Joerger and Casspi haven't talked since the preseason

[KingsFanGER]

To be successful in the long run followig the plan Bricky mentioned, we would need a breakout from one of our young guys. We can't count on FA only because we made the PO once in a decade in a best case scenario. We also can't count on one season of stability and solid coaching to be enough to convince Rudy to stay with what still is one of the least talented teams in the league. We somehow need more impact players. Bogdanovic might be one.
Problem is, that with Joerger the young guys need to prove they are worthy to get minutes. More often than not Joerger will prefer a veteran over the young guy. Not the best scenario for a breakout season.

 

[biltalent]

I would not be so quick and just assume that Gay and Collison leave this summer. Darren loves it here and no one knows what Rudy is thinking after a succesful season. Of course they can because they are free agents but you also have to factor in that we can offer both a better role and more money than probably every other team. Which good team is going to sign Darren Collison as their starting PG next year? On which good team will Rudy Gay be treated and paid like the second best player? And of those teams that maybe are attractive for them, which teams can get close moneywise to what we can offer? We have full bird rights on both of them, meaning that we can pay them whatever we want. A lot of other teams however already spent big this summer. Combine this with the fact that the cap is only going to rise to 103 instead of 108 mil and I dont see a lot of teams that can comepte with our offer money and role wise.

 

[The_Jamal]

You forgot to mention also that Joerger is looking for more players that are looking and able to play defense, Omri doesn't fit that bill IMO.

Literally just spitting out nonsense.

It appears I've tried in vain to show how great Casspi was last season. He's not a player you want to feed shots to and let him free, but one you pair with someone like Cuz or Rudy and let them create for him. He's a dynamite shooter, a great rebounder and played great defense last season. It's an absolute joke he isn't getting minutes.

 

[Sac.Kings]

I still think this season ends up like the last 10. There are just too many problems that have to be addressed, and relatively quickly. Rudy Gay, as already mentioned, is the biggest dilemma. You have to trade him, unless he is all of a sudden willing to re-sign with us, which is extremely doubtful. Cousins has played great in some games, and then in others you wonder if he even wants to be out there. It's easy for him to say that we come out like we are a top team in the West, but he really needs to look in the mirror more often.

As much as it pains me to say this, another trip to the lotto looks likely. We are going to win some more games this year than last year, but it won't be enough. Effort and focus shouldn't be brought into question every other game. That should be there night in and night out. We don't have that as a team and our best player has never been focused for an entire season. He's had great/otherworldly stretches, but he definitely knows how to take nights off mentally.

What we need to do and probably should do is to hit restart. We aren't good enough to challenge anyone in the West or be a serious threat. We are good enough to shake some trees come playoff time and play spoiler, but we would need a remarkable turnaround from what I see now to actually be in the playoff conversation ourselves. These games that we have against good teams (Raptors) are nice to see and make it fun, but which team are we? Are we that team or the team that loses to the Lakers/Magic after being up big?

 

[gil renard]

I would not be so quick and just assume that Gay and Collison leave this summer. Darren loves it here and no one knows what Rudy is thinking after a succesful season. Of course they can because they are free agents but you also have to factor in that we can offer both a better role and more money than probably every other team. Which good team is going to sign Darren Collison as their starting PG next year? On which good team will Rudy Gay be treated and paid like the second best player? And of those teams that maybe are attractive for them, which teams can get close moneywise to what we can offer? We have full bird rights on both of them, meaning that we can pay them whatever we want. A lot of other teams however already spent big this summer. Combine this with the fact that the cap is only going to rise to 103 instead of 108 mil and I dont see a lot of teams that can comepte with our offer money and role wise.

All signs indicate we're not having a successful season though...and I really don't care to have either Rudy or DC back next season even if they wanted to return. You said it yourself, what good teams would want them in the roles they're in? When those are your 2nd and 3rd best players, your team stinks. This FO needs to start rebuilding through the draft, not overpaying for mediocre vets. Rudy, DC, BMac, and Casspi should all be moved before the deadline because it serves no purpose to hang on to them only to miss the playoffs and get nothing when they leave. I hope they're pursuing a Cousins trade as well, if not by the deadline then by draft day.

 

[kingsboi]

Literally just spitting out nonsense.

