2010 NBA Draft: The Sacramento Kings Roster Transformation Continues

David Stern nimbly walked up to the podium, and informed the rest of the country what all of Sacramento already knew. "With the fifth pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings select DeMarcus Cousins..."

At a Kings draft party held at ARCO Arena, Sacramento mayor and former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson, King's Vice President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie, head coach Paul Westphal and co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof spoke at length with approximately 2,000 Kings fans about what the franchise had in store for them with the fifth pick in the 2010 Draft.

Fans that made the trek to ARCO Arena made it very clear to the Kings brass the Kentucky freshman DeMarcus Cousins was who they wanted. Mayor Kevin Johnson polled the crowd for which prospect they most wanted in a King's uniform and came back with a landslide victory for Cousins. Johnson had the line of the night, "..last year, Geoff Petrie didn't listen to who you guys wanted, and he turned out to be the Rookie of the Year!"

Geoff Petrie aptly compared the anticipation of his turn to draft to waiting for a baby to be born. Minutes later coach Westphal piggybacked that by saying, "it's like waiting for a really, really big baby."

Really big indeed. The Kings, who throughout Petrie's tenure as general manager have so frequently opted to draft the offensively skilled, physically challenged prospects, have seemingly adopted an entirely new philosophy. Last year, the Kings chose the physical specimen in Tyreke Evans over finesse point guard Ricky Rubio. And yesterday, Sacramento passed over Greg Monroe and his perceived soft label in favor of another bona fide bad ass in DeMarcus Cousins.

Analysts across the country have praised the Kings for taking a calculated risk. Coupling Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans with a 19 year old center, who by all accounts is ready to step in from minute one in the NBA and contribute, has people viewing Sacramento in the same light as the Oklahoma City Thunder last year.

Cousins' red flags have been well documented. There are concerns he is uncoachable and immature. Petrie spoke directly to these concerns after selecting DeMarcus. He came away impressed with the young man's gifts on the court, as well as his demeanor off of it throughout the process. They spoke with all of Cousin's coaches and heard glowing reviews. Of course there is the possibility that Cousins doesn't fulfill his limitless potential, but the Kings considered the prospect of him eventually becoming a 20-10 guy too much to pass up.

Nineteen year old big men who produce the way DeMarcus Cousins did in college, especially in only twenty three minutes a game, don't get drafted fifth overall. They are no questions asked the first name off the board. It's the perceived red flags that brought him to Sacramento, and now it's ultimately up to Cousins to decide if he'll become a multiple All-Star like a Tim Duncan or a should've been like a Derrick Coleman.

To start the 2009-10 campaign, the Kings trotted out arguably one of the youngest and least talented frontcourts in the entire league. Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson, Sean May, and Kenny Thomas. Once the opposition got past their man on the perimeter, a red carpet got rolled out all the way to the basket. Layups and dunks surrendered aplenty.

Ten months later, the Kings frontline couldn't look more different. Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson and the two incoming rookies give the Kings more length and ability than they've had since (gasp) Chris Webber and Vlade Divac were winning 55+ games every year earlier this decade. The Lakers come to mind immediately, but who has more size than the Kings going forward?

Rebounding and shot blocking have been the weaknesses of this franchise for much of their 25 years in Sacramento. I'd argue that these two categories are now our biggest strengths.

Second round choice Hassan Whiteside is considered a project big man, but he has the physical gifts and tools to make a nice career for himself in this league. Whiteside was projected by some accounts to be taken in the lottery, so Sacramento was absolutely thrilled to swipe him with the 33rd pick. In his rookie season, it is going to be extremely difficult for him to get on the floor. There just will not be enough minutes to feed all these exquisitely talented big men.

But by season's end, Samuel Dalembert will become an unrestricted free agent. Additionally, Whiteside will get the opportunity to learn a great deal from Dalembert on what it takes to stay out of foul trouble while still remaining as a nuisance in the lane.

Former Georgetown coach John Thompson said it best in reference to DeMarcus Cousins, and his perceived baggage. "You can calm down a fool before you can resurrect a corpse."

With a reasonable amount of salary cap space still available, and the roster no longer hampered with any abysmal contracts, the Sacramento King's future looks incredibly bright. The Kings are still a few pieces away from returning to the playoffs, and ultimately, contention, but certainly DeMarcus Cousins is a big piece.