This is where cap considerations come in: is he at least fourth best player for you, when you go deep into POs? Gortat I saw might have a chance to play alongside Cousins. Still you're probably cannot afford to have more than 2 perimeter guys above $10 million. There's some salary numbers, however arbitrary, that many people believe you should stay close to to avoid going into LT: $45 million for 4 guys or $36 million for 3. If Gortat is only your fourth guy paying him $12 million after 13/14 season is out of the question, even $10 million is a steep figure, but that's likely the bottom of what he will get.
Gortat / Dudley available?
- Thread starter sidney
- Start date
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
There is that. One of the reasons why it was a bit disappointing to come out of a shotblocker rich draft without one is because they cost a mint on the open market, and our money may be otherwise spoken for.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
In theory there are some PF/Cs projected in 8-14 range(likely for Kings) next year. Hope there's some offensive potency along with defensive competency so we can exchange it to OKC for Adams.
We unfortunately have to give the Cavs our pick at some point and being in that range would just about be one such point.
Big Cuz 15
All-Star
my suggestion is to just put a band aid sf so we can retain our pick in a deep draft next season. if we get lucky, we might get a top 3 pick.
If there's one thing I'm pretty sure I can guarantee, it's that we will NOT be doing any late-season tanking. Vivek is working very hard to get the fanbase back to where it used to be and that means putting an entertaining (and hopefully exciting) product on the floor. He is NOT going to advocate purposefully losing NOR SHOULD HE. Haven't you seen enough in the past several years to realize that tanking is NOT the way to improve your team? I honestly hope to never hear that expression again in connection with our Kings for the rest of my life.
Glenn
Hall of Famer
I doubt if tanking is the new culture the FO wants to install. Losing has become a very, very bad habit with this team and to some players, perhaps even acceptable as they no longer care and are just happy to pick up a check. The fact that some fans seem OK with losing is a major sign that this culture is spreading to the people who should be unpacking their pitch forks in protest.
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rainmaker
Hall of Famer
We're past that point. Going forward, losing, in order to solidify a top pick should be the last thing on our team's mind. We have a very talented trio now. You build around them and build towards the playoffs.
As for Dudley, he makes far less sense when we preferably would want a SF who can handle.
Warriors were ridiculously obvious with their tanking, when they had to hold on to that #7, that netted them Barnes. If it were #8, Jazz would be picking. Tanking sure screwed Warriors. Anyway West will be super-competitive this year, so it's not like Kings will have to intentionally miss POs. Unless there's major influx of talent, I would guess, that Kings will threaten to have .500 record, which this season would have netted #12-13.
jalfa
Starter
I'd like to stress: the operative phrases of my post were "depending on where we stand" and "late season tanking". never once did I insinuate it would be a good idea to tank the season, as that would be a disastrous failure. however, should the team be in no-man's land, slated to net the 13th pick and having already shown marked improvement some 65-70 games into the season, I'd advocate shutting our main guys down at the slightest hint of injury. look towards what Golden State did just two years ago. they managed to lose just enough games so as to not forgo their pick in last year's draft and it netted them Harrisson Barnes. this and only this is the scenario I'm talking about. doesn't seem to have hurt the Warriors in any way either, no?
treating this as a separate argument: no, no; I've absolutely not realised that. I've realised that refusing to rebuild (/tank), when it becomes blatantly obvious that you have to, hurts and that quick fixes hurt. I've also learned that terribly mismanaging a rebuild hurts. however, tanking has netted us the cornerstones this team is going to be built on, just as it has been the case for many other teams in that timespan, several of which have tanked a lot more successfully than us and have consequently rebounded faster and better than the Kings have. in the time span since our last playoff appearance, the Celtics, for instance, have managed to tank, have a championship run, some more playoff runs and are now set to tank again.
treating this as a separate argument: no, no; I've absolutely not realised that. I've realised that refusing to rebuild (/tank), when it becomes blatantly obvious that you have to, hurts and that quick fixes hurt. I've also learned that terribly mismanaging a rebuild hurts. however, tanking has netted us the cornerstones this team is going to be built on, just as it has been the case for many other teams in that timespan, several of which have tanked a lot more successfully than us and have consequently rebounded faster and better than the Kings have. in the time span since our last playoff appearance, the Celtics, for instance, have managed to tank, have a championship run, some more playoff runs and are now set to tank again.
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ockingsfan
Starter
i am not so sure about that. the Warriors did some tanking a couple of years ago when they had a top 7 or 8 protected pick and they were sitting at 6,7,8, 9 picks area at the end of the year and they went tanking to make sure they would stay in the protected area of the pick. They wound up with Harrison Barnes, instead of not having a draft pick, because of their tanking.
as much as changing the culture is important, i think the new owners realize a top 12 pick in a strong draft is worth more than a few meaningless wins, if they are out of contention for the playoffs. But if the Kings are in position to make a 7 or 8 seed in the playoffs, then they go for it. But it would be stupid for the kings to win a few games at the end of the year if they knew they wouldn't make the playoffs and lose their lottery pick.
