instead of Alonzo ...

[thedofd]

How about Nene?

I saw this story on NBA Daily and it got me thinking about "what ifs?"

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nuggets/article/0,1299,DRMN_20_3307158,00.html

An excerpt from today's Rocky Mountain News game story:

Early reviews indicate life could be tough without Lenard. He's the team's top outside shooter, and the Nuggets had difficulty from the perimeter.

There has been talk in the NBA that the Nuggets have sent out feelers about trading Nene for a big-name shooting guard. Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe, though, said, "That has not been discussed."

Nene's agent, Michael Coyne, said he has no direct knowledge of his client's name possibly being floated. He did note, though, the Nuggets "have three players at his position."

I wonder whether the Nuggets would consider Bobby Jackson A) A big name and B) a shooting guard.

According to RealGM, a trade of Bobby Jackson for Nene and Greg Buckner could work. So could Bobby and Songaila for Nene and Francisco Elson or Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

Why would the Kings do it? Nene is a big, athletic player with plenty of upside who can play center and forward but is caught in a logjam. He'd instantly become the Kings' third-best big guy and could step right in if Webber was hurt again. They'd miss Bobby, but between (once they're healthy) Bibby, Christie, Alexander, Martin and Evans could probably get by in the backcourt. If not, they could always pick up a veteran point guard to help out.

Why would the Nuggets do it? They're an up-and-coming team, but the injury to Voshon Lenard (torn Achilles) really screws them up. They have a dearth of 3-point threats, and they don't have many options at 2 guard.

Again, the question in proposing this deal is what does Denver think of BoJax? The Nuggets already have a fairly small guard line with Andre Miller and Earl Boykins; meanwhile, Jackson's coming off injury and he's off to a mediocre start. Of course, many of us probably agree that when Bobby's healthy, he's certainly capable of starting for many if not most NBA teams, is a legitimate 3-point threat, and is as much a shooting guard (despite his height) as he is a point guard.

If you were Geoff Petrie, would you make a phone call to Denver?

 

[Kev.in]

I like Nene, but trading Bobby for him would really hurt the backcourt depth, especially right now with Doug still playing limited minutes.

 

[thedofd]

I like Nene, but trading Bobby for him would really hurt the backcourt depth, especially right now with Doug still playing limited minutes.

I hear what you're saying, but I think you have to look at the long term on this. Bobby has a limited amount of high-level years left. Nene has a decade of production ahead of him, and he's a pretty good player now. Besides, Denver is dealing from a position of weakness at this point; the Kings would be in a position of weakness if they tried to make a move if Webber gets hurt in the future.

 

[Bricklayer]

Tell you the truth I am NOT sold on Nene. When you're 22 and you already rebound like Vlade at 36 you're a bit of a dubious big man.

 

[thedofd]

Tell you the truth I am NOT sold on Nene. When you're 22 and you already rebound like Vlade at 36 you're a bit of a dubious big man.

Oh, I know he's not perfect. But as you point out, he is 22. He's 6-11, 260 and shoots better than 50 percent from the field. He averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds in 32 minutes a game last year. I like his future better than Bobby's at this point.

More to the point, I like his future better than Darius Songaila's or Greg Ostertag's. Or Vlade's, for that matter. When Vlade was 22, he was a rookie who averaged 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Lakers. I'm not comparing Nene and Vlade; different guys in different situations. But if you had some way of knowing right now that Nene would turn out to be as impactful as Divac over the course of his career, would you trade the current model of Bobby Jackson for Nene?

Look, this trade isn't a no-brainer trade by any means. But I think it's the kind of thing the Kings have to at least consider. There aren't many big, athletic guys available, and with the Kings' drafting position and lack of money for free agents, the only way they can get one is through a trade. In my mind, Jackson is the Kings' most tradeable commodity in that he has a relatively low salary, can play a couple of positions, isn't a starter and will want a big-money contract when his current deals is up.

 

[Bricklayer]

I agree Bobby is a valuable commodity. But for us too.

I think this is likely the last year for this crew. Last shot. Bobby, Christie, Peja, will all have contracts coming up. Rick isn't signed for next year yet. If we fall signicantly short again (I say significantly because if we were to, for instance, lose in the Finals all bets are off) I would actually expect major changes. And I think Bobby is a logical piece that might be moved at that time.

But not now. We are not better right now this season with Nene over Bobby (indeed Nene is neither a rebounder nor shotblocker so he really couldn't help much with our biggest needs, and we are shallow at PG as it is). And if we are going to take one more shot at a championship, Bobby's the better choice to make it happen for us. If we fail, its the sort of deal I think you do look for -- I agree with the principle, just nto the timing. The problem is if we make the move now we almost guarantee that we fail. No point making that move until we've thrown in the towel.

P.S. Nene could blossom into a force. But when you look at then numbers they bring to mind Mo Taylor/Antoine Carr. Big body. Little results.

 

[thedofd]

Brick:

All of your points are valid, but we have a slight disagreement on Bobby's value vs. Nene's potential.

As valuable as Bobby has been, the fact remains that he missed 23 games two seasons ago and 32 last year. While I admire and cheer for a little guy who plays as fearlessly as Bobby, the fact remains that those are the guys who inevitable get hurt.

