I agree that we have drafted well but whether Reke or Cousins become "stars" remains to be seen. I would be inclined to think most experts would bet against them becoming superstars. I think they will be very nice players who can put up good numbers but whether they can take us deep into the playoffs remains to be seen.
To me, a "star" is a Blake Griffen, a Derrick Rose, etc.
in your third sentence, you equivocate stardom in the nba with taking a team deep into the playoffs. then in your fourth sentence, you describe blake griffin as a star. the two sentences seem to be in conflict with each other, as the clippers finished 13th in the western conference last season, missing the playoffs. the kings finished right below them at 14th in the conference. you'll find no dispute from me on the point of derrick rose, but while blake griffin's flash is good enough to stock espn highlight reels for a decade, it remains to be seen whether or not he can take the clippers to the next level. team him up with chris paul, on the other hand, and its an entirely different conversation...
and that's just my point. it takes more than one star in the nba. it always has. it always will. give tyreke evans a healthy season with demarcus cousins and marcus thornoton, give them time to grow and develop together, and we might know more about the star potential of all three. but to pan them as "very nice players" at this point is incredibly short-sighted. you say that their potential "remains to be seen," but you also seem predisposed to agree with your perception of what "most experts" believe. and for the record, very few of them are actually saying that evans and cousins don't have star potential. its foolish to bet against a bullish 6'6" PG with explosive capabilities at the rim, and a brutish 6'11" PF/C with a once-in-a-generation skillset. does that mean they're destined for superstardom? of course not. i think it really does "remain to be seen" just how far these talented young players will go, but its astonishing to me how much pessimism still permeates kingsfans.com...
things have not looked this good for the kings in many years. they're on an undeniable upward trajectory in terms of the acquisition of talent and the development of that talent. i think the players surrounding evans, cousins, and thornton are mismatched, but they're still valuable assets. and those assets can easily be flipped for more complementary players down the line as those players become more available. for the first time since the chris webber trade, the kings truly do have "flexible pieces," and with the marcus thornton re-signing, and new cba rules in place that will mightily encourage evans and cousins to re-sign when their contracts expire, its just a matter of filling in the gaps. but its prudent for the kings to take this shortened season to see what they have first...
its a crazy whirlwind of an all-too-brief "official" offseason, and it would be a shame to see the kings trade in some of their chips for anything less than a "sure thing." so re-signing thornton was a priority. and getting to the salary floor via free agency is still a priority. signing chuck hayes is a good step towards doing so. attempting to lure andrei kirilenko back to the states is an even better step towards doing so. though hayes is quite undersized, both moves signal that the kings front office still understands the importance of role-players who can hustle and defend. as a fan, its important to me that management is thinking actively about the big picture, and their stance seems to indicate that they are. kirlenko would add the length and shot-blocking presence lost if dalembert should sign elsewhere. i think the front office recognizes that dalembert likely will sign elsewhere, and they're attempting to recoup some of the skills that would be missed in his absence. even if the kings aren't able to acquire kirilenko, at least we know that petrie and co. are pursuing defensive, role-playing talents, without foolishly dishing out max contracts...