I would have never thougth it possible, but i actually think the Maloofs are going to skip town without paying the loan.  The Bee just posted a story that the city has just hired outside counsel (bond counsel) to advise the city on the potential fallout if the Kings default.  As you may know, a city can NOT stiff purchasers of its bonds.  Under the loan, if the Kings default, the team reclaims "ownership" of the Arena and land surrouding it (technically the city already owns it, but would transfer to Maloof's if they repay the loan) PLUS a $25 million interest in the Kings.  So who might have $25 million lying around to buy out the city's interest?  The a-hole trying to steal our team, (Samueli) that's who.

So the Maloof's get a $50M loan from Samueli (through the city of anaheim using its credit) to buy off the League and potentially the Lakers/Clips; stiff the city by giving it a worthless building/property in a crappy real estate economy, and Samueli gets his interest in the team by paying the city the $25M, which it will have to take because it has no other money to repay the bonds! 

While Rome is burning, our city leaders allow the intereim city manager to quit, our Mayor and his PR hack to mouth off like school-children... and they JUST NOW decide maybe to hire some lawyers who know about this shit! 

If David Stern signs off on the above, then i am going back to believing he rigged the Lottery (the Ewing lottery), rigged Game 6, and orchestrated this whole drama because God knows the Magoofs are too stupid to have cooked this up themselves. 

Like many of you, I have been a season ticket holder (partial share) for many years -- this is my 18th season.  Prior to that, i was an avid ticket buyer at least as much as the budget would allow, going to as many as half a dozen games per year.  I actually sat on a pull down seat against the back wall in Arco I while Arco II was being built.

As i walked into Arco (forgive me Power Balance marketing department) last night, i realized that it was going to by my last Kings game.  I don't have any games left  this year.  I suspect many of you will be having these same feelings in the coming weeks. 

Nobody wants to give up hope, least of all me, but I believe hope is all but lost.  I am posting this for my own benefit and for those of you about to face the sad goodbye. 

For me, I have spent the last 24 hours thinking back on all the great days and nights following this team.  I have been very fortunate to have some unique opportunities to see some great games (detailed more fully below) in addition to my own share of our season tickets.  Not only that, but my seats were great - Section 108 - Row F - on the visitors end, baseline, 6 rows up.  We never considered chances to move because the seats were simply too good.... baseline action is better than center court in my opinion and we were just high enough to get a beter view than court level seats.  If you need confirmation, when Jerry Reynolds was not coaching or broadcasting (late 90's as i recall) he sat in our section on the front row (5 ahead of us).   Until the economy crapped out, most of the folks around us where also long-time season ticket holders.  It sounds corny but it is true...many of us watched each others kids grow from toddlers to college age kids, my son included, during these years.

Some of these moments have been discussed here and in other places.  Perhaps my favorite is one that has been mentioned here frequently.  The first playoff game against Seattle at home still sends chills up my spine.  We all showed up and were seated at least 20 or 30 minutes before the game.  There was a nervous energy building that you could feel... then the team came out for warm-ups, the speakers starting blarring "The boys are back in town" and the place went beserk for the whole warmup session. I will never forget the look on the Sonic's players faces watching the reaction.  By half-time, i recall walking the concourse and noticing how quiet it was... because we were all exhausted.  My favorite moment, by far because it was so uniquely Sacramento.

The next was a personal one.  When I first became a season ticket holder i had recently become a single dad.  When i finally took my son (4 years old) to a game, the cheerleaders ran out of the tunnel near our seats (they used to come out of the visitors tunnel) and my son said as loud as he could, "look dad, girls!"  The section laughed and I was as proud as a father can be.

