Big guys

[funkykingston]

Were the games you watched from the beginning of the season, or the end of the season? I ask because there was dramatic improvement in Adams as the year went on. Ironic that you said he has no feel for the game, because his head coach said that one of his redeeming traits is that he has a good feel for the game, and thus his improvement. Considering that sometimes in New Zealand the only competition he could find on the court was his sister, its no shock that he's behind the curve.

Personally, I have no problem with the Kings taking a flyer on a potentially good player in the future, as long as they make some other moves through freeagency or trades. I've never looked at the draft as a quick fix device. It can be, if you get lucky and get the first pick in the draft and Lebron is sitting there. But I mostly look at it as a building block tool where you keep adding pieces, that in most cases, especially in todays NBA, need developement. Of course I realize that others see it in a different light.

Both games I saw were from the middle of the year, against Syracuse and against Louisville. The Syracuse game wasn't a great one for Adams and was an even worse one for Michael Carter-Williams. Adam's numbers were about the same agasinst Louisville but he played much better. Other than the free throws (he has an ugly motion) he played within himself pretty well. If I wasn't watching him specifically I don't think he would have stood out, but he played a pretty efficient game.

To me Adams looks like what he is - a very raw newcomer to basketball who is trying to apply fundamentals that he's being taught but doesn't yet have an intuitive feel for the game. As I said previously, he looks like he decides what he's going to do with the ball without regard for how his man is playing him. He also gets himself way out of position defensively, especially on pick and rolls.

Now, it may simply be that Adams was incredibly raw and HAS come a long way quickly. If so, maybe his learning curve is great enough that he'll contribute sooner than I think. But I can just go on what I saw watching him play and that's a big man with a nice frame and mobility who has some bad habits and no real offensive game to speak of.

 

[funkykingston]

Splitter won't be cheap that's for sure. He's not fantastic in anything but is good across the board, including the defense after taking a few years of lessons from The Master.
Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell? Please, they would enter bigman rotation as #4 at best.
Biyombo is improving and might become good at some not so far moment, but why would Charlotte move him?
Ed Davis is still cheap and acts as insurance for Memphis. He might become available next off-season, but then it would mean he costs a lot.
Brand? A year or two away from retirement. Just not worth it.
Ekpe Udoh. He's actually the guy most resembling Dieng, except Dieng is slightly better.
Robin Lopez. He's young, serviceable and nothing special. Might as well retain Aldrich. Saw some OKC fans claiming maybe he comes back for vet min, because apparently he liked it in Oklahoma. Then I'd rather pick Aldrich for $1.5-2 million.
Hasheem Thabeet, the PF. Yeah, right. I mean, no way!

I agree. The cost to trade for a 1st round pick in this draft to get Dieng would be less than what it would take to get Udoh, Davis or Biyombo and I like him better for the Kings anyway.

I think Adams has potential but his best fit would be a team like the Spurs who could bring him along slowly and where he'd work against Duncan every day in practice. Honestly I don't want the Kings taking on projects anyway. If they resign Tyreke and hope to retain DeMarcus then they need to start getting players that can contribute right now.

McCollum at #7 and trading for another first for Dieng (or even Withey) would make me happy. And I think a nice shooting wing may drop to our pick in the 2nd round (Bullock, Snell, Hardway, Rice, Crabbe) which would help the bench. To me that would be an ideal draft that would pay dividends next season. Sign a guy like Dorrell Wright as your "3 & D" small forward and you have a pretty balance squad.

I'd love it if Porter would drop but I don't see it. But if the Kings could trade up for him AND nab Dieng they'd just need to add shooting in the 2nd round and in free agency.

But guys like Shroeder, Adams, Adetokunbo etc might turn out to be worth the gamble but I really think the Kings should be looking for more immediate dividends.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

While I wouldn't list him as a big man, I wonder what many here would think about trying to sign Brandon Rush? He was set to start at SF for GS this season before getting injured. He is a career 41% 3pt shooter (44% overall) and about average across the board everywhere else. He is only 27 yrs old. I know he has a player option for this year, but wouldn't be surprised if he didn't take it knowing that he would be on the bench again.

