by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings selected Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein with the number six pick overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. Cauley-Stein had been on the Kings radar throughout the pre-draft evaluations. The big man was one the players the Kings brought to Sacramento for a workout.

Many of the early mock draft boards had Cauley-Stein going to the KIngs at number six; however, the last mock draft projections had Cauley-Stein falling as low as 11th in the draft. That begs the question – did the Kings draft the defensive-minded center too high and miss a more talented athlete with their first-round pick?

The Kings were said to be looking for a ball distributor to run George Karl’s “dribble-drive offense”. The talented point guard Emmanuel Mudiay was available at number six. Mudiay, a 6-foot-5 big bodied guard in the Tyreke Evans mold, was available and went to the Denver Nuggets with the seventh pick. The long term evaluation of the 2015 draft will look at what would have been the results if the Kings had selected Mudiay rather than Cauley-Stein.

One of the positives of taking Cauley-Stein is that he is the player DeMarcus Cousins wanted the KIngs to select in the draft. Of course, there is the obvious Kentucky connection, but Cousins desire to have Cauley-Stein on the floor with him probably goes well beyond their college connection.

Cousins has literally been beat up on the court by double-teams on offense and defense. Cauley-Stein is a rim protector. He will provide a defensive presence that has been sorely missing for Sacramento, and that should ease the load on Cousins. Cauley-Stein can also run the floor with excellent speed which the Kings can use on fast-break opportunities.

If the Kings drafted Cauley-Stein to placate Cousins, then the selection is a short-term fix that will be a long-term failure. If Sacramento drafted the center because they feel he was the best available player, then the pick has chance to have immediate impact on team play.

Now on to the grades for the selection. Using the four-point system to analyze the draft, the seven reporters whose grades I reviewed scored the Kings selection as solid B with a 3.2 grade point average. That was actually higher than I thought would be the case.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman gave the Kings a B+ for selecting Cauley-Stein. He liked the center’s ability to defend in the paint near the basket and to be a full-court defender. Wasserman did not care of Cauley-Stein’s lack of offense.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix scored the pick with a B. Mannix sees Cauley-Stein as an elite defender in the Tyson Chandler mold. Mannix said that Cauley-Stein “maybe the safest pick in the draft.” He noted that the number six pick will defend but might not score. Mannix also wondered if the selection was made in order to replace DeMarcus Cousins.

SB Nation’s Kevin O’Connor issued a B grade for the taking of Cauley-Stein. He states that the former Kentucky center is quick, long and can defend the floor. O’Connor thinks the pairing of Cauley-Stein with DeMarcus Cousins is a good one. SB Nation feels Cauley-Stein will need time to develop on offense.

USA Today’s Scott Gleeson did not like the selection at all. He issued the harshest grade of all the analyst giving the Kings a C. Gleeson says that taking Cauley-Stein at number six was too high for the talent level. Gleeson likes the draftee’s defense but says the offense may never come.

Yahoo! Sports staff gave the Kings a grade of B for the pick. Their logic was that if DeMarcus Cousins is on his way out then Cauley-Stein could be his replacement. They call him a “defensive menace.”

CBS Sports’ Matt Moore gave the Kings an A+ for taking the 7-foot center. Moore thinks the pick will keep DeMarcus Cousins happy which is good for everybody concerned. He sees DMC – WCS (get used to it – those initials are going to be used all the time) as the perfect duo for George Karl’s offense.

The Sporting News gave the Kings a B+ for giving DeMarcus Cousins the pick he wanted which is good news for the club. They see Cauley-Stein as strong on “D” and thin on offense.

Finally –

Sports Radio Service’s Charlie O. Mallonee gave the Kings a B-minus. He likes the fact that Cauley-Stein can be of immediate help to the team on defense which will support DeMarcus Cousins. Mallonee (it’s odd to write about yourself in the third person) likes Cauley-Stein’s attitude about needing to improve on offense. He seems willing and eager to show fans that he can be valuable on offense as well. The minus was given because over the past several years guards have had the most impact in the long run for NBA teams. The real test of this selection will be in three seasons when Mudiay has time to mature and learn the NBA game. Then, we can compare Cauley-Stein and Mudiay in order to determine who picked the best available in the 2015 draft.