Kings Owner Vivek Ranadive overrules his front office by selecting Nik Stauskas in the 2014 NBA draft with the 8th pick
Always good when the owner overrules the peoples who’s job it is to make the picks
Until the owner wants Luka, but steps aside to let their GM select Marvin Bagley. Kill me.
Hey that’s good that he learned his lesson from the Nik situation!
it shows character growth
Sauce Castillo had to happen to prevent us from getting Luka and being relevant
Yall had a beam season. That was fun.
How’s that guy doing these days anyway. Is he good for your team?
To Vivek’s credit, if you look at who the king’s professionals have chosen, you’d probably trust your own judgement too.
it was his judgement to hire that front office though…
Nah, the guy(Vivek) who suggested permanent cherry picking as a viable nba strategy should be trusted over no one
As far as I can find they were going to select Elfrid Payton. He had a marginally better NBA career. It’s not like they passed on someone they realistically might have taken there that ended up being a star.
He hired those professionals tf you mean LMAO wtf
Yea there wasn’t much better after that. Noone was hitting on joker.
Cries in Deandre Ayton
I will never forget listening to 98.7 and Igor basically begging for the Suns to draft Luka. Then, he was fired a couple of days later…
He was fired after Ayton/Luka’s rookie season.
Because of that lol?
Yeah, whatever you’re referring to is BS. Igor did not “beg the Suns to draft Luka”. Igor himself said that while he liked Doncic, he had little input into the draft decision as he was a rookie head coach. It was our GM, Ryan McDonough that was vocal/pushing hard for Luka but ownership (Sarver) wanted Ayton and overruled him/mandated that we draft Ayton.
Those tears are dominayton your face.
Humiliayton
At least we made the finals, and he was an important piece in that. The Kings got absolutely nothing out of that draft. Arguably would have been better to not have a pick, early rookie picks are expensive if they are so bad they shouldn’t be playing.
i mean it looked amazing for like a few seasons
Cries in James Wiseman
Two Timelines is still alive IDAF (In Moses Moody We Trust)
Never forget he wanted the team to play full court press defense because it worked well in his daughter’s kids league basketball
I was remembering that while watching the video. I hate youth coaches who do that shit. Congrats, you won. Your players and your opponents learned nothing, and you ensured the kids on the other team had no fun.
Brother he wanted the team to use snow-birding as a permanent defensive scheme bc he coached his daughter’s youth league to a championship that way
That’s he’s paying hefty salaries to.
Paying people for their expertise to tell them to sit in a corner and shut up because you know better. Well…save your money or get your advantage because you’re doing neither. Shit or get off the pot fucking dumbass. Worst owner in sports IMBiasedO
Don’t hire a dog then bark yourself
I mean, it sounds like those people who’s job was making picks wanted to draft Elfrid Payton…so?
I watched the full video. The analysts presenting their data thought stauskas too if Philly wasn’t willing to trade their pick for embiid
Then again he’s overruling the people that were picked by Vivek and can you really trust his judgement in staff
But without that we would have never gotten epic moments like Nik rocks chants
owner picks nik stauskas at 8th instead of the front office
The problem is the owner also picked the front office
Bro he was arguably right though payten was a bum too, and allegedly right about Luka too.
Damn, they’d be champions today if they drafted Elfrid Payton
Or imagine if Zach Lavine played for the Kings, they’d do so well
God damn, that draft class was asss cheeks
The draft that gave us Embiid and Jokic?
Edit: Also had Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, Marcus Smart, Clint Capella, Kyle Anderson, Zach Lavine, Andrew Wiggins, and Jordan Clarkson. You know, guys who have all been starters and even All Stars at points?
Nephews showing their age here
Jabari Parker was a beast too. Would have been a perennial all star if he didn’t suffer multiple ACL tears in the same knee.
his mentality and lack of effort on the defensive end were a problem.
Also a former King
Chill. That’s the Thanasis draft.
2 MVPs (Embiid, Jokic) +3 All-Stars (Randle, Lavine, Wiggins) + 1 DPOY (Smart) + several 10 year veterans like Gordon, Capela, Grant, Dinwiddie, Nurkic, Gary Harris, Clarkson, Kyle Anderson.
That is definitely an above average draft
The fact Jokic was drafted during a Taco Bell commercial will never stop being funny.
In terms of other hilarious draft moments in retrospect, another of my favorites is all the Pacers fans calling the front office stupid and idiotic for drafting Reggie Miller instead of Steve Alford.
Even though the draft class didn’t live up to the hype, it is still considered one of the best in the past 20 years.
Seriously, this is not an example of the owner screwing the franchise. Unless Vivek was talking them out of Jokic, it wasn’t going to change the franchise.
Tbf Payton’s first half of the season in the league was better than Stauskas’ entire career
Exactly, who else was on the table. Looks like that entire FO is ass!
