Free Agency
- Thread starter sactowndog
- Start date
If McNairs draft didn't seem to look as good as it does and he still didn't basically have the same core of talent needed to win it would be different. If Bogdan is gone you still have your starting lineup intact. Fox, Buddy, Barnes, Bjelica, and Bagley. And less toys for Walton to mess it up and put in marginal role players against the leagues best over them. If that unit fails to win at least you're building value individually. The players leaving while impactful for sure (Baze and Len) weren't the difference between this team being the garbage it was and the competitor it could be. The only thorn is the coach that wiped his backside with all positivity as little as it was is still here. But! They've got options waiting to pounce on his lifeless body once he drops Night of the Living Dead style.
This is key. I've been a broken record on this, but Dallas, Memphis and Atlanta to a lesser extent, shipped off their veterans and gave the ball to their top draft choices to let them get in game experience without worrying about earning PT. In our quest to get that 8th seed, we never fully gave the reigns to Fox and Bagley, which would have accelerated their development.
I'm still of the belief if you're going to stockpile locker room dynamite don't quit half way go all out. If used right it can be a useful tool and maybe an identity. Demarcus' skills are still there but man, those specific injuries for a player like him is a tough hill to climb. If he can bring the chip on the shoulder players like Harden need and he's healthy then teams in the west could be in trouble. Who knows what they even look like heading into the season though. It's like a necessary gamble for them at this point.
My secret to staying a Kings fan amidst losing has always just been hoping for change. GET RID OF IT! FIRE COACH X. CHANGE GM! GET RID OF CUZ! GET RID OF WCS! FIRE WALTON! (Wasn't a fan of get rid of Buddy! but it's something).
Hey if we're going to be bad, at least be bad differently each time m i rite?
Fox is lucky if Bogi/Buddy are both gone though. You'd think he'd become the scapegoat if he doesn't take the next leap in improvement on the max contract, but then he would have the "the rest of this team couldn't beat the Lakers D-League team" protection card.
Hey if we're going to be bad, at least be bad differently each time m i rite?
Fox is lucky if Bogi/Buddy are both gone though. You'd think he'd become the scapegoat if he doesn't take the next leap in improvement on the max contract, but then he would have the "the rest of this team couldn't beat the Lakers D-League team" protection card.
I don't know, the more I think about it I can see reasons why he'd fit. The Kings were always getting beat into the paint. He could allow the Kings now with Haliburton and Fox at G to really pressure up instead of overhelping in the paint from the corners which was a complete fail for the Kings both with Joerger and Walton. Whiteside gets exposed in pick and roll but he could certainly help keep the middle a little more stuffed than it is now.
I would imagine it references the year prior but I could be wrong. Maybe @Capt. Factorial knows for sure.
Buddy’s role is as a 6th man instant offense off the bench for a good team. He is very much a Lew Williams type of player and at 28 he isn’t going to get smarter.
the problem is not only is the low end of his contract 18M the last year, it includes includes incentives that for a good team adds $2M on top of his already bloated salary.
Kings make playoffs: $500,000
Kings make second-round: $250,000
Kings make WCF: $500,000
Kings make NBA Finals: $1,000,000
so you have a player who is overpaid for his role, unhappy with his role and upon helping the team cashes in on other guys effort. It is going to be very hard to trade Buddy ever.
the problem is not only is the low end of his contract 18M the last year, it includes includes incentives that for a good team adds $2M on top of his already bloated salary.
Kings make playoffs: $500,000
Kings make second-round: $250,000
Kings make WCF: $500,000
Kings make NBA Finals: $1,000,000
so you have a player who is overpaid for his role, unhappy with his role and upon helping the team cashes in on other guys effort. It is going to be very hard to trade Buddy ever.
