Michael Porter Jr

[John Galt]

The Kings stubbornly drafting MPJ in spite of all the flashing neon signs telling them not to would be maximum Kangz and is therefore probably going to be what happens.

And then in maximum Kangz fashion, MPJ hurts his back and never plays basketball again.

That's why I'm so beside myself over this.... the stubbornness in the face of red flags, when the Kings should be playing from a strength position at #2. This really has me questioning Vlade's fitness for all this. The Kings are flailing about desperately when they should be as cool as the other side of the pillow... in charge of things.

I don't know if MPJ is a better player than Doncic or Bagley. Maybe he is. But the way the Kings are fawning at the doorstep of MPJ creates a really bad taste in my mouth. I have to delete all my tweets because I've been venomous on this and don't want to have to eat any if we draft MPJ and he becomes "Carmelo with handles".

But I don't like the look for the Kings. I mean if MPJ is shutting down workouts because he wants to be a Bull... let him be a freaking Bull.

It is sad and ugly to see the way the Kings are "capitalizing" on their lottery luck. It's like if somebody presented me with a check for a million dollars, and I immediately went to Vegas and put it on a roulette wheel.

 

[dude12]

If Porter has a commitment, I don't think it's the Kings. Wasn't there talk of him wanting to go to specific spots? It seems the best case scenario for some of these rooks as FA's a team success is the Grizzlies. Conley is back, Gasol is there, it's a team if the rookie pick comes in and contributes at a reasonable level, they could be in the mix for last playoff spots.

Hawks are years away in rebuild mode, Mavs want to compete but not sure they can, Orlando is a mess, Kangz....

 

[mac]

The Kings stubbornly drafting MPJ in spite of all the flashing neon signs telling them not to would be maximum Kangz and is therefore probably going to be what happens.

And then in maximum Kangz fashion, MPJ hurts his back and never plays basketball again.

More like we spend 2 years trying to make him a good player, decide to call it quits and trade him, he travels to Germany for some miracle back healing jab and returns as KD2.0.

 

[Houdini]

as I said before, I think I have an idea what Vlade is trying to make in Sacramento.. He wants a good chemistry on and off the court, unselfish players, who do not care about stats, but team..

MPJr does not fit that..

my thinking is that Kings FO send these rumors they are interested in him, and try to get somebody who wants him and than trade down.. for example Memphis.. than to get Doncic or Bagley.. if that does not happen, I think it will be Doncic at #2..

 

[funkykingston]

It just feels like there's way too much smoke around Porter for there not to be serious interest.

Unless the Kings really think there's a chance that the Suns take someone other than Ayton, there's no reason to be giving off false signals. They can sit at two and take any other prospect without worry.

And if they are trying to entice other teams to trade up and stockpile assets then we'd hear that the Kings love Jaren Jackson and Doncic and Bagley and Bamba, not just Porter. The goal would be to make teams think the Kings are a threat to take the guy they like most, regardless of who that guy is.

So I don't buy that the interest in MPJ is anything other than legitimate.

 

[joemama]

It just feels like there's way too much smoke around Porter for there not to be serious interest.

Unless the Kings really think there's a chance that the Suns take someone other than Ayton, there's no reason to be giving off false signals. They can sit at two and take any other prospect without worry.

And if they are trying to entice other teams to trade up and stockpile assets then we'd hear that the Kings love Jaren Jackson and Doncic and Bagley and Bamba, not just Porter. The goal would be to make teams think the Kings are a threat to take the guy they like most, regardless of who that guy is.

So I don't buy that the interest in MPJ is anything other than legitimate.

Maybe this is why wendell is coming in for a workout tomorrow. Seems like a "trade down" prospect to me.

 

[joemama]

Eddie Sefko: Mavericks have seen workouts from Wendell Carter Jr. and everybody else slotted from 2 to 11. Or will see them work out individually if haven’t already. Moving up or down still not out of the question. Memphis, Orlando and Chicago also in the move market. 1 week to sort it out.

 

[King Baller]

MPJ team has canceled further workouts? Has Chicago guaranteed MPJ and his handlers the #7 spot? Has the medical report shown he needs more time to heal? Sort of a repeat of the Giles situation?

Who knows, it is all conjecture at this point

 

[biltalent]

Lol. Man people here really are twisted. The Kings fan base cant possibly be as ignorant as this forum makes them appear. This dude for example has assuredly seen porter play less than 2 or 3 full games but has the audacity to post like he's qualified to speak on what he brings to the table.

I Don't caree if i come off crass. Buncha children here thowing stones then hidinhg their hands. Baseless, unfounded mudslinging, y'all dont wanna have a convo, u just want to attempt to confirm your prior biases .................. These kids are all good, those out there trying to differentiate these top few picks and pass off the narrative that theres some steep decline in talent after your 2 favorites only reveals your niavety and lack of perspective on the subject.