I'd actually think the other way on this one - given that Rush is coming off of ACL surgery, he's probably not going to back out of his $4M contract. He'd probably be pushing his luck to get a contract that size again if healthy...coming off of an injury? I'd guess he takes the guaranteed money and uses whatever time he gets off the bench to prove he can still play.

 

[Telemachus]

I'd actually think the other way on this one - given that Rush is coming off of ACL surgery, he's probably not going to back out of his $4M contract. He'd probably be pushing his luck to get a contract that size again if healthy...coming off of an injury? I'd guess he takes the guaranteed money and uses whatever time he gets off the bench to prove he can still play.

You could be right. I hadn't bothered to look up how much he was set to make this year. I guess it depends on how healthy he is and how much he wants a chance at starting.

 

[Bricklayer]

You could be right. I hadn't bothered to look up how much he was set to make this year. I guess it depends on how healthy he is and how much he wants a chance at starting.

Of larger concern is that Rush has openly mocked Sacramento as a city in the past.

 

[bajaden]

I agree. The cost to trade for a 1st round pick in this draft to get Dieng would be less than what it would take to get Udoh, Davis or Biyombo and I like him better for the Kings anyway.

I think Adams has potential but his best fit would be a team like the Spurs who could bring him along slowly and where he'd work against Duncan every day in practice. Honestly I don't want the Kings taking on projects anyway. If they resign Tyreke and hope to retain DeMarcus then they need to start getting players that can contribute right now.

McCollum at #7 and trading for another first for Dieng (or even Withey) would make me happy. And I think a nice shooting wing may drop to our pick in the 2nd round (Bullock, Snell, Hardway, Rice, Crabbe) which would help the bench. To me that would be an ideal draft that would pay dividends next season. Sign a guy like Dorrell Wright as your "3 & D" small forward and you have a pretty balance squad.

I'd love it if Porter would drop but I don't see it. But if the Kings could trade up for him AND nab Dieng they'd just need to add shooting in the 2nd round and in free agency.

But guys like Shroeder, Adams, Adetokunbo etc might turn out to be worth the gamble but I really think the Kings should be looking for more immediate dividends.

I'd love to trade up for Porter, but at what price I wonder. We'll just have to disagree on taking someone like Adams, and I'm not advocating takiing him, but thats how teams like the Spurs show up in three years with this talented center named Adams, and we kick ourselves for not taking him. I'm all for taking gambles on players with great potential and giving them time to develop. I don't think it has to be one or the other. I'll admit, that its easier for a team like the Spurs because they already have a great core there. But at some point, you have to build a core, and maybe look further down the road than most fans would like.

I realize that you said the Kings should be looking for immediate dividends, but I don't see any in this draft, at least as all around players that will have that kind of impact. I do see players with the potential to become such a player. Porter is probably the best all around player in the draft, and if I were picking number one, and I wanted immediate impact, he's the only player I would consider. Having said that, I don't think Porter has the highest ceiling in the draft by a long shot. My point is, that sometimes by going for the player thats best suited to help right away, you may be passing on a player that has the potential to be a star in a few years. Simply because of lack of patience. Which at this point is difficult for Kings fans. I just hope that the new Kings GM doesn't care about the fans patience when it comes to the draft.

 

[funkykingston]

The Spurs have a few advantages that let them groom rookies or stash them overseas. One is a talented and seemingly ageless core of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. Another is a system, that while it allows for variation (case in point, this year's San Antonio squad is far more offensive minded/talented than the last one to reach the finals which was predicated on defense) also has clear cut roles and knows what types of players will fit in their scheme. And finally they have done well enough identifying good players previously that they already have enough good roleplayers to not have to count on contributions from a rookie.

