Kings interested in DJ Mbenga

Diabeticwonder

Diabeticwonder

Bench
From the Dallas-Ft. Worth Star Telegram:

Teams pursuing Mbenga
During halftime of Saturday's exhibition game, Mavs center DJ Mbenga said San Antonio, Phoenix, Memphis and Sacramento are among the teams vying for his services.
Mbenga, the Mavs' third-string center, is a restricted free agent, so Dallas can match any offer he receives.
The Mavs continue to court Toronto free-agent guard Mike James, and, according to a league source, also have some interest in Denver free-agent power forward Reggie Evans.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/14952885.htm

At the very least, he could protect players' and coaches' wives by going into the stands to defend them.
 
I like Mbenga. Now is he ready to be a full time backup center? Not sure. But with us in search of a 11th/12th man type frontline defender in summer league, if we signed MBenga he would presumably be further up the ladder.

Two things:

1) if we got him it would be a move in the right direction, as would signing a guy like Justin Williams out of summer league, but it would STILL not be the major move we need in order to really change things. Encouraging, but hope Geoff isn't trying to window dress the whole shotblocking/interior defense issue and keep all his softies while just adding shotblockers to the end of the bench.

2) Let's say best case we sign one of the summer league guys, and we sign MBenga. Nice defensive depth up front. But something would still have to be done about the current pile of crap occupying those roster spots. Wonder if we have a plan on what to do wiht the Potapenkos, Thomases, Corlisses etc.?
 
I may be wrong but doesnt DJ have like a 40+ inch vertical?
And he also has a black belt in judo :D

Seriously though, DJ has one of the better looking turnaround jumpers in the post, he could turn out to be a very servicable center for us
 
I definitely like this... Mbenga's intriguing and big. With regular PT behind whoever our center is, it should be nice.

Notice the change in what players were looking at it? Ah, I do indeed. MUSS. :)

I really don't think going after Mbenga and getting one of the VSL guys is a our interior defense hunt. ;)

Still early days in dealings.
 
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This guy is a very good player. This season it looked like he has added a lot to his offense. I wouldn't mind if Justin Williams and Mbenga were on our team I think they could be an answer to our problems. Much better shotblockers than anyone else out there right now.
 
I really don't know much about DJ asides from what i seen in the Finals, do any of you think that he would be a solid backup for us?
 
He's intriguing, and has been in the league for a few years now, just hasn't gotten much time... he's athletic, big, strong, long, can score a bit down low, rebound, block shots.
 
I remember that game against us midseason when Dallas won in a blowout. Mbenga went 4/4, all of them about 12 foot jumpers. I think he would be good to get, but I wonder if Cuban would match almost any decent offer to keep him going to a Western Conference team.
 
Sptsjunkie said:
Well, Kenny would want to start. Do you think Dirk would mind coming off the bench?
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Of course not. He's already really happy about how Cuban runs his mouth off, so I'm sure he'd welcome coming off the bench behind Kenny Thomas as just another milestone in his career.
 
I don't know about Mbenga. However, I don't know how Musselman uses his big men. Rick was VERY limited in playing centers with no offensive capabilities. Guys like Skinner, Sampson, Potapenko etc. never got much playing time, and Mbenga in years passed would have rotted on the bench. He's a good player, but this doesn't adress the defensive woes up front. I would take a punch to the face from any general manager that took Kenny Thomas off of the Kings hands in return for a shotblocker.
 
I would take a punch to the face from any general manager that took Kenny Thomas off the Kings' hands for an expired 50 cents off coupon.
 
SacKings384 said:
I don't know about Mbenga. However, I don't know how Musselman uses his big men. Rick was VERY limited in playing centers with no offensive capabilities. Guys like Skinner, Sampson, Potapenko etc. never got much playing time, and Mbenga in years passed would have rotted on the bench. He's a good player, but this doesn't adress the defensive woes up front. I would take a punch to the face from any general manager that took Kenny Thomas off of the Kings hands in return for a shotblocker.
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Musselman used Dampier/Foyle/Murphy reguarily in GS... and he uses more of his bench than Adelman.

Obviously getting Mbenga and/or one of the summer league guys isn't a main interior defense move, but it's a nice step towards gathering interior defense. The main stuff will come in dealings/trades/maybe FA later.
 
SacKings384 said:
I don't know about Mbenga. However, I don't know how Musselman uses his big men. Rick was VERY limited in playing centers with no offensive capabilities. Guys like Skinner, Sampson, Potapenko etc. never got much playing time, and Mbenga in years passed would have rotted on the bench. He's a good player, but this doesn't adress the defensive woes up front. I would take a punch to the face from any general manager that took Kenny Thomas off of the Kings hands in return for a shotblocker.
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Pollard?????? Clark??????
 
Kings113 said:
Guess cause he had Webber and Vlade then... as we did not when we had Skinner/Sampson.
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I think an aversino to playing defensive big men is something that Adelman gets blamed unfairly for. Pollard and Clark were good. Skinner and Sampson suck.
 
nbrans said:
I think an aversino to playing defensive big men is something that Adelman gets blamed unfairly for. Pollard and Clark were good. Skinner and Sampson suck.
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And that pretty much is the bottom line. Anyone that think that Sampson would have been a contributor is off with the pixies. This is a guy that has changed more teams than underwear.
 
SacKings384 said:
Clark and Pollard didn't get much time at all... Minimal 8th-9th men type minutes.
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Keon Clark

02-03: 80 games, 11 starts, 22.3 mpg, 6.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 1.88 bpg in his year with the Kings. He was our primary back up for both Webber AND Vlade. 22.3mpg is not "minimal 8th-9th men type minutes", its the minutes of a primary back up.

Scott Pollard

99-00: 76 games, 17.6mpg, 5.4ppg, 5.3 rpg
00-01: 77 games, 21.5mpg, 6.5ppg, 6rpg, 1.26bpg
01-02: 80 games, 23.5mpg, 6.4ppg, 7.1rpg
02-03: 23 games, 14.1mpg, 4.5ppg, 4.6rpg

Clearly a MAJOR piece in the rotation other than in 02-03 when he had persistent back injuries AND Keon Clark playing ahead of him in the rotation. Anyone that says that both Clark and Pollard haven't been our 1st bigs off the bench in their time here has not watched Kings basketball at the time.

Both were CLEARLY primary back ups for Webber and Vlade but hey, why let the facts get in the way of Adelman bashing :rolleyes:
 
You cant play Webber and Vlade 48 minutes can you? It's only a matter of being forced to use the personel that you have... If he had an offensive big man instead, he would have used them rather than use the likes of Pollard or Clark.
 
SacKings384 said:
You cant play Webber and Vlade 48 minutes can you? It's only a matter of being forced to use the personel that you have... If he had an offensive big man instead, he would have used them rather than use the likes of Pollard or Clark.
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We had Funderburke. Doesn't he qualify as an "offensive big man" moreso than Clark or Pollard? Sorry, I'm not buying it.
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SacKings384 said:
No... No he doesn't. It's not a knock on Rick... Some people get so defensive...
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1. Yes, Funderburke DID count and he did matter.

2. Scot Pollard was a contributor to the team and was not the dog you seem to think he was, especially before his back really started to bother him.
 
SacKings384 said:
No... No he doesn't. It's not a knock on Rick... Some people get so defensive...
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I'm sure that wil as news to Fundy who was as good on offense as Darius ever was. Moreso in fact.

Prior to 03-04 the big man rotation was ALWAYS offense, offense, defense.
 
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