Casspi: Making History

In the early hours of June 26 in Israel, Omri Casspi celebrated history with his family, friends and country.

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Draftees Press Conference Quotes

Geoff Petrie Opening Statement:
“He (Tyreke Evans) was the best freshman in college last year. He’s just a tremendous prospect. And Jon (Brockman)… One of my favorite Van Morrison songs is a song called “Cleaning Windows.” There’s a line in there: “I’m just a working man in my prime cleaning windows.” So I hope he cleans some glass down here for the Kings. It’s great to have him. He was the leading rebounder the last two years in the Pac-10. He brings a tremendous work ethic with him.”

Gavin Maloof Opening Statement:
“It’s a great day for the Kings organization, for our family, for Geoff and the community. We feel that we are on the right track and we have nothing but upside for the Sacramento Kings. You have a great couple of athletes up here in Jon and Tyreke that can really turn this franchise around. I think I got a little too excited yesterday because I got an ulcer. Literally. So, I am going to have to just take it easy for a little while. I told Tyreke, I really got excited. The whole town is on fire. No pressure though. He said he could handle it. Again, welcome to the Kings organization, it is a great day for all of our fans and we are glad to have you.”
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Draft Quotes: Petrie, Westphal

After the 2009 NBA Draft, Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie and Head Coach Paul Westphal had the following to say about the team’s Draft picks:

Petrie

On Kings #4 Draft Pick Tyreke Evans:
“We think he’s a great, great prospect and has a chance to develop into a real star. He was the best freshman in the country this year. He led his team to 27 straight wins as a point guard. He has great potential at the defensive end because of his length and his physical presence out there. I think another great thing about this is from the time we interviewed him onto the workouts, he always was very consistent in his desire to come to Sacramento and that was really his number one choice, as well. I think the fans are just going to love watching this kid play and develop and he’ll be a multi-position player, I think, as things go along, so we’re really excited about it.”

On what separated Evans from the rest of the guards in the 2009 NBA Draft:
“I just think his size, he’s 6’5”, 220 pounds, and he’s a real freight train in the open court. He’s certainly still developing some as an overall point guard and his shooting needs to get better, which is true with a lot of players when they first come into the League. But it’s, just again, an assessment of his overall talent level. He’s now just 19 years old, going on 20, and there’s a lot of growth left in his future, as well. We’re really, really excited about it.”

On how Evans will fit in with the Kings:
“I think he’s going to come in and play minutes. He’s going to play at the point and certainly Coach Westphal will have a lot more to say about this since he’ll be the guy making that decision. He was by far and away his (Westphal) first choice for the kind of team that he envisions and the kind of pieces that we all want to add. He’s a great rebounder for a guard as well, so I just think he’s going to contribute in a lot of areas.”

Petrie Quotes from Post-Draft Press Conference

“Today, as most of you know already, with the fourth pick in the Draft, we took Tyreke Evans. We think he has a chance to become just a great player in the League. He’s got great size, played point guard this year for Memphis. He was the best freshman in the country. He’s been a superlative player from high school on. I think he’s going to give us additional presence out there physically and at the defensive end. During our evaluations, he just continued to surface as somebody who has the potential to be just truly, truly an outstanding player, a multi-position player. We’re really excited about getting him.”

“We took Omri Casspi at the 23rd pick who played in Israel this past year. He averaged 12 points a game. He’s very long, very active and very aggressive and tough. He pretty much has a good all-around game. He really improved his three-point shooting this year over there. He can really run and get up and down the court.”

“We also made a transaction with Portland where we sent the 31st pick to Portland for Sergio Rodriguez, the 38th pick and some cash considerations. Sergio was a back up point guard primarily for the Blazers last year. He played about 15 minutes a game. He’ll give us some additional depth there.”

“Then with the 38th pick we took Jon Brockman who has led the Pac-10 in rebounding the last two years. He’s averaging about 11.5 points a game. He’s another incredibly hard worker and competitor, just like Tyreke and Omri. So I think competitively and in terms of some additional adding in some physical toughness and aggressiveness out on the court, all three of these players are going to bring that to the Kings.”

On Evans and the other players Petrie was considering:
“It continued through the workouts, bundle that in with previous scouting, his age, his performance in college this year and the fact that he has a chance to be a multi-position player and he was physically, clearly ready to play. He wanted to be here and he was just too good of a talent to pass on.”