The Kings currently have no core (maybe Evans and Cousins are the beginning of one but who knows), they have no system and no organizational stability, a mismatched roster and very obvious holes to fill.

All that said, if you think a kid is a star, you draft him, regardless of whether it will take him a year or two or even three to put it together. Tyreke and DMC are young enough that they can grow with another youngster. But (1) you can't be wrong or you're just continually pushing back the rebuild and (2) the guy needs to really be a player. Adams has potential, but I don't see him as a future star. He very well could eventually be better than several guys drafted ahead of him because he's so raw and has such room to grow, but being a good roleplayer is not the same as being a building block.

And part of my thinking is that Evans and Cousins are still young, but they've also endured a lot of losing in their careers. If the Kings want to build around them don't they have to start getting better sooner than later?

Again, grab a guy if you think he can be a star. If not, grab a guy that can be maximized in your system. THAT is what the Spurs do so well. Tony Parker with the 28th pick, Ginobili in the 2nd round. Nabbing a George Hill, grooming him and then trading him on the last year of his deal. It's all about being smart and at the end of the day I have no issue with admitting that I'm just making educated guesses about the draft for fun. What I really hope is that the guy doing the job for real is much smarter and much more skilled than I am and that he makes the right moves.

 

[Gilles]

Kings have 4 bigs under contract. Aldrich is FA and brings traits none of those 4 have, and he'll likely return cheap, so it might be 5. I would say, Adams can get 14-20-28 arc of PT over three seasons. None in this draft is going to become top-3 big for any team fighting for PO his rookie year, and FA and trade options are pretty limited. Most you can reasonably get is first big off the bench type and Kings have two of those already.

 

[KingsFanGER]

Kings have 4 bigs under contract. Aldrich is FA and brings traits none of those 4 have, and he'll likely return cheap, so it might be 5. I would say, Adams can get 14-20-28 arc of PT over three seasons. None in this draft is going to become top-3 big for any team fighting for PO his rookie year, and FA and trade options are pretty limited. Most you can reasonably get is first big off the bench type and Kings have two of those already.

Well the Kings should get rid of 2 of their 4 bigs at least. Hayes is a wasted spot on the roster, cause you basically play 4vs5 on offense and Thompson is a 3rd big at best on any playoff-caliber-franchise. It wont be easy to trade this guys, but somehow you need to rebuild this roster and start to add valuable pieces, that can contribute right now, if you want a chance to resign Evans and Cousins.

 

[Gilles]

There's no good front court pieces out there for a reasonable price. You can have Bynum for $15 million or Millsap for $9 million. Would rather keep Thompson at $6.5 million. And 14 mpg is a contribution too.
Adams has length, strength, mobility, huge good hands, willingness and ability (he went from hardly playable to start the season to key player by the end of it) to learn what his coach is teaching. If Adams had Len's skill level, he would be #1 pick this year, but he doesn't and you can have him at #7.

 

[ParniValjak]

Well the Kings should get rid of 2 of their 4 bigs at least. Hayes is a wasted spot on the roster, cause you basically play 4vs5 on offense and Thompson is a 3rd big at best on any playoff-caliber-franchise. It wont be easy to trade this guys, but somehow you need to rebuild this roster and start to add valuable pieces, that can contribute right now, if you want a chance to resign Evans and Cousins.

JT is very tradeable, has a good contract and is a good role player. In other words exactly the type of player that teams would be after. He would be a great 3rd big to have on a team. Can play minutes at both spots, is a solid rebounder, not a liability offensively and brings energy.

Patterson is also very tradeable. Hayes on the other hand has a monsterous contract for production. He is our new Kenny Thomas. Sad thing is a large number of is picked it as soon as we signed him but of course we are "haters" and he was going to be our defensive anchor

Cousins is the obvious centerpiece of the whole team. JT is a very nice 3rd tall that I would keep. Just get that ever elusive shot blocking, defensive anchor PF/C and the front court rotation is set.