That’s what I wondered. There weren’t really any franchise altering players picked in the immediate aftermath, and Jokic wasn’t projected to be anything resembling the player we know today
As a Michigan/Stauskas fan, it really sucked to see how his NBA career went.
44% from 3 in NCAA, 35% in the NBA. I didn’t necessarily think he was 8th pick good, but I thought at the time that he would be a solid player.
Duncan had the career I thought stauskas would have
Oh, Duncan Robinson….
They meant Duncan Idaho. They thought Stauskas would be stabbed in a hallway
Kings could benefit from a ghola of Duncan Robinson right now (even if the original is still around)
Actually yeah, that’s a really solid way of putting it.
Been playing NBA 2K17 my league recently Stauskas developed into a 20 PPG player (with my help) Go Blue 〽️
I remember watching him during March Madness, dude’s a killer. I wonder why it didn’t translate to the next.
Defenses and defenders are better.
But my father in law who only watches college basketball says they don’t play defense in the NBA
Because he was drafted by the Kings. Dude’s development stalled because they were so ass.
Traded to 76ers pretty quick with Brett Brown, a developmental coach with every opportunity to shine and start at that. Sauce Castillo was just not that good.
Still liked the trade, but that was more because of the unprecedented Hinkie pick swap that hit too. Carl Landry was good for us too.
Supposedly Boogie Cousins bullied him relentlessly and the organization was too chicken-shit to step in. It ended up killing the confidence of Stauskas and he was never able to develop in such a garbage environment.
A guy who shot that well in college at his size should translate to the next level at least from just a catch and shoot perspective. But it seems like he struggled to adapt to being an off-ball guy. Interestingly he put up some very good numbers in the G league when he tried to make a comeback a few years ago so he just doesn’t seem to be able to adapt his game well enough for the NBA.
Brings the ol Alex Caruso quote to mind
Not sure if it’s still true but years ago 538 published a piece showing college FT% was more strongly correlated with NBA 3P% than college 3P% was. Something about the shorter arc in the NCAA and free throws being a better illustrator of pure shooting form
Stauskas shot 83% from free throw in college. He was good at both.
I will always have that brief moment with Nik Staukas in a Blazers jersey dropping 24 pts on the Lakers in his first game ever in 18-19.
Up there with Jake Layman’s debut against GSW haha
Sauce Castillo will always be a Blazers legend for that game. The bar I was at went wild, people were swearing they’d be buying his jersey by the end of the season.
Damn, he was out of the league in basically 5 years.
Sauce Castillo is easily one of the best nicknames in recent memory though
The three is all that matters
I actually wasn’t TOTALLY mad about the pick. I tried to rationalize it at least
I was actually interviewed about it at a watch party. I said “we need some shooters”
I really hope that didn’t air lol
Big like Klay shoot like Steph
Play like Jimmer
thats buddy hield right
Warriors Legend Buddy Hield.
You mean Kings legend
No he was talking about Stauskas lol
No I was talking about siakam
So much to clown on the kings for, but I don’t think this choice is really such a big deal. Not like Payton would have changed the game. And looking at 2014 draft, not really any giant winners after them either in the first round.
One giant ass exception sitting in the second round, but most front offices missed Jokic too.
Exum pick at 5 turned out worse.
yup. A bad pick in a weird draft, where talent was kinda sparse and outcomes were unpredictable. Realistically whichever pick they would’ve feasibly been making would’ve disappointed.
It’s funny because this draft was super hyped coming into the league. Jabari got injured and Wiggins underwhelmed and this draft other than Embiid and Jokic is just kinda meh.
I haven’t watched the NBA much since 2020 but would you say it’s similar to the Zion draft? Lots and lots of hype but outside of RJ Barrett and early morant, none of them have really become anything yet. (Obviously it’s still pretty early) But just feels like the more hyped a draft class is the more disappointing it actually ends up being (2003 being a huge exception of course)
Zion is entering his 8th season, I would not say it’s early in his career
Yeah a little bit. Zion and Ja showed promise early but it never really materialized whether it was injuries. That 2019 draft is going to have 0 HOFers where at least 2014 will have two in Embiid and Jokic
Other than Embidd and Jokic, everyone’s picks was ass lo
If Exum wasn’t injured all the time he would’ve been Australian Kobe.
Not just injuries but Exum just never had the right mental game to ever become a great player. Just kinda a goofy kid in a crazy athletic, but awkward, body
but I don’t think this choice is really such a big deal.
Not trying to be rude, but I don’t understand why you’re all responding to this like it’s a one-off situation. An owner doesn’t overrule his FO to this extreme of a degree a single time.
