Mobley opts out

[SDKing]

I was never really opinionated about Cat, but I did see him in a couple of games at Staples Center (I live in San Diego) against the Clippers, in which he was draining threes right and left. I think that he's got loads of talent, but was inconsistent. I wish him luck wherever he goes or if he's back next year.

That being said, I think that we should look at this as an opportunity for our team. The sky hasn't fallen. Sure it's difficult to watch in a time of indecision, but I think that's because we've gotten used to the good life. Remember the 20 some win kings? We were all fans then right? Do we want to go back to that? No, obviously, but it won't come to that.

Also remember that Petrie put together the team that came so close, and he can put together another one, that's what he's paid for. He's revered by almost everyone who speaks of him on television and in print for his talent. Worrying about the offseason will make absolutely no difference in what actually happens. This is funny for me to be saying because I'm such a pessimist most of the time, but it's true.

Remember also that getting a big name doesn't neccessarily mean instant success. Look at Lebron, he's arguably the best player in the league, but has he taken his team to the playoffs yet? No. Why? Because the team doesn't have the rest of the pieces. We still have a strong core. So, I'm just going to be happy that Sactown has a basketball team in the first place representing norcal, and wish the best for next season.

Watch out for the Warriors next year by the way.

 

[Packt]

Actually I don't think that is the case. Denver will again be under the salary cap and they could absorb the higher salary if we traded Cat for Nene. Also, we still have Mobleys Bird rights so we can sign him to any size deal and trade him for matching salaries.....unless this all changes in the new CBA

Denver being under the cap could sign Mobley out right. We could ultimately give Mobley a much bigger contract, but Mobley isn't that kind of player. He wouldn't command the kind of salary that would require Denver to deal with a sign-and-trade. They would not need to involve us, unless they just wanted to get rid of their depth and wanted to help us out by doing so.

 

[CruzDude]

Why not Bodiroga to replace Mobley?

Mi imamo našeg boga, ime mu je Bodiroga!.

Bodiroga, eh? Maybe now it is time for him to try the NBA for a couple of years. Sure he is early 30's but he IS a big star and the best shooting guard in Europe the last bunch of years. hmmmmm 8

 

[iheartBrad]

Hmm...I really thought he'd stay...

Does suck as far as trading pieces was concerned...but hopefully everything will still work out okay

 

[Evenstar]

it would be nice if the kings could sign and trade him. if not, thanks for the memories cat, the clutch shots, and good luck the rest of your career

 

[Twix]

I miss the show because I forgot all about it...but good thing they had his interview online. I'm not surprise Cuttino is going to opt out. I had the feeling he was ever since Kings got him from the trade.

Thanks Cuttino and good luck!!

 

[LPKingsFan]

I agree with Brick. Damn.

And I don't think there's even a possibility of sign-and-trade because we're over the cap and can't offer enough for the sign part of sign-and-trade.

I am still of the mind that Mobley's not the right fit for the Kings, but now we have one less valuable piece to trade.

We now have two gaping holes, PF and SG. PF is still more important because Evans is ready to start (praying we're able to keep him), but we still need to pick up a solid, not necessarily spectacular, 2 guard in case Martin struggles.

Our lineup is now

PG: Bibby, Jackson
SG: Martin
SF: Peja
PF: Thomas, Williamson
C: Miller, Ostertag, Skinner

Evans and Songaila are not included because they are not sure to be on the roster. Evans is a free agent and Darius can opt out this year.

I fear to watch, yet I cannot turn away...
~~

Close, but the lineup should look more like this, with players in their true natural positions, not where RA was forced to use them last year:

C: Miller, Tag
PF: Thomas, Skinner
SFeja, Corliss
SG:Martin
PG:Bibby, Bobby

And Thomas is really questionable as a PF, so he could arguably put at SF too. Our holes at SG and PF are big enough to fly a Tag through.

 

[6th]

Close, but the lineup should look more like this, with players in their true natural positions, not where RA was forced to use them last year:

C: Miller, Tag
PF: Thomas, Skinner
SFeja, Corliss
SG:Martin
PG:Bibby, Bobby

And Thomas is really questionable as a PF, so he could arguably put at SF too. Our holes at SG and PF are big enough to fly a Tag through.

Oh my.......you have just given me a visual of Brick's flying platypus with a Tag face. Kids, do not try this at home. It would probably blind you.

 

[piksi]

Our holes at SG and PF are big enough to fly a Tag through.

but only singing in his underwear

 

[Kings-Lakers-Fan]

I liked Mobley's contribuations to the team this season, but at the same time, I never thought we had a place for a player like him. If anything this will give us more cap room to sign a free agent who could be a better fit to our system right? So overall, thanks cat, appreciate your help and best of luck in the future! Although its a shame that we lost one of our "trade potentials".

