Tag: VLade Divac

 

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – This is going to be a vain attempt to wrap up the 2016 NBA Draft for the Sacramento Kings. The one thing we have come to expect from the Kings ownership and management is lots of surprises. They did not disappoint on Thursday night. What looked like a simple two pick night turned into a four selection event that has had the basketball world talking all day and not necessarily in a good way.

Pick Number 59

The Kings had the next to last pick in the draft. With that selection, they chose guard Isaiah Cousins (no relation to DeMarcus) of the Oklahoma Sooners. Cousins is a four-year player who helped his Sooner team make it to the Final Four of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. He showed his versatility moving from shooting guard to point guard as a senior.

As a senior at Oklahoma, Cousins averaged 12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He shot 40.8-percent from the floor and 41.1-percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Cousins averaged 1.4 steals per game.

At 6-foot-5 and 191 pounds, Cousins has excellent size for a point guard. Scouts say he knows how to use his size to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. He is used to pushing the ball from running the up tempo Oklahoma offense. Cousins needs to improve his shot selection decisions and reduce his tendency to over penetrate the lane. He also needs to improve his free throw shooting.

Draft analysts like this selection by the Kings because it definitely fills a need. With Rondo’s status up in the air and Collison’s immediate future under the control of the courts, the Kings need point guards. If Cousins plays well in the Summer League, he has an excellent chance of winding up with a guaranteed contract.

Kings fans also remember a point guard named Isaiah that Sacramento drafted with the 60^th pick that worked out pretty well. Unfortunately, Isaiah Thomas is now in Boston but he was an All-star last season.

Remember the name Bogdan Bogdanovic

One of the reasons the Kings made the trade for the eighth pick in draft with the Phoenix Suns was Bogdan Bogdanovic. In return, the Kings received the number 13 and 28 picks in the draft and the signing rights to Bogdanovic who the Suns drafted with the 27^th selection in 2014.

Bogdanovic is from Serbia and plays basketball professionally in Turkey. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard had just informed the Suns that he would not be signing with them for the 2016-17 season. By waiting one more season, Bogdanovic will not be subject to the rookie salary limitations of the NBA. With his skill and experience, he may well be able to negotiate a “max” contract for a player of 0-6 years of experience.

For the Kings, Bogdanovic represents their 2017 first-round draft pick. Sacramento is still subject to losing their first-round selection to the Chicago Bulls in 2017 unless it is pick 1-10. Of course, the Kings are hoping to be playoff team and not a lottery pick team next season, so they had to make plans that would protect them should they not have a first-round selection next year. The rights to Bogdanovic is that protection.

“We got the rights to one of the best European players in Eastern Europe that Phoenix drafted a couple of years ago. Next year we are probably not going to have a pick because it is 1 to 10 protected by Chicago so I tried to think about next year too,” said Kings vice-president of operations/general manager Vlade Divac. “He’s definitely one of the best European player.”

Reactions to the Picks

Some analysts have been very critical of the Kings trading the eighth pick to Phoenix and passing on power forward Marquese Chriss. Chriss had been projected to go as high as third fell to number eight. The Kings do need help at the four spot but Chriss is a project that may be three to four years away from being a real impact player. At this point in time, the Kings are not a very patient team.

Georgios Papagiannis Round 1 Pick 13

The reaction to this pick has been harsh. Most of the criticism has centered on taking Papagiannis with the number 13 pick. Many of the analysts believe that the big man would have been available later in the draft which would have allowed the Kings to have addressed more pressing needs with this selection.

There have also been questions as to why draft another classic center which is exactly what Papagiannis is as a player. The Kings already have DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos who play center.

This reporter is going to suggest that this is a selection for next year and beyond. DeMarcus Cousins will be a King for the 2016-17 season. Will he be with the Kings in after next season? Probably not. It will be the final year of his contract and the chances of him resigning in Sacramento are really “slim to none”. The Kings cannot afford to let their most valuable asset just walk away. A trade on or just before draft day next year is a very real possibility. At that point, the Kings may need a 7-foot-2 center who can fill the lane.

Malachi Richardson Round 1 Pick 22

This is the pick that does not yet officially exist. The Kings will trade guard Marco Belinelli to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the number 22 pick Malachi Richardson. Richardson is a shooting guard out of Syracuse with good size who is an aggressive offensive player. The trade cannot become official until July 1^st.

Reaction to the selection of Richardson has been very positive. Most analyst see him as being exactly the type of player the Kings have looking for at shooting guard. He is a good athlete who can score points in bunches. Richardson can also shoot the 3-pointer.

Skal Labissiere Round 1 Pick 28

The University of Kentucky connection continues. Labissiere is a “one and done” Wildcat that drew the attention of scouts from the beginning of the college basketball season last fall. Before we continue, no this selection was not part of a ploy to bring John Calipari to Sacramento. Please put that conspiracy to bed.

At one point, Labissiere was seen a lottery pick by many draft watchers. His troubles adjusting to the college game and the tough coaching style of John Calipari caused his stock to begin to drop. Labissiere’s inability to stay out of foul trouble on the defensive end also raised some red flags for many player personnel people.

Even with those difficulties, Labissiere is an intriguing prospect because of the natural talent he possesses. He did not play organized basketball until coming to the United States following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. In many ways, he is still learning the game. Labissiere is a project but to be fair most first-round picks in the NBA Draft are projects at this point.

Labissiere is quick and athletic for a big man. He can run the floor like a guard (think Willie Cauley-Stein). Even though he did not show it much at Kentucky, Labissiere has a nice touch shooting the 3-pointer. For the reason, look for him to be used as a power forward/stretch four in the Kings line up.

“We were really surprised that Skal fell to 28^th and that talent you couldn’t pass,” explained Vlade Divac.

What is to come

At the conclusion of the draft, Vlade Divac expressed that there is a lot of work left to do for the Kings. “This just the first step. Like I said, free agency is coming. We have summer league. We have two or three months before we assemble our team.