What Realistically can be done to improve?

[Jerichoholic]

Reading many of the posts on this site and listening to the radio it's obvious fans are very frustrated, as am I. It's frustrating that the Kings aren't winning games, aren't showing effort much of the time, and aren't really improving at all. The thing is though, that's not the most frustrating thing. I didn't expect us to win many games, there isn't much talent on this team. I didn't expect improved effort either to be honest, this team isn't comprised of effort or hustle type players. Even very good teams have some players who are hustle guys and some players who aren't, but the team is good anyway. I didn't even expect much player improvement because for the most part these players are who they are and we know that.

I think the most frustrating thing is that in the situation that we are in there is almost nothing we can do to even begin heading in the right direction for a long time. I honestly think you can forget being a playoff team when the new arena opens, perhaps that is when things will begin to turn, hopefully. The harsh truth is that the rest of this year as well as next are going to look a lot like what we have seen lately, unless of course we are extremely fortunate in the lottery and can bring in a game changer (I'm sure that will happen). Here is why I feel this way.

Can we improve via free agency?

Don't think so. We are over the salary cap as it is so no one coming in this year. Next year we lose Salmons and some small contracts, but Cousins' new deal starts, the rest of the existing players get raises, as a new rookie coming in. We will most likely hit the cap ceiling again so no free agents of note.

Can we improve via trade?

Don't think so either. Nothing to offer right now. We have some expiring contracts in Salmons, Patterson, Vasquez, and Jimmer. They really aren't large contracts though, except for Salmons. It has been made clear that we won't be trading Cousins, McLemore, or our first round pick. The only pieces I see are Thomas and Thompson. I think that trading Thomas is a huge risk as he could be one of the best sixth men in the league for years to come. Thompson would be fine, I just don't think that either player would bring in much.

Where do we currently stand?

What players will most likely not be on this team when we have a shot at the players?

Thornton, Salmons, Hayes, Thompson, Mbah a Moute, Patterson, Outlaw, Jimmer, Vasquez, and Ndiaye.

What players most likely will?

Landry: Simply because of the long contract that can't be moved, he won't be a large contributor though.

Cousins: Potential All-Star, still a work in progress with attitude and defense and also another difficult contract to move. Is our best player though so that is something.

McLemore: I originally thought we had a steal with this pick, but there are some serious issues with his game where I hate to say might actually be another bust. He is good in spurts, but his lack of ballhandling, passing, and ability to create for others really hurts the rhythm of his game. He can't even dribble more than three times before having to pass to a teammate that stands right next to him. You can already see that his teammates are freezing him out on the offensive end even though he moves more than anyone else. They simply don't have confidence in him. I hope this turns around and we have another potential All-Star with his shooting ability and athleticism, but he has a long way to go.

Thomas: I think he will stay, we still have to pay him though which will take more cap space. Sixth man of the year candidate, definitely an asset.

McCallum: Rookie, organization likes him, not much more to say.

The bottom line is that there just isn't much to work with here. The best we can hope for is that this season ends and we lose the Salmons contract with some other small ones and then get a good draft pick which we haven't done for awhile. We also deal with next season and then the Thornton, Hayes, Mbah a Moute, and Outlaw contracts end which will finally give us some money that we hopefully won't waste and then get one more good draft pick. So we are at least two full seasons away to get this team moving in the right direction, it will be a tough ride.

Unless there is something I'm not thinking of. Do you think there is anything that can be done to improve this team more quickly? I really hope so.

 

[twslam07]

Reading many of the posts on this site and listening to the radio it's obvious fans are very frustrated, as am I. It's frustrating that the Kings aren't winning games, aren't showing effort much of the time, and aren't really improving at all. The thing is though, that's not the most frustrating thing. I didn't expect us to win many games, there isn't much talent on this team. I didn't expect improved effort either to be honest, this team isn't comprised of effort or hustle type players. Even very good teams have some players who are hustle guys and some players who aren't, but the team is good anyway. I didn't even expect much player improvement because for the most part these players are who they are and we know that.

