Emeka Okafor

[Nighthawk1]

As suicidal as some people around here get over large contracts, I cannot understand how you're now talking about dealing a huge expiring for a big contract connected to an injury-prone player.

I'd like to see what Petrie can do with some real operating room in the free agency pool. IIRC, no one who was a Kings fan back in the day saw Vlade Divac coming to us before it happened. And I'm pretty sure the Mitch Richmond trade for Webber caught the vast majority of us somewhat off guard.

We've weathered the years of Kenny's contract and can finally be in a position to reap the benefits. Trading it away seems just a little silly to me, especially for someone who isn't a clear game changer.

I think some are just getting caught up in the moment of a "big name" potentially connected with coming here.

I look at it like this, Bobcats were willing to get rid of Okafor for Tyson Chandler who is even more injury prone just to cut years off Okafor's contract... And now the Hornets are already looking to move Okafor - I'll be the first to admit I don't watch this kid a lot but I just don't think he's all he's cracked up to be defensively...

 

[swisshh]

Out of my own exile just to say NO

 

[Chupacabra]

I propose the Kings do the KT/Okafor trade and then turn around and trade Kevin Martin away for contracts that expire in the near future.This way we basically swap Kmart for Okafor and still keep some cap space.

 

[Nighthawk1]

Let's just offer them KMart, K9, Casspi, Hawes, 1st round pick unprotected for Okafor and CP3

 

[Bricklayer]

I propose the Kings do the KT/Okafor trade and then turn around and trade Kevin Martin away for contracts that expire in the near future.This way we basically swap Kmart for Okafor and still keep some cap space.

Um, why would we want ot swap Kevin for capspace?

And as an aside, if we did want to swap Kevin for Okafor, New Orelans would probably listen pretty intenntly and throw candy in with it to bring another scoring star in to help CP3..

 

[Chupacabra]

I think some are just getting caught up in the moment of a "big name" potentially connected with coming here.

I look at it like this, Bobcats were willing to get rid of Okafor for Tyson Chandler who is even more injury prone just to cut years off Okafor's contract... And now the Hornets are already looking to move Okafor - I'll be the first to admit I don't watch this kid a lot but I just don't think he's all he's cracked up to be defensively...

He is a formidable defensive player. Not Dikembe Mutombo, but hes definitely an enforcer. Considering some of the centers in the League today he isnt really undersized. Dwight Howard is 1 inch taller. The fact that Okafor is a good defensive player and has had great success rebounding the ball in his career erases any supposed lack of height issues.

 

[Vlade4GM]

As suicidal as some people around here get over large contracts, I cannot understand how you're now talking about dealing a huge expiring for a big contract connected to an injury-prone player.

I'd like to see what Petrie can do with some real operating room in the free agency pool. IIRC, no one who was a Kings fan back in the day saw Vlade Divac coming to us before it happened. And I'm pretty sure the Mitch Richmond trade for Webber caught the vast majority of us somewhat off guard.

We've weathered the years of Kenny's contract and can finally be in a position to reap the benefits. Trading it away seems just a little silly to me, especially for someone who isn't a clear game changer.

How much cap space are we really going to have this offseason though? We're not going to have enough for a max deal and the cap is likely to be lowered even further this year. Who are we going to get? Carlos Boozer? Amare Stoudemire? They have injury issues as well and they aren't exactly the types we need. Wade, Bosh, James, and Johnson are not coming for less than the max, and they more than likely aren't going to be attracted to our team with so many options out there.

 

[Vlade4GM]

I think some are just getting caught up in the moment of a "big name" potentially connected with coming here.

I look at it like this, Bobcats were willing to get rid of Okafor for Tyson Chandler who is even more injury prone just to cut years off Okafor's contract... And now the Hornets are already looking to move Okafor - I'll be the first to admit I don't watch this kid a lot but I just don't think he's all he's cracked up to be defensively...

Those teams are in very different situations than us.

 

[DocHolliday]

**** I hate people that judge the game by a boxscore!

What JT and Hawes will NEVER be is the defender and shot blocker that Okafor is. Hell Hawes will never be the rebounder that Okafor is.

