KingsFans choice: IT as 6th man? Shooter? or Defensive Big?

KingsFans choice: Retain IT or Get a Shot-Blocking Big

  • Retain IT to be our 6th man no matter what

    Votes: 9 15.5%
  • Get a Shot-Blocking BIG (Cheap signing like Emeka Okafor, Ekpe Udoh, Ed Davis, Jordan Hill, etc.)

    Votes: 47 81.0%
  • Sign another Shooter/ 3 and D player

    Votes: 2 3.4%

  • Total voters
    58
#3
i choose to re-sign isaiah thomas as a 6th man, though it's not like we can choose when to re-sign him, so i suppose the team should look into the FA bigs meanwhile. elton brand's still rackin' up the blocks; he'd be a nice landry replacement, and his jumper is wet... yeah, the pickings are slim.
 
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#4
I would have said yes to IT coming back as the STARTER but no way should he back in a Kings uniform next year now.

Not too worried about the guard situation at the moment. If Nik and Ben both suck this year, major changes need to happen anyway.

Is Jordan Hill available for cheap? If so, I'll take that. He and Cuz would be a nice duo. Unload one or more of the other bigs for a backup PG and I'm happy.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#5
If anyone says anything other than defensive shotblocking PF they need to be banned.
Truth be told, this poll is missing at least one option, which is to sign-and-trade Isaiah.

But more to the point, since we have spent the MLE on Darren Collison, if we want to sign somebody other than IT, we can only use the bi-annual exception, which is $2M, or sign players to minimum contracts. We simply will not be able to get a difference-making shot blocker for $2M. So, out of the choices listed, retaining IT is the best option, because at least he is an asset that could be traded down the line (if we matched, rather than signed him outright, for one year we'd have to get his consent to trade him and in any case not to the team that signed him to the offer sheet).

Now I'm going to head to bed, but I'll be sure to wake in the morning and eagerly check to see if I've been banned after selecting "keep Isaiah" in the poll.
 
#6
If anyone says anything other than defensive shotblocking PF they need to be banned.
Eh, if our only options for a shot blocking big are Okafor, Udoh, Davis, or Hill, I'd take IT back as a 6th man over any of those scrubs. Now if we can land Josh Smith or Larry Sanders, that's a different situation entirely.
 

gunks

Hall of Famer
#7
Hill wasnt bad for the Lakers... I wouldnt overpay for Udoh or Davis....Okafor, I forgot all about that guy. He was quite the shot blocker like...8 years ago.
 
#8
I'm actually on board with Capt on this one.
What the teams needs most right now is a starting quality defensive big next to Cousins.
And in fact, you basically should burn any asset that you can if you have the opportunity to pick one up.

But, if I've only got 2.5 million dollars to work with and my choices are:
1.) Re-sign IT to something reasonable (i.e. not more than MLE)
2.) Get a defensive big for 2.5 million
3.) Get a 3-and-D wing for 2.5 million

From a talent perspective the choice is easy in that bringing back IT at a reasonable deal is the best bang for your buck.
Unfortunately, as Brick has pointed out, if you do actually match an offer sheet for IT that is at or below the MLE then you are going to have to deal with a player who is being forced to stay on the team when the FO has made it clear that they don't really want him, but don't want to lose him for nothing.

So...with all of that said, here is probably how I would rate my priorities:
1.) Sign-and-trade IT to get something back. (And obviously getting Smith would probably be the absolute best case scenario of the ones we've heard about)
2.) Defensive big and hope that there is someone available that will work
3.) Sign IT with the hopes that you can move him very quickly and that there won't be team chemistry issues as the result.
4.) Sign a 3andD wing.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#9
Give me some defense over offense. We need to see that the front office isn't all talk and actually go and get something worthy, however with our assets we might have to scrap the bottom of the barrel so to speak.
 
#10
Anything under 8 million you re sign IT no questions asked. I even go 8, but thats just me, we'll see what his true market value is. The thought of adding Josh Smith to a frontline of Cousins and Gay makes me vomit. You are way overpaying for the defense he brings and adding another high usage me first scorer to a frontline that already has two.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#11
You skewed the poll with the "no matter what" phrase in the first choice. AND, as has been mentioned previously, you neglected to include a S&T option.
 
