Future of Willie Cauley-Stein?
- Thread starter sergmatt
- Start date
allrightythen
Starter
I may be wrong but we could make him a restricted FA giving us the opportunity to match. I would like to see him be more consistent before giving him a big contract.
kingsboi
Hall of Famer
the Kings have no business giving him any type of big contract, he hasn't earned that. If he feels he can make more elsewhere while the Kings give him a shorter contract, he would walk, in my opinion. This is a contract year for him so I don't see him being traded right now, but if this doesn't motivate him, then he needs to be shipped at the Feb. deadline for something.
Sactown ExPat
Starter
WCS will be a make-weight in a deal for a pricey SF like Otto Porter Jr.
Reverend
Bench
Has Washington given any indication they’d trade Otto? They just drafted a small forward with their 15th too which would indicate either him or Oubre would be available somehow, I’d think.
allrightythen
Starter
I agree, I just would prefer not to lose him for nothing. I would prefer trading him now or at the deadline, but if they choose to wait, making him restricted gives the Kings some options for not losing him outright. I definitely agree that he has not earned any type of big contract.
sactowndog
All-Star
It will depend on who plays D. If the rumors are to be believed Giles will start at center. One of Willie or Marvin will start at PF.
sterö
Bench
Not sure if Giles will start at the beginning of the season. They'll might try to ease him in a little bit, since he hasn't played a real game in a long time
sactowndog
All-Star
Clearly one needs to be able to stretch the floor.
Skal is the most likely if he can gain any size and improve his IQ.
Willie is the least likely... Harry is an unknown as is Marvin.
sactowndog
All-Star
He’s been in practice for quite some time. I think he’s ready to go 100%
jcassio
Starter
I’d like to see a poll that asks Kingsfans what they want as far as keeping Willie or trading him (for whatever value we can get in return). And if keeping him, do we keep him for the season (and then evaluate), or until the trade deadline (unless he proves his place is with the Kings)?
After many years with this board, I’ve often noticed that some posters who tend to post frequently and repeatedly come to believe they represent majorities when nothing could be further from the truth. So the polls, when well designed, can be truth-tellers.
KingsSelecao
Bench
Listen to what your saying. WCS puts up empty average stats on a really bad team.
Now put WCS on a playoff team and he gets no more than 15 minutes a night.
Why? Besides the fact he’s a weak rebounder for someone so athletic, fast, and tall. Willie has a low Iq for the game. Poor instincts, checks out or zones out for stretches. Plays with no consistency. I think some fans overvalue him. Vlade will not be able to get much for him. You can get a late first rounder or involve him in some trade package. Teams do not want a big who can’t board, hit 3s, or stretch the floor. Willie can’t do any of those with any semblance of consistency.
Ozymandias
All-Star
yeesh....
Willie has a contract year to go... He's RESTRICTED... Lets see what happens. This team is gonna run, he's built for that....
Marvin is not the starting C... the Kings will get dunked on a lot if he is...
The Kings have no 2019 pick... Trading Willie now for pennies on the dollar would be cutting off your nose to spite your face..
Willie has a contract year to go... He's RESTRICTED... Lets see what happens. This team is gonna run, he's built for that....
Marvin is not the starting C... the Kings will get dunked on a lot if he is...
The Kings have no 2019 pick... Trading Willie now for pennies on the dollar would be cutting off your nose to spite your face..
Ozymandias
All-Star
IDK how when u look at Willie's improving PPG, RPG and AST:TO ratio you want to run him out of town... LOL
PER 17.6...
He's just 24... Turns 25 in 2 months...
PER 17.6...
He's just 24... Turns 25 in 2 months...
Well it depends on the value Willy would generate on the trade market. Atm there are two bigs ahead of him, Bagley and Giles. If you can use Wcs as a part of getting a future 1st then its a no brainer. Unless we finally start to play hin with four shooters around him to see what he really can do as a rim runner but thats unlikely since we just drafted Bahley.
Ozymandias
All-Star
If Harry Giles is above WCS on the depth chart as you claim, then that will destroy willie's trade value too......... and again would be putting the kings between a rock and a hard place.
Ozymandias
All-Star
Look at the hands this guy has... the catch 0:35...
allrightythen
Starter
He doesn't rebound well for his position or protect the rim which are both things the Kings need from him. His averages are ok, but if you look at his game logs you'll notice how inconsistent he can be. I don't think he's a lost cause or anything, he just doesn't consistently do what's needed. I would prefer to trade him while he has solid value and work on finding players who do what we need.
Ozymandias
All-Star
Ozymandias
All-Star
Rebounding and defense are team activities, the team is inconsistent, not just Willie... He's clearly not the weak link in the chain, I watched 85% of their games last szn..... The Kings didn't even have a real SF last year, got a bunch of 6'5" dudes and a rookie Justin Jackson who's very weak by starting NBA SF standards..
won't happen but I wish thy could sign Ariza to play SF... would make everyone's job defensively a bit easier..
chief bromden
Starter
Willie is great to keep around this year. I'm not a huge fan of his, but he does some nice things on the court, and I think he can contribute more defensively than Skal. I think Skal is the big question mark, more so than Willie. They have to trade at least one of these bigs, there aren't enough minutes for all of them....
allrightythen
Starter
I'm not complaining about Willie's defense per se. His ability to switch on the perimeter is really good and I agree that he wasn't the wink link on defense. The Kings need rim protection and rebounding and rim protection from his position and those were Willie's weaknesses and he hasn't really improved in those areas since his rookie year.
allrightythen
Starter
I should add that while Willie's scoring has gotten better each year his efficiency has gotten worse. His FG% and FT% have both gotten worse with more opportunities which is not a good sign.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
Bagley
Giles
Skal
Koufos
Skal is the best outside shooting big man the Kings have. With Bogs and Hield as the only ace outside shooters on the team, the Kings will need that commodity. Also, Skal is still in the embryonic stage, and you just don't get anything of value for players like that. He's not going anywhere, imo.