It appears I've tried in vain to show how great Casspi was last season. He's not a player you want to feed shots to and let him free, but one you pair with someone like Cuz or Rudy and let them create for him. He's a dynamite shooter, a great rebounder and played great defense last season. It's an absolute joke he isn't getting minutes.

you are using the word "great" too many times as it pertains to Casspi. He had a nice year in a uptempo offense where nothing else mattered. When a coach like Joerger comes in, he expects defensive effort and intensity, so I hope...the reason he was resigned from the get go was questionable. The moves didn't all add up, maybe it was to have a friend next to Boogie? I'd love for him to get traded to just see how "great" of a rebounder and defender he is

 

[kingsboi]

All signs indicate we're not having a successful season though...and I really don't care to have either Rudy or DC back next season even if they wanted to return. You said it yourself, what good teams would want them in the roles they're in? When those are your 2nd and 3rd best players, your team stinks. This FO needs to start rebuilding through the draft, not overpaying for mediocre vets. Rudy, DC, BMac, and Casspi should all be moved before the deadline because it serves no purpose to hang on to them only to miss the playoffs and get nothing when they leave. I hope they're pursuing a Cousins trade as well, if not by the deadline then by draft day.

I believe if the Kings were to pursue a Cousins trade that they do it on draft day, gives them also a season to see what prospects commit to the draft and which ones look like franchise cornerstones.

 

[kingjatt]

My view on Vlade's thinking is pretty simple: these next couple of months are vital to what happens perhaps for the next decade, if we get it together and fight for a playoff seed perhaps even grinding out a 5-6 seed(optimistic I know) I could see Vlade paying to bring the band back. The raptors didn't blow it up knowing full well they will never compete for a championship so long as Lebron is in the league they kept together a good team that is now primed for a free agent or could sneak into the finals if an injury were to occur(The warriors and spurs have banked opportunistic championships in the past). We might be after that same raptor model. Not every team can be stacked like the warriors, clippers, cavs etc some just have to remain competitive and wait for their break, and at this point Sacramento would be fine with a team that is just competitive and has credibility.

Yes Rudy wants out but whose to say he can't change his mind if we start winning and he gains some respect and recognition around the league because of it? Plus there is a limit to what other teams will pay him (near 30 yr old SF), I think if the price is right AND WE WIN we can definitely keep him.

Collision will probably be the starter at some point plus we have the cap space to sign him too, Where else can he go to be a sure fire starter and be paid as handsomely as we might be willing to pay? We might have to pay the Kangz tax on our own guys but we can go over the cap to sign them. In the end money will talk and we should have plenty of it to keep these guys.

The rest of the Vets can leave because as a playoff team maybe seen on the upswing we can attract Vets who are a little better or maybe even get them to resign at fair deals. The main thing would be to keep the core intact and see if we can sprinkle in a few productive kids like the raptors have done.


It doesn't take long for a team to be seen as a laughing stock to a team seen on the rise with LEGIT credibility (remember the raptors were just as big a joke as us not too long ago.)

If we fall apart everyone goes at the deadline to highest bidder(except maybe Cuz who will go in the offseason) and we make sure we get multiple draft picks and go full Sixers for a few years.

Its a less conservative Boom or Bust strategy and I think that's why it has some people worried because its not the typical tank or be a championship contender plan but I can see it working. Sacramento needs to establish credibility first and thats what I think Vlade is after. Unlike Pete Vlade is not afraid to fail and that is something to admire and might lead to good things down the road.

 

[parker]

All signs indicate we're not having a successful season though....

I have seen enough in the early season that I disagree with this statement and would suggest that there are several signs that suggest the Kings may have a successful season (if by success we are talking about a playoff spot).

They have played competitively in all games except two. They need to work on finishing in the fourth. If they were able to finish a couple of games, including Miami, they are basically at .500. .500 with a new coach, new scheme, many new players and a brutal schedule isn't too bad. There have been disappointments, but to imagine what we are seeing in November dictates what we will see in February is short-sighted.

 

[alonshin]

More about Casspi and his unpleasant situation:

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/ailene-voisin/article116583473.html

“It’s a tough spot to be in,” he said Tuesday. “I’m 28. I feel like I’m reaching my prime. After last year, when I proved that if I got minutes, I could really contribute, to go from that to not playing is very hard. People don’t realize we are human beings. We talk to friends, agents, fans. Sometimes you just have to shut the phone down and focus.”

