I think the odds that he didn’t work out for the Kings AND that he has a promise from them are virtually nil - I’ve never heard of a team promising a guy they haven’t seen with their own eyeballs. I’d think it’s more likely he has a promise from someone else (who he has worked out for) and the mocks just haven’t adjusted (or the promise is from a team lower than the kings).
That said, this is the Kings.
I love envisioning that Franz is being savvy by not working out for the Kings but targeting workouts with teams that he would like to play for. GS🤞🏽?
There was a cool segment in Bill Simmons’ mock draft podcast where Tjarks basically talked Simmons and the group into Franz being the right pick at 7 for the Warriors.
Kings should have a better future than they’ve ever had. Fox and Haliburton are a pretty awesome backcourt. Still stuck with Luke Walton as their coach though…
Vecenie just updated his Mock. Still has Franz going to Kings (see below), and Livers going 47 to Toronto in Round 2.
“ 9. Sacramento Kings
This doesn’t change from the most recent mock. I wouldn’t say this pick is a done deal necessarily, as the Kings are thought to be somewhat active in trade discussions. But Wagner is a terrific defender who would go to a team that desperately needs more defensive play. Three things have consistently come up when discussing what the Kings are thinking with sources around the league. First, that they would love to take a bigger wing/forward. Second, that defense is important to them in this pick. And third, that analytics will play a bigger role here than in other situations league-wide, given Monte McNair’s background and ownership’s emphasis on being data-driven. Wagner is the guy that ticks all the boxes there as a 6-foot-9 player with real defensive acumen who is actually younger than quite a few of the one-and-dones in this class. He’s seen as likely at this point to hear his name called somewhere between No. 8 and 10, given the three teams making picks here.”
Yeah, of the places he’s mentioned to, I think GS would provide the most opportunity to let him have the ball and flash his passing skills. Steph is arguably the least ball-dominant elite scorer in NBA history, and works out of isolation less than almost anyone who scores at his level. Draymond is generally the guy with the ball, so I think Franz could slot into that system with an opportunity to do those sorts of things. GS’s organizational strength is generally over-stated (so much of their success relies upon Steph being so injured in his first few years he signed a wildly below-market extension, and then the 1 year cap spike that made them able (along with Steph’s deal) to sign Durant), but they are no Kings.
In Sacramento, he’d obviously play with the ball less, as they have a primary and secondary on-ball option.
@kturnup - I think Fox is good, definitely. I think he tops out as a low-end all-star in the west. Haliburton is definitely a good player, but he really doesn’t strike me as a guy who is a #2 on a good team (he had an 18% usage), he’s more of a fill-in-the-blanks sort of guy with few weaknesses. So, it’s weird to me that the Kings seem intent to acquire role players to surround the two guards - they need another star (admittedly, finding a star at 9 is hard, and maybe Franz will be one, but they’re discussing him as a 3-D guy to surround their backcourt). In short - proceeding as if Haliburton is a star is, I think, a pretty bad mistake.
It doesn’t help that Vivek is often lauded as “the worst owner in the league”.
Oh huh, had no idea Sharife shot 82% from the line. His AST% is outrageous too. Not sure if I would push him up my half assed board.
I do like Spinger. Want my Hawks to look at him at 20. Much prefer him to his teammate Keon Johnson
I wonder which big boards have Cade Cunningham 6th and Vrenz Bleijenbergh 8th
Skip Bayless’
And Josh Christopher at 9.
Gotta be someone who didn’t update their board since preseason
I think folks are way more concerned w/ Christopher’s baggage than his output. He had an as good or better freshman year than many of the upperclassmen he’s being mocked behind. And it’s an open Q how much to care about that baggage, but I think giving it very little or zero weight isn’t completely bananas.
It’s very hard to work the word “fraud” into a pun surrounding Vrenz Bleijenbergh’s name, so this scans.
What are your examples for that?
Or you mean his freshman year was better than their freshman year?
Right, comparing freshman years. Although I think you can make a case for at least a few comparing 2021 seasons or careers.
The ones that weigh NBA potential equally with Scrabble Word Score. The +18 points for the Z and the J are hard to pass up.
Username checks out…
It was your mock draft wasnt it?