Emeka Okafor

[Chupacabra]

Hes still fairly young and he wont be that old when his contract finally expires. He should be very good to serviceable the whole length of his contract. Okafor would give the Kings a NASTY looking team. We'd be one of the best rebounding teams in the league as well as one of the best defensive teams. It would almost garauntee a winning record.

 

[LPKingsFan]

There's also the possibility of trading Noce for expirings. When Martin and Garcia return, there simply won't be enough time for Greene and Casspi to get the minutes they're playing now. Noce is playing well, but if we can sell high at the deadline, we should.

In another thread, we were ruminating about the possibility of trading Noce for a defensive big man, someone like a Dalembert or a Diop. Well, in this scenario, we can trade KT for an even better defensive big man, then turn around and trade Noce for expirings--leaving us with a little less cap space than we would have if we let KT expire and kept Noce, but with a much better big man than we could have acuqired had we traded Noce for one instead.

 

[bajaden]

What happens if we end up stuck with Okafur's contract? Doesn't that just extend the Webber debacle into the far distant future? If we're going to trade KT away, I'd much rather see it be for someone/anyone who doesn't automatically become the longest contract on our books.

I think you would have to qualify stuck. Like as in injured or some such thing. I mean, I would like to be stuck with LeBron James contract right now. What I'm trying to say is that if we trade for him and he continues to play well doing the things we traded for, and stays healthy, then would you call it being stuck. The long contract then might become a blessing where we don't have to worry about that position for a while.

 

[kpm308]

I'm not all that worried about Okafor's contract. Hawes' payday doesn't start for 2 years and JT's for 3 years. If you get starter level production from all three players, I would think they would have to be a top 5 big man rotation in the league. With JT and Hawes playing at the expected level, I would expect them to be paid around 10-12 million a year each, (that is if they reach current expectations, if they aren't as good, its even easier to pay them, if they are better, then you smile as you pay them what they are worth because you would have a dominant frontcourt).

Figuring that a 5 year 55 million dollar contract would start around 8 million in the 1st year, this is how our big men cost would work out:

2009: 15 million
2010: 17 million
2011: 24 million
2012: 31 million
2013: 35 million

Average cost 24 million a year

Here's what the contending teams with solid frontcourt play are paying for their top 3 bigs this year:


Boston: 27 million, and Perkins is a steal at 5 million a year
Cleveland: 39 million
Dallas: 38 million
Denver: 30 million
Lakers: 37 million
Orlando: 39 million
Spurs: 30 million
Utah: 29 million

I guess it boils down to if you think the 3 man combo of Hawes, JT, and Okafor will be as good as any of those frontcourts. I think that they will most likely be able to hold their own against any of these front lines if they continue to improve like they should.

Another thought is that this summer is extension talk time for Hawes. With as much as Petrie likes locking guys up early, he will be in a very tough bargaining position if Hawes remains the only actual center on the roster, and I would be very afraid of a scenario where Hawes continues to struggle throughout the year, then puts up a much better last month of the year (like he has the last two) as teams start shutting guys down and not coming at us quite as hard, and then having Petrie overpay based on what might not actually be the Hawes he's going to be getting the next 5 years. With another center in place, he could play Hawes a little tougher and maybe avert having Raef LaFrentz 2.0 on our team, if that's what Hawes is actually turning out be.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

If we're going to have a huge long contract, I'd much rather it be for someone who will clearly be a game changer night in and night out. If Okafur were that player, we wouldn't be getting him for KT. There's a reason he's on the block and IMHO people overlook that at their peril.

NME has just said basically the same thing, but I want to chime in in agreement. I think most of the folks who think this would be a good move for the Kings do see Okafor as a game changer. Nobody is accusing him of being a superstar, but he would add defense to a front line that is relatively lacking in such, and while we are rebounding fine right now, as George Orwell once wrote: "Two rebounds good, four rebounds better!"*

New Orleans would be dumping him largely for salary purposes. As has been pointed out, this would drop them below the luxury tax this year and save them $4M, rather than the $2M difference on the contracts. He appears to be through his injury problems, he's a very consistent 14/10.5/2 player, and he's 27. There is always the spectre of caveat emptor, but here I think the caveats are reasonable.

