Draft Position Thread

[UK_King]

Marcus Smart is in the top 3 in most mock drafts.

Unlikely on that one.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Marcus Smart is in the top 3 in most mock drafts.

Unlikely on that one.

Of course, but McLemore and Noels will also both go top 4. My post was made on the basis that either a) we get lucky in the lottery, or b) one of those guys falls, however unlikely. If either of these two things happen, I'd keep the pick, barring an offer that can't be ignored. Apart from this, I'm open to trading the pick (although there's still some other guys I like such as Oladipo, Burke etc.).

 

[Big Cuz 15]

Of course, but McLemore and Noels will also both go top 4. My post was made on the basis that either a) we get lucky in the lottery, or b) one of those guys falls, however unlikely. If either of these two things happen, I'd keep the pick, barring an offer that can't be ignored. Apart from this, I'm open to trading the pick (although there's still some other guys I like such as Oladipo, Burke etc.).

didn't noel blow out his knee?

 

[Padrino]

I don't know that it's fair to say that now. If we knew at this point last year that Lillard was a star, for instance, he wouldn't have been drafted 6th. I agree in a way though -- I don't see a can't-miss star this year either. Not like John Wall a few years ago or Andrew Wiggins next year anyway. But I think Nerlens Noel is actually a better all-around defender than Anthony Davis, which is saying a lot. And actually, I think the top 5 guys in this draft are really going to help whatever team is lucky enough to pick them. They all have some question marks, but it's also rare that the top 5 prospects in a draft are all average to good or even very good defenders this early in their careers. We need players like that. And besides, we already have a star in Cousins and a very good could-be star in Evans.

for those not paying attention, it should be noted that john wall has rarely looked like a "can't-miss star" thus far as an nba player. he certainly looked that way coming out of college, but he's been as inconsistent as they come since entering the nba, and his jump shot is more broken than tyreke's at any point in either's respective careers. that said, the draft is an utter crapshoot. picks that seem like surefire gamechangers (wall, rubio) sometimes take longer to pan out than a team may like. sometimes they don't pan out at all (oden). then there's picks that make an immediate impact seemingly out of nowhere (leonard, lillard). since drafting tyreke evans and demarcus cousins, i've been harping on and on about how the kings need to flip their future draft picks for veteran talent, because draft picks are always at a premium as low-cost/high-reward assets. you can fill out a team with quality, supplementary, and complementary veteran talent by packaging picks and young players. and, even with the prospect of new ownership on the horizon, i hold fast to my claim that the kings should consider this route, though it's an unlikely scenario that the kings move their 2013 first rounder, despite how shallow the '13 draft appears to be. i would hope that new owners recognize the potential of a team headlined by demarcus cousins and tyreke evans, and get to work building a team of quality veterans around them, as petrie and the magoofs should have done from minute one...

 

[Darth Divac]

Marcus Smart is looking like a Jason Kidd to me.

 

[UK_King]

looking forward to March Madness thats for sure.

 

[deekay2o9]

When was the last time we had the #1 overall pick? 1989? Even if we get the #1 overall pick, I don't trust the FO anymore. They will find a way to screw it up. The last great move they made was drafting Cousins.

 

[ParniValjak]

When was the last time we had the #1 overall pick? 1989? Even if we get the #1 overall pick, I don't trust the FO anymore. They will find a way to screw it up. The last great move they made was drafting Cousins.

By the time draft comes along, this front office will no longer be with the Kings. There will be new front office staff, new coaching staff and a lot more of "newness" around the place. Does that guarantee we will get someone good? NO but it guarantees a change and that is sometimes as good as a holiday. If we can pinch one of the better GMs in the league, we will be OK. We need someone that is a great talent evaluator and knows how to build championship winning teams. Those guys are not easy to find and when you do, they are signed up by their current teams and with a good reason too.

