Hello all, I've been wanting to write this thread for awhile and I figured that after last night's game this was the perfect time. This will piggyback VF21's thread a little but come from a different perspective. Note that this is not a reaction to last night's loss, we should expect to lose as such with so many dramatic changes taking place so quickly. So let's begin and take this one player at a time from a contractual and personnel prospective.
Mike Bibby:
Contractual Perspective: Bibby has the remainder of this season and next season left on his deal making approximately 14 million each year. There are 3 options here; trade him for all expiring contracts, trade him for some expiring contracts and some longer contracts, or to not trade him at all.
Obviously the best case scenario would be to trade him for all expiring this year, that way we open up a huge amount of cap space a year in advance. This is also the most difficult trade to make, Petrie will have to work some magic here. The other two options are about breakeven IMO, as trading him for some expiring contracts this year would open up some cap space early but it could also acquire some players whose contracts could extend beyond next season. Not trading him at all means we still only have one more season before we open the big cap space, which is tolerable. So in conclusion, Bibby's contract status is an issue but not the most serious problem.
Personnel Perspective: This is where I believe the biggest problem lies and here is why. Here we simply have 2 options, either to trade him or not to trade him.
If we trade him then Beno becomes our starter again, a guy whom I believe is a better fit for this style of play anyway. If we don't trade him but still have the intent to let him walk after next season then we are postponing the growth of this team for another year and a half. I would love to get 14 million off of the cap after next season but IMO the cost is too high. This team can't grow around Bibby (who doesn't fit well anyway) for next season and then have to get acclimated to a new PG after that. That would really mean two and a half years of postponing the future and that is not acceptable.
Best POSSIBLE Answer: Cleveland seems like the most likely trade partner here, unfortunately they don't have a lot that I like but perhaps some expirings and Drew Gooden could work. We get some cap relief this season and while I'm not a big Gooden fan he is a low post presence that can rebound which is what we need. He could be a good stopgap while we're waiting for our future PF.
Ron Artest:
Contractual Perspective: IMO he will leave after this season and even if he doesn't he still only makes about 8 million a year for one or two years which is less than he's worth. I don't believe moving him for expirings is really the issue here since he'll probably leave anyway, the issue is getting some future talent for him. The 2 options are to either trade him for players that can help us or let him walk and get some cap relief. Ron is a very talented player and some teams may actually appreciate the small amount of cap relief he will provide so he definitely has value. Overall Artest's situation doesn't present a contractual problem, but rather a contractual opportunity.
Personnel Perspective: Like with Bibby this is where the biggest problem is. Artest is an X Factor, he is a big time player who makes big plays especially late in games. He's the guy who makes the momentum changing steal, he grabs the big rebounds, and he's an offensive threat that that opens things up for our other players. Most important he is a low post threat that consistently draws double teams which is huge for the Kings style of play. I truly believe that the one thing the Kings need to get them back into the playoffs consistently is a low post presence, but NOT from the SF position.
The Kings have an abundance of swingmen who are game changers and they all need minutes for the team to succeed. Martin, Salmons, and Garcia are all good 3 point shooters, have strong mid range games, and are great penetrators. With those three the team will just about always have two of them playing at once and with a low post presence that draws double teams it will be near impossible to stop the Kings offense consistently. However with Artest, the low post presence clogs one of the swingman spots and we still have a weak PF on the court that provides limited contributions. In conclusion, Artest is a good player to have but not only does he not fit our style of play he actually interferes with it causing us to change styles which is not acceptable.
Best POSSIBLE Answer: If I'm Petire I don't hold out on having to move Kenny Thomas in this deal, if I can then great but don't depend on it. The most likely trade partner are the Knicks and I believe that Petrie should hold out for David Lee here, if we can't get him then let Artest walk after the season. To be honest I'm not sure David Lee is the answer as he really doesn't have much of a low post game right now but he does provide excellent rebounding, strong defense, and high energy which are all things the Kings need. Artest for Lee and a small expiring contract is good enough IMO.