I think WCS is a goner. Sure, he might play his butt off for most of the season in order to get a good contract, but I can't see management having trust that once he signs that contract he won't revert to old form. The real question is what can the Kings get for him? I think Divac is experienced enough at this point to see that the longer he waits, the less value he commands. It would be nice to see a deal made this summer. If they wait for the mid-season trade deadline not only does it probably reduce WCS's value, but he'll be taking some minutes from Giles, Bagley, and Skal during the first half of the season. For once, it would be nice to get something decent in a trade.
Zebo needs to go as well. I think he teaches more about taking plays off on defense as he does footwork on offense. I don't see him being a role model that they want for this team.
And speaking of defensive hustle, I sure hope the Kings can get a couple of starving junk yard dogs from the D league who are willing to sell out on defense, fly after loose balls, crave contact, and love making life uncomfortable for the opposition. We didn't see nearly enough of that last year. Marry the elite athletic thoroughbreds of this team to some starving junk yard dogs and I think you'll end up getting a more productive and entertaining result.
Giles
Skal
Koufos
Skal is the best outside shooting big man the Kings have. With Bogs and Hield as the only ace outside shooters on the team, the Kings will need that commodity. Also, Skal is still in the embryonic stage, and you just don't get anything of value for players like that. He's not going anywhere, imo.
I think WCS is a goner. Sure, he might play his butt off for most of the season in order to get a good contract, but I can't see management having trust that once he signs that contract he won't revert to old form. The real question is what can the Kings get for him? I think Divac is experienced enough at this point to see that the longer he waits, the less value he commands. It would be nice to see a deal made this summer. If they wait for the mid-season trade deadline not only does it probably reduce WCS's value, but he'll be taking some minutes from Giles, Bagley, and Skal during the first half of the season. For once, it would be nice to get something decent in a trade.
Zebo needs to go as well. I think he teaches more about taking plays off on defense as he does footwork on offense. I don't see him being a role model that they want for this team.
And speaking of defensive hustle, I sure hope the Kings can get a couple of starving junk yard dogs from the D league who are willing to sell out on defense, fly after loose balls, crave contact, and love making life uncomfortable for the opposition. We didn't see nearly enough of that last year. Marry the elite athletic thoroughbreds of this team to some starving junk yard dogs and I think you'll end up getting a more productive and entertaining result.
If the FO is being serious about Giles being CWebb 2.0, then there's no reason to keep WCS. Bagley>WCS right now. Then it would be Giles>WCS.
In the starting lineup, there's only 1 spot for Willie or Giles. Neither can stretch the floor.
Trade him right now while he has value. He'll probably command a contract 10mpy+. If they wait to the deadline, they're getting pennies on the dollar. If they wait until RFA next year, they're getting a 2nd rounder at most. Trade him now? You might get a legitimate SF that we desperately need.
datamanwes
G-League
This is a contract year for Willie. That plus the fact that the man is going to step up when challenged by Bagley and Giles. By January we are all going to be calling Willie a cornerstone of this franchiset moving forward. Bagley and Giles both have some junk yard dog in them as well. This team is going to be fun to watch
Padrino
All-Star
The thing to remember about WCS is that his flaws and his inconsistency stand out A LOT on a bad team with no upper-tier talent. His development has been slow (and frustrating, I’m sure, for fans unlike myself who stayed plugged-in from game to game last season), but there seems to be some progress, and his production would be more valuable when his role isn’t magnified by the tremendous lack elsewhere on the roster.
If Fox, Hield, and Bogdanovic all take a step forward, if Giles proves to be a worthwhile contributor coming off his redshirt season, and if Bagley plays like a RoY candidate, then it’s easier to see Willie’s skills blending into the rotation, and easier to appreciate his contribution. He’s not a self-motivator. He’ll likely never be great because of it. But if he’s just a piece of the puzzle, there’s considerable utility there.
That said, I wouldn’t be inclined to give up on him just yet. I would however find an immediate trade partner for Zach Randolph, or make it clear that he won’t see much court time, at the very least. A rotation of Bagley, Giles, and WCS could be a strong one next season, with Koufos as the veteran safety valve whenever one of the young bigs hits a speed bump. But these guys are going to need minutes, and lots of them. It’s time for the Kings to see what they have, and it will be a lot harder to evaluate what they have if Randolph is eating up 25 mpg in the front court rotation.
If Fox, Hield, and Bogdanovic all take a step forward, if Giles proves to be a worthwhile contributor coming off his redshirt season, and if Bagley plays like a RoY candidate, then it’s easier to see Willie’s skills blending into the rotation, and easier to appreciate his contribution. He’s not a self-motivator. He’ll likely never be great because of it. But if he’s just a piece of the puzzle, there’s considerable utility there.
That said, I wouldn’t be inclined to give up on him just yet. I would however find an immediate trade partner for Zach Randolph, or make it clear that he won’t see much court time, at the very least. A rotation of Bagley, Giles, and WCS could be a strong one next season, with Koufos as the veteran safety valve whenever one of the young bigs hits a speed bump. But these guys are going to need minutes, and lots of them. It’s time for the Kings to see what they have, and it will be a lot harder to evaluate what they have if Randolph is eating up 25 mpg in the front court rotation.
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