Petrie and Cooper meeting with Ryan Anderson

[TTown Kings]

With smarts obsession with small ball I think the Anderson at SF can be laid to rest

This. I think people around here have completely forgotten about what types of lineup they used last year.

If Ryan Anderson gets signed, you better believe you'll be seeing him at the 4 with Reke still playing the 3, MT at the 2 and IT at the point. An even smaller and worse defensive unit then last year. No thanks.

I'm thinking this is a JT back-up plan. Signing them both would just be odd IMO. More square pegs...

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

First, we don't know if Smart's smallballyness was by design or out of what he thought was necessity. Options were limited because the production out of everyone who wasn't starting was horrible.

In some world, Robinson can guard 3's on defense and play the 4 on offense, while Anderson does the opposite. Spot up as a 3 man on offense, bang down low on defense.

I normally wouldn't trust this front office to do something like this, but this HAS to be the plan, right? Has too. Doesn't make sense to lock up more big money on this position if it isn't.

 

[ESP47]

I was under the assumption that Anderson was a SF. Had no idea he was a PF. He's definitely not the type of PF I would want on the team. He can shoot 3's and rebound decently well but he's a terrible defender and only shoots 44% from the floor as a 6'10" guy. Going from Orlando to Sac will only make his efficiency worse since he wont have a Howard to help him get open. He'd be the best 3pt shooter on our team but we'd take a huge hit on D if we replaced JT with him.

Besides like you guys already said, he's not going to go from starter on a playoff team to a backup on one of the worst franchises in sports.

 

[Bballkingsrock]

Now I am ALWAYS a fan of playing big. And this would be a way to get a big SF, who shoots threes, and who would be physical at the position. However here again we run into our shotblocking issue. Playing guys on the perimeter who can't stay in front of their men is dangerous if you don't have an eraser back behind them to protect the rim.

Now, I am just trying to think like the Maloofs and Petrie but with shotblockers going around $10-12 million dollars, which the Kings do not have.

Do you think Hassan is that shotblocker that Petrie is thinking of finally unleashing? I think he could put up a solid 10-15 minutes of solid shotblocking intimidation that the Kings could use.

 

[JB_kings]

To the other point of why Anderson would want to go from being a starter on a playoff team to the bench on the Kings. The answer might be pretty simple. It's more about what is in the future for the Magic. It's looking like it won't be long before Dwight Howard is gone from Orlando. No Howard - No playoffs. Instantly worse team than the Kings and in rebuilding mode unless they pull off a trade of all stars. I don't even think he makes sense for the Magic to resign if Howard is gone. He's a player that brings a top level skill in shooting to the mix, but unless they can pry another Howard type all star from another team, the rebuild through the draft and won't spend big on Anderson. I don't know what other teams are going to be looking to sign him. But can you name any playoff teams that would use him as a starting PF?

 

[ParniValjak]

This organization NEVER learns!

Anderson is a nice player but outside of that shooting stroke, he is everything we don't need. Completely the wrong type of player for us.

 

[rainmaker]

I think fans are getting hung up on the starting thing. If you sign Anderson, it's not about filling slots in a starting lineup. It's about being able to put an offense on the floor in the final possessions of a close game and being able to put pressure on the defense by spreading it out to cover everyone. Spacing for Cousins and Tyreke to operate is a major benefit. That is something the Kings just can't do now no matter how awesomely talented those players are. But I bet defenses don't sag off Anderson in the corner unless they want to give up a three. There has to be a perimeter threat in there to keep the defense honest. I'm sure nobody wants to see Tyreke drive into traffic or Cousins getting double teamed when the game is on the line. I would be great to plug in one name like Batum that can do it all. But he is not going to be a King, so maybe the answer lies in a few players instead.

