Bryant West, The Kings Herald – Top Draft Prospects For the Sacramento Kings
been a long time since we’ve seen our Buddy Bryant west he I I I didn’t know he’s he’s semi-retired oh from yeah he he he he has he’s his uh his pen is going in the in the Ring of Honor at the at the King Harold site no they’ll still get they’ll get articles out of me but after 10 years of uh watching way too much college basketball and uh trying to find saviors for this team I just I realized I couldn’t watch that much College tape anymore I’m also guessing you didn’t think you were going to have to cover this draft this year not at all no this entire year like every was there anybody in Sacramento that didn’t think in their heart of hearts oh no that pick’s going to Atlanta it’s not gonna matter yeah yeah even there even even there through the first two minutes of the Pelicans game I was like we’re good he was cooking so that three minute Mark man they was up seven I was like yo they got to go into the into the second quarter up seven or more and they ended up going into the second quarter down or up one I think or maybe up two and I said this is not a good sign not good yeah and and I promise you the third thought out of my brain when they lost that game was well damn it now I actually have to care about this draft and that’s the thing we’ve all kind of struggled with like because it’s okay 13 everybody essentially wants them to trade the pick and then it’s like all right well we knew in the in the Keegan even though you know again again not no revisionist history here at the at the fourth pick we thought they were going to trade it we thought that pick had so much value they were able they were going to be able to get a a mini hall for it if you will but even at that we we looked at shett we thought it was a long shot but we looked at chett we looked at Keegan we looked at Jaden we spent a lot of time on those two guys we looked at Benedict mathine and maybe uh maybe one or two other guys but that was kind of it like we were able to zero in on what we were doing that is not what you can do with this draft no absolutely not um at at the end of the day like I I still expect they’ll trade this pick like I’m I’m running right at that football and I swear to the basketball Gods if I I fully expect that Lucy’s just gonna hold it there this time um but like the Kings have struggled to finish these uh we almost had a deal trades um and if and if that’s taught me anything it’s just stop expecting the expected with this front office um so it we just we can’t ignore the draft pick we can’t ignore uh guys who might be in that draft range but the draft is so weird this year man it’s just so odd well to to that point this is what we do on today we we get random updates read them now it’s Jake fiser okay who says NBA folks keep connecting Sacramento to various Wings on the market Kings registered interest in Dorian fny Smith before the trade deadline sources said Sacramento’s been leaked to Kyle kosma the kings were a potential Zack LaVine Suitor but that seems less likely without Alex Caruso so he didn’t like break news or anything but he out he mentioned the Kings he mentioned what’s going on I know he’s you know higher profile than Evan cidi or whatever the guy’s name is that’s a lot shade they like Evan at all no it was Kyle well no then the chatty house got involved was like yeah he’s a bum is he a bum I don’t they say he’s a bum I didn’t know yeah I think so I trust I trust Jake fiser though but Jake fiser didn’t say anything there that we didn’t already know like kings are connected to Wings and forwards in on the trade market like okay thanks Jak Jake really working at sources there yeah nice job no idea about that so the the question I always have with something like that is Jake saying something that nobody doesn’t already know why are we wasting a tweet on that he say you know what I engagement bro engagement oh by the way I’m sorry Bryant because the term engagement is probably not going to come up the rest of the day the nerve of that arrogant ass Lakers coach to sit at that Podium and talk about what what do he say the engagement farming that he had been a part of in the media bro you were front and center of that for two years what are you talking about like how dare you talk down to the people there when that was you bro you whack he said I never had a problem with JJ but that press conference that dude is whack he’s he’s very pompous yeah you you’ve been saying everything I thought for the last couple of days like he might be a great coach he seems he knows basketball he clearly knows basketball and plenty of good coaches have come from uh odder situations than this but man is he just arrogant he’s just a just an arrogant ass man uh let’s let’s let’s have some fun here to start this Bryant um let’s get under Kenny’s skin because that’s really just what gets me through the day Zach Edy what do you think about Zack Ed and the Kings he Zack eedy wouldn’t be my choice um if and when the are on the clock at that’s not