 

[Gary]

We dont have cap room, but I always felt this team was better when we had our "core" players, and then getting "role" players to fill in the rest.

I would like to see us go for a rebounding PF that does not take shots.. Or maybe start Skinner at PF?

Skinner reminds me of a Udonis Haslem that can block shots.

Than we use Thomas/Williamson to get a couple backups. I would LOVE to see Bjax play some time with Bibby next year. See how well he can do with extended minutes.

Anyone have any idea who would be a good defensive minded SG who does not take a ton of shots? How about mold Evans into that role? He is a great rebounder for the SG spot.

Only thing that scares me is our interior defense, so that will have to be addressed. We need an athletic big body. How about Pollard back?

 

[Team Dime]

It's funny that Pollard got some minutes and his rebounding and energy was a major plus but now he never seems to get any minutes with the Pacers. Maybe he would be available.
Either way, he was one of my favorite Kings due to his hustle and his funny quotes.

 

[SacTownKid]

We dont have cap room, but I always felt this team was better when we had our "core" players, and then getting "role" players to fill in the rest.

I would like to see us go for a rebounding PF that does not take shots.. Or maybe start Skinner at PF?

Skinner reminds me of a Udonis Haslem that can block shots.

Than we use Thomas/Williamson to get a couple backups. I would LOVE to see Bjax play some time with Bibby next year. See how well he can do with extended minutes.

Anyone have any idea who would be a good defensive minded SG who does not take a ton of shots? How about mold Evans into that role? He is a great rebounder for the SG spot.

Only thing that scares me is our interior defense, so that will have to be addressed. We need an athletic big body. How about Pollard back?

Udonis has more of mid-range game, more similar to Kenny Thomas IMO. Skinner could be good at PF. He is a good player as all of saw before his numerous injuries.

 

[SacTownKid]

It's funny that Pollard got some minutes and his rebounding and energy was a major plus but now he never seems to get any minutes with the Pacers. Maybe he would be available.
Either way, he was one of my favorite Kings due to his hustle and his funny quotes.

I know I would love to see Pollard back!! I really miss his willingness to bang around with anybody. The only problem is that he is a serious injury liability because of a bad back.

 

[Bricklayer]

I know I would love to see Pollard back!! I really miss his willingness to bang around with anybody. The only problem is that he is a serious injury liability because of a bad back.

If you see him play in Indiana, he's not the same player he once was. Nobody's answer anymore. If you picked him up a a throwin to make salaries work in a bigger trade, sure. But I don't think anybody is going to be intentionally trading for Scot's ghost at this point.

 

[SacTownKid]

If you see him play in Indiana, he's not the same player he once was. Nobody's answer anymore. If you picked him up a a throwin to make salaries work in a bigger trade, sure. But I don't think anybody is going to be intentionally trading for Scot's ghost at this point.

Actually I have seen him play in Indiana and he looked pretty good to me. Of course nobody is going to make a big play for Scot but he is a good backup.

 

[Folsom Al]

Wow - wealth of Knowledge in this thread ...

About OPT's and Sign-n-Trades ... what's better for the Kings, what's better for Cutino ...

Thanx Everyone !!!

MY bottom-line .... I liked Cutino ... he was trying to do things when NO ONE ELSE COULD .... if his shots woulda went in, we'd all be singing a different tune right about now. But, they didn't ... I believe had other players had the mentallity WIN AT ALL COSTS ... he may have given the ball up more. We'll never know.

I sit home at nights watching these other teams STILL PLAYING and these guys are intense - focused - and determined. I WANT OUR GUYS TO HAVE THAT !!!

Given more playing time together ... maybe the King's could've done something more than what they did.

 

[stevetaebo]

Cuttino made a smart business decision, i had no doubt that he would have opted out since 5 year/30 million is better than one year 6 million.

hopefully the kings won't re-sign him unless it meant a sign/trade. I rather have the kevin martin/evans combo playing at the 2.

 

[VF21]

Our lineup is now

PG: Bibby, Jackson
SG: Martin
SF: Peja
PF: Thomas, Williamson
C: Miller, Ostertag, Skinner

Well, one thing for certain...

There's definitely room for improvement. That line-up simply does not fill me with joy and excitement for the coming year. It's all up to Geoff Petrie...and it will be a true miracle if he can fix it all in one off-season, provided (of course) we don't have a lock-out starting July 1.

 

[Ryle]

Denver being under the cap could sign Mobley out right. We could ultimately give Mobley a much bigger contract, but Mobley isn't that kind of player. He wouldn't command the kind of salary that would require Denver to deal with a sign-and-trade. They would not need to involve us, unless they just wanted to get rid of their depth and wanted to help us out by doing so.

True but I think most teams want to retain as much cap space as possible and would probably like to get rid of a contract in the deal.

