Emeka Okafor / S. Dalembert /anybody!

[sactownfan]

ok i know we have had plenty of other Emeka Okafor/Sam D. threads...

HOWEVER...

i think things are beginning to settle as far as how this team sorta plays together, who can play(Evans), who cant (hawes), and so on.... of course this all is missing K-mart but im positive k-mart isn't the missing link to getting hawes on track... and i think the developments above are calling for move now because ITS TOTALLY OFFICIAL: hawes is a lost cause as a starter for the next couple years...

so...

now that we know for a fact Hawes is still a few years off of even being a solid back up in this league its TIME WE GET A STARTING CENTER that can compliment what we got here... and fits a need...

I see it like this imagine if you will an active 5 out there with JT... taking some of the attention off of him and in a lot of ways freeing him up to do his thing...JT could be better than he is right now if we had that 5 im thinking about... in fact im willing to say NOT having a true 5 out there with JT right now is actually hurting his development.... not to mention OUR TEAM!!!

we need a protecter of the paint!!! we need rebounds!!! we need defense!!! and both Emeka Okafor and Sam D. fit these needs!!! our biggest needs!!!

Emeka Okafor and Sam D. both block shots at a rate we as Kings can only dream of... their both pretty active guys... Okafor hasnt missed a game in 2 years...and Sam D's contract is only for a year...

we GOTTA do something... Hawes is almost single handedly losing us games. if you think about the voids he creates all around... im not about writting hawes off forever... but hes so dang young and so not ready to start... if ever...

Sam D. just seems to be the guy... because of his contract but Emeka Okafor could very well be the "rock" of a great team...

who do you roll the dice on? cause it certainly aint Hawes....

 

[kingsnation]

Emeka. Emeka. Emeka.

He's the answer to our hole in the middle. Why would we NOT want to commit to his contract? He fills a need that would be filled for the foreseeable future.

Him and JT could be a very dangerous big man combo. Pit them in the middle with Kevin and Reke on the wings... throw in Omri and Donte at the 3 and we have a VERY dangerous and imposing team.

 

[roasthawg]

Yeah, need an upgrade at center. I'm not interested in any imaginary trade that doesn't net us a center as I think in reality we will make a move and it will be for a center. There might be some other players involved as well but an upgrade over Hawes is a must have.

 

[SacKings7]

Emeka. Emeka. Emeka.

He's the answer to our hole in the middle. Why would we NOT want to commit to his contract? He fills a need that would be filled for the foreseeable future.

Him and JT could be a very dangerous big man combo. Pit them in the middle with Kevin and Reke on the wings... throw in Omri and Donte at the 3 and we have a VERY dangerous and imposing team.

We WOULDN'T wanna commit to his contract because he takes away any potential of pairing another big name player with Evans (sorry Martin). And also because he's had injury issues in the past

 

[sactownfan]

I really like Emeka Okafor.... he does what he should do and more... the thing i really like about Okafor is that he would be able to actually body up the Al Jeffersons in the league and hold his own against the bigger talents on defense.... Sam Dalemberts is more of a weak side shot blocker and isn't as strong at one on one defense against other bigs...

but they both block shots, rebound and play a million times better defense than hawes so i'd really like to get Okafor but would gladly take Sam D.

 

[Warhawk]

We WOULDN'T wanna commit to his contract because he takes away any potential of pairing another big name player with Evans (sorry Martin). And also because he's had injury issues in the past

Like who? We have several young guys who seem to be on the way to making names for themselves already. And what big name FA big man would sign here? And if they did, we would probably be paying the same if not more than what Okafor is making.

The injury issues seem to be in the past. He's been very durable recently and very consistent.

 

[SacKings7]

Like who? We have several young guys who seem to be on the way to making names for themselves already. And what big name FA big man would sign here? And if they did, we would probably be paying the same if not more than what Okafor is making.

The injury issues seem to be in the past. He's been very durable recently and very consistent.

First off, I'm not against trading for Okafor. I think he'd be a solid fit with this team. I was answering kingsnation's question.

I can't answer your question, because I don't know what star player would want to sign here. But our chances of signing one have improved over the last few months I think, with the emergence of Evans. And I'm stll not completely sold on Okafor being durable just yet. Durable recently =\ durable

 

[sidney]

The only two star big men that may be available this summer are Bosh and Amare. We have limited cap room so the only way to get either will be via sign and trade with Martin/players/picks going back. So signing Emeka doesn't really hurt our prospects there. We need an Emeka type AND another star big man. Also note that Amare and Bosh would both need to be paired with a solid defending big man because that is not their strength.

Here's the real homer test - if we had Emeka on the Kings right now putting up 10/10/2 and was our best defender, would you want to trade him away for an expiring Kenny Thomas in hopes that we could do something else with the cap space?

 

[Bricklayer]

The only two star big men that may be available this summer are Bosh and Amare. We have limited cap room so the only way to get either will be via sign and trade with Martin/players/picks going back. So signing Emeka doesn't really hurt our prospects there. We need an Emeka type AND another star big man. Also note that Amare and Bosh would both need to be paired with a solid defending big man because that is not their strength.