During the years i actually came to know some of the employees of the Kings, even the Maloofs themselves.  During the Lakers series (that still haunts my dreams)  a friend who worked in the PR department offered me the opportunity to be a "witness" for the Guiness Book of World Records.   Some of you may recall that during one of the games, the Maloofs had a professor from UC Davis come to the game with a noise level decibel meter.  For some reason Guiness apparently trusts lawyers, and i was the first one my friend could think of on short notice.  The professor and I sat on tiny stools directly behind the Maloofs.  I held a small video camera and was supposed to record the reading as the noise rose at different points in the game.  Joe and Gavin would frequently ask what the reading was.  The professor, professed to not be much of a basketball fan so i told him to hold the camera in one hand and the meter in the other. I was in heaven.  

At halftime, i walked down the main aisle behind Kings row to visit my co-season ticket holders (mostly to rub their face in my good fortune) when i noticed Summer Sanders sitting a couple rows back...big fan of Summer back in the day, so naturally I starred at her as i walked down the aisle....bam! walked right into Tyra Banks!  She drops her phone, i apologize profusely, she bends over to pick it up and i quickly realize how good C-Webb's life was at the time.

During the playoffs, most of the seats in front of us were closed off for the TV camera.  That left us as the first row in the section,  In fact, the TV stand is right in front of me now and has given me the chance to see lots of replays on the monitor not available to fans at the game.  During one round of a playoff series, they set up a makeshift stage for the TNT show after one of the games direclty on top of the seats in front of me.  My son and I sat literally 6 feet from Charles and Kenny as they broadcast the show. 

Peja missed the wide open three in Game 7 (end of regulation) right in front of us....I was sure it was going in.  Never forget J-Will... simply a magician with the ball.   Bibby's shot.  The guy who won a car at half-time and ran around high-fiving all the Laker greats (Kareem, Magic, Worthy).  The Tizzy-flip, but mostly the Tizzy-smile.  The class of L-Train.  Vlade and Chris' jersey retirement.   Cowbells and the sign lady.  I could go on and on.

What has struck me is that i have been to dozens of other events at Arco too.  Not one of them is memorable.  Not one of them makes me feel nostalgic.  I am older now, my son in College and i have his team in the Tournament, so we still have plenty of basketball to keep us connected.  Sacramento will survive and so will I but for those who think it doesn't matter...its because they just don't know.   Thanks for the memories Arco.  Thanks Kings.  You will be missed.

Heat trade #18 and Cook for OKC's second rounder, as reported over at FanHouse and other locations.  Why couldn't we get in on that action?  Indeed, this was brought up in SR threads yesterday.  Geoff, you awake over their!  Get in the game!  If we end up keeping our second round pick and use none of our cap space, then Mr. Petrie has some splaynin' to do.  This is the kind of creative shit that GP has been less than successful at IMO.  Maybe he's got something better in the works, but if there are mid to late first round selections available for second round picks, we should be in that marketplace.  Repeat the Bulls rumor from yesterday that hope springs eternal (Bulls also want to get out of first round and dump a contract to clear cap space).   

As reported in the Chicago Tribune:

Chicago, with only six players under contract for 2010-11, is still looking for ways to add two marquee names. League sources continue to indicate the Bulls are shopping the 17th pick and trying to package it with long-term contracts to clear even more cap space than the projected $20 million to $22 million they currently possess. A maximum free-agent salary will start at roughly $16.5 million. In the current NBA financial climate, it might be a long shot for the Bulls to move either Luol Deng or Kirk Hinrich, particularly for expiring contracts. But the Bulls are trying.

Chicago Tribune

 I wouldn't do Deng (contract too big and long), but would consider Hinrich.  Two years, declines in 2nd year and I think a pretty good fit with Tyreke. 

Changes at #2 and #5.  Now has Favors at #2 and Aminu at #5, for no apparent reason with Cousins falling to the Warriors at #6.  Says Petrie is hard to read and confirms he had it wrong last year right up to the day of the draft.  Sounds like he's grasping and because of lack of any source, he can simply change the pick to justify a new Mock... and yes, I know his Mock doesn't mean squat. 

Posted on TMZ: The co-owner of the Sacramento Kings is on a nine day prayer session for salvation ... in the form of the #1 pick in tonight's NBA Draft Lottery.