what I was hoping you were gonna say I was hoping you were gonna say yes I’m getting somewhere I’m not I’m not my George he’s not top of my he’s not top of my board I’m sure that I will have multiple guys ahead of him most of them wings and forwards that I think this team is in much greater need of but uh I’ll tell you I wouldn’t walk out of Tom’s watch bar if he’s their selection um I Heard Jesse say earlier on the Insiders that um if they take Ed he’d be they’d be taking a backup at 13 um and even a few days ago like I have agreed with that and made the same argument but over the last couple days um and especially this morning my buddy Tony zipes had a article on Ed over at the Kings Herald um I’m I’m not so sure that we should just assume that he’d be a backup uh he certainly would be early in his career like you don’t in if you take Edie in the lottery you just shouldn’t plan the king should not plan for him just to be a backup long term I I completely disagree with anybody who says that you should be content with getting a backup at any position in the lottery you got to aim higher than that um if he’s a guy at 13 like they need to have a long-term plan in place to try to get him into lineups with sabonis um and and that wouldn’t be easy like it would mean they’d have to adjust their defensive philosophy they’d have to play way more Zone um either sabonis or Ed would have to really start shooting deep shots or three balls a lot more than they have today but you know it maybe that’s in the cards for Edie more than his college tape indicates like Matt payers sure didn’t want him taking threes um but Edie was popping them at the combine um it’s not an obvious fit but uh I was on the Kings Herald show with u Jerry Reynolds on Monday and and he pointed out like it’s a good comp Brook Lopez wasn’t who he was when he came out of Stanford like he’d only made three threes in his entire Stanford career and now he’s one of the better deep shooting three deep shooting bigs of the last decade so it’s not impossible that Ed follows that path um I’ll just put it simply I wouldn’t love the pick but I wouldn’t be as upset as I was the last time the Kings drafted a center at pick number 13 when they had an All-Star Center already on the roster yeah very specific you’re a real Kings fan if you get that reference yeah Brian I I I absolutely walk out of time oh no I’m gone I’m G I’ll see you guys tomorrow if that’s the case draft him 13 W Zack Zack look if you drafted him you got an extra pick and you drafted him at like 25 you drafted him in the second round it’s a project with two picks what I don’t think wants to pretend and wants to imagine this team with two rookies yeah so I mean I I’m okay we can we can do that at 13 this guy in my opinion I don’t want to say I don’t want to disrespect him I was gonna say he’s a borderline NBA player he’s not that he’s you can have him in the league but so what is it with you you you guys just don’t think he’s good enough no I I don’t I don’t think he I think he get played off the floor on the defensive end you put him in pick and roll situations all day Yukon put him in pick and roll situations all day and destroyed him and I just yeah I’m I’m not a Zack Ed guy he’s he’s gotten better as a basketball player over his time at Purdue I see the Improvement and there’s hell you can I can hear the argument that all right he’s goingon to be with NBA guys now NBA coaches and you know they can help him you know adjust to the NBA game I can hear that argument but from what I’ve seen right now not interested in them at all there there are gonna be a ton of wings and forwards that if the kings are making a pick at 13 I’d much rather have the Zach that’s for sure Brian you wrote about five players five prospects over at the Kings Herald of the five and we’ll try to touch on all of them of the five do you have a favorite uh I think my favorite is also the one I think is most realistic at 13 and that’s Don Holmes out of Dayton um you just you watch him for any length of time and he just makes so much sense um put an excellent junior senior junior year together for Dayton um LED them to the second round before they lost Arizona averaged 20 points eight and a half rebounds uh two and a half 2.1 blocks shot 63% uh true shooting percentage that he was far in away their number one offensive option um he operated a lot with the ball above the perimeter um really got to show case an improved driving ability and uh pick and pop game from three shot 38% from three he just looks like a really high High field player who would really fit this team um I think he could be a a good complimentary Forman next to sabonis uh and could play some small ball five uh when he’s on the bench uh he’s a little undersized for the position but like he just he just seems like a a heads up dude plays with physicality plays with heat um I’m I’m I’m out of touch on this I definitely didn’t watch as much saap as I have in the past I just don’t understand from what I’ve seen he’s not a lottery guy um I I like his game I