Mayo, Kirilenko, McRoberts?

twslam07

All-Star
The Kings have a chance to make a big impact this offseason. Their first order of business should be to resign Dalembert and Thornton. They should resign Dalembert to around 8-9 million a year and resign Thornton to around 6 million a year. This would bring the King’s total payroll to 42 million. The salary cap this year was 58 million so they still have approximately 16 million to work with.

After they resign those two players, they should look to trade for OJ Mayo. As I am sure you are all aware that Mayo has not been starting for Memphis. There was also trade rumors with Mayo’s name involved during the trade deadline this year. This suggests that Memphis might be willing to part ways with him.

Mayo would be a nice fit if we were to trade for him. He is another player who is a good scorer and 3pt shooter. He is known to work hard on defense and is considered an unselfish player. He would be a great player to have on our bench. He could provide some consistent points off the bench which would strengthen our team as a whole. Also with him or Thornton on the floor, we will always have a great 3pt specialist out there to spread out the defense.

I think we should trade our…

1st round pick and Garcia/Casspi for Mayo

I think it would be ideal to trade Garcia over Casspi because Garcia’s salary is 4.5 million more than Casspi’s salary. If we did trade Garcia, our payroll would stay the same (42 million) because Mayo’s salary is equal to Garcia’s salary. If we traded Casspi, our total payroll would be 46.5 million.

After trading for Mayo, the Kings should look to sign a SF. Their first option should be to sign Kirilenko. He is a tall, lengthy guy who plays excellent defense. He also rebounds the ball well and is a good passer as well. He’s not the best 3pt shooter out there, but he is capable of knocking down the 3. Another quality that fits with our team is that he has the mindset of being a role player. His kind of play would fit really well with our team.

If we are unable to sign Kirilenko, we should go after Battier or Prince. Both of them work hard on defense, rebound well, and are good passers. Battier is a better 3pt shooter though so we should try to land him before Prince although either one would be a nice fit.

I think we should try to sign one of those three to a 7 million a year deal. If this happened, it would bring our total payroll to 49 million or 53.5 million depending on if we traded away Garcia or Casspi.

After we sign a SF, we should look at signing another big man. As of now we have Cousins, Dalembert, Thompson, and Whiteside as our big men. As we have seen recently in the playoffs, it pays off to have depth in your frontcourt, and with Whiteside still being an uncertainty, the Kings should look to add another big man to their repertoire to help with injuries to our bigs and when our bigs get in foul trouble. I feel that Josh McRoberts would be a nice player to sign this offseason. He is a decent scorer, rebounder, passer, and defender who is also young. We could try signing him for around 2.5 million which would bring our total payroll to 51.5 million or 56 million depending on if we traded away Garcia or Casspi.

If the Kings were successful in making these moves their roster would look like this:

PG – Evans, Udrih
SG – Thornton, Mayo
SF – Kirilenko, Casspi
PF – Cousins, Thompson, McRoberts
C – Dalembert, Whiteside

This roster would approximately have a total payroll of 51.5 million which would be 6.5 million under the salary cap. Also keep in mind that if we do not trade Garcia that his and Beno’s salary equal 14 million a year. Both of these contracts will expire before we have to resign any of our core players again (Evans, Thornton [if we sign him for 2 years or longer], Mayo [if we trade for him], Kirilenko [if we sign him for 2 or more years], Cousins, Thompson, and Dalembert [if we sign him for 2 or more years]. This will help us to keep this group together for a long time.

This roster looks good enough to challenge for a playoff spot next year, and with time, Evans, Thornton, Mayo, and Cousins will continue to grow as players making this team an elite team in the future.

What do you guys think?
 
I agree with you on going after AK. Not about going after Mayo. We already have Thornton, who is similar player. There is no reason to trade our draft pick for something we don't have a need for. Scoring from our 2 spot is not a need. Scoring isn't a need.

We can address a need through the draft. Either sf or pg. Williams/Irving/Knight/Walker would all serve much more of a need then Mayo. I see Battier resigning with Mem, where they have a great thing going. Prince would help, but I have concerns about his lockerroom influence.
 
I would not throw the PG position into the same discussion as the SF position when we are talking about upgrading. We have Evans and Udrih who can play PG. I think the Kings need a guard who can come off the becnh and give them points. Don't underestimate a good bench.

Thornton and Mayo might be similar players, but we are looking to add guys who can hit the three. It is hard to find guys who can both hit the three and then vary in the rest of their game. They are both shooters, and I'm fine with that.