Here's the real homer test - if we had Emeka on the Kings right now putting up 10/10/2 and was our best defender, would you want to trade him away for an expiring Kenny Thomas in hopes that we could do something else with the cap space?

Actually we should have the cap room to sign 1 big player to a close to max deal. Only $41 mil in committed salaries for next year. Forgot what the cap fell to so not sure how much that leaves us to spend, but its a lot.

 

[sidney]

cap is at 57 this year I think. Looks like it will go down again this next summer. Add in our draft picks and we should be sitting around 43 committed even if we let go of Sergio. So 10-12M in room when the max salaries for Bosh/Amare types should be starting in the 15-18 range.

Of course if we trade Nocioni for expiring contracts we'll have plenty of room

 

[sactownfan]

f we had Emeka on the Kings right now putting up 10/10/2 and was our best defender, would you want to trade him away for an expiring Kenny Thomas in hopes that we could do something else with the cap space?

Nope hes looks to be the best we can get right now... no big free agent is signing here... unless we crazy over pay...

but as far as your question of him avg 10/10/2 i'd be totally content with that.... thats a solid line not to mention his defense... plus with K-mart and Evans doing all the scoring thats all we'd need... the benefit of taking attention off and freeing up JT to do more is the main focus on having a true center playing in the paint...

part of the reason JT is struggling on offense is because Hawes is camping on the 3pt line!!!!! so ridiculous... so teams can harass JT all day long... and on defense JT would be picking up fewer fouls....

Okafor is a win win

 

[roasthawg]

The only two star big men that may be available this summer are Bosh and Amare. We have limited cap room so the only way to get either will be via sign and trade with Martin/players/picks going back. So signing Emeka doesn't really hurt our prospects there. We need an Emeka type AND another star big man. Also note that Amare and Bosh would both need to be paired with a solid defending big man because that is not their strength.

Here's the real homer test - if we had Emeka on the Kings right now putting up 10/10/2 and was our best defender, would you want to trade him away for an expiring Kenny Thomas in hopes that we could do something else with the cap space?

Really even with a Bosh or an Amare we run into the problem of JT... he's putting up 15 and 9 right now with nice percentages and a block a game. Next year maybe he's 18 and 10. I like that production and upside... I don't want a 4, I want a 5.

Agree with the homer test... no way would we want to trade Emeka for an expiring.

 

[Sac.Kings]

The only problem that I see with Okafor is his offense. It isn't terrible, but he does not have much of a touch, which can be a liability in close games. If JT is our only big man with solid offensive skill, opposing teams will concentrate their efforts on stopping JT. It can be a risk, because I do like his defense very much. I wouldn't mind Gortat from the Magic either, but prying him away would be difficult.

 

[roasthawg]

The only problem that I see with Okafor is his offense. It isn't terrible, but he does not have much of a touch, which can be a liability in close games. If JT is our only big man with solid offensive skill, opposing teams will concentrate their efforts on stopping JT. It can be a risk, because I do like his defense very much. I wouldn't mind Gortat from the Magic either, but prying him away would be difficult.

Okafor is averaging 10.7 ppg on .550 ts% compared to Hawes's 10.9 ppg on .527 ts%. Okafor brings nearly as much offense as Hawes overall and is a more efficient scorer.

 

[sactownfan]

N

The only problem that I see with Okafor is his offense. It isn't terrible, but he does not have much of a touch, which can be a liability in close games

I think the last thing this team needs is a 5 with a nice shooting touch... I'm over it.... Okafor can post up, end of story

 

[kingsnation]

The only problem that I see with Okafor is his offense. It isn't terrible, but he does not have much of a touch, which can be a liability in close games....

You mean like Hawes lack of touch, 2 reb per 4 quarters and awful defense?

Emeka isn't going to shoot 3's like Peja, but he will bang inside, grab rebounds, block shots and get PLENTY of putbacks.

 

[bajaden]

The only problem that I see with Okafor is his offense. It isn't terrible, but he does not have much of a touch, which can be a liability in close games. If JT is our only big man with solid offensive skill, opposing teams will concentrate their efforts on stopping JT. It can be a risk, because I do like his defense very much. I wouldn't mind Gortat from the Magic either, but prying him away would be difficult.

I think one could argue that last night JT was our only big man with offensive skill. Actually he was our only big man that had any type of defensive skill. Okafor may not be an offensive juggernaut, but he's good for 10 and 10 on most nights along with a couple of blocked shots. I think thats possibly and improvement over Hawes.

 

[roasthawg]

I think one could argue that last night JT was our only big man with offensive skill. Actually he was our only big man that had any type of defensive skill. Okafor may not be an offensive juggernaut, but he's good for 10 and 10 on most nights along with a couple of blocked shots. I think thats possibly and improvement over Hawes.

It's a definite improvement over Hawes... is it worth the price tag is the question? Also gotta consider that even though Hawes has been bad he still has at least some upside while Okafor is maxed out. All in all I'll take my chances with Emeka though.