 

[bajaden]

I don't know that it's fair to say that now. If we knew at this point last year that Lillard was a star, for instance, he wouldn't have been drafted 6th. I agree in a way though -- I don't see a can't-miss star this year either. Not like John Wall a few years ago or Andrew Wiggins next year anyway. But I think Nerlens Noel is actually a better all-around defender than Anthony Davis, which is saying a lot. And actually, I think the top 5 guys in this draft are really going to help whatever team is lucky enough to pick them. They all have some question marks, but it's also rare that the top 5 prospects in a draft are all average to good or even very good defenders this early in their careers. We need players like that. And besides, we already have a star in Cousins and a very good could-be star in Evans.

Trading a draft pick is often a losing move long-term unless you find a team in a desperate situation or you have a short and fast-approaching window of opportunity. Veteran players are almost always overpriced precisely because they're known commodities. You can't short-cut your way to the top or everybody would do it. Look at how many young players around the league are having big impacts on their teams this year. Vucevic and Tobias Harris in Orlando. Jeff Teague in Atlanta. Chandler Parsons in Houston. Evan Turner in Philly. Paul George in Indiana. Vasquez in New Orleans. Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio. Enes Kanter just put up 20 and 20 in his last game. These are all guys drafted in the last couple years, most of them in the middle of the first round or later. We talked about all of them as prospects, talked ourselves out of believing in their talent at times. Some fans may think that waiting on young players takes too long and we need to cash out and get there faster, but those fans are wrong. We know this. We've been talking about it here for 5+ seasons. But drafting talent alone is meaningless unless you have a system in place where their talent can be utilized. That's where we've come up short and where hopefully the next braintrust will turn things around.

None of which changes what I said before about letting the draft standings sort themselves out naturally. I've been as guilty as anyone of counting our eggs before they hatch when it comes to the draft. The team has been so miserably bad for so long that it's all I could so sometimes to hope that our on-court savior was coming even though every year someone else moves above us, grabs a superstar, and punches their ticket to the playoffs. I'm sick of it. I like watching the team win. When John Salmons of all people drops 5 straight bombs on anyone, lowly Bobcats or defending champs. it makes me smile. Because for a few brief moments I actually considered that perhaps we don't need to amnesty him out of town at the next possible second. For a few brief moments John made me smile, and looking back on everything else he's done in his tenure as a King, how great is that? And then I thought about how this might be the last game the Charlotte Bobcats ever play in Sacramento. Either because they'll be the Hornets next time or the Kings will be no more. The draft is going to happen and we'll either get lucky or we won't. But through this long journey we've all been on -- pouring over every news article, watching every game like it might be the last -- I think I've finally realized that it's all pretty simple. Someone wins and someone loses. And we get to watch with bated breath. How cool is that? Once upon a time we understood that somehow, innately. I know Mitch Richmond understands that or he wouldn't have pledged as an investor. Coming so close to a championship and falling short turned me into something else. Somehow without realizing it, that end goal became all I cared about. But the simple joy of basketball is back for me. I've seen it slip away, slipping away. Just one more game, one more season, one more last-minute pitch, one more arena plan. I get it now. The game is all that matters, every game.

So I'll worry about the draft when we get to it. Till then, go Kings!

I think Cruzy misunderstood me a bit. I said there were no sure fire stars, like a Lebron or a Jordan in the draft. That however doesn't mean there won't be some stars emerge from this draft. Every draft has a couple of stars in it, the trick is to figure out who they are. Also, just because there are no apparent stars leaping out at you, that doesn't mean you won't get a good player. And right now, the Kings need good players, and preferly one's with a good skill set and good BBIQ. Like Otto Porter! My top three right now are Noel ( who is recovering from a torn ACL), Otto Porter, and Ben McLemore. If off the top of my head I had to pick one player that five years from now will be an all star, it would be Ben McLemore. He just has that IT factor. Needs to improve his ballhandling a bit, but man what a sweet shot he has.

 

[bajaden]

Marcus Smart is looking like a Jason Kidd to me.

Obviously you never saw Kidd in college. I will admit one comparison! Neither of them could shoot from the outside consistently.