 

[ParniValjak]

I agree. The cost to trade for a 1st round pick in this draft to get Dieng would be less than what it would take to get Udoh, Davis or Biyombo and I like him better for the Kings anyway.

I think Adams has potential but his best fit would be a team like the Spurs who could bring him along slowly and where he'd work against Duncan every day in practice. Honestly I don't want the Kings taking on projects anyway. If they resign Tyreke and hope to retain DeMarcus then they need to start getting players that can contribute right now.

McCollum at #7 and trading for another first for Dieng (or even Withey) would make me happy. And I think a nice shooting wing may drop to our pick in the 2nd round (Bullock, Snell, Hardway, Rice, Crabbe) which would help the bench. To me that would be an ideal draft that would pay dividends next season. Sign a guy like Dorrell Wright as your "3 & D" small forward and you have a pretty balance squad.

I'd love it if Porter would drop but I don't see it. But if the Kings could trade up for him AND nab Dieng they'd just need to add shooting in the 2nd round and in free agency.

But guys like Shroeder, Adams, Adetokunbo etc might turn out to be worth the gamble but I really think the Kings should be looking for more immediate dividends.

For me Dieng is an interesting prospect (a potential younger Dalembert version) and I would love to get a first round pick to get this kid on the roster. At best he is the pairing next to Cousins. At worst, he is a 25mpg big off the bench. I have to say I have not seem many games but after watching the the scouting video on draftexpress I like how he goes about it and his weaknesses I can live with.

Probably not a great for next to Cousins but one guy who could be a bit of a steal late in the first or early second round is Mike Muscala. Again I never watched him play but he is skilled enough and solid enough to be a pretty good back up C in the league and could be a starter for someone (obviously not us with Cousins here to stay)

 

[Kingster]

I think in time Len will be a good pro and his ankle injury doesn't concern me. That said, I think he's a terrible fit with Cousins. He's not a natural shotblocker and while he has some mobility for his size, pairing him with DMC would make for a somewhat lumbering frontcourt on defense. He's also a relatively poor rebounder. Most importantly, he's a down the road prospect as I don't see him as being able to contribute a lot right away.

I don't know anything about Gobert other than measurements and highlight clips. He seems mechanical and very raw to me. From what little I've seen Hasheem Thabeet looked much more NBA ready than he does.

Bennett can't play SF. He lacks the shot, the quickness and the skillset. He's a scoring/rebounding PF who has boom or bust written all over him and I'm leaning strongly towards bust. Fortunately for the Kings I think (1) he's likely to be gone by #7 and (2) he is a poor fit next to Cuz because I wouldn't want to gamble on him. He's Elton Brand like in terms of his measurables in that he's undersized by height but compensates with a long wingspan.

Zeller will be a solid rotation player for somebody, but he's too finesse and offensive minded for me. He could play well off DeMarcus on that side of the ball, but would be a liability on the other end.

I watched two Pitt games this weekend to focus on Steven Adams and he has some real potential but he might be the big man that has the furthest to go to be a contributor of any of the bigs in this draft. So raw, with poor footwork, tons of bad habits and showing little feel for the game. He'd be a great pick for a contending team with veteran who could tutor him and let him develop slowly. That's NOT the Kings.

Jeff Withey is the type of guy that will have a long, solid and unremarkable NBA career. We can call Cole Aldrich mediocre (and he is) but bear in mind that two years ago he was a lottery pick big man in a much stronger draft. Withey is taller but Aldrich has a longer wingspand/standing reach and more bulk to him. Both guys are limited minute big men who won't dazzle but also won't hurt you when they are in there. Aldrich is more of a poor man's Pryzbilla while Withey reminds me a of a poor man's Chris Mihm. If that sounds like faint praise, it's because it is. Still, they are the type of blue collar fourth big that good teams like to have.