TMZ spoke to Joe Maloof -- half of the brother tandem that owns the Kings -- who told us he's been "on his hands and knees praying to the man upstairs" in a Prayer Novena. The ritual requires praying at the same time every day for nine straight days.

Maloof says he'll send up prayer #9 right before the draft lottery in hopes it lands him #1.

If he gets the top pick Maloof says he'll throw what he calls the world's largest lottery party in Sac town tonight. 

Very Catholic.


Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2010/05/17/joe-maloof-praying-to-win-nba-draft-lottery-sacramento-kings/#ixzz0oK8eiOu6

Besides Wall... maybe we all get free drinks tonight!

The ESPN Insider is reporting that the Miami Heat may be looking to unload Michael Beasley ($4.6M p/year) to any team with cap space in a fire-sale.  In other words, a team willing to take his salary (and perhaps a couple other smaller short contracts) with ZERO dollars coming in return (i.e. draft picks only) would get their call returned.  Two factors cited: 1) Miami would like to get farther under the cap to keep Wade and add other FA assets and 2) Beasley has not committed to defense as required by Miami coaching staff and management.  Also references his prior (and perhaps current) maturity issues.  I would link, but its an Insider story.  Story points to T-Wolves (with lots of picks) as a possible trade partner, but not the Kings.  Why not the Kings?  How do you feel about taking a flyer on Michael Beasley? Maybe getting him off South Beach would be good for him. 

No, this is not a post suggesting we tank the season.  I do not agree with that philosophy and believe the ping-pong Gods exact revenge for such activity.  However, I do believe that this is a three, maybe four, person draft and we sit on the outside looking in if the balls drop based on standings.  Worse yet, the balls never drop based on standings and someone on the outside usually sneeks in.  Thus, if we are not the lucky one, we move down another notch. 

On the good news front, we've played more games than our closest "competitors" for ping pong balls.  We have six games remaining (Home against blazers, spurs, clips, mavs, rockets and away against that unmentionable team). I can see maybe two wins, especially if "that" team sits everyone in the last game of the season, putting us at 26 wins. 

Our closest competitors: Wiz with 22 wins have 8 games left: Pistons with 23 wins have 8 left; Sixers with 26 wins and 7 games left and Knicks with 26 wins and 8 games left. 

It appears to me that the Wiz could actually win some games:  They have BULLS, nets, warriors, MAGIC, CELTS, hawks, KNICKS and PACERS.  (caps mean road game for Wiz).  Not likely to get to 26 wins, but 25 seems doable -- no help unless we only win 1 game.

Pistons have a bit of a tougher schedule:  suns, HAWKS, SIXERS, hawks, HEAT, BOBCATS, raptors and TWOLVES.  Maybe they get one more win, two at best to put them at 24 or 25 -- no help.

Can our position get worse?  maybe.

Sixers already have two more wins than us with: raptors, pistons, HEAT, bucks, GRIZ, HEAT, MAGIC.  Hopefully they beat the Pistons, otherwise we could be tied with Sixers at 26 wins.

Finally, the Knicks and their 26 wins (playing for the Jazz):  They have warriors, CLIPS, celts, PACERS, MAGIC, heat, wiz, and RAPTORS.  Have to think they win one of those games. 

Three of the 5 teams play teams in the playoffs (kings, sixers and knicks) and we don't know if those teams will be playing for seeding or resting players. 

Looks to me that we are pretty much going to end up where we are now.  We need the Sixers to win a game or two and we need to play hard and don't piss off the ping pong Gods.  Can you identify the headline quote?

Not sure what to make of this, but yesterday, David Thorpe was asked on his ESPN chat something about the teams with the best training staffs and whether it mattered... he mentioned in sort of an off-hand shot that it does matter, as best evidenced by the fact that Kevin Mart dunked twice in a game recently following his trade to Houston and that he hadn't done that since hurting his ankle last year... a clear shot at the Kings training staff.  Is this a cheap shot or is there something inferior with the Kings training staff?  I've always assumed we had a good qualified staff. 

