Josh Smith?
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Hold on a second, this team isn't winning because of it's SG/PF position, it's winning in spite of it. JT and Landry have been solid at times but this team can use what Smith brings defensively at PF just as much tomorrow, as it does today, and yesterday. They'd have to get him to buy in but he has shown in the past what he can be in a similar role. Rudy Gay was no different and that seems to be paying off nicely. I think Malone can get the best out of Smith and if he does you may have just found that 3rd option they look to need moving forward post IT. Now it could fail too, but honestly, how bad would it ruin things? It would be worth the shot.
I'd have to make this move. Thompson + Williams for Smith. We need some more scoring from the 4, not much but more. He plays better help side D than Thompson, Thompson has played some great individual D on his man though to his credit.
Follow this up with moving McLemore for a defensive SG if possible.
Follow this up with moving McLemore for a defensive SG if possible.
If Smith didn't have all star level years in the past as a two way player then the Kings shouldn't have ever looked his way in the first place, but he has. It's a gamble but for what the Kings would give up it's another gamble you have to take. If the deal was Landry/Williams or JT/Williams for him it's a no brainer.
How is Smith's post up man defense? JT's post up defense has been very important thus far.
I really liked the idea of trading for Smith back when we were a bad defensive team. Its hard to see the value in a trade for Smith right now. Would he take us from 5th best defense to the 1st? At the cost of which of our players? Its now become a difficult deal to make.
I really liked the idea of trading for Smith back when we were a bad defensive team. Its hard to see the value in a trade for Smith right now. Would he take us from 5th best defense to the 1st? At the cost of which of our players? Its now become a difficult deal to make.
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You'd get 10 points a game with Smith every night with nothing forced. You'd get 15-16 if you let him take too many bs shots.
Smith is a much better team defender and weakside help than Thompson is.
So far this early season man on man and nothing else considered Thompson has done a better job than I'd expect from Smith, but Smith is no slouch. Thompson is more physical bumping around, arm bar using, tougher this season. Smith would deter shots away do to his shot blocking skills and athleticism.
Honestly it comes down to budgeting for me. Both are signed long term, do we want that spot to eat up all of Smith's salary? This is assuming JT plays the way he has this season all season long.
Smith is a much better team defender and weakside help than Thompson is.
So far this early season man on man and nothing else considered Thompson has done a better job than I'd expect from Smith, but Smith is no slouch. Thompson is more physical bumping around, arm bar using, tougher this season. Smith would deter shots away do to his shot blocking skills and athleticism.
Honestly it comes down to budgeting for me. Both are signed long term, do we want that spot to eat up all of Smith's salary? This is assuming JT plays the way he has this season all season long.
There are alot of good power forwards out there and Thompson's defense has been quite good against some of the better PF's. I havent noticed defense at the rim being an issue for us yet. It actually looks like a strength. It largely seems to be a collective effort that has propelled us defensively. I wouldnt want to add a brand new guy that has to get up to speed with what we're doing in addition to gelling with the rest of the team and buying in. It feels like an unacceptable risk for the potential gain.
Its great that we're making progress now so that we have until mid december to see how it all unfolds.
Its great that we're making progress now so that we have until mid december to see how it all unfolds.
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Nothing wrong with that if you believe Thompson can maintain this for an entire season. Make no mistake though if our guards get beat Smith is gonna be much more handy though. Also Thompson is averaging just 3 points a game, now that should increase, Smith will get you 10 with ease and nothing forced, more if you let him shoot too much. But he comes with a hefty paycheck. Williams salary can be reinvested after it expires, because it would be Thompson + Williams most likely out the door.
Good point, but when we got Rudy we were desperate. There was not hardly any better choice and we cannot wait. We badly needed a Robin for our Batman. And we got lucky he showed up in Sacramento as the "good" Rudy Gay. It does not always happen that way.
We are 3-1 now. And 2 of our wins were against very good playoff teams. Cousins also seems to have bought-in in anchoring our defense. May I say we just had 9 blocks in a game and everyone was inspired giving their all-out effort in defense? Everything seems to be clicking. The machine is working fine. And frankly, I don't know where we would get the shots that Josh Smith will require if he gets here. We have Cousins, Gay, Collison and the rest who seem to be giving us a balanced offense.
I guess what I am saying is why do we need to drastically fix something that is not broke?
Can't we wait for at least 15-20 games?
We are 3-1 now. And 2 of our wins were against very good playoff teams. Cousins also seems to have bought-in in anchoring our defense. May I say we just had 9 blocks in a game and everyone was inspired giving their all-out effort in defense? Everything seems to be clicking. The machine is working fine. And frankly, I don't know where we would get the shots that Josh Smith will require if he gets here. We have Cousins, Gay, Collison and the rest who seem to be giving us a balanced offense.
