King Keegan

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
hey now it’s not all flat, ask Julian Dubuque or Grant Wood.

I do think we are a great basketball state actually. 6 of our teams made the NCAA tournament (women/men) and the women are currently in the final 4. We can’t compete with the top schools in recruiting however so we are generally not near the top. High school basketball is pretty solid too.

I actually am hoping Iowa can become a Sacramento Kings state as we aren’t attached to the wolves and a lot of people stopped following the Bulls/NBA after Jordan. One of my regulars at my restaurant is a former Hawkeye and many of his friends have been watching the Kings because of Keegan.

Depending on the playoff schedule I plan to have a watch party at the restaurant and am hoping to turn some locals into fans.
since you are a restaurant owner, you should consider doing a beam team menu concept for the Playoffs. Name each entree after the starting five and use the nicknames you see on this board to have fun with it
 
Trent Green and although he was born in Burlington, Kurt Warner wen to high school in CR. Basically every famous person from Iowa has a Cedar Rapids background haha
I went to the Bahamas on vacation back around 93 and met another teenager from CR. We corresponded for YEARS, super cool chick. That's my connection to CR and the only person I ever met but I would have married that fine ass chick if she lived in Sac lol. Super cool person, real down to earth and just smoking hot
 
It's hard to gauge how good Keegan is going to be because he holds back on his game in an attempt to fit in to the offense. He's deferring. Good for this year, but I fully expect this coaching staff to get the most out of him as a player in the next few years.

Grateful that the organization didn't need him to be a savior and force him down a one way path of superstar or bust.
 
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Gonna throw up when Ivey ends up or someone even more dumb like Nembhard end up on 1st team over Keegan
I mean net rating is pretty heavily impacted by the team's performance so it makes sense that Murray is at the top considering he's on the best team. Below are some more advanced impact stats (filtered to only the Top 10 from the Kia Rookie Ladder):

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I mean net rating is pretty heavily impacted by the team's performance so it makes sense that Murray is at the top considering he's on the best team. Below are some more advanced impact stats (filtered to only the Top 10 from the Kia Rookie Ladder):

View attachment 11718
So yeah. Like I said. Gonna throw up if Ivey is over Keegan for 1st team haha.

Tari vs Jabari is pretty staggering.
 
I mean net rating is pretty heavily impacted by the team's performance so it makes sense that Murray is at the top considering he's on the best team. Below are some more advanced impact stats (filtered to only the Top 10 from the Kia Rookie Ladder):

View attachment 11718
I know I was high on Eason during draft time. Pretty impressive impact stats for a rookie.

Eason would be such a good long term fit at PF between Murray and Sabonis:
  • Great size & length at PF (217 lbs with a 8’11.5” standing reach and 7’2” wingspan).
  • Great rebounder (10.0 REB per 36 min & 3.9 OREB per 36 min)
  • Great defensive potential who can help protect the rim (2.0 STL and 1.0 BLK per 36 min)
  • Solid shooting potential (.353 3P% on 3.5 3PA per 36 min)
Don’t know how we’d acquire him though and not sure HOU would even want to move him.
 
I know I was high on Eason during draft time. Pretty impressive impact stats for a rookie.

Eason would be such a good long term fit at PF between Murray and Sabonis:
  • Great size & length at PF (217 lbs with a 8’11.5” standing reach and 7’2” wingspan).
  • Great rebounder (10.0 REB per 36 min & 3.9 OREB per 36 min)
  • Great defensive potential who can help protect the rim (2.0 STL and 1.0 BLK per 36 min)
  • Solid shooting potential (.353 3P% on 3.5 3PA per 36 min)
Don’t know how we’d acquire him though and not sure HOU would even want to move him.
I'll be really interested to see what Hou does with their glut of bigs if they end up with the #1 pick and go get Wemby. Sengun developing into Baby Sabonis/Jokic, Eason honestly should be a starter and looks like a defensive difference maker and while Jabari hasn't had a great rookie season, he's still just 19 and has shown some flashes of elite upside. They'd be fine if they could flex one of Jabari or Tari to the 3, but I don't think either guy can defend that slot full-time They're far more 4/5 flex guys than 3/4.