I think the most frustrating thing is that in the situation that we are in there is almost nothing we can do to even begin heading in the right direction for a long time. I honestly think you can forget being a playoff team when the new arena opens, perhaps that is when things will begin to turn, hopefully. The harsh truth is that the rest of this year as well as next are going to look a lot like what we have seen lately, unless of course we are extremely fortunate in the lottery and can bring in a game changer (I'm sure that will happen). Here is why I feel this way.

Can we improve via free agency?

Don't think so. We are over the salary cap as it is so no one coming in this year. Next year we lose Salmons and some small contracts, but Cousins' new deal starts, the rest of the existing players get raises, as a new rookie coming in. We will most likely hit the cap ceiling again so no free agents of note.

Can we improve via trade?

Don't think so either. Nothing to offer right now. We have some expiring contracts in Salmons, Patterson, Vasquez, and Jimmer. They really aren't large contracts though, except for Salmons. It has been made clear that we won't be trading Cousins, McLemore, or our first round pick. The only pieces I see are Thomas and Thompson. I think that trading Thomas is a huge risk as he could be one of the best sixth men in the league for years to come. Thompson would be fine, I just don't think that either player would bring in much.

Where do we currently stand?

What players will most likely not be on this team when we have a shot at the players?

Thornton, Salmons, Hayes, Thompson, Mbah a Moute, Patterson, Outlaw, Jimmer, Vasquez, and Ndiaye.

What players most likely will?

Landry: Simply because of the long contract that can't be moved, he won't be a large contributor though.

Cousins: Potential All-Star, still a work in progress with attitude and defense and also another difficult contract to move. Is our best player though so that is something.

McLemore: I originally thought we had a steal with this pick, but there are some serious issues with his game where I hate to say might actually be another bust. He is good in spurts, but his lack of ballhandling, passing, and ability to create for others really hurts the rhythm of his game. He can't even dribble more than three times before having to pass to a teammate that stands right next to him. You can already see that his teammates are freezing him out on the offensive end even though he moves more than anyone else. They simply don't have confidence in him. I hope this turns around and we have another potential All-Star with his shooting ability and athleticism, but he has a long way to go.

Thomas: I think he will stay, we still have to pay him though which will take more cap space. Sixth man of the year candidate, definitely an asset.

McCallum: Rookie, organization likes him, not much more to say.

The bottom line is that there just isn't much to work with here. The best we can hope for is that this season ends and we lose the Salmons contract with some other small ones and then get a good draft pick which we haven't done for awhile. We also deal with next season and then the Thornton, Hayes, Mbah a Moute, and Outlaw contracts end which will finally give us some money that we hopefully won't waste and then get one more good draft pick. So we are at least two full seasons away to get this team moving in the right direction, it will be a tough ride.

Unless there is something I'm not thinking of. Do you think there is anything that can be done to improve this team more quickly? I really hope so.

I've been saying this for awhile now. 2015 looks like the year we'll be competitive again. As I have mentioned in other threads, I would be thrilled to see Thompson and Landry moved for 2015 enders to give us more cap space that year. Moving Landry is a bit of a stretch considering he was the FO's first big signing, but I'm hoping the FO will see how he doesn't fit with this team/Cousins and move him by next year's trade deadline.

As for Thomas, I would be open to bringing him back for around 4 mil/year maybe 4.5-5 depending on what he shows me the rest of the year. As a sixth man PG, I don't think he is worth much more than that considering we have a rookie PG (McCallum) waiting in the wings. Depending on how McCallum develops, we could afford to lose Thomas. McCallum could be a solid backup PG in this league and on a much, much cheaper deal than what it would cost us bring Thomas back thus allowing us to spend that money elsewhere.

 

[Kingster]

Overall, I agree with your thinking, although I think we've got a very long wait to pronounce McLemore a bust. I think he turns into a good player, but it's not going to be overnight. You might not see him produce much until after a couple of years.

As you say, there just isn't a lot to work with. I still hold out some hope for Patterson and for The Prince in making a positive impact on this team. The others (with the exception of IT and McLemore) I just don't. Unless management can pull a con job on some unsuspecting mark, or Malone can get some of these guys to over-achieve for a lengthy period of time, thereby raising their trade values, there doesn't seem a lot that can be done. The only promising life raft I can grab onto is that this draft looks to be extremely talented. Management may decide to just sell off some of these players for lower #1 picks and revamp mostly through the draft to get the type of players they want.

