Monday, June 15th, 2009 at 8:00 am  |  31 responses

SLAMonline Mock Draft: Omri Casspi, No. 23

Importing an important piece.

by Tzvi Twersky

With the 23rd pick in the 2009 SLAMonline Mock Draft, the Sacramento Kings select…

Hey, it’s me again, popping in as the GM for the second time this first round. As you may recall (or see on the bottom of your screen), we selected Brandon Jennings with the fourth overall pick. We figure him to come in immediately and split the 48 minutes with Beno. At the off-guard spot we expect a healthy Kevin Martin, with ’Sico Garcia spelling him, to man that position nicely. We feel very confident with Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes at the PF and C spots. And rounding out the starters is Donte Green.

All of the aforementioned players are young, and we hope, up-and-coming. I mean three of those four (and Jennings doesn’t worry us at all) have performed pretty well previously. The only real concern is Donte Green. His rookie year was not what we had hoped for when we traded for him, but we still have faith in Donte. It’s with these thoughts in mind—our team has a young player at every position—that we decided to draft the man we did at this spot.

Without further ado, I would like to tell you that Omri Casspi will be a King—just not next year.

You see, drafting Casspi works for us perfectly. As you may or may not know, he plans on playing overseas for another year or two. That’s great because he’ll get to develop his game over there, playing more minutes than he would here, and of greater importance, we won’t have to pay him for a few years.

When he does come to play for the Kings we have high hopes for him. We expect the small forwaOmri Casspird to develop nicely, possibly even becoming a starter. We have had success with international small forwards before, Peja and Hedo for two, and hope that he can become the third. While not as good a shooter as either, he is more athletic than both, albeit slightly shorter at just under 6-8. Only turning 21 next week—Happy B-day, O—we see a lot of room for growth and development.

Since I’m the Kings GM and made this draft pick, you’ll probably call me a fool. But the truth is R.C Buford, the Spurs GM and a man who knows international ball, had his sights set on trying to get Casspi. That ought to add some validity to the selection for the fans out there asking who this guy is. Who is he? Only the No. 1 international player in his age group according to many scouting services. If you don’t like the pick, don’t come to Arco. We don’t need you—ehh, scratch that. Come. And bring your friends. We’ll be giving out free cowbells.

Last thing on the agenda: My only hope is that the Kings are still in Sacramento when Omri Casspi becomes the first Israeli to play in the NBA, fulfilling his dream and the dream of a small Middle Eastern country. [For more on Casspi, peep this article by Aaron Kaplowitz—Ed.]

2009 SLAMonline Mock Draft Results
Pick Team Player
1 L.A. Clippers Blake Griffin
2 Memphis Grizzlies Hasheem Thabeet
3 Oklahoma City Thunder Ricky Rubio
4 Sacramento Kings Brandon Jennings
5 Washington Wizards Jordan Hill
6 Minnesota Timberwolves Demar DeRozan
7 Golden State Warriors James Harden
8 New York Knicks Stephen Curry
9 Toronto Raptors Tyreke Evans
10 Milwaukee Bucks Jonny Flynn
11 New Jersey Nets DeJuan Blair
12 Charlotte Bobcats Terrence Williams
13 Indiana Pacers Earl Clark
14 Phoenix Suns Jrue Holiday
15 Detroit Pistons B.J. Mullens
16 Chicago Bulls Sam Young
17 Philadelphia 76ers Ty Lawson
18 Minnesota Timberwolves Eric Maynor
19 Atlanta Hawks Patty Mills
20 Utah Jazz Gerald Henderson
21 New Orleans Hornets Wayne Ellington
22 Dallas Mavericks Austin Daye
23 Sacramento Kings Omri Casspi
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  • Declan

    I don’t know anything about this guy, but I trust RC Buford knows whats up.

  • http://slamonline.com/ Ryne Nelson

    I can’t wait to see what Casspi brings to the NBA in 2010 or 2011. It’s probably a good idea that he spends the next year overseas, getting plenty of burn. He’ll be a ready-for-impact rookie when he finally arrives… and that’s something we don’t see often these days.

  • larrylegend

    we have seen in person of courtney lee, i think.

  • http://nba.com t.dot

    ya o caspi, and go maccabi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! maccabi lo yinetzaach bli caspi, aval ma ze meshanah, yesh lanoo yisaeli ba ha nba!!!!!!!!!

  • The Last Kings Fan

    I don’t really know anything about the kid, other than what youtube tells me. Can he shoot? He’s definitely athletic and can get to the rim, but I’m not sure if he can hit a jumper with a hand in his face.

  • al

    He is an very good all around basketball player, but eliyahu is still much better, i don’t know why noone is targeting him in the League.

    Tau fans will enjoy him next year

  • http://www.hoopsmanifesto.blogspot.com Jeff Fox

    I read that Casspi beat the hell out of Cub’s boy Austin Daye in predraft workouts. Even sent him to the hospital for stitches.

  • http://slamonline.com/ Franklyn Calle

    Good stuff Tzvi…looking forward to seeing Casspi develop in the years to come.

  • http://slamonline.com B. Long

    @Jeff:That suprises no one.

  • Billions

    Are the Kings moving anywere?