Now a Davion for Tari flip would be real interesting for both sides and I think would be okay with trading Davion for. You get a perfect compliment to Jalen Green in the back-court with Davion's defense and don't glut up all your bigs/forwards playing time. And for the Kings, you get a potential long-term answer at the 4 while clearing up guard minutes in our own back-court. And even though we'd be losing Davion's defense, trading him for a defensive upside forward piece like Tari at a more premium position would be the right process move.

Even if they don't get Wemby, they may be open to that sort of deal. Tari-Jabari-Sengun just isn't a long-term fit that can all play together at the same time.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
I know I was high on Eason during draft time. Pretty impressive impact stats for a rookie.

Eason would be such a good long term fit at PF between Murray and Sabonis:
  • Great size & length at PF (217 lbs with a 8’11.5” standing reach and 7’2” wingspan).
  • Great rebounder (10.0 REB per 36 min & 3.9 OREB per 36 min)
  • Great defensive potential who can help protect the rim (2.0 STL and 1.0 BLK per 36 min)
  • Solid shooting potential (.353 3P% on 3.5 3PA per 36 min)
Don’t know how we’d acquire him though and not sure HOU would even want to move him.
I was also really high on Eason in the draft, but seeing the Kings offensive structure I think he might struggle a bit. Eason is at his best offensively and defensively when he can freelance. In time I think he'd be fine, but he'd have to be more consistent/disciplined than he is now to earn big minutes from Mike Brown.

What Walker Kessler is doing is really impressive. And I think it shows that the NBA as a whole is underrating traditional big men.

In 13 games since the all-star break, he's averaging 12.2 ppg, 11.3 rpp, and 3.4 bpg on a ridiculous 75.3% from the field in just under 30 mpg

In comparison, Rudy Gobert since the break is averaging 15.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, and only 1.8 bpg on 62.3% shooting in 31.7 mpg. I thought the Gobert trade was a horrible move at the time, but Kessler is making it look worse by the day. He's essentially giving the Jazz Gobert's production while being 9 years younger AND they still have 4 more 1st rounders coming, not to mention a pick swap and the Lakers first in 2027 for flipping Vanderbilt and Beasley for Westbrook. And that's before we even get to what they have coming from the Donovan Mitchell trade. If they draft well, Ainge & co should be able to build a winner in Utah.

Guys like Kessler, Williams (who went late lottery but was projected to go later), Nembhard, Eason, and even David Roddy who has played well recently, give me hope that McNair can pluck some talent in the late first or early second to keep improving the Kings.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
I didn't have a single favorite King in the golden years. I mean sure if you pushed me hard it was Webber or Bibby. But I loved J-Will. Peja and Vlade were special. Scott Pollard and Jon Barry. Hell I didn't even want Mad Max to go.

There's maybe at least 7 players right now that do similar things.
 
I didn't have a single favorite King in the golden years. I mean sure if you pushed me hard it was Webber or Bibby. But I loved J-Will. Peja and Vlade were special. Scott Pollard and Jon Barry. Hell I didn't even want Mad Max to go.

There's maybe at least 7 players right now that do similar things.
No Bobby Jackson or Doug mention? Hedo, Jim Jackson, Brad Miller and Funderburke were cool too.
 
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pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
No Bobby Jackson or Doug mention? Hero, Jim Jackson, Brad Miller and Funderburke were cool too.
I loved most of those guys but none of them were ever in my running for favorite. The pre-Bibby guys were just so quirky that sometimes they actually took that honor. By the time Bobby and Doug joined the pecking order was set, and Bibby only jumps to the top because he's an Arizona Wildcat who helped bring them their sole championship.
 
For anyone who didn’t watch it that video is clickbait. No new girlfriend or Italian sports car for Keegan. The video does mention he was named Ebony magazine’s best dressed on draft night and that he had a clothing line with Hawkeye stuff where some or most of the sales went to charity.