 

[bajaden]

for those not paying attention, it should be noted that john wall has rarely looked like a "can't-miss star" thus far as an nba player. he certainly looked that way coming out of college, but he's been as inconsistent as they come since entering the nba, and his jump shot is more broken than tyreke's at any point in either's respective careers. that said, the draft is an utter crapshoot. picks that seem like surefire gamechangers (wall, rubio) sometimes take longer to pan out than a team may like. sometimes they don't pan out at all (oden). then there's picks that make an immediate impact seemingly out of nowhere (leonard, lillard). since drafting tyreke evans and demarcus cousins, i've been harping on and on about how the kings need to flip their future draft picks for veteran talent, because draft picks are always at a premium as low-cost/high-reward assets. you can fill out a team with quality, supplementary, and complementary veteran talent by packaging picks and young players. and, even with the prospect of new ownership on the horizon, i hold fast to my claim that the kings should consider this route, though it's an unlikely scenario that the kings move their 2013 first rounder, despite how shallow the '13 draft appears to be. i would hope that new owners recognize the potential of a team headlined by demarcus cousins and tyreke evans, and get to work building a team of quality veterans around them, as petrie and the magoofs should have done from minute one...

The way teams look at draft picks is going to change. Next season the new CBA is going to make things very restrictive, especially in the freeagent market. Teams over the luxury tax limit for more than two years will have to not only pay a larger penalty adjusted to the amount, but double because of being over for a third year. Your going to see teams like the Lakers, Celtic's etc, trying to shed players with huge salaries. Draft picks are going to be more valuable because if you choose wisely, you have a player locked up for 4 years at a very very reasonable salary. Even 2nd round picks are going to be more valuable. You'll see fewer teams, if any wanting to sell their picks. Most of the teams that made trades before the deadline, were looking for 1st round picks instead of players in return. Or a pick and players with ending contracts.

I will admit that the Kings need some veteran leadership on the team, but that doesn't have to be at the expense of giving up their draft pick. Lest we forget, every player in the league was drafted at some point. So its not like there's a magic machine somewhere that spits out the better players. They all come through the same process. The teams that are good at it, are the one's that succeed.

 

[bajaden]

didn't noel blow out his knee?

He tore his ACL! Not a career threatening injury anymore, but if you draft him, you have to realize that he probably won't be ready for the start of the season, and who knows, might not even play much next year. However, it would be very hard to pass on him if he declares, and he's sitting there when we pick.

 

[Padrino]

The way teams look at draft picks is going to change. Next season the new CBA is going to make things very restrictive, especially in the freeagent market. Teams over the luxury tax limit for more than two years will have to not only pay a larger penalty adjusted to the amount, but double because of being over for a third year. Your going to see teams like the Lakers, Celtic's etc, trying to shed players with huge salaries. Draft picks are going to be more valuable because if you choose wisely, you have a player locked up for 4 years at a very very reasonable salary. Even 2nd round picks are going to be more valuable. You'll see fewer teams, if any wanting to sell their picks. Most of the teams that made trades before the deadline, were looking for 1st round picks instead of players in return. Or a pick and players with ending contracts.

I will admit that the Kings need some veteran leadership on the team, but that doesn't have to be at the expense of giving up their draft pick. Lest we forget, every player in the league was drafted at some point. So its not like there's a magic machine somewhere that spits out the better players. They all come through the same process. The teams that are good at it, are the one's that succeed.

indeed. all the more reason to consider shopping picks for veteran talent, should new ownership elect to retain the services of demarcus cousins and tyreke evans. those two players could take this team to a truly competitive level with an improvement at head coach and a sturdy supporting cast. two years in a row i said that another young, unproven player in another shallow draft won't help propel this team forward. i'll be saying it for a third year in a row. and no, dumping a 5th pick halfway through his rookie season is not the kind of deal-making i have in mind, so everything's conditional: should new ownership/management move forward with intent to win as soon as possible, i recommend considering a swap of picks for veteran talent that can help stabilize this team's mess of a roster, especially when CBA conditions are inflating the value of draft picks as a general commodity...

