Geoff Petrie: Magic Johnson Is Not In This Draft
June 25, 2009 – 11:15 am by Tas Melas
Geoff Petrie has the fourth overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft tonight in Madison Square Garden. He also has the 23rd and 31st picks, and he’s going to need them all. In the very deep western conference, teams need to be strong to get in to the playoffs. As Petrie points out, the Kings weren’t particularly competent in any area, therefore, they need some big time help. Many of the pre-draft rumors have the Kings taking either Tyreke Evans of Memphis or Ricky Rubio of Spain, two very different guards. How Evans would work with Kevin Martin, I’m not sure. Rubio would seem like the better fit considering the supporting cast in Sac-town. Petrie joined KHTK in Sacramento to discuss his team’s needs, how he values a talented point guard over equally talented wings, and whether or not a player working out for him will factor in to his decision.
You’ve said that great point guards are tough to find. If there are players of equal ability but play different positions when you make your selection, does being a point guard weigh in on your decision?
“That’s something that you have to really, really, give a lot of thought to because you wanna try and go with the best player and who’s gonna be the best player. Obviously, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were not point guards but I agree with you that it’s a very important position. This is a draft that does have a lot of point guards in it, and has some potential combo-position type guards in it.”
What are you looking for in this draft?
“The areas of the team that we would like to address are to get some more creativity, somebody that can break people down off the dribble, more size, get better rebounding the ball and defensively, and try and get some more leadership at some level out of this draft. Now, we’re not getting that all in one player – Magic Johnson is not in this draft.”
If a player didn’t work out for you, can you still draft him?
“I don’t think its a deal breaker by any means. We took Gerald Wallace without working him out… I just don’t think you can make that a determinative factor, it’s part of it, but at the end of the day I think a lot of it comes down to trusting what you’ve seen over as many games as you’ve seen these players, watching a lot of video, and talking to some extent with people that you have trust in…”
Listen to Geoff Petrie on KHTK in Sacramento with Grant and MIke
Tags: Basketball, Geoff Petrie, NBA, NBA Draft, Sacramento Kings