This is an example of horrible process. It’s not about Stauskas.
yeah. this was between stauskas and payton. why we acting like this decision was between stauskas and a perennial all star? I’d take the shooter too.
Sure it’s bad but at that point in the draft, a lot of misses. Obviously wish they took Jokic but after Wiggins, Embiid, Randle, AG, Smart; not a lot of great picks for a while. Zach Lavine is alright.
Vonleh-bust, Payton, McDermott, Saric, TJ Warren, Zach Lavine went in the next group of picks. Not many world beaters. Kings will be Kings, arguably one of the worst run orgs since the early 2000s. They draft okay, they trade a lot of other best players and skip players like Luka cause Vlade is a dumb ass.
They have Lavine now. It’s alright.
And mcdermott!
honestly kinda wild for how long Doug has ended up sticking around in the league
I don’t think the worst part is drafting a bust in a group of lower level guys. It’s. The owner swooping in and disregarding hours and hours of scouting and years of experience and basketball knowledge to say “no, it’s this guy.”
Vonleh gave us some solid depth play in his tenure with us, well liked by the fans, and my rose tinted glasses had me about to come in here guns blazing that he wasn’t a bust
Pulled his stats.
You right.
I wanna say the same, be was on the Knicks for a season or two and he was a good, nothing special backup.
Three J Warren the bubble GOAT
The entire draft was ass cheeks. Jokic was the only hidden gem
There’s a good amount of durability near the end (Bogi, SloMo, Maxi Kleber, NBA champ Jordan Clarkson, Jerami Grant) but the level of “joke/meme” players is higher than usual which maybe skews it a bit. Surrounding Jokic, you’ve got:
Top notch. What’s the marc parade thing?
Marc Gasol was famously so drunk in the Raptors parade that he almost fell off the float, if not for Eric Moreland holding him up. The Raptors put the entire roster’s names on their championship banner, and this contribution is arguably what earned Moreland his “jersey retirement”
Never forget Bubble TJ Warren, top 5 player in the league.
Arguably?
Nik rocks!
Don’t have to watch it to know what happens lmao
They should have picked Bruno caboclo
I think he’s only 1 year away now
Yo man I just gotta share Bruno played my team(Wolves) in the preseason, and it was an Overseas team at this point in his career. I was wearing his Brasil Jersey and the man and his team sniped me out of the crowd and were so kind and respectful and invited me down for pictures
Forever Sauce Castillo in our hearts!
Greatest nickname ever
I came here to make a Sauce Castillo reference and I am glad someone already had.
Truly a ball knower nickname
Okay, not a fan of Vivek, but this post is complete bullshit. In the REAL clip, the management goes into how the analytics point to Stauskas as the pick. Vivek happily agrees that he wants him, but no one was “overruled.”
Yeah, I was confused watching this clip. The one other guy it shows also says “I think Stauskas”. Where’s the part where Vivek overrules someone?
In OP’s mind
Damn. That completely changes the context of the video… to.. the opposite. what the actual Kangz are we doing here.
God this video is so fucking embarrassing… I cringe every time I watch it
This is basically every business owner making decisions on your job. Substitute Stauskas for AI.
Put some respect on Sauce Castillo!
Man if only they drafted douggy mcbuckets they’d have at least two titles by now
they righted that wrong. Dougie McDougie is now lighting the beam 20 times a year for the KANGZ like he always was meant to
I’m sure Vivek would remind you that he’s got 2 summer league titles.
Kings biggest miss was still not drafting Luka and the owner was hands off then.
It wasn’t a good draft anyway. This pick was a wash regardless
“Damned if you meddle, damned if you don’t meddle”
Way of the Kangz
At least he will always have a career making hot sauces. That’s Mr. Sauce Castillo right there.
It seems like everyone in the video is on the same page about Stauskas. Not sure what OP is yapping about
Must be the offseason. Third kings assassination post today
Ranadive sucks, but it’s not like they missed on an MVP level guy in the first round. There were better players available after him for sure that were picked in the spots surrounding him, but would they really have been better off with Saric, LaVine, Warren, Nurkic or Gary “Gary Harris” Harris?
The biggest miss was Jokic, but every team passed on him in the first round.
Obviously Ranadive made a shit decision with picking Stauskas, and has a trash track record, but if I was owner, I’d find it hard not to be involved myself. Ofc I’d want my FO to pick someone I’m high on. No fun in owning a team if you just treat it like a business. I don’t blame him for that, I just blame him for having no intuition.
Finally this clown is getting the hate he deserves.
Fuck Vivek
THANKS FOR THIS INFO.
That Stauskas pick was a vital part of the Sixers getting Fultz. If the Kings don’t pick Stauskas, the Kings would have had the 3rd pick and drafted Jayson Tatum with it. Sixers would have ended up with Fox.