To sum this all up, it's more important to simply get Bibby and Artest off of this team ASAP than worrying about the talent we get in return. To build a castle the foundation must be flat and clean before the building can begin. If boulders and ditches remain then even the strongest castle built on top will fall.
Mike Bibby:
Contractual Perspective: Bibby has the remainder of this season and next season left on his deal making approximately 14 million each year. There are 3 options here; trade him for all expiring contracts, trade him for some expiring contracts and some longer contracts, or to not trade him at all.
Obviously the best case scenario would be to trade him for all expiring this year, that way we open up a huge amount of cap space a year in advance. This is also the most difficult trade to make, Petrie will have to work some magic here. The other two options are about breakeven IMO, as trading him for some expiring contracts this year would open up some cap space early but it could also acquire some players whose contracts could extend beyond next season. Not trading him at all means we still only have one more season before we open the big cap space, which is tolerable. So in conclusion, Bibby's contract status is an issue but not the most serious problem.
Personnel Perspective: This is where I believe the biggest problem lies and here is why. Here we simply have 2 options, either to trade him or not to trade him.
If we trade him then Beno becomes our starter again, a guy whom I believe is a better fit for this style of play anyway. If we don't trade him but still have the intent to let him walk after next season then we are postponing the growth of this team for another year and a half. I would love to get 14 million off of the cap after next season but IMO the cost is too high. This team can't grow around Bibby (who doesn't fit well anyway) for next season and then have to get acclimated to a new PG after that. That would really mean two and a half years of postponing the future and that is not acceptable.
Best POSSIBLE Answer: Cleveland seems like the most likely trade partner here, unfortunately they don't have a lot that I like but perhaps some expirings and Drew Gooden could work. We get some cap relief this season and while I'm not a big Gooden fan he is a low post presence that can rebound which is what we need. He could be a good stopgap while we're waiting for our future PF.
Ron Artest:
Contractual Perspective: IMO he will leave after this season and even if he doesn't he still only makes about 8 million a year for one or two years which is less than he's worth. I don't believe moving him for expirings is really the issue here since he'll probably leave anyway, the issue is getting some future talent for him. The 2 options are to either trade him for players that can help us or let him walk and get some cap relief. Ron is a very talented player and some teams may actually appreciate the small amount of cap relief he will provide so he definitely has value. Overall Artest's situation doesn't present a contractual problem, but rather a contractual opportunity.
Personnel Perspective: Like with Bibby this is where the biggest problem is. Artest is an X Factor, he is a big time player who makes big plays especially late in games. He's the guy who makes the momentum changing steal, he grabs the big rebounds, and he's an offensive threat that that opens things up for our other players. Most important he is a low post threat that consistently draws double teams which is huge for the Kings style of play. I truly believe that the one thing the Kings need to get them back into the playoffs consistently is a low post presence, but NOT from the SF position.
The Kings have an abundance of swingmen who are game changers and they all need minutes for the team to succeed. Martin, Salmons, and Garcia are all good 3 point shooters, have strong mid range games, and are great penetrators. With those three the team will just about always have two of them playing at once and with a low post presence that draws double teams it will be near impossible to stop the Kings offense consistently. However with Artest, the low post presence clogs one of the swingman spots and we still have a weak PF on the court that provides limited contributions. In conclusion, Artest is a good player to have but not only does he not fit our style of play he actually interferes with it causing us to change styles which is not acceptable.
Best POSSIBLE Answer: If I'm Petire I don't hold out on having to move Kenny Thomas in this deal, if I can then great but don't depend on it. The most likely trade partner are the Knicks and I believe that Petrie should hold out for David Lee here, if we can't get him then let Artest walk after the season. To be honest I'm not sure David Lee is the answer as he really doesn't have much of a low post game right now but he does provide excellent rebounding, strong defense, and high energy which are all things the Kings need. Artest for Lee and a small expiring contract is good enough IMO.
To sum this all up, it's more important to simply get Bibby and Artest off of this team ASAP than worrying about the talent we get in return. To build a castle the foundation must be flat and clean before the building can begin. If boulders and ditches remain then even the strongest castle built on top will fall.