Countdown to Feb 19th
- Thread starter KingNoy
- Start date
This is one of the many things I like about GP. You rarely hear any rumors or dirty laundry coming from the Kings front office. He plays his cards close to his vest. So when you DO hear rumors about the Kings, you really need to look closely at the sources. The source practically never is the Kings front office, but that doesn't mean other front offices are so tight lipped! Since trade rumors are all over the Internet right now, I find it particularly disturbing that NOTHING is coming out of the Kings camp. This either means that there is nothing that is going to happen (which would suck for the rest of the season), or there is a mega trade coming down the pipe. The truth of the matter is, the Kings NEED a MEGA TRADE to shake things up and change the dynamic of the team.
The Kings are in a rut, and they need an infusion of talent in the front court. Whoever the Kings acquire, he better be a solid rebounding, defending center/power forward who has some mileage left on him. It is ok if the player we get in return is an older player who is past his prime, but the Kings do not need a totally worn out player. That would serve no purpose and would waste the precious few assets the Kings have!
It would be awesome if the Kings could pick up a player like Emeka Okafor! The Hornets are not going ANYWHERE this year. Their playoff hopes were dashed when Chris Paul tore up his knee. So really since their playoff scenario would either be a just missed the playoffs or maybe an 8th spot and a one and done playoff run, the Hornets are probably looking to unload contracts to keep them out of the luxury tax. Why pay the tax if you wont even make the playoffs. This is where the Kings come in.
The Kings have expiring contracts, young prospects, and draft picks to trade for Mr. Okafor. The Hornets have other centers who can start for them, and the Kings are just the opposite because they have no real center to speak of. Okafor is the sort of player that GM Petrie needs to be zeroing in on and doing what it takes to get him on the Kings. Okafor is a player that can make the Kings competitive immediately by being the front court presence that the Kings are lacking. Okafor would start on the Kings right away and give Hawes and Thompson more time that they need to improve their skills.
Hawes needs a year or 2 more to bulk up and be a force under the basket. He is just too thin to compete in the paint against any center in the league. Thompson needs more experience playing to improve his overall game. Thompson has the physical tools, but he needs the playing time to get better. A rotation of Okafor, Hawes, and Thompson would give the Kings a legitimate post game right away. With the firepower the Kings have in Martin, Evans, Beno, and Noch on the perimeter, The Kings could have a shot at the 7th or 8th seed in the West. The bottom 4 spots are up for grabs in the West, as there are no clearly dominate teams in the West at the bottom of the playoff scene. If the Kings could acquire a legit big to improve their defense, I think the Kings could make a run at a playoff spot! I don't know what Petrie would have to give up to get Okafor, but whatever it is it would be worth it to actually have a legitimate center who would not need double team help every possession. That in turn would improve the Kings overall defense and make them much more competitive.
But the bottom line is Petrie needs to find that Defensive Minded Center/Power Forward to give the team a chance to compete. Al Jefferson is another Center that would make the Kings a better team. There are other Bigs that are riding the bench on other teams that would be starters for the Kings in the front court! The trick is for Petrie to find one that is available and make the moves to acquire a player. I'm not saying the Kings are one player away from being a great team. BUT they may be one post player away from being competitive, and that is what Kings fans want to see. A Kings team that CAN compete, Not get exploited inside every game, not have to play ZONE every possession to cover up our bigs who are unable to play defense. The Fans want to see this young team succeed, and the only way that can happen is trading for a REAL Center!
The Kings are in a rut, and they need an infusion of talent in the front court. Whoever the Kings acquire, he better be a solid rebounding, defending center/power forward who has some mileage left on him. It is ok if the player we get in return is an older player who is past his prime, but the Kings do not need a totally worn out player. That would serve no purpose and would waste the precious few assets the Kings have!
It would be awesome if the Kings could pick up a player like Emeka Okafor! The Hornets are not going ANYWHERE this year. Their playoff hopes were dashed when Chris Paul tore up his knee. So really since their playoff scenario would either be a just missed the playoffs or maybe an 8th spot and a one and done playoff run, the Hornets are probably looking to unload contracts to keep them out of the luxury tax. Why pay the tax if you wont even make the playoffs. This is where the Kings come in.