Actually we all know that Boston would have kept the pick and drafted Tatum #1 and the Kings would have picked Fox at #3 and the Sixers get Fultz at #5.
“Stauskas??”
The next best picks were McDermott at 11, Saric 12, Lavine 13. All three are now Kings
Such a short clip, but it still contains several hallmarks of an out of touch business owner.
It’s annoying Owners can’t just be Owners and let people do their jobs
Sauce Castillo making a headline today wasn’t on my bingo card…….
Sauce Castillo is an all-time nickname though.
Leave it to the Kings to be stuck between choosing between Nik Stauskas and Elfrid Payton when there was a future all star (Zach LaVine) still available, nevermind guys who didn’t even get drafted like Maxi Kleber and Torrey Craig who were still better than either of the guys they were looking at. What a franchise.
Jokic
That’s Sauce Castillo
In fairness, how can you let Sauce Castillo slip past the eighth pick?
Why didn’t they just draft Jokic? Were they stupid? /s
Tbh everyone was stupid on that one, even the Nuggets lmfao.
Yeah, it really sucks Kings missed out on the gold that was Noah Vonleh, Elfrid Payton, and Doug McDermott. Thanks Owner!
Jokic was in this draft. Dayum
I remember Stauskas and Wade Baldwin were like a package deal.
They were traded TOGETHER three separate times in a span of one week in 2019.
Took him over Lavine and Gary Harris who were both certified pros coming out of college. Why was the choice between Stauskas and Payton to begin with??? Thats not on the owner, thats on everyone else.
Man in hindsight that really wasnt a strong draft…
In the full video, the kings scouting analysts were highlighting stauskas too in their draft pitch so it’s not all on vivek
Fired Mike Brown after reaching the playoffs for the first time in years.
Trading Fox to the Spurs looks like the best move he’s ever made
Yeah but if you go back they didn’t draft Luka because they had Fox. Then they traded Hali because they had Fox. Now they don’t have any of them. No franchise has made worse decisions in the past 15 years then they have
Who was their main choice beforehand?
Elfrid payton
So…it didnt really matter
I love this so much coz they crowdsourced a bunch of randoms to help with the pick and Vivek was like, nah, Nik rox!
Honest mistake
Doesn’t the owners daughter choose what players to sign based on how hot she finds them? Wasn’t there a big scandal about that?
That sounds made up lmao
Anjali has slept with 3 people from our g league team for sure.
She was sleeping with chance Comanche when he murdered someone in Vegas.
She later moved on to Jeremy lamb about 3 weeks after this murder.
Theres rumors that davion mitchell also slept with her while in stockton.
Just looked her up. Don’t blame them.
STAUSKAS
PDA needs to bless the internet for making this a meme because the real story he was too busy kissing up to Vivek to make any actual decisions. Even in this clip Vivek is the one trying to get some kind of consensus because PDA is too chicken shit to do anything
Would’ve been funny if he had missed out on Hall of Famers with that pick, but that draft was garbage and everybody whiffed on Jokic for most of it.
he had sex with my friends wife, Nick did.
Sauce Castillo?
I don’t care what the alternatives were, fuck Vivek until he’s no longer involved with the entire sport of basketball on the planet earth.
Vivek has always been the Kings’ devil
This was arguably the worst draft this millennium. Who cares? Noah Vonleh went at 9. Lol.
NICK ROCKS
Bro was raw in 2k though
Blazer legend Sauce Castillo!!!
This video is a classic
NIK ROCKS
Shout out to whoever cut this vid.
I really needed the last 2 seconds to repeat 5 times
So many names in that list that you could blind pick a better pick than that.
Notable players that were still on the board at that time: Zach Lavine (13th overall) and Nikola Jokic (41st overall).
Phew, I was like…did I miss the Draft?!?!?!
Vivgoat Ranadive was ahead of his time. Only better basketball mind is Nigoat Harrison.
Can’t wait for the Dundon era.
Clueless habibi
If you look at who went immediately after, picks 9-12 were nobody, and then pick 13 was Zach Lavine. And they ended up with Zach eventually…so all is well! (Sarcasm)
For some reason I always mix up Nik Stauskas and Mario Hezonja.
If only he knew about some Sebian dude named Nikola.
The best part of the full video is when they laugh off a trade offer for more 2nd round picks, in maybe the greatest 2nd round draft class in history.
I know Stauskas sucked, but was there some infinitely better option? Like the other guy is Elfrid Payton mentioned? I mean, yea, I guess Elfrid was better. Games played for sure. Did some things at an NBA level.
NIK ROCKS!
If Stauskas was off the table, he could have helped the Raptors out by taking Caboclo instead!
OP did a disservice by not linking to the original full video.
To this day, D’Allesandro’s rat face saying “I think I like Stauskas” (paraphrased) is etched into my mind.