Mario Hezonja

Kingster

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#1
#1
The guy that I'm interested in, and not for a first round draft pick, is Hezonja. I wanted him in the draft, Divac reportedly wanted him in the draft, and he's been a terrible disappointment with Orlando. When I saw him play against the Kings he looked like a shell of himself, not the player I saw on tape at all. It's obvious he's regressed, not progressed under the tutelage of Vogel. Sometimes a change of scenery can make all the difference. It can allow him to breath, forget the expectations of being a top 5 draft pick, relax, and have some fun playing basketball again. Having some other foreign players and a Serb GM on his new team couldn't hurt either in order to make him more comfortable. The guy I saw on tape was a guy with instincts for the game; the guy I saw play against the Kings was a guy who was thinking through every single thing he was doing on the court. I wouldn't be interested in trading him for a #1 pick, but I sure as heck would be interested in a sign and trade deal for McLemore, or something along those lines (No way is McLemore worth a #1 pick in this draft, especially a top 10 pick). The article that follows is quite interesting and provides some insight on Hezonja's situation.


http://orlandomagicdaily.com/2016/12/20/the-situation-is-just-bad-for-mario-hezonja/
 
lwc

lwc

Starter
#2
#2
Kingster said:
The guy that I'm interested in, and not for a first round draft pick, is Hezonja. I wanted him in the draft, Divac reportedly wanted him in the draft, and he's been a terrible disappointment with Orlando. When I saw him play against the Kings he looked like a shell of himself, not the player I saw on tape at all. It's obvious he's regressed, not progressed under the tutelage of Vogel. Sometimes a change of scenery can make all the difference. It can allow him to breath, forget the expectations of being a top 5 draft pick, relax, and have some fun playing basketball again. Having some other foreign players and a Serb GM on his new team couldn't hurt either in order to make him more comfortable. The guy I saw on tape was a guy with instincts for the game; the guy I saw play against the Kings was a guy who was thinking through every single thing he was doing on the court. I wouldn't be interested in trading him for a #1 pick, but I sure as heck would be interested in a sign and trade deal for McLemore, or something along those lines (No way is McLemore worth a #1 pick in this draft, especially a top 10 pick). The article that follows is quite interesting and provides some insight on Hezonja's situation.


http://orlandomagicdaily.com/2016/12/20/the-situation-is-just-bad-for-mario-hezonja/
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I like the way you think.
 
J

Jimbob

Bench
#3
#3
Well he is a SF. Not that I see them as similar players but I see it like I see Stanley Johnson. Young SF's from the same draft that could benefit greatly with a change of environment.
At this point in time I just want Fox or Frank N assuming we pick around 7 to give us our solid PG of the future. What we do with the Pels pick which will be between 10-14 keep or trade for one of these guys I don't care. If Ben is part of the equation also fine even though I like him and wish it could work out here.
 
Kingz19

Kingz19

Hall of Famer
#4
#4
I'd be interested. When Vogel said he'd be better at PF(in today's game) I knew Mario was a victim of misuse. Last year he showed plenty of flashes of the player he can be...but his confidence has been shot this year that even with minutes he is lost and can't produce.

Vogel is a stooge for the "new way" and trends of the league. Reading some stuff from him and I became disillusioned with him. When will the lesser teams realize that following trends is exactly what keeps teams as bottom feeders? All the top teams, especially the legit contenders in GS, San Antonio, and Cleveland have unique styles that set and don't follow trends. You model your team after GS...chances are you won't model a team that can beat Golden State. Gotta be unique..Kings had that opportunity with a centerpiece like Cuz...and that's my rant

Back to Mario...

I don't know how we can land him unless we were willing to part with Malachi or maybe Bogdan(who I don't think is a trade chip since it's believed Vlade is the only reason he'll come).

Dont see BMac figuring into anything.

If NO land in the 10-13 range in the draft I'd absolutely consider taking a gamble on a Henzonjs or even Stanley Johnson if there is a bit of a pot sweetener because we already know Vogel wants Mario out so he isn't holding many cards. Stanley might still be in the mix for Van Gundy. Certainly not opposed to moving one of our picks, even for a wild card...just want to draft a point guard and see how we can angle New Orleans pick in trade unless there is a real good prospect.