 

[Glenn]

We have to figure out the best use of this year. We are not going to be a winning team. Let's use this year to prepare for next year and make that very clear that is the goal. Cuz needs to understand what is happening and there is no reason that the rest of the team shouldn't know either. They are either grown men and millionaires or should be. This is the business of basketball and the good of the organization is far more important than any minutes any player gets THIS YEAR. Their feelings should not be hurt although they may be disappointed. I think our FO could explain this in a way that creates no ill-will towards the organization and for a few players, it might gain their respect. With Vivek the ultimate boss, we are very lucky.

Tweaking this and that to add W's to the w/l column is not important and, in fact, the goal might best be to have the worst w/l record in the league. The draft is mega good. We are presently tied for the 2nd worst record in the league and have yet to hit the road in any significant amount. We have only played two road games. I would swoon if we got Jabari Parker and so would everyone else when he hits the court. There are more than a handful of very good players left, a couple that by the end of the year might become better than Jabari.

We need to figure out if we want to keep Vasquez, PPat, IT, McCallum, N'Daiye, and Fredette. I may have added one too many or not included all. I think the decision has already been made on Jimmer and he will be gone. I think the decision has already been made on IT and he will stay. Play the rest of them and let's find out what they have. Play N'Daiye instead of Hayes, for instance. McCallum could occasionally get some of IT's minutes. Just an example. I am not absolutely sure who would get whose minutes but play the guys I have listed. Trades can be made but I doubt if there is any trade possible that is all that important.

Then we will be in the best place to make decisions about what to do with the players whose contracts are up at the end of this year. It also might garner us another "franchise player."

 

[Jerichoholic]

It seems like we are all in agreement so far that there isn't much for the Kings to do right now and I guess that was my point about how frustrating this is. It isn't the losing that bothers me at all, it's that things can't even begin to change or improve even a little for awhile to give us hope. It isn't just winning that puts fans in seats, it's hope that things are turning around and the team is moving in the right direction. I knew plenty of people who were very hyped during and after Tyreke's rookie season because there was so much hope. We were definitely a losing team, but we had what we thought was a young superstar, we had good role players, and we had a system in place that played to the strengths of the players and the players bought into it. We also had a high draft pick coming up which turned out to be Cousins and a ton of cap space. Even with the losses it was that we had things going in our favor for the first time in awhile.

I bring up that example because we don't have that now. No new coach can fix this, no new starting lineup can make us win more games, and no trade will be able to impact us enough to make much of a difference. The best thing we can do is clean house, but with guaranteed contracts it just isn't that easy. It's not just that we won't have many wins for awhile, it's that we won't have much hope for awhile either and that is what's frustrating.

 

[pshn80]

You don't clean house, you acquire better players. In the meantime changed lineups better make a difference at some point now or Ranadive might have to relocate the team.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

I have no idea what the big picture answer is,..but I do know that we have an 'interesting' player that showed nice potential in training camp and preseason. Ray McCallum needs to get some time very soon, so we can get a better feel of whether he is an asset or not, going forward.

Speaking of effort, in one of Malone's training camp interviews he said that McCallum was diving on the floor for loose balls..in practice. I want to see him play

 

[King Baller]

Well....you keep running Coach Malone's system and the guys will get more comfortable with it and play better.

You play the young guys DMC, Ben and Ray so they get game experience.

You figure out which of the other players are in the Teams long range plans.

You try to trade the others for picks or players that fit in Coach Malone's system.

And last you must be very patient, this is going to take awhile

KB

 

[NowImLost]

Andrew Wiggins.

 

[cuad]

Tank 4 Wiggins.

 

[Glenn]

There is absolutely something that can be accomplished this year. Notes above give good, specific clues as to what can be done. We have survived a long period of futility but now we have an opportunity to accomplish something. It may not end up in wins but it will move us forward. I think the end of our suffering is in the very near future. I absolutely will not have a fatalistic "we will suck forever" attitude. Look to the small achievements of this year. Playing McCallum can be part of it. We need to know if he is of NBA quality. I could blabber on but if people are going to judge this year on the w/l record, be prepared to be put on suicide watch.