I can't think of a good comparison for Mason Plumlee. I could reach back to Michael "the Animal" Smith, but Plumlee is more athletic and not as rugged. He's a pretty good athlete, but not elite and he's not a banger but not necessarily a finesse player either. Basically a more talented version of his brother (not saying much) who has been riding the bench for the Pacers all season. I think he can contribute as an energy/hustle/rebounding guy off the bench and maybe more. Also not an ideal fit next to Cousins.

I have no interest in Olynyk. Essentially Spencer Hawes without the passing and even less defensive potential.

Gorgui Dieng is a guy I really like. Ready to contribute and the closest thing to Samuel Dalembert I see in this draft. He and Cousins would struggle against athletic PFs (a job for Patterson or even Outlaw) but would make a solid rebounding duo, and Dieng is a nice defensive anchor. I think he can have a similar impact as Festus Ezeli did for the Warriors last year. He doesn't have Ezeli's bulk or ability to defend in the post, but he has a better feel for the game, more mobility and surprisingly good passing instincts.

Tony Mitchell is a somewhat undersized, athletic PF. I see him as a less talented Tyrus Thomas/Stromile Swift type.

In my mind, outside of Noel (who I have longterm injury concerns about due to his frame and style of play - see how often he ended up on the ground in games) there's no sure fire bigs that would be great additions to the Kings. I definitely like Dieng, Gobert is a giant mystery (pun intended) and Len could be a nice talent if not a good fit, but otherwise I think you're looking at possible bench contributors. If that's the case I'd rather just re-sign Aldrich and upgrade other spots via the draft.

Nice summary.

 

[Kingster]

I'd love to trade up for Porter, but at what price I wonder. We'll just have to disagree on taking someone like Adams, and I'm not advocating takiing him, but thats how teams like the Spurs show up in three years with this talented center named Adams, and we kick ourselves for not taking him. I'm all for taking gambles on players with great potential and giving them time to develop. I don't think it has to be one or the other. I'll admit, that its easier for a team like the Spurs because they already have a great core there. But at some point, you have to build a core, and maybe look further down the road than most fans would like.

I realize that you said the Kings should be looking for immediate dividends, but I don't see any in this draft, at least as all around players that will have that kind of impact. I do see players with the potential to become such a player. Porter is probably the best all around player in the draft, and if I were picking number one, and I wanted immediate impact, he's the only player I would consider. Having said that, I don't think Porter has the highest ceiling in the draft by a long shot. My point is, that sometimes by going for the player thats best suited to help right away, you may be passing on a player that has the potential to be a star in a few years. Simply because of lack of patience. Which at this point is difficult for Kings fans. I just hope that the new Kings GM doesn't care about the fans patience when it comes to the draft.

Let's all hope that we get a GM who has the freaking guts to trade up in the draft if he really likes a player (like Porter). I'm so done with the passivity of letting the "draft come to us". If a GM really thinks highly of a guy, then he needs to have the cajones to go get him.

The only thing I slightly disagree with you about Porter is that I do think the can have immediate dividends in Year 1. Porter would add the brains, length, rebounding and shooting ability that is needed on this team.

 

[Gilles]

Let's not go overboard. I was one of the first to point out that Porter really improved over last summer and was shaping into a very good prospect, but giving #7 and another significant asset, just to get him? No. Rather pick Dorrell Wight to stick at SF. He's a good defender(and Porter will not be a plus defender for season or two) and can shoot. He was very good this season for Philly in the role Kings will put him into, and he will cost around $4 million in salary. #3 pick gets more than $4 million his first year btw. You can pickup Budinger, who might leave Wolves, on the cheap to be you backup SF. Pick Southerland with late second for depth.

 

[ParniValjak]

Let's all hope that we get a GM who has the freaking guts to trade up in the draft if he really likes a player (like Porter). I'm so done with the passivity of letting the "draft come to us". If a GM really thinks highly of a guy, then he needs to have the cajones to go get him.

The only thing I slightly disagree with you about Porter is that I do think the can have immediate dividends in Year 1. Porter would add the brains, length, rebounding and shooting ability that is needed on this team.