And another interesting quote from him from yesterday:

“The team is trying to figure out its identity,” Casspi said. “I understand that. But I really wanted to be part of building something special here. The fans have been through hell and high water. They are incredible. They get me going. Hopefully, I will still be part of it. I think I can fit in. The system is a lot like Michael Malone’s, and I adjusted. But I want to play. I need to play. If not here, then somewhere.”

 

[Bricklayer]

More about Casspi and his unpleasant situation:

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/ailene-voisin/article116583473.html
“It’s a tough spot to be in,” he said Tuesday. “I’m 28. I feel like I’m reaching my prime. After last year, when I proved that if I got minutes, I could really contribute, to go from that to not playing is very hard. People don’t realize we are human beings. We talk to friends, agents, fans. Sometimes you just have to shut the phone down and focus.”

And another interesting quote from him from yesterday:

“The team is trying to figure out its identity,” Casspi said. “I understand that. But I really wanted to be part of building something special here. The fans have been through hell and high water. They are incredible. They get me going. Hopefully, I will still be part of it. I think I can fit in. The system is a lot like Michael Malone’s, and I adjusted. But I want to play. I need to play. If not here, then somewhere.”

All reasonable enough.

 

[Iced Espresso]

More about Casspi and his unpleasant situation:

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/ailene-voisin/article116583473.html
“It’s a tough spot to be in,” he said Tuesday. “I’m 28. I feel like I’m reaching my prime. After last year, when I proved that if I got minutes, I could really contribute, to go from that to not playing is very hard. People don’t realize we are human beings. We talk to friends, agents, fans. Sometimes you just have to shut the phone down and focus.”

And another interesting quote from him from yesterday:

“The team is trying to figure out its identity,” Casspi said. “I understand that. But I really wanted to be part of building something special here. The fans have been through hell and high water. They are incredible. They get me going. Hopefully, I will still be part of it. I think I can fit in. The system is a lot like Michael Malone’s, and I adjusted. But I want to play. I need to play. If not here, then somewhere.”

For once I'd like a player to say why they may not be playing or faults.

Like I need to be less turnover prone & play better defense to see the floor, but I'm working on it and aware of what its gonna take for me to play more.

 

[Kingster]

I'm not concerned with the Kings losing Lawson either except that if Collison goes it means you're losing both of the PGs that spent a year in Joerger's system and starting all over again at point guard.

I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what the Kings are doing and the only conclusion I can come to is that they are hedging their bets. They want to win now with Cousins but if that doesn't happen they are prepared to deal him and rebuild. It explains why they held onto guys with expiring contracts and signed free agents mostly in a way that gives them cap flexibility next summer if they want it. And either Gay is part of that strategy (maybe thinking that if they turn things around he'd consider staying?) or they couldn't trade him because they either got low ball offers or were expecting too much in return.

Last night was kind of eye opening for me. Yes, Cousins got ticky tack fouls in the first half and then got hacked over and over in the 2nd without the fouls getting called but he also just looked mentally checked out. This was a winnable game (they DID win after all) against a good team when the Kings were on a slide and I expected Boogie to come out in the second half with real fire and determination and he just looked disinterested and lackadaisical - content to float on the perimeter and brick shot after shot. He was almost always the last guy up the floor on either team and on either end. I wondered if he was injured because he looked like a shell of himself. I almost hoped he was injured because otherwise it just meant he was taken out of the game mentally. And that's scary to me because it means he's just not a mentally tough enough guy to build around and to win with. As a huge Cousins fan/supporter, it was really disappointing. Hopefully there was a reason for his lack of effort or it was just a blip. Who knows?

Glad to hear that Richardson is doing well in Reno. He was literally maybe my least favorite draft prospect. I really didn't want Skal either and didn't know anything about Papagiannis. Hopefully they turn out to be solid players.

But that's the thing. I remember PDA in his first draft saying that they wanted to swing for the fences. I can't fault them for taking McLemore but swinging for the fences would have been Giannis Antetokounmpo. Stauskas was another safe pick and this season he's starting to look like the role player I thought he could be. I liked Payton but LaVine was probably the swing for the fences pick. I very much wanted Cauley-Stein (and I hope he turns things around to be the quicker Tyson Chandler with a jump shot type guy that I thought he could be) but there were definitely higher upside picks. Oubre wasn't a guy I loved but he was a boom or bust prospect.