 

[Jerichoholic]

Normally I'm really not a fan of tanking, but if not for the lottery, this year I would be all for it. The Kings are so far away from contention that the only thing that could speed up the process is getting a player like Wiggins or Parker. However there is that lottery and if you remember when the Kings had the worst record in the NBA, I think it was the year we drafted Tyreke we ended up with the worst possible pick at #4, jumped three times.

The lottery really needs to be removed, it is a reason that horrible teams stay horrible for so long in the NBA, more so than any other professional sport.

 

[t-rex]

Tank 4 Wiggins.

All the "tank" talk makes me laugh. They don't need to try to tank. I honestly believe they can try their best and still lose the majority of the games they play this year. That's just the way it is. We will be in the lottery. It's a bad team and a bad roster with a few gems that need polish. Let's just hope luck is on our side this time and we get one of the top 3 picks.

 

[Cold]

Difficult to attract star FAs, but money talks and we can bring in productive versatile role players that fit Malone's system to support Cousins, McLemore, and Wiggins/Parker/Randle.

We definitely need to dump salaries. It can be done. GS dumped a bunch of garbage Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson with their monstrous salaries.

Having 2 stars on the team is the recipe to attract future stars and help us sign good players on reasonable contracts and not get raped everytime we sign somebody. We need to swing for the fence this draft. End of story.

 

[Glenn]

All the "tank" talk makes me laugh. They don't need to try to tank. I honestly believe they can try their best and still lose the majority of the games they play this year. That's just the way it is. We will be in the lottery. It's a bad team and a bad roster with a few gems that need polish. Let's just hope luck is on our side this time and we get one of the top 3 picks.

Do you know what's available this year? We need to get a top 6 pick and there are darn nice players available there. The depth of bonefied difference makers may even extend to 8 or 9. Of course we will be in the lottery. It's where in the lottery that can make a difference. There is a differnce between Wiggins/Parker/Randle at the top and Smart and Exxum (sp?) who are darn good but a step down from these top three. These top three and maybe Embiid could end up as all stars. Name a present King who has been an all star. This draft needs to be approached seriously and I think we should do what we can to get as close to #1 as possible. The probabilities guarantee nothing but improving our odds is all we can do. I wouldn't ignore this.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

All the "tank" talk makes me laugh. They don't need to try to tank. I honestly believe they can try their best and still lose the majority of the games they play this year. That's just the way it is. We will be in the lottery. It's a bad team and a bad roster with a few gems that need polish. Let's just hope luck is on our side this time and we get one of the top 3 picks.

Could actually be the best long term situation, where we work on development, culture, and what Vivek and Malone want, while loses pile up for a good spot in the draft. Not trying to lose, but not making any major moves to increase win total. Sometimes when 'developing' players and styles, you have more flexiblity, less pressure, and it's easier to experiment with different things, when there is no expectation for win total.

This is where we are and i'm not all that worried about it. Overall, we could have a best case scenario going towards our new building. My opinion is patience with long view vision. Who will panic vs who will buy in and be patient. Who is mentally tough enough to stay the course and not jump ship? Patience is reasonable now at this point, because of our owner. Whereas before it was rediculous nonsense year after year. Things are different now going forward

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

But, this time will be different, right? Just like it was supposed to be different the last time. And the time before that. Oh, but this time, we've got new people at the top, and we're staying in Sacramento, so it really will be different! Just wait and see!

Sure it will.

You know, the 2009 draft was pretty loaded, too. And we had two first round picks that year. And they're both gone, and all we have to show for them is Greivis Vasquez.

But, this time really will be different!

Sure it will.

 

[Glenn]

But, this time will be different, right? Just like it was supposed to be different the last time. And the time before that. Oh, but this time, we've got new people at the top, and we're staying in Sacramento, so it really will be different! Just wait and see!

Sure it will.

You know, the 2009 draft was pretty loaded, too. And we had two first round picks that year. And they're both gone, and all we have to show for them is Greivis Vasquez.

But, this time really will be different!

Sure it will.

You still play the odds. Sometimes they go one way and sometimes the other. It's statistical probability and has nothing to do with the past.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Why not? Everything in life is 50/50, right?