He's a great energizer, but I often feel that he's out of control and too quick to take the first available shot. Statistically, he puts up shots at a faster rate than either Peja or Bibby -- 1 every 2.2 minutes as opposed to 1 every 2.6 over the last 3 seasons -- though not quite as fast as C-Webb (a shot every 1.9 minutes). His assist-to-turnover ratio, 2.8 to 1.5, is nothing to brag about, and while he's a decent defender -- particularly by Kings standards, and especially compared to Bibby -- he's averaged only about 1 steal a game during his time in Sacto.

I'm not knocking, Bobby, don't get me wrong. I appreciate what he brings to the table. But just as you have doubts about Nene's future, I don't think that trading Bobby at this point necessarily means the Kings can't compete for a championship.

You might feel that Bobby would be more instrumental in a title run than Nene, but there's really no way to know for sure. While it's true that Nene isn't a superior rebounder or shot-blocker, he is a low-post offensive threat, something the Kings don't have, and he has plenty of time to develop in other areas. Bobby has, in all likelihood, 2 or 3 years of peak performance left if his body holds up. In my mind, there's no reason that Nene couldn't be as valuable as a sixth man -- and ultimately a starter -- as Jackson, in a different way.

All that being said, you're probably correct in assuming that the Kings will keep their nucleus together for one last run. I just hope they don't take too much time getting things straightened out and getting people healthy, because it won't take long to get into a deep hole in the Western Conference.

 

[CruzDude]

IF BJax for Nene, who is the "spark" off the bench? Who is the fearless mighty mite who ignites a dull core? But on the other hand we only have OTag off the bench for a big guy or Songalia. Would he take their time? or who?..........

 

[HndsmCelt]

Nene is a no no. Fuget about it... Why would the Kings want another big man? To get rebounds, set svreeens and create interior defense. Nene brings noe of these. He is flat footed, and defends like a praying mantis caught in amber. Sure he can clog the lane and block a few shots, but then what does he bring you on offense? Guys 50 lbs lighter and 6 in shorter out rebound him and keep him out of the paint making his offnese very, very lopsided. Most importantly have any of you ever seen the guy pass? It looks like a Jr. High girsl soft ball pitch. And for this they want us to give up the best 6th man in the NBA? The idea becomes even more ridciolous when you consider that Bo Outlaw is out there and now it is possible Zo may be as well.

 

[thedofd]

IF BJax for Nene, who is the "spark" off the bench? Who is the fearless mighty mite who ignites a dull core? But on the other hand we only have OTag off the bench for a big guy or Songalia. Would he take their time? or who?..........

I don't know that there would be a "fearless mighty mite," per se; then again, there's no rule that says you have to be small to be the Sixth Man of the Year. Bigger players -- Corliss Williamson and Antawn Jamison -- have won 2 of the last 3 awards.

I would hope -- and I emphasize the word hope -- that between Christie, Evans, Martin and Alexander -- there's enough depth in the backcourt. Maybe Alexander becomes the guy who is capable of coming off the bench and hitting a couple of 3s, or Martin comes in and starts slashing to the hole. Maybe you have to pick up a veteran point guard as insurance.

While I can't argue with Brick's contention that Nene isn't the second coming of Amare Stoudemire, I still think there's a pretty good chance that Webber will be out for 25 games sometime this season and that we'll wish we had someone other than Darius to throw out there against the West's brutal cache of big forwards. I also think there's a decent chance that Nene's a 15 and 8 guy for 5 years after BoJax is retired.

Again, I admit that this proposal is clearly not a no-brainer. But I think it's the kind of bold move a team that has never quite gotten over the hump has to at least think about.

 

[thedofd]

"And for this they want us to give up the best 6th man in the NBA? The idea becomes even more ridciolous when you consider that Bo Outlaw is out there and now it is possible Zo may be as well.

I hope Bobby's still capable of being the best Sixth Man in the NBA. I think his heart's in the right place, but the health issue has to be a genuine concern.

I'm all for picking up Bo Outlaw on a minimum contract. But if you believe that he and Alonzo Mourning -- I wish him well, but the man had a kidney transplant, for God's sake, and has already retired a couple of times -- have a better future than Nene, I have to disagree.

 

[LPKingsFan]

I'm all for picking up Bo Outlaw on a minimum contract. But if you believe that he and Alonzo Mourning -- I wish him well, but the man had a kidney transplant, for God's sake, and has already retired a couple of times -- have a better future than Nene, I have to disagree.

But getting Nene reqires (hypothetically) losing Bobby, while the other two options do not.
However, any trade swapping Nene for Bobby in my book would require us getting Boykins to resume Bobby's role as sparkplug off the bench. Good luck getting Denver to do it though.

 

[HndsmCelt]

I hope Bobby's still capable of being the best Sixth Man in the NBA. I think his heart's in the right place, but the health issue has to be a genuine concern.

I'm all for picking up Bo Outlaw on a minimum contract. But if you believe that he and Alonzo Mourning -- I wish him well, but the man had a kidney transplant, for God's sake, and has already retired a couple of times -- have a better future than Nene, I have to disagree.

But if we had both Ostertag and Zo on the same team the joke of the NBA would be:
Q: What is 14 feet tall and 2 Kedneys?
A: The Kings Back up Centers.