2014 Draft Prospects:

[bajaden]

Actually, I was referring to Capela when it came to TOs. I should have been more specific.

I'll second the non-shooting bias. I'm not enamored with Smart or Gordon for that reason. If they want to draft a 2nd rounder who can't shoot and stick him in the D League with a shooting coach, fine. But not a high first rounder.

My bad! I guess I'll have to go back and retake the reader comprehension course.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Smart not being able to shoot is a much bigger deal than Gordon. He's not a shooter and that's probably OK depending on the rest of the roster.

 

[bajaden]

I think the best case scenario in drafting Stauskas is that that Ben makes a big leap this offseason and Stauskas proves to be a poor man's Ginobili off the bench.

Unfortunately, if we had Stauskas on our team right now, and he was given an equal opportunity to compete with McLemore for the starting SG position, he would probably take the starting job away from him. Ben is a great athlete, but Stauskas is more skilled, and is a lot smarter. I have no idea what the brain trust is thinking right now. But to think they would pass on stauskas because they already have been is flawed thinking. They went and traded Mbah a Moute, a player they had just acquired to obtain Derrick Williams to be our starting SF. And then went and traded to acquire Rudy Gay to be our starting SF. So I'd say that if they really like someone, already having someone at that position won't stop them from going after that player.

 

[funkykingston]

Unfortunately, if we had Stauskas on our team right now, and he was given an equal opportunity to compete with McLemore for the starting SG position, he would probably take the starting job away from him. Ben is a great athlete, but Stauskas is more skilled, and is a lot smarter. I have no idea what the brain trust is thinking right now. But to think they would pass on stauskas because they already have been is flawed thinking. They went and traded Mbah a Moute, a player they had just acquired to obtain Derrick Williams to be our starting SF. And then went and traded to acquire Rudy Gay to be our starting SF. So I'd say that if they really like someone, already having someone at that position won't stop them from going after that player.

Oh, I'd absolutely agree there. I suppose I just feel that while Stauskas is very likely a better player than McLemore now, I don't think he's got an enormously high ceiling. For him to take the starting SG role and relegate Ben to a backup role means that we haven't got a ton of talent at SG.

If, on the other hand, Ben made huge strides this summer then Stauskas looks like a great piece off the bench. Good ball handler, good passer, smart player and most of all a consistent 3 point threat.

 

[bajaden]

Oh, I'd absolutely agree there. I suppose I just feel that while Stauskas is very likely a better player than McLemore now, I don't think he's got an enormously high ceiling. For him to take the starting SG role and relegate Ben to a backup role means that we haven't got a ton of talent at SG.

If, on the other hand, Ben made huge strides this summer then Stauskas looks like a great piece off the bench. Good ball handler, good passer, smart player and most of all a consistent 3 point threat.

I'm still high on Ben, but he does have to make improvements over the summer. He has to become consistent. Inconsistency is what gives coaches grey hair. Ditto Derrick Williams!

 

[Gilles]

Third day of Nike Hoops Summit. Capela did same things as on previous days, but now it's announced as "he shined". That second jump on Jokic and him keeping his arms straight up looked pretty good though.

Pretty awkward interview with mostly generic answers, though he probably just couldn't articulate much in his second language. Did say about modeling his game after Anthony Davis though.

P.S. Choice of music is unusual for such a clip.

 

[Hallama]

Oh, I'd absolutely agree there. I suppose I just feel that while Stauskas is very likely a better player than McLemore now, I don't think he's got an enormously high ceiling. For him to take the starting SG role and relegate Ben to a backup role means that we haven't got a ton of talent at SG.

If, on the other hand, Ben made huge strides this summer then Stauskas looks like a great piece off the bench. Good ball handler, good passer, smart player and most of all a consistent 3 point threat.

Makes you wonder if Ben would've improved in his soph season as well, if he stayed, or if he had already plateaued. That's why it's tough to evaluate one and doner's.

 

[Hallama]

Man, Capela sure is interesting. Lots of tools to work with if you want to develop him. Has much more offensive potential than Biyombo and Sene coming out of the World's.