 

[Glenn]

I think if we ended up with Randle, Cauley-Stein, or Embiid your heart would start beating. Realistically we may end up with more a shot at Embiid than Randle.

 

[bajaden]

We have to figure out the best use of this year. We are not going to be a winning team. Let's use this year to prepare for next year and make that very clear that is the goal. Cuz needs to understand what is happening and there is no reason that the rest of the team shouldn't know either. They are either grown men and millionaires or should be. This is the business of basketball and the good of the organization is far more important than any minutes any player gets THIS YEAR. Their feelings should not be hurt although they may be disappointed. I think our FO could explain this in a way that creates no ill-will towards the organization and for a few players, it might gain their respect. With Vivek the ultimate boss, we are very lucky.

Tweaking this and that to add W's to the w/l column is not important and, in fact, the goal might best be to have the worst w/l record in the league. The draft is mega good. We are presently tied for the 2nd worst record in the league and have yet to hit the road in any significant amount. We have only played two road games. I would swoon if we got Jabari Parker and so would everyone else when he hits the court. There are more than a handful of very good players left, a couple that by the end of the year might become better than Jabari.

We need to figure out if we want to keep Vasquez, PPat, IT, McCallum, N'Daiye, and Fredette. I may have added one too many or not included all. I think the decision has already been made on Jimmer and he will be gone. I think the decision has already been made on IT and he will stay. Play the rest of them and let's find out what they have. Play N'Daiye instead of Hayes, for instance. McCallum could occasionally get some of IT's minutes. Just an example. I am not absolutely sure who would get whose minutes but play the guys I have listed. Trades can be made but I doubt if there is any trade possible that is all that important.

Then we will be in the best place to make decisions about what to do with the players whose contracts are up at the end of this year. It also might garner us another "franchise player."

I think they decided on Jimmer when they didn't pick up his option. I might have thought otherwise if they were giving him some minutes to prove himself, but their not, so I think he's gone. N'Diaye is irrelevant. He doesn't make enough money to be a part of the conversation. That could change of course if he suddenly blooms into something more than we thought. They've got McCallum for three more years, so he's here unless he becomes part of a deal. Patterson and IT are both under the Bird rule if I read the CBA correctly, which states, that if a player is with the same team, drafted or undrafted, for at least three years without being put through waivers he falls under the Bird rule, which means we can match or make a better offer than anyone else. I bring that up, in case neither is offered a qualifying offer. They would then become unrestricted freeagents, but under the Bird rule. However if we do make a qualifying offer, then both would be restricted.

Vasquez is a different story. He's didn't play for his original team for more than one year, and has never played for any team for more than two years. So if we intend to keep him, we have to extend a qualifying offer to make him a restricted freeagent, or he becomes an unrestricted freeagent with no exceptions attached. With our cap status next season, I doubt that we'll keep both IT and Vasquez. We have around 10 mil to work with if the cap is extended to around 62 mil as rumored. And this is where it gets tricky. If you resign Vasquez for lets say, 6 mil a year, and then you want to sign IT, and he's asking for 6 or 7 mil a year, you can't, because his number has to fit under the cap, or at least the average of the total years does.

What the CBA does is not allow you to do, is use the Bird rule, after signing a restricted freeagent which brings you at or close to the cap, and then go over the cap using the Bird rule. At least that's how I interpret it. I'm sure the Capt will correct me if I'm wrong. In short, I doubt we keep Patterson and one of either IT or Vasquez. It could just come down to the amount of money being asked for. Hell, we may not resign any of them, and just sign a PG to a one year contract to get to the 2015 freeagency market with the most money possible.

Too bad we don't have much capspace for next yeas freeagent market. Its just about a who's/who of basketball.

 

[Jerichoholic]

When you take the odds alone you are correct, completely statistical probability. However I would say that poor decisions that have been made do affect new decisions and sometimes directly. For example, why was J.J. Hickson productive in Cleveland, also was in Portland, and still is in Denver, but was horrible here? Why was Tyreke showing signs of greatness then took major steps back? Why did draft picks like Jimmer and Robinson never develop well?