The Kings have expiring contracts, young prospects, and draft picks to trade for Mr. Okafor. The Hornets have other centers who can start for them, and the Kings are just the opposite because they have no real center to speak of. Okafor is the sort of player that GM Petrie needs to be zeroing in on and doing what it takes to get him on the Kings. Okafor is a player that can make the Kings competitive immediately by being the front court presence that the Kings are lacking. Okafor would start on the Kings right away and give Hawes and Thompson more time that they need to improve their skills.
Hawes needs a year or 2 more to bulk up and be a force under the basket. He is just too thin to compete in the paint against any center in the league. Thompson needs more experience playing to improve his overall game. Thompson has the physical tools, but he needs the playing time to get better. A rotation of Okafor, Hawes, and Thompson would give the Kings a legitimate post game right away. With the firepower the Kings have in Martin, Evans, Beno, and Noch on the perimeter, The Kings could have a shot at the 7th or 8th seed in the West. The bottom 4 spots are up for grabs in the West, as there are no clearly dominate teams in the West at the bottom of the playoff scene. If the Kings could acquire a legit big to improve their defense, I think the Kings could make a run at a playoff spot! I don't know what Petrie would have to give up to get Okafor, but whatever it is it would be worth it to actually have a legitimate center who would not need double team help every possession. That in turn would improve the Kings overall defense and make them much more competitive.
But the bottom line is Petrie needs to find that Defensive Minded Center/Power Forward to give the team a chance to compete. Al Jefferson is another Center that would make the Kings a better team. There are other Bigs that are riding the bench on other teams that would be starters for the Kings in the front court! The trick is for Petrie to find one that is available and make the moves to acquire a player. I'm not saying the Kings are one player away from being a great team. BUT they may be one post player away from being competitive, and that is what Kings fans want to see. A Kings team that CAN compete, Not get exploited inside every game, not have to play ZONE every possession to cover up our bigs who are unable to play defense. The Fans want to see this young team succeed, and the only way that can happen is trading for a REAL Center!
K
I don't care what happens at this point. If any trade is made, it better not involve Hawes, Casspi, Greene or especially Evans.
Now if you say to yourself 'why would this numbnuts say Hawes is untouchable' I say to you Marc Gasol. Would you like to have Marc Gasol? Well, Marc Gasol is 25. Spencer is 21. If you don't think Spencer can add any bulk to his body in the next 4 years to become a legit big man then pass me some of that.
Now if you say to yourself 'why would this numbnuts say Hawes is untouchable' I say to you Marc Gasol. Would you like to have Marc Gasol? Well, Marc Gasol is 25. Spencer is 21. If you don't think Spencer can add any bulk to his body in the next 4 years to become a legit big man then pass me some of that.
You have to ask yourself:
IS Troy Murphy a Defensive Minded BIG that can defend without double team help? Can Murphy play one on one defense against other centers?
IS Murphy a significant upgrade over Spencer Hawes? Would he start in front of Hawes? Can he defend better than Hawes? If not, then forget it.
Are there any other better options available that Petrie is zeroing in on to improve the Kings defensively? It seems to me that there are a lot of Defense ONLY Bigs that are riding the Benches of other teams that would immediately start in front of Hawes! Lets face it, Hawes is probably the poorest defender at center in the league. He is just TOO THIN TO WIN! The Kings play ZONE when Hawes is in the game to cover up his defensive ineptitude. There is no center in the league that Hawes can defend one on one. It shouldn't be that difficult to pick up a bench player from another team that can play defense without needing double team help EVERY POSSESSION!
I want the Kings to be aggressive and pursuing a post player that can give the Kings a chance on defense. Other teams score at will on the Kings in the paint, because our center is unable to defend the post. Lets hope that Petrie can find a competent center that doesn't break the bank but can defend the post better than the players we have now.
I would be SHOCKED if SOMETHING didn't happen before the deadline. If Petrie doesn't make a move, that pretty much means that they are writing off this season and will continue to build through the draft again. Sure is hard to be a Kings fan when they dont seem to be very aggressive with regard to filling the gaping holes on the roster. But if the deal isnt available, then Petrie will stand pat and we all can watch the growing pains for the entire second half of the season
I have changed my position on our roster. I beleive a majority of our players are keepers, aside from the given few names. Armstrong, Thomas & Nocioni. Everyone else should stay and just keep moving forward with what we have. Petrie will do a great job in the draft, maybe trade for an additional 1st rounder?? I love this team, pray to God we get Whiteside or even if God allows Wall. Don't expect a major trade, unless its for a 1st rounder.
