We’re a couple of days removed from the NBA Draft and I thought it was time to let the dust settle and look back over what people/analysts/people who are analysts had to say to see what their reactions were to the selection of Tyreke Evans over Ricky Rubio by the Kings. So here goes, I’ll try to respond to each of the reactions whether they’re negative or positive or a Switzerland-esque neutral.

First off, Bill Simmons from his 13th Annual NBA Draft Running Diary:

“4:57: In desperate need of a point guard, Sacramento takes … Tyreke Evans. It’s as if these GMs are trying to hurt me. I feel physically ill.

Tyreke’s weaknesses, according to our ESPN.com Draft Card: “Can be selfish … over-dribbles … lacks consistent range on his jump shot … not a super explosive leaper … poor shot selection.” They left out, “Not a natural point guard,” and “drove a getaway car during a drive-by shooting but was not charged by police.”

4:58: Shaking my head.

4:58: Still shaking my head.

4:58: Bilas loves the pick but says, “He’s a little bit ball-dominant, he needs to have the ball in his hands, and he’s not a good shooter.” Ball-dominant … isn’t that a nice way of calling someone a ball hog? Where is my Jay Bilas Thesaurus?

4:59: Scott on Evans: “His nickname is ‘Hugo’ because he was born during Hurricane Hugo.” That pick was a natural disaster. Literally.”

Now, while I disagree more with Bill Simmons in the past two years than I would have thought I ever would, I’m not one of those guys that bashes whatever he does/writes while secretly waiting for his next article to come out on Page 2. I’m a fan of his and have no problem letting it be known. Despite the fact that he has confused me on many a topic in the past two years doesn’t mean I all of a sudden have to hate him.

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Founded in 1948, started with a bang, has undergone some impressive leaders and inspirational figures during the sixties, never stood on a stable ground, and suffered from depression in recent years, in part because of some painful failures. This description is adequate not only for the Sacramento Kings franchise, but for the state of Israel as well.

The Israeli people gathered into the state from all over the world – North Africa and South America, Eastern Europe and Western Asia – but generally found the common denominator in successes in international arenas. Events such as the first European basketball trophy in 1977 or the first Olympic gold medal in 2004, winning the European song contest several times or some magnificent military operations were able to arouse waves of optimism, support and pride along the country.

Up to this day, sports achievements raise the nation’s morale. But sticking an Israeli flag onto the NBA ground seemed like one desired but improbable mission, while even Iran and Lebanon, Scandinavian countries and tiny Caribbean islands did it before us. It seemed like this quest will never end.

It seems so appropriate for the Israeli people that Omri Casspi is going to be the one. He incorporates the Israeli spirit with some other ingredients. On the one hand, he’s the typical Israeli: Fights for everything without hesitation, energetic, want to be felt everywhere he goes (on the court), acts aggressively and fearlessly, in a way that can be seen even as arrogance and disrespect.

And, in the very same breath, he still expresses some kind of charming naivety, based on a feeling of self-confidence that cannot be shaken. “The message I want to convey to those who are watching now is this one”, the 21-years old man said today, “Do not let anybody, ever, tell you that you can’t achieve something”. It sounds almost like kitsch. But Casspi truly believes that.

On the other hand, when you’re searching for the worst aspects of the ‘typical Israeli’, some of them cannot be found in Casspi’s case. He didn’t leave anything to happen for itself, but impacted the situation so everybody would see his point. He insisted not to count on luck. He put a target on his wall and never took his eyes off it. This target included three letters: N, B, A, and Thursday was a giant step in that direction. And all of this comes even before we mentioned the athletic body or the wide shoulders, so far from generations of Israeli ballers who had to be super-smart, in order to compensate for physical inferiority.

Casspi wants to give every Israeli fan something to aspire to. In the same time, everybody can identify with him.

