2017 Team Discussion and Possible Trades

#31
So answer me this, lets say Milsap comes and we make the playoffs, but go out in the first round, then Milsap walks. Just exactly have we accomplished, other than to say hey, we made the playoffs. However some of the young talent we were going to build the future with is gone, along with who we traded them for. Is that a success story? By the way, I believe that Milsap will be 32 in Feburary.

I have no problem going after Milsap as long as we don't empty the bank in doing so. The likelyhood of resigning him is not impossible, but slim, and if we do, it will cost up in the plus 30 mil range to do so. We also have to max out Cux, which is another plus 30 mil a year contract. After subtracting the other contracts we have, it wouldn't leave much for signing additional freeagents. And we wouldn't have a draft pick this year either if we make the playoffs. We'd be left with a team that may or may not make the playoffs, but nothing resembling a championship team.
I don't think we'd break the bank if we were to trade for Millsap...however, I don't think we'd have the assets to anyways. I guess our best offer would be Kings 2017 1st rounder 11-30 protected, Rudy Gay, WCS, and Labissiere/Richardson.

I'm certainly leaning a lot more towards rebuild than a 1st round exit.....but I'd have no problem trading Skal in any package if the right deal comes. Have not seen one yet though.
 
#32
Jae Crowder had a twitter rant about Boston fans. Wouldn't count it as reason to think he's in the trade winds, but will probably add to trade rumor discussions.
 
#33
Millsap is a very good player, not sure why people think Willie for Millsap is a fair trade. Hawks GM would block Vlade's number if Vlade offered that.

Millsap for Gay and Collison would be a more fair trade. Not sure I'd take it. I think they'd reject Gay and WCS.
 
#34
I think Orlando is a good trade partner for us. There was a podcast that said we were talking with Portland and Orlando on trades.

Gay and Collison for Payton and Ibaka

Why for Sacramento:

Get Lawson more minutes and have Payton as a guy we can try to develop more. Apparently Orlando is shopping him around. Gay and Collison are both expiring while Payton is younger and has an extra year of control. The Kings get a young PG in a year where they could lose their draft pick. Ibaka is still a decent player and I think he'd work well in a front court with Boogie even with only half a year of time together.

Lawson/Payton
Temple/McLemore
Afflalo/Casspi
Ibaka/WCS
Cousins/Koufos

is a pretty good lineup IMO. Ibaka is more likely to resign in Sacramento than Rudy. Payton is a prospect that could turn into a decent starter in time.

Why for Orlando:

Ibaka is an expiring in a log jam up front (Gordon, Ibaka, Vucevic, Biyombo). I think they'd rather give Gordon more minutes and that front court is still good without Ibaka. Gay is a slight upgrade on Green. Collison is a decent upgrade on Payton and Augustin and can resign him next year.

Collison/ Augustin
Fournier/ Meeks
Gay/ Green
Gordon
Vucevic/Biyombo

is an upgrade IMO, Orlando is trying to win now and I think they upgrade at 2 positions.

Who says no?
 
#35
Millsap is a very good player, not sure why people think Willie for Millsap is a fair trade. Hawks GM would block Vlade's number if Vlade offered that.

Millsap for Gay and Collison would be a more fair trade. Not sure I'd take it. I think they'd reject Gay and WCS.
I think you are making the mistake of not considering contract size & length.

A player's current skill level is only one piece to consider when making a trade. If they are wanting to move Millsap, they are most likely not looking for pieces that can simply walk after the season is done (which is what could happen with Gay & Collison). If your counter argument is that they can use that cap space to sign other players in the offseason, why not just keep Millsap and let him opt out this offseason?

Cauley-Stein is a much more attractive piece for teams despite his play this year due to the fact that he was an early lottery pick 1.5 years ago, he has a freakish combination of length & athleticism, bigs can take longer to adjust/find their role in the NBA, & his contract goes for another 2.5 years on a dirt cheap contract (in which that said team will have the option to keep him for another 4-5 years when he is a RFA).
 
#36
I think Orlando is a good trade partner for us. There was a podcast that said we were talking with Portland and Orlando on trades.

Gay and Collison for Payton and Ibaka

Why for Sacramento:

Get Lawson more minutes and have Payton as a guy we can try to develop more. Apparently Orlando is shopping him around. Gay and Collison are both expiring while Payton is younger and has an extra year of control. The Kings get a young PG in a year where they could lose their draft pick. Ibaka is still a decent player and I think he'd work well in a front court with Boogie.

Lawson/Payton
Temple/McLemore
Afflalo/Casspi
Ibaka/WCS
Cousins/Koufos

is a pretty good lineup IMO. Ibaka is more likely to resign in Sacramento than Rudy. Payton is a prospect that could turn into a decent starter in time.

Why for Orlando:

Ibaka is an expiring in a log jam up front (Gordon, Ibaka, Vucevic, Biyombo). I think they'd rather give Gordon more minutes and that front court is still good without Ibaka. Gay is a slight upgrade on Green. Collison is a decent upgrade on Payton and Augustin and can resign him next year.

Collison/ Augustin
Fournier/ Meeks
Gay/ Green
Gordon
Vucevic/Biyombo

is an upgrade IMO, Orlando is trying to win now and I think they upgrade at 2 positions.

Who says no?
Orlando does.

They traded Oladipo & Sabonis for Ibaka. I have a hard time seeing how two expirings such as Gay & Collison have anything close to that value. Then on top of it, you throw in Payton who 's contract we'd be able to control past this year.

