The GM for the Sacramento Kings, who own the 7th pick, is: TODD FURESZWith that pick, the Kings select: Rodney Rogers, PF, 6-7, Wake Forest ================================================================= As the old song goes "Where have you gone Joe Dimaggio?" With the Sacremento Kings the refrain should be "Where have you gone Sam Lacy, Scott Wedman, Otis Birdsong and Phil Ford?" Life has been tough on the Kings since the glory days in KC when a "young" Cotton roamed the sidelines. The Sacremento Kings have never had the success that their older siblings in KC enjoyed. Repeated bad trades and moves (no mention of what happened to Danny Anige, Otis Thorpe and Billy Owens here) have mired the Kings near the basement of the Pacific division. The FAILED experiment of allowing Bill Russell to run things is still being felt today. The Kings despite their 25 wins last year appear to be on the verge of being respectible and in my opinion this level could be reached over the next 2 drafts. The Team Forwards. Lionel Simmons is a fine all around player. His skills were perfected on the same mean streets of Philadelphia that produced Bo Kimble of the Knicks (he does look sharp in all thsoe wonderfully colored suits on the bench during the playoffs) and the late Hank Gathers. His hunger and drive provide him with the proper work ethic and attitude but "The L Train" at times gets over zealous and tried to do too much (witness poor shots at the end of games). Despite his size 6' 6 1/2" he is a fine inside player and good rebounder and is happy on the perimeter. He is also a good defender. Wayman Tisdale, however, has seen better days. He is a one diminsional power forward. He can score but I'd send him packing. He plays no D and the only thing larger than his contract (2 mill) is his waistline. He would, however, make a fine 6 or 7th man for some contending team that needs instant O off the bench. It is the hope of this GM that I could find some desperate GM willing to take Tisdale for a prospect or draft choice. A team needing to get over the hump may find a use for the aging forward. Walt "The Wizard" Williams sees time in both the front and backcourt. He was a 2nd team all rookie player this past season. the Wizard is very versitale but can be inconsistant. Perhaps with a year under his belt he can play with the overall command he showed at U of Maryland. He is an excellent passer and a good enough ball handler to play PG. He is a Billy Owens type of player (wasn't he a King if only for 10 minutes or so) who has a good future ahead of him. Anthony Bonner is a decent bench player. He is a terror on the boards, sweeping the glass with great vigor. He does not have much of an offensive game to speak off and tends to score on put backs only. His contact is up and may not be resigned (word out of Sac). Kurt Rambis is a journeyman who can still provide a few minutes at the PF spot. Center Duane Causwell is a project that is ongoing. He has shown flashes of good play but needs to be more assertive on O and especially on the boards. If his D were better the Kings could probably survive with a role player at C (a la the Bulls with Bill Cartwright). The Kings however do not have a squad around Causwell the likes of Cartwright's teammates so more production is needed here. Pete Chilcutt is undersized and more of PF but does see time at C. He is much more comfortable on the perimeter and has a good shot. He knows how to fill a role since graduation from Dean Smith U. Les Jepsen is the typical 7 footer at the end of every NBA bench, nothing special but an extra big body to divide the fouls up. Guards Mitch Richmond is an excellent 2 guard and the most talented King. The former all star can still pump in 20-25 every night. His offensive game is versitale and he can go outside or hit the long range J. He is strong and quick and uses those pluses on both sides of the floor. He still has several good years left. The Kings could move him but if they feel the playoffs are around the corner he is the type of player you need to make that clutch shot. Spud Webb is undersized at PG. Although quick he is a defensive liability and no longer has great leaping ability. They need a repalce ment for Spud. Randy Brown is a decent backup but not the type of PG you want leading a playoff team. Usually less is more but that is not the case with Jim Les. Needs This team needs to ship Tisdale out and get help at either C or PG for him. They need to then replace their PW. Selection My choice would be Rodney Rogers of Wake Forest. I fear he maybe a tweener but I am confident that with work he can be a rugged inside force. If Larry Johnson, Charles Barkley and Adrian Dantley (he was only 6' 3") can make it in this league as PF then I have confidence in Rogers. The Kings need rebouding help and Rogers can eat up space. True he may not be a Barkley or Johnson but he was player of the year in the tradition rich ACC. Other Players Considered The need for a PG could have been filled with Bobby Hurley. I do feel that he would be availible later so if he was truely the player the Kings need they should trade down. The other possible PG would be Terry DeHere of Seton Hall. Yes PG, I am sorry but this guy reminds me of a better Doc Rivers. Rivers was a 2 guard in college and he made the transition to the point. I feel Terry could do the same but only better. Watching Rivers guide the Knicks makes me feel Terry could do the same for a team in a few years if he was given the chance. The only other player I considered was Allan Houston of Tenn. He is the next best athlete around. He however plays the same position as the Kings best player Richmond. He would help the bench but the Kings are at the point where they still need a solid starting five so Rogers wins out because of the need of a more complete player at PF. ==================================================================== Draft Summary: 1. Orlando GM: Tom@Orlando Pick: Chris Webber, PF, 6-10. University of Michigan 2. Philadelphia GM: Dave Meeks Pick: Shawn Bradley, C, 7-7. BYU 3. Golden State GM's: Mike Moore Terry Wong Pick: Jamal Mashburn, SF, 6-8. Kentucky 4. Dallas GM: Curtis Hill Pick: Anfernee Hardaway, SG, 6-7, Memphis State 5. Minnesota GM's: Kevin Hansen Toni Morgan Pick: Calbert Cheaney, SF, 6-7. Indiana 6. Washington GM's: The Crossjammer Jim Nagle Pick: J.R. Rider, SG, 6-5, UNLV 7. Sacramento GM: TODD FURESZ Pick: Rodney Rogers, PF, 6-7, Wake Forest Next up: 8. Milwaukee GM's: Brian Saunders Morgan Edwards