But he most likely will not have the strength to guard the likes of LeBron, Anthony, Durant, George, Pierce etc of the world.

He is certainly no Kawhi Leonard to have the defensive impact his rookie season but he could be the long term solution to our SF woes.

 

[bajaden]

The Spurs have a few advantages that let them groom rookies or stash them overseas. One is a talented and seemingly ageless core of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. Another is a system, that while it allows for variation (case in point, this year's San Antonio squad is far more offensive minded/talented than the last one to reach the finals which was predicated on defense) also has clear cut roles and knows what types of players will fit in their scheme. And finally they have done well enough identifying good players previously that they already have enough good roleplayers to not have to count on contributions from a rookie.

The Kings currently have no core (maybe Evans and Cousins are the beginning of one but who knows), they have no system and no organizational stability, a mismatched roster and very obvious holes to fill.

All that said, if you think a kid is a star, you draft him, regardless of whether it will take him a year or two or even three to put it together. Tyreke and DMC are young enough that they can grow with another youngster. But (1) you can't be wrong or you're just continually pushing back the rebuild and (2) the guy needs to really be a player. Adams has potential, but I don't see him as a future star. He very well could eventually be better than several guys drafted ahead of him because he's so raw and has such room to grow, but being a good roleplayer is not the same as being a building block.

And part of my thinking is that Evans and Cousins are still young, but they've also endured a lot of losing in their careers. If the Kings want to build around them don't they have to start getting better sooner than later?

Again, grab a guy if you think he can be a star. If not, grab a guy that can be maximized in your system. THAT is what the Spurs do so well. Tony Parker with the 28th pick, Ginobili in the 2nd round. Nabbing a George Hill, grooming him and then trading him on the last year of his deal. It's all about being smart and at the end of the day I have no issue with admitting that I'm just making educated guesses about the draft for fun. What I really hope is that the guy doing the job for real is much smarter and much more skilled than I am and that he makes the right moves.

I don't disagree with much of what you said. In my opinion, here's the problem with this draft. At the top, there are players like McLemore, Noel, Bennett, Len, etc. that have the potential to be stars, or at least be the best or second best player on their team. But all of them have flaws, and in some cases, there are questions about how much immediate impact they would have on a team. However, if you move down in the draft where expectations become less, there are some players that could step in and contribute right away. But these players will, in all likelyhood never become stars. Players like Dieng and Withey. Both are more one demensional, but they bring something that could impact the team, and right away. Its all a matter of what direction the team wants to take.

This team has been a total mess for the last 5 or 6 years. Its had a revolving door system with head coaches. Its had a GM thats apparently been burdened with a lack of funds, and meddling from the Maloofs. Player development came to a standstill. The team has no identity. Can anyone tell me what kind of offensive scheme the team has been playing? The team plays little if any defense. How much of this falls on the players? Should any of it fall on the players?

The last thing new ownership needs to do is have a kneejerk reaction to the obvious problems concerning the team. They need to take their time and correctly assess the problems, and then decide how best to fix those problems, both in the long and short term. This mess wasn't created overnight, and it won't be fixed overnight. The most important house cleaning necessary is at the top, and thats apparently going to happen. After that, everyone needs to take a big breath and relax for a bit while they figure out a game plan. Things must be done for a purpose, and not just for show.

The major decision will be deciding who to build the team around. And once that decision is made, then every move that adds or subtracts a player, should be made with the purpose of helping those core players succeed. If our core is to be Tyreke and Cousins, then tell them that. Tell them they're the stars of the team, and that certain responsibilities come with that. Leading by example being one of them. If your the star, and you don't get back on defense, then why should those following your leadership get back? Talking about you Cuz! Time to step up! I don't expect perfection, or even immediate success. But I do expect 100% effort all the time. Whereas I find myself rambling, I'll fade back into the sands of baja.........For now!