Back to Mario...I think Philly will snag him to put him with Dario. Those two are former teammates and some youtube vids show they have a connection on the court. Philly can probably just throw them Nik Stauskus or get him by taking a contract Orlando wants to shed(like they did to us)
 
J

Jimbob

Bench
#5
#5
Kingz19 said:
I'd be interested. When Vogel said he'd be better at PF(in today's game) I knew Mario was a victim of misuse. Last year he showed plenty of flashes of the player he can be...but his confidence has been shot this year that even with minutes he is lost and can't produce.

Vogel is a stooge for the "new way" and trends of the league. Reading some stuff from him and I became disillusioned with him. When will the lesser teams realize that following trends is exactly what keeps teams as bottom feeders? All the top teams, especially the legit contenders in GS, San Antonio, and Cleveland have unique styles that set and don't follow trends. You model your team after GS...chances are you won't model a team that can beat Golden State. Gotta be unique..Kings had that opportunity with a centerpiece like Cuz...and that's my rant

Back to Mario...

I don't know how we can land him unless we were willing to part with Malachi or maybe Bogdan(who I don't think is a trade chip since it's believed Vlade is the only reason he'll come).

Dont see BMac figuring into anything.

If NO land in the 10-13 range in the draft I'd absolutely consider taking a gamble on a Henzonjs or even Stanley Johnson if there is a bit of a pot sweetener because we already know Vogel wants Mario out so he isn't holding many cards. Stanley might still be in the mix for Van Gundy. Certainly not opposed to moving one of our picks, even for a wild card...just want to draft a point guard and see how we can angle New Orleans pick in trade unless there is a real good prospect.

Back to Mario...I think Philly will snag him to put him with Dario. Those two are former teammates and some youtube vids show they have a connection on the court. Philly can probably just throw them Nik Stauskus or get him by taking a contract Orlando wants to shed(like they did to us)
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Well one pot sweetener could be swapping 1st picks with Orlando assuming they draft just a pick or two ahead of us. It could be the difference of getting the player we really want.
 
bajaden

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#7
#7
Kingster said:
The guy that I'm interested in, and not for a first round draft pick, is Hezonja. I wanted him in the draft, Divac reportedly wanted him in the draft, and he's been a terrible disappointment with Orlando. When I saw him play against the Kings he looked like a shell of himself, not the player I saw on tape at all. It's obvious he's regressed, not progressed under the tutelage of Vogel. Sometimes a change of scenery can make all the difference. It can allow him to breath, forget the expectations of being a top 5 draft pick, relax, and have some fun playing basketball again. Having some other foreign players and a Serb GM on his new team couldn't hurt either in order to make him more comfortable. The guy I saw on tape was a guy with instincts for the game; the guy I saw play against the Kings was a guy who was thinking through every single thing he was doing on the court. I wouldn't be interested in trading him for a #1 pick, but I sure as heck would be interested in a sign and trade deal for McLemore, or something along those lines (No way is McLemore worth a #1 pick in this draft, especially a top 10 pick). The article that follows is quite interesting and provides some insight on Hezonja's situation.


http://orlandomagicdaily.com/2016/12/20/the-situation-is-just-bad-for-mario-hezonja/
Click to expand...
Yeah, I tend to agree with you on Hezonja. He looked terrible against us, and your right, he looked like a player thinking too much, and looking over his shoulder at the same time. So, a change of scenery might be what the doctor ordered, and I also agree that I wouldn't give up a 1st round pick for him. I'll give up our 2nd round pick, or as you say, do a straight up trade. He's certainly worth a shot, especially if we could get him on the cheap.
 
Big Cuz 15

Big Cuz 15

All-Star
#8
#8
mario is going into year 3 next year and hasn't shown much improvement. coach doesn't seem too pleased with him. don't know where the leverage is for orlando to demand assets for him. is their gm who did the draft day deal for ibaka still there? there is light for a good trade if hes still there. 2 bad GM's at getting good value back for their players.
 
T

The_Jamal

Hall of Famer
#9
#9
Again, this is another guy we can and should be floating Malachi in a trade for to balance out the roster a bit, if we don't believe he can be a long-term fit at SF. Makes a lot of sense imo for teams like the Magic or Pistons to get another young wing with one extra year on the rookie deal as well as the "unknown" factor for their "disappointing" rookies.
 