One of your reasons you gave for Orlando to do the trade is that Ibaka is an expiring yet you don't seem to recognize that Gay & Collison are expirings as well. Care to elaborate on why Gay & Collison being expirings is different than Ibaka being an expiring? Orlando is obviously not a small or midsize piece away from being a threat in the playoffs so why run the risk of trading for guys who can up and leave next year?

Same thing goes for the Kings. We are a FA nightmare. I'd rather turn Gay/Collison into players that are not expiring because, odds are, they will just leave this offseason. If we want to trade for a win now piece, we better make sure they aren't an expiring contract. I'm also not a big fan of Payton and think he would be a dreadful fit with Cousins going forward.
 
#37
Orlando does.

They traded Oladipo & Sabonis for Ibaka. I have a hard time seeing how two expirings such as Gay & Collison have anything close to that value. Then on top of it, you throw in Payton who 's contract we'd be able to control past this year.

One of your reasons you gave for Orlando to do the trade is that Ibaka is an expiring yet you don't seem to recognize that Gay & Collison are expirings as well. Care to elaborate on why Gay & Collison being expirings is different than Ibaka being an expiring? Orlando is obviously not a small or midsize piece away from being a threat in the playoffs so why run the risk of trading for guys who can up and leave next year?

Same thing goes for the Kings. We are a FA nightmare. I'd rather turn Gay/Collison into players that are not expiring because, odds are, they will just leave this offseason. If we want to trade for a win now piece, we better make sure they aren't an expiring contract. I'm also not a big fan of Payton and think he would be a dreadful fit with Cousins going forward.
Ibaka isn't as good of a player as he used to be. He's not as good of a rebounder than he used to be. The Magic got fleeced in that trade that sent Oladipo and Sabonis to OKC. I did mention that Gay and Collison were expirings in why Sacramento does it.

Orlando is in a win now mode, whether fair or not, they want to get to the playoffs this year instead of getting draft picks. I think Gay and Collison are upgrades at their respective positions while they would likely resign Collison in the offseason to start/6th man while they would not re-sign Ibaka since they are stacked up front and need a PG and SF/Wing (They are playing Gordon on the wings right now to accomodate Ibaka and Biyombo starting).

They have Green expiring and I think they'd rather re-sign Gay over Green if that's the route they go or draft a SF in the draft or FA.

The Magic are only 1.5 games out of the playoffs so not sure why you are saying they'd rather tank than lose. The Magic are adamant they want to win now.

http://www.inquisitr.com/3761042/or...a-and-elfrid-payton-as-they-look-for-scorers/
 
Last edited:
#38
I think you are making the mistake of not considering contract size & length.

A player's current skill level is only one piece to consider when making a trade. If they are wanting to move Millsap, they are most likely not looking for pieces that can simply walk after the season is done (which is what could happen with Gay & Collison). If your counter argument is that they can use that cap space to sign other players in the offseason, why not just keep Millsap and let him opt out this offseason?

Cauley-Stein is a much more attractive piece for teams despite his play this year due to the fact that he was an early lottery pick 1.5 years ago, he has a freakish combination of length & athleticism, bigs can take longer to adjust/find their role in the NBA, & his contract goes for another 2.5 years on a dirt cheap contract (in which that said team will have the option to keep him for another 4-5 years when he is a RFA).
Atlanta will want more than WCS and Gay. I think Millsap will command a better young talent than WCS. WCS is all potential and with all honesty has a small chance of panning out. Bazemore hasn't lived up to his contract and Thabo can be upgraded on. Atlanta's bench unit is a joke which is why they might take on Collison past next year and re-sign him to be their 6th man to provide scoring punch.

Atlanta would say no to both, it's not realistic to trade for Millsap as much as I as a fan would would like to see a Millsap/Cousins front court in the future (I'd honestly be fine with giving him a big deal if Cousins re-signs ), the Kings lack talent now and let's be honest, Sacramento will struggle to get FA until we prove to start winning and getting to the playoffs.
 
#39
Ibaka isn't as good of a player as he used to be. He's not as good of a rebounder than he used to be. The Magic got fleeced in that trade that sent Oladipo and Sabonis to OKC. I did mention that Gay and Collison were expirings in why Sacramento does it.

Orlando is in a win now mode, whether fair or not, they want to get to the playoffs this year instead of getting draft picks. I think Gay and Collison are upgrades at their respective positions while they would likely resign Collison in the offseason to start while they would not re-sign Ibaka since they are stacked up front and need a PG and SF (They are playing Gordon on the wings right now to accomodate Ibaka and Biyombo starting).

They have Green expiring and I think they'd rather re-sign Gay over Green if that's the route they go or draft a SF in the draft or FA.

The Magic are only 1.5 games out of the playoffs so not sure why you are saying they'd rather tank than lose. The Magic management are adamant they want to win now
I never said that their goal wasn't to win this year, so don't make the mistake of assuming that I wasn't already aware of the FO's goal.

Ibaka has actually played pretty well this year. He's helping them not hurting them, and he happens to be a great complement to Vucevic, and with his 3pt shooting, he can play next to Biyombo as well. It doesn't really make sense to move a better complement in Ibaka for Gay & Collison. Ibaka has already expressed interest about resigning with Orlando, so not only are they trading away a young PG on a rookie contract, but they are also trading away a player that has expressed in staying their long term for two guys they have no idea will stay or not. This is not the type of move teams make.