I don't think we're going to get Okafor-type value in the FA market this year, and I don't think, at this point, that we're going to find a franchise guy in the draft. If a rookie 'Reke and two "young" vets in Martin and Okafor give us a legit chance at the playoffs this year with a cast of improving kids (JT, Spence, Donte, Omri) what might happen when the kids reach full potential, and we've had a chance to tweak here and there? I like it as a bold step that says "the talent acquisition phase of the rebuild is ending, and the improvement phase is beginning".





* - I might be misremembering the Orwell quote. Something does not quite ring true to my ears there.

 

[Uncia03]

I love how our young guys have been playing. I also love the fact that Westphal is completely willing to play the players who give the team the best chance to succeed at that moment. The fact our young players have been getting a lot of time demonstrates that Westphal has confidence that they put us in a position to win the game.

If we brought in Okafur, the two players who might get minutes squeezed would be Donte and Brockman.
I keep hoping that Donte will continue to mature, because I really want him at the 3 and not the 4, and if he can continue to hustle and play smart and focused, he could continue to earn minutes at the 3.
Brockman can't move to either the 3 or the 5, so his playing time might completely evaporate. With that said, he's exactly the type of guy you want at the end of the bench to push your guys in practice and give you spot minutes when you need rebounding and your other big men are not delivering.

But here is what kills me. We've been winning these last few games due to hustle, grit, rebounding, and a commitment to playing solid defense. And what has Westphal been doing through these last few games?
He's been inserting KT into the lineup for defensive purposes when JT and Hawes have not been getting it done.

Okafur >>>>>>>>>>> KT when it comes to defense and rebounding, plus he's a much better offensive player than KT. Can you imagine how much better this young gritty team would be with Okafur in the lineup?

Young enough to fit with long-term plans?: Check
Brings Defense/Rebounding/Shotblocking needed?: Check
Contract, while high, in line with other players of this nature?: Check
Healthy?: Check (Completely solid last 2 seasons)
No primadonna attitude to disrupt chemistry?: Check

He isn't a sexy choice. And if I could put together any trade I'd like for a defensive/rebounding big and make it happen, he most likely would not be in my top 5, or even top 10. BUT, if you tell me that I could get him for KT straight-up, then you have to do it. Opportunities for young, healthy , good-character double-double guys do not come along very often.

 

[VF21]

NME has just said basically the same thing, but I want to chime in in agreement. I think most of the folks who think this would be a good move for the Kings do see Okafor as a game changer. Nobody is accusing him of being a superstar, but he would add defense to a front line that is relatively lacking in such, and while we are rebounding fine right now, as George Orwell once wrote: "Two rebounds good, four rebounds better!"*

New Orleans would be dumping him largely for salary purposes. As has been pointed out, this would drop them below the luxury tax this year and save them $4M, rather than the $2M difference on the contracts. He appears to be through his injury problems, he's a very consistent 14/10.5/2 player, and he's 27. There is always the spectre of caveat emptor, but here I think the caveats are reasonable.

I don't think we're going to get Okafor-type value in the FA market this year, and I don't think, at this point, that we're going to find a franchise guy in the draft. If a rookie 'Reke and two "young" vets in Martin and Okafor give us a legit chance at the playoffs this year with a cast of improving kids (JT, Spence, Donte, Omri) what might happen when the kids reach full potential, and we've had a chance to tweak here and there? I like it as a bold step that says "the talent acquisition phase of the rebuild is ending, and the improvement phase is beginning".





* - I might be misremembering the Orwell quote. Something does not quite ring true to my ears there.

You - and those above you - all bring up good points. I'll concede the argument - for the simple reason I cannot refute what you're saying with cold hard statistics. I suppose my objection could be just intuitive in nature; or I could be just totally missing the boat. All things are possible.

I'll bow out gracefully with this proviso - If it happens and, Naismith forbid, Okafur falls victim to some kind of curse or something that renders his contract a total and complete albatross, I will take the opportunity to point at my comments in this thread.

