Future of Vlade
- Thread starter sactowndog
- Start date
- Status
Kings value according to Forbes jumped by 28% yoy last season, good for 13th most valuable franchise in the league. Annual revenues are at 12th in the league. Player payroll struggles to reach the minimum. the commissioner praised the Calfiornia Classic suggesting expansion of the event (read, its making money). Continued media strategy around generating excitement around young guys such as Giles, but also Bagley and Fox looks like it will keep the level of excitement in the fanbase at a high level...
I'm sorry but "James Ham" and "relevant" in the same thought just strikes me as hilarious. Especially since, upon reading the article, my first thought was he got his lead sentences in each paragraph from Kingsfans.com and just added some verbiage. Yes, he makes some valid points but there's nothing in there we haven't already said in various threads here. I'll give him credit for one thing, though. He certainly covered all his bases quite nicely.
See Post #127. It's not the only yardstick but its a big one. Vlade said himself in Spring 2017 he'd step down if the team was not better off in two years.
He traded away the 2019 1st round draft pick and then drafted Bagley over Luka. Bold moves but also the kind of moves that get you fired if they dont work.
If Luka is looking great (and much better than Bagley) next spring.....some of you really think Vivek is just gonna let that slide?
He traded away the 2019 1st round draft pick and then drafted Bagley over Luka. Bold moves but also the kind of moves that get you fired if they dont work.
If Luka is looking great (and much better than Bagley) next spring.....some of you really think Vivek is just gonna let that slide?
Bagley will not be better than Doncic this year and that's an unfair standard to hold. You're drafting for potential and long term. So you have to give this the requisite 2-3 seasons to see how it pans out. I'm not saying Vlade bought himself a pass with this pick, just that you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you are planning a comparison next spring. Doncic will be the better player this year no doubt.
I was very vocal in my support of drafting Doncic.
I was very vocal in my support of drafting Doncic.
I think a lot will depend on attendance and related factors. If the fans are coming out and supporting these kids (as I'm pretty sure they will) then Vivek is not going to be in a hurry to pass final judgment on Vlade. I especially don't think it will hinge on a comparison of Doncic and Bagley for the simple reason I'm not convinced Vivek was all in on Luka to begin with.
Who knows though? If there's on thing I've learned over the years as a Kings fan, nothing is certain.
Who knows though? If there's on thing I've learned over the years as a Kings fan, nothing is certain.
And some of us die hards will, to your never-ending consternation I'm sure, continue to find reasons to enjoy the Kings. We die hards get it. Some of you are perpetually unhappy and that's your choice to make. What's not acceptable is the attitude that we are somehow lesser fans. I can only speak for myself, but I am not going to stop supporting my team because you (or others like you) are disgusted with the front office "incompetence."
GO KINGS!
I LOVE THIS TEAM!
GO KINGS!
I LOVE THIS TEAM!
I have a hard time believing Vlade alone is the reason players don’t want to come here. As if he has some magic wand. Money talks, especially in trying to convince a player to come to a small market team going on 10 plus years of losing. Is there really a free agent on the market this year you would have significantly overpaid to get on the team this year? You willing to max out Parker to get him to turn down 20m a year from his hometown bulls? Would you have preferred LaVine get the max so they didn’t match (maybe). Is the standard attracting Labron? Where was the big missed opportunity on the free agent market that would have been a success, and that had any realistic opportunity of happening? I guess maybe going big on Gordon, but even then it’s questionable if he fills any long term need.
I don’t think anyone who is bothering to post here has stopped supporting the Kings. Certainly Vlade deserves at least this year to show he can lead the Kings out of the wilderness.
But as to the original question if the kids don’t show much improvement it’s not an over reaction to ask if Vlade should continue in his role. Being the only team that can’t sign a free agent is not a positive in the keep Vlade column.
But as to the original question if the kids don’t show much improvement it’s not an over reaction to ask if Vlade should continue in his role. Being the only team that can’t sign a free agent is not a positive in the keep Vlade column.
1) We did sign a free agent. His name is Zach LaVine, and he was a restricted free agent. His old team matched somewhat unexpectedly, so they get to keep him. (LaVine was reportedly telling Kings players at summer league that he thought he was going to be playing in Sac.)
2) While it's true that we did miss out on free agents we did want (for instance Hezonja, whom we evidently offered more money AND more years, but who was determined to take a one-year deal and try free agency again next summer) that doesn't mean that we should turn around and respond by signing guys we don't want, just to sign a guy. There are a couple of paths that make sense right now.
One is that now that we are basically the only players in the market, we can try to use that as leverage to get a player for less money than they might otherwise command. For instance, while Rodney Hood may not exactly be the greatest target, who is going to pay him at this point? Nobody. So we have the opportunity to pick him up on the cheap - as long as he agrees and the Cavs don't match.
Another path we can take is to use our cap space to eat a bad contract and pick up some draft compensation. Ever wonder why it's taking so long for the Thunder to just cut Carmelo? They've already telegraphed the fact that they're going to do it. It's just a matter of whether or not they can trade him instead. Well, here's the thing - to my knowledge there's literally ONE team that can conceivably improve the Thunder's situation relative to outright waiving Carmelo, and that's the Kings. Ever wonder if maybe we're negotiating something there?
2) While it's true that we did miss out on free agents we did want (for instance Hezonja, whom we evidently offered more money AND more years, but who was determined to take a one-year deal and try free agency again next summer) that doesn't mean that we should turn around and respond by signing guys we don't want, just to sign a guy. There are a couple of paths that make sense right now.
One is that now that we are basically the only players in the market, we can try to use that as leverage to get a player for less money than they might otherwise command. For instance, while Rodney Hood may not exactly be the greatest target, who is going to pay him at this point? Nobody. So we have the opportunity to pick him up on the cheap - as long as he agrees and the Cavs don't match.
Another path we can take is to use our cap space to eat a bad contract and pick up some draft compensation. Ever wonder why it's taking so long for the Thunder to just cut Carmelo? They've already telegraphed the fact that they're going to do it. It's just a matter of whether or not they can trade him instead. Well, here's the thing - to my knowledge there's literally ONE team that can conceivably improve the Thunder's situation relative to outright waiving Carmelo, and that's the Kings. Ever wonder if maybe we're negotiating something there?
I’m not sure that’s really a comparable situation. Vlade is literally the BEST free agent the team has ever attracted and that was TWENTY YEARS AGO. I mean, that’s like 2 or 3 CBA’s ago. I’m not sure the free agency environment is even comparable. All the others were basically complementary players added to a solid/playoff contending team. Those will happen when we turn the corner with the young guys. Right now, our FA targets must be limited to the right age/salary profile to make any sense to the team and the player we are trying to attract.
- Status