Okafor is a perfect fit for our frontline. He rebounds, plays defence, blocks shots and plays within himself on offence. In other words a perfect complement to this team.

If you go into the future hoping that JT and Hawes are your key big man you are not winning anything of significance. Neither is a great defender and neither will be as good a defender as Okafor.

Is Okafor overpaid?! Sure! Is this a risky move?! Sure as are a lot of other moves. The point is that IF we think Reke is the franchise guy we have been looking for since Webber did his knee in Dallas, then this IS precisely the type of move that you DO make. Cap room for us was never about signing a superstar in FA because that will never happen. The cap space with us has always been about having flexibility to make a move for a player.

If we really look at this realistically, we are no chance of signing anyone better than Okafor in the FA and Okafor happens to be the sort of player we really need to solidify the front court.

This is all on premise that the front office is confident that Reke is our man and from everything we have been hearing from the team lately (and seeing from Reke), he looks to be that player we have been looking for.

I want some of what you're smoking, because Thompson is becoming a shotblocker in front of our eyes. His BPG currently is 1.3 this season. When he gets up to 2 and above that will be nice..and he will.

 

[Chupacabra]

Um, why would we want ot swap Kevin for capspace?

And as an aside, if we did want to swap Kevin for Okafor, New Orelans would probably listen pretty intenntly and throw candy in with it to bring another scoring star in to help CP3..

The idea is that this team doesnt require Martin to be successful. Adding Okafor seems to fit in with the type of play we've been seeing from the recently good Kings. However, attaining Okafor comes at the expense of most of our cap room for the future. Soooo, trading Martin for expirings would allow us to have our cake and eat it too. Sort of. I suppose Id want to wait and see if Martin can gel into the new look Kings once he comes back. Evans/Martin/Nocioni/Thompson/Okafor is a formidable lineup.

 

[Bricklayer]

I want some of what you're smoking, because Thompson is becoming a shotblocker in front of our eyes. His BPG currently is 1.3 this season. When he gets up to 2 and above that will be nice..and he will.

No way. This mad Thompson love has got to stop. He's not an NBA shotblocker. He hustles hard, but he has neither the length, timing, nor instincts for it. And before anybody says it, no shotblockers rarely are made, they enter the league blocking as many as they will ever block, then gradually slip with age as the legs go. If he can keep himself up above 1 I'll be pretty satisfied, because that will mean he can help. Not be the main guy or an anchor, but at least help the main guy/anchor if we get him.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I'm trying to figure out why so many people are bringing cap space into this argument. The Salary Cap is going DOWN. It's not like he frees up all this money we can now spend. Were looking at someone of Nocionis calibur at best.

 

[CalsFinest]

Exactly, and even if we did have the money noone better than Okafor is going to sign with us.

 

[ParniValjak]

My problem is, this is an expensive undersized defensive center that doesn't play AS good defense as I think he gets credit for. So I pose this question is it really that worth while to jump into killing our cap space for an undersized defensive center with a big contract? He'll get us the 10 rebounds and a blocked shot or three a night I'm sure. But he really won't give us much on the offensive side of the ball.

Personally I'd rather stay at status quo and see where the draft ends up. If we want to turn KT into something why not throw out an offer that would be hard for someone like Toronto to refuse for a resigned Bosh. Or throw an offer the T'wolves way for Al Jefferson.

Okafor's biggest upside for us is his defense, rebounds, and he's ready to play RIGHT now and he's going to enter his prime. This could allow us to have Spence sit on the bench and develope more at his own pace

We need to stop living in this fantasy land. We are not getting Bosh and we are not getting Al, Amare, LeBron, Wade or any other big name FA out there. Just won't happen.

None of these teams are going to them and they are not going to turn their back on all that money to go to Sacramento.

What we need to realise is that we need to find that franchise player ourselves and we just might have found one in Evans. You make the use of that expiring contract while you can and this is a good chance.

People say that Okafor is overpaid but take a look at the bigs out there that average double double and play defence and tell me what their salaries are? Don't include those that are on rookie contracts because they are in line to get Okafor type money once they are eligable to extend.