On passing on Rubio:
“We wanted to take who we thought was the best player available. No one player is going to fill every need that we have in this Draft. Ricky Rubio is a fine player. Jonny Flynn is a fine player. There were a lot of fine players in there that will have good NBA careers. We just felt that Tyreke was the best player for us.”

On the importance of seeing Evans in a second workout:
“That was helpful. To see somebody compete in a really competitive setting against other really fine players, he was really good. To the extent that you can be good in an individual workout, he was very good in that as well.”

On Evans disclosing during an interview that he is a dominant player and the effect it had on the Kings decision:
“It’s part of it; it’s not the only part. That’s always part of it. He was dominant in some other workouts around the League that we weren’t at. Sure that’s part of the evaluation, but there’s a lot of other information there and we saw him play a ton. We interviewed these players and did a lot of work on them.”

On how NBA-ready Evans is:
“I think he’s ready to play minutes, yeah. I think he’s going to make a contribution. I know Paul is thrilled to have him. Again, he’s going to give us a chance to have a big guard out there that can handle, that can break people down, you can post him. Defensively, he has a chance to be an outstanding defender with his length and his size and his strength. His shooting needs to improve; I think that’s pretty common knowledge. The talented guys that come in here, their shooting usually does need to get better.”

On if Petrie considers Evans to be a point guard:
“He considers himself a point guard. They put him at point guard at Memphis this year and they won 27 games in a row. Does he have to get better at point guard? Absolutely. But he thinks of himself as a point guard.”

On if Casspi is ready to play immediately:
“I think as a competitor and with his size, he’s a big, long, very athletic player who is a very tough player. He has a pretty good skill set. I think he can play some minutes, yes. How many we’ll have to see. I don’t like getting into talking about minutes because I’m not the guy who’s going to decide that.”

On the situation involving Tyreke’s cousin:
“We did extensive background checks by outside people on quite a few players in this Draft because of where we were picking, independent people. It was interesting, in Chicago, one of the interview questions for all of the players was, ‘What’s the biggest adversity you’ve had to overcome in your life?’ Some people might duck that, but he was very upfront about it. He talked about the situation and explained it and all the things that went on around it. He was very upfront and candid about it.”

On excitement of adding Rodriguez to backcourt:
“It gives us more depth there and the fact that he did play 15 minutes a game on a very good team and played 80 games. He’s been in the League a bit, coming up on his fourth year, and he gives you some depth. Ideally, you’d like to have three point guards on your team and they can all play some.”

On being pleased with the options he had:
“I think going into it we talked about adding another small forward, and I think Casspi can play there. As time goes on, he’s going to be pretty versatile in terms of how he’s out there. With Brockman we added some rebounding. With Tyreke we added what a lot of media covering the event outside of here thought was the second best player in the Draft.”

On other NBA players that resemble Tyreke:
“That’s really tough. You do that and you’re putting some kind of monkey on a guy’s back. He’ll be Tyreke Evans, that’s who he’ll be.”

On how big of a factor the defensive element was in drafting Tyreke:
“We weren’t a good defensive team last year. He’s a big guard who is going to be able to guard and give us some physical presence out there. Paul can talk more about this, because he’s talked about it a lot. But the ability to have two big guards out there at the same time gives you some options defensively that you don’t have otherwise.”

How confident were you with the 4th pick that he was going to be there?
“You never know until you come to your final rankings with what you’d like to do, even though there are only two teams in front of you. You have to be prepared for things that can happen after that.”

On free agency:
“I think we need to add some additional, and Paul can talk about this too, size up front. We have 12 players technically on our roster right now who will probably be contract players. If we can add another one or two, but certainly one or two of them has to have some additional size in the front court.”