Besides his versatile game on the court... he is also a life-saver as reported by the AP today:

 

(12-10) 09:40 PST Sacramento, Calif. (AP) --

Sacramento Kings forward Donte Greene says it felt "like it took forever" for a boat to reach him after he dove into a dark and chilly river to help a woman who had fallen from a boat.  Greene and friends were boating on the American River near Discovery Park at about 7 p.m. Monday when the unidentified female passenger attempted to pull up a ladder. The pilot put the boat in gear and she fell off the back as the boat lunged forward.

Greene says he heard yelling and "a big splash." When he saw the woman flailing in the current, he dove in after her. The basketball star says he had to dodge other boats to get to the woman as their boat circled around to pick them up. The woman did not need medical attention.

Greene, who played for Syracuse University, was the 28th overall pick in the 2008 draft.

And yes, I know this should have been a fanshot, but it was easier to cut and paste.  My apologies... but what the hell was he doing on the river after dark and in the cold anyway? 

John Hollinger's analysis of the West has our beloved Kings firmly planted in the basement.  Here's what he says:

Shell-shocked by increasingly horrific economics in Sacto and the woefully outdated Arco Arena, the Kings locked down financially while they wait to find out where their next home will be. If it's a new building in Sacramento, great, but if not, San Jose, Anaheim, Kansas City and others await with open arms. Either way, they won't spend a nickel without some certainty on this front.

The Kings did pick up a potential star in the draft in Tyreke Evans and a low-budget breakout possibility in Sergio Rodriguez, plus Kevin Martin should be healthier. That should keep them run-of-the-mill bad rather than historically awful, but optimists won't find a lot of ammunition here.

 

For those of you with Insider access, he has a very interesting story on the falling luxury tax line and how it is going to impact next year's free agents.  In essence many more teams are facing serious tax problems next year and he predicts another buyers market for the free agent crop and for quality players under contract with teams trying to get under the tax line by the very small number of teams likely to have cap space.... Kings are in that small class. 

Today the Denver Nuggets traded Stephen Hunter ($3.6M one year contract) and a protected first round pick to Memphis for a second round pick.  This is reminiscent of the famous Suns/Sonics trade of a few years ago... clearly a salary dump by Denver.  Why couldn't we have gotten the same deal?  While I have no illusions that Hunter would add a single win to our total, we do seem to be a little thin at the 4/5.  Spending $3M for a first round pick and a serviceable player on a one-year deal seems pretty good to me --- though its not my $3M.  If it wasn't for the Grizzlies making the deal, I'd say finances probably made it cost prohibitive, but for God's sake if the Griz can afford it, surely the Kings can.

All of this got me thinking that I don't ever recall GP making a trade when everyone thought he "put one over" on some other team.  Am i wrong?  I mean, Kupchak had the balls to call the Griz and say "how about i give you a bunch of crap and take that Pau Gasol guy off your hands?"  More recently, the Spurs traded a bunch of crap for Richard Jefferson.  There are perhaps 6-10 deals in the last decade in which the consensus was that one GM stole somebody for nothing from some idiot GM.  I just don't recall GP being one of those guys. 

The good news is that he is also not one of those guys who gets taken advantage of and makes a stupid deal.  I think most of his deals have been reasonably fair on their face.  Maybe it became one-sided after the fact (e.g. due to injury) but for the most part the consensus was that the trade was "fair" to both sides.  That's not a bad thing and shouldn't be undervalued.... but,

GP, pick up the phone... make the ridiculous offer... who knows what you might hear on the end of the line. 

Last week I posted a Beno for Camby deal.  Many blasted the idea saying the Clips would never do it.  Today, Chad Ford says in his ESPN Chat that the Clips (apparently the owner Stirling) rejected a deal for Darko's expiring for Zach Randoph's mammoth contract!  I guess you can also say "don't underestimate the stupidity of the Grizzlies" because I think the proposal was nearly as stupid as turning it down.  Thus, I repeat, you don't have to offer equal value to some teams to make trades (e.g. Paul Gasol to Lakers). 

