The Sacramento Kings hold the No. 5 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and Damian Lillard is a projected top-10 point guard and the No. 7-ranked prospect on the Draft Express Top-100 list, but that doesn't mean the two parties would pair well. In fact, Draft Express front man Jonathan Givony went so far as to call the hypothetical selection of Lillard over North Carolina swingman Harrison Barnes another reason for Kings fans to "jump off a cliff," and a strategy akin to "cutting your nose to spite your face." Ouch.
To be fair, it has more to do with poor fit than anything when it comes to the Kings and Lillard. Tyreke Evans probably fits better in the backcourt than he does on the wings, but Sacramento already drafted two smaller guards in the 2011 NBA Draft -- Jimmer Fredette and Isaiah Thomas. In other words, the criticism is aimed at the Kings more than it is at Lillard the NBA prospect.
Here are the relevant tweets from Givony:
If Kings fans didn't need another reason not to jump off a cliff, there's lots of chatter Sac is considering passing on Barnes for Lillard.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 26, 2012
Not that I don't like Lillard, I just don't understand strategy of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Drafted guard top-10 last year.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 26, 2012
Lillard is projected to be selected with the No. 6 pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the latest mock draft at Draft Express. The NBA Draft takes place on Thursday, June 28 starting at 5:00 p.m. MT on ESPN.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more comprehensive draft coverage, head over to SB Nation's NBA news hub.