I would say it is the poisoned culture that still exists. A team full of players that don't make anyone else better, are selfish, and generally are not effort type players. It takes away from everything and everybody. As long as the culture exists we will have rookies come and rookies go. There are only two ways around this. Either clean house and get better guys which takes a long time or manage to draft a player who transcends this, who is so good that he overrides the culture. I currently only see two guys who are capable of this, but that's two more than most drafts. While there are a lot of good players in this draft I still think that with the current group of players we have they will not develop well, unless that player is Wiggins or Parker.

 

[pshn80]

Tank 4 Wiggins.

If we did then be assured we'd get Horold Whitefoot.

 

[KingMilz]

Find 5-7 guys on the current roster that will give you max effort and play solid basketball is the most realistic way at this point in time.

 

[Glenn]

When you take the odds alone you are correct, completely statistical probability. However I would say that poor decisions that have been made do affect new decisions and sometimes directly. For example, why was J.J. Hickson productive in Cleveland, also was in Portland, and still is in Denver, but was horrible here? Why was Tyreke showing signs of greatness then took major steps back? Why did draft picks like Jimmer and Robinson never develop well?

I would say it is the poisoned culture that still exists. A team full of players that don't make anyone else better, are selfish, and generally are not effort type players. It takes away from everything and everybody. As long as the culture exists we will have rookies come and rookies go. There are only two ways around this. Either clean house and get better guys which takes a long time or manage to draft a player who transcends this, who is so good that he overrides the culture. I currently only see two guys who are capable of this, but that's two more than most drafts. While there are a lot of good players in this draft I still think that with the current group of players we have they will not develop well, unless that player is Wiggins or Parker.

I think we cleaned house adequately when we got a new owner and a new coach. We don't have any idea how the players left over from the last ownership group will respond to Malone. Let's wait and see before we clean house of the players.

 

[Cold]

But, this time will be different, right? Just like it was supposed to be different the last time. And the time before that. Oh, but this time, we've got new people at the top, and we're staying in Sacramento, so it really will be different! Just wait and see!

Sure it will.

You know, the 2009 draft was pretty loaded, too. And we had two first round picks that year. And they're both gone, and all we have to show for them is Greivis Vasquez.

But, this time really will be different!

Sure it will.

New regime. No guarantee it gets better but Vivek deserves a shot to create his own legacy.

 

[Cold]

When you take the odds alone you are correct, completely statistical probability. However I would say that poor decisions that have been made do affect new decisions and sometimes directly. For example, why was J.J. Hickson productive in Cleveland, also was in Portland, and still is in Denver, but was horrible here? Why was Tyreke showing signs of greatness then took major steps back? Why did draft picks like Jimmer and Robinson never develop well?

I would say it is the poisoned culture that still exists. A team full of players that don't make anyone else better, are selfish, and generally are not effort type players. It takes away from everything and everybody. As long as the culture exists we will have rookies come and rookies go. There are only two ways around this. Either clean house and get better guys which takes a long time or manage to draft a player who transcends this, who is so good that he overrides the culture. I currently only see two guys who are capable of this, but that's two more than most drafts. While there are a lot of good players in this draft I still think that with the current group of players we have they will not develop well, unless that player is Wiggins or Parker.

The best PF in the league right now is Kevin Love, and I'm not a huge fan of his game. Somewhat soft, very weak d, and a bit of a black hole at times.
Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, LMA to me are the 3 PFs I would start my team with if I had to pick a PF. That's how highly I think of Randle, as is.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

New regime. No guarantee it gets better but Vivek deserves a shot to create his own legacy.

You have convinced me!* O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! I have won the victory over myself. I love Big Brother Vivek Ranadive.



* Disclaimer: You haven't really convinced me.

 

[Padrino]

But, this time will be different, right? Just like it was supposed to be different the last time. And the time before that. Oh, but this time, we've got new people at the top, and we're staying in Sacramento, so it really will be different! Just wait and see!

Sure it will.

You know, the 2009 draft was pretty loaded, too. And we had two first round picks that year. And they're both gone, and all we have to show for them is Greivis Vasquez.

But, this time really will be different!

