NBA Draft 2012: Stroke of Luck Brings Thomas Robinson to Sacramento Kings

We have yet to see the NBA draft really shaken up by a legitimate draft-night trade, and yet there was enough shuffling in the top four picks to bafflingly push Kansas' Thomas Robinson to the Sacramento Kings and the No. 5 overall pick. Thomas could end up as the clear second-best player out of this draft class, and yet due to the Bobcats' judgment call, the Wizards' willing compromise of their options and the Cavaliers' leap to grab Dion Waiters, Robinson slid to a team that needed a quality big man to pair with DeMarcus Cousins.

Robinson and Cousins may seem like an odd pairing on first glance, but both players are flexible enough to play off of one another in a variety of interesting ways. Plus, to those worried that Cousins' head isn't quite screwed on straight: Robinson brings much of the same energy but in a far more constructive manner—an approach that would ideally rub off on his new frontcourt mate. Cousins is fantastically productive, but his incredulousness can in some cases be distracting if not disruptive. 

But more importantly, Robinson should prove to be a pretty terrific player for a team far too short on terrific players. Sacramento is putting something together around the likes of Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, Jimmer Fredette and whatever hope remains for Tyreke Evans, and Robinson complements that core nicely with consistent double-double potential. The Kings' long-term starting bigs are poised to rebound brilliantly and score creatively, and though the renovation in Sacramento is hardly complete, this was a sweet get thanks to serendipitous circumstances.