 

[Andriod_KiNg]

Im glad, i was kind of worry he would stay, but hes not a fit for our system, the guy played 1 on 1 BB and it cost us some games.

 

[mikebibby1034]

can we get doug back?

i hope we can, i really like doug

 

[mikebibby1034]

Im glad, i was kind of worry he would stay, but hes not a fit for our system, the guy played 1 on 1 BB and it cost us some games.

lol, im glad to see him go too, he just didnt fit the mold of our team

 

[Wert]

i hope we can, i really like doug

Yeah, we really need someone who has lost just about everything we ever liked about him. And is often injured now to boot.

I loved Doug when he played here, but would I want him back?

No thanks.

 

[VF21]

Im glad, i was kind of worry he would stay, but hes not a fit for our system, the guy played 1 on 1 BB and it cost us some games.

Care to elaborate what games Mobley cost us? If you're going to do that, you'd better be prepared to give him credit for the games where (win or lose) he was one of the main contributors.

Some of you are - IMHO - in LaLaLand about this team and the current talent we have left. He's not a fit for our system? Unfortunately we'll never know now just how much he could have contributed. Considering everyone in the organization was still optimistic about him and how much he'd be able to contribute AFTER a training camp and a real chance to get to know the Kings' style of play, etc. I think it's pretty narrow-minded to just write him off as not being worth the trouble.

We did that before - watch #21 on the Phoenix Suns.

 

[4cwebb]

We did that before - watch #21 on the Phoenix Suns.

Amen. I'm still carrying a bit of a grudge against the Maloofs for using the luxury tax as a reason not to resign a guy that could've really helped this Kings team remain competitive in the playoffs, if not this year, then certainly last year. They let the fact that they probably overspent on CWebb, Bibby, and potentially Miller (who signed for an extra year with the Kings instead of the Jazz, I think) cloud their judgment on having a complete team, and Peja hasn't had a consistent back up since that time (been two years now).

Don't get me wrong --- I'm not saying JJackson is a savior, but he's a great guy to have coming off the bench for a competitive team.

As for Mobley, I like his swagger and his competitiveness, but if the Kings want to try to reassemble a team that executes the Princeton offense like the Kings' teams of the past few years, I don't know that he is the best fit at SG. I think it's also important to consider the Kings' timeline in getting back to the top tier of the NBA. If they can make some serious moves this offseason and get a true #1 option in a Sacramento uniform, then I think it might be wise to keep a developed guy like Mobley. If the timeline is a bit more stretched out (goal is just to win 50 games again or something next year and try to develop some cohesiveness among all the new faces), then I wouldn't be surprised to see the Kings let him walk.

 

[LPKingsFan]

I agree with VF that asking Cuttino to step in midseason and have the grasp and flow in the Princeton offense that Doug did is irrational. Yes, he occasionally broke down and went 1 on 1, but that was natural instinct, and actually a trait that some Kings could use more of. My only problem with resigning Cat is that if we keep Peja/Miller/Bibby together, our 2 and 4 have to be really solid, athletic defenders. I don't know if Cat can fit that need.

 

[SactoGreg]

Cat Haters Over-exaggerate

Cuttino Mobley is a good player. I think he'd work out great for the Kings if he gets a full camp under his belt. He needs some time to fit in, somewhere other than regular season games. That's a lot to ask of any player.

Just look at Chris Webber.

Fitting in with a team that runs everything through one player has been a tough transition for him.

Same with Cat.

And I like his drive and his passion. He's not afraid to bark at his team mates, and he is vocal to the media when appropriate (even calls out the refs and gets a fine!).

Honestly, the Kings could use more "Cat"-type personalities to kick it into gear!...

 

[ReinadelosReys]

Coming into the discussion late, but...

1. I would have rather he not opt out. If nothing more, he gave us a bargaining piece, now we stand the chance---a good chance---of gaining nothing. No cap space, no 2 guard-nothing.

2. People say "he didn't fit into our system."

Ok.

Small question: What the *bleep* is our system? The season ended with a lot of questions for all of Kings nation to ponder, but one fact beamed brightly, we are not the same team and we do not have the same system. We cannot go on with the same assumptions of player not fitting into our system because we really don't have clear view of what it is. Heck, we don't even know if he Kings brass still want the same coach. Would Cuttino fit into our vaunted system then?

 

[Rowdyone]

My first thought after the season ended was that we needed to sign our FA's ASAP to retain their trading rights since signing other team's FA's was not cost effective. Then I realized that the parameters of contract negotiations would dictate what you could ulitimately do with the signed contract. Cat's leaving or non-leaving is dictated the same way...it depends on the terms of the ultimate contract. As much as I'd like to think that GP will come to our collective rescue and pull off a major trade that will make us top 5 seeds again I think we should all prepare ourselves for a minimum 2-3 year process before we're knocking on the door again.