 

[Sac.Kings]

I think the last thing this team needs is a 5 with a nice shooting touch... I'm over it.... Okafor can post up, end of story

I have watched a few hornets games and Okafor's offense resembles tyson chandlers, perhaps a little more refined. I am just saying that if you have a talented offensive PF and a defensive center, it becomes easier for the other team to shut down our frontline. But i do agree that Okafor has decent offensive skill, so it may not matter that much. I would prefer if we try to find someone more high profile first though.

 

[BMiller52]

Give me Okafor. I watched Dalembert play a few games and holy crap he takes a ton of stupid shots. I even saw him try to dribble inbetween the legs a few times.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Give me Okafor. I watched Dalembert play a few games and holy crap he takes a ton of stupid shots. I even saw him try to dribble inbetween the legs a few times.

Between the two, Okafor is much better, and has a higher bball IQ.

 

[hrdboild]

Between the two, Okafor is much better, and has a higher bball IQ.

Dalembert is definately not a long-term option. He's a temporary fix (with as many negatives as positives) who'll become a big expiring contract in two seasons. If you're trading for Okafor you're comitting to him for the next 5 seasons. That's the difference between the two for the team -- how much risk is involved. On a pure talent standpoint there's no question Okafor is the far superior player (in every way except shotblocking numbers).

 

[Sac.Kings]

Dalembert is definately not a long-term option. He's a temporary fix (with as many negatives as positives) who'll become a big expiring contract in two seasons. If you're trading for Okafor you're comitting to him for the next 5 seasons. That's the difference between the two for the team -- how much risk is involved. On a pure talent standpoint there's no question Okafor is the far superior player (in every way except shotblocking numbers).

Agreed, and Okafor's contract is the main reason why I am hesitant to agree to trying to get him. I wouldn't be depressed about getting him, but exploring other options would be my number one choice.

 

[Nighthawk1]

I would take Okafor in a second.

Sure he doesn't score much, but his defensive presence in the paint will cause teams to score quite a bit less then they are now.... So really we'll have the same offensive output with teams scoring QUITE a bit less in the paint.

I think as JT and Evans play together that combo will grow stronger and we can rely on JT to be our skilled big man scorer (plus we have Greene and Casspi who aren't slouches themselves as big wings).

Realistically though - who else is out there? We hear a lot of talk I wouldn't take his contract for KT... But who ELSE is out there realistically? There aren't many great post defenders who have offensive touch that are up for sale everyday (not even this off-season). Two who really excel at it right now are Brook Lopez and Dwight Howard. I don't expect to see either team on our roster anytime soon (even though I'd love to have Brook Lopez and I would give up what it took to get him save for Tyreke).

 

[gunks]

Kinda an out of left field suggestion...

DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers. Dropped like a stone on draft night from a potential top 10 pick to a 2nd rounder. Athletic, rebounding and shotblocking C. Pretty much no offensive game.

I dont think it would take much to pry him away honestly.

Camby is also on the block supposedly. He is always a beast on the interior (when not injured)...But some say he's a bit of a stat stuffing chemistry killer on the court.

Anyones better than Hawes at this point (all though I'd still like to hold onto the kid, he's young and has shown flashes).

 

[Nighthawk1]

Kinda an out of left field suggestion...

DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers. Dropped like a stone on draft night from a potential top 10 pick to a 2nd rounder. Athletic, rebounding and shotblocking C. Pretty much no offensive game.

I dont think it would take much to pry him away honestly.

Camby is also on the block supposedly. He is always a beast on the interior (when not injured)...But some say he's a bit of a stat stuffing chemistry killer on the court.

Anyones better than Hawes at this point (all though I'd still like to hold onto the kid, he's young and has shown flashes).

I haven't seen much of DeAndre... He'd have to be apart of a bigger deal I suspect

 

[Castasic]

I am not a fan of Dalembert at all I would much much much much prefer Okafor.

 

[gunks]

I haven't seen much of DeAndre... He'd have to be apart of a bigger deal I suspect

I havent seen much of him either, but I remember he put up some good games last season (at least stat wise)...Seems to have regressed this one, and isnt getting much time.

Anyways some of his better lines (all from last season):

8/10/6blks.... against the Wolves
23/12/4blks.... against the Lakers in his next game, 11-12 fgs
8/20.... against the Warriors (naturally)
9/11/2 against the suns
15/12/3 against Portland, 4-4 fgs 7-13 FTs
16/11/3/3 against Utah

He'd pretty much be a garbage man player. But I think he's younger than JT, displays that lunchpail C game, big and athletic. Rebounds, blocks, and putbacks them misses.

 

[sactownfan]

i like jordan too... he was a top 5 pick all year leading up to the draft... then crashed.... but i've seen him in person with the clips a few times and on tv and hes looked good when given mins.... he just cant crack Kamen and Camby right now tho

 

[Chupacabra]

I like Okafor. I think hes a superior defensive player to Dalembert. Okafor also has the ability to score the ball in the post.

Overall I would agree that we make a move for Deandre Jordan. Jordan has alot of potential, hes young, and hes physically able.We should also acquire Dikembe Mutumbo and make him our bigman coach.