Future of Vlade

[Section 101]

All the stars seemed to align when Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin fell in the Kings lap at 13, but once again, they zigged, instead of zagged.

In a shocking move, the Kings passed on major positions of need, instead, selecting center Georgios Papagiannis out of Greece.

...

According to both Divac and Big George, he’s on his way to the states to play this season. Divac is hoping for a Cauley-Stein rookie year type of production from Papagiannis and he believes the big has All-Star potential.

And baldwin was out of the league before papa.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

And baldwin was out of the league before papa.

I mean, apparently he was signed to a two-way contract out of the G-League by Portland, after getting waived by Memphis but, yeah... that was not the Big Joker.

 

[VF21]

And baldwin was out of the league before papa.

Ouch. Bet that leaves a mark.

 

[VF21]

MOD NOTE: Kingsfan23 posted some comments here that actually belonged in the Grades So Far thread, as they are a continuation of some comments he made in that thread. The posts here have been moved.

 

[sactowndog]

There's no excuse and it is a crucial decision and people could be fired over the pick - in two or three years, if it doesn't work out. Only fools set themselves up with a one-year timeline with a 19 year old rookie.

I don’t think it’s Bagley who would be the tipping point as far as draft pick performance. Bagley is a raw kid who could be great but we won’t know at the end of next year. The play of Fox, Jackson, Giles and Mason will be more impactful. 4 players in likely one of the better all time drafts. While I acknowledge players can improve after 2 years, by the end of this coming year we should start to have an idea of what we got in a critical draft.

As for my original post, at the time all the free agents had been taken and it appears we had lost out. For me Vlade made a diving save in the end zone with the flipping of Beli and Yogi both of whom I like for the Kings. Especially Beli who I think is a great fit at that price. So what I had judged as a total fail at the time of my original post became a B+ summer.

Since flipping isn’t a normal thing, I don’t feel my original judgement was horrendously hasty. But I’m am more inclined now to give Vlade a swing at next years free agent market which is critical for the Kings. Bagley is going to be marginal next year, we have no pick, so performing well in free agency is a must to maintain hope.

 

[Kingster]

I don’t think it’s Bagley who would be the tipping point as far as draft pick performance. Bagley is a raw kid who could be great but we won’t know at the end of next year. The play of Fox, Jackson, Giles and Mason will be more impactful. 4 players in likely one of the better all time drafts. While I acknowledge players can improve after 2 years, by the end of this coming year we should start to have an idea of what we got in a critical draft.

As for my original post, at the time all the free agents had been taken and it appears we had lost out. For me Vlade made a diving save in the end zone with the flipping of Beli and Yogi both of whom I like for the Kings. Especially Beli who I think is a great fit at that price. So what I had judged as a total fail at the time of my original post became a B+ summer.

Since flipping isn’t a normal thing, I don’t feel my original judgement was horrendously hasty. But I’m am more inclined now to give Vlade a swing at next years free agent market which is critical for the Kings. Bagley is going to be marginal next year, we have no pick, so performing well in free agency is a must to maintain hope.

I agree on both of the bolded statements, though I'd leave Mason out of the equation entirely because 2nd round picks are typically worthless. But Fox, Jackson and Giles are going to be critical next year. Vlade was lucky with Beli and Yogi, but his luck was caused in part by keeping his powder dry. That said, to my mind the most important factor next year is going to be Joerger. It's make or break for Joerger, imo. He's got to devise an offense that best incorporates the athleticism and talent of this young team. In particular, he's got to go from zero to a hundred in terms of pace. If this team is stuck in the mud next year, it's not going to be good for Joerger, nor for Vlade, as he is the one who hired Joerger.

 

[sactowndog]

@The_Jamal

My bad you weren’t defending Vlade in this thread.