I like what he did a lot during the season and then just seeing some of the things he did in the tournament really um piqu my interest as well uh so I mean that’s that’s that’s an interesting Prospect for sure what can you explain um to people who either disagree or aren’t as familiar why is a lot of the Kings community so locked in on Ron Holland because we have a very specific type that we need in Sacramento we need a fourman who can protect the rim somewhat and shoot the three ball somewhat and you know that’s the kind of guys we’ve been looking for forever kind of in that uh Bobby poris Nas Reed kind of frame maybe seems hyperbolic to expect that he’d get to that point early in his career but you know it’s a very specific player type that you got to idealize next to Damon sabonis and he sure looks like like he’s got both of those things um the big concerns I see from folks is that uh who’s he guarding at the next level is he athletic enough to guard fours and tape I saw sure look like he was athletic enough I don’t know uh he just seems like a really Monty kind of guy ah and there’s the old Monty kind of guy did you have any names in your top five that you go and this probably isn’t a Monte McNair kind of guy yeah absolutely and it’s the guy I’m if you if you asked my heart of hearts who do I hope ends up a king at the end of the day it’s Ron Holland from the g- league ignite that’s who I want he just doesn’t seem like a Monty McNair guy he’s he’s definitely more of a project player um you’re betting on his athleticism his motor versatility to to you know probably be an energy guy early in his career and then figure it out as it goes along he’s one of the youngest guys in this class but man when I watch that tape he just pops and he was doing it against uh grown men NBA hopefuls averaging 19 and a half points nearly seven rebounds per game two and a half steals per game shooting’s a big problem deep shooting is a big problem his decision making is a problem but like on defense he was matching up on the point of attack against so many different g-league guys great physicality tenacity that Motors off the chart he plays the exact position exact role that we’ve been begging for this team to get forever like we we need a power Wing in Sacramento we need somebody who’s got the size got the toughness got the athleticism unlock this team at the next level and and I trust his defensive upside I want to see how he develops the next level offensively but you know if if we were talking about a team and if the kings were you know top five and they were bad again it’s probably not the guy that you want to take but when you’re a team like Sacramento you’ve got the offensive pieces in place you’ve got a smart offensive system Ron Holland makes a lot of sense like just bring him in let him be an ideal cutter next to Sab bonis let him figure out the rest of his on ball game as it goes along he he’s the guy I really hope they take at 13 I’m not expecting it but that’s that’s the one that would make me go crazy tonight is it worth having any conversation about Jared McCain you you you wrote about him but there’s a there’s a pretty big caveat in there about that write up in the study that you did on on the Sacramento native I I I I’m I like Jared McCain a lot and before Malik monk came back like I could squint and see how it would work I hope he excels at the next level he seems like a a a great young kid shot incredibly well 41% from three high volume uh Carri Duke in the second half of the Season uh rebounds had a great clip for his size I’m gonna I’m gonna be happy for a Sacramento kid but no guards absolutely no guards like this team wasn’t able to find consistent minutes for the guards that they’ve collected over the past three years until injuries kind of forc their hand to end the season and if you’re taking a guard man you have to be ready you have to have a deal in place to be able to get existing guards out of the way or just what are we doing here it’s not helping the young kid it’s not helping the guards on your roster it’s not helping you get depth at positions where you’ve needed them for years and a 62 guard like the guards that are on this roster are already pretty undersized so I I hope he goes somewhere I hope he excels um I really hope it’s not the Lakers that’s my oh Oobi intends to sign a fiveyear 22 million contract to return to the New York next that boy got paid asked and answered ogn anobi is back in New York and I am not that man’s agent but I’m guessing ogn anobi is back in New York for right around what he wanted to get paid is this is my math right maybe I didn’t Yep this 40 something million dollars a year yep yeah hey that’s your boy hey they’re going for it they’re going for it for it don’t be mad gota be gone yeah Rand Rand and and and and my my lightskinn brother’s gone I always get his last name wrongin gone Mitchell Robinson probably gone too King King might need what’s mitell Robinson’s status is he he’s he’s under contract but I think he makes a good amount of money I don’t