Grade the Kings off-season so far

[itzcoatl]

C
Bagley pick may turn out to be great, but it’s hard to get a handle on how ready he is, since he unfortunately got hurt during SL. I get the impression that we may have been able to get Bagley had we moved down a spot or two and it’s a little disappointing that Vlade couldn’t get something done.

Yogi is a good signing. I feel like we overpaid just a bit on Bjelica. But not a bad deal.

But the inability to get a clear-cut 3 is a grade killer. We needed to add someone in free agency and I think Bjelica is a stretch 4.

The temple trade made no sense.

We should have used our cap space to facilitate a trade but failed to do so.

I’m holding out hope that we end up using this cap space later this year. If we don’t then I would view this off-season even more poorly.

 

[Heuge]

Well, it’s the TDOS, I’ll give in.
Vlade has a D so far.
Draft
I think he made the wrong pick in the draft. Doncic was my choice.
Further I think he missed out on a chance to trade down for an asset. See Atlanta.

Trades
I think the Temple trade was fine. Sad but fine.
It’s what he has not done. Cap space is a limited resource this summer. He has not leveraged that yet.
I would like to see a big or two traded.
I see a log jam at the 4 and a weakness at the 3.

Signings
I like the Yogi and Belli signings. Yay no F

Other
I am jealous that our two biggest rivals Ws and the L*kers have won free agency. Their success and our lack there at least is somewhat the GMs fault. That doesn’t really play into the grade.

This grade can climb to a B with the right move or two to close out the off season.

 

[mac]

It's basically trading Temple and signing Yogi + Bjelica. Getting the 2nd pick was lucky, and there's nothing that Marvin's already done to make me think he's a sure star. I choose to call the draft a wash in that sense - he didn't trade down to pick a PapaG, and thus far doesn't seem like he screwed it up terribly. That would be my approach to grading the draft regardless where we were picking (since that was not anything Vlade did directly).

So.. B-. Like the two signings but they aren't that significant. Like trading Temple.

 

[AleksandarN]

It's basically trading Temple and signing Yogi + Bjelica. Getting the 2nd pick was lucky, and there's nothing that Marvin's already done to make me think he's a sure star. I choose to call the draft a wash in that sense - he didn't trade down to pick a PapaG, and thus far doesn't seem like he screwed it up terribly. That would be my approach to grading the draft regardless where we were picking (since that was not anything Vlade did directly).

So.. B-. Like the two signings but they aren't that significant. Like trading Temple.

Tell me how was it lucky?

 

[Joshoua]

Sorry guys/gals.. F.. I can't see this team winning more than 25-30 games at the most. A 25-30 win season (again) is a failure. We have been rebuilding long enough.

Are you trolling?

Who besides Lebron and Kawhi could we have got to get over 35wins

 

[Sac.Kings]

Kevin Pelton at ESPN called him the most disappointing rookie in SL

It's not acceptable to leave us with that impression from him, IMO, because its usually about trajectories. Thats why Napear always said, conveniently before this year, that you can't make a lot from a player doing well in SL, but they better not do poorly

It wasn't acceptable on Marvin's behalf, or who picked him, IMO, to leave us with that taste

Fans of Chicago and Memphis etc are over the moon with Carter Jr and Jackson.. Do you think they'd trade those players for Bagley at this point?

It's trajectories. After what we've been through with picks in the last decade you can't be the most disappointing of the top picks in SL, We've been through too much with that..

Bleachreport's post SL redraft has Bagley at 12... My gut doesn't feel good.. Its just not acceptable of an SL

What I bolded above is a complete lie. No need to make stuff up. Pelton's choice for disappointing was Josh Jackson. Han called Bagley a disappointment but in the context of "it was disappointing that he only played 1 summer league game."

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...best-worst-most-surprising-rookies-5-5-debate

By the way, Pelton called Buddy slightly disappointing last year and that turned out just fine.

 

[The_Jamal]

C, if this is the end result of the year. I like the Bagley pick a lot, and we made 3 solid moves in a row with Temple trade, Bjelica and Yogi. But there's still a lot to do, mainly clearing up the roster glut we currently have. Whether it's buying out ZBO, trading WCS and/or Skal, something has to be done with the front-court and we still need another wing. Nwaba is basically free for the taking and it looks like we could absorb Harkless if Portland is trying to get out of the tax.

 

[joemama]

$
We have 14M in cap space as we haven't signed Yogi and are most likely going to use the Room MLE. A lot depends on what we do with that 14M.