Well, I think TRob/Ryan and the prospect of both playing PF would have problems at some point. Ryan at SF is an interesting idea. There's no doubt hos shooting would be welcomed here, but I think the larger issue is defense. As a PF he's not that good defensively, maybe about average, and that was with D12 behind him. At SF is an even bigger question mark. The idea of him and TRob simply switching every trip down the court with Ryan covering PF's and TRob covering SF's is tougher in reality than on paper. Constantly switching in transition would leave the worst defensive team in the league, us, even more vulnerable in transition. Much easier to stick with the guy who just guarded you running back on defense than tracking someone else across the court.

What are your thoughts on the defense? I haven't seen you mention it. Right now I think defense if more important for this team than gaining offense.

 

[JB_kings]

This organization NEVER learns!

Anderson is a nice player but outside of that shooting stroke, he is everything we don't need. Completely the wrong type of player for us.

Actually he does have one skill that is sorely needed, killer three point range for a big man. That is great thing to have. It's a tough cover for defenses. Yes the Kings need better defensive players and shot blocking. But you can't say they don't need what Anderson brings because actually they really do.

 

[captain bill]

This organization NEVER learns!

Anderson is a nice player but outside of that shooting stroke, he is everything we don't need. Completely the wrong type of player for us.

Having a legit 3pt shooter who's sniffing 40% would do wonders for this offense. So yeah he is everything we do need-on offense.

People also seem to brush off the fact that he's from Elk Grove. Having a local kid who would speak up for the city might do a lot of good for this franchise, and I personally think the satisfaction of having him on the team would be great from a fan perspective.

I think the Kings have to make a run at him. It's certiainly possible to carry JT and Anderson for at least one year- they shouldn't be too expensive, if Anderson at SF works Petrie looks like a genius, if it doesn't TRob and JT/RA can split minutes this year and then next year the team can decide on one player and move the other. Robinson most likely will be on limited minutes, especially early on in the season, so the team would have time to figure out what works. It would also firmly put Tyreke back at PG, which would be a big plus.

 

[macadocious]

He's from El Dorado Hills.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Kings are one of if not the worst shooting team in NBA last season. Ryan Anderson would be a very valuable, stretch opposing D upgrade on that count. His rebounding has improved a lot and last season saw big improvement on the boards. I agree defense is not his calling card but it's not been hopeless, especially with Howard having his back. Someone whisper to Coach Smart - more zone-D I'm all for pursing Ryan if JT leaves, otherwise it would not make much sense.

 

[JB_kings]

Well, I think TRob/Ryan and the prospect of both playing PF would have problems at some point. Ryan at SF is an interesting idea. There's no doubt hos shooting would be welcomed here, but I think the larger issue is defense. As a PF he's not that good defensively, maybe about average, and that was with D12 behind him. At SF is an even bigger question mark. The idea of him and TRob simply switching every trip down the court with Ryan covering PF's and TRob covering SF's is tougher in reality than on paper. Constantly switching in transition would leave the worst defensive team in the league, us, even more vulnerable in transition. Much easier to stick with the guy who just guarded you running back on defense than tracking someone else across the court.

What are your thoughts on the defense? I haven't seen you mention it. Right now I think defense if more important for this team than gaining offense.

In a perfect world the Kings would add Batum and have a great two way player that would fill a few needs. But reality should have sunk in now that there is zero chance he's coming to play here. Then you start getting into guys like AK47 who would be great, but he's not very likely coming here either and so on... Finding that player at the Kings budget is long shot. That's why I think it's going to take a deeper bench of regular players to get the job done. And that's fine if one of those guys comes in with proven world class shooting skills in the NBA.

I think with Anderson and JT, Anderson is the plan B in case JT gets an offer the Kings get heartburn over. So if we do end up with Anderson instead of JT, I think Anderson would compliment Cousins as a starter much the way he did for Howard. At least until Robinson starts showing what he is capable of doing.

I'm not a fan of playing Anderson at SF on defense. Barring the signing of a defense oriented SF, I would play Cousins, Anderson and Outlaw together. I think you need that long player who can cover a large area. Outlaw's issues are more to do with him thinking he's a scorer first. I think he can be a pretty good defender if he accepts the role. As for the guards, I'm one of those who think Thornton needs to come off the bench and IT and Reke start. It's not perfect, but those two don't have as many defensive mental lapses as MT does during a game.