I guess what I am saying is why do we need to drastically fix something that is not broke?
Can't we wait for at least 15-20 games?
He'd get some looks coming from doubles on Cousins or Gay, better shots that JT may not be serviceable to do. Collison would find him for a shot or two that is not really a threat area from JT. He'd also be able to slash and drive. He should only take maybe 2 threes a game, just to keep people honest away from the key, and only take uncontested ones.
But Smith is expensive, that's a hefty investment. You either gamble that investment pays off, or gamble JT can man up like this an entire season and we reinvest the salary difference between the two of them next season. We may be better off keeping the cheaper JT and looking for a SG now instead of loading up with Smith.
But Smith is expensive, that's a hefty investment. You either gamble that investment pays off, or gamble JT can man up like this an entire season and we reinvest the salary difference between the two of them next season. We may be better off keeping the cheaper JT and looking for a SG now instead of loading up with Smith.
Bingo! I don't understand the urge to make such a major change when were actually looking good at the moment. Yeah, I understand that Smith has name recognition, and JT doesn't, but its about team performance, not star billing to get butts into seats. I also realize that four games do not a season make. But I think this conversation would be more relevant if the Kings were 1 and 3, instead of 3 and 1. Yes, JT isn't scoring much, but then he's not being asked to score. He's taking less than 5 shots a game. If Moreland suddenly turned into the great shotblocking defensive player we want, would we be complaining about his lack of scoring? Personally, I don't give a damm who we play at the PF position as long as we win. And as long as we keep winning, well, as you said, if its not broke, don't fix it. Lets wait and see where were at after 20 0r so games.
JT has always been a good man defender away from the basket. His improvement this year has been in defending the basket, and in his rotations. I think he still needs improvement in his rotations, but overall, he's playing good defense. So far this year, I haven't seen the layup line during a game like I did last season. In short, we've defended the basket very well. It doesn't hurt that Collison has made it more difficult for opposing PG's to get into the lane. Plus, McLemore's improved defense has also had an impact. Rather than worry about getting more scoring from the PF position, I rather see them try and get our SG's some easy baskets, or at least remember that their on the floor. Shooters need to find a rhythm, and that's hard to do when you only take 4 shots a game.
That's exactly my take on things. If the Kings fast start was a flash in the pan and the team goes 2-14 then I'd say let's look for a major shakeup. But I don't see Josh Smith bodying up Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andrew Bogut, or even Kenneth Faried in the way JT has done so far. If Detroit looks to have a fire sale then I'd do Landry and Williams for Smith because why not? But Thompson has been an unsung hero in all three wins so far. He's a full sized PF/C who has done the dirty work. JSmoove would add weak side shot blocking but he's still a liability as a post defender. He and Landry together as a PF combo would put the Kings at a disadvantage against long, physical PFs. Smith and Thompson on the other hand would give some real versatility.
But still, there's no need to rush to make a move now. The Kings are showing a spark early on and Detroit is imploding. Let's see how both of those narratives develop before making a huge change. The Kings may continue to play well and Smith might be available for pennies on the dollar - if the Kings still want him.
But still, there's no need to rush to make a move now. The Kings are showing a spark early on and Detroit is imploding. Let's see how both of those narratives develop before making a huge change. The Kings may continue to play well and Smith might be available for pennies on the dollar - if the Kings still want him.
if this kings team turns out to be headed in the direction of a winning season, the very last thing you want to do is trade for someone like josh smith. it's easy to make the "buy low" comparison with rudy gay, but rudy has never been a malcontent. he performed poorly in toronto, where he was not an ideal fit, and he became the butt of a great many jokes regarding a player's value in relation to their contract. however, he doesn't carry the kind of ego that subsumes everything around it...
josh smith, on the other hand, is a first-class knucklehead. he may be a tier below jr smith in that category, but he's still the kind of player who can completely wreck a team's chemistry. if the kings are mired in another awful season come february, sure, you pull the trigger and hope for everything to click just right (despite intuition that tells you it won't). but if this team is playing .500 ball or better by the trade deadline, it's something to build on, and i'd be extremely hesitant to invite a stick of dynamite to that equation...
josh smith, on the other hand, is a first-class knucklehead. he may be a tier below jr smith in that category, but he's still the kind of player who can completely wreck a team's chemistry. if the kings are mired in another awful season come february, sure, you pull the trigger and hope for everything to click just right (despite intuition that tells you it won't). but if this team is playing .500 ball or better by the trade deadline, it's something to build on, and i'd be extremely hesitant to invite a stick of dynamite to that equation...
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