If, on the other hand, the deal goes through and the vast majority of you are shown to be correct, I'll totally ignore it.

 

[AriesMar27]

here's the thing, we dont have to trade for okafor today... thats another problem i have with this trade. if we let thomas expire we will have what 8-10 million minimum in capspace this offseason. we could trade a 2nd round pick and cash for okafor in the offseason if our young players dont pan out this year. give them a chance to prove themselves first. they have played well without martin. i honestly believe that hawes will play better once kevin gets back because i think its the spacing on the floor and kevins reputation for getting to the line that helps hawes get his points. he needs someone to draw the defense away from him because he has a slow release. evans hasnt earned that respect from the rest of the league yet.

if petrie believes that okafor is the player that we need we can still get him in the offseason without throwing away our offseason options. he has a 5 yr deal, he'll be with the hornets for the rest of the season unless we trade for him. why rush it? for the people who think that we wont get a big name free agent, we can still get okafor basically for thomas on draft night and the hornets can still be under the luxury tax before free agency starts...

 

[bajaden]

If we're going to have a huge long contract, I'd much rather it be for someone who will clearly be a game changer night in and night out. If Okafur were that player, we wouldn't be getting him for KT. There's a reason he's on the block and IMHO people overlook that at their peril.

First of all, I think you have to separate the player from his contract. You can't blame the player for taking what was offered. It doesn't make him a bad person. And, I've never heard a bad word said about Okafor. Secondly, the Hornets are way, way, over the cap and over the luxury cap as well. They are bleeding money and losing at the same time. Not a good combination. They need to shed salary. Their three biggest salaries on the team are Paul, Okafor, and Peja. Trading anyone of them will save them money this year, and big money next year. Peja is basicly untradable. Paul is the face of the franchise. That leaves Okafor. If they want to save money he's their only option. And they need to do without taking back anything in return in way of contracts. Kenny Thomas fits the need.

The arguement you made could have easily been made when the Lakers traded to get Gasol. It ended up being a brilliant move for them. If we want this deal then we have to strike while the iron is hot. One, because the deal may not be there in a month, or even a week from now. And two, the sooner Okafor joins the team the more time he'll have to find his place on the team and fit in.

If you pass up this deal. At least the deal as we know it to be at this time. Then you damm well better come up with something thats better in the offseason. My fear is that we'll pass on this deal, and end up signing someone like Lee in the offseason to a 5 year 6o million dollar contract. If that happens, I'll be joining the fire Petrie fan club.

Let me qualify all of this by saying that all of this is speculation. We don't know for sure what the Hornets are asking for. They may want us to throw in our first round pick next year. But if the deal is as proposed, then I say do it..

 

[kpm308]

here's the thing, we dont have to trade for okafor today... thats another problem i have with this trade. if we let thomas expire we will have what 8-10 million minimum in capspace this offseason. we could trade a 2nd round pick and cash for okafor in the offseason if our young players dont pan out this year. give them a chance to prove themselves first. they have played well without martin. i honestly believe that hawes will play better once kevin gets back because i think its the spacing on the floor and kevins reputation for getting to the line that helps hawes get his points. he needs someone to draw the defense away from him because he has a slow release. evans hasnt earned that respect from the rest of the league yet.

if petrie believes that okafor is the player that we need we can still get him in the offseason without throwing away our offseason options. he has a 5 yr deal, he'll be with the hornets for the rest of the season unless we trade for him. why rush it? for the people who think that we wont get a big name free agent, we can still get okafor basically for thomas on draft night and the hornets can still be under the luxury tax before free agency starts...

Luxury tax is calculated on the date of the last regular season game.

 

[AriesMar27]

Luxury tax is calculated on the date of the last regular season game.

oh, i thought that it was before free agency... my bad but my point still remains, no need to rush it...