Okafor is a perfect compliment to this team. A defensive center who won't demand the ball offensively. That is NOT a bad thing. That is a good thing for a team that has so many players that need the ball to be effective. Okafor is a perfect complementary player for this team.

 

[Warhawk]

Given our recent history with FA signees (all this capspace we have coming up this summer), I think I would rather go for the trade for a legit double-double center. Unless someone can guarantee we will land one in the draft or something......

 

[ParniValjak]

I want some of what you're smoking, because Thompson is becoming a shotblocker in front of our eyes. His BPG currently is 1.3 this season. When he gets up to 2 and above that will be nice..and he will.

Bookmark my post if you feel strongly about it buy JT will NEVER be a genuine shot blocker. Brad Miller twice averaged 1.2 bpg. He must be a shot blocking monster

If anyone around here is somking something it is you my friend.

 

[hrdboild]

One way or another we will need another big man. Spencer is Spencer. I do think he will continue to get better, but he's not going to stop being who he is as a player. I can see Okafor fitting in well alongside either Spencer or Thompson which gives us the three-man big rotation we need. Put him next to Thompson in the starting lineup and our rebounding problems are over. Put Okafor on the block with Hawes at the elbow and they can run the high-low game. He completes our frontcourt in a way that few other single players could.

We've already looked at the upcoming free agent market and it's thin on big men. I think the odds are at least 50 percent Bosh stays in Toronto now. They've put together a good team around him this year. Wade and Lebron have better options elsewhere. Anyone else we could maybe go after is a SF or a SG so we'd need another big man anyway. Okafor doesn't have a max contract, he's got a market-value contract for a starting big man. That's about as close as we're likely to get to an ideal FA signing.

 

[Nighthawk1]

JT won't ever be a shot blocker... I would be amazingly thrilled if he became a 1.3-1.5 bpg guy.

As for fantasy land - you have to aim high. Sign and Trades do happen (I don't think we'll score a huge free agent otherwise).

Just for the record I like Okafor and I would love him on the team. I am just scared of that long big contract

 

[Widowmaker2k]

When I first saw this rumor, I was very excited, but the more that I think about it, the less excited I get. I'd rather wait for a better KT deal, or just let him expire. If we're truly rebuilding into a championship contender, and not just a perennial 1st round washout club, Okafor's not going to do it for us. Even if Tyreke becomes a bonafide superstar, we still need another player who's at least in the all-star discussion every year if we want to compete. Superstars win championships. Unless you truly see Hawes as Kevin McHale 2.0, Okafor just eats up way too much salary and, even worse, makes us mediocre. The last four games have been nice, but who have we beaten? OKC, GS, Houston, and Utah. Houston, equal to us in W/L column, is overachieving (Rick Adelman), OKC is probably only a little better than us in terms of talent, and GS is a mess. Utah is the only legit team we've defeated. This is the easiest part of our schedule, I don't want to be a party pooper or anything, but we're going to come crashing back down to earth sooner or later. I still think 30 wins is about as good as we're going to get (I'll fully admit it if I'm wrong, however). We need to suck for one more season. This draft is full of guys who could very well end up better than Okafor, and, if nothing else, Petrie has an eye for Rookie talent.

Food for thought: The Blazers finished 32-50 in 2007, won the draft lottery, and drafted Greg Oden. Are we going to win the draft lottery? Likely not, but do you know how I can guarantee we won't win it? Acquire Okafor, make the playoffs, and get splashed in the first round.

And what's up with everybody thinking that FA's won't want to come play in Sacramento? The arena deal is the only issue I can think of that would put them off. Sacramento's a decent sized city, the players seem to love it here, it's in California, and they'd be immediately be playing with Reke, Martin, and Thompson (who's gaining a LOT of respect around the league this year). I like Okafor as a player, he's the defensive big we need to round out this roster, but I can't see any scenario where we become Championship contenders with him on board. The last thing I want is to be mediocre again. That's worse than being bad (in our first BAD season in years, we drafted Tyreke Evans, what did we have to show for the previous years of post-Webber mediocrity?).