The worry about the 23rd pick in the draft started to come about when the Portland Trailblazers leapfrogged the Kings by trading three picks to the Mavericks in order to move from the 24th pick in the first round to the 22nd pick. It was widely rumored that they did this in order to take Omri Casspi before the Kings could add him to their franchise. When the 22nd pick came up in the draft, there was a certain malaise throughout the minds of the Kings fans I was around and in contact with as they assumed PDX would screw over the franchise in the draft. But that didn’t happen. Surprisingly, the Blazers drafted Victor Claver out of Spain to be their international small forward of the future.

And that left the Kings with plenty of options considering how the night was playing out. They could go with Casspi, whom they loved in the workouts and pre-draft interviews. There were interesting players like Toney Douglas and Wayne Ellington on the board to add to the depth of the backcourt. They could have grabbed a proven commodity with the 24-year old Sam Young, who probably won’t get much better than he is now but can definitely add some consistent scoring off the bench at the small forward position. DeJuan Blair was still on the board due to issues with his knees (they’re shredded like barbacoa) but he would have brought some much-needed toughness to the frontcourt along with one of the best rebounding motors in the draft.

But instead they stuck with Omri Casspi as the guy. He was probably the guy all along. Casspi is a wonderful kid who is one of the trailblazers (not in the NBA team sense) in this draft. Along with Hasheem Thabeet (first Tanzanian), he is the first person representing his native country in the NBA. He’ll be the first Israeli born player in the NBA as he’ll come over to join the team right away, instead of waiting a couple of years in European play. He’ll add to the toughness mentioned in the Tyreke Evans analysis that this team has been desperate for. He reminds me of Matt Harpring, only he’s never been an American football player and he’s not quite the shooter that Matt is.

Casspi has a questionable jump shot and limited range on said-jump shot. But he’s a classic slasher at the small forward position who does a great job of getting to the basket and moving without the basketball. He’s a strong finisher around the basket and has the body control of Rudy Fernandez when trying to score around the hoop. He’s a staunch defender as well who is plenty physical with his opponents. His rebounding skills and instincts are also solid.

So the question is where does he fit in with the roster and depth chart? Some are concerned that this could stunt the growth of Donte Greene by creating a logjam at the position. First off, Omri Casspi is not going to play right away and will probably log the majority of his time on the bench. He’ll be asked to learn from Andres Nocioni and be a sponge as he figures out the NBA game and culture. As for him possibly stunting the growth of Donte Greene? I say that’s potentially a good thing. Having two young players at the same position, fighting for the same minutes will push the right player to the forefront. If Donte can’t handle the competition with Casspi for minutes then you don’t want him on the roster anyway (and vice-versa for Omri). If Donte is going to be come the player that Kings fans hope he will, then he’ll have no problem bettering his game and proving that he deserves to be the starting small forward of the future in Sacramento.
Grade: B+

Many thanks to Eran Soroka of the Ma’ariv Sports Newspaper for hooking me up with these quotes and pictures.

“I’m very excited and happy to be the first Israeli in the NBA. It’s every player’s dream. I’ve been through a long journey until I became a first round pick. The Kings weren’t ver successful last year in the league, and they’re trying to rebuild.” – Omri Casspi

Also from Kings Connect:

I genuinely love the excitement. Not many owners would show this kind of emotion.

From Kings Connect:

First, here is the reaction taken by Andrew Nicholson as he gets Geoff Petrie’s reaction to the pick of Tyreke Evans:

Throughout the draft process, there were doubts all around the prospects that worked out for the Kings. There was debate as to who was not only the better player but who was also the correct player to grab with the fourth pick in the draft. Essentially, that decision came down to four possible players – Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn, and Stephen Curry. And at times, it felt like it was simply going to come down to Tyreke Evans and Ricky Rubio (if he fell to four) after the Memphis point guard dominated his last two big workouts (in Minnesota and Sacramento).

And Thursday night, that’s exactly what the decision came down to – Ricky Rubio or Tyreke Evans? The two picks couldn’t have been more different than what the Kings decided to choose between. Rubio was the international phenom who had been playing professional ball since he was 14 years old. He was crafty with the ball, a proven passer, and a guy that had proved himself against the top point guards in the world during the Beijing Olympic Games. Evans on the other hand was the slow talking, non-flashy point guard from the University of Memphis. He was big, powerful, and imposing. He was tough, strong, and forceful on the court. He wasn’t a proven point guard by any means but he was quite possibly the best overall player available to the Kings.