I've lost track of where we will be re: the cap after July 1, but the Clips need to get rid of a big to make room for Griffin and lack a competent back-up to Baron (especially with his injury history) and it was widely reported that Dunleavy was going to make an offer to Beno last year.  Beno's deal is nearly $6M and Camby's is about $10M with one year left.  Think the Clips would do it to cut some money and move Camby? 

The blogosphere is ripe with rumors preceding the draft...that's not unusual.  At the end of the day, a few trades involving picks are made and every team moves towards the next phase of summer activity in July.  But this year has a different feel, and I would argue is ripe with opportunity.  Already, Richard Jefferson has been moved for spare parts (i.e. cap relief), the Wiz traded away the #5 pick, Minny now has a bunch of first round picks, but most importantly many teams seem to be interested in moving pieces, either for financial relief or in anticipation of the 2010 "summer of love."  

Just a few of the names frequently tossed around:  Rondo, Ray Allen, Bosh, Shaq, Amare, Josh Smith, Josh Howard, David Lee, Tyrus Thomas, Kirk Heinrich, Sessions, Villanueva, Rafer Alston, Chandler, not to mention the FA's that are beyond our cap space as our roster sits today - Ariza, Hedo, Boozer, Gordon, etc. 

So, is this an opportunity for an "extreme makeover" as opposed to "building for the future."  It appears that the plan is to hope Spencer is a pretty good center, hope JT is a pretty good 4, hope Donte is a pretty good 3, know that KMart is a pretty good 2 and hope Draft #4 is a pretty good PG.  We won't know the answer to any of those 4 questions for the next two or three years (and maybe longer as it relates to this year's draft pick).  So we lose a bunch of games  for the next couple years (continuing to get good draft picks along the way) and hopefully either the team grows into something pretty good (the current portland model), or the assets are moved for in a couple years to make a big play for veterans (the boston model).  Both are viable options.

But with the state of the league right now, my question is whether there is an opportunity to change course and make a move now?  It would certainly require the Maloofs to open the wallets and allow GP to take salary up to at least near the luxury tax threshold. 

I think it might be time to strike.  I like the guys on our team, but I honestly don't think we have the makings of a 60 win team in the next two or three years.  Isn't that the goal?  (I say that because I think the goal is to be a contender, I think its a false goal to say "win the title" because its clear to me that 9 out of 10 times the title is one by one of the 3 or 4 best players in the world, and we don't have any of those). 

I am not making any proposal here, but am intrigued by the possibility of getting a complete makeover:  So if we had to move KMart and JT and Cisco and expirings and picks to end up with Rondo, Allen, and Tyrus Thomas and Tyreke Evans, or maybe D. Lee, I would go into next season a lot happier than wondering how our 18 or 19 year old point guard is going to do next season as we win 26 games. 

So what if Chad Ford's sources are correct and the basketball people within the organization are not sold on Ricky... would the Maloofs step in and insist that GP turn in his card to the Commish?  In other words, we all assumed that during the coaching search that the boys had learned their lesson and stayed out of the final hiring decision.  Would they be smart enough to stay out of the draft selection process too?  My sense is that until this year, they probably had no reason to involve themselves in the draft decision-making process, but this pick is clearly different.  We've all discussed the immediate marketing/financial benefits choosing Ricky would bring the Kings... and I believe that those benefits are significant.  Are they significant enough to have the boys veto GP's preferred selection of say Flynn or Evans?  I raise this, because I get the feeling that the basketball people think maybe Brandon Jennings had it right... RR might be more hype than talent.  (See Hollinger analysis posted today).  That is not to say he isn't talented, he clearly is.  I just don't believe there is a smoke-screen out there designed to secure RR to us at #4, I think there is real indecision. 