The key is that you can still bring in guys from the bench that defend one on one better and get away with some zone at times. They can make a substantial improvement on defense with the guys they have. They won't be championship caliber, but they can do a heck of a lot better. It's a culture issue in my eyes. And this is one that Keith Smart better get into his mindset if he wants to continue coaching beyond this season. He has to drill into their heads on day one of camp and hold them all accountable when they screw up. It's what Popavich does and anything short of a complete defensive culture change and he can go back to being a career assistant.

 

[KingsCitizen]

The best way for Anderson to play on this team is if he is willing to sometimes come off the bench behind TRob. He can be a starter PF against teams with non-scoring bigs like OKC or Bobcats. But on most cases, I'd prefer TRob over him at PF.

On the SF thing, maybe he could work against teams like San Antonio who seems to only put their SF for corner threes. He doesn't have to do a lot on defense for that case plus he got 4 inch advantage over Kawhi. But hard to see how he can deliver it every night against any team.

If Anderson agrees to that sort of playing, he'll be a good addition.

 

[Prince_XY]

C- Cousins, 6' 11"(Whiteside 10-12 minutes)
PF- Anderson 6' 10"( "or" JT, Hayes if needed)
SF- TRob, 6' 9"(Outlaw 10-12 minutes, Honeycutt garbage time)
SG- Thornton 6' 4"(Salmons 10-12 minutes, Garcia garbage time)
PG- Evans 6' 6"(IT 10-12 minutes, Fredette if needed)

The key would be TRob playing the SF to get the best combination of BIG players starting at the same time. If Peja was able to do it, TRob can certainly do it too. And it can be done. TRob actually looks quicker and faster than Peja and therefore will be more capable of guarding the quicker and bigger SFs of todays NBA teams. Nevermind that he can't shoot the 3s and spread the floor on offense, because Anderson can. Also, with the kind of motor he had shown in College, Lebron can run all day and TRob will be all over him all day too.

I think we should start using Whiteside to accelerate his development. He was drafted for this purpose anyways. Also, there is a scarcity of shot-blocking bigs and if they are available the Maloofs can't afford to sign one.

 

[Fresno King]

Outlaw, cash and our 2nd round pick in next year's draft to the Lakers for Artest. Won't happen, but he's the perfect answer to our SF problem - on the court. Off of it, he would be a nightmare in that young locker room. Guess I just contradicted myself.

 

[Prince_XY]

Outlaw, cash and our 2nd round pick in next year's draft to the Lakers for Artest. Won't happen, but he's the perfect answer to our SF problem - on the court. Off of it, he would be a nightmare in that young locker room. Guess I just contradicted myself.

lol

 

[Mass]

I think ANderson would be a backup plan in case JT gets an offer we don't want to match. So, in this scenario, it's right to have a plan B. I wouldn't overpay for him, because he still has some question marks. Can he be effective without Dwight? Last season, when Howard went down, Anderson started to struggle and play worse. The good thing is that we have big Cuz in the middle, and Ryan could open up space for him and hit the 3 when they double Cousins.

But the question is, can he play the 3? The simple answer is "no". I checked some Orlando Magic boards, and they where laughing when they read we would like to play him at 3. They say he's not athletic enough to guard 3, and he would be killed on D. I agree with that, I don't believe he is a 3, but I also think that we could find a way to play him, Robinson and Cousins together. Maybe Petrie think that Robinson is quick enough to guard SF's. Personally, I'd rather have T-Rob on Lebron than Evans or Salmons. If this is the case, T-Rob could be a 3 on defense, and a 4 on offense, with Ryan Anderson being a 4 on defense and a 3 a la Peja on offense. That's a big lineup, no smallball there. Will it work? I don't know. Is he a perfect fit? No, but he fills a need. We need outside shooting. We would still have a lack of shot blocking, but if Hassan will start to see good minutes, maybe we already have our shot blocker for 15 minutes per night. I also believe Anderson is a good defender, at least agains 4s, so we might even improve on D with him and T-Rob out there, along with Cousins, Evans and Thomas.