 

[Dime Dropper]

Youth isn't necessarily the problem. It's picking the right player. This team would be a hell of a lot better with Lillard at the point, or indeed Drummond coming off the bench. But we botched our pick and now everyone wants to trade it for a vet. Which is fine, and even good, but it needs to be the right vet. And you better be sure you're not passing on a star, because a young star beats a solid vet every day of the week. We're not that talented that we should be indifferent to passing on a star, and anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded. We have a possible franchise player in Cuz, and a borderline all-star type in Tyreke. Another star would go a long way towards righting this sinking ship.

 

[upinsmoke]

This team fit and played better IMO. I thought with good management and development they could have a bright future. There is still time but we're cutting it close.

 

[ParniValjak]

This team fit and played better IMO. I thought with good management and development they could have a bright future. There is still time but we're cutting it close.

Interestingly, we have the opportunity to right our wrongs from 2 off-seasons ago. Both Beno and Dally are free agents and we know they play well with Cousins and Reke. They would both bring some much needed veteran presence and strengthen the front court and back court.

And lets be honest, as bad as he can be, Salmons is a clear upgrade on Casspi and Greene at SF. Peterson is Landry lite with more range so not a great loss there. We actually started kicking into gear once we traded Landry for Thornton.

If we can bring back the Beno-Reke Thornton back court trio and Cousins-Dalember-Thomspon front court trio next season, we will be back to being a legitimate SF away from being good again. Even with Salmons at SF, we are better than we were with Casspi/Greene at SF. Salmons might be reasonable stop gap solution. That team with a good coach would make the play-offs in the West next season.

 

[upinsmoke]

Salmons can man the 3 for one more year, I totally agree on Dally and your point about patterson but not so sure about Beno. Lets draft Marcus Smart and then try to find a 3 via trade.

 

[Glenn]

I wonder how Patterson and JJ would be with a coach? I think we are stronger at SF than last year at this time.

Salmons is our veteran leader. Yes, I said it. I am disagreeing with the one more year comment. With Cisco gone, we need someone to at least partially fill that role. He makes the extra pass, he is the guy who called a players' only meeting quite awhile ago, and he has begun to smile. My concern about him was if he was morose in the locker room but I guess not. Heck, he even smiled after one of his unbelievable threes he shot recently. If anyone has a picture of that, it should be frameed and auctioned as a rarity.

He plays the game the way it should be played and the "black hole" Salmons of years ago is gone.

 

[hrdboild]

I think Cruzy misunderstood me a bit. I said there were no sure fire stars, like a Lebron or a Jordan in the draft. That however doesn't mean there won't be some stars emerge from this draft. Every draft has a couple of stars in it, the trick is to figure out who they are. Also, just because there are no apparent stars leaping out at you, that doesn't mean you won't get a good player. And right now, the Kings need good players, and preferly one's with a good skill set and good BBIQ. Like Otto Porter! My top three right now are Noel ( who is recovering from a torn ACL), Otto Porter, and Ben McLemore. If off the top of my head I had to pick one player that five years from now will be an all star, it would be Ben McLemore. He just has that IT factor. Needs to improve his ballhandling a bit, but man what a sweet shot he has.

Yeah, I have the same top 3. Porter is going to be solidly in the top 5 by the time of the draft, and might even have a shot at number 1 depending on how the rest of the season plays out. I'm really impressed with McLemore as well. He's got a pure jumpshot but he's also an elite athlete, a tough defender, and he shows up in big games. Those three qualities don't often show up in the same player at any level and add to that he has ideal size for a SG. And I also really like Victor Oladipo. He's forced his way into my top 5. You have to question if his long-range shooting numbers this season are for real or not, but as a defender and athlete he reminds me of Russell Westbrook at UCLA. Quick on his feet, tenacious, and explosive around the basket. I'm still not sure about Marcus Smart because of his inconsistency, but he's shown flashes of brilliance. I don't know where they would rank relative to other years, I don't usually think about prospects that way. But I do know that I would be happy with any of those guys on the team. Unless something radical changes the rest of the way, we'll likely be in the mix for a top 5 pick anyway.