#12
You skewed the poll with the "no matter what" phrase in the first choice. AND, as has been mentioned previously, you neglected to include a S&T option.
I should have just simplified the choices into 1.) IT as 6th man 2.) Defensive Big 3.) Shooter/3 and D?

Sorry, my bad and too late to edit.

Oh well, at least we got some members to vote to retain IT because of the mistake.
 
#13
This really is a stupid poll! Keeping IT and getting a shotblocking big are not dependant on one another! I think we are looking for both (keeping IT at a certain price at least).

It is not, nor has it ever been one or the other!
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#14
Actually I think getting the big hinges on an IT S&T. That's what I figured would happen when I voted for getting the big.

But hey we can argue semantics.
 
#16
Like I said in the IT post, the Kings will execute a S & T with the Pistons to acquire Josh Smith for Isaiah Thomas and Thompson (or Landry, or Terry)
 
#17
this poll is... strange. it doesn't seem to accurately reflect even the limited number of options available to the kings. that said, a team built around demarcus cousins should always prioritize a legitimate rim protector over an undersized, non-defensive scoring PG. if i could snag a shot blocker that came at the expense of isaiah thomas, i'd do so. names like larry sanders, josh smith, and roy hibbert come with considerable risk, but i'd probably take that chance, regardless. if no such option were on the table, i'd also happily retain IT's services at $5-6 million per. on a contract larger than that, he becomes a really expensive 6th man, which is where i still believe he fits best...
 
#18
I have a concern that if he's back as a 6th man, it'll be just like last season when Vasquez struggled, and forced IT back to the starting role. This time what if it happens to Collison? Speaking of Collison, thought I'd insert Derrick William's dunk over Griffin and point out that our PG of the future is that man #2 in red guarding Vasquez!

 
#19
this poll is... strange. it doesn't seem to accurately reflect even the limited number of options available to the kings. that said, a team built around demarcus cousins should always prioritize a legitimate rim protector over an undersized, non-defensive scoring PG. if i could snag a shot blocker that came at the expense of isaiah thomas, i'd do so. names like larry sanders, josh smith, and roy hibbert come with considerable risk, but i'd probably take that chance, regardless. if no such option were on the table, i'd also happily retain IT's services at $5-6 million per. on a contract larger than that, he becomes a really expensive 6th man, which is where i still believe he fits best...
I agree, it's why I picked 3 and D. It was better than the two other options. I don't want IT back "no matter what" and I don't think any of those bigs is worth not having IT.
 
#20
I have a concern that if he's back as a 6th man, it'll be just like last season when Vasquez struggled, and forced IT back to the starting role. This time what if it happens to Collison? Speaking of Collison, thought I'd insert Derrick William's dunk over Griffin and point out that our PG of the future is that man #2 in red guarding Vasquez!

1. Vasquez struggles did not force IT back into the starting line up. IT became a starter when Vasquez was part of the trade that got us Gay. Even with Vasquez struggles early, Malone never flinched when proclaiming Vasquez a starter over IT even when IT outplayed him every time.

2. So what is the point of this clip? Someone lobbed a pass over Collison? There would be 100s of passes from this past season when oppenent passed over IT. Even the likes of Rondo have lapses. Collison is certainly no lock down defender but he is a better defender than IT! Only Bruski and Lowe would despute that of course.
 
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#22
1. Vasquez struggles did not force IT back into the starting line up. IT became a starter when Vasquez was part of the trade that got us Gay. Even with Vasquez struggles early, Malone never flinched when proclaiming Vasquez a starter over IT even when IT outplayed him every time.

2. So what is the point of this clip? Someone lobbed a pass over Collison? There would be 100s of passes from this past season when oppenent passed over IT. Even the likes of Rondo have lapses. Collison is certainly no lock down defender but he is a better defender than IT! Only Bruski and Lowe would despute that of course.
Haha oh no! I like Collison! I just showed the clip to point out that he is the guy who will be on our team. Not a knock on his defense, I just found it cool that he and Cousins were standing side-by-side wearing different jerseys, but now they'll be playing together on the same team. & even though Vasquez was the starter all along, it was clear IT was getting his minutes regardless, sometimes seeing him at end of games even when Vasquez was the 'starter'