The angry responses will be sent towards me too, not the dude who's probably never seen anything but youtube highlights and basing career projections on edited clips, but me the one who's seen 20 full games and read articles fr YEARS. It's not just Kings forums either these mouthbreather instant gratification seeking slaves infest all the forums ive seen.

While I agree with some of your post, I may suggest that you take a long in the mirror as your paraphraph perfectly describes your own behavior (e.g., threatening to leave the board last summer, not replying to arguments as soon as one does not agree with you etc.)

Regarding Porter, I agree with Funky, I think they definitely have interest in Porter. I still dont think he will be the pick at #2 next wek. It just seems too risky for a FO after making one of the worst trades in franchise history that sent out the 2019 pick unprotected. If you try to be smarter than everyone else, pick Porter at #2, and he doesnt develop while fans are watching another losing season - but this time without being able to talk themselves in a high draft pick - thats putting a lot of pressure on your back. Youd have to be really certain that Porter is the best player at #2 and that his back is fine. I am not sure about either. If you trade down on the other hand, for an additional 2019 pick or a win now player, then picking Porter seems less risky.

 

[TaxMan]

That's why I'm so beside myself over this.... the stubbornness in the face of red flags, when the Kings should be playing from a strength position at #2. This really has me questioning Vlade's fitness for all this. The Kings are flailing about desperately when they should be as cool as the other side of the pillow... in charge of things.

I don't know if MPJ is a better player than Doncic or Bagley. Maybe he is. But the way the Kings are fawning at the doorstep of MPJ creates a really bad taste in my mouth. I have to delete all my tweets because I've been venomous on this and don't want to have to eat any if we draft MPJ and he becomes "Carmelo with handles".

But I don't like the look for the Kings. I mean if MPJ is shutting down workouts because he wants to be a Bull... let him be a freaking Bull.

It is sad and ugly to see the way the Kings are "capitalizing" on their lottery luck. It's like if somebody presented me with a check for a million dollars, and I immediately went to Vegas and put it on a roulette wheel.

I’m not sure the time is now to get pissed at the team. They haven’t done anything at this point. If when this is all said and done, you’re most mad because you couldn’t figure out who they really wanted to take prior to the draft, isn’t that a good thing?

 

[Kingster]

I can pretty much guarantee the FO is NOT spilling the beans to Grant or anybody else on the media team. It may have been done with PDA, but Petrie wouldn't allow it and I'm pretty sure Vlade won't either. Napear is right a lot of the time because he's been doing this a long time. He's also been wrong, though, too although it's hard to pinpoint because he's very good as covering his ass.

It's because he's very good covering his ass that he normally wouldn't come out and declare Porter is the pick (if the doctor gives the green light) unless he really does know something. He doesn't like to look stupid after the fact. I think he talks with Vlade and Peja all the time and it's just human to let things slip in the course of conversation so he may not have "knowledge" but he probably has a pretty good impression of what is going on behind the scenes.

 

[Kingster]

It sure brings up a lot of questions, doesn't it? WHY would he cancel and not just postpone? I truly think there's something in those physical reports he's afraid of.

Either that or maybe his back is acting up. Hard to believe that this doesn't totally rule him out at #2.

 

[Kingster]

But it's not just Amick. It's the combination of several things that's worrisome.

• Kings radio media (Peaches, DC) have been all but prepping Kings fans for a Porter selection
• Jerry Reynolds was on the Rise Guys saying that if his back checks out, Porter is likely the best player in the draft
• Bobby Jackson (allegedly) is giving off hints that Porter is the guy
• Amick's tweets are hinting at it
• James Ham mocking him to the Kings

I'm officially a very worried Kings fan.

I got over the Boogie trade. But risking the future and one-time #2 pick on a guy like Porter would put me in position to just not care anymore.

There's a reason this franchise has been terrible during most of it's tenure in Sacramento and why they've been awful the past 10+ seasons. They rarely have anybody in the front office that knows what the hell they are doing. Drafting Porter would be just another link (a very large one at that) in the chain.

Even if Porter's back wasn't an issue at all -- I still don't see how you take that risk. I believe it was @funkykingston who pointed out that there is no visual evidence out there that supports Porter as a top 2-3 prospect. There just isn't. When the back issue is piled on top of it, it's a really high risk and unwarranted decision to make. Then again, that's been the Kings draft history since 2011.

I agree with everything you said except for the visual evidence part. There is no visual evidence for us. We know there has been visual evidence for Christie. He's seen him play in high school. Did Peja or Divac see him play in high school or some other forum? I have no idea. I sure would feel a lot more comfortable with the pick (if doctor gives the green light) if they had.