 

[bajaden]

Well the Kings should get rid of 2 of their 4 bigs at least. Hayes is a wasted spot on the roster, cause you basically play 4vs5 on offense and Thompson is a 3rd big at best on any playoff-caliber-franchise. It wont be easy to trade this guys, but somehow you need to rebuild this roster and start to add valuable pieces, that can contribute right now, if you want a chance to resign Evans and Cousins.

Ok, we just got rid of Thompson and Hayes. Now what? Who do we replace them with? I can understand Hayes, but why Thompson? He's the perfect role player. He can play both frontcourt positions and he makes a very reasonable salary. So tell me, just who are you replacing the with?

 

[bajaden]

But he most likely will not have the strength to guard the likes of LeBron, Anthony, Durant, George, Pierce etc of the world.

He is certainly no Kawhi Leonard to have the defensive impact his rookie season but he could be the long term solution to our SF woes.

Actually Porter was a very good defender for Georgetown this season. Personally I think we make way too much of the strength and athleticism of players coming into the NBA. And thats true both ways. Larry Bird didn't have good lateral quickness or very good leaping ability, but he was a very good defender. Why? Because he watched tons of tape of everyone he was going to defend. He knew where they like to shoot from. He knew whether they liked going to their left or their right off the dribble. In other words, he studied his opponents and used intelligence to defend them. Team defense is what wins games. Georgetown had very good team defense. I would liken Porter to Bird in the sense that he has tremendous BBIQ. He knows how to play the game. Will he be a star? Probably not, but he sure would look good in a Kings jersey. If the price was right to move up, then I'd do it. But as Gilles said, I don't see us moving a significant player in order to move up. Now if they want Hayes, lets talk!

 

[Spike]

I can understand Hayes, but why Thompson? He's the perfect role player. He can play both frontcourt positions and he makes a very reasonable salary. So tell me, just who are you replacing the with?

I agree. He knows his role, and plays it well. He doesn't try to do too much offensively, and is rarely in the way. He may not have reached the level some of us thought he would, but he's been fairly consistent, and there's something to be said for that in a role player.

 

[funkykingston]

Ok, we just got rid of Thompson and Hayes. Now what? Who do we replace them with? I can understand Hayes, but why Thompson? He's the perfect role player. He can play both frontcourt positions and he makes a very reasonable salary. So tell me, just who are you replacing the with?

Yeah, I don't understand the number of people that want to get rid of JT. Now, if he was part of a package to bring back a foundational piece/star then sure. But just to jettison him because we have too many bigs seems really shortsighted to me. Especially when KingsFanGER points out in his post that Thompson is a "3rd big at best on any playoff-caliber-franchise". I agree! But I wouldn't say "at best". I'd say JT is ideal for a role as the first big off the bench, especially since he (1) can play both PF and C (2) now gives steady production despite his early career inconsistency (3) is a good teammate and (4) plays within himself and doesn't hurt you when he's on the floor.

In all likelihood Patterson is gone after this season and Hayes & Outlaw (especially Outlaw) will likely be gone when we can find a taker or their contracts run out but Thompson can and should be a part of the team moving forward, unless as I said he's in a trade that nets the Kings a third part of the core.

 

[bajaden]

Yeah, I don't understand the number of people that want to get rid of JT. Now, if he was part of a package to bring back a foundational piece/star then sure. But just to jettison him because we have too many bigs seems really shortsighted to me. Especially when KingsFanGER points out in his post that Thompson is a "3rd big at best on any playoff-caliber-franchise". I agree! But I wouldn't say "at best". I'd say JT is ideal for a role as the first big off the bench, especially since he (1) can play both PF and C (2) now gives steady production despite his early career inconsistency (3) is a good teammate and (4) plays within himself and doesn't hurt you when he's on the floor.

In all likelihood Patterson is gone after this season and Hayes & Outlaw (especially Outlaw) will likely be gone when we can find a taker or their contracts run out but Thompson can and should be a part of the team moving forward, unless as I said he's in a trade that nets the Kings a third part of the core.

