Making the Kings contenders in the West:

[Smills91]

Off-season game plan

Kings draft: Mike Conley Jr. #10

Trade 1:
Kings get: Camby, Najera
Celtics get: Bibby
Nuggets get: Ratliff, West

Trade 2:
Kings get: Kwame Brown, Maurice Evans/Brian Cooki
Lakers get: John Salmons, Kenny Thomas


Trade 3:
Kings get: Chauncey Billups SnT (6 years 65 million)
Pistons get: Brad Miller with Rights to Conley

Re-Sign: Justin Williams, Ronnie Price, Corliss Williamson
Sign Steve Blake to MLE


Kings new roster for 2007-2008:

C: Marcus Camby, Justin Williams, Kwame Brown
PF: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Corliss Williamson, Eduardo Najera
SF: Ron Artest, Francisco Garcia
SG: Kevin Martin, Quincy Douby, Maurice Evans
PG: Chauncey Billups, Steve Blake, Ronnie Price


That's a very good defensive team IMO and now we have athleticism and size in the frontcourt.

 

[VF21]

PF: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Corliss Williamson, Eduardo Najera

And THAT's the fatal flaw. Najera is really old and slowing down, AND has never fully recovered from the knee problems. Corliss isn't a PF; he's a 3 who has been forced into the 4 because of our munchkin leader. And SAR just isn't powerful enough at the 4 to go up again the real power forwards in the league.

And ,once again, you're really making a big assumption about getting rid of Kenny Thomas. The Lakers aren't gonna do that deal; no way, no how. It doesn't give them ANYTHING they want/ need.

 

[Troy]

Who do we trade away in trade#1? Is it Bibby for Camby & Najera? I'd hope for a good young PG with some NBA experience, Steve Blake would be nice in a package. They'd probably try to stick us with Kmart(Kenyon) and his bad and long deal on a player that isn't what he used to be. They obviously have given the keys to the PF gig to Nene even after his major surgery and Kenyon is a big distraction to the unity of the team.

Najera is a nice $5M expiring deal after next year and packaged with Steve Blake and Reggie Evans wouldn't be too bad. Sure we get another 6' 8" tweener workhorse banger in the paint so that would be nice off the bench, we have this in Williams and 1-2" taller, but Evans is not a bad player to have at under $5M/yr...he does have a long contract though so hopefully we can rid ourselves of Thomas....what am I talking about???? We'd have another K9 on our hands possibly!!!! ;_)
Throw in JR Smith and you have a deal:
Bibby for Najera, Evans, Blake, Smith I know more "moveable pieces"!!! ;-)

While we should get a big in the draft, if we are too late and we don't have confidence who is left, we should go for Conley who is the best PG in this year's draft according to all sources I have seen. I rather get a big with some NBA experience, even D-League would be good. It usually takes a big time to develop until you even know what potential you have, let alone having that player get close to the potential they might have. We don't have the $ or time for a 3-4 year project big man, we need more immediate returns because we are so weak at 4/5. Williams is a good start, but not the end all, we really need to trade away K9 and hopefully get a good young big like a Al Jefferson or even a Chris Wilcox.

I'd be o.k. with us signing a big Center though, but not a PF, the Center can be slower and clog the lane and be a presence starting with maybe a few of the 7' 2-3" in this year's draft. It would be better though to go after a good PG then a project Center or PF either way.

 

[Bricklayer]

There is a vast VAST disconnect between the title of this thread and that proposed lineup.

 

[Ryle]

Also consider that Billups will be 31 by the start of next year and you want to give him a 6 year deal??

 

[nbrans]

Trade #1:
If the Celtics were willing to give up Ratliff and West for Bibby I'd rather just deal with them directly rather than count on Camby to stay healthy/productive.

Trade #2:
Lakers would never do this

Trade #3:
I'm more than a little nervous about signing a 30 year old point guard to a six year deal.


The problem I see with this plan is that you're counting on two guys who are nearing the end of their primes (Camby and Billups), and who have already started to show some decline, to take you to a championship, and while this lineup is an improvement, I don't think it's enough of an improvement to make that gamble. I'd much rather go young than to keep on mortgaging the future.

 

[Troy]

Trade #1:
If the Celtics were willing to give up Ratliff and West for Bibby I'd rather just deal with them directly rather than count on Camby to stay healthy/productive.

Trade #2:
Lakers would never do this

Trade #3:
I'm more than a little nervous about signing a 30 year old point guard to a six year deal.


The problem I see with this plan is that you're counting on two guys who are nearing the end of their primes (Camby and Billups), and who have already started to show some decline, to take you to a championship, and while this lineup is an improvement, I don't think it's enough of an improvement to make that gamble. I'd much rather go young than to keep on mortgaging the future.

I agree there are few to any teams willing to take K9 without giving us equal or worse crap for him. I know that is a lot of $ to a 30 year old PG, but Billups is good and I think we worth it. Bibby for Ratliff expiring & West would be pretty good. Then we draft Conley with the #10 pick in the draft and groom him behind Billups. We still need some big men and this shouldn't be a plan B or C or later, we need to address this still so if we can get a big in the draft then so be it, otherwise get Conley who is a pretty safe bet at a good PG in the making.

 

[walker60]

I don't see why people are bashing the end results of that team. Also, big point guards tend to have long shelf lives so I'm not too worried about Billups. That said, I don't think these trades are all that realistic, a little too one sided for the Kings or doesn't really make sense for the other team.