If this is the scenario facing GP right now (i.e. he feels strongly that taking Ricky is a mistake) what might he do? 

1) convince the boys to go with Curry as  "Ricky-lite" from a marketing perspective?

2) make the pick and walk after his contract expires?

3) try to make a trade either involving the pick or getting an established PG so that he can sell that the trade result is better than getting RR (any reason to believe that GP sniffing around the Boston Rajon Rondo rumors is part of this strategy?)? 

4) hand the Flynn/Evans card to the Commish and dare the boys to fire him?

On ESPN's podcast today, Chad Ford says nothing (no surprise there) but David Thorpe rates the PG prospects.  He has Rubio as the best in the class (based on his pure instincts for the position) and has Curry and Jrue Holliday ranked equally as the next best group.  He has worked out Holliday and comments on his intellect, personality, strong family and desire to play defense... I repeat, his desire to play defense.  Thorpe also says that while Jrue had a bad year shooting at UCLA, he thinks his shot is fine mechanically and that he shot lights out in his gym.  Thorpe thinks that Jrue's defensive prowess is to be highly valued by teams since point guards so easily blow by their man on most teams.  As for Curry, he simply says his offensive game is just so much better than everyone else's that his is the top group. 

I wonder if Jrue is really our back-up plan if Rubio is gone. 

posted today on HoopsHype:  According to superbasket.gr Pat Calathes (2.09-SF/PF) has exercised a certain term in his contract and he is now a free agent. The greek/american small forward will be taking part in the Las Vegas Summer Camp with the team of the Sacramento Kings in his attempt to secure another contract in Europe. 

Last summer he signed a contract with Maroussi for 3 seasons but he didn't get much playing time. This summer he will probably the 3rd player to leave Maroussi after Mavrokefalides returning to Olympiakos and Glyniadakis who has already declared he has offers from other teams. This season he averaged 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 31 games in the greek A1 league.

Player A's first two years of College:

Yr 1 Games played 33                 Yr 2 Games played 32

Yr 1 points per game 9.8            Yr 2 points per game 16.8

Yr 1 Rebound per game 9.6       Yr 2 Rebound per game 12.5

Yr 1 Assists per game 0.9          Yr 2 Assists per game 2.1

Yr 1 FG% .545                                Yr 2 FG% .591

Player B's first two years of College:

Yr 1 Games played 33                 Yr 2 Games played 35

Yr 1 points per game 14.7           Yr 2 points per game 22.7

Yr 1 Rebound per game 9.1        Yr 2 Rebound per game 14.4

Yr 1 Assists per game 1.8           Yr 2 Assists per game 2.3

Yr 1 FG% 56.8                                Yr 2 FG %  65.4

 

Based on these stats alone, who would you draft?  Player A is Tim Duncan's first two years at Wake Forest and Player B is Blake Griffin.   Just sayin'.

Though TZ hasn't tossed Westphal's name into pool, it was reported that his name was buzzing around the King's offices yesterday, as reported by Amick on the radio this morning.  Though I remember him as a player and coach, a quick Wikipedia shows why there might be some interest and even a connection to Sacramento.

He's 58 years old - Not too old, but old enough to deserve respect from the team.

He's a Californian - Born in So.Cal, Played at USC, Coached Pepperdine... not perfect but good.

Played 11 Years -  5 time All-Star, won a title, played in two NBA finals, 12K points scored (see first item re: respect)

Asst NBA Coach - for Cotton and Avery Johnson

Head Coach - Took Phoenix to playoffs in each year and one NBA final.  Coached college.  Returned to NBA with Sonics for couple years.

Front Office - currently in the Mavs front office.

Coached KJ - "the Mayor."

So When Petrie says: lots of NBA experience (11 years as a player) and experience as a head coach (7 plus seasons) and as a proven winner (5 playoff appearances and one NBA finals appearance)... is he thinking Westphal? 

