Kings sign Darren Collison
- Thread starter Dime Dropper
- Start date
I like the signing. IT is and will always be a 6th man type scoring PG. His defense was porous at best. Teams broke him down and drove the paint on a regular basis last season. Collison gives us a chance to have that first line of defense without losing that much offensively. I could see the FO doing a sign and trade for a PF with or without Thompson being part of the deal. But like everyone else has said, we need to get something back for IT talent wise. Lets hope the FO is able to swing another miracle !!
I have serious doubts whether hes more than a 6th man, but I really like Collisions overall game and attitude. Hes a decent upgrade to IT imo, mostly because he'll be taking less shots and getting other players involved. It also seems like offensively, Collision lets the game come to him. He doesn't force up a ton bad shots. Still, I cant get too excited about this pick unless I thought Collision had the potential to be a decent NBA level starter, but as a stop gap with IT presumably gone, Im happy with the signing.
The once bright future of Derrick Williams continues to get dimmer but the window as for him being an impact player isn't quite shut yet. With a less selfish PG and a SG that can handle a little and also distribute I think he could still be a good #3 scoring option for many teams. I'd say it's looking pretty unlikely here at this point as long as Rudy is here.
I really like Williams' skill set and when he has good games you can really see the talent and physical ability he has. The problem is that he just doesn't seem to have that fire or assertiveness to really demand the ball. You put him on a good team like the Clippers where he has a PG that looks to make him better and the pressure is off, he probably thrives.
Unfortunately for Williams he's been stuck playing on two bad teams where the guys ahead of him are too busy trying to "get mine" and in the case of Minnesota he had too much pressure on him after being picked 2nd in draft. He's in a tough spot in that it would seem he needs to be on a good team with unselfish players in order to thrive but at the same time he's done nothing in his career thus far to deserve being on a good team.....hence he probably won't end up on one.
I really like Williams' skill set and when he has good games you can really see the talent and physical ability he has. The problem is that he just doesn't seem to have that fire or assertiveness to really demand the ball. You put him on a good team like the Clippers where he has a PG that looks to make him better and the pressure is off, he probably thrives.
Unfortunately for Williams he's been stuck playing on two bad teams where the guys ahead of him are too busy trying to "get mine" and in the case of Minnesota he had too much pressure on him after being picked 2nd in draft. He's in a tough spot in that it would seem he needs to be on a good team with unselfish players in order to thrive but at the same time he's done nothing in his career thus far to deserve being on a good team.....hence he probably won't end up on one.
He cannot play SG minutes for a whole season at 20-25mpg! Garcia can! Veteran leader who knows his role and can start if needed and do his job or be burried to the end of the bench and not play at all and still would not complain! Hi character veteran who will find a way to be useful on or off the court and would cone cheap!
This team needs experienced vets, not more youngsters who need minutes!
That is your opinion and thats fine but if McLemore continues to suck and Stauskas has similar rookie season to McLemore, then I am not comfortable having Outlaw play 20-25 mpg at SG game in and game out! Thats just me! At SF sure, but SG don't think so!
Terry will never play for the Kings! That much is pretty obvious!
This team needs experienced vets, not more youngsters who need minutes!
That is your opinion and thats fine but if McLemore continues to suck and Stauskas has similar rookie season to McLemore, then I am not comfortable having Outlaw play 20-25 mpg at SG game in and game out! Thats just me! At SF sure, but SG don't think so!
Terry will never play for the Kings! That much is pretty obvious!
I would rather spend my money on a defensive big than yet another swingman based on your IF that Stauskas will have a year like Mclemore did last year. Stauskas has far more talent and swagger than Mclemore. We don't even know how Mclemore will play this year. I certainly expect more from him next season. We know very clearly we need a defensive big. If that doesn't make sense, we have little to discuss.
He needs to be on the floor with players who are good passers and interested in getting him going. When he first came to the team and was starting with Vasquez, he had that. Cousins was also looking for him. It all changed once he was no longer a prime focus.
Gay and IT were not all that interested in getting him looks
Gay and IT were not all that interested in getting him looks
So what is the consensus of Collison as a defensive player? From watching him with the Clippers he is good a pressuring the ball and is pretty good at playing passing lanes, but this is all as a 25 minute a night backup. Aside from that I don't think he's a guy that actually defends at a high level 1 on 1, and would have to see how he does as an overall team defensive player(although some reports say he's bad) and we'll see how going from a 25 minute a night to a 35 minute starter affects his ball pressuring. People rag on IT and his defensive woes but most of his lapses are based purely on effort from a guy that regularly played 40+ minutes a night last season and was asked to score 20+ points for us to compete.