I'm not sure why they need to move Gordon to PF. Orlando has been better with him at SF both last year (-0.8 netRTG as SF vs. -2.8 netRTG as PF) and this year (+1.2 netRTG as SF vs. -14.8 net RTG as PF). He's certainly athletic enough, and he's been very adamant about working on his shot. It's already showing improvement over last year, and he's still only 21. His passing & ball handling is also good for a SF. Then you have both Fournier & Hezonja who have the ability to play SF which makes it kind of pointless to invest in a 31 year old SF long term. Use the draft this year to pick up one of the excellent PG prospects (no need for Collison).
 
#40
Atlanta will want more than WCS and Gay. I think Millsap will command a better young talent than WCS. WCS is all potential and with all honesty has a small chance of panning out. Bazemore hasn't lived up to his contract and Thabo can be upgraded on. Atlanta's bench unit is a joke which is why they might take on Collison past next year and re-sign him to be their 6th man to provide scoring power.

Atlanta would say no to both, it's not realistic to trade for Millsap as much as I as a fan would would like to see a Millsap/Cousins front court in the future (I'd honestly be fine with giving him a big 3 year deal if he'd be willing to stay), the Kings lack talent now and let's be honest, Sacramento will struggle to get FA until we prove to start winning and getting to the playoffs.
I'm not sure what Atlanta will want for Millsap, but they will likely get less than they would desire. There are 2 factors that hurt his value. First, he is about to turn 32 years old (how much does he have left?) Secondly, he can opt out of his contact in the off season. Teams aren't going to give up too much for a possible half year rental (same problem the Kings have with Gay.)
 
#41
Atlanta will want more than WCS and Gay. I think Millsap will command a better young talent than WCS. WCS is all potential and with all honesty has a small chance of panning out. Bazemore hasn't lived up to his contract and Thabo can be upgraded on. Atlanta's bench unit is a joke which is why they might take on Collison past next year and re-sign him to be their 6th man to provide scoring punch.

Atlanta would say no to both, it's not realistic to trade for Millsap as much as I as a fan would would like to see a Millsap/Cousins front court in the future (I'd honestly be fine with giving him a big deal if Cousins re-signs ), the Kings lack talent now and let's be honest, Sacramento will struggle to get FA until we prove to start winning and getting to the playoffs.
You're shifting goal posts.

Where did I say Gay & WCS would be enough for Millsap? You made the odd assumption that Gay & Collison would be more attractive which it wouldn't be. You put way too much stock in teams being able to retain their UFAs on a whim.
 
#42
You're shifting goal posts.

Where did I say Gay & WCS would be enough for Millsap? You made the odd assumption that Gay & Collison would be more attractive which it wouldn't be. You put way too much stock in teams being able to retain their UFAs on a whim.
You didn't, you said that would be a better offer which I replied as barely and not enough to matter as Atlanta would reject both trades anyways. I don't put too much stock in that, Collison has a decent chance to re-sign with whatever team takes him as a 6th man role, I don't think he'll have a ton of options especially as being a starter and more of a 6th man role. In Orlando's case if they don't find a suitable starter in the draft/FA next year to make Collison a short-term starter. Gay is probably not retained by either Orlando or Atlanta unless Atlanta likes him as a stretch 4 or Orlando decides he's an upgrade on Green on the wings.

Both Collison and Gay aren't guys that great teams are looking to go after to either be a starter in Collison's case, or a 2nd-3rd option in Gay's case. That's why I think there's a decent chance either team will stay with the team that traded for them since they will have a lack of opportunities else where in FA.
 
#43
I'm not sure what Atlanta will want for Millsap, but they will likely get less than they would desire. There are 2 factors that hurt his value. First, he is about to turn 32 years old (how much does he have left?) Secondly, he can opt out of his contact in the off season. Teams aren't going to give up too much for a possible half year rental (same problem the Kings have with Gay.)
I agree but Sacramento doesn't have the assets to pull this off when compared to other teams. Ben and WCS are the two best young assets but with both struggling and not living to expectations I can't see Atlanta salivating at wanting either one or both in a trade. I think a team out there (Toronto?? OKC??? Denver??Stupid of them but they have better assets than Sacramento) will throw out a better deal with young players than Sacramento can.
 
#44
You didn't, you said that would be a better offer which I replied as barely and not enough to matter as Atlanta would reject both trades anyways. I don't put too much stock in that, Collison has a decent chance to re-sign with whatever team takes him as a 6th man role, I don't think he'll have a ton of options especially as being a starter and more of a 6th man role. In Orlando's case if they don't find a suitable starter in the draft/FA next year to make Collison a short-term starter. Gay is probably not retained by either Orlando or Atlanta unless Atlanta likes him as a stretch 4 or Orlando decides he's an upgrade on Green on the wings.

Both Collison and Gay aren't guys that great teams are looking to go after to either be a starter in Collison's case, or a 2nd-3rd option in Gay's case. That's why I think there's a decent chance either team will stay with the team that traded for them since they will have a lack of opportunities else where in FA.
Atlanta decided to move on from the two small PG combo of Schroeder & Teague. Neither Schroeder or Collison can guard SGs effectively for extended periods of time. Considering they made Schroeder their PG of the future, don't you think it would either make sense to acquire a lower level backup for cheaper and spend that saved money elsewhere or acquire a bigger backup PG who can swing to either PG or SG? You have to think about how these teams would want to build around their core players before making these proposals.

The "lack of opportunities" & "guys that great teams are looking to go after" is 100% debatable & speculation on your part. There's no way of knowing if that will be the case.
 
#45
I agree but Sacramento doesn't have the assets to pull this off when compared to other teams. Ben and WCS are the two best young assets but with both struggling and not living to expectations I can't see Atlanta salivating at wanting either one or both in a trade. I think a team out there (Toronto?? OKC??? Denver??Stupid of them but they have better assets than Sacramento) will throw out a better deal with young players than Sacramento can.
Ben is not one of our "two best young assets." He's probably not even top 4 at this point (Richardson, Labissiere, WCS, & Papagiannis).
 