This was under the assumption that we are not fortunate enough to pick in the top two (Irving or Williams) considering we have the 6th worst record. If we were able to draft williams then go for it. He would be a great player for our team. I like Irving a lot, but I am not sure how he fits with our team. I think you would still have to draft him if he is available because he is a great talent. I just don't know what we would do with him. Out of the other two you listed (Knight and Walker), Walker is the only one I like, but he is very small which would limit him to PG which we do not have a need for. Who do you think teams would take first if both players came out of the draft in the same year, Walker or Mayo?
 
Mayo hates coming off the bench in memphis so why would he want to come here and come off the bench? Also I would much rather have Battier over ak47.
 
Wait wait ... 1st round pick and Garcia/Casspi for Mayo? You're kidding right? Please tell me you are.
 
uhhhh nope. Are we giving too much or too little?
If its a late round first its probably in line with what they would be looking for. But a first whee we have been picking? Not remotely.

Mayo perhaps underperformed this year, but he had previously been one of the most comically overrated players in the league. Midget two guards are generally bad cess unless you get lucky wiht a guy like Thornton who is really willing to stick his nose in there. The biger problem is of course his attitude. He hs not been happy not starting, and in a non-featured role he has been a sporadic producer. Pre-Landry trade he was one of the possibilities to try to pick up to fill the role Thornton has now, but now that we have Thornton we have 2 guys who could easily be 36 min/gm a night guards as starters, and then Beno, who has not only been productive, but also knows how to play a role and gives us a much neded little kick of ballhandling/passing. Toward the end of the season there the total number of guard minutes going to guys other than Reke/Thornton/Beno was probably less than 10 a night. that obviosuly would not work for Mayo.


In fact really dopwn the stretch of the season we began to feel very solid in large part because we found our rotations. People always used to whine about Adelman having shot rotations, but that is normally a GOOD sign. It means you've found your quality guys and they are beginning to work together. That last month we basically were 5 starters, 1 backup guard (Beno), 1 backup big (JT), and then any messiness was around the SF spot. So I am all done with Kirilenko or some other solution being found at the 3 spot, but after that, and especially with another lottery pick coming up, most of the guys we sign have to be true backup types.
 
seriously lol 1st/casspi for mayo? give me some of that hoo hoo your smoking. i think fredette might be there if we need a "shooter"
 
Okay well do you think Thornton would be okay with coming off the bench?

I wouldn't want Thornton coming off the bench. Its a waste of talent. He can shoot, handle the ball, assist, and rebound. Nay, I say, to the bench.

I think it is risky business for team chemistry to have three starters to fill two positions. Perhaps my general rule would be to never be overloaded with starters at any position. When I say starters, I mean bonafied starters with a starters mentality and not simply filling a space that needs an upgrade such as our SF position.

Why fiddle with what seems to be good chemistry?

A major move like a defensive minded veteran SF is needed. We ALL agree on that and we ALL know the money is there. There needs to be some tweaking with the leftover glut of SFs, none of whom are true starters on an elite team. What we have are three decent bench players which is still too many even for the bench. I prefer keeping Cisco as I think he is part of the chemistry of this team. I like Greene because he has some skills and doesn't seem to care what his role is as long as he can hang with the guys. Yes, that's a backhanded compliment. Casspi is the odd man out and I don't mean because of his skill level. He is a scorer and wants to play a big part on the team. That doesn't fit with this team.

As bizarre a comment as this might seem, in some ways we have too much talent assuming the pickup of a SF. Trade Casspi for what? Who is the #1 pick? Bundle them for who. Now if we bundled Casspi and #1 pick, I'd be thrilled as I think all problems would be solved. Then it's a matter of the guys maturing.

I will just say what I have always said, the drafting of a starting level PG is flirting with chemistry problems. We have two starters that are young. When is this young PG going to get minutes? Probably not in the next decade. Do you park a starting quality player on the bench in case of injury or foul trouble? I don't think so. Maybe only an old vet as his career is winding down.

So I am all done with Kirilenko or some other solution being found at the 3 spot, but after that, and especially with another lottery pick coming up, most of the guys we sign have to be true backup types.
 
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If its a late round first its probably in line with what they would be looking for. But a first whee we have been picking? Not remotely.

Mayo perhaps underperformed this year, but he had previously been one of the most comically overrated players in the league. Midget two guards are generally bad cess unless you get lucky wiht a guy like Thornton who is really willing to stick his nose in there. The biger problem is of course his attitude. He hs not been happy not starting, and in a non-featured role he has been a sporadic producer. Pre-Landry trade he was one of the possibilities to try to pick up to fill the role Thornton has now, but now that we have Thornton we have 2 guys who could easily be 36 min/gm a night guards as starters, and then Beno, who has not only been productive, but also knows how to play a role and gives us a much neded little kick of ballhandling/passing. Toward the end of the season there the total number of guard minutes going to guys other than Reke/Thornton/Beno was probably less than 10 a night. that obviosuly would not work for Mayo.