And honestly a team like the Kings needs to gamble on those guys. They can sign role players as free agents. That's about all they can sign really. So the draft really should be a time to gamble big. This year I thought that would have been Marquese Chriss at 8 and DeJounte Murray at 22. I would have also liked to have seen them deal Ben for a late 1st or early 2nd. Zubac, McCaw and Onuaku were guys I liked a lot. But I digress.

The Kings are in a bad spot now. Outside of Cousins (who can leave after next season) they have nothing to build on. The pick swap with Philly might well end up hurting a good deal but I think it's time to tear things down. Otherwise they are looking at either another bad quick fix or a full rebuild around Cousins. Either way, this team is not going to be winning any time soon. And there's a long, long string of bad moves that they have to blame for that.

If the Kings fail to make the playoffs this season that will make ELEVEN straight trips to the lottery. And right now all they have to show for that is DeMarcus Cousins. Ben is most likely gone. Willie is disappointing at the moment and the three picks this season have yet to show they are NBA players at all. And now even a chance to rebuild is hampered by Philly having a pick swap and owning the 2019 1st rounder outright.

Vlade and co have to figure out what direction this team is headed. Because right now I don't see a plan or much of chance of future success. Frustrating.

Divac's underlying strategy of "hedging his bets" is as good of an interpretation of the current team's makeup. And who could blame him? Let's take the hedging of bets strategy one step further. What bet is he hedging? The bet on Cousins and his future with the Kings. And why is hedging it? Because he's seen enough of the Cousins' history to not to at least wonder about Cousins' future with the Kings. You point to Cousins' mental outlook in the Toronto game. Of course we know that this is nothing new; been there, seen that, ad nauseam. Also, Divac knows that there is really nowhere to go with this team under Cousins, not just because of Cousins himself, but because Divac doesn't have the ammo to do anything to get this team out of the mediocre no-man's-land ditch without trading him.

 

[Larry89]

Why are articles like this allowed to be released? http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/244091/Kings-Could-Be-Starting-To-Get-Sick-Of-DeMarcus-Cousins what the **** is the point of this article? To gossip about the Kings and make Cousins look like a headcase?

 

[John Galt]

Why are articles like this allowed to be released? http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/244091/Kings-Could-Be-Starting-To-Get-Sick-Of-DeMarcus-Cousins what the **** is the point of this article? To gossip about the Kings and make Cousins look like a headcase?

I quit following Zach Lowe a long while ago... he's just not credible at all

 

[kingsboi]

Divac's underlying strategy of "hedging his bets" is as good of an interpretation of the current team's makeup. And who could blame him? Let's take the hedging of bets strategy one step further. What bet is he hedging? The bet on Cousins and his future with the Kings. And why is hedging it? Because he's seen enough of the Cousins' history to not to at least wonder about Cousins' future with the Kings. You point to Cousins' mental outlook in the Toronto game. Of course we know that this is nothing new; been there, seen that, ad nauseam. Also, Divac knows that there is really nowhere to go with this team under Cousins, not just because of Cousins himself, but because Divac doesn't have the ammo to do anything to get this team out of the mediocre no-man's-land ditch without trading him.

Unfortunately, this is the sad truth that has come to the light and that we as a fan base, need to start accepting IMO.

 

[Bricklayer]

Divac's underlying strategy of "hedging his bets" is as good of an interpretation of the current team's makeup. And who could blame him? Let's take the hedging of bets strategy one step further. What bet is he hedging? The bet on Cousins and his future with the Kings. And why is hedging it? Because he's seen enough of the Cousins' history to not to at least wonder about Cousins' future with the Kings. You point to Cousins' mental outlook in the Toronto game. Of course we know that this is nothing new; been there, seen that, ad nauseam. Also, Divac knows that there is really nowhere to go with this team under Cousins, not just because of Cousins himself, but because Divac doesn't have the ammo to do anything to get this team out of the mediocre no-man's-land ditch without trading him.