 

[AriesMar27]

if the cap goes down next season and we add okafor's salary we will be a luxury tax team by the beginning of next season. adding okafors 11.5 million plus any rookies we add... we'll be over the cap by the time free agency starts in july. if he doesnt improve the team enough to put us in the running to make the playoffs we'll have to use part or in geoffs case all of the mle to sign another roleplayer just to get a few more wins. so by the time the season starts we'll be at like 60 million in salaries... thats almost 5 million over the cap if it drops to the projected 54 million, some say it might be as low as 50 million. they might be right, the cap is based on revenue and ive watched a lot of games on league pass. the stadiums look empty.... unless lebron or kobe are in town....

if it doesnt work with okafor(if we trade for him) this season how long do we wait before trying to move him? we couldnt move thomas, we probably wont be able to move nocioni or beno unless one of them is moved with martin. damn, i just dont see how this is gonna work in the long run. all of the players that we would want to keep will be free agents before all of the dead weight expires. but knowing petrie he wont even let our dead weight expire, he trades them for vets with long contracts at inappropriate times.

 

[Bricklayer]

When I first saw this rumor, I was very excited, but the more that I think about it, the less excited I get. I'd rather wait for a better KT deal, or just let him expire. If we're truly rebuilding into a championship contender, and not just a perennial 1st round washout club, Okafor's not going to do it for us. Even if Tyreke becomes a bonafide superstar, we still need another player who's at least in the all-star discussion every year if we want to compete. Superstars win championships. Unless you truly see Hawes as Kevin McHale 2.0, Okafor just eats up way too much salary and, even worse, makes us mediocre. The last four games have been nice, but who have we beaten? OKC, GS, Houston, and Utah. Houston, equal to us in W/L column, is overachieving (Rick Adelman), OKC is probably only a little better than us in terms of talent, and GS is a mess. Utah is the only legit team we've defeated. This is the easiest part of our schedule, I don't want to be a party pooper or anything, but we're going to come crashing back down to earth sooner or later. I still think 30 wins is about as good as we're going to get (I'll fully admit it if I'm wrong, however). We need to suck for one more season. This draft is full of guys who could very well end up better than Okafor, and, if nothing else, Petrie has an eye for Rookie talent.

Food for thought: The Blazers finished 32-50 in 2007, won the draft lottery, and drafted Greg Oden. Are we going to win the draft lottery? Likely not, but do you know how I can guarantee we won't win it? Acquire Okafor, make the playoffs, and get splashed in the first round.

And what's up with everybody thinking that FA's won't want to come play in Sacramento? The arena deal is the only issue I can think of that would put them off. Sacramento's a decent sized city, the players seem to love it here, it's in California, and they'd be immediately be playing with Reke, Martin, and Thompson (who's gaining a LOT of respect around the league this year). I like Okafor as a player, he's the defensive big we need to round out this roster, but I can't see any scenario where we become Championship contenders with him on board. The last thing I want is to be mediocre again. That's worse than being bad (in our first BAD season in years, we drafted Tyreke Evans, what did we have to show for the previous years of post-Webber mediocrity?).

Being mediocre and young is a different animal than being mediocre and old. The first can cure itself just through the natural development of the young players. The second is an incurable disease that can only be fixed by the front office.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Since I've yet to jump in on this thread, I figured I'd add my two cents. If K9 for Okafor straight up is on the table, you do it. You do it immediately, you do it again, and then you do it twice on Sunday.

My reasons for thinking this have all pretty much been stated somewhere above:

1) A front line of Okafor/Thompson/Hawes is much better than a frontline of Thompson/Hawes/make-it-up-as-you-go-along.

2) Dreaming about K9's contract bringing us something better if we actually have a good offer on the table is the worst form of gambling.

3) The cap space we gain from K9's expiring is only good if we actually spend it. If we were to spend it, we'd probably like to spend it on a defensive/rebounding big man. There is not much reason to believe we could get a defensive/rebounding big man better than Okafor in free agency this year, much less for three-years-plus-an-option at $11.8 - $14.8M. And if we fail to get anybody at all, what good is that cap space?