E

ESP47

All-Star
#10
#10
I'd rather just go into next year with a "best man wins" competition at SG since we aren't going to win anyway. Hezonja just flat out sucks so far. He should be in the D league right now. Malachi has shown he can be really good in the D league and we need to give him a shot here before he goes somewhere else and possibly lights it up.
 
Telemachus

Telemachus

Starter
#11
#11
The_Jamal said:
Again, this is another guy we can and should be floating Malachi in a trade for to balance out the roster a bit, if we don't believe he can be a long-term fit at SF. Makes a lot of sense imo for teams like the Magic or Pistons to get another young wing with one extra year on the rookie deal as well as the "unknown" factor for their "disappointing" rookies.
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I would be willing to give up a 2nd round pick, but that is about it at this point. Personally, I think Malachi has shown more promise than Hezonja so far.
 
C

CelticsFan

Bench
#12
#12
Telemachus said:
I would be willing to give up a 2nd round pick, but that is about it at this point. Personally, I think Malachi has shown more promise than Hezonja so far.
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Mario was the 5th pick in the 2015 draft and still will be only 22 years old when next season starts. If we look at it from the Orlando POV why give up on a young guy they thought so highly of just a few years ago for a 2nd round pick? Maybe they want to move him because he's been disappointing but I think they would and should expect more then a 2nd round pick.
 
D

dude12

Hall of Famer
#13
#13
A box of rocks for Hezonja.....potential only goes so far, he's been awful, a high second rounder for him is even sketchy to give up at this point.
 
funkykingston

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
#14
#14
Hezonja would be a good target to buy low on. These are the sorts of gambles the Kings should routinely make. Look at Dallas and Seth Curry, Yogi Ferrell and others - taking flyers on low cost, low risk guys who still have considerable upside is how small market teams get ahead.

I wasn't super high on Super Mario coming out but there were things I really liked about him. One was his confidence level but that seems to have disappeared. I think him getting a fresh start is the only way that might return and allow him to succeed in the NBA to any degree.
 
allrightythen

allrightythen

Starter
#15
#15
I'm all for taking a flyer on Mario, but I don't think he's worth either of our picks or any of our prospects right now. He hasn't been good and while I believe he has been mishandled by Orlando I can't say how much of his poor play is on the organization and how much is on his lack of talent. I'm not sure kind of a deal would work for them. They really only have Biyombo as a bad contract but its $17M for 3 more seasons and that seems like a lot to take on for a shot at Mario. From what little I saw of him this year he looked like a SF which we could definitely use. If we try and trade up in the draft with Orlando I could see him coming back to us in a deal where we target one of the higher rated PGs.
 
Telemachus

Telemachus

Starter
#16
#16
CelticsFan said:
Mario was the 5th pick in the 2015 draft and still will be only 22 years old when next season starts. If we look at it from the Orlando POV why give up on a young guy they thought so highly of just a few years ago for a 2nd round pick? Maybe they want to move him because he's been disappointing but I think they would and should expect more then a 2nd round pick.
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You may be right, but I saying what I was willing to give up. They don't have to make the deal. More importantly, I wouldn't be willing to give up Malachi for him. I would rather wait and see what we have in him. And this is coming from someone who hoped we might be able to draft Hezonja.
 
upinsmoke

upinsmoke

All-Star
#17
#17
The_Jamal said:
Again, this is another guy we can and should be floating Malachi in a trade for to balance out the roster a bit, if we don't believe he can be a long-term fit at SF. Makes a lot of sense imo for teams like the Magic or Pistons to get another young wing with one extra year on the rookie deal as well as the "unknown" factor for their "disappointing" rookies.
Click to expand...
Why in the world would we give up on Malachi for Hezonja? You just stated that Hezonja has been underwhelming for Orlando so why are we giving up a prospect who looks like he belongs in the league?
 