 

[rhythmless]

But I do know that I would be happy with any of those guys on the team. Unless something radical changes the rest of the way, we'll likely be in the mix for a top 5 pick anyway.

In terms of fit and talent for us, I see it as a 4 player draft.

McLemore, Noel, Smart, Porter.

Mclemore should be gone when we pick, which is good. Everyone else is either a sg or a more traditional center. For those reasons, I feel as if we need to get a top 4 pick to be successful in this draft. Porter is rising, which is not good. I don't really care for Shabazz and Oladipo for us.

 

[hrdboild]

In terms of fit and talent for us, I see it as a 4 player draft.

McLemore, Noel, Smart, Porter.

Mclemore should be gone when we pick, which is good. Everyone else is either a sg or a more traditional center. For those reasons, I feel as if we need to get a top 4 pick to be successful in this draft. Porter is rising, which is not good. I don't really care for Shabazz and Oladipo for us.

I agree with you on Shabazz. I think he should probably stay another year at UCLA. He won't obviously because next year's draft already looks deeper and he's going to lose position, but he's not ready. And he looks like a volume scorer with some serious holes in his game right now. But I disagree about Oladipo. As a top 5 pick in the draft you maybe want more of a star to build around, but putting that aside for a minute, he's exactly the type of player this team needs more of. He's an efficient and opportunistic scorer, a hard worker, and a terror on defense. I would take 10 guys like that before I took a guy who's a knock down shooter but a liability in every other way. But that's just me. I'd actually take him before Smart if I'm drafting right now because I'm not sure that Smart's ceiling is really all that much higher and he still has a ways to go to get there. But that could change in a few months.

 

[Cwebb#4]

I have us as a three player draft.

Noel
Trey Burke
Porter

Noel could team up with Cuz and create the legendary frontcourt we were supposed to have this year with T-rob. Trey Burke is a great passing PG and his talent is taking his draft stock closer toward our projected pick. And Otto Porter would go around Otto-Portering.

 

[rhythmless]

I agree with you on Shabazz. I think he should probably stay another year at UCLA. He won't obviously because next year's draft already looks deeper and he's going to lose position, but he's not ready. And he looks like a volume scorer with some serious holes in his game right now. But I disagree about Oladipo. As a top 5 pick in the draft you maybe want more of a star to build around, but putting that aside for a minute, he's exactly the type of player this team needs more of. He's an efficient and opportunistic scorer, a hard worker, and a terror on defense. I would take 10 guys like that before I took a guy who's a knock down shooter but a liability in every other way. But that's just me. I'd actually take him before Smart if I'm drafting right now because I'm not sure that Smart's ceiling is really all that much higher and he still has a ways to go to get there. But that could change in a few months.

My issue is on fit. If you want to unload Tyreke, then it's a different story. But at 6'4/6'5, he only fits SG, not SF.

 

[upinsmoke]

As a pure talent Oladipo ranks higher than Smart but when I think of a Evans/Smart backcourt I see them putting the clamps on the league's guards forcing turnovers and scoring on easy buckets in the open court.

 

[hrdboild]

As a pure talent Oladipo ranks higher than Smart but when I think of a Evans/Smart backcourt I see them putting the clamps on the league's guards forcing turnovers and scoring on easy buckets in the open court.

How does this not work with an Evans/Oladipo backcourt? That's even better defensively is it not?

 

[upinsmoke]

How does this not work with an Evans/Oladipo backcourt? That's even better defensively is it not?

not IMO.

.2

 

[rhythmless]

How does this not work with an Evans/Oladipo backcourt? That's even better defensively is it not?

Smart = pg/combo
Oladipo = sg/undersized sf
Tyreke = sg

Better defensively. Horrible at running plays. Unless you believe that Tyreke can be a full time game manager. Which I do not.