 

[Chupacabra]

here's the thing, we dont have to trade for okafor today... thats another problem i have with this trade. if we let thomas expire we will have what 8-10 million minimum in capspace this offseason. we could trade a 2nd round pick and cash for okafor in the offseason if our young players dont pan out this year. give them a chance to prove themselves first. they have played well without martin. i honestly believe that hawes will play better once kevin gets back because i think its the spacing on the floor and kevins reputation for getting to the line that helps hawes get his points. he needs someone to draw the defense away from him because he has a slow release. evans hasnt earned that respect from the rest of the league yet.

if petrie believes that okafor is the player that we need we can still get him in the offseason without throwing away our offseason options. he has a 5 yr deal, he'll be with the hornets for the rest of the season unless we trade for him. why rush it? for the people who think that we wont get a big name free agent, we can still get okafor basically for thomas on draft night and the hornets can still be under the luxury tax before free agency starts...

We do it sooner rather than later because waiting until the offseason decreases our chances of getting Okafor. The Kings waiting also decreases the Hornets chances of Signing the FA that they want. I doubt the Hornets would wait until weve decided to do the deal. Also, what if Okafor has a breakout year and the Hornets decide there are better options than our trade. We do it now because it improves our team tremendously right now.

 

[VF21]

We do it sooner rather than later because waiting until the offseason decreases our chances of getting Okafor. The Kings waiting also decreases the Hornets chances of Signing the FA that they want. I doubt the Hornets would wait until weve decided to do the deal. Also, what if Okafor has a breakout year and the Hornets decide there are better options than our trade. We do it now because it improves our team tremendously right now.

I do totally agree with this portion of the discussion. If we are, in fact, going to do so it needs to be now. Any time word of a potential trade becomes public knowledge, it seems there's always another team out there willing to undercut the deal.

 

[NME]

oh, i thought that it was before free agency... my bad but my point still remains, no need to rush it...

There is if we want to complete the deal. NO's incentive goes down once the season ends, plus they'll have a lot more potential trading partners in the offseason.

 

[dbfish]

C'mon guys. I have read about 220 posts on weather to go after Okafor or not and I have changed my mind about 50 times. I am still not convinced as to which way to go. I'm getting a headache. Would somebody please make up my mind for me.

 

[Chupacabra]

C'mon guys. I have read about 220 posts on weather to go after Okafor or not and I have changed my mind about 50 times. I am still not convinced as to which way to go. I'm getting a headache. Would somebody please make up my mind for me.

After acquiring Okafor if we are able to successfuly reintroduce Kevin Martin back into the starting lineup...we are a playoff team. Probably a playoff team for the next few years.

 

[AriesMar27]

We do it sooner rather than later because waiting until the offseason decreases our chances of getting Okafor. The Kings waiting also decreases the Hornets chances of Signing the FA that they want. I doubt the Hornets would wait until weve decided to do the deal. Also, what if Okafor has a breakout year and the Hornets decide there are better options than our trade. We do it now because it improves our team tremendously right now.

if okafor has a breakout year good for him. to be perfectly honest i dont think anyone wants okafor... if we lose out on a mini-big with a long contract i wont lose any sleep. if they get a better option then fine, but a 10 million doallr trade exemption isnt that bad.

i'll bet that he doesnt, paul will be out for at least 2 weeks, the hornets suck... and i dont see where that will change anytime soon. lets at least wait until the trade deadline. we might get a better option than okafor, id rather have someone else... almost anyone else(at the same position with a smaller contract) to be perfectly honest. we arent thye luckiest team in the world when it comes to our highest paid player, they always get injured. i said that earlier in this thread but i think its worth repeating....

our past highest paid players....

webber, injured his knee...
miller, injured his foot and broke his leg
bibby, injured his wrist in a preseason game
martin, injured his ankle last season and broke his arm this season.

okafor... do you guys really want to be stuck with him? it will happen... and i will say i told you so, right before i become a full time lebron fan... right now he's just my favorite player. but after geoff screws this up. i will follow lebron where ever he goes. i waited through the webber trade fiasco, im cool with evans being our future whatever he becomes... pg/sg whatever. he's a good player. but with beno, nocioni and possibly okafor? thats too much. maybe if i lived in sacramento and had season tickets i would deal with it. but i enjoy basketball way too much to have to sit through this every year. trades for the sake of making trades never work out. i thought that petrie would have learned his lesson.

you guys can learn to love our next injured player, you are a better man than i am. i pay too much for league pass to spend it watching a team screw themselves over. i remember when thomas first got here, he put up pretty good numbers, like 14/8.... but i knew that in the end it wasnt going to work and it didnt.