know they might have to keep him if they if they they have to let hartenstein go like they may have to keep him just because they need a center yeah yeah and still my favorite memory is watching Mitchell Robinson nearly puke uh uh at the golden one center after running up and down with the kings in the third quarter um wow OG back in New York man what is the payroll that’s not but it’s actually it feels it feels like overwhelming because of how I I think we like Mel’s really good Mel’s making $25 million a year like he’s not making even uh not making KC money I mean he’s making good money don’t do that even brunson’s still he’s making like 25 right brunson’s not making Brunson yeah Brunson all of a sudden looks like a bargain after the playoffs last year yeah yeah I think he’s got one more I think Brunson can sign an extension this Summer that wouldn’t take into effect until two years from now two years right yeah yeah yeah he was four years 104 yeah so he he’s essentially on a Steph Curry deal where he he’s like on Steph Curry for the Knicks and that like man he might have signed the the biggest bargain deal since since Steph yeah and and and the Knicks that that’s that is that is like a good look because look at this here I think I believe the guy that goes to the bench in the closing lineup is div chenzo so they’re able to throw out Brunson uh Josh Hart at the two Mikel Bridges at the three OG at the four and Mitchell Robinson or whoever you want to do at the five that is a tough team that’s a tip tips team that defends they can switch everything it’s a good look that’s a really good look that’s that’s a little Rich for my blood but contrary to what people say I OG OG OG can he’s he’s a he’s a big time ball player for a team that’s trying to do something so forget the numbers having him on the squad is is a good look yeah I I fully agree with you this is this is both a a Super Rich contract um and a massive trade for Mel Bridges but I just got to say both those dudes have been guys I’ve wanted to see the Kings get to for ye years so it’s kind of cruel to see them both in New York now but I love what New York’s built that’s that’s a a versatile defensive minded skilled team that really could go up against Boston next year and really give them a run for their money if not beating them so man that’s a great Point Bryant because they deserve all the credit in the world for seeing what Boston did not just during the playoffs but this year and realize this isn’t a oneoff they this this this team they got the you know the old Steve Young the proverbial monkey off of their back by getting that title and now now you’ve got now you now now you’re Champions and it hits a little bit different when you’re a champion and this is a team that’s been good for years it’s a team that’s going to be good for years to come and it was a time where New York said all right we’ve got to do it now and hey salute to them they did it this is this is big time there are people in the media who have been waiting for the New York Knicks to get back to this point uh since the summer of 2010 go New York go New York go my boys I’m getting that much closer to that Kings Nicks finals we that Vanilla Ice he said go ninja go ninja go New York I don’t know who that is some New York rapper it was they used to play it in the garden par they’re paraphrasing Vanilla Ice in the Ninja Turtles it ain’t vanilla I Vanilla Ice ain’t it I feel like that’s the fifth City that Kenny’s claimed in this week he’s got a lot of cities man none of them are Sacramento don’t do that none of them are Sao because I’ve said number one is the Kings I’ve always said I’m a Nick’s supporter and I’ve always told you guys that Kings Nick finals would happen and we’re that much closer the Knicks are doing their portion the kings are already on their way all right can’t wait I can’t wait we’re going back and forth right sure sure that’s that’s what we’re doing we can’t get Odyssey to buy us nachos tonight at Tom’s watch bar but yeah they’re gonna red eye us back between we still can’t get the $30 subscription to uh uh uh uh uh our spot track I still got like a $600 bill on all the artwork I bought for the building like oh you I got I got a better idea crazy that’s a wild story uh Bryant we love you man it’s it’s it’s great to catch up with you I’m sorry we don’t do it more but it is it is absolutely awesome to talk to you uh this time of year and it’s great to read all your work over at the Kings Herald man looking forward to another season not too far from now yeah fingers crossed it nobody’s walking out of Tom’s watch bar tonight with their feelings there’s only one guy who threatened to walk out I’m telling you I’m gone I am gone if that happens Noe for anyone there just record it just get Kenny’s Walk of Shame yeah just get Kenny’s Walk of Shame even walk in shame it’s I’m gone well King Shan out of here see y’all have a great one guys thanks Brian
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1 Comment
Bryant west is John Hollinger with better manners.