I consider myself one of the many that hope the Kings are able to select Rubio with the second pick in the draft.  If we are not going to compete for a championship, then the team should at least be entertaining.  Until today, I hadn't considered if Rubio would thrive in our preferred Princeton offense.  I now wonder, after reading the following Gilbert Arenas quote re: the hiring of Flip Saunders:

"Arenas, who in July signed a six-year, $111 million contract, said last week he looks forward to improving as a player with Saunders' help, citing the standout seasons Chauncey Billups and Stephon Marbury had under the coach in Detroit and Minnesota, respectively.

"I think he's going to help me turn into a real point guard," Arenas said. "Under [Jordan], we ran the Princeton offense, and in that system it was just two guards, two forwards and a center - it wasn't really no point guard, and no [shooting guard]. ... I was the only scorer at the guard position so I took that over the scoring position. ...

"So, now we're coming into a regular system when I'm going to be the point guard, it's my chance to really manage the team for the first time in my career. Now, [Flip] is going to put the ball in my hands and just let me run the team."

I think Rubio is a classic point guard.  When the Kings were at their best, Bibby was more a scoring guard and shared ball-handling duties with Christie... in sum, we didn't really have or need a classic point guard, much as Arenas alludes in his quote. 

Thus, the question is, will Rubio thrive in a Princeton offense OR do the Kings abandon the Princeton offense if we select Rubio?

They say cash is king.... as reported today on Draft Express, the Houston Rockets appear willing to buy there way back into the first round of the draft... anybody know a team that holds a second first round pick and has financial problems and could use the cash?  Here's the post:

• Houston Will Look to Move into the Draft

The Houston Rockets managed to secure a very valuable asset on draft night last year when they picked up the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2nd rounder, as part of the Donte Greene-Darrell Arthur-Nicolas Batum 3-team trade. Unfortunately for them, they were forced to give back that pick when they unloaded Steve Francis’ contract back on Memphis, which saved them a substantial amount of money in luxury tax savings, and allowed them to resign veteran Dikembe Mutombo. They also parted ways with their first round pick as part of the Ron Artest trade, and thus will convey the #23 selection to Sacramento.

Now, Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tells us that his team does not plan on standing pat in this draft. “We plan to buy our way back into the draft using some of this money” Morey told us via email this week, referring to the money his team was able to save by trading Francis.

Morey did not specify which round the team will be looking to move into. It’s widely believed that due to the global economic crisis, there will be numerous draft picks available in the bottom half of the first round this year as teams look to avoid being burdened by guaranteed contracts. With how weak this year’s crop of European prospects is currently shaping up to, it likely won’t be as attractive to “stash” players overseas considering the poor value involved with taking a player 10-15 spots higher than he normally would have went.

Today, ESPN's D. Thorpe ranked his top 8 sophomores and SHawes in no where to be found.  Not surprisingly Durant tops the list, followed by Horford, but even J. Noah made the top eight.  For ESPN insiders, he expanded the list by two more sophs, but still no SHawes.  I stench of this season is infecting everyone's analysis of our young guys...even someone who, I presume, watches the Kings regularly just to follow his star pupil. 

So the ping pong God's reward our misery with the first pick... Gavin Maloof immediately begins to mow the lawn at Blake Griffin's parents house and orders up what will be some pretty ugly looking bobblehead dolls... Our three-stud rotation is set for the next 10 years.  Andres finds a good Argentine restaurant in town (anybody know a good one?) and finds peace in his new surroundings.  David Thorpe convinces Kevin that he can never be "great" if he doesn't play defense and spends the summer making him into an average defender, at least.  And finally, GP admits the Beno error and figures out a way to get Roman Sessions (RFA) from Milwaukee this summer. 

Sessions dropped a triple-double on the Lakers last night and appears ready to breakout and be a very good (not superstar) point guard.  I for one, am not willing to hope that anybody we get in the late first round is going to be better than Sessions, and certainly won't be for a least a few years. 

Why isn't this a clear path to ending this nightmare of a season?