Actualy that would be an argument to dump as mnay of our logn term contracts under the old CBA regime as we could, because by next summer thye could look wildly overpriced and become even more moveable. In an ideal/unrealsitic world you'd want to enter that new era with nothing but rookie contracts stacked up so you could start reupping your guys at the lower valeus of the future.
You have to ask yourself:
I would be SHOCKED if SOMETHING didn't happen before the deadline. If Petrie doesn't make a move, that pretty much means that they are writing off this season and will continue to build through the draft again. Sure is hard to be a Kings fan when they dont seem to be very aggressive with regard to filling the gaping holes on the roster. But if the deal isnt available, then Petrie will stand pat and we all can watch the growing pains for the entire second half of the season
I would be SHOCKED if SOMETHING didn't happen before the deadline. If Petrie doesn't make a move, that pretty much means that they are writing off this season and will continue to build through the draft again. Sure is hard to be a Kings fan when they dont seem to be very aggressive with regard to filling the gaping holes on the roster. But if the deal isnt available, then Petrie will stand pat and we all can watch the growing pains for the entire second half of the season
One possible scenario is that due to CBA and the big players resigning with their own teams, there could be a lot of franchises that promised their fans a big FA year that will be S.O.L. To make face, these teams could be looking to acquire the talent they seek via trade. The problem is that those teams may not have any assets to offer by that time.
Era 1 -- the Golden Years
Richmond for Webber
Corliss for Christie (added)
Williams for Bibby
Hedo for Miller
-----------------------
Era 2 -- the Maloofs try their hand at trading
Webber for "movable pieces"
Stojakovic for Artest
-----------------------
Era 3 -- the belated rebuild -- dump time
Bibby for nothing of note
Artest for Greene and pick (Casspi)
Miller + Salmons for Noc + nothing of note (added this one)
-----------------------
Era 4 -- ??
Era 1
Those are not spurious distinctions -- they are in fact the recent history of the franchise. Once upon a by and by Geoff won 2 GM of the Year awards by being very aggressive and making major moves that of course built the golden era team. What was not taken into account at the time was the effect of having freespending owners giving him the greenlight on everything -- his sudden success coincided with their purchase of the team. He was operating with an advantage. That was not anything we really knew until we saw what happened post-Webber's knee in 2003. The owners soured on trying to buy a championship, the money dried up, and they got meddlesome. And so did Geoff's success.
Era 2
The Maloof's were heavily involved in the Webber trade. Would Geoff have done it himself? Maybe. But its far from a clean example of Geoff being willing to make a big move. The Maloofs were the willing, and indeed eager, people And Peja/Artest -- again the Maloofs made that deal. Hell they were off doing an ESPN story about it before it even broke. When Geoff had been asked about it the year before, he had responded with his famous finger/moon comment (from Enter the Dragon as I found out). The deal had been available for the better part of 18 months before the trigger was finally pulled. Again, far far too much interference to put much credit into that one as Geoff being willing to pull off a major move. To all appearances he appeared ot have resited and ignored that (or any) Peja deal until there absolutely was no choice with Peja completely quitting on us out there (might be noted it took Mitch quitting on us to drive him from town too. Ditto Miller.).
Era 3
And then there was the era of finally dumping salaries. Those are major moves of a sort, but they are also easy moves. Again he waited until there was no choice, the team was in a death spiral and so we made the moves that everybody makes in those times -- you sell off your assets for pennies on the dollar. The Artest pennies have worked out beautifully, but that doesn't change the essential structure of the deals. You aren't trying to trade talent for talent and feeling like you came out ahead. You are just trying to dump contracts and get what you can get. They aren't gambles or boldness, they are desperation and resignation (and the correct moves to make in that situation BTW -- not the point).
Era 4?