 

[lwc]

I'm starting to warm up to the idea of trading the #2 to Atlanta for #3 and #19 and letting them take Doncic or Bagley and grabbing either Porter Jr or Bagley at #3.

I'm open to that too. that seems like a very Vlade Divac thing to do: trade a higher pick for a couple of lower pics to increase the chances of getting a good player by drafting more total players.

What having the 3 and 19 does is it allows the Kings to still get a really good player at 3 but also draft pure potential at 19 or even another injury risk player with real talent that other teams might shy away from.

 

[funkykingston]

I'm open to that too. that seems like a very Vlade Divac thing to do: trade a higher pick for a couple of lower pics to increase the chances of getting a good player by drafting more total players.

What having the 3 and 19 does is it allows the Kings to still get a really good player at 3 but also draft pure potential at 19 or even another injury risk player with real talent that other teams might shy away from.

I still wouldn't mind that deal but at this point I want no part of Porter. Especially now that he's had to cancel his workout because of hip issues.

I'd take whoever is left of Bagley or Doncic (who I'm about equally split on) and use that #19 pick on any number of guys I like in that range.

 

[BigVirg]

 

[lwc]

this new Michael Porter Jr injury makes it all the better that the Kings moved up. it basically takes one of those top six guys off the board (hopefully). Now it means a team really needs to be in the top five to get one of the great players

 

[Gguod]

First of all I have to say I have Doncic at 1 on my board. But..

If the choice is made between Doncic, Bagley and Porter, Mpj wouldnt be the worst case scenario. And remember if I'm speculating Porter being the pick #2 I have to assume his back checks out.

With Porter you get a player with very high ceiling and a player type that is hardest to find in todays Nba (assuming he developes as expected).

He makes shots regularly that most of the players his age cant. His pull up three of the hesi looks very good. Player with his speed and length hitting those shots is very valuable.

His defense on film wasnt great but there were times he showed he had some instincts so with his athletisism and height, he has the upside of becoming a plus defender on the wing.

If his biggest weekness is his handle, thats not too bad since its not too hard to improve that. He didnt show a lot of ability to just get past defenders but I expect that to improve with developing a better handle. Good thing we have Fox as a primary ball handler so Porter could come off screens and attack closeouts and switches.

A lot with Porter is about getting whats valuable in todays Nba while Bagley is the opposite. Again, Im not gonna speculate on his health. I have no idea about it and neither does anyone here. As a healthy player, you know he will be valuable. As long as we can avoid getting Bagley I'm relatively happy, alltough I have Doncic a tier above Porter and to me drafting Luka him would be a no brainer.

Funny how Vlade have been very incompetent and have done some really dumb things but getting Mpj instead of Bagley would be "too much" for some of the guys here.

 

[biltalent]

I'm open to that too. that seems like a very Vlade Divac thing to do: trade a higher pick for a couple of lower pics to increase the chances of getting a good player by drafting more total players.

What having the 3 and 19 does is it allows the Kings to still get a really good player at 3 but also draft pure potential at 19 or even another injury risk player with real talent that other teams might shy away from.

Yeah. I actually agree with this draft strategy in a lot of ways. There is always a certain base rate probability of a player not working out and by making 2 picks instead of one, you distribute this probability to two players and thus have a higher chance of having at least one work out. This strategy works especially well when a lot of prospects are rated quite similarly and the differences between them are not that high.
However, there is a scenario where this strategy doesnt workout and that is when there is a huge gap between the player and the next player. To me, this is the case with Doncic. I have Doncic at #1 in a tier by himself and I feel the Kings are lucky that a) they moved up and b) the Suns apparently want Ayton. In this scenario, you should just take the player.

 

[Section 101]

Espn reporting a hip injury is why he cancelled. This guy is next greg oden. Will be hurt his entire career.

 

[lwc]

Yeah. I actually agree with this draft strategy in a lot of ways. There is always a certain base rate probability of a player not working out and by making 2 picks instead of one, you distribute this probability to two players and thus have a higher chance of having at least one work out. This strategy works especially well when a lot of prospects are rated quite similarly and the differences between them are not that high.
However, there is a scenario where this strategy doesnt workout and that is when there is a huge gap between the player and the next player. To me, this is the case with Doncic. I have Doncic at #1 in a tier by himself and I feel the Kings are lucky that a) they moved up and b) the Suns apparently want Ayton. In this scenario, you should just take the player.

I agree with you that Doncic and Ayten are the clear top two picks. The problem is if Sacramento doesn't see it that way and are set on drafting someone like Bagley or JJJ, why not trade down to someone who wants those two players more than you do while picking up an additional asset?

