It all began All-Star Weekend when NBA commissioner David Stern gently picked up the Sacramento Kings and placed them on the tracks of the craziest roller coaster ride known to man. For months, the ride went up and down, side to side, splashing through pools of water, until a reprieve of sorts brought the ride to an abrupt halt. While plenty of fans were able to get off and take a break, the hardcore fan couldn’t quite lift the hand rail and got locked in for another turnaround.
That turn? Draft season.
We’ve done our best to bring you top notch draft coverage through prospect profiles, podcasts with some of the most relevant guests and mock drafts from a variety of sources, so here is a recap.
Prospect Recaps
- Profile – Brandon Knight
- Profile – Jimmer and Co. (Jimmer Fredette, Randy Culpepper, Tobias Harris, Tyler Honeycutt, Josh Harrelson, Sam Muldrow)
- EuroCamp Recap – Bismack Biyombo and Donatas Motiejunas
- Profile – Kemba and Co. (Kemba Walker, Justin Hurtt, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, DeAngelo Casto, Jordan Williams, Nikola Vucevic)
- Profile – Kawhi Leonard
- Workout Recap – Jimmer vs. Kemba in Utah
- Profile – Kawhi and Co. (Kawhi Leonard, Scotty Hopson, Mickey McConnell, Kalin Lucas, DeAndre Liggins, Jamine Peterson)
- Profile – Alec Burks, Klay Thompson and Co. (Alec Burks, Klay Thompson, Ravern Johnson, Jamine Peterson, Greg Smith, Alex Stepheson)
- Workout Recap – Josh Selby, Xavier Silas, Malcolm Thomas
- Profile – Matt Howard, David Lighty and Co. (Matt Howard, David Lighty, D.J. Gay, Corey Fisher, Gilbert Brown, Papa Dia)
- Profile – Local Boys and Co. (Andrew Goudelock, Jacob Pullen, Julyan Stone, Kevin Galloway, Xavier Rabaseda, Mark Payne)
- Geoff Petrie Post Prospect Round-Up
Podcasts
- Tom Ziller- Sactown Royalty
- Dave Rose- BYU Head Coach
- Sam Amick – SI.com
- Jonathan Givony- Draft Express
- Jerry Reynolds – Sacramento Kings Director of Player Personnel
- Jason Jones – Sacramento Bee
- Tom Abatemarco- University of Colorado
Mock Drafts
To be completely honest, I haven’t done a mock draft this season. When the lottery balls let the Kings down (like they always do), I was convinced then that they had no desire to actually keep this pick. Although I have wavered somewhat through the process (damn you Jimmer!), I am again ready to declare that opinion. If the Kings do draft, it’ll either be because they couldn’t get the right deal done or Brandon Knight took a tumble down the board to no. 7.
Since every variable is still in play, I will give you my choice at no. 7. You can later come back and mock me.
With the 7th pick in the 2011 NBA draft, I predict the Sacramento Kings will take Colorado guard Alec Burks. Burks is one of the few players in this year’s draft that has the ability to be a legitimate 20 points per game scorer in the league. While some folks don’t see Burks fitting next to Tyreke Evans, I disagree and would look forward to seeing two versatile, 6′-6″ guards roaming the Sacramento backcourt.
Count on it being a very interesting afternoon leading up to the draft as the Kings are considered the most likely team in the top ten to make a move.
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