What should the Kings do at 23 & 31?

This is a tough question for me. After all, I believe the Kings should take Derrick Brown, and grab him at 23 to keep any other team from trying to grab him in the lower 20’s after the Kings select at 23.

But, other than Brown, what kind of options do I think the Kings should take?

First, one must recognize that Andres Nocioni, and where he fits in the short term and long term, must be addressed. If you’re going to keep Noc for this season and try to move him at a reasonable opportunity during the season, than I think the point that the Kings need extra backcourt help is certainly an understandable issue.

I think because of the current situation, and the fact that Noc is locked up for 3 more seasons at 21 mil, that means he’s less likely to be moved until a team is willing to trade him for an expiring contract. That might not happen until the 2010-11 trade deadline at the very earliest.

Which means, that unlike my prediction on StR that the Kings would take Rubio, Brown and Rodrigue Beaubois, I think the Kings will look away from Beaubois. I think they will look to add some depth (and a cheap way to fill a roster spot) with a player they can get at 31. Either they use the pick on a player, or they trade down and get a couple 2nd rounders in return.

Which first brings me to Derrick Brown. What I like? His wingspan, and his athleticism. I love his defensive tenacity. His offensive game leaves plenty to be desired, but if he had more polish, he’d be a lottery pick. I believe that. Finding players with flaws and helping them over time fix a few of them and minimize the rest are what the best teams in the NBA do. Brown qualifies. I don’t think he’ll be a star, but a guy who can defend a difficult F on the other team is always an asset to have. You don’t have to score the ball in this league to be an important or effective player in this league.

The one thing that concerns me about Brown is his rebound rate declining. I do think Brown is the type of risk the Kings can afford to take though. The 23rd overall pick is not a high risk to take someone in a draft that had at least 10 1st round quality players pull out of the draft. That means taking a greater risk at 23 is probably the end result of those players pulling out.

Jeff Pendergraph is one guy on my radar right now. He’s currently 12th in the 2nd round on DX’s mock draft. (Brown is 4th.)

Here is Pendergraph’s DX page.

He’s a solid but unspectacular player. That’s the kind of guy that I think would be a perfect fit to come off the bench with Donte Greene and a Derrick Brown type of guys. A guy that will do little things like set screens, rebound, block a few shots, and just give energy and effort.

I also think Pendergraph’s abilities could help and change any real concern of Brown’s weaknesses as a rebounder. (It also means Greene would have to meet more of his potential consistently as well.)

Another fellow I think that remains intriguing is Taj Gibson, although DX has him pegged at 28 going to the Grizzlies.

The idea of Gibson is that he would add depth at the PF position. However, unlike Pendergraph whom I think the Kings could easily play at C with Brown and Greene, I don’t think Gibson would work as well as a C. He’s really more or less a PF. He’ll likely go in the 1st round now anyway.

DeMarre Carroll is a guy who might intrigue the Kings more than Brown, but I’m not sold on him. I don’t think he’s worth the risk with an athletic player like Brown who has weaknesses, but could easily fix at least a few of his flaws along the way. I’ve seen Carroll play, but looking at his stats, his rebounding is quite a bit better than Brown, but at the same time, I wonder how well Brown would do if he doesn’t have to create shots for himself.

Another name that might get thrown out is Dante Cunningham. While I don’t think Cunningham is bad or good, I do think that he doesn’t fit as many needs as Pendergraph, or Brown, and I think that’s partly why I don’t have much to say about him. Reading about his strengths and weaknesses don’t make me believe he’s a great fit for a team that will play up-tempo. But, maybe I’m wrong.

Which would make the Rubio pick all that more enticing. (Or Jonny Flynn for that matter.)

Read this about Brown:

The vast majority of Brown’s damage on the offensive end was done around the rim last season, usually off shots created for him by teammates. Over 80% of his field goal attempts in fact came off shots right around the rim, which tells you quite a bit about his role offensively. An incredibly efficient player for that reason, he shot nearly 61% from the field. Proving capable of finishing at the basket with either hand, he showed a limited ability to utilize mismatches by posting smaller opponents. At the same time, he was able on rare occasions to use his great first step to blow by slower defenders off of the dribble. The bulk of Brown’s scoring is predicated off of his athleticism and energetic style of play at the moment, rather than any kind of high skill-level.

Sounds a bit like a PG don’t it? I mean, isn’t that what Flynn and Rubio do? I love the thought of Brown even more. I don’t think it’s a surprise that his production wasn’t the same when he had to create shots for himself. It wasn’t his panache, and because of such, what he does do could bring the Kings something worthwhile.

Check out this paragraph:

Pendergraph is a meat and potatoes type player, mostly living off scraps offensively. The overwhelming majority of his points come off the ball–cuts, offensive rebounds, pick and rolls, and in transition. He’s smart, has terrific hands, and finishes pretty well around the basket—which makes him a reliable target inside. Arizona State is one of the slowest-paced and most offensively efficient teams in college basketball, and having a passer of James Harden’s caliber on the floor obviously doesn’t hurt.

Gee, you mean that Pendergraph could set screens and score off them? No fucking way mayne!

Yeah, Ricky Rubio/Jonny Flynn, Derrick Brown and Jeff Pendergraph sound like my perfect 1-2-3 combo. If only one of them could shoot. Hehehehe.

In otherwords, in a draft short of perfect talents, it would be nice to get players who could complement each other and at the same time provide the Kings with something they don’t have elsewhere on the roster. One of the problems this roster had last season, to me, is that too many players needed to be on the same spots on the floor doing the same type of things. It was obviously one of many problems, obviously, but it’s also a problem that you could somewhat fix by putting a Rubio type along with Pendergraph/Brown on a backup squad with Donte Greene and Francisco Garcia. Garcia can shoot, and is willing to do so.

Nothing is perfect and a Rubio-Flynn/Garcia/Greene/Brown/Pendergraph squad would not likely blow anybody elses sock’s off. But, when you win 17 games, you can’t be picky when you’re trying to improve your team. Getting players who can do certain things well is an excellent start. Other than the potential of a Rubio/Flynn, I believe Brown and Pendergraph fit that maxim to a T along with being able to play alongside other Kings players on the roster combined with being cheap for the next several seasons.