  • AlbertBarr

    I think the Kings will stay in Sacto…the Sternbot isnt going to let the Kings play in Vegas so my guess is gthe Maloofs will continue to try and work on the market there.

  • niQ

    any reason or link why he beat austin daye?

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  • http://nationofmillions.ca ciolkstar

    If the Spurs really like this kid we need to step up and trade for/buy someone’s mid-late first rounder. I’m sick of never doing ANYTHING through the draft.

  • Ajo

    @ niQ i dunno? I just heard maybe ish got competitive during rebounding drills or something and dudes got to scrappin a little bit. They said Casspi was fouling Daye the entire workout, and at one point busted up his lip. Daye hasn’t touch a weight set in his life so that doesn’t suprise me

  • http://www.hoopsmanifesto.blogspot.com Jeff Fox

    The scary thing is (in regards to Daye) is that Casspi isn’t a big, muscular dude by any stretch of the imagination. If you’re getting bullied by him, what are veteran NBA players going to do to you?

  • http://nationofmillions.ca ciolkstar

    ^ kill him, destroy his confidence, fix him to the bench, etc…

  • http://www.hoopsmanifesto.blogspot.com Jeff Fox

    Where’s Cub when Daye needs him the most!!

  • http://nbacheapseats.blogspot.com Chendaddy

    From everything I’ve heard, Casspi sounds like a good talent. My only question is, when he’s done with his contract in Europe, will he have become so good that he’ll just sign another bigger contract with a European club instead of come over and play on the mandatory but comparatively meager rookie salary for a 23rd pick (i.e. what Tiago Splitter did to San Antonio). But this guy probably won’t be around in the 2nd round, when clubs can sign their picks to ridiculous Goran Dragic contracts, so it’s not a bad gamble.

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    This is the kind of selection that makes you wonder why Tyler Hansborough is still on the table, and why no one will hear or see thsi kid play in the NBA and why Tyler will have an 11 yr career and make 2 allstar teams selections…
    WHERES TYLER?
    Sure, since the 14th pick I haven’t even LOOKED at this thread – I’ve been holidaying in Cairns (far north QLD of Australia) and watching the NBA Finals – but this is getting beyond the joke. Now Players are being mock-drafted and not even getting a mock-run on a speculative mock-season for next mock year?!?!?
    Get the mock out of here.

  • Steve

    Good call Dacre. Our mock drafters are still trying to hit home runs with these picks. Some will connect, most will not. Meanwhile there are plenty of solid players available that will help a team win from day one. I don’t see Hansborough being an all-star mind you (David Lee is his ceiling I think) but whichever team gets him will be damn happy that they did.

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    Kings will draft him, play him a little, he leaves plays better in Orlando with a more freestyle offense and becomes a key free agent in the future, that a lot of teams will want. Sounds like they are drafting Hedo again.

  • http://nbacheapseats.blogspot.com Chendaddy

    Steve, I agree with you, but it is a weak draft and a down economy. If you’re not in love with any player, why not draft a potential star from overseas who will be paid by some other organization to develop for the next two years. If he doesn’t seem like he’s panning out after then, you don’t sign him. Better than getting stuck with paying Gerald Green for three years. Hansborough can definitely come in and help a lot of teams right away, but what exactly is a failure like Sacramento supposed to do with a high-energy role player off the bench? A contender like Cleveland or San Antonio could really use him. That being said, I agree it would be nice to see more mock GM’s make smart decisions for the current year instead of constantly trying to hit home runs behind this “always draft for potential!” defense.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Cub Buenning

    Sorry so late to this party.

    Workouts/combines are not for me.
    I wanna see them play basketball.

    I like austin daye but I have always thought should go back to school.

  • Steve

    Its all about accumulating pieces Chendaddy. As you point out Hansborough would be a valuable player on a contender. Is Cassipi as likely to be? I think there is more of a question mark when looked at through that prism. So if the Kings are likely to suck for the next few years anyway aren’t they better off having players that (a) cumulatively might attract decent free agents and (b) really help the team contend if they hit the jackpot with a high pick further down the road? Would the Bulls have made such a huge jump with Rose if the players they already had were a bunch of soft Europeans or worse a bunch of soft Europeans still playing in Europe?!? I won’t even go there with Darko/Melo in Detroit either.

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  • Jake C

    Crazy good call on the pick

  • el gee

    Ha, that is sick that you guys called that!, as usual when you need a source THAT ACTUALLY KNOWS THEIR STUFF look no further than SLAM. keep on doing what u do guys.

  • tee gee

    As an Israeli who had the opportunity to follow up on Casspi up close I would have to say that he is definitely worth the buck and can contribute to an NBA team in some fashion as a role player even right now. Unlike many other European players who were drafted solely based on their potential, Casspi Has been playing with a Contender in the Euroleage and faced the highest level of Veteran competition in Europe. Experience wise, it is a much tougher competition than any collegiate competition. In that respect, I can assure you that Casspi’s experience was more significant in getting him drafted in the 1st round rather than pure potential. He is not your typical European and his game is based on penetration and fast breaks. If he bulks up a bit and refines his outside shooting he could be ferocious.

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