 

[NME]

i will follow lebron where ever he goes.

http://www.cavfanatic.com

 

[Mr. Clean]

okafur had 2 nice blocks at the end of the game to seal the win - the last time kings played the hornets.

when was the last time a kings player pulled that feat?

 

[AriesMar27]

After acquiring Okafor if we are able to successfuly reintroduce Kevin Martin back into the starting lineup...we are a playoff team. Probably a playoff team for the next few years.

after acquiring thomas, corliss and skinner we were supposed to have movable pieces to improve our team later on. we got worse every year afterwards and now with that nightmare almost over petrie might flip that into another 5 years of lets wait and see what happens level mediocrity. **** that. id rather take a risk in free agency than sit through this again.

who here honestly believes that a starting lineup of evans/martin/nocioni/thompson/okafor can win a playoff series in the west? we wouldnt be top 4 so we wont have hca... we wont have a superstar to carry us if/when we fall behind and the best player coming off the bench is beno...

we wont have any capspace for the foreseeable future and within 3 years will have either none of our young players or 75 million in salaries... we will have to resign thompson, hawes and evans eventually and when that happens we will still have beno, nocioni, martin, garcia and okafor thats 40+ million for those 5 people... 6 for beno, 6 for garcia, 7 for nocioni, 10 for martin and 12 for okafor.

okafor is a good player for what he is... but for 5 yrs at 11 mill a yr isnt worth it.

 

[Uncia03]

we arent thye luckiest team in the world when it comes to our highest paid player, they always get injured. i said that earlier in this thread but i think its worth repeating....

our past highest paid players....

webber, injured his knee...
miller, injured his foot and broke his leg
bibby, injured his wrist in a preseason game
martin, injured his ankle last season and broke his arm this season.

okafor... do you guys really want to be stuck with him? it will happen... and i will say i told you so, right before i become a full time lebron fan... right now he's just my favorite player.

Just wow.

So are you saying that if we could trade Kevin Martin and Beno for Chris Paul today you would not want that deal, because CP3 being the highest player would guarantee he receive a career-ending/career-diminishing injuring and we'd then be stuck with his contract for the next few years?

Now Okafur isn't anywhere near the same level of player as CP3, but he's proven to be healthier over the last few seasons, and he brings what this team needs in post defense/rebounding/shotblocking.

If Okafur was coming off an injury, such as was the case with Nene, then you might have some sort of point. (Though I wish we'd have jumped on Nene back when we had the chance.)
But Okafur has had two solid seasons with-out injury problems. To be against a trade because there is a potential that an injury could happen makes no sense. Any player, at any time can receive a career-ending injury, regardless of their past injury history.

Could it happen? Of course.
Would I want to be stuck for five years with an injured Okafur killing my team's cap space? Of course not, as it would be devastating.

But it's the risk you run with any player when you bring them in for a large contract over a number of years. If we keep our cap space and make a major free-agent signing, we'll be running the same risk as we would be with Okafur. It just the nature of the game.

 

[Entity]

I am on the KT for Oakefor train. I am concerned about length and size of contract. But We need that role player on our team. He is that role player and he is good at it. This puts us into contention as well as takes New Orleans out. I think if done now this puts us in the playoffs this year.

 

[AriesMar27]

http://www.cavfanatic.com

nah... i go to realcavsfans.com its just like kingsfans.com except they are cavs fans and they allow minor profanity.... lol, there are just as many old school cavs fans as there are old school kings fans here. you can tell because they have the same defeatist mentality that some posters have here. joking.... kinda.

 

[AriesMar27]

Just wow.

So are you saying that if we could trade Kevin Martin and Beno for Chris Paul today you would not want that deal, because CP3 being the highest player would guarantee he receive a career-ending/career-diminishing injuring and we'd then be stuck with his contract for the next few years?

Now Okafur isn't anywhere near the same level of player as CP3, but he's proven to be healthier over the last few seasons, and he brings what this team needs in post defense/rebounding/shotblocking.