Talent
I see drastic improvement in this team. Our inconsistent players such as Mason, JJ, and Skal are now third string (where they belong). Sure we lost Temple (32), but Shumpert (28) is a very similar player, younger, and maybe even a little better defensively, which is why we had Temple.
This is the summer we actually got to see Giles. Giles and Bagley>>Skal and W. Lazy-Stein. Our rebounding should be much better now. Sooo many are sleeping on Giles, which is good and bad. Yogi and Bjelica improve our bench and greatly improve our 3pt shooting. Yogi + Bjelica >>>>Cabocolo + Hayes.

So positives: less dependent on inconsistent players, improved rebounding, deeper bench, and improved 3pt shooting.

And negatives: nothing, so I don't really see why people are complaining.

Right now a solid B, if we use the 14 Million wisely AND clear the logjam I'm going to have to say A because I haven't legit been this excited about my team in a very long time.

 

[nebs]

Fail. We have all the money. We signed last second players. Next year we will have money but so will everyone else. FAIL.

 

[nebs]

Tell me how was it lucky?

It was like a 5% chance we got that draft spot?

 

[ppine]

Getting Bagley was a big positive. Giles seems healthy. That is very good news.
The trades and free agents may not amount to much.
Summer league did not go well, but we learned that Mason probablyl doesn't deserve more minutes, maybe less.
J Jackson more than anyone else improved and started playing with more confidence.
Coach Bobby J on the team is a great idea. I love the guy.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Wow!!! Called him out. Great work.

I don't mean to stir things up but I knew for a fact that what he said wasn't true as I read the article before when it came out. Also, if anyone was watching the one summer league game Bagley did play in, it was clear that he was every bit as good as the number one pick. He didn't need to be spoon fed for easy points either. Just saying.

Bagley showed a lot of promise and also a lot of things he could work on. He's a rookie big man and he's bound to run into difficulty this season, but his work ethic is excellent and I fully expect him to work on his weaknesses. I fully admit I wanted Dončić, but Bagley is also a great prospect in his own right.

 

[Blob]

Of course man!

Trae Young was totally overmatched in summer league. He did show some nice playmaking skills. He does move the ball well. He should aspire to be a passer first and scorer second. Even with his nice passing, his game as a whole is disconcerting. He looks like a 2nd round pick. His D is paper thin. He can't create separation and he gets smothered when he drives the lane and throws up junk. He settles for shots 5-10 feet behind the line! It is unbelievable the Hawks wasted the third pick on him. I said this before the draft and reaffirm now. His game reminds me of David Stockton, a guy who tries hard but doesn't really belong and always faces uphill battle. Travis Schlenk wanted so bad to find the next Steph Curry then proceeded to try to draft the "next Draymond Green" and :Klay Thompson" with his latter picks. I don't know if he got the other picks right, but Trae Young looks awfully suspect. And remember that pick like ours will always be compared to Luka as their respective careers unfold.

 

[Blob]

There's no way we are as bad next season as we were this past season. We have better talent and it seems that the coach is finally catching on that this roster is designed for up tempo basketball. We have 2 new studs in Giles and Bagley (health permitting) along with an improved Fox and a new offensive game plan. I'm expecting 30-40 wins, hopefully closer to 40.

Every single person on our roster apart from one or two players is hard working and earns their way into playtime. Even our new acquisitions such as Yogi went from a 10 day contract to 6.3 million. I'm all for a wait and see approach but our roster does make sense, apart from the large number of bigs we have. I do expect that to be fixed though.

If Adam Silver wasn't so feckless he would change the rules so the Top 16 teams league wide make the playoffs regardless of conference. Then we could compete for the 16th seed next year. .

As it stands there are about 12 good teams in the Wild Wild West and about 4.5 good teams in the East (Celts, Raptors, 76ers, Pacers/Bucks) then there's everybody else. With the new playoff seeding the 16th seed would be realistic. Getting the 8th seed with 12 good teams ahead of us is a near impossibility.

 

[SacKings123]

Skal has been bulking up a lot this summer. He's been going beast mode in the gym per reports which is exactly what he needs. I believe in him.

I'm curious to know where you heard this from. Out of all the Kings players, he is the one that is most under the radar and haven't heard about anything from or about him this summer

 

[Kingster]

We will all die someday......

OK.. I have no idea how fans of a team can stay positive when you are continuously rebuilding. Bagley III, Yogi, Nejsdfjgd aren't really making me think we're going to be doing much better than we did this year. Oh, and we get McLemore back...