The bet he is hedging is DeMarcus Cousins not needing us at all. The big guy's good will and dogged loyalty are the only reasons he would come back, and you can't go all in based on nothing but that.

And you guys with your mediocre yadda yadda kvetching is just SMH. Good lord. There's about 26 teams in the league right now with the exact same chance of winning the title this year as us. And once you set that silliness aside, we've got more than enough of what we need here to accomplish more reasonable franchise-building goals. We're trying to beat Portland this year, not Golden State.

 

[VF21]

Why are articles like this allowed to be released? http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/244091/Kings-Could-Be-Starting-To-Get-Sick-Of-DeMarcus-Cousins what the **** is the point of this article? To gossip about the Kings and make Cousins look like a headcase?

To me, the bigger question is why do you bother to bring the link to our forum? All it does is give his drivel more exposure.

(I'm not necessarily singling you out. I've seen others do it, too. If I think an article is garbage, the one thing I'm not going to do is share it here...)

 

[Sac.1989]

Unfortunate situation but I don't see it changing. If we can get a pick or decent piece for omri then hopefully we can set him free.

Top guy and I really feel for him

 

[206Fan]

Can't help but feel like there was a battle between Barnes and Casspi for wing minutes, and Barnes won.
Barnes played amazingly well on both ends of the floor. Casspi looked just ok. I have a feeling this is where Casspi lost his backup SF minutes.

After that initial head-to-head battle, I think the ultimate rotational minutes came down to Ben vs. Casspi. Ben has been benched multiple times this season, but he's clearly beating Omri for PT.

Just from guessing, I think Omri plays a little too out of control for Joeger's style. Barnes has made a few bone-headed passes, but he understands his role and doesn't try to force his scoring the way Omri does. Aside from Barnes, we also see Lawson, Temple, Afflalo, and Ben all buying into Joeger's offense. No one is trying to get their own out there. We don't see the 2015 ball stopping Afflalo from NY. Everyone has clearly bought in. I'm not saying Omri is a selfish player, but he's a player who's constantly looking to score, and it may just not fit what Joeger wants out of him.

As sucky as it is for Omri, I think he'll get his playing time. I'm not 100% confident in our bench's ability to score yet, so I think if we do struggle to score, coach will look to put him in.

If he doesn't crack the rotation by trade deadline, I think we'll deal him to a place of his choice.

 

[Entity]

Casspi is just like Jason Thompson. Thompson was servicable with the kings and started for many years. once off the kings he couldn't land a spot anywhere in the league. When casspi came to us he couldn't land a spot anywhere in teh league in fact he was on minimum contract with us. Casspi makes way to many bonehead mistakes that haven't improved in 8 years. good guy not so good player

 

[macadocious]

Kings just gave him permission to seek trade partners

 

[Bricklayer]

Kings just gave him permission to seek trade partners

http://basketball.realgm.com/wireta...sspis-Agent-Permission-To-Seek-Trade-Partners

Unfortunate, as with the new rotation I was thinking that the one extra piece/minutes that were available were some backup PF minutes, and Omri might be able to push into it. But there might have been too much chatter about this now and the Kings don't want a festering distraction.

The other important note in that article is that Dan Fegan, who represents Cuz, is also the guy who represents Casspi. On the one hand, that was always an extra reason to want it to work out. On the other, if Casspi/Fegan are seriously disgruntled about developments, we have every reason to try to cooperate and keep Fegan friendly.

 

[swisshh]

This recent news saddens me because Omri has been one of my favorite players on the team since he got here. Him and Boogie were the two guys I always enjoyed on the court, and their bro-ship has been good for chemistry.

I really feel Joerger should find a spot for him in the rotation, but it doesn't seem to be happening. Coach is also probably unhappy that Omri went to the foreign press about it. (Or at least his agent did.)

 

[gunks]

Bummer.

Always liked Omri. Class act who actually wanted to be here. And as others have mentioned, the friendship between he and Cuz yielded a lot of hilariously awkward "GIF" moments on the sideline.

Its a business. Hopefully he finds time here, but it seems like he's way too erratic for Joerger. Also, Barnes.

 

[Suicide King]

Omri has been a favorite of mine, one I rooted a little extra for to succeed. I hate to see him go but if it means a better chance to land a good contract next season then I am for that.