I like what Vlade did turning the #8 pick and a negative asset IMO into center prospect, stretch four prospect, SG prospect and a Euro prospect. The imbalance to the roster now is pretty striking especially if we go out and lock down Ryan Anderson with help of our extra cap space created from the Marco trade.
Potential Bigs:
- Boogie
- Willie
- Papa
- Skal
- Koufos
- Ryan Anderson
That's six guys relegated to the 4 and 5 position! The reason Anderson would be a logical addition is because he would stretch the floor whereas except for Boogie, none of our current bigs stretch the floor, despite Papa saying yesterday he can shoot the 3. That's just an 18 year old kid feeling his oats on draft day
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Ryan Anderson is NOT a 3, by the way, so if we are making him our top FA target, that will only add to the logjam.
I recall watching about 60 second clip of Papa and thought good size and coordination but dismissed researching his game further when I saw he was putting up 5 PPG and 3 RBG or thereabouts, not realizing he was logging only 10 minutes a game. Doing a more in-depth dive, the guy has great hands, and runs the floor well. It looks like over the last 2-3 years he has shed baby fat and on draft day on the stage he looked fit for a guy upwards of 7'2" and 260 pounds.
He gets off his feet well for a guy so big, and a couple of clips saw him sprinting the floor faster than I have ever seen Boogie run, unless he was charging at his coach in the locker room during half-time implosion.
I think Vlade just drafted the guy who he sees in himself....perhaps and taller and more athletic version? He's making a big bet here, in a draft in which there was a Top 8 Tier (or two tiers of two players, then 6 players), Vlade is betting he found a better player outside of this consensus tier.
He's seeing a guy at his age who maybe can do some things he wished he could do, or a lot of similarities in Papa and a young Vlade. I trust this pick b/c I trust Vlade's assessment more or less AND when you watch these bigs the thing you have to look for is agility and coordination. Papa has that. He's not a lumbering oaf. He has the size of someone like an Omar Asik, but has more fluidity to his game.
I don't see much of a touch on his hook yet but he is such a baby. He is going to be a completely different player in 2-3 years....since the most dramatic growth for a player occurs from 19-22 years of age and the first 2-3 years in the league. The fact that he has played pro ball since age 14 is incredible!!! And this I think will allow him to contribute sooner and faster.
But let's be real:
How much immediate contribution next year are we getting from three kids 18 and 19 year old playing against guys 5-10 years older? History is reliable guide and precedence they will not set the league on fire. We would be lucky if 1-2 of these guys become solid rotational player by middle of the season, even then you would wonder how efficient they would be.
Plan A and Plan B did not come to fruition and now we are in this boat:
Plan A was moving up to get Dunn. Plan B was hoping or moving up to get Hield. Plan A and B were plans to land 22 year old players who could more likely come in and play 20-25 MPG right away. Unfortunately the teams ahead of us had the same plan. The Kings draft room had to have this scenario mapped however, knowing of the Top 8 guys, someone like Chriss or Bender could have slid, left them in a predicament, with a player they did not want, opting instead to move out of the 8th spot for a player Vlade really wanted AND picking up another asset (or two, in this case two SG prospects).
Well done, Vlade!
A couple of final musings while I am still trying to digest the events of yesterday and where we go from here:
- Koufos is gone....70% to 90% chance
- Joerger may see Papa as a potential Marc Gasol, a bruising and skilled big with passing skill out of the post
- Rondo coming back just went up by 50-60%, with Rose going to Knicks, and us passing on Wade Baldwin
- The Kings just gave themselves and escape hatch to trade Boogie
Regarding the last bullet, the best way to balance the roster is to trade Boogie. Not saying it would be the best move, depending on the market, but the best way to create balance. I have said if a trade goes down Vlade needs to get teams to bid against one another over the course of the summer like the late Flip Sanders did before trading Love. My guess is offers have been made, and Vlade wants more or a lot more before pulling the trigger. Chicago with Jimmy Butler and Orlando with Gordon and Mario are logical partners.
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