If the Kings pick 7-9, they have first chance at an all potential guy like Capela. Or a riser like Stauskas. Or the every-year-a-Euro-rises in the draft (like Capela). Or of course, whomever "falls". Personally, I still like Gordon in this position at this point.

KJ Daniels is a guy to look out for too. An NBA type of player.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Recent scrimmage from the hoop summit. Capela is very athletic, love his shot-blocking anticipation and second-jump. Mudiay looks like he has great vision and passing instincts and is crafty, like Rondo. Nokic isn't athletic but is extremely skilled and seems to always be the best player on the floor. Not the type of player we need but should be a good player in the NBA, perhaps a very good one if he can get a lot stronger.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Hmmm. I'm not sure I would take the project that Capela is over guys that have established themselves a bit more who WOULD fit what we need. The Kings got lucky this year. It looks like we've cemented our place picking #7, right in the range for guys like Vonleh and Gordon. I know Gordon has his detractors, and I get why, but I just couldn't take an unknown like Capela over him. Same goes for Vonleh.

I'm not making the pick, obviously, but I'd take Cauley-Stein over Capela as well. But I'm a WCS guy. Have been for two years now. It's highly likely I overvalue him, but I think he is a guy who will have a much better pro career than his college one. I don't know why he wants to stay at Kentucky so bad. Cal hasn't done a damn thing to help his draft stock.

The fact that Gorgui Dieng is having such a good year (in 12 starts over part of March and all of April) he's averaging 12 points, 12 rebounds, and over 1 block, 1 steal, and 1 AST... I just find myself saying 'duh'. Of course this is what he's doing. We all knew he could do it. I can't help but feel like I'll be sitting here next season typing the same thing about Cauley-Stein when some other team drafts him. He'll turn into the exact player we need for somebody else. Bigs who can defend are hard to come by. When a team gets one, they keep him. WCS is your prototypical goalie. Something the Kings have been missing for years now.

I don't know how he fits with Cousins offensively, or how much I love the idea of one of them defending the 4, but I'll let the other team worry about that. I'd hate to play against those guys together. I will say WCS and Cousins is pretty close to Dalembert/Cousins, and that worked out well for the most part. I actually think Dalembert is a pretty decent comp for WCS, with WCS having a much better head on his shoulders.

 

[Gilles]

Caulie-Stein give me pause as a guy, who lost his starting job middle of the season. Plus I look at guys like Withey and Dieng, who had some early impact as rookies, and they anchored top-5 college defenses last year. Kentucky were #41 this season, and last season it was a pathetic #129 defense despite very soft schedule. WCS is still foul prone. But you're right, that he's closer to contributing, than Capela.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

Third day of Nike Hoops Summit. Capela did same things as on previous days, but now it's announced as "he shined". That second jump on Jokic and him keeping his arms straight up looked pretty good though.

Pretty awkward interview with mostly generic answers, though he probably just couldn't articulate much in his second language. Did say about modeling his game after Anthony Davis though.

P.S. Choice of music is unusual for such a clip.

capela is like a pogo stick. he can get up and down really quick.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Caulie-Stein give me pause as a guy, who lost his starting job middle of the season. Plus I look at guys like Withey and Dieng, who had some early impact as rookies, and they anchored top-5 college defenses last year. Kentucky were #41 this season, and last season it was a pathetic #129 defense despite very soft schedule. WCS is still foul prone. But you're right, that he's closer to contributing, than Capela.

I don't have a great counter argument for Kentucky's poor team defense numbers. I don't think they mean much of anything in regard to WCS ability to defend, though. The whole team from top to bottom was garbage last year, and this season, at #41, WCS minutes were screwy. Just for curiosities sake I'd be interested in seeing where they ranked defensively before and after WCS went to the bench, not that I would take much away from that number either.

I also wonder why he lost his starting job. I didn't see anything out of Dakari Johnson to suggest he should have been starting over him. I mean, it was an offense thing, obviously, but I still don't know why. They actually have very similar per40 numbers outside of WCS major block advantage. Dakari even had a higher foul rate.