If we get him, I highly doubt JT will be back. But right now we don't know what JT is doing, if he really wants to come back or if he's waiting for some offers. Maybe he doesn't feel like coming back after the Kings drafted Robinson. Who knows. At least I'm glad to see some sort of activity by the Kings in this FA market.

 

[sterö]

Outlaw, cash and our 2nd round pick in next year's draft to the Lakers for Artest. Won't happen, but he's the perfect answer to our SF problem - on the court. Off of it, he would be a nightmare in that young locker room. Guess I just contradicted myself.

I definitely don't want Metta World War again...

 

[ParniValjak]

In the NBA you are able to play the position if you are able to defend it. With this reasoning, Anderson is not a 3 and if you are going to have Anderson guarding SFs out on the perimeter then you better make sure you have a shot blocker back there covering his *** because he will get beat by majority of SFs in the NBA.

This idea of Anderson playing SF and Robinson playing PF on offence and the other way around on defence is nice in theory but scary in practice as the transition D would be horrendous with all the switching.

Offensively, as a SF Anderson fit like a glove. Great range and sweet stroke that would make life so much easier for both Cousins and Evans BUT it would be disastrous defensively. This organization just does not get it. They continue to look at one side of the ball while completely ignoring the other. Great teams are built on great defence but we continue to look at ways to be high octane offensive team and to hell with defence.

Now if JT bolts, then Anderson makes some sense BUT even then, he is the wrong type of player that we are replacing JT with. Our 3rd big needs to be a 4/5 type who is a strong rebounder, strong shot blocker and not a liability offensively. The last thing we need our 3rd big, or starting PF to be for that matter is a stretch 4 what will continue to jack up shots.

I still have ask the question, how many balls are we going to play with. We have too many player looking to score as is, the last thing we need to do is add another one. If anything, we need to get rid off one or two that we already have.

 

[Entity]

I don't get why most here have Anderson as a starter here at any position? Re-sign JT sign Anderson trade Hayes and BAM you got a versatile and deep from court.

jt trob Anderson whiteside and cousins

 

[gatoradeSD]

get rid of hayes, problem solved

 

[ParniValjak]

get rid of hayes, problem solved

Substitute the little defence we have for yet more offence?

Way to go!

 

[Mass]

Substitute the little defence we have for yet more offence?

Way to go!

I know what you mean, and I agree for the most part. But if Hayes is the player we saw last year, I take Anderson in a hearthbeat.

 

[gatoradeSD]

Substitute the little defence we have for yet more offence?

Way to go!

Hayes did absolutely nothing to help this team last year. dont even try to defend him. no pun intended

 

[ParniValjak]

I am in no way shape or form on the Hayes bandwagon. In fact I have been the most vocal AGAINST his signing last off-season BUT

The last thing this team needs more of is players whose main characteristic is to score. Anderson is exactly that type of player. His calling card is that sweet shot and range that he has. He is a solid rebounder but a whole lot of "meh" after that.

Now Anderson > Hayes all day, every day. In fact overall Anderson > JT BUT neither is true for this particular team. We need defensive role players and LOTS of them. We already have too many players looking to score and not enough willing to do the dirty work. We don't need to add to that. If anything, we need to take away some of that scoring instinct from what we already have and turn that into more defensive role players.

Now as much as I dislike Hayes, I do think that he is our best man defender from all the bigs...if you call him big but you know what I mean. Even in a horror season that he had, he has shown that he is still a very capable and willing defender. Would I trade Hayes for Dalembert or Camby?! In a heartbeat, before you could blink and I am always interested in dumping Hayes' and Salmons' contract but this team needs more offence as much as a recovering junkie needs a new hit.