If Okafur was coming off an injury, such as was the case with Nene, then you might have some sort of point. (Though I wish we'd have jumped on Nene back when we had the chance.)
But Okafur has had two solid seasons with-out injury problems. To be against a trade because there is a potential that an injury could happen makes no sense. Any player, at any time can receive a career-ending injury, regardless of their past injury history.

Could it happen? Of course.
Would I want to be stuck for five years with an injured Okafur killing my team's cap space? Of course not, as it would be devastating.

But it's the risk you run with any player when you bring them in for a large contract over a number of years. If we keep our cap space and make a major free-agent signing, we'll be running the same risk as we would be with Okafur. It just the nature of the game.

paul is hurt right now.... oddly enough he is their highest paid player... i like paul too much to have him play here because he will end up injured for life if he did.

i wouldnt want lebron here either for the same reason. i like him too much as a player to watch him get hurt.

 

[swisshh]

Straight from a Bobcats fan mouth: "Okeafer is one of the greatest examples of meaningless stats."

Do you really want a guy traded twice in a year? I said earlier, when the kings played the Hornets, how desperate the announcers and management were to sell the NO fans on Okeafer. He had a bunch of rebounds, why would they need to sell the fans on him? You could tell something was wrong.

 

[Heuge]

Straight from a Bobcats fan mouth: "Okeafer is one of the greatest examples of meaningless stats."

Do you really want a guy traded twice in a year? I said earlier, when the kings played the Hornets, how desperate the announcers and management were to sell the NO fans on Okeafer. He had a bunch of rebounds, why would they need to sell the fans on him? You could tell something was wrong.

Its for Kenny Thomas and meaningless to us cap space. Yes, I would trade for him.

 

[Bricklayer]

Straight from a Bobcats fan mouth: "Okeafer is one of the greatest examples of meaningless stats."

Do you really want a guy traded twice in a year? I said earlier, when the kings played the Hornets, how desperate the announcers and management were to sell the NO fans on Okeafer. He had a bunch of rebounds, why would they need to sell the fans on him? You could tell something was wrong.

This post is suspiciously errant.

Obviously the traded twice in one year is silly, given that the second trade would be the one where he came to us. That would mean we would never want anybody who had been traded for by another team? And givne the team's financial motivations for doing so, is a doubly weak/nonexistent point. If NO's payroll was $40mil we wouldn;t be having this conversation.

Announcers selling a shaky fanbase on a new acquisition = yes, gee a shocker. We have NEVER seen that here in Kings land or elsewhere around the league...except with every single player ever acquired in a trade or drafted. Salesmanship and rah rahing are part and parcel of local announcers.

As to the last, or rather the first, I have long had a vague feeling that Okafor's impact did not quite equal his stats. He is not a personal favorite and if we were trading Jason and Hawes for him and saying this is the guy who gets us to the promised land by himself, I'm concerned. Picking him up for free, however, to be the third big in a strong trio and I'm not so concerned. His weaknesses can be covered, and his strengths utilized. He doesn't have to be dominant every night. And most of all, he's the rare bird in his class of players who is actually available. If one pops open, is relatively young, and costs you little in the way of talent...could be 5 years before you have another legit shot at one.

 

[nickmcclure]

Emeka is a far better rebounder, scorer, and defender than Dalembert and is just about as good a shot blocker.

If you can get him for Kenny F'n Thomas because they are trimming salary you do it in a heartbeat.

Emeka has played 82 games for the last two seasons so the injury issues seem to be a thing of the past.

Word. And as for the backup center debate? Why not have Spencer be the back up center?

 

[nickmcclure]

This post is suspiciously errant.

Obviously the traded twice in one year is silly, given that the second trade would be the one where he came to us.

Bingo. Quentin Richardson was traded what, 5 times this year? And he's playing great. Teams were picking him up just to shuffle him until he was in a spot that worked.

 

[VF21]

There's some fantastic discussion going on here. I decided to add a poll to see where the majority stands - and I waited because I think I may not be the only one who has potentially changed his/her mind.