On a positive note we do play in a beautiful arena!

It's not a rebuild. It's a build from last year. If you want to know the difference, just check out the Clipps and compare them to the Kings. That's a rebuild. In fact, one could say, they are a pre-rebuild or a tear-down and they haven't even gotten to the rebuild stage yet.

 

[Sac.Kings]

If Adam Silver wasn't so feckless he would change the rules so the Top 16 teams league wide make the playoffs regardless of conference. Then we could compete for the 16th seed next year. .

As it stands there are about 12 good teams in the Wild Wild West and about 4.5 good teams in the East (Celts, Raptors, 76ers, Pacers/Bucks) then there's everybody else. With the new playoff seeding the 16th seed would be realistic. Getting the 8th seed with 12 good teams ahead of us is a near impossibility.

He has mentioned changing the format previously, I'm sure that it would take a while to implement though. I would welcome it. The disparity between east and west has been happening for the last decade at least.

 

[kingsboi]

It's not a rebuild. It's a build from last year. If you want to know the difference, just check out the Clipps and compare them to the Kings. That's a rebuild. In fact, one could say, they are a pre-rebuild or a tear-down and they haven't even gotten to the rebuild stage yet.

do you really want to compare the Clippers and the Kings' rebuilding phases? considering before winning the lottery and drafting Blake number one, with getting Paul, they were in the lottery for nearly two decades if I'm not mistaken. The Kings very well could follow that same path, so comparing the two is a very scary thought for me.

 

[kingsboi]

I'm curious to know where you heard this from. Out of all the Kings players, he is the one that is most under the radar and haven't heard about anything from or about him this summer

That may be a blessing. Getting too hyped about a body transformation or making three's in an empty gym can lead to higher expectations rather than just going about your day and getting better with time and repetition, which is the approach that Skal should take.

 

[Kingsfan23]

What I bolded above is a complete lie. No need to make stuff up. Pelton's choice for disappointing was Josh Jackson. Han called Bagley a disappointment but in the context of "it was disappointing that he only played 1 summer league game."

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...best-worst-most-surprising-rookies-5-5-debate

By the way, Pelton called Buddy slightly disappointing last year and that turned out just fine.

Bro, know what the hell your talking about.

"While some veterans performed worse than expected, the most disappointing performance by a first-round pick came from No. 2 overall selection Marvin Bagley III. Bagley played three games in front of home fans with the Sacramento Kings but just one in Las Vegas prior to being diagnosed with a pelvic bone bruise. In that span, he shot 1-10 on 3s and 13-of-32 (41 percent) inside the arc while grabbing just 11 percent of available rebounds." - Pelton

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24116543/can-nba-summer-league-predict-surprise-stars




He called him disappointing because he flat was. He looked like a relative bust and it wasn't acceptable to me as a fan

 

[Folsomkingsfan]

Bro, know what the hell your talking about.

"While some veterans performed worse than expected, the most disappointing performance by a first-round pick came from No. 2 overall selection Marvin Bagley III. Bagley played three games in front of home fans with the Sacramento Kings but just one in Las Vegas prior to being diagnosed with a pelvic bone bruise. In that span, he shot 1-10 on 3s and 13-of-32 (41 percent) inside the arc while grabbing just 11 percent of available rebounds." - Pelton

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24116543/can-nba-summer-league-predict-surprise-stars




He called him disappointing because he flat was. He looked like a relative bust and it wasn't acceptable to me as a fan

You guys are looking at different articles.

But I agree with you. Looking at only summer league and summer classic, taking nothing else into account, he was bad.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Bro, know what the hell your talking about.

"While some veterans performed worse than expected, the most disappointing performance by a first-round pick came from No. 2 overall selection Marvin Bagley III. Bagley played three games in front of home fans with the Sacramento Kings but just one in Las Vegas prior to being diagnosed with a pelvic bone bruise. In that span, he shot 1-10 on 3s and 13-of-32 (41 percent) inside the arc while grabbing just 11 percent of available rebounds." - Pelton

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24116543/can-nba-summer-league-predict-surprise-stars




He called him disappointing because he flat was. He looked like a relative bust and it wasn't acceptable to me as a fan

It's not what he said 10 days before. Look at the link I put. I didn't realize he switched his "expert" opinion.