On Ike Diogu:
“Well, we’re not allowed to talk about free agents until July 1. We will talk about that then.”

~~~

Westphal

“It was a good day for the Kings today. It was a really good day. I’ve been in a lot of war rooms, and there’s always tension, quick decisions, phone calls and how do we handle this and how do we handle that. I just want to say that under Geoff (Petrie), Joe and Gavin (Maloof), this group was ready. When the split decisions came, we made the right decisions in a lot of different cases. It was really fun to be on the inside and have things go the way you planned. You come away with three players that fulfill the objectives of what we went in there today to do, which was to add toughness at several positions and to upgrade our team, and we did that. It was a very good day, and I’m just thrilled with what we’ve added to our team.”

On if the Draft went the way he expected:
“It always throws you a few curveballs, but the way it went, we got guys who can help in the areas that we wanted to address.”

On how happy he is with Tyreke Evans:
“He was the guy we wanted. The first 15 minutes of the Draft, that was the toughest because we were just scared to death that something was going to happen that would change the scenario that would allow him to come to us. We sweated every second. There was nothing we could do, and when Oklahoma (City) said (James) Harden, it was a good pick for them, but it got us the guy we wanted.”

On the decision making process:
“I had my say and it was part of the decision making process. The final decision is always Geoff, with a possibility of the Maloofs deciding different, that’s the hierarchy. But the good thing is we were on the same page with these decisions. A lot of times, when things happen fast, that isn’t always the case. Everybody has their say and you weigh the pros and cons, and Geoff is really good at cutting through it and getting to the important part of what the decision is going to be and then acting. It was really nice.”

On whether having a player who can beat their man off the dribble and create was an appealing factor in drafting Tyreke:
“That was one of them. The thing that is the most appealing about him is he’s the most well-rounded guard in the Draft, in my opinion. All these players that went in the first round, the point guards, they have a lot of strengths, a lot of good things. Everybody has a few things you wish they would do better. But when you just grade the players from the defensive end of the ball, the ability to guard the post, the ability to post up themselves, the ability to penetrate, get their teammates involved, just the whole package, when you grade what you need for someone to be a complete player and bring toughness to your team, it was really a very clear cut choice.”

On if he expects Evans to play point guard:
“I expect him to play point guard. Basketball is always on the merit system. I’ll believe whatever my eyes tell me when everybody has a chance to compete for a spot. But, we expect big things from him.”

On Evans’ size:
“That was a big part. I can see him getting a rebound and coming up on the run, and he’s a big guy. In some ways there may be some guys who take a charge on him, but it’s like Charles Barkley used to say, ‘They’ll take one charge on me, they won’t take two.’ I think that people are going to be aware of his progress as he dribbles up the floor. He’s a big train.”

On Evans’ leadership abilities:
“I think that he is a good leader now. I think as he learns the League, and gets more and more comfortable, he’ll be a very good leader. He’s just had success everywhere he’s been as a basketball player. One of the things I like about him is he understands the importance of the defensive end. He doesn’t think he’s too good to play defense. He wants to be considered an outstanding basketball player in all phases. I think he will improve his outside shooting. If you could drive to the basket like he can, you wouldn’t settle for a lot of threes either. He’s got a gift of taking the ball to the hoop. I think he’ll be a very good post up player too, which will give us another option when teams play smaller point guards. He’s shown he can guard them pretty well. We’ll test them at the other end and put him at the post. I think he’s got some real skills there. “

On Sergio Rodriguez fitting in with the Kings:
“We’ll find out. He played an important backup role at Portland. As we get used to him, and he gets used to our system, we’ll find out how that could grow. He’s a proven pro, he’s a useful player and at the very worst, will supply us depth at that position.”

On what Omri Casspi brings to the Kings:
“He’s very athletic. He’s long, he’s a 6’9” small forward who’s very mobile and a good ball handler, and more than anything, he is tough. We were looking at some other tough guys at that three spot to pick with that choice and our scouts who really studied him and watched him play, I asked them, ‘Was he tough?’ and they said, ‘Yeah, he’s tough.’ And you can just see it. He’s somebody who can guard, and I think as he learns the League, he will be able to guard and matchup very well with the athletic threes in this League. He’s a good runner, he’s a good rebounder and I think he’s a player who has a lot of versatility. He’s long and athletic, too.”

On obtaining players who play competitively:
“That was what we were after in this Draft. We wanted competitive people. We wanted to improve three positions. We wanted to get some help inside. Even though there weren’t very many big people in the Draft, Jon Brockman is, if not the best, he’s one of the top three rebounders in the Draft. So, we addressed that and nobody’s ever kicked sand in his face and said he’s not tough. Omri Casspi is somebody who’s got a reputation as being somebody who really, really competes. I think Tyreke’s reputation and size to back it up is above reproach in those areas. Competitiveness is one of the most important skills in having success in the NBA. We want people, when they play the Kings, to walk away saying ‘Those guys, win or lose, those guys are tough. They go down fighting. If they go down, you have to put them away. They’re not going to die.’ We added three guys with heart today.”

Draft Quotes: Evans, Casspi, Brockman

The Sacramento Kings newest additions had the following to say after the 2009 NBA Draft:

Memphis point guard Tyreke Evans (4th overall)

On his excitement level leading up to being selected:
“I’d say from 1-10, it’s probably a 10. I’m very excited it’s over with. I know where I’m going, I love Sacramento, it’s nice out there and I’m looking forward to playing.”

On what he’ll bring to the Kings:
“I’m going to bring a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy, a lot of heart out there and try to play hard every night and win as many games as I can.”

On which position he feels most comfortable with right now:
“I get that question asked a lot. I just tell them I’m a basketball player. If the coach wants me to play the point guard, I can play the point guard position. If they want me to play the two, I can play the two. So it doesn’t matter to me.”

On his general thoughts and going number four to Sacramento:
“I worked so hard to get here, and now it is here. Sacramento is a great place to play, and I am just really excited.”

On doing the second workout with the Kings:
“I thought that they were pretty interested in me, and I knew there were a couple of guys they were looking at and I was one of them. I was willing to do whatever it takes to get there. When I went to Sacramento individually, I shot the ball well, and when I went there for my second workout with the other top point guards, they said that I was a lot stronger and physical. I know that I can get to the basket whenever I want, and I think that is what sealed the deal.”

On his workout with the other guards:
“I felt that I was a bit more advanced. I had a lot of advantage in my size, my strength and length. When I jump and they jump, I am jumping over them and had a lot of advantage over those guards.”

On what made him think Sacramento was the place for him to be:
“I thought it would be a good fit for me and they are young. They are trying to build something together. With me coming in, I think I can bring a lot in scoring, passing and being a good teammate. We can get back on track this year and win some games.”

On how he will fit and if he can run a team:
“I’m good at either position (point guard or shooting guard). I played point guard at Memphis and shooting guard in high school. I know how to play them well. If you put the ball in my hands, I can play the point. I think I will do well in that role and also at the wing.”

On how he would characterize today and the emotions involved:
“We thought this was a crazy Draft this year because we didn’t know who was going where. It was a fun process, and at the end of the day I am happy and smiling, so that is the best part.”

On if he feels ready for the NBA after being a standout college player:
“I feel like I can come in here and compete. I have been playing against older guys my entire life, so I’m comfortable. I have played against a few NBA players this year. I think that I can go in there and be ready.”

On his leadership and getting teammates on the same page:
“If I am out there playing point guard, I’ll be talking to the guys and speaking up, letting myself and everyone know what we should do. I just want to get in there, bring it together and try to win a lot of games.”

On his message to Kings fans:
“Come out and watch us this year, Kings fans, it’s going to be an exciting season. We’ll be fun to watch and I’ll be fun to watch this year, and keep cheering.”

Maccabi Elite forward Omri Casspi (23rd overall)

On being drafted:
“It is a big event, a big surprise for me, my family and my country. It is something that I, my family and country have waited for a long time to happen. I am the first Israeli to be drafted in the first round, and it is a historical day. It is everything for me. I am so happy right now. No one can even imagine. I cried like a baby, and it is something I try not to do a lot, but I am just happy to be in this position and to come to this team. I hope to make the team better.”

On if he will be a passionate and energetic player:
“I am going to do everything that it takes. I am going to bring a lot to this team and do everything that this team needs me to do to be successful. I want to do what is best for the team.”

On where he thought he’d fall in the Draft:
“I can’t tell you exactly because I really didn’t know, but I know I had very good workouts in the three weeks I was in the U.S. against a lot of good players. The Draft is crazy because you don’t know where you are going to go and everyone is watching. You just want to hear your name and then I heard David Stern say my name. I can’t say that I was surprised. It was more like a dream come true. It is big for me and it is big for my country. I feel very blessed to be in this position right now.”

On the time it was in Israel:
“It is actually 6:30 in the morning. I didn’t get any sleep. Everyone was at my house, all my friends, family and some media. I don’t think I am going to sleep much before I come to Sacramento. I think I am going to get some sleep on the flight.”

On playing in the NBA next season:
“Yes, definitely that is the plan. I know Sacramento needs players to come in and help — to play good from the beginning and that is my goal. That was my goal from the beginning. I am excited about it.”

On joining the Kings:
“I worked out with the Kings in June, and I figured I had a good shot there. For me, whenever people ask me about it, I just say the same thing, I am just happy to come to the NBA. I want to show I can play and I can develop to become a good player. I want to do the best for the team. Now that Sacramento chose me, I feel like it is the best place for me to play. I know that they want me and that they appreciate my skills, my toughness and all the things I can bring to the team. It is going to be a great place to play and to develop. I am just happy.”

Washington forward Jon Brockman (38th overall)

On the excitement of being drafted:
“It is a dream come true to have your name called during the Draft. I’m really looking forward to staying in Sacramento and on the West Coast and playing with AAU teammate and college teammate, Spencer Hawes.”

On his game:
“I’m just a tough-nosed rebounder who gives all out energy when he’s on the floor. I’m a really physical basketball player.”

On what he knows about the Kings current roster:
“I was down there for a weekend and got to watch a couple of games. I haven’t really looked into the roster too much, but I met a couple of players and got to know them. I enjoyed being down there and had fun hanging out with Spencer. I’m happy to be there.”

On how long he’s known Kings center Spencer Hawes:
“I think we’ve known each other since Spencer was in 7th grade and I was in 8th grade, so I’ve known Spencer for a long time.”

On his familiarity of playing with Hawes:
“We workout together nearly everyday in the summer and the off-season. When we played together in college, we had that connection because of when we played in AAU. We play really well together. We know each other’s tendencies. It’s definitely an advantage to play with someone who you’ve spent a lot of time playing with in the backyard and practicing for AAU games.”

On rebounding and toughness:
“Most of rebounding is a desire to want to go and get the ball, not being afraid to go through elbows to get the ball. That’s the way I play and approach the game.”

On his familiarity with Coach Paul Westphal:
“I’m very excited. I watched him coach for a long time, and I know my college coach knows him. I’m very excited and looking forward to playing for him.”

On his message to Kings fans:
“Get ready. There were a lot of moves with three players coming in who are really going to help out, bring a lot of effort and whatever additions the team needed. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and being a part of Sacramento.”

Kings Excited About Evans

Outside a celebratory Sacramento Kings “War Room,” President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie had the following to say about the team’s choice of guard Tyreke Evans with the 4th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft: Read more

Invite and Interview

What’s up Kings fans?

I just want to invite you all out to the Draft Party at ARCO Arena on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. We have the fourth pick and two other picks following that so it should be a lot of fun to see the new pieces added to the puzzle.

I’ve been working hard this off-season between the East Coast and Sacramento. Check out what I’ve been up to in my Kings.com sit-down interview.

Hope to see you all at the party!

Pre-Draft Circus

Hey Kings fans!

It’s been a great day here in New York City! I have to admit, the time change has been a little blip on my radar. I tried to get up at 8:30 a.m., and kept hitting snooze until 9 a.m., considering I was up at 4 a.m. West Coast time yesterday, I think I deserved to sleep in until 6 a.m. this morning! Read more

Listen to Geoff Petrie and Paul Westphal

Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie joined Grant Napear and Mike Lamb and Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal joined Carmichael Dave on KHTK to discuss the 2009 NBA Draft.
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Kings Fans Mock 31 2.0

The first returns of the Kings Fans Mock 31 landed the team: 4) Brandon Jennings, Lottomatica Roma point guard, 23) Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina forward and 31) DaJuan Summers, Georgetown forward in the 2009 NBA Draft.

With Draft week upon us, Full Court Press once again asks, who do you have in the Top 31?
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Rubio Workout Wrap

Ricky Rubio just completed a one-hour workout and agility test at the Kings training facility. A number of Kings basketball operations staff members, including President Geoff Petrie and Head Coach Paul Westphal, were on hand to watch the workout conducted by one of Rubio’s representatives with assistance from Kings staff. Kings Strength and Conditioning Coach Daniel Shapiro also took Rubio through a standardized strength, speed and agility test given to all Draft prospects.

Kings play-by-play announcer Grant Napear will interview Geoff Petrie live tomorrow at 1:00pm PST on Kings.com. Grant will primarily talk to Geoff about the upcoming NBA Draft as well as other Kings basketball topics.

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