#46
Ben is not one of our "two best young assets." He's probably not even top 4 at this point (Richardson, Labissiere, WCS, & Papagiannis).
Ben was the 7th pick in the '13 draft. He's only 23, while I'm not his biggest fan, there's still a very tiny hope he'll turn into a serviceable starter. Also he's actually seen the court quite a bit whether fair or not.

Richardson was the 22nd pick that had questionable shot selection coming into the draft and played under a coach in college that was strictly zone defense. Papagiannis was probably taken too early and has a LONG ways to go to become an NBA player, most consider him to be a reach. Skal was the 28th pick and needs to add some strength, I like him but there's a reason he was one of the top high school players in his class that fell all the way to 28th.

I think you are overvaluing the rookies quite a bit. A team will give Ben a chance still, while a "bust", there's still plenty of time for him to improve still. There's a reason he was taken 7th in the draft and had more potential out of college than any of the other 3 guys you listed. I think the only one that's somewhat debatable is Richardson and I'd like to see him actually play before I say if the potential is there or not for him to be better than Ben.
 
#47
Atlanta decided to move on from the two small PG combo of Schroeder & Teague. Neither Schroeder or Collison can guard SGs effectively for extended periods of time. Considering they made Schroeder their PG of the future, don't you think it would either make sense to acquire a lower level backup for cheaper and spend that saved money elsewhere or acquire a bigger backup PG who can swing to either PG or SG? You have to think about how these teams would want to build around their core players before making these proposals.

The "lack of opportunities" & "guys that great teams are looking to go after" is 100% debatable & speculation on your part. There's no way of knowing if that will be the case.
I never said they'd play primarily together. In the case they kept Bazemore and Thabo then most of the time your lineup of the two playing together or one playing on the wings wouldn't happen anyways. I just suggested he'd be a guy that would help offensively when the bench unit came in. What teams outside of Sacramento would go after Collison as a starter? Orlando if they strike out on all their other targets? The Bulls? Of course it's speculation, do you think Collison will be getting offers to start and Gay would get offers to be a 2nd-3rd option on a playoff caliber team?
 
#48
Ben was the 7th pick in the '13 draft. He's only 23, while I'm not his biggest fan, there's still a very tiny hope he'll turn into a serviceable starter. Also he's actually seen the court quite a bit whether fair or not.

Richardson was the 22nd pick that had questionable shot selection coming into the draft. Papagiannis was probably taken too early and has a LONG ways to go to become an NBA player. Skal was the 28th pick and needs to add some strength.

I think you are overvaluing the rookies quite a bit. A team will give Ben a chance still, while a "bust", there's still plenty of time for him to improve still. There's a reason he was taken 7th in the draft and had more potential out of college than any of the other 3 guys you listed.
You're perception of our youth is not reality.

Yeah, McLemore was the 7th pick...3.5 years ago. Might I also mention that the 2013 draft was known as a VERY WEAK draft? But that's beside the point. Using his draft position 3.5 years ago as some sort of barometer for his value is pretty darn foolish, and it's something that GMs would not even look at. He was drafted based on how he looked in college. No we have 3.5 years of tape on him in the NBA. Do you think he would go 7th if they did that draft again? I sure don't.

"Seeing the court" really means nothing. He's "seen" the court in an effort to develop him. Considering he's seen the court so much and has yet to make any big strides is not a good thing. It is a BAD THING. His TS% is below 50% this year, he's shooting the 3 ball at a dismal 30%, and his REB%, AST%, & STL% are the lowest since his rookie year. He's been nothing but a bust so far with nothing to indicate that he's on his way to become a "serviceable starter."

You are also overlooking the contract situation yet again. He's a RFA after this season and will be off the rookie scale. That's a knock against his value as well. Papagiannis, Richardson, & Labissiere (although taken later in this draft than McLemore was in 2013) still have time to become a player in this league while on a very cheap rookie contract. Don't underestimate the value of controlling a player for the next 3.5 years on a rookie deal.
 
#49
I never said they'd play primarily together. In the case they kept Bazemore and Thabo then most of the time your lineup of the two playing together or one playing on the wings wouldn't happen anyways. I just suggested he'd be a guy that would help offensively when the bench unit came in. What teams outside of Sacramento would go after Collison as a starter? Orlando if they strike out on all their other targets? The Bulls? Of course it's speculation, do you think Collison will be getting offers to start and Gay would get offers to be a 2nd-3rd option on a playoff caliber team?
"Sixth man" typically comes with ample playing time. Schroeder is averaging 31 mpg this season and will likely see that increase as he gets better and better. Are you insinuating that they would play their sixth man (Collison) only 17 or less minutes per game? That's lunacy...

What makes you think Collison's biggest desire is to be a starter? Maybe he just wants to be on a contender? Maybe he wants to be in a certain location? Maybe he wants to get the most money he can? You have no idea what Collison's motives are, and it's wrong to limit his potential options based on something you are assuming.
 
#50
You're perception of our youth is not reality.

Yeah, McLemore was the 7th pick...3.5 years ago. Might I also mention that the 2013 draft was known as a VERY WEAK draft? But that's beside the point. Using his draft position 3.5 years ago as some sort of barometer for his value is pretty darn foolish, and it's something that GMs would not even look at. He was drafted based on how he looked in college. No we have 3.5 years of tape on him in the NBA. Do you think he would go 7th if they did that draft again? I sure don't.