Regardless, I still don't share your negativity about Bagley and I think you're taking too much out of 4 games, especially when considering our guards were awful. He showed some great flashes and some not so great flashes. It doesn't matter. Cousins was great his first game and not so great the rest of summer league. Turned out to be a damn fine player.

 

[roasthawg]

Impossible to know, it all depends on Bagley. I voted for "C" cause I would've rather drafted jjj or Bamba but we won't know for a few years. Free agency has been uninspiring of course.

 

[Serbinator]

C - I just can’t accept the fact Vlade did not pick Luka. I just hope this doesn’t turn out into a complete bust. Bagley is a PF who on the current roster may well be pushed to SF, Luka’s natural position. He looks to me as a Faried type of player who can make some long distance, Im afraid those kind of players are left somewhere in the past.

Other than that, I really like signigs of Yogi and Beli especially. Liked the fact that Vlade realised that his aquisition of Mason is just not good enought to be backup PG. Moving Temple was a good move also.

Really liked the fact that Vlade did not overpay anyone since next summer will be loaded with free agents. Also I would like Vlade to take some expiring in excahnge for the future first near the deadline, and that would put him on a B- in my eyes.

 

[jcwkings]

do you really want to compare the Clippers and the Kings' rebuilding phases? considering before winning the lottery and drafting Blake number one, with getting Paul, they were in the lottery for nearly two decades if I'm not mistaken. The Kings very well could follow that same path, so comparing the two is a very scary thought for me.

Uhh that team with Elton Brand, Sam Cassel was pretty good.

 

[Kingsfan2002]

Vlade was already on the chopping block for already not doing a good job and not being a vetted GM. He is regarded, by objective NBA fans as one of the worst GMS. We can go back on bad trades (Philly/Buddy etc), not making any differential FA signings, or the draft, but he is objectively seen as a bad GM and we can start a thread on the RealGM General Forum if we need third party assistance.

If it was Danny Ainge it was just another pick, he has that leeway. Vlade has already been at the edge and needed this pick to go his way

If Bagley turns out to be a triple its fine. But he needs to show something solid this year. He was concerning in SL

Something to keep in mind with Bagley guys. Technically he should be going into his 1st year of college right now. He an all time college great after one year and should have still been in HS.

Bagley was surprisingly good comparatively to other high draft picks (maybe it felt like he wasn't). Yes I obviously wanted to see more but summer league is a joke if you’re looking to project these guys careers or how they will look in NBA only competition.

We saw some athletic stuff. Most importantly Hustle, heart, and motor. #1 reason guys don't realize their potential is lack of heart or dedication. Im not even slightly concerned about that.

I think he’s a better shooter than what we saw. All these guys press too much in SL. He was jacking shots because he felt the need to prove to everyone that he can shoot. However when our starting point guard and now backup point guards are setting him up I think you will see his % go up. Also having Buddy (who's 2nd in most 3pt shots made in his first 2 years ever), Bogdan, Bjelicia, Fox and friends and will give him way more easy looks without rushing.

Bagley's defense was impressive too. I think his shot blocking will greatly surprise people. I think he's already better than WCS in that area and WCS was suppose to be a specialist at that LOL!!!! He's also looking to be a solid rebounder.

I think Vlade has drafted a potential super team. LOL!!! (its totally possible) If Fox can be John Wall or better? If Bagley can be a 20,10 with a 3pt shot? If Giles can find that #1 prospect potential? If Hield can be one of the leagues best 3 pt shooters and continue to improve his all around game? If any of these guys hit then signing FA's gets easier. If 2 of them hit much easier. If 3 hit super team. Its too early to say that idea id a dream. Plus who knows maybe we finally get a great player in a trade? who knows. I like what Vlade has done tho

 

[mac]

Tell me how was it lucky?

What? We won the lottery... How is that in itself any indication of Vlade's skill as a GM?

 

[Blob]

I'm curious to know where you heard this from. Out of all the Kings players, he is the one that is most under the radar and haven't heard about anything from or about him this summer

I heard it from Carmichael Dave. He said, paraphrasing, he's barely recognizable from the work he's put in this summer. Skal is not active on social media but I did a Twitter search and this is what I found from July 16:

 

[AleksandarN]

What? We won the lottery... How is that in itself any indication of Vlade's skill as a GM?

You can say we had bad luck in previous drafts we were due

 

[kingsfan1984]

I put C but id say the free agent signings bump it to a c+

The 2 big unknowns that would raise grade a level are
1) how bagley turns out
2) if remaining cap space is turned into a future 1st or 1sts