And that lead to the philosophical question of do you draft for need or the best player available? There is never a clear-cut answer. Sometimes the need is so great that it’s the right way to go. Imagine Chris Paul on the Hawks instead of Marvin Williams. And sometimes the better player is far more successful than the needed position. Imagine Ron Artest with Kevin Garnett instead of William Avery. So the Kings had to decide if a purer point guard in Ricky Rubio with a flair for showing flair and the potential to be a great leader and distributor was a better option than a powerful, big combo guard who could create matchup problems for the defensive team thanks to his physical prowess and style of play.

The decision was made with Tyreke Evans as the newest member of the Sacramento Kings and it brought about mixed emotions and feelings. I honestly thought that Ricky Rubio was the best-case scenario for the team. He seemed to be perfect for guys like Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes to develop. He seemed to be a great guy to put alongside Kevin Martin to get him open, easier shots. He seemed to be the smartest business decision with instant national exposure surely to come and international interest after that. But in the end, the Kings didn’t feel like he was tough enough and that Tyreke Evans was the best player now, five years from now, and ten years from now.

And you know what? Geoff Petrie is probably right about all of this. The Kings biggest problem for years was having a glitz and glamour squad that made offense look easy and fun while defense was the great divide. Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, and Mike Bibby were fantastic to watch for 46 minutes until it came down to the last two critical minutes of the game in which a defensive stop was rarely seen and a metaphorical punch to the mouth was usually taken without retaliation. The Kings were soft both physically and in spirit. When the team began to deteriorate and Ron Artest was brought aboard, he tried to bring toughness to an organization that wasn’t ready for it and ill equipped to support such bravado.

So the team was pieced together here and there, fell apart do to some softness and questionable coaching and it resulted in a 17-win season with the fourth pick in the draft. The Kings clearly decided it was time for a change in philosophy and culture. They grabbed a veteran coach who has been there before. And now they’ve grabbed the player to match the toughness and offensive attack that go along with that coach. Tyreke Evans means no more moments of the Kings point guard being abused on either side of the ball. From now on, the Kings are the enforcer at the point for 48 minutes. From now on, the Kings are going to be tougher and more physical with their opponents. Shots to the mouth will be responded to. There will be no complaining to the refs like in the Brad Miller era. There are only retorts.

The Kings are now about creating havoc for the other team on offense and being able to take the opponent’s best shot on defense. I definitely was disappointed after the pick was announced. I thought it was a missed opportunity to bring some life back into the franchise with another Jason Williams-type of leader. But that couldn’t have been a more correct decision by the Maloofs and Petrie. They’ve had that style of basketball before. They’ve had the glamour and the show. This is a new era of Kings basketball. This is no longer a Vegas show on the hardwood. This is tough, hard-nosed basketball.

And Tyreke Evans is the posterboy of this new brand in Sacramento.
Grade: A

Thanks to Kings Connect, we have the complete video of Geoff Petrie and Paul Westphal speaking about the Kings big draft night.
Now whether or not you agree with the pick of Tyreke Evans over Ricky Rubio, you’ve got to love the confidence that Petrie speaks with in regards to the moves made on Draft Night. The Kings are headed in a different direction than what everyone assumed. They aren’t just building a team, they’re building a tough team and the team definitely got tougher Thursday.

Here’s the video:

Some thoughts from what Petrie said:

- He mentions a few times that Tyreke Evans was the best player left in the draft and I think that’s important. Personally, I thought Ricky Rubio should be the pick at the time but the more I think about it, the more that I’m on board with this thinking. If you feel Evans is the best player after all of the scouting and workouts, then you should definitely take him.

- He mentions possibly posting Tyreke Evans against the smaller guards and this could be a dynamic part of the offense that set him apart from the rest of the field in this draft. If you can create mismatches with him all over the floor, you’ve suddenly added something to your offensive attack that can not only create open shots for guys like Spencer Hawes, Francisco Garcia and Kevin Martin but it can get the other team into foul trouble.