"Seeing the court" really means nothing. He's "seen" the court in an effort to develop him. Considering he's seen the court so much and has yet to make any big strides is not a good thing. It is a BAD THING. His TS% is below 50% this year, he's shooting the 3 ball at a dismal 30%, and his REB%, AST%, & STL% are the lowest since his rookie year. He's been nothing but a bust so far with nothing to indicate that he's on his way to become a "serviceable starter."

You are also overlooking the contract situation yet again. He's a RFA after this season and will be off the rookie scale. That's a knock against his value as well. Papagiannis, Richardson, & Labissiere (although taken later in this draft than McLemore was in 2013) still have time to become a player in this league while on a very cheap rookie contract. Don't underestimate the value of controlling a player for the next 3.5 years on a rookie deal.
You can't deny Ben had way more potential than any other player on your list barring possibly WCS out of the draft. I know Ben is bad right now and stated this multiple times in the post you quoted. There's a reason Skal, Richardson, and Papa have not played meaningful minutes this year. Joerger thinks they aren't ready to contribute yet. There's also a reason those 3 players were not drafted very highly barring Papa who was a reach.

Do I think Ben will bust? Probably. Do I think there's a small chance he'll turn into a good player somewhere? Sure, he's 23! There's still time. I honestly don't know how much Ben would demand in FA. I would assume not terribly much even though it'll be more than he should get paid.

I'm not a Ben fan, I've made that clear in older game threads where I'd like him to leave/get less minutes, but the rookies are all question marks with a long ways to go. I'd like to see the rookies play to see where they are at in their development and how far they have to go to being key contributors to the team.

WCS seems to be close to being in the same category as Ben
 
Last edited:
#51
"Sixth man" typically comes with ample playing time. Schroeder is averaging 31 mpg this season and will likely see that increase as he gets better and better. Are you insinuating that they would play their sixth man (Collison) only 17 or less minutes per game? That's lunacy...

What makes you think Collison's biggest desire is to be a starter? Maybe he just wants to be on a contender? Maybe he wants to be in a certain location? Maybe he wants to get the most money he can? You have no idea what Collison's motives are, and it's wrong to limit his potential options based on something you are assuming.
Didn't Collison come to Sacramento in FA as one of his biggest reasons was to be a starter? I didn't follow the Kings until 2 years ago so I'm curious. He could change his ambitions but that's what I'm going by when I think he would like a starting spot/good chance at one as a priority of his.
 
Last edited:
#52
You can't deny Ben had way more potential than any other player on your list barring possibly WCS out of the draft. I know Ben is bad right now and stated this multiple times in the post you quoted. There's a reason Skal, Richardson, and Papa have not played meaningful minutes this year. Joerger thinks they aren't ready to contribute yet. There's also a reason those 3 players were not drafted very highly barring Papa who was a reach.

Do I think Ben will bust? Probably. Do I think there's a small chance he'll turn into a good player somewhere? Sure, he's 23! There's still time. I honestly don't know how much Ben would demand in FA. I would assume not terribly much even though it'll be more than he should get paid.

I'm not a Ben fan, I've made that clear in older game threads where I'd like him to leave/get less minutes, but the rookies are all question marks with a long ways to go. I'd like to see the rookies play to see where they are at in their development and how far they have to go to being key contributors to the team.

WCS seems to be close to being in the same category as Ben
I most certainly can deny that!

Ben's potential was a 3&D player. That's what Richardson's potential is with probably even more upside as a scorer. Labissiere has more raw potential than McLemore as well. He was a top high school prospect and was projected as a top 5 pick before the college season. Papagiannis is hard to judge for me because I knew little about him, but from what I have seen, I picture him as being Koufos with more size, a better post game, and a better jump shot. I can easily make the case for any of those 3 having more potential than McLemore, and with McLemore, I don't even know if you can call it "potential" anymore. It's been 3.5 years, and he's REGRESSING this season. There's a slim to none chance of him amounting to anything. Anyone who thinks he's one of our top 2 best young prospects either hasn't been watching him the past 3.5 years, hasn't been paying attention to our rookies in the D-League, or doesn't understand the scouting reports on the guys we just selected.

I'm not so confident McLemore would have seen time his rookie season, if we had Joerger as our head coach, if we were competing for the 8th seed, and if we had Temple, Afflalo, Gay, Casspi, & Barnes as veteran wings to get minutes. Using the fact that Richardson, Labissiere, & Papagiannis haven't received consistent minutes as some sort of knock is a lazy argument. Look at our situation. We had 12 veterans who are used to getting at least 10-15 mpg. Why not bring along the rookies slowly? If you haven't noticed, we've thrown Fredette, Robinson, McLemore, Stauskas, & Cauley-Stein into the deep end after we drafted them and a lot of them seemed to have confidence issues. Definition of insanity anyone?


Let me ask you this...if you have to keep Labissiere vs. Ben, Richardson vs. Ben, or Papagiannis vs. Ben, you would take Ben in all 3 of those scenarios?! I've heard some pretty outlandish things on this site, but if you answer that with a "yes," that might just take the cake.
 
#53
Didn't Collison come to Sacramento in FA as one of his biggest reasons was to be a starter? I didn't follow the Kings until 2 years ago so I'm curious. He could change his ambitions but that's what I'm going by when I think he would like a starting spot/good chance at one as a priority of his.
It's possible that it was a CONTRIBUTING FACTOR, but it doesn't mean it was the only thing he considered, and motives change all the time for players.

From what I can remember, we called Collison at the stroke of midnight. I think Collison mentioned that he liked how "wanted" he felt by us making him one of our biggest priorities in FA and that played a decent role in him signing with us that offseason.
 
