When the months of tension-filled preparation ended and the Kings were finally on the NBA draft clock Thursday in New York, they had the same five-minute allotment as the rest to deliberate their pick.

But Madison Square Garden officials needn't bother with the clock. The Kings had their man.

The team so badly in need of a talent boost opted for Memphis guard Tyreke Evans with the No. 4 pick, taking him without hesitation or concern for the popularity of the pick because they simply see him as special. With the Clippers taking Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin at No. 1, Memphis choosing Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet at No. 2 and Oklahoma City selecting Arizona State guard James Harden third, the Kings were left to choose from all four players believed to be on their short list: Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio, Davidson guard Stephen Curry and Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn.

But none of them, as Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie and his staff saw it, compared to Evans.

Some saw Rubio as a better fit, his passing skills needed on a team that ranked 27th in assists per game last season.

Evans is a wholly different player, a 6-foot-5 talent who has impressive penetration skills, is a good defender and can play both guard positions.

Last season at the University of Memphis, he led his team to 27 consecutive wins after coach John Calipari moved him from shooting guard to point guard. Even in defeat, Evans' play had some scouts predicting he would eventually be the best player from this draft as he scored a season-high 33 points against Missouri in their NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game.

"I think he can be the best player in the draft," an elated Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof said. "A (6-5) point guard who's 220 pounds, and that can score, who can defend the (point guard, shooting guard and small forward) positions with a 7-foot wingspan who's really, really fast. I don't know where you find those guys. They're one in a million.

"I think early on we all kind of liked Jonny Flynn, and I still think he'll be good. But this guy was just another dimension. He's an anomaly."

Maloof said there was no push from ownership to take Rubio.

"I think (Rubio) will be a good NBA player," he said. "I don't think he's going to be as good as Tyreke Evans. I'll say that right now. This guy has the potential to be great, and we are very, very lucky to have this guy on our squad."

The selection was made despite draft day controversy surrounding Evans as well, as there was a grave element to the Kings' prospect evaluation process that had gone largely unnoticed among fans and media in Sacramento Tuesday. In 2007, Evans was the driver in a shooting in which his cousin, 18-year-old Jamar Evans, killed 19-year-old Marcus Reason from the passenger seat of the car.

Tyreke Evans was not charged after a police investigation, but the story resurfaced Tuesday when Jamar Evans – who court testimony indicates was shot at in the Chester Township, Pa., incident before he fired back – was sentenced to nine to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder and firearm charges. The Kings, according to Petrie, were well aware of the incident throughout the draft process. They conducted an investigation into the matter that gave them the confidence to not be concerned.

"In Chicago, one of the interview questions that we asked all the players was, 'What's the biggest adversity that you've had to overcome in your life?' " Petrie said. "Some people might have ducked that, but he was very upfront about that. He talked about that situation, explained it, all the things that went on around it. He was very up front and candid about it."

Evans raised his stock in his second Kings workout on Sunday that came after his individual workout earlier.

"I felt (the Kings) were pretty interested in me, and I knew there was a couple guys they were looking at, and I was one of them," he said. "I went there with the other guards, and they were saying I was a lot stronger, I was physical, I could get to the basket anytime I wanted. I think it fit the bill."

Evans, quite clearly, is prepared to push for minutes at the point guard position currently held by Beno Udrih.

"I think if you put the ball in my hands to run the point, I think I'll do good at it," he said.

Defensively, he has a chance to be an outstanding defender with his length and his size and his strength. His shooting needs to improve. That's pretty common knowledge.

"He considers himself a point guard. They put him at point guard at Memphis this year, and they won 27 games in a row," Petrie said. "Does he have to get better as a point guard? Absolutely, but he thinks of himself as a point guard. … He's just too good of a talent to pass on."

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