The new management is much smarter than that. If the Kings are in a position like the Warriors this year then go for it, but if they are sitting at the 11,12, 13 draft spots, then you better believe they go into tank city at the end of the year.
Big Cuz 15
All-Star
agreed with your opinions
sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to improve/win. lebron said flopping gives em an advantage so why not use it? i hate flopping but if its your team in the finals trying to find an edge for winning.. so be it.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Tanking IS the reason why the team was improved. It remains an absolutely core part of the whole NBA life cycle. Win 17, get Reke. Kevin wasn't working out anyway, so trade him, win 24 or whatever, get Boogie. If we blunder along winning 35 in those years we would be completely fubar at this point, but now we have our talent and our future if we can get the right supplementary pieces.
However I agree that tanking time is past for this cycle and extremely unlikely in yr 1 of a new regime trying to turn the corner.
Tanking in any old year, maybe. But with the potential prizes next year, I actually think more fanbases from struggling teams are going to be upset to fall at the end of the lottery if they weren't in real contention of making the playoffs. I think there are going to be 8-10 teams in that place and depending on what happens with this offseason we could be one of them.
I wouldn't completely take "tanking" off the table but with our group it will more likely be giving young guys longer minutes to learn together while still playing competitive basketball.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I like both Dudley and Gortat. I think they would love to have Thornton, and his salary almost perfectly matches Gortat's. If they want a big in return, then I'd offer Hayes, who Gortat would make irrevelant. Don't know if they would bite on that, or not, but if not, then just do Gortat for Thornton. The Suns are in need of a legit SG, and Thornton could fill the bill until Archie Goodwin gets up to snuff, if he ever does. I'm sure Cuz would love having Gortat on the team so he wouldn't have to face him anymore. Except in practice!
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I'm not going to endorse tanking, but if a team was going to tank, then this is the year to do it. This coming draft is, at least on paper, is the deepest and most talented draft in maybe 20 years. Andrew Wiggins is going to be a superstar. He will be one of the best players in the NBA the moment he sets foot on an NBA court. Bold statement I know, but I've never seen a player quite like him. But he's just the tip of the iceberg. There may be 12 players in the 2014 draft that could have been the 1st pick in this last draft.. Let me put it this way. Otto Porter is a SF. Andrew Wiggins is a SF. If they went one on one, I feel safe in saying that Wiggins would win 10 out of 10. And it wouldn't even be close. Hey, I could be wrong! But I don't think so...
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
heh -- don't know about that. Cuz has destroyed Gortat in his career. Having him here could shave a full point off Boogie's season averages.
Darth Divac
Bench
heh -- don't know about that. Cuz has destroyed Gortat in his career. Having him here could shave a full point off Boogie's season averages.
Eh, I think he might give nightmares to Len this season.
K
KingMilz
Guest
heh -- don't know about that. Cuz has destroyed Gortat in his career. Having him here could shave a full point off Boogie's season averages.
The last 2 games Gortat played against Cuz I remember he easily outplayed Cousins, but yeah other than that Cousins has had his measure so it's more like 98% of his career
Can you imagine what the fight for the "bottom four" will look like? I shudder just thinking about it now. My only hope is that the team with the 8th worst record ends up with the first pick.
jalfa
Starter
should we be that team, I'll be right there with you. other than that, I just really want the Celtics not to have that pick, or the Lakers should they rebuild.
You guys can argue for tanking all you like, but Vivek is NOT going to risk alienating the season ticket holder base by intentionally losing. The people who are forking out their hard-earned $$$ in record numbers are doing so because they believe there will be a better product on the court, one that entertains and hopefully finds a way to win more than lose. If you dare to rock that boat again, you're capsizing in an ocean of sharks.
jalfa
Starter
would you really be that mad if the Kings went 4-12 instead of 8-12 at the end of the season, if it means not losing the pick? it wouldn't be sold as "losing on purpose" either. Reke just might suffer an "ankle sprain" in practice and Cuz might have food poisoning when we're playing someone like Philly, Phoenix or Charlotte.
Darth Divac
Bench
And dear God, is that draft class loaded! Wiggins, Randle, Parker, Harrison, Gordon, Smart, Cauley-Stein, Robinson III, Exum, Harris, Saric, Vonleh, Selden, Hezonja, Embid, Walker, Poythress, McGary, Johnson, Young, Austin! Many lottery picks will become superstars! And a top-5 pick, in this 2014 draft, will change the balance of the NBA.
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Section 101
All-Star
LPKingsFan
All-Star
Think it's good deal for them, too. Solid wing role players next to Paul and Griffin. Looks bad for the Bucks, since now 2 2nds is all they have to show for Tobias Harris, who looked pretty good after they traded him to Orlando.
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