 

[bajaden]

Hmmm. I'm not sure I would take the project that Capela is over guys that have established themselves a bit more who WOULD fit what we need. The Kings got lucky this year. It looks like we've cemented our place picking #7, right in the range for guys like Vonleh and Gordon. I know Gordon has his detractors, and I get why, but I just couldn't take an unknown like Capela over him. Same goes for Vonleh.

I'm not making the pick, obviously, but I'd take Cauley-Stein over Capela as well. But I'm a WCS guy. Have been for two years now. It's highly likely I overvalue him, but I think he is a guy who will have a much better pro career than his college one. I don't know why he wants to stay at Kentucky so bad. Cal hasn't done a damn thing to help his draft stock.

The fact that Gorgui Dieng is having such a good year (in 12 starts over part of March and all of April) he's averaging 12 points, 12 rebounds, and over 1 block, 1 steal, and 1 AST... I just find myself saying 'duh'. Of course this is what he's doing. We all knew he could do it. I can't help but feel like I'll be sitting here next season typing the same thing about Cauley-Stein when some other team drafts him. He'll turn into the exact player we need for somebody else. Bigs who can defend are hard to come by. When a team gets one, they keep him. WCS is your prototypical goalie. Something the Kings have been missing for years now.

I don't know how he fits with Cousins offensively, or how much I love the idea of one of them defending the 4, but I'll let the other team worry about that. I'd hate to play against those guys together. I will say WCS and Cousins is pretty close to Dalembert/Cousins, and that worked out well for the most part. I actually think Dalembert is a pretty decent comp for WCS, with WCS having a much better head on his shoulders.

Like you, I love Cauley-Stein. And he would have little trouble defending PF's. I've seen him time and time again isolated on the perimeter against the other teams PG, and the PG couldn't get past him. Stein is a great athlete with exceptional lateral quickness for a big man. He reminds me of Anthony Davis with his ability to help on the perimeter and still get back to defend the basket. Of course that's where the comparison ends. His weakness is on the offensive side of the ball. He mostly scores on putbacks and alley opps. His post moves are somewhat mechanical and awkward. However, if he could just develop a 15 foot jumper, and leave the post work to Cousins, I think he would be fine.

I have no answer to how Calapari used Stein this season. It looked like Calapari decided early on that he wanted to get Johnson into the mix. Maybe he decided that he wasn't going to have a big enough offensive threat from the perimeter, and wanted to have one near the basket. There's no doubt that Johnson is a better post player than Stein. But he's no where close to being the defender that Stein is. Capela is all potential right now, but his upside includes the offensive side of the ball. Your comparison of Stein/Dieng is a good one. Everyone knew that Dieng was going to be a decent to good defender, but he's turned out to be better than advertised. Although its a small sampling. I think most would agree that Stein was more highly thought of as a defender than Dieng at the end of last season. I don't worry much about Stein getting into foul trouble. It's correctable, and being he played defense on a poor defensive team for most of the year, I think that might have had something to do with it.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Like you, I love Cauley-Stein. And he would have little trouble defending PF's. I've seen him time and time again isolated on the perimeter against the other teams PG, and the PG couldn't get past him. Stein is a great athlete with exceptional lateral quickness for a big man. He reminds me of Anthony Davis with his ability to help on the perimeter and still get back to defend the basket. Of course that's where the comparison ends. His weakness is on the offensive side of the ball. He mostly scores on putbacks and alley opps. His post moves are somewhat mechanical and awkward. However, if he could just develop a 15 foot jumper, and leave the post work to Cousins, I think he would be fine.

I have no answer to how Calapari used Stein this season. It looked like Calapari decided early on that he wanted to get Johnson into the mix. Maybe he decided that he wasn't going to have a big enough offensive threat from the perimeter, and wanted to have one near the basket. There's no doubt that Johnson is a better post player than Stein. But he's no where close to being the defender that Stein is. Capela is all potential right now, but his upside includes the offensive side of the ball. Your comparison of Stein/Dieng is a good one. Everyone knew that Dieng was going to be a decent to good defender, but he's turned out to be better than advertised. Although its a small sampling. I think most would agree that Stein was more highly thought of as a defender than Dieng at the end of last season. I don't worry much about Stein getting into foul trouble. It's correctable, and being he played defense on a poor defensive team for most of the year, I think that might have had something to do with it.

