It’s good to be King: Jimmer headed to Sacramento School Community

It’s good to be King: Jimmer headed to Sacramento

Written by Hamish Costello on June 21, 2011 – 12:14 am

SALT LAKE CITY — Jimmer Fredette found himself getting sent on his (NBA) mission to Sacramento.

The former BYU shooting star went just two spots shy of the Utah Jazz’s second lottery draft pick, pegged 10th on Thursday to the Kings after they traded down three spots to still land the consensus collegiate player of the year.

Fredette celebrated with a table full of family, plus BYU coach Dave Rose, in New Jersey a short drive away (Newark) from the Big Apple.

It seemed to be a smart pick for Sacramento on myriad levels.

“I thought when I went there to work out, it went really well and they liked me a lot,” Fredette said. “So I thought Sacramento was a place I could get picked.”

His playing style is expected to blend immediately with a young nucleus that includes Tyreke Evans, a guard who was the 2010 NBA rookie of the year.

Besides that, the Kings are in a perilous spot these days. The team that once arrived in the California capital city from Kansas City was on the verge of moving again to suburban Los Angeles for the upcoming season.

Imagine that one day: Fredette playing in Mormon-saturated Orange County (Anaheim).

But there were a lot of BYU fans, and otherwise, bummed out at EnergySolutions Arena when the Jazz could not land Fredette.

“Just stinks,” one youngster in a blue No. 32 jersey said as he strolled the Jazz arena’s floor shortly after after the Kings made their pick via Milwaukee in a trade that was made official shortly after the end of the first round of 30 selections.

The boy was thinking on an emotional level, to be certain. But the cash registers certainly were less noisy, too.

Utah selected young Turkey native, center Enes Kanter, with the No. 3 pick. Missing out on even a chance at Fredette, the Jazz took another scorer (though more of a slasher than outside threat) Alec Burks of Colorado at No. 12. Both are 19 years old, three shy of Fredette. Kanter didn’t play collegiately and Burks was at CU for two seasons.

As for other point guards, Fredette’s contemporaries, Brandon Knight — a one-year sensation from Kentucky — waited longer than most pundits figured. He went No. 8 to Detroit.

Kyrie Irving, as expected, was the first overall selection by Cleveland despite playing briefly at Duke while having most of his only year squandered because of a toe injury.

Kemba Walker, who worked out in Salt Lake City for the Jazz along with Fredette, went No. 9 to Charlotte.

The 6-foot-2 Fredette averaged 28.9 points his senior season for BYU and set career records at the school for points, 3-pointers, 30-point games, 40-point games and wins in a career.

According to the Associated Press, Milwaukee, Charlotte and Sacramento agreed in principle to the five-player trade in the hours before the draft. The Bucks are expected to receive guards Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston and the rights to the 19th pick from the Bobcats and Beno Udrih from the Kings for John Salmons, Corey Maggette and the rights to the 10th pick.

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor was careful in answering any questions about Fredette after the first round was completed.

He did say the Jazz had him as a top-10 pick on the team’s board, but declined to offer any hint about whether the team tried to trade up from the No. 12 spot to get him.

He answered a couple of quick questions about Fredette, then said no more — he admitted he would get grouchy about it, and found it distasteful to take any attention away from the two players his team did select.

Sacramento and the Jazz were two of the five teams Fredette worked out for in recent weeks, plus Phoenix, Indiana and New York.

His agency helped him look for teams that not only had high draft picks, but also ones that would appreciate Fredette’s skill set that includes long-range shooting.

He’ll team up with Evans, a promising guard, and young inside presence DeMarcus Cousins. Though the Kings were 24-58 a year ago. Fredette knows that winning translates to fans, and he hopes to get Jimmer-mania a little further west.

“We’re an exciting team that likes to score the basketball, get up and down (the floor). It’s a great fit,” Fredette said.

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