Peyton?

[Koorverfor3]

I come in peace! I just never understand what goes through the Kings front office during draft day.
The Jimmer pick was made just to sell jerseys. Nearly everyone knew Thomas Robinson was going to be nothing more than a 10 and 10 high motor guy.
I know its under new ownership with a new gm but still.

Why not give Ben Mac another year to develop and draft a pass first defensive minded PG like Peyton?
Isn't that exactly what this team is lacking?

[SactoKingsFan]

The Kings FO likes Stauskas as a combo guard that can play with McLemore, who they think will become a good defender.

[ICMTM]

The thing is the Kings want shooters.

[SactownHrtBrks8]

A trade like that would have happen yesterday

[teerfour+40LG]

Ben McLemore sucks, and the Kings already have a star PG and a backup PG. That's why they picked Stauskas and not Payton. Why don't we give IT a chance and get someone who's a better defender than McLemore?

[sdballer]

Ben McLemore sucks, and the Kings already have a star PG and a backup PG. That's why they picked Stauskas and not Payton. Why don't we give IT a chance and get someone who's a better defender than McLemore?

A star pg that isn't expected to get more than 4-6M on the free agency market. Hmm, something doesn't measure up.

[longfellow44]

Thomas isnt a star point guard he just yas too many holes in his game. He can be very selfish with the ball in his hands, he doesnt make the game easier for his teammates and he is a bad defender. That is too many negatives to be a star. He is going to look real nice coming off the bench for a playoff team someday but the guy is a marginal starter.

[Silver Man]

Ben McLemore sucks, and the Kings already have a star PG and a backup PG. That's why they picked Stauskas and not Payton. Why don't we give IT a chance and get someone who's a better defender than McLemore?

Thomas isn't a star player just because he scores 20 points, he's a horrible defender.

[Koorverfor3]

Still kind of baffles me.
If they really didn't think Mclemore will pan out at least with Payton you would be able to play I.Thomas alongside him for stretches and thrive as a 3pt marksman with Payton guarding the 2's on Defense.

On a team with Cousins, Gay and Thomas I just don't see them going anywhere until you get a facilitator and Ray McCallum is nothing more than an average backup at this point.

Was Mclemore that bad last season? Can't say I got a chance to watch many games from the East Coast
Just looking through his Box scores nearly any scoring output he had over 15 pts was on horrendous efficacy. Looks like he balled out the last 3 games of the season or so hah. Hows his defense and other aspects? asking as a curious Sixers fan

[SactoKingsFan]

Yes, McLemore was that bad. He might have been the worst starting SG in the league. Ben's obviously very athletic and has good shooting form, but he has to work on his ball handling, passing and court awareness. Kings think his size and athleticism will translate to good perimeter defense, but he was pretty bad defensively. If the Kings give Ben some time to develop and build up his confidence I think he can become a good 3&D starter or 6th man.

[SacKingsPejaFan]

I'm confident the Stauskas pick will work out great. The Kings have a lot of holes. A lot. One, the Kings were 28th in 3PT% last year, and they got the best 3PT shooter in the draft, who also happens to pass well, has a high bball IQ, and has more athleticism than people give him credit for. Yes we could have benefitted from a defensive minded pass-first PG, and still could. But we also could have benefitted from a shot-blocker, a stretch 4, or a competent starter caliber 4. You can't cure all of these holes with one pick. Management picked a hole and took a step forward in plugging it with a guy I feel like is a sure thing. You can't be mad about that or call that stupid.

My anger stems not from the pick but from the lack of draft day moves -- other teams were dumping contracts, picking up quality players for a whole lot of nothing, and acquiring additional picks, while our management apparently didn't have the creativity or initiative to do any of that. Yes I know free agency hasn't started yet, but I'm going to be impatient all I want, thank you; I don't like having the second longest playoff draught in the league.

As for McLemore, I like him a lot and believe in him a lot. But I think he's on a trajectory where he'll break out in his 3rd or 4th year. I believe Stauskas is more NBA-ready and that he'll actually start or earn the starting job early in the season, and be our primary SG next year. Then, say we lose Gay next year, I think McLemore can get back in the starting lineup but at the 3. And if we extend Gay, then either Stauskas or McLemore will be our long-term super-sub depending on how good McLemore gets in years 3 or 4. So, picking Stauskas is actually great for McLemore's development. Throwing him in the deep end obviously didn't work, so maybe easing him in with bench play will do the trick.

Regarding Thomas, I'll just say this. Why would you go around telling every media source that you want to be "wanted for being a shoot-first point guard" when your team was LAST in the league in assists last year? Talk about big-headedness and poor judgment. Why not just do whatever it takes to make your team actually win some damn games? This me-me-me mentality that rewards and reinforces itself by extolling the alleged virtues of keeping it real is poor form.

[ICMTM]

SacKingsPejaFan you should do like me and shorten your name to SKPF. It's way easier to log in I think Stauskas will be our starting PG. And then there was this:

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/27/651893 ... helps.html

I keep wanting to edit this thread. Peyton plays football. Elfrid PAYTON plays hoops.

[enderwilson]

I'm confident the Stauskas pick will work out great. The Kings have a lot of holes. A lot. One, the Kings were 28th in 3PT% last year, and they got the best 3PT shooter in the draft, who also happens to pass well, has a high bball IQ, and has more athleticism than people give him credit for. Yes we could have benefitted from a defensive minded pass-first PG, and still could. But we also could have benefitted from a shot-blocker, a stretch 4, or a competent starter caliber 4. You can't cure all of these holes with one pick. Management picked a hole and took a step forward in plugging it with a guy I feel like is a sure thing. You can't be mad about that or call that stupid.

+1

(I'd press the +1 button but it doesn't work because either my browser is out of date, or I have some applications/add ons either turned off or blocked. I'm too much of a lazy luddite to try and fix either just yet.)

[enderwilson]

SacKingsPejaFan you should do like me and shorten your name to SKPF. It's way easier to log in I think Stauskas will be our starting PG. And then there was this:

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/27/651893 ... helps.html

I keep wanting to edit this thread. Peyton plays football. Elfrid PAYTON plays hoops.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4eScf6TMaM[/youtube]

[Koorverfor3]

Just finished some youtube scouting on Stauskas. Man I really wish he was there at 10 for the Sixers to pair with MCW in the backcourt. Hopefully Malone can mask his defensive shortcomings

That being said I think you guys made the right pick. If you can sign Shaun Livingston he would bring the same production Payton would from a playmaking standpoint.

[SacKingZZZ]

SacKingsPejaFan you should do like me and shorten your name to SKPF. It's way easier to log in I think Stauskas will be our starting PG. And then there was this:

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/27/651893 ... helps.html

I keep wanting to edit this thread. Peyton plays football. Elfrid PAYTON plays hoops.

Wow, adding a shooter who at times in college certainly looked shoot first to be the player to change the shoot first culture. That's kind of like setting defense as your priority then signing Carl Landry, drafting Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas, and trading Luc Richard Mbah a Moute for Derrick Williams.

Like what I heard from Malone and I totally agree, this team should pattern itself after a team like the Spurs or the Grizzlies IMO. Maybe they just got their "Manu".