I agree with all of this, which is why I find his position on most mock drafts and overall lack of buzz strange. Maybe my biggest issue with WCS is that he doesn't seem to care about how poor he's been treated by Cal. I couldn't believe it when he said that he might be returning to Kentucky again next season. Why!? So you can lose your job for no reason, play sporadic minutes, and continue to hurt your draft stock? With that being said, he could shoot up the draft boards after his combine numbers and pre draft workouts.

I would take WCS as high as 7, and certainly at 10, which is the lowest we could possibly drop in the lottery. But I know I'm in the minority there. And I've always been a 'need' guy to a fault. The Kings have needed a guy like him for years now, so I'd select him over players like McDermott or Smart who most people have ahead of WCS, and might call 'BPA' when it is the Kings turn to pick.

I'm growing tired of passing on the obvious interior defenders. Two years ago I thought it was Henson, who is starting to figure it out with increase playing time in Milwaukee, last year it was Deing. Cauley-Stien has more potential than either of those players, and it'd be a shame to pass over him when I don't really see better fits available in our draft range.

I don't think it'd be crazy to suggest that Embiid, Wiggins, Parker, Randle, Exum, and Vonleh will be gone by the time the Kings pick. At that point, I think WCS makes a lot of sense.

 

[Gilles]

Well, WCS does suffer from a disorder: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/12/11/2983379/kentuckys-cauley-stein-adding.html.
That tidbit in the end about physical play...not encouraging.

 

[Bibby10AZ]

I know I'm a AZ guy but I would draft Gordon in a heartbeat. The guys plays hard. His defense is amazing. He doesn't need to shoot to help this team. He does all the little things and this kings team needs that. Oh and I would buy his jersey the day he gets drafted.

 

[bajaden]

Well, WCS does suffer from a disorder: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/12/11/2983379/kentuckys-cauley-stein-adding.html.
That tidbit in the end about physical play...not encouraging.

I was aware of his condition, but I had never heard him personally speak to it. From everything I've read about it, it shouldn't be a problem as long as you take the proper medication. Why he's not taking medication is a good question to ask. No doubt that Stein needs to strengthen his core. Once he gets stronger in the lower body, it will help him with the physcicallity of the game. Is it a bit of a gamble? Sure! But he has a unique talent, and its a talent sorely missing on the Kings. I think having to guard PF's instead of Centers in the NBA will help as well. I'd certainly consult with the best doctors about his condition.

 

[bajaden]

I know I'm a AZ guy but I would draft Gordon in a heartbeat. The guys plays hard. His defense is amazing. He doesn't need to shoot to help this team. He does all the little things and this kings team needs that. Oh and I would buy his jersey the day he gets drafted.

You know, if Gordon just gave me a bit of hope that he'll shoot better in the future, I might be on board. But the bottom line is, if you can't shoot, they don't guard you. And if they don't guard you, it makes life tougher for Couisns. What you might gain on defense, you might be also giving up on the offensive side of the ball. I can't in good faith say that I don't want Smart because he can't shoot, and then say I want Gordon and I don't care that he can't shoot.

 

[Gilles]

Gordon was pretty average defensively in the first half of the season, when he was mostly playing at SF: he's active, but not very quick for a swingman. His surge in defensive play coincided with Ashley's injury, and the fact, that Arizona had RHJ, amazing perimeter defender, whose role was significantly expanded, helped to highlight the difference: Gordon was much more effective defender at PF in college. So here's the question: name very good PF defenders with standing reach of 8'10" (if he grew closer to 9', this would diminish the concern)? Offensively his game will be based on hustle plays and off-the-ball movement. For a middle of the lottery pick you want more, but you can live with it, if he's a very good defender, which brings back my previous question, whether he has the tools to be one.

