Tyreke and Omri are the only 2 pieces I see that are untouchable at this point. JT almost became the third but he is too inconsistant for being what 24 or 25. Everyone else can be traded. Omri is a need to this team, he is not a player you don't consider to be part of your franchise for his entire carreer. All this debate about Greene Vs Omri is retarded. Not even close.
Wow.
How many years has Casspi been playing professional ball? Since he was 17, correct?
You do understand that Donte's first season in the NBA was last year, and that the season as a whole was a complete debacle in terms of player development.
This first 30+ games of the season has truly been the best environment for Donte's basketball development in I would imagine his entire life. When he was in College he was a 3pt chucker who had athleticism which he didn't utilize while playing for a team which uses a zone defense.
This season he's been challenged to be a defensive player 1st. He's also been challenged to be smarter with the basketball and to make sure that his shot selection is smart.
If he can continue to show the same improvements in maturity and mental focus as he's displayed in the first part of this season, and if he can continue to buy in to what Coach Westphal has been teaching him, he's got the makings to be a top player in the league and an absolute beast next to Tyreke.
I love Casspi and I agree completely that he's a core part of our team and we shouldn't trade him for anyone unless it's a complete no-brainer sort of scenario.
But when comparing Donte to Casspi here is what I see:
Donte is Younger
Donte is Taller and has more Length
Donte is more athletic and Explosive
Donte has shown the ability to be a lockdown defender against 2s & 3s.
Donte has shown the ability to create off the dribble, attack the basket and hit open teammates for easy buckets.
Casspi is a better outside shooter
Casspi is more tenacious
Casspi shows far more mental focus
Casspi has shown far more rebound aggressiveness
Donte has the capacity to become one of the elite defenders in the league if he can keep his focus on that. That in my mind is what gives the edge to Donte.
Both are going to be critical pieces to our team. But to say that it's absurd to compare the relative impacts both of these players could have on this Kings team in the future tells me that you are not really aware of the history of Donte Greene.
I would imagine that every single Kings fan who sat through last season and Donte's antics and immaturity and bad shot selection is completely befuddled by the Donte Greene we're seeing today. He's a completely different player, and if he can continue to make the same strides he's made over the last 30+ games, and grow for another season or two or three, he has the chance to be in the conversation with Artest as the most talented small forward the Kings have had while in Sacramento.
I wasn't high on Donte at the start of the season, though I did want to give him some playing time to see if he could show up and be an NBA player. He's utterly exceeding my expectations.
If he stops developing as a player today, then I'd say that Casspi is the more consistent/reliable/polished (better) player. But with the way Donte's come out this season I have to now give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he's going to continue to develop. Since I root for the Kings before rooting for either Casspi or Greene, I hope for the team's sake that he continues to develop and mature.
I'm also expecting for Casspi to continue to develop. Just like Greene he's still very young and he can do a lot to improve his game. I want them both to improve, because our team's success will depend on both of them. With that said, since Donte is a more gifted athlete who has shown not only the ability, but the desire to be an elite defender, I think he does have a greater upside than Casspi. Doesn't mean he'll reach it, but his potential is very clear to see.
One other note:
Finding full-sized bigs who have some talent is hard. We finally got a full-sized power-foward in JT, and unless he gets traded for a star player he is part of our core. I just think about the Cavaliers. There isn't a single Big on the Cavs that I would trade for JT. So if they are trying to win a championship and don't have a player of JT's ability and size, then it seems to me that the prudent move would be to keep him unless we make a move for a legitimate star at that position.