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?

After the six-guard workout with the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, Stephen Curry sat down with the media to discuss his previous workouts, what he can bring to the team, what sets him apart, and how his dad Dell Curry has helped him through this process.

Curry has probably improved his draft stock throughout the last month more than any other guard in the draft. He seems like a very viable option at point guard, can still play the shooting guard, and could easily be taken by the Kings at #4. Before Sunday, I would have never thought I’d type that previous sentence and praise him for his point guard potential. But after seeing him more than hold his own against Tyreke Evans and Jonny Flynn, I can’t see what reason there is to still doubt him.

On Sunday, I went to the Kings practice facility to check out the second big point guard workout of the month for the Kings as they figure out which direction to go with the 4th, 23rd, and 31st picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft.

This workout consisted of Tyreke Evans of Memphis (Top 10 projection), Stephen Curry of Davidson (Top 10 projection), Jonny Flynn of Syracuse (Lottery projection), Nick Calathes of Florida (First round projection), Patrick Mills of St. Mary’s (First round projection), and Toney Douglas of Florida State (Late first round, early second round projection).

From the 20 minutes of action that the media was allowed to see, I took something away with each of the six players. All of them stood out at different times. Jonny Flynn’s quickness with the ball is something that YouTube videos, ESPN broadcasts, and the written (typed) word cannot properly describe or show. It’s something you have to see in person. Tyreke Evans was easily the biggest player on the court and when he wanted to, he was the most imposing figure. Toney Douglas’ confidence was definitely displayed and he never seemed intimidated to go against much bigger names than his. Patrick Mills could probably wake up out of a coma and knock down his first three-point attempt. Nick Calathes is much more athletic than I assumed and could definitely be a Steve Blake type of player with a better outside shot. And Stephen Curry seems to be better than advertised with his defense and ball-handling ability.

Coming away from this workout and judging the Kings’ situation by this display of six guards, I’d say that their best bet in the draft if Ricky Rubio can’t be had is probably Stephen Curry or Jonny Flynn.

Here are two videos with a lot of what I saw from the workouts followed by my observations of each of the six players:

- I don’t think you can draft Tyreke Evans if you’re the Kings because he doesn’t seem like the type of point guard that could feed off of Kevin Martin. Evans seems like someone who has to dominate the ball and live with some bad shots as he finds a rhythm. That doesn’t mean that he will be a bad player by any means but his skill set and talents would be wasted on the Kings and Paul Westphal’s philosophy.

- Jonny Flynn’s defense was average and his ball-handling was superb. He never tried to do too much on the floor, which showed me a lot in the fact that he still played the game the right way with the pressure of a higher draft position and millions of dollars potentially on the line in this workout. It’s an attitude on the court that could go a long way in giving the Kings confidence in a decision of grabbing him with the fourth pick when most draft boards slot him a few picks lower. But that’s the same type of situation that happened with Jason Thompson last year. Everyone on draft night thought Petrie had lost his mind. Those same people claim to have always loved that pick after they watched JT with the Kings this year.

- As for Stephen Curry, he’s a lot better point guard than I ever thought I’d give him credit for. Before this workout, I thought he was a glorified, better version of Eddie House. But after watching him in person Sunday, going against other top point guard talent in this draft, I’ve done a complete 180 on him (or a 360 as Jason Kidd once described it). He’s not just competent in dribbling the ball, he very efficient and effective with his movements. He can get by defenders and create space for his jumper. His defense was also very noticeable and not in the Mike Bibby way. He was adequate guarding the much bigger Evans at times and held his own against Flynn as well. His jumper is so effortless that it makes you hate him for it. I could definitely see the Kings grabbing him with the fourth pick or trading down to still select him if someone like Minnesota wants to move up to grab Evans.

- As for Patty Mills, he’s extremely quick and another effortless shooter that incites envy. His defense was good enough but you’ll never expect him to stop somebody consistently in the NBA. He’s probably no more than a backup point guard or a starter on a bad team but he could definitely be a valuable piece in this league. He’s somewhere between D.J. Augustin and Daniel Gibson. He isn’t as physical as Augustin in driving to the basket but he’s a much better basketball player than Gibson with pretty much the same outside shooting ability.

- Nick Calathes is someone who could be a steal on draft night. He probably isn’t going in the Top 20 and may even be selected towards the end of the first round because of his deal to play overseas. But anyone who retains his draft rights on Thursday will get a really solid point guard. He can see over his defender because of his height and he doesn’t make many mistakes with the ball while dribbling. He makes some rushed passes but that can be eradicated with some more seasoning (like overseas seasoning). He’s a good shooter from outside but a weak finisher inside. I don’t think it would be out of the question for the Kings to take him and stash him in Europe with the 23rd pick if they don’t want to add all three of their picks this summer to next year’s payroll.

- As for Toney Douglas, I’m really impressed with him and think he’ll be a steal at the end of the first round. If he drops into the second round, then he’s this year’s Mario Chalmers in terms of second round gems. He’s a competent shooter and a staunch defender. He can stay in front of his man and create space on his jumper. He’s athletic enough to make up for his lack of ideal height. He can probably defend a fair number of shooting guards and give point guards fits. If he’s available at 31, the Kings need to select him. He’s the type of role player that teams will crave.