4) The progress that we've seen thus far in the early season suggests we will not be in the running for a high lottery pick in any case. Given a choice between picking 9-12 without Okafor, or picking 15-18 with Okafor (and a first-round bump from the playoffs) I'll take the latter.

5) Yes, I think a trade for Okafor now (rather than waiting for a long time) will get us a playoff spot with the way we are playing. I was at ARCO last night - the crowd loved the team's play, but half the seats were empty. This team gets into a serious playoff chase and those seats won't be empty. But I think we don't make a serious playoff run without another solid big man. If an Okafor-fueled run is able to put 5,000 butts in seats a game, he goes a long way towards paying his own contract. (And maybe a little public enthusiasm will help in an arena deal, too. One can hope.)

6) While Okafor's contract would hurt our ability to grab players in the FA market, it probably would not hurt our ability to keep the guys we have now. When we were contending, the Maloofs had no qualms about signing our star players to luxury-tax-inducing extensions. Presumably that trend would reappear if the revenue associated with sellouts and playoff runs were to return.

Thumbs up if it's on the table.

 

[Sac.1989]

JT and Okafor with hawes off the bench sounds solid to me. How long have we been crying out for a defensive center. Really sures things up with the way JTs been playing. It is a financial commitment though as discussed

 

[CalsFinest]

You think the Maloofs will want to commit to a contract like this with the way ticket sales are going and the way economy is?

 

[dbfish]

this is where i have the biggest problem with the trade... say that hawes starts playing well again once martin gets back, what do we do with hawes once its time to extent his contract? we will have okafor with 3 more yrs on his deal being paid top dollar. same goes for omri and greene who i think will be better than nocioni by the time we have to resign them...

we arent the pistons, the sum of our parts arent better than a superstar... we wont have any all-star players or even borderline all-stars... the pistons had 4 plus a 4-time defensive player of the year... we dont have anything that comes close to resembling that....

if we didnt have beno and nocioni, maybe this trade idea wouldnt look so bad.

As far as the big guys go I don't think rotating Okafor, Thompson and Hawes would be a problem. Good talent on the floor at all times. Keeps a better handle on foul trouble.
I am torn between going for Okafor or not.
There have been a lot of good arguements both ways.
I guess that's why Petrie gets paid the big bucks.

 

[bajaden]

Now you've done it! Now we know who to blame if this thread goes down hill.

Just trolling to see what I catch...

 

[bajaden]

For the record, I'm very upset with this thread

Well, you don't count, because......just because, Ahhhhh, Ummmm, Because your a nice person. And nice people don't count...

 

[bajaden]

I'm sure they want to cut the max years on contracts again. Also, lowering the max salaries.

I have no doubt they want to lower max salaries. They may try and cut the length by starting the team option a year sooner. It should be interesting to watch..

 

[CalsFinest]

Any update on this?

 

[bajaden]

I'm new here at Kingsfans, so hello all! Been a lurker here for a bit, but this seems an appropriate topic to make my first responses to....

I agree with Brick here completely. I like Okafor, but he's never seemed to be as good as his numbers suggest whenever I watch him play. That said, this IS exactly what we've been looking for...a big who plays defense and rebounds...With all the posters saying "we need a defensive big..." i'm surprised there is as much hemming and hawing (sp?) about this trade...

He may not be "ideal" for a lot of people here, but what, realistically, are we going to get that's better? We're not getting Bosh...we're not getting Amare, and most big superstar FAs probably are going to stay with their respective teams.

We are moving KT, which the majority of people here are in favor of; we're getting a talented defensive big. What's not to like? Being realistic, what do those of you that dislike this trade realistically think we are going to get with our cap space?

Yes, the contract is a bit large, yes he has been injured early in his career, and yes, next year is the biggest FA class ever...but if we don't land anyone in that FA class, he's proven healthy for 2 straight seasons and answers the biggest question mark on this team (bigs) and is young enough to be a part of the future here. I say there's more upside here than downside. Just my two cents

Permission to come aboard! This isn't David is it?