In fact really dopwn the stretch of the season we began to feel very solid in large part because we found our rotations. People always used to whine about Adelman having shot rotations, but that is normally a GOOD sign. It means you've found your quality guys and they are beginning to work together. That last month we basically were 5 starters, 1 backup guard (Beno), 1 backup big (JT), and then any messiness was around the SF spot. So I am all done with Kirilenko or some other solution being found at the 3 spot, but after that, and especially with another lottery pick coming up, most of the guys we sign have to be true backup types.

Good point. I guess we could keep Beno as a backup PG and Garcia as a backup SG and SF with Greene also eating up some backup SF minutes. I just don't know what we should do with our draft pick. Drafting Williams would be ideal, but we most likely will not get a top 2 pick.
 
I think the first thing you try to do is address your most pressing need. Which is at the SF position. So if I'm making a trade, its going to be leaning hard in that direction. I don't see a great need at the SG/PG position. Now if a Chris Paul wants to fall into our laps, then I'm fine with that, but I'm not going to be calling the Hornets. They'll have to call me.

Before I trade my first round pick, I have to see exactly where it falls. If we get lucky and end up either 1st or 2nd, then its going to take a lot to pry it loose, and a hell of lot more than, get my a$$ kicked by Tony Allen, O.J. Mayo. Who I might add, would be nothing but poison if he didn't get enough playing time. I'm not interested in players that feel entitled.

Also, based on the last proposal I read by the NBA, the salary cap could be going up under the new CBA as partial appeasment to the players, for their accepting the eventual end of exceptions. If that comes to pass, the cap is rumored to go up to the mid 60 or high 60 mil range. So the cap could easily be 65 mil as oppossed to the 58.5 mil it was last season. While this would be and even bigger advantage for the Kings, it would also give some wiggle room to those teams like Utah, that are right at the cap, or slightly above. In other words, there could be more players in the freeagency game than we originally thought.

The only sure thing we have right now, is that there will be a draft. And even that is somewhat foggy, since we don't know for sure where we'll be drafting. Who we draft, can, and should have some influence on who we might persue in freeagency, and who we might be willing to trade. If we get lucky and draft Derrick Williams, then one would have to believe that either Casspi or Greene becomes expendable. Probably one of them is expendable anyway. Anyway, the draft is step one. After that, you try and figure out what step two is.
 
I think the first thing you try to do is address your most pressing need. Which is at the SF position. So if I'm making a trade, its going to be leaning hard in that direction. I don't see a great need at the SG/PG position. Now if a Chris Paul wants to fall into our laps, then I'm fine with that, but I'm not going to be calling the Hornets. They'll have to call me.

Before I trade my first round pick, I have to see exactly where it falls. If we get lucky and end up either 1st or 2nd, then its going to take a lot to pry it loose, and a hell of lot more than, get my a$$ kicked by Tony Allen, O.J. Mayo. Who I might add, would be nothing but poison if he didn't get enough playing time. I'm not interested in players that feel entitled.

Also, based on the last proposal I read by the NBA, the salary cap could be going up under the new CBA as partial appeasment to the players, for their accepting the eventual end of exceptions. If that comes to pass, the cap is rumored to go up to the mid 60 or high 60 mil range. So the cap could easily be 65 mil as oppossed to the 58.5 mil it was last season. While this would be and even bigger advantage for the Kings, it would also give some wiggle room to those teams like Utah, that are right at the cap, or slightly above. In other words, there could be more players in the freeagency game than we originally thought.

The only sure thing we have right now, is that there will be a draft. And even that is somewhat foggy, since we don't know for sure where we'll be drafting. Who we draft, can, and should have some influence on who we might persue in freeagency, and who we might be willing to trade. If we get lucky and draft Derrick Williams, then one would have to believe that either Casspi or Greene becomes expendable. Probably one of them is expendable anyway. Anyway, the draft is step one. After that, you try and figure out what step two is.

I agree. This is just under the assumption that Williams is unavailable to draft when it is our turn to pick.
 
AK is too old for my taste despite the D he brings... if we can package udrih greene for a late pick we can draft a PG late in the draft
Udrih, greene, 35th pick for Andre Miller and first rounder

We work on the draft well imo..

5th pick = Jan Vesely, im intrigued with his talent, looks like he's got potential, whats important is hes got that size length and quickness, can potentially move to the 4 but can start as our 3. 6"11 SF.
Portlands 21st pick = draft Shelvin mack. shooter.

resign thornton and dalembert. sign mcroberts

so our line up would be

Evans/Shelvin mack/Pooh
Garcia/Thornton
Vesely/Casspi
Cousins/Thompson/mcroberts
Dalembert/Whiteside
 
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