Poll

Who is the best player drafted at No. 5 in the past 30 years?
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Leading Off: Plenty of winners at No. 5 in NBA draft

Published: Thursday, Jun. 28, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 1C
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jul. 3, 2012 - 8:44 am

Picking fifth in today's NBA draft isn't a bad spot for the Kings, historically speaking.

Over the past 30 years, several No. 5 picks went onto Hall of Fame-caliber careers, including Charles Barkley (Philadelphia, 1984), Scottie Pippen (Seattle, traded to Chicago, 1987), Kevin Garnett (Minnesota, 1995), Ray Allen (Minnesota, traded to Milwaukee, 1996) and Dwyane Wade (Miami, 2003).

Other notables picked at No. 5: Vince Carter (Warriors, traded to Toronto, 1998), Jason Richardson (Warriors, 2001), Kevin Love (Memphis, traded to Minnesota, 2008) and Ricky Rubio (Minnesota, 2009).

The Kings, too, have had success with the No. 5 pick, whether it was theirs or not:

Mitch Richmond, who later became the Kings' best player for several seasons, was picked fifth by the Warriors in 1988. And two years ago, the Kings snagged DeMarcus Cousins at No. 5, now considered by many to be the steal of the 2010 draft.

And since 1985, when Atlanta picked big man Jon Koncak out of SMU, there have been very few true busts at No. 5.

The biggest of them was a doozy, though. In 2002, Denver picked Nikoloz Tskitishvili, a 7-footer from Tbilisi, Georgia, who played for four teams in four seasons and averaged 11.3 minutes and 2.9 points.

If the Kings keep the pick, let's hope they land a future Pippen rather than the next Tskitishvili.

What to watch

NBA draft, 4 p.m., ESPN: The suspense begins after New Orleans takes Kentucky's Anthony Davis.

What to do

Baseball, Salt Lake at River Cats, 7:05 p.m., Raley Field: After the draft, head to the park for dinner and a game.

Today's poll

Who is the best NBA player drafted at No. 5 in the past 30 years?

• Charles Barkley

• Kevin Garnett

• Scottie Pippen

• Dwyane Wade

• Other

Vote above or leave your comments in the comment field; Or, go to www.sacbee.com/sports

Wednesday's results

What should the Kings do with the No. 5 pick?

• Draft a small forward: 50%

• Draft a big man: 22%

• Trade the pick: 28%

Total votes: 304

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Read more articles by Tom Couzens



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