KingsFanGER

KingsFanGER

Starter
#18
#18
upinsmoke said:
Why in the world would we give up on Malachi for Hezonja? You just stated that Hezonja has been underwhelming for Orlando so why are we giving up a prospect who looks like he belongs in the league?
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A bit early to claim, that Malachi belongs in the league and Hezonja doesn't.
Reason to trade for Hezonja:

1. he is a full sized SF
2. he is very athletic and can run the floor with the rest of our young guys
3. there is hope his shooting % will eventually go up with more confidence

Not saying, that I'm a fan of trading Malachi, but when Bogdan comes over our FO has left us with 3 young SG's all battling for minutes and Temple. When Joerger thinks playing a 6'6 guy at SF is a good idea I'm fine with it, but he has complained about the lack of size at the SF position multiple times now, so I highly doubt, that he is a fan of a possible 3 guard lineup.
When we aren't able to give all the young guys minutes, their trade value will go south. So you better make up your mind about a trade early on.
And frankly I doubt we will get an established SF for the players we can offer in a trade. So when we decide to do a trade, we will most likely end up with a young prospect, who hasn't met the expectations. Good GM's will be aware of our lack of SF's and surplus of SG's and that will lower the value as we have seen with the 76ers Noel trade this year.

Of course this is all without taking the draft into account. But the draft will only add players to our roster and won't solve our surplus at the SG position, if Bogdan comes over.
 
upinsmoke

upinsmoke

All-Star
#19
#19
KingsFanGER said:
A bit early to claim, that Malachi belongs in the league and Hezonja doesn't.
Reason to trade for Hezonja:

1. he is a full sized SF
2. he is very athletic and can run the floor with the rest of our young guys
3. there is hope his shooting % will eventually go up with more confidence

Not saying, that I'm a fan of trading Malachi, but when Bogdan comes over our FO has left us with 3 young SG's all battling for minutes and Temple. When Joerger thinks playing a 6'6 guy at SF is a good idea I'm fine with it, but he has complained about the lack of size at the SF position multiple times now, so I highly doubt, that he is a fan of a possible 3 guard lineup.
When we aren't able to give all the young guys minutes, their trade value will go south. So you better make up your mind about a trade early on.
And frankly I doubt we will get an established SF for the players we can offer in a trade. So when we decide to do a trade, we will most likely end up with a young prospect, who hasn't met the expectations. Good GM's will be aware of our lack of SF's and surplus of SG's and that will lower the value as we have seen with the 76ers Noel trade this year.

Of course this is all without taking the draft into account. But the draft will only add players to our roster and won't solve our surplus at the SG position, if Bogdan comes over.
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I'm not going to assume that Bogdan is a NBA player or that he's even coming over in the first place like you also mentioned. Also I'm not anointing Buddy the Starting SG and Temple is not signed to a long term deal that's why I'm not concerned with a log jam at the guard. Lastly about the bolded text I think that you have to make a decision but let things play out on the court. Maybe Malachi beats out Buddy or proves he can hang with opposing 3's.
 
KingsFanGER

KingsFanGER

Starter
#20
#20
upinsmoke said:
I'm not going to assume that Bogdan is a NBA player or that he's even coming over in the first place like you also mentioned. Also I'm not anointing Buddy the Starting SG and Temple is not signed to a long term deal that's why I'm not concerned with a log jam at the guard. Lastly about the bolded text I think that you have to make a decision but let things play out on the court. Maybe Malachi beats out Buddy or proves he can hang with opposing 3's.
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That's for Joerger to decide.
Temple is signed for 2 more years and he absolutely deserves to play and is important as a leader. In 2 years one of our young guards (assuming Bogdan comes over) will have lost a huge amount of value and will probably be without any confidence and disgruntled. I'm actually very concerned about the logjam at SG. Logjams are rarely a good thing.
 
upinsmoke

upinsmoke

All-Star
#21
#21
KingsFanGER said:
That's for Joerger to decide.
Temple is signed for 2 more years and he absolutely deserves to play and is important as a leader. In 2 years one of our young guards (assuming Bogdan comes over) will have lost a huge amount of value and will probably be without any confidence and disgruntled. I'm actually very concerned about the logjam at SG. Logjams are rarely a good thing.
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Temple is signed for ONE more year then he has a PO. It's to early to worry about those things. Bogdanovic might not even come over or even be be good at this level. Competition at the 2 guard is a great thing for us right now.
 
J

Jimbob

Bench
#22
#22
Does anyone know if there is a time line that Bogdan has to make a decision. As it stands now I don't want let Ben walk, let alone trade Malachi because of Bogdan. I thought I heard he still wanted to win a championship with Fenerbehce before coming over, or something along those lines.
 
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