 

[hrdboild]

Smart = pg/combo
Oladipo = sg/undersized sf
Tyreke = sg

Better defensively. Horrible at running plays. Unless you believe that Tyreke can be a full time game manager. Which I do not.

I think there's a way to make it work in which you use aggressive defense to create easy scoring opportunities and rely heavily on pick-and-roll or post-up situations with your half court sets. Basically something akin to what Portland implemented under Nate McMillan (who coincidentally, is on the market). You'll want the offense to go through Cousins a good portion of the time anyway to maximize his abilities so that lessens the need for a traditional playmaker. And Tyreke has shown that he can be effective at getting into the lane and drawing extra defenders. I guess our difference in thinking here is that I don't think every team in the league needs a full-time game manager. We have strength advantages we can exploit at two positions this way and if you really lock in defensively you don't need to throw up 100 points anymore to win a game. It's not conventional, but I do think it could be effective provided we also find starters at the two forward positions who make us better defensively.

I agree that a Smart/Evans backcourt does have a lot of potential as well although you need a better coach than we've had to figure out who's going to handle the ball when and for how long. It's not an impossible task for a good coach, but it's not trivial either. And I also like the Evans/McLemore combo, which gets you a shooter next to Evans and a very big and intimidating defensive presence in the backcourt. I don't think we should be ruling any of these guys out because of Evans' perceived limitations. If we can't make it work than we keep the better player, but I'm pretty confident that a good coach could work with all three of these backcourt combinations and find a way to build a winner.

 

[rhythmless]

I think there's a way to make it work in which you use aggressive defense to create easy scoring opportunities and rely heavily on pick-and-roll or post-up situations with your half court sets. Basically something akin to what Portland implemented under Nate McMillan (who coincidentally, is on the market). You'll want the offense to go through Cousins a good portion of the time anyway to maximize his abilities so that lessens the need for a traditional playmaker. And Tyreke has shown that he can be effective at getting into the lane and drawing extra defenders. I guess our difference in thinking here is that I don't think every team in the league needs a full-time game manager. We have strength advantages we can exploit at two positions this way and if you really lock in defensively you don't need to throw up 100 points anymore to win a game. It's not conventional, but I do think it could be effective provided we also find starters at the two forward positions who make us better defensively.

I agree that a Smart/Evans backcourt does have a lot of potential as well although you need a better coach than we've had to figure out who's going to handle the ball when and for how long. It's not an impossible task for a good coach, but it's not trivial either. And I also like the Evans/McLemore combo, which gets you a shooter next to Evans and a very big and intimidating defensive presence in the backcourt. I don't think we should be ruling any of these guys out because of Evans' perceived limitations. If we can't make it work than we keep the better player, but I'm pretty confident that a good coach could work with all three of these backcourt combinations and find a way to build a winner.

Depends on a system. What you're proposing is not conventional, which also relies on a lot more preparation. Can DMC be a focal point of the passing? He's got great vision, but forces the pass a lot. Tyreke will make the proper pass on drive and kicks, but he's not consistent enough to be full time backcourt handler imo.

Can it work? Need a hell of a coach and high iq people. But we tried Reke/Kmart, and you saw how that worked out. McLemore is a curl/catch and shoot guy right now, much like Kmart was. Higher ceiling, but we have tried this stuff. There's a precedence. You also need good screeners, and DMC is... lazy with them. He slips more frequently than he actually sets a screen and looks like he doesn't care whatsoever. That's not going to cut it.

I'm not enamored with Smart as a perfect backcourt pairing to Reke. I just like him because he is a leader, which we lack. Tyreke drifts in and out. Soemtimes he just looks like he doesn't understand fundamental basketball. DMC is DMC. We need someone to reign this in.

 

[hrdboild]

Depends on a system. What you're proposing is not conventional, which also relies on a lot more preparation. Can DMC be a focal point of the passing? He's got great vision, but forces the pass a lot. Tyreke will make the proper pass on drive and kicks, but he's not consistent enough to be full time backcourt handler imo.

