It's absolutely jaw dropping to me that we would sign a coach who's calling card is team defense and then our first off-season move is to trade a guy who is probably a top 5 defender at PG in the league for a guy who is easily among the worst. Every hope I had of positive change going forward is now dashed if this is true, not because this deal alone is crippling, but because the decision making behind it is unbelievably backward. It means we are not thinking defense first, we are in fact thinking the exact opposite. We are full-in on run and gun "put fans in the seats" gimmick ball. And shame on them for thinking our fans aren't smart enough to know the difference between winning basketball and a circus act. The draft day celebration when New Orleans took Nerlens Noel instead of Ben McLemore was the first warning sign. Noel does have the knee issues, but he was the best defender in the draft and a perfect compliment to Cousins. This is strike two and it's even more damning because it indicates that the money is also going to be a factor. $11 million for one of the best all-around guards in the league is hardly an overpay and by letting him leave we are in effect saying that we'd rather fill two holes with acceptable players then pay market value for a chance to be competitive. The Igoudala mess hints at the same thing. A proactive team can find a way to sign both of them. Houston would have had both of them signed by now (or at least agreed in principle).
Kings trading Evans for Vasquez/Lopez
- Thread starter sdballer
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First of all, as we have all witness, we can't judge anything the FO had done in the last of Maloofs years when they were cutting budget wherever they can.
Thorton worked well with Evans when he first came but he still needs the ball. McLemore is a total off-ball scorer. He would have worked nicely with Evans' elite ballhandling skills.
Thorton worked well with Evans when he first came but he still needs the ball. McLemore is a total off-ball scorer. He would have worked nicely with Evans' elite ballhandling skills.
Wishlisting? Tyreke is a restricted free agent. He only leaves if we let him leave. Igoudala likely wasn't coming to Sacramento, but if we re-sign Tyreke and offer him $13 million a year he at least thinks about it. Ending up with neither of them is entirely on our front office choosing that direction.
And it means absolutely nothing to win 50, 60 games in regular season with run and gun and get bullied in the Playoffs when we take 60% outside and make 20% of them. Don't forget it was Lebron and Dwayne driving to the lane to get most of the come-back points at the end of the Finals before Ray Allen could be the hero draining the 3.
I'm saying the only way to get them both was by moving a good chunk of the guaranteed deals on the team. Financially it was just plain unlikely. Re-signing Tyreke to this deal would have put the Kings up to the cap limit. The Kings would have only had about 5 million in space after using the amnesty on Salmons, where is the other 8 million coming from?
They sky is falling attitude is hilarious, and this is coming from someone who wanted to match the offer and keep Evans. Its July 4 people, FA just started and you are already throwing in the towel for the season. Jesus, calm down and let this group make some more moves and build the team around Cousins the way they see fit. The anger and hostility demonstrated by some people here is too funny.
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