The thought process with all this defies all logic for me. If JT leaves, it becomes somewhat valid back up plan as Anderson is just about the only free agent that would consider playing for us but he is still the wrong type of player for this team. This team is in desperate need of more defensive muscle, not another guy looking to put the points on board.

 

[gatoradeSD]

well we havent added anyone to help our atrocious Defense yet. so if you cant beat em join em. aka add more offensive firepower lol

 

[Glenn]

Petrie doesn't go for defense, does he? Perhaps in this chat with Anderson he is just being pragmatic. He is working for a team that can attract no FAs. He goes off beat, I suppose, and picks an El Dorado Hills player who actually is somewhat Peja-like in his shooting ability and height. More Peja-like in height than shooting but a good shooter nonetheless. Defense? Probably not great but how great was Peja? Peja didn't have a shot blocker backing him up.

In any case, as JT and Anderson are RFAs, it is likely that Anderson will go back to the Magic and JT will come back to the Kings. The Magic are in a state of flux with their relationship with Howard and it has been suggested by at least one person that they might not want Anderson back. I don't understand that as if they are going into a rebuild, why get rid of a guy who would be part of the rebuild? I suspect a lot of people know more about what the Magic is doing than I do because I don't pay much attention to any team but the Kings. I'll undoubtedly learn more as the day progresses.

At least Petrie is being active and perhaps is doing about all this crumbling franchise can do. An offer has been made to JT and I believe TWill. This seems to be Plan A and who can argue it given the big picture?

 

[Kingster]

Anderson may be the best Petrie can get. But he's not a 3, because he can't guard 3s. He sure would provide a lot of outside firepower, just not stability at the 3.

So you're back to using mitigating measures to solve the 3 problem: zone; playing T-Will, Salmons, Outlaw, Garcia depending on the matchups. It's possible Robinson could play 3 defensively, but even if he could that doesn't seem perfect either because of the switching problem in getting back on D. It could also affect his ability to get defensive rebounds, as he might be out guarding 3s at the 3 pt line.

This move to get Anderson would therefore be primarily to just solve replacing Thompson if he goes bye bye. It's hard to believe that Anderson would come to Sacto with both Thompson and Robinson there to compete for the position. You also have to wonder if there is some sort of deal out there with Orlando. Seems strange for the Kings to have this conversation with a restricted FA, if only because you usually can't get a restricted FA on the cheap.

 

[Glenn]

Anderson may be the best Petrie can get. But he's not a 3, because he can't guard 3s. He sure would provide a lot of outside firepower, just not stability at the 3.

So you're back to using mitigating measures to solve the 3 problem: zone; playing T-Will, Salmons, Outlaw, Garcia depending on the matchups. It's possible Robinson could play 3 defensively, but even if he could that doesn't seem perfect either because of the switching problem in getting back on D.

This move to get Anderson would therefore be primarily to just solve replacing Thompson if he goes bye bye. It's hard to believe that Anderson would come to Sacto with both Thompson and Robinson there to compete for the position. You also have to wonder if there is some sort of deal out there with Orlando. Seems strange for the Kings to have this conversation with a restricted FA, if only because you usually can't get a restricted FA on the cheap.

I was wondering about this. Not sure what is possible or legal under the CBA but a switch of players makes sense to us. Drafting TRob has made this whole situation complicated but perhaps in a good way.

In a non basketball sense, I'd like Anderson. It would make the season interesting because he is from the area rather than absolutely painful as usual.

 

[Kingster]

I was wondering about this. Not sure what is possible or legal under the CBA but a switch of players makes sense to us. Drafting TRob has made this whole situation complicated but perhaps in a good way.

In a non basketball sense, I'd like Anderson. It would make the season interesting because he is from the area rather than absolutely painful as usual.

It does seem odd. If on the one hand the Kings are not interested in getting into a bidding war for the resticted FA Thompson, then why on the other hand would they do such a thing for Anderson? Unless, there is a deal of some kind. Could Orlando possibly work with the Kings so that Anderson can go home? Especially if their entire team is going to be re-made sans Howard? Like you, I just have the questions at this point.