#54
I most certainly can deny that!

Ben's potential was a 3&D player. That's what Richardson's potential is with probably even more upside as a scorer. Labissiere has more raw potential than McLemore as well. He was a top high school prospect and was projected as a top 5 pick before the college season. Papagiannis is hard to judge for me because I knew little about him, but from what I have seen, I picture him as being Koufos with more size, a better post game, and a better jump shot. I can easily make the case for any of those 3 having more potential than McLemore, and with McLemore, I don't even know if you can call it "potential" anymore. It's been 3.5 years, and he's REGRESSING this season. There's a slim to none chance of him amounting to anything. Anyone who thinks he's one of our top 2 best young prospects either hasn't been watching him the past 3.5 years, hasn't been paying attention to our rookies in the D-League, or doesn't understand the scouting reports on the guys we just selected.

I'm not so confident McLemore would have seen time his rookie season, if we had Joerger as our head coach, if we were competing for the 8th seed, and if we had Temple, Afflalo, Gay, Casspi, & Barnes as veteran wings to get minutes. Using the fact that Richardson, Labissiere, & Papagiannis haven't received consistent minutes as some sort of knock is a lazy argument. Look at our situation. We had 12 veterans who are used to getting at least 10-15 mpg. Why not bring along the rookies slowly? If you haven't noticed, we've thrown Fredette, Robinson, McLemore, Stauskas, & Cauley-Stein into the deep end after we drafted them and a lot of them seemed to have confidence issues. Definition of insanity anyone?


Let me ask you this...if you have to keep Labissiere vs. Ben, Richardson vs. Ben, or Papagiannis vs. Ben, you would take Ben in all 3 of those scenarios?! I've heard some pretty outlandish things on this site, but if you answer that with a "yes," that might just take the cake.
Do you really think the 3 rookies we drafted had more potential out of the draft than Ben did. Ben was a top 10 pick. Papa was drafted too high, Malachi and Skal were both late 1st round picks.

Chad Ford right before the draft:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...slipping-unimpressive-workouts-234550476.html
McLemore remains in the top 5, but I'm starting to have my doubts. I love the talent. But his lack of preparation for the draft is hurting him. Multiple sources told me that his workout in Phoenix was not impressive; he wasn't in shape, and he struggled to keep up in the workout. I heard similar things in Orlando. McLemore is in a tug-of-war right now between adviser Rodney Blackstock and his agency Rivals. It's kept McLemore out of the gym and for the most part, out of workouts. How much will all of this affect the draft stock? I'm told teams are worried. But how worried? Enough for one of the most talented players in the draft to slide further? If the Suns pass on McLemore, both C.J. McCollum and Michael Carter-Williams are possibilities here.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/6/4/4378806/ben-mclemore-scouting-report-nba-draft-2013
http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2013/6/28/4473984/nba-draft-grades-2013-kings-ben-mclemore
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/ben-mclemore
http://www.nba.com/draft/2013/prospects/ben-mclemore/

Go read those 4 articles right after and before the draft then come back here. Ben had good draft grades because of his time at Kansas (where I watched a lot of Kansas games in college as I'm a fan of Iowa State) I don't care about high school, Skal dropped because he wasn't very effective in college/showed weaknesses that he'd have to get over in the NBA. Why is it a lazy argument? You've never seen the guys play a meaningful minute in the NBA and you are saying they are better players than they are at the current moment. Giving players early playing time and saying that's a reason they failed is false, you can use the same argument to say it's good they are getting game time repetition as well.

Before I answer your last question, what about WCS? You put WCS in the same category as the other 4 but he's arguably having a worse season than Ben and is the same age as Ben?
 
Last edited:
#55
Do you really think the 3 rookies we drafted had more potential out of the draft than Ben did. Ben was a top 10 pick. Papa was drafted too high, Malachi and Skal were both late 1st round picks.

Chad Ford right before the draft:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...slipping-unimpressive-workouts-234550476.html
McLemore remains in the top 5, but I'm starting to have my doubts. I love the talent. But his lack of preparation for the draft is hurting him. Multiple sources told me that his workout in Phoenix was not impressive; he wasn't in shape, and he struggled to keep up in the workout. I heard similar things in Orlando. McLemore is in a tug-of-war right now between adviser Rodney Blackstock and his agency Rivals. It's kept McLemore out of the gym and for the most part, out of workouts. How much will all of this affect the draft stock? I'm told teams are worried. But how worried? Enough for one of the most talented players in the draft to slide further? If the Suns pass on McLemore, both C.J. McCollum and Michael Carter-Williams are possibilities here.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/6/4/4378806/ben-mclemore-scouting-report-nba-draft-2013
http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2013/6/28/4473984/nba-draft-grades-2013-kings-ben-mclemore
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/ben-mclemore
http://www.nba.com/draft/2013/prospects/ben-mclemore/

Go read those 4 articles right after and before the draft then come back here. Ben had good draft grades because of his time at Kansas (where I watched a lot of Kansas games in college as I'm a fan of Iowa State) I don't care about high school, Skal dropped because he wasn't very effective in college/showed weaknesses that he'd have to get over in the NBA. Why is it a lazy argument? You've never seen the guys play a meaningful minute in the NBA and you are saying they are better players than they are at the current moment. Giving players early playing time and saying that's a reason they failed is false, you can use the same argument to say it's good they are getting game time repetition as well.

Before I answer your last question, what about WCS? You put WCS in the same category as the other 4 but he's arguably having a worse season than Ben and is the same age as Ben?
Again, you are shifting goal posts.