 

[Bibby10AZ]

With his work ethic I think he will shoot alot better when he's in the NBA. I just love his motor. I just want a player on a the kings that gives it his all every game every play and hopefully will rub off on everyone. Also with his free throws they will be a lot better miller said in practice he wouldn't miss. I guess it was just a mental thing. Either way I'm going to root for the kid but would love it was for our kings.

 

[Gilles]

Howard is reportedly shooting 80% from FT line in practice as well. Question still stands: who are those very good NBA PF defenders with just 8'10" length?

 

[Gilles]

Well, first full competitive game, I saw, and Capela looked like a major project: defensive awareness was behind with the game this quick, looks like no chance to be an NBA rotation player for the next 2 years at least. WCS feels like a much better bet for the near future, even if he has to deal with his disorder. If Reggie Evans can co-exist with DFC on offense, WCS should have no problems as well.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

With his work ethic I think he will shoot alot better when he's in the NBA. I just love his motor. I just want a player on a the kings that gives it his all every game every play and hopefully will rub off on everyone. Also with his free throws they will be a lot better miller said in practice he wouldn't miss. I guess it was just a mental thing. Either way I'm going to root for the kid but would love it was for our kings.

thomas rob had a fantastic motor in college. matter of fact, thats why smart was so high on him. work ethic & motor was what he was praised for. he was mentioned for his hustle also. it's a shame there wasn't more to his game.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

Well, first full competitive game, I saw, and Capela looked like a major project: defensive awareness was behind with the game this quick, looks like no chance to be an NBA rotation player for the next 2 years at least. WCS feels like a much better bet for the near future, even if he has to deal with his disorder. If Reggie Evans can co-exist with DFC on offense, WCS should have no problems as well.

if they pick capela, they might as well stash him overseas and let him develop on someone elses dime ala san antonio spurs style. bring him over when hes more developed.

 

[bajaden]

Well, first full competitive game, I saw, and Capela looked like a major project: defensive awareness was behind with the game this quick, looks like no chance to be an NBA rotation player for the next 2 years at least. WCS feels like a much better bet for the near future, even if he has to deal with his disorder. If Reggie Evans can co-exist with DFC on offense, WCS should have no problems as well.

Yep, I agree. The kid's not ready for the NBA. Not even close. He looked lost at times, and what bothered me the most was that there were a couple of times when he had the opportunity to meet a player head on and attempt to block his shot, and instead he backed down and avoided contact. Don't blame him in one regard. He looked rail thin compared to Okafor, Towns, etc. He might be someone I'd take a flyer on at the bottom of the first round, or at the top of the second round, but not at number 7. As you said, he's at least 2 years away from being ready to play in the NBA.

 

[bajaden]

if they pick capela, they might as well stash him overseas and let him develop on someone elses dime ala san antonio spurs style. bring him over when hes more developed.

The only way to do that is to pick him in the second round, and not sign him, but retain his rights for the future. We don't currently have a second round pick, so unless we make a deal to acquire one, its not going to happen.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

The only way to do that is to pick him in the second round, and not sign him, but retain his rights for the future. We don't currently have a second round pick, so unless we make a deal to acquire one, its not going to happen.

i hear ya. that's why if, and i wouldn't take him with such a high pick. someone like the suns with multiple picks have the luxury of taking him in the 1st round with multiple picks at their arsenal

 

[Capt. Factorial]

The only way to do that is to pick him in the second round, and not sign him, but retain his rights for the future. We don't currently have a second round pick, so unless we make a deal to acquire one, its not going to happen.

I don't think that's the case - the Wolves didn't bring Rubio over right away and he was picked way up at #5. The nice thing about the second round pick is that there's no predetermined salary scale, and the low salary at the end of the first round often seems to scare away foreign players who are already making more in Europe, etc. But first round picks don't need to come over right away. That said, I don't think that it's the best idea for the Kings to stash this pick.

 

[hrdboild]

Peja also played a couple more seasons overseas after the draft didn't he?