- Evans was upfront with the Kings about the whole drive-by shooting incident. That kind of character, honesty and accountability probably began to sway the momentum in his favor.

- Kings feel like they got the second best player in the draft. They probably did as of right now. But will it be in five years? Something that will be looked at time and time again by all of the nay-sayers.

- I wonder if he feels like the restricted free agents are ACTUALLY part of the roster for next season or if he’s just toeing the CBA company line?

Notes from what Paul Westphal said:

- I know a lot of this could just be smoke blown up our orifices but you have to feel good about hearing the confidence in the way they speak. For some reason, it doesn’t seem fake here and seems to be worthwhile.

- Was EVERYBODY on the same page with this decision or did the Maloofs want Rubio and Geoff talked them into Evans?

- He called Evans the most well-rounded guard in the draft. For a guy that can’t shoot and isn’t a great ball-handler, what does that say about the strength of this draft?

- Sounds like he’s going to be the full-time point guard and it sounds like they’re happy with that. He has to be the guy right away and this is smart to throw him in the fire like this. It’s the best way for him to mature.

- They keep mentioning his size. If he’s legitimately fast and quick enough against point guards, he’s going to be a complete problem on the court.

- His quickness guarding the smaller point guards is going to be the key to this experiment working with him as the point. If not, do you move him to the shooting guard and play small with three guards?

- The toughness seems to be ringing throughout these talks. I think that’s something the Kings and their fans have been craving. This could be the start of a new attitude in the organization. That’s a good thing.

- Brockman is one of the top three rebounders in the draft? I don’t know how I feel about that. I don’t necessarily disagree with it; it’s just kind of an odd truth about this class.

- Paul Westphal just seems like a fun guy to be around.

So here we are, the 2009 NBA Draft. The Sacramento Kings haven’t had a pick this high since 1991 and the whole Billy Ownes debacle that eventually led to the Mitch Richmond era, which begat the Chris Webber golden age of Kings basketball.

So now with the fourth pick, the Kings have to decide not only if need is the biggest… well… need for this roster or if they should go after the best player available regardless of position OR if they should trade the pick for a veteran presence, much like the Wizards just pulled off. Not to be some drama queen about the whole situation but this is pretty much a turning point in the organization’s tightrope walk between obscurity and mediocrity or a path back to the playoffs. It’s not a completely dire straits situation where it’s make or break but if the Kings draft Jonny Flynn or Tyreke Evans with Ricky Rubio on the board, these guys have to not only be Rookie of the Year candidates but they have to show the potential to be All-Stars and franchise leaders. There’s no guarantee that Rubio will be a star but he’ll bring in national exposure that brings the franchise to the forefront of the NBA conversation again.

A Rubio selection means Wednesday night games on ESPN, Thursday night games on TNT, and maybe even a Sunday afternoon or two on ABC. It means potentially having a point guard that guys want to come play with. It means drawing the attention of the entire basketball world and not just the occasional onlooker from inside our own state. It means embodying the idea of putting team first with a pass-first point guard. It means the potential express progression of Hawes and JT with a point guard that can feed them perfectly in the post, on pick and rolls, and pick and pops.

But what if he’s not there? What if Minnesota moves up to grab him or the Thunder decide to piss off Russell Westbrook? What if the options are Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn, or Stephen Curry?

Are those acceptable “consolation” prizes? The hearts of Kings fans were broken when they didn’t land a Top 3 pick. But landing a player with the fourth pick who doesn’t pan out would be much worse. It would be like breaking the will of a wild horse. Sure they can ramp up whenever they want to and stretch the old legs in a majestic gallop but there’s a part of them where trust in the way of life they used to know is completely gone. If Kings fans had to suffer through the sudden end of their title contention during the Rick Adelman era, only to endure through Eric Musselman, Reggie Theus, and a 17-win season that seemed completely foreign to a city that had tasted sweet success and become addicted to it and have to settle for a busted fourth pick, that could very easily bring down the future ceiling of enthusiasm for this team’s eventual resurgence.