Sure it will.

kings fans really need to hope this time will be different, because the previous regime left seven straight losing seasons and a terrible mess of a roster in their wake, making it very, very difficult to build a winner around demarcus cousins via the trade block or free agency. the kings' tradeable assets remain far and few between, and sacramento remains an undesirable location for impact free agents...

personally, i have a helluvalot more faith in the ping pong balls bouncing sac's way in a stacked draft class than i have faith that ranadive/d'allesandro/malone will be able to significantly improve the talent level of this team through trades/signings, and given the kings' recent lottery history, that's really saying something about how much of a challenge it will be to polish the kings' turds enough to bring back significant value in return, or to convince (beg?) a significant talent to sign on the dotted line. the point is, there are no desirable avenues...

nobody likes losing, but a basement finish brings the opportunity to draft parker, wiggins, randle, exum, smart, etc. are any of them guaranteed superstars? no, but a top-5 draft pick is hardly out of the realm of possibility for this team as constructed, and while there are no guarantees, it's hardly a stretch to say that drafting a talented young player like jabari parker or andrew wiggins fills an immediate need, makes this team instantly better, and positions the kings much closer to the playoff picture in the long term. but trading the kings' scraps for rudy gay, rajon rondo, or even omer asik? that's much less likely to occur, and also much less likely to have the long term impact in the win/loss column that drafting a potential all-star would have...

if one wants to be futile about the kings' chances of scoring in the upcoming draft lottery and/or retaining whatever talent they come away with, that's certainly fine, but one is unlikely to be pleased with any rebuilding strategy if that is the case. as you've pointed out, the previous regime traded omri casspi and then failed to extend tyreke evans' contract, leaving the new regime in the awkward position of having to decide whether or not they wanted to fork over a ton of money to retain the services of a player they did not have the opportunity to personally evaluate. they elected to let evans walk. i think it was a mistake, but he wasn't their draft pick, and it wasn't their fault that the previous regime had stunted evans' development...

that said, since the new regime was forcefully determined to engage in a rebuild when they arrived here (their first go at it, but the kings' umpteenth rebuild in the last decade), then the prescription is simple: they must draft well, they must develop their young talent, and they must pay up when the time comes to re-sign their best players, while not overpaying for roleplayers. it's debatable about whether or not taking ben mclemore with the 7th pick constitutes "drafting well" (i certainly would have preferred MCW), but we'll have plenty of opportunities to see if this organization can effectively commit to ben's development. we'll also see what the 2014 draft brings, and whether or not the new regime continues to insist on overpaying for role players, as they accomplished with the carl landry signing...

again, kings fans had better hope things will be different this time around, because that's just about all there is to hope for. and this is coming from a fan who has made a point of expressing both suspicion and discontent regarding some of the moves made once the new regime took over. you're certainly not the only one who remains unconvinced of their capability, but it seems foolish to curse the inevitability of futility before this regime has had a chance to... well, accomplish much of anything. they deserve a grace period, however brief, to attempt to bring in more talented players...

 

[hrdboild]

I don't think it makes sense to go over the cap to re-sign Isaiah Thomas, even if the CBA allows for it. We might disagree on this, but I don't think he's a cornerstone player. An MT type of contract is too much -- anything over the mid-level is too much for a bench player on a rebuilding team. Sure that maybe means losing him for nothing, but that's a better option than capping ourselves out with middle of the road talent like Petrie has done for the last decade.

But then, I don't think the cap is a huge consideration at this point in time anyway. Technically we are over the cap, but most of that salary is coming off the books either at the end of this year or at the end of next year. What we need are starters to replace those guys. We need a starting PG, a starting SF, some kind of defensive presence in the post, depth behind Cousins, a reliable shooter off the bench. Hopefully we're able to fill one of those holes in the draft, but you can't always count on that. As soon as the season ends we'll have $22 million of combined ending salaries with which to trade if someone desirable is available. It's much more likely we find another star player in trade than free agency. That's just the reality of being in a less desirable market. We're not going to fill all of our needs through the draft and free agency, just accept that and learn to work within your limitations. This is what the Oakland A's do well in a similar situation.

What we should be doing this season is compiling a list of players around the league who fit with Mike Malone's system and then seeing which of any of them is obtainable. And we need to be aggressive about acquiring not just any talent, but the right players who fit this system. Until that happens we're just spinning our wheels wasting Cousins' All-Star talent.