McLemore coming out of college was a good prospect. I was for picking him with who was left available. But we're not talking about 3.5 years ago. We are talking about NOW. For some reason, you're wanting to bring up what people hoped he would be before coming into the NBA. That has ZERO relevance to what we are talking about.

You labeled McLemore as one of our top 2 best young assets. That is flat out wrong. That statement has nothing to do with McLemore 3.5 years ago. That statement has everything to with the player he is TODAY. McLemore's value as a young asset is far less than Richardson, Labissiere, & Papagiannis at this point. That's not to say that those guys will become better than McLemore, but McLemore has shown little improvement and is looking like he has regressed a bit this season. If you haven't shown much of anything in 3.5 seasons, your value is going to be abysmal, and if that said player is going to come off his rookie contract and be a FA next year, the value is even lower.

Not surprised you're avoiding my question... but as for WCS, yes, he's looped in with the other rookies because, unlike McLemore, he's only played 1.5 seasons so far & has 2.5 more seasons on his rookie deal. If WCS was in the middle of his 4th season & playing like this, I would be saying the exact same thing about him as I am about McLemore. He would most certainly not be one of our most valuable young assets. This is common sense at this point.

It's difficult to have a discussion with you because you don't even seem to comprehend what your original point was.
 
#56
Again, you are shifting goal posts.

McLemore coming out of college was a good prospect. I was for picking him with who was left available. But we're not talking about 3.5 years ago. We are talking about NOW. For some reason, you're wanting to bring up what people hoped he would be before coming into the NBA. That has ZERO relevance to what we are talking about.

You labeled McLemore as one of our top 2 best young assets. That is flat out wrong. That statement has nothing to do with McLemore 3.5 years ago. That statement has everything to with the player he is TODAY. McLemore's value as a young asset is far less than Richardson, Labissiere, & Papagiannis at this point. That's not to say that those guys will become better than McLemore, but McLemore has shown little improvement and is looking like he has regressed a bit this season. If you haven't shown much of anything in 3.5 seasons, your value is going to be abysmal, and if that said player is going to come off his rookie contract and be a FA next year, the value is even lower.

Not surprised you're avoiding my question... but as for WCS, yes, he's looped in with the other rookies because, unlike McLemore, he's only played 1.5 seasons so far & has 2.5 more seasons on his rookie deal. If WCS was in the middle of his 4th season & playing like this, I would be saying the exact same thing about him as I am about McLemore. He would most certainly not be one of our most valuable young assets. This is common sense at this point.

It's difficult to have a discussion with you because you don't even seem to comprehend what your original point was.
I most certainly can deny that!

Ben's potential was a 3&D player.


The only reason I'm talking about it is because you think Ben and Malachi out of the draft were similar prospects, sorry but that's not even close to being the case.
I'm changing goal posts? You contradicted yourself right there.3&D was not Ben's potential coming out of the draft! Most analysts even said he had all-star potential and was the prospect in the draft most likely to be an all-star or bust.If you think Richardson and Ben out of college (I'm not making the pre-draft comparison, you are) had similar expectations, I can't help you. One was being talked about as a top 5 pick and a potential all-star, the others were suppose to be late 1st round picks! I'm not avoiding your question, it's a lot closer than you would think between Ben and any of those players you think has way more value. In all honesty I think WCS and Ben have pretty similar value at this point. It's not "far less" than those three. WCS and Ben are the same age, that's why college freshman are taken so early, they have the most potential to grow in most cases since they are so young. As far as the 3 rookies, they have slightly higher (I mean slightly, I mean not very much) than Ben does at this point. I think your love for the Kings blinding you into what the rookies potential is. Ben is 23! Not sure why it's too early to make absolutes and say he's done.

There's a reason Joerger is playing Ben so much rather than have Malachi or even Afflalo eat his minutes while WCS can barely get on the court while Tolliver plays in his minutes. Joerger sees something in Ben over other guys on the team, most likely in practice, to give him minutes! I'm going to trust Joerger's judgement since he has more basketball knowledge than both of us combined and sees Ben and the team practice/play games basically every single day.

This leads me to the point I was trying to make, the Kings, compared to other NBA teams, don't have the young players to deal in trades as other teams have. Since drafting Cousins, the Kings have missed on every first round pick barring the last draft (as of now, it's not looking good, I don't want to give up on WCS but his decline this year doesn't look good). When dealing with players like Millsap, other teams can offer him way more and play on a winning team. That's why the Kings aren't going to likely be bringing in key FA or trade for them. Sacramento is a joke in the NBA currently with all the drama associated with it and the Kings are known as being a team that can't get to the playoffs and miss on all their lottery picks, leaving the Kings in a cycle where it's Cousins and a couple FA every year leading to a slight win total upgrade every year while not being a serious 2nd round/WCF type team.
 
Last edited:
K

KingsFan80

Guest
#57
Ben is not one of our "two best young assets." He's probably not even top 4 at this point (Richardson, Labissiere, WCS, & Papagiannis).
I have to disagree slightly. WCS might have more value than Ben and maybe Richardson, but I highly doubt anyone in this league would give you anything outside of a second rouder for Papa or Skal. I would go as far to say Papa has no value at all unless it was for a guy at the end of the road in the league. Most Teams didn't even view Papa as a first rounder and from I've seen in highlights he looks like a very very raw player that will more than likely never be good.
 