Yeah, I would never say that Thompson is untradable, but to get rid of him just to get rid of him doesn't make any sense. Especially since I think we're thin in the front court. Hayes is undersized, and could be a good player on the right team. I just don't think the Kings are the right team. Especially at the current price. If Cousins were to go down due to injury, and Thompson was gone, who would be our center. Outlaw? I would hope we'd keep Patterson. He knows how to play the game, and is a good team defender. Plus he can play a little SF in the right situation. But we'll see! In general the overall quality of the team needs to be upgraded.

 

[funkykingston]

Yeah, I would never say that Thompson is untradable, but to get rid of him just to get rid of him doesn't make any sense. Especially since I think we're thin in the front court. Hayes is undersized, and could be a good player on the right team. I just don't think the Kings are the right team. Especially at the current price. If Cousins were to go down due to injury, and Thompson was gone, who would be our center. Outlaw? I would hope we'd keep Patterson. He knows how to play the game, and is a good team defender. Plus he can play a little SF in the right situation. But we'll see! In general the overall quality of the team needs to be upgraded.

The problem with Patterson is obviously that he's a free agent after the season. IF the Kings resign Tyreke this season and resign DeMarcus next season it makes me wonder if they'll spend to keep Patterson as well. Obviously it depends on his market value and his role with the Kings next season. It may well be the case that he's the fourth big for the Kings and would be looking for more PT elsewhere.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

The problem with Patterson is obviously that he's a free agent after the season. IF the Kings resign Tyreke this season and resign DeMarcus next season it makes me wonder if they'll spend to keep Patterson as well. Obviously it depends on his market value and his role with the Kings next season. It may well be the case that he's the fourth big for the Kings and would be looking for more PT elsewhere.

outlaw, the fish, MT, hayes would be near the end of their contracts. there will be $$$ 24.5 million freed in 2015 summer if no deals have already been made

 

[ParniValjak]

outlaw, the fish, MT, hayes would be near the end of their contracts. there will be $$$ 24.5 million freed in 2015 summer if no deals have already been made

But by that time Cousins and Evans are on major contracts which limits the cap room significantly. Our time to sign players and strengthen the roster was immediately after the lock out. We had cap room for 2 max contracts and Cousins and Evans on rookie deal. Instead of making good decisions that off-season we burnt our cap space on Salmons, Hayes, Outlaw and re-signed Thornton (which is not too bad a deal yet) oh and not to mention Jimmer's rookie deal. In other words minimum production for maximum money. Not to mention JJ Hickson and burning a first round pick for him as well.

Now we do not have that luxury and will not have that luxury so we will need to be very creative about how we put the team together. We need some of that San Antonio or Indiana smarts to get the team together. Maloofs and Petrie dug a hole for us 2 off-seasons ago and it will impact us going forward.

 

[Gilles]

Well, it seems until now Kings looked like they were black-listed by agents, so dreaming about big FAs was a pipe-dream. In theory next off-season Kings can add a big FA, if he's willing to come, pretty easy. Expiring contracts with one special of Salmons that can go "poof" in a matter of seconds will be enough to facilitate basically any deal coming to Sacramento. If any big FAs is willing to come, that is.

 

[TheBadGuy]

The Kings should get back Whiteside and develop him into an elite shotblocker.

 

[ParniValjak]

The Kings should get back Whiteside and develop him into an elite shotblocker.

Whiteside is an elite shot blocker already but it's the rest of his game and his maturity that is behind the eight ball!

 

[Gilles]

If you show Whiteside some footage of defensive play, and ask him to repeat what was done by defender in that situation, he will do it without much trouble. Problem is he doesn't quickly recognize what situation he's in on the floor, and much bigger problem he doesn't know what he should do on the other end.

 

[Darth Divac]

The Kings should get back Whiteside and develop him into an elite shotblocker.

While we're at it, get Donte Greene, Tyler Honeycutt, Jeff Pendergraph and Orlando Johnson.