 

[Blob]

Okay so I’ve watched and known MPJ sense he was in the 8th grade. I’ve also played pickup ball with him once.

Not that you would be bias or anything. Completely objective, right? I do agree with your comparisons to Gerald Green, however.

 

[Blob]

Espn reporting a hip injury is why he cancelled. This guy is next greg oden. Will be hurt his entire career.

The article says "he couldn't get out of bed". What a baby! This guy is softer than Rubio who had him Mommy cut his steak. The Kings are a joke to consider this loser when we could be having Mo "Unicorn" Bamba come to town.

 

[allrightythen]

Espn reporting a hip injury is why he cancelled. This guy is next greg oden. Will be hurt his entire career.

That's enough for me. I would not use a top 5 pick on him. I'm no Doctor or GM though so my opinion doesn't mean much.

 

[funkykingston]

First of all I have to say I have Doncic at 1 on my board. But..

If the choice is made between Doncic, Bagley and Porter, Mpj wouldnt be the worst case scenario. And remember if I'm speculating Porter being the pick #2 I have to assume his back checks out.

With Porter you get a player with very high ceiling and a player type that is hardest to find in todays Nba (assuming he developes as expected).

He makes shots regularly that most of the players his age cant. His pull up three of the hesi looks very good. Player with his speed and length hitting those shots is very valuable.

His defense on film wasnt great but there were times he showed he had some instincts so with his athletisism and height, he has the upside of becoming a plus defender on the wing.

If his biggest weekness is his handle, thats not too bad since its not too hard to improve that. He didnt show a lot of ability to just get past defenders but I expect that to improve with developing a better handle. Good thing we have Fox as a primary ball handler so Porter could come off screens and attack closeouts and switches.

A lot with Porter is about getting whats valuable in todays Nba while Bagley is the opposite. Again, Im not gonna speculate on his health. I have no idea about it and neither does anyone here. As a healthy player, you know he will be valuable. As long as we can avoid getting Bagley I'm relatively happy, alltough I have Doncic a tier above Porter and to me drafting Luka him would be a no brainer.

Funny how Vlade have been very incompetent and have done some really dumb things but getting Mpj instead of Bagley would be "too much" for some of the guys here.

If Vlade drafts Porter I'll be frustrated but overall I'd hope that he's healthy and is an all-star player for the Kings.

It's not just that Porter represents a huge risk at #2 due to both not playing a meaningful game beyond high school AND coming off back surgery as a 19 year old but that even when he was presumably healthy in HS I didn't like his tape.

But just drafting Porter wouldn't have me calling for Vlade's head and abandoning the team. Now if Porter flames out and/or is constantly injured then yes, I'd be taking a long break from the Kings because I'd see it as a terrible risk that didn't need to be taken. Doubly so if guys taken just after him become stars. But I absolutely wouldn't root for that. I'd root for Porter Jr to prove me wrong and be a stud.

 

[dude12]

It just feels like there's way too much smoke around Porter for there not to be serious interest.

Unless the Kings really think there's a chance that the Suns take someone other than Ayton, there's no reason to be giving off false signals. They can sit at two and take any other prospect without worry.

And if they are trying to entice other teams to trade up and stockpile assets then we'd hear that the Kings love Jaren Jackson and Doncic and Bagley and Bamba, not just Porter. The goal would be to make teams think the Kings are a threat to take the guy they like most, regardless of who that guy is.

So I don't buy that the interest in MPJ is anything other than legitimate.

Except that the Kings were known to have interest in MPJ all along when it was expected they would get the pick around 7 or 8. Why not just extend that line of thinking even if they have the pick at 2? It's not like he's not talented and has the credentials, although those credentials are limited in sample size. All dependent on the medical report of course.

Who knows at this point other than Sac likes all 3 of Doncic, Bagley and Porter.

 

[Sac.Kings]

The blowback from drafting Porter

That's enough for me. I would not use a top 5 pick on him. I'm no Doctor or GM though so my opinion doesn't mean much.

Considering all he has been doing is a couple of workouts, a hip injury is not a good sign. He's definitely eliminated from consideration in my book.

 

[Hoovtrain]

I think moving up to 2 was actually a curse in disguise for us fans. I think if they stayed put at 7/8 we all wouldn’t be collectively losing our crap right now lol

 

[chief bromden]

Please don't draft Porter. Even if the hip is inaccurate or an excuse, dude didn't play the end of the college season after being cleared by doctors. I want no part of this. Please tell me this is just smokescreening. I have a bad feeling the Kings are trading down and are keying on Porter in case that does happen.

 

[Kingster]

You've got to wonder if this hip injury is connected to the back injury. A portent of things to come?