Can it work? Need a hell of a coach and high iq people. But we tried Reke/Kmart, and you saw how that worked out. McLemore is a curl/catch and shoot guy right now, much like Kmart was. Higher ceiling, but we have tried this stuff. There's a precedence. You also need good screeners, and DMC is... lazy with them. He slips more frequently than he actually sets a screen and looks like he doesn't care whatsoever. That's not going to cut it.

I'm not enamored with Smart as a perfect backcourt pairing to Reke. I just like him because he is a leader, which we lack. Tyreke drifts in and out. Soemtimes he just looks like he doesn't understand fundamental basketball. DMC is DMC. We need someone to reign this in.

These are all coaching problems. I agree that you've identified some strong problem areas but that's the job of the coach to identify where his players need to get better and to work on those problem areas over and over again until they get it right. Finding a new PG isn't going to solve those problems either. Cousins is still going to have to learn to set better picks. Tyreke is still going to have to make better decisions with the ball and find a way to be aggressive within the context of a team offense. See what I mean? Regardless of what other personnel decisions we make, we're still dead in the water until we find a coach who'll actually, you know, coach our players. It's not as simple as putting 8 or 9 quality players together and letting them play. Maybe if you have Lebron James and Dywane Wade that will work, but for the rest of the league you need some kind of system. I'm not ruling out potential lottery picks because Keith Smart doesn't know what he's doing. Let's draft the best player we can and then find the best coach we can to get them playing together. If the Maloofs are truly gone in April, this might actually be possible.

As to the Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans dynamic, did we really try that out? Kevin Martin played in only 22 games for us in Tyreke's rookie season before being traded. Martin's scoring was down a little bit from the previous 2 years, but other than that he was right around his career averages. And we all know that was Tyreke's best season by far. The concerns at the time as I recall were regarding whether it was feasible to have two high volume scorers in the same backcourt, whether Martin would ever stay healthy enough to justify his contract (he'd already missed 32 games that season due to injury, 30 games the previous season and 20 the season before that), and continuing grumbles (among the fans at least) over Martin's lackadaisical attitude about playing defense. By the time Tyreke joined the team, Kevin Martin was used to an offense designed entirely around getting him the ball in his favorite spots. By the time Martin returned from his 2 month injury absence Westphal had switched to an isolation-based offense which cleared out the middle and allowed Tyreke to dominate the ball and Martin was no longer getting the same looks he had before. And trading his contract to Houston also, coincidentally, saved the Maloofs a whole heap of money right around the time when the effects of the economic crisis were really starting to show worldwide.

In contrast, McLemore wouldn't be coming in as an established 20 point per game scorer on a $50 million dollar contract. He also does a lot more for Kansas than just score the ball. In fact, I don't really think they're all that similar. For one thing McLemore is already a more willing and capable passer so he's not a guy who's only value on the offensive end is his ability to finish. In addition he's a solid rebounder at his position and a willing defender. If there was a problem with the Martin/Evans backcourt long-term it's probably that they were too specialized in their abilities and as a result both of them were going to require a certain amount of game-planning to get them involved in the game. McLemore would have to work on his ball-handling and Tyreke would have to continue to improve his outside shot but what you'd have with that duo next season would be two strong all-around guards, one of whom excels at getting to the basket and one of whom excels at knocking down jumpers. Tyreke would reprise his role as the biggest and strongest PG in the league and McLemore would enter the league as one of the best pure athletes and shooters at the SG position. That's quite an improvement from a rookie PG who can only slash and a veteran inury-prone SG who can only finish. It's closer to the Evans/Thornton backcourt we had briefly at the end of the 2010-2011 season when Marcus still remembered that it's okay to pass the ball once in awhile.

Of the backcourt duo's mentioned above that's the one I'd be worried about the least. I think Evans and McLemore sharing a backcourt could be just as strong for us as Cousins and Noel splitting frontcourt duties.