2009 Kings Draft Review
By Bryan Rose
Overview:
Kings select Tyreke Evans out of Memphis with the fourth selection.
Kings select Omar Casspi out of Israel with the twenty-third selection.
Kings trade the 31st selection to the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for point guard Sergio Rodriguez and the 38th selection.
Kings select Jon Brockman out of Washington with the thirty-eighth selection.
Media:
1 on 1 with Tyreke Evans via KingsFlix.com
Gavin Maloof talking about the Kings selection:
Tyreke Evans highlights:
Geoff Petrie on the Kings selection:
Quotes:
Geoff Petrie on Tyreke Evans –
"“We think he’s a great, great prospect and has a chance to develop into a real star. He was the best freshman in the country this year. He led his team to 27 straight wins as a point guard. He has great potential at the defensive end because of his length and his physical presence out there. I think another great thing about this is from the time we interviewed him onto the workouts, he always was very consistent in his desire to come to Sacramento and that was really his number one choice as well. I think the fans are just going to love watching this kid play and develop and he’ll be a multi-position player, I think, as things go along, so we’re really excited about it.”"
Marc Stein of ESPN on Omar Casspi –
"There isn’t on country on the planet that loves its hoop more than Israel. And now we are finally guaranteed an NBA player. Mazal Tov, Omri!"
Kings.com Twitter on Omar Casspi –
"Casspi is so happy he ‘cried like a baby’. It means a lot to him, his family and his country. It’s 6:30am in Israel now. He hasn’t slept. He’ll leave for Sacramento tomorrow. ‘Sacramento will be a great place to play and develop.’ Casspi plans to play in NBA in 2009-10."
Overview:
It was a draft that started off so promising, as Euro phenom Ricky Rubio slid to the 4th spot where many expected Sacramento to pick the 18 year old Point Guard, but the Kings selected Memphis “Point Guard” (I use that term loosely) Tyreke Evans in what many would consider an “upset”. The Kings then selected small forward Omar Casspi out of Israel, who is expected to be the first Israeli born player to play in the NBA.
Prior to the draft, the Kings exchanged second round picks with the Portland Trailblazers and also acquired point guard Sergio Rodriguez who was 7th in the league last season in assist to turnover ratio.
Personally, the snubbing of Ricky Rubio will prove costly for the Kings in a few years, but Evans is no bum by any stretch. He might be the best one on one player in the draft, and seems to have the tools to learn the point guard position in the NBA.
While I’m disappointed in the Kings selection and the draft overall, if Geoff Petrie has proven anything, he’s proven he deserves the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the NBA Draft.
Hopefully he made the correct choice…