And at the same time, the Kings could hit a jackpot. No one thought that Jason Williams or Peja Stojakovic or Kevin Martin would turn out as well as they did. Tyreke Evans could turn out to be an unstoppable force that is capable of obliterating the immovable object. Jonny Flynn could become the next Tim Hardaway without the homophobia. Stephen Curry could be Gilbert Arenas 2.0 and an unstoppable 25 points per game force that gives the Kings a certain swagger of invincibility. And that’s the beauty of today.

The NBA Draft Day is my favorite sporting day of the year. To me, it’s better than the first day/weekend of March Madness. It’s better than any All-Star game. It’s better than the Superbowl and it’s better than opening night in the NBA. It isn’t like the NFL Draft that drones on and on for two days. There are certainties about the NBA Draft that we’ve all come to know and love. We know there are going to be a multitude of trades that bring about new hope to a franchise. We know that the Knicks fans are going to boo whomever they select that isn’t a small combo guard from Davidson. We know that Blake Griffin is about to be cursed and Chris Wallace is too scared to pull the trigger on a deal that nets them two draft picks instead of one because he’s afraid of being wrong. We know that the Clippers are trying to pass Zach Randolph around like the yellow Starburst that nobody wants to eat.

The NBA Draft brings about a new energy to every fan in the NBA. Whether it’s a nervous energy or an excited energy or an energy of wanting to throw up into your division championship wall pennant, there’s still an energy and electricity in the air. When David Stern sidles up to the podium, everyone waits with bated breath. He could be announcing a trade, the next great pick for your franchise or the next pick for your team that you get rail against for the decade and say, “I told you so.”

So here’s my expert analysis and predictions for the day based on everything I’ve heard and read (that sounded like I’m a lot more connected than I actually am):

- The Kings will take Ricky Rubio if he’s available. There’s nothing that has been mentioned to me about this; it’s just a feeling. Well, in the words of Boston, it’s more than a feeling. It’s an understanding that I feel like I have with the basketball world. The most likely reason for the comments to leak out about Tyreke Evans being the guy no matter what seems to be posturing in my opinion. It’s the only way to avoid having to trade up to get Rubio.

– With that said, I think the Thunder take Rubio and either make Russell Westbrook like it or deal Ricky for some much-needed assets.

– I think the Kings will take Tyreke Evans if they can move the 23rd and 31st picks to get into the middle of the first round. Otherwise, I think the pick will be Stephen Curry. Personally, I think Jonny Flynn should be the guy but there’s something really intriguing about Curry as a point guard in the same backcourt as Kevin Martin. If they can add a veteran backup point guard via free agency to complement Curry, then they’ve created a very nice guard rotation.

Whether you have a pit in your stomach right now or butterflies, just remember that anything can happen on draft day. Kings fans and fans all across the NBA should be excited about the possibilities.

There are definitely worse things than having Geoff Petrie deciding the future of your franchise. Right, Clippers fans?

Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm discussed the first three possible selections of the 2009 NBA Draft with their respective TrueHoop bloggers yesterday with Kevin Arnovitz of ClipperBlog, Chip Crain of 3 Shades of Blue, and Royce Young of Daily Thunder.

Well, with draft day upon us, he decided to focus on the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh picks with their respective bloggers from the THN to see what the best, worst, and most likely scenarios will be on draft day.

Hey, the Kings have the fourth pick! Matt discussed the fourth pick situation with a Kings blogger from the THN.

Hey, I’m the Kings blogger from the THN!

Yep, Matt and I discuss the Kings situation in the first 10-ish minutes of this podcast before he turns his attention to Patrick of Howlin’ T-Wolf and Mike from Knickerblogger.

Be sure to give it a listen, subscribe on iTunes and leave a 5-star review if you can.

Your support is much appreciated. And don’t forget about the biggest LiveBlog this internet has ever seen around 3pm PST as the entire TrueHoop Network settles in for the entirety of the NBA Draft and then some.

Time for New Beginnings…