And that brings us to today. I've ripped Geoff a lot in the past 5 years, and for good reason -- he's sucked toads. His golden era didn't even happen in this century. BUT, the moves in the last year and ahalf have finally brought him back in line wiht what he should have got started doing years ago -- all reasonable rebuilding type moves. Dump guys, gamble on drafting stars with your high picks, pile up youth. So I am not approaching this thing from a Geoff cannot do anything right perspective. I am approaching it from a Geoff hasn't taken the initiative, had vision, and made a big franchise turning trade not absolutely forced upon him in a LONG time perspective. Now I would certianly like to think, or like to wish, that his recent solid rebuilding work means that he is going to come back and be a solid GM all around again. But that certainly does not have to be true. The joke of Geoff's "patience" is what a load of excuse ridden bull hooey that is. The Geoff that won those awards wasn't "patient". He was pretty damn bold actually. He put together the first team with bold strokes. And everytime there was a roster imbalance or hole he moved quickly and forcefully to fill it. Been a LONG time since any of that could be said about Geoff's moves.
Richmond for Webber
Corliss for Christie (added)
Williams for Bibby
Hedo for Miller
-----------------------
Era 2 -- the Maloofs try their hand at trading
Webber for "movable pieces"
Stojakovic for Artest
-----------------------
Era 3 -- the belated rebuild -- dump time
Bibby for nothing of note
Artest for Greene and pick (Casspi)
Miller + Salmons for Noc + nothing of note (added this one)
-----------------------
Era 4 -- ??
Era 1
Those are not spurious distinctions -- they are in fact the recent history of the franchise. Once upon a by and by Geoff won 2 GM of the Year awards by being very aggressive and making major moves that of course built the golden era team. What was not taken into account at the time was the effect of having freespending owners giving him the greenlight on everything -- his sudden success coincided with their purchase of the team. He was operating with an advantage. That was not anything we really knew until we saw what happened post-Webber's knee in 2003. The owners soured on trying to buy a championship, the money dried up, and they got meddlesome. And so did Geoff's success.
Era 2
The Maloof's were heavily involved in the Webber trade. Would Geoff have done it himself? Maybe. But its far from a clean example of Geoff being willing to make a big move. The Maloofs were the willing, and indeed eager, people And Peja/Artest -- again the Maloofs made that deal. Hell they were off doing an ESPN story about it before it even broke. When Geoff had been asked about it the year before, he had responded with his famous finger/moon comment (from Enter the Dragon as I found out). The deal had been available for the better part of 18 months before the trigger was finally pulled. Again, far far too much interference to put much credit into that one as Geoff being willing to pull off a major move. To all appearances he appeared ot have resited and ignored that (or any) Peja deal until there absolutely was no choice with Peja completely quitting on us out there (might be noted it took Mitch quitting on us to drive him from town too. Ditto Miller.).
Era 3
And then there was the era of finally dumping salaries. Those are major moves of a sort, but they are also easy moves. Again he waited until there was no choice, the team was in a death spiral and so we made the moves that everybody makes in those times -- you sell off your assets for pennies on the dollar. The Artest pennies have worked out beautifully, but that doesn't change the essential structure of the deals. You aren't trying to trade talent for talent and feeling like you came out ahead. You are just trying to dump contracts and get what you can get. They aren't gambles or boldness, they are desperation and resignation (and the correct moves to make in that situation BTW -- not the point).
Era 4?
And that brings us to today. I've ripped Geoff a lot in the past 5 years, and for good reason -- he's sucked toads. His golden era didn't even happen in this century. BUT, the moves in the last year and ahalf have finally brought him back in line wiht what he should have got started doing years ago -- all reasonable rebuilding type moves. Dump guys, gamble on drafting stars with your high picks, pile up youth. So I am not approaching this thing from a Geoff cannot do anything right perspective. I am approaching it from a Geoff hasn't taken the initiative, had vision, and made a big franchise turning trade not absolutely forced upon him in a LONG time perspective. Now I would certianly like to think, or like to wish, that his recent solid rebuilding work means that he is going to come back and be a solid GM all around again. But that certainly does not have to be true. The joke of Geoff's "patience" is what a load of excuse ridden bull hooey that is. The Geoff that won those awards wasn't "patient". He was pretty damn bold actually. He put together the first team with bold strokes. And everytime there was a roster imbalance or hole he moved quickly and forcefully to fill it. Been a LONG time since any of that could be said about Geoff's moves.
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