Yeah, he's not a stopper by any means but he's a guy who will at least keep you honest. He doesn't have great size for an NBA PG but he's quick enough to stick with most of the guards in the league. He impresses more on tape than anything that shows up in the box score because he consistently gets into a stance and plays up on ball handlers. In general I like guards who pressure the ball. I guess I'd say he's more of a cerebral defender because he's not imposing at all physically. He comes up with loose balls and forces turnovers by staying aggressive and thinking ahead of the play. The PG position has gotten a lot bigger and more physical though in the last 5 or 6 years and Collison is a guy that will get abused by bigger, stronger guards.
He played all four years at UCLA and three of those teams made it to the Final Four (they lost to Florida in the Championship game his freshman year) so I watched him a ton in college. That's where most of my experience is, I admit I haven't watched him very much since he got to the NBA. All of those Ben Howland coached teams were very good defensively and he was a key part of that.
Trying to retrace his career to this point... he started 37 games in his rookie season with Chris Paul injured and averaged 19 and 9 in those games, shooting 43% from three and finishing 4th in ROY voting (Evans, Curry, Jennings were 1,2,3). He was traded in the off-season as New Orleans added Trevor Ariza in one last bid to convince Chris Paul to stay (obviously that didn't work out). Indiana saw his numbers and tried to make him a starter and it never really worked out there. His three point shooting (33%) and assists (5 per game) both took a hit with Danny Granger as the only proven scorer in the lineup. He was a little better the following year, 37% from three but still only 5 assists per game, and then he showed up big time in the playoffs off the bench. Dallas tried him as a starter next in 2012-2013 and he was solid, but unspectacular -- 12 and 6 with 42% shooting from three in 47 starts. Last season in LA he started 35 games and averaged 15 and 5 while shooting 42% from three. So it looks like we can expect 12-15 points, 5-6 assists, and 40% shooting from three with decent defense if his career so far holds up. The only category Isaiah beats him handily in is volume of shots1
1Here's their career shooting splits:
Collison...(.464)....(.365)....(.861)
Thomas...(.447)....(.360)....(.857)
or if you prefer, their respective career splits as starters:
Collison...(.465)....(.390)....(.867)
Thomas...(.453)....(.362)....(.857)
He played all four years at UCLA and three of those teams made it to the Final Four (they lost to Florida in the Championship game his freshman year) so I watched him a ton in college. That's where most of my experience is, I admit I haven't watched him very much since he got to the NBA. All of those Ben Howland coached teams were very good defensively and he was a key part of that.
Trying to retrace his career to this point... he started 37 games in his rookie season with Chris Paul injured and averaged 19 and 9 in those games, shooting 43% from three and finishing 4th in ROY voting (Evans, Curry, Jennings were 1,2,3). He was traded in the off-season as New Orleans added Trevor Ariza in one last bid to convince Chris Paul to stay (obviously that didn't work out). Indiana saw his numbers and tried to make him a starter and it never really worked out there. His three point shooting (33%) and assists (5 per game) both took a hit with Danny Granger as the only proven scorer in the lineup. He was a little better the following year, 37% from three but still only 5 assists per game, and then he showed up big time in the playoffs off the bench. Dallas tried him as a starter next in 2012-2013 and he was solid, but unspectacular -- 12 and 6 with 42% shooting from three in 47 starts. Last season in LA he started 35 games and averaged 15 and 5 while shooting 42% from three. So it looks like we can expect 12-15 points, 5-6 assists, and 40% shooting from three with decent defense if his career so far holds up. The only category Isaiah beats him handily in is volume of shots1
1Here's their career shooting splits:
Collison...(.464)....(.365)....(.861)
Thomas...(.447)....(.360)....(.857)
or if you prefer, their respective career splits as starters:
Collison...(.465)....(.390)....(.867)
Thomas...(.453)....(.362)....(.857)
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K
That for me was the best/most exciting play/plays of the season I will never forget that sequence as long as I'm alive I went off when I saw that and it's probably the only reason why I still hold some hope for D-Will. Even thought we lost seeing Mclemore/Williams flying on the break and Cousins tearing up the middle that for me was the favourite game of the season.
That was one of the few games where players were looking to set each other up and make each other better, for a brief period in our history we had some sort of chemistry even if it were only for one game.
That was one of the few games where players were looking to set each other up and make each other better, for a brief period in our history we had some sort of chemistry even if it were only for one game.
I never liked Hawes as the "future starting center" the franchise was hoping he would become, but for what he is now he is a good role player that will find work in this league for quite a while(still only 26 for a guy that doesn't use any athletic ability). Again good passer, solid shooter, high IQ, solid rebounder, protects the rim somewhat, just a well rounded role playing big nothing more nothing less.