June 24, 2011 — Jimmer Fredette was welcomed by Sacramento fans as yesterday's trade was completed. Some locals were upset when the Kings announced that the team had traded away its No. 7 pick and its most consistent shooter, Beno Udrih. But then it became apparent that Milwaukee was drafting Jimmer at No. 10 for Sacramento in a three-team trade, and many fans were excited.
Sacramento was one of the five teams that held workouts with Fredette, who reportedly enchanted the Maloof brothers, owners of the team that need local support to build a new arena. Jimmer might raise enough excitement in California's capital that an arena could be built, or the team might move to Anaheim or Las Vegas.
Here's an interview that was shown on Sacramento TV station News10:
I'm betting that many Jimmer fans buy Kings jerseys and jackets and surf TV for Sacramento games just the way thousands of Steve Young fans bought 49ers gear and reveled in the former Cougar's exploits in the NFL. If you upgrade your cable or satellite TV package to catch Kings games this coming season (if there is one), you won't be alone.
Jimmer should make penetrator Tyreke Evans' job much easier because point guards won't be able to sag to the middle to help prevent the former rookie of the year from getting to the basket. As Kemba Walker showed during his Jazz workout, a penetrator and a superior outside shooter can present a deadly combination to a confused defense.
And Kings fans will be pleasantly surprised at how well Fredette handles the ball, creates off the dribble, penetrates and passes. There are still questions over his defense, but the Kings are betting that he is smart enough and willing to work hard enough that he can contribute at both ends of the court.
DeMarcus Cousins, the talented but brooding forward, perhaps has the most to gain from the acquisition of Jimmer. The former Cougar will likely lead by competing hard every day, handling himself with class, playing unselfishly and displaying his ability to handle officials on the court without losing focus.
The 270-pound 6'11" Cousins is most likely the most talented of last year's crop of rookies as he showed flashes of extraordinary talent for a man of his size, but he often played lackadaisically and complained often about not getting the ball or failing to get favorable treatment from the referees.
He has excellent range for a big man, but who wants a gigantic center taking three-pointers? He will learn soon that if anybody should be shooting three-pointers, it should be the Jimmer.
As the winningest BYU player ever, Jimmer has a way of raising the level of play of all his teammates, sharing the ball and forcing them to concentrate on winning. Cousins will find that if he cuts hard to the basket, he will often end up with the ball in his hands for easy finishes. Right now Cousins is one of the players who I would least likely want on my team, but if Jimmer has his way, I'm betting that Cousins will be getting accolades galore in the next few years.
