I have seen enough of Perry's "acumen" to say it would set us back
years if we entrust the rebuilding to him.
I get the feeling that he works for the agents rather than the Kings. Don't forget that this is the "mastermind" that brought over decrepit ZBo and Vince Carter. Maybe it's just me but using Sacramento as a retirement home (to curry favor with agents) is insulting. Oh, he was also the guy that squandered first round picks by drafting Justin Jackson and Harry Giles when Star level talent was still on the board. We have seen this movie before and we know how it ends.
Ok, let's be fair. Maybe he has learnt this lessons from his previous stint and has grown smarter now? Let's see his recent moves.
Net Positive:
- Retained the scouting team from last year
- Drafted Nique for a lottery protected FRP - good value and we get "equivalent" talent two years earlier - has starter potential
- Drafted Max in the second round - good value for a skilled non-defensive center
- Re-signed Keegan - retained young talent at a reasonable contract
- Signed Westbrook - good value for his contract but makes the Dennis signing redundant
Neutral:
- Drafted Cardwell - has potential to be a defensive specialist in a deep rotation
- Signed Eubanks - fair value for a bench guy - a bit better than advertised
- Signed Precious - fair value for a bench guy - not starting caliber even in short stints
Net Negative:
- (His Top priority - Marquee signing) Signed Dennis as a starter - now an overpaid bench player - $15M/year extra burden in this CBA
- (His First signing) Signed McDermott - doesn't play - wasted roster spot
- (His First re-signing) Signed Isaac Jones - didn't play much and was waived - wasted signing
- (His First trade) Traded JV for Saric - doesn't play - wasted roster spot - egregious because we gave up a starting caliber center that provided toughness and scoring - who filled in well for Sabonis last year
- Not re-signing Keon yet - should have been a no-brainer to lock up talent on a tradeable contract - we still have time to re-sign Keon but the lack of prioritization is revealing
- Has not helped Christie get better assistants to overcome his limitations - making old friend Mike Woodson, who was unceremoniously dumped by Indiana University for ineptitude, as an associate head coach reeks of nepotism - he got fellow podcaster BJ Armstrong a gig too in the FO - no wonder we ended up with this abominable version of pickup basketball
If writing motivational quotes was our requirement as a GM, I think he has earned his contract. When it comes to basketball, his "masterstrokes" has left the team smaller and
more unbalanced than last year. We needed front court help and he went the opposite way leaving us with 1 center and 1 power forward with no quality backup that can even hold the fort. Talking about defensive culture and signing non-defensive guys is nonsensical. Clogging the development of the youth by signing "over the hill" vets reveals the lack of foresight.
It may appear a bit harsh to make judgments before the trading floodgates open on Dec 15 but whatever I have seen till now does not inspire confidence. He inherited a mess and he has made it much worse. The results so far are underwhelming but the thinking behind the actions is more distressing. I wish I could be charitable but I need to see
some sign of competence before extending the benefit of doubt to a nepo hire.