#58
I have to disagree slightly. WCS might have more value than Ben and maybe Richardson, but I highly doubt anyone in this league would give you anything outside of a second rouder for Papa or Skal. I would go as far to say Papa has no value at all unless it was for a guy at the end of the road in the league. Most Teams didn't even view Papa as a first rounder and from I've seen in highlights he looks like a very very raw player that will more than likely never be good.
Actually draftexpress.com which has a very respectable history of covering the draft had him at 22. If Vlade had picked Skal @ 13 would that change the narrative? Perhaps but I don't care about those things personally. The fact is he's a 19 year old euro 7ft project/prospect that will most likely take at least 2 years of development before he's ready. Luckily for us we have Koufos under contract for those years. To say he will never be good is your opinion but what is based on?
 
K

KingsFan80

Guest
#59
Actually draftexpress.com which has a very respectable history of covering the draft had him at 22. If Vlade had picked Skal @ 13 would that change the narrative? Perhaps but I don't care about those things personally. The fact is he's a 19 year old euro 7ft project/prospect that will most likely take at least 2 years of development before he's ready. Luckily for us we have Koufos under contract for those years. To say he will never be good is your opinion but what is based on?
Which team do you honestly think would give you some value via trade for Papa right now? What do you realistically think we could get for him? My post was in response to someone saying he is a current asset over Ben, which isn't true. He is such a big project I am not sure anyone would give you anything for him right now. I have heard from folks within the Kings organization that the team desperately wanted Jaylen Brown. Thought at one point we would get him, then tried to trade up, it didn't work out so trade back and take Papa where they thought. I am not bashing Papa right now - even though it is unlikely he is ever "good", I am saying he doesn't have more value than Ben asset wise, as of TODAY
 
Last edited by a moderator:
#60
The only reason I'm talking about it is because you think Ben and Malachi out of the draft were similar prospects, sorry but that's not even close to being the case.
Nope, that's not what I said. I said McLemore's potential was a 3&D player. We're talking about what his potential was coming into the season. Why the hell does it matter what he was projected to be 3.5 years ago? Why are we ignoring 3.5 years worth of tape against NBA talent to help us reassess what his potential is? Come on now. You know better.

I'm changing goal posts? You contradicted yourself right there.3&D was not Ben's potential coming out of the draft! Most analysts even said he had all-star potential and was the prospect in the draft most likely to be an all-star or bust.
Nope, I'm not talking about who McLemore was projected to be 3.5 years ago. I'm talking about what he was projected to be this year because this year is what matters most. That's like saying Kwame Brown has all star potential 3.5 years after he's been in this league. It's not a wise stance to take. You watch him, reasses, and establish what you think his ceiling would be the more and more you learn about him.

If you think Richardson and Ben out of college (I'm not making the pre-draft comparison, you are) had similar expectations, I can't help you. One was being talked about as a top 5 pick and a potential all-star, the others were suppose to be late 1st round picks!
It's obvious you have no idea what I was trying to say as you continue to think that I give a rats a** about the player McLemore was projected to be 3.5 years ago.

I'm not avoiding your question, it's a lot closer than you would think between Ben and any of those players you think has way more value.
You really convinced me with your overwhelming evidence to back up this claim.

In all honesty I think WCS and Ben have pretty similar value at this point. It's not "far less" than those three. WCS and Ben are the same age, that's why college freshman are taken so early, they have the most potential to grow in most cases since they are so young.
You can "think" all you want, but you're wrong. If they had similar contract situations and McLemore has only displayed 1.5 years of no growth rather than 3.5 years of no growth, than I would agree. I don't care that he's 23. He's off the rookie scale next year and us regressed since his rookie/sophomore year. I find it odd that you're so willing diminish a sophomores value so rapidly yet hold on to so much hope for a guy who hasn't done anything for 3.5 years.

Just go on any NBA message board and gauge their value from other NBA fans. You're going to find that you're in a teeny tiny minority if not by yourself.

As far as the 3 rookies, they have slightly higher (I mean slightly, I mean not very much) than Ben does at this point. I think your love for the Kings blinding you into what the rookies potential is. Ben is 23! Not sure why it's too early to make absolutes and say he's done.
My love for the Kings blinds me? I don't think you understand me at all so please don't pretend.

When did I ever said McLemore is done? Please point that out to me. I never rule anyone out. That would be dealing in absolutes which I try to avoid as much as possible. Especially when you see Whiteside's journey. Nobody is ever done.

Having said that, you have to play the odds. What % of players who are one of the worst at their position for their first 3.5 years actually end up becoming a solid starter in this league? What % of players who struggle their first 1.5 years in the league actually end up becoming a solid starter in this league? What % of players who play little to no minutes their rookie season actually end up becoming a solid starter in this league?

With every passing year that a player is horrible, the odds that said player pans out goes down and down and down. That's where McLemore is at right. There's still hope for the other guys because they are more unknowns at this point. Would you rather have an unknown or some has been proven they are bad time and time again? The answer is pretty clear to me.

There's a reason Joerger is playing Ben so much rather than have Malachi or even Afflalo eat his minutes while WCS can barely get on the court while Tolliver plays in his minutes. Joerger sees something in Ben over other guys on the team, most likely in practice, to give him minutes! I'm going to trust Joerger's judgement since he has more basketball knowledge than both of us combined and sees Ben and the team practice/play games basically every single day.
Ah the ole "there's a reason..." argument. The funny thing about this argument is you can't come up with any reason for yourself so you put blind faith in something you can't explain.

I would hardly use Joerger's rotation decisions as a "reason" McLemore is "good" or has "value." He continues to play double C lineups, he continues to play Barnes ample minutes, he freezes out Casspi, and he doesn't start Temple. There's a lot of exceptions I take with his rotations so trying to use that as evidence is weak at best.