bob Myers and Joe Lacob flew to New York for private separate workouts on Monday with Andre Drummond and Harrison Barnes, according to multiple sources.

The Warriors own the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Myers declined comment when reached at his Oakland office late Tuesday morning.

Wait, what? We couldn't get a private workout with Barnes?

I'm sure if the Kings flew to NY to check him out they could get a look at Barnes.

[pillwenney]

I have to think that's telling to some extent of our interest in Barnes. Or at least I have to hope.

[SacKingZZZ]

I really think that Petrie is putting out smokescreens as usual. He's doing his best not to look like he's interested in who he's really interested in I think.

[RekeHavoc]

I have to think that's telling to some extent of our interest in Barnes. Or at least I have to hope.

lol Not according to Chad Ford's latest mock:

Cleveland:
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Position: SF
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 233 pounds
Age: 18
School: Kentucky

Analysis: We'll be going back and forth on this one right up until the draft. If the Cavs don't move up to No. 2 to take Beal, this is between Barnes and Kidd-Gilchrist. Both camps are confident their guy is the guy in Cleveland. But after hearing on Monday that Barnes was, in fact, the pick, it looks like the pendulum has swung back in MKG's direction. Both guys desperately don't want to go to Sacramento. If I'm Chris Grant, I make them go one-on-one, Kwame Brown-Tyson Chandler style, on Thursday morning.

One other scenario worth reporting: Terrence Ross will be in Cleveland on Wednesday for a private workout. He won't go No. 4. But he also won't be on the board when Cleveland picks again, at No. 24. If the Cavs can't get to No. 2, are they thinking about moving down a few spots?

Sacramento:
Harrison Barnes

Position: SF
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 228 pounds
Age: 20
School: North Carolina

Analysis: Someone isn't going to be very happy and it might be Barnes. Not only does he really not want to go to Sacramento, but it's possible the Kings trade this pick and he slides down even further. We think the stopping point is Golden State at No. 7, but don't be so sure (see Warriors comment below). I doubt he would slide past Toronto, though. The Raptors love, love, love Barnes at No. 8.