"10. Spencer Hawes, Kings
In his second pro season, Sacramento's 20-year-old 7-footer is turning into a force at both ends. Although Hawes tends to favor his high-arcing jump shot instead of operating in the paint, he has hit enough of those shots to make it work. He has converted 54.0 percent from the field thus far, including a 7-for-7 night in Memphis on Tuesday. He even has splashed down 10 3-pointers in 23 tries.

Meanwhile, Hawes has blocked 25 shots in just 366 minutes, one of the best rejection rates in basketball, and he has vastly improved as a rebounder. His 17.57 PER is a major improvement on his mark from his unimpressive rookie season. Should the rebuilding Kings opt to jettison Brad Miller, Hawes would appear to be more than ready to take over the starting gig."

Kevin Martin, Beno Udrih and Brad Miller all make the 2009 ballot.

Negotiators for the National Basketball Association and Cal Expo on Friday announced they'd reached an agreement to move forward jointly on a plan to build a Kings arena in the state fairgrounds.