Temple Traded for Ben McLemore and Deyonte Davis (merged)

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
I very much doubt they are part of the plan going forward, and they will likely be looking for other jobs next season, if not sooner. Don't want to say this about Davis about whom I know absolutely nothing. However, even after we lose Z-Bo and Kosta next year, we'll have a glut in the front court, so don't see much role for him with us.

My limited point was that they can be useful as trade fillers. Lot of times, teams keep players around till the trade deadline, and if they can't use them in a trade, and they are not in the plans, they are waived. We could do something similar with either of the guys, but there is no rush to do so.

Finally, perhaps I'm being over-sensitive, but I think there is a bit of a stigma attached to being waived. Unless required, I would be reluctant to do it to a player, particularly one like Ben, whom we drafted, and who played for us for several years. At the same time, if the player thinks that waiving him will be helpful to him, in that he may be able to audition for a job better elsewhere, then this becomes a non-issue.
I don't know much about Davis either but according to The Effort Police (HERE Memphis fans aren't too sad to see him gone.

Being waived, just like being traded, is part of the business. Ben is lucky to even still be in the league at this point IMHO.
 
I don’t see what all the first page drama is about. Maybe it got tamer in the next pages..

They’re removing a guy they might feel obligated to play for guys they won’t. Garrett isn’t part of the future. They’re getting about the only asset a Temple can command. Shedding a tad of extra cap space. It’s notnoften you ever get anything at all for a player like Temple in his last contractual year.

If there’s any visible problem right away it’s that we filled all our roster spots but i think one Ben or Davis will be cut.
 
Napear thinks this just about the Kings doing Temple a favor.:rolleyes:
well, if that's the case, at least they got a million in cap space, a second rounder and some extra cash out of it. I can't imagine a lot of teams were knocking down the door to take on Temple at 8M per year....there's a reason he opted into his contract this year. He's not an 8M player in the current market.
 
if there is no move after this move, just a bad trade.. giving up Temple, great locker room guy and amazing person for two players who can not contribute in any way both on and off court (but quite opposite) would be shot in a leg..

that is why I would be really surprised if there is no follow up.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
well, if that's the case, at least they got a million in cap space, a second rounder and some extra cash out of it. I can't imagine a lot of teams were knocking down the door to take on Temple at 8M per year....there's a reason he opted into his contract this year. He's not an 8M player in the current market.
That's fine. Just not what I expected from free agency season.
 
if there is no move after this move, just a bad trade.. giving up Temple, great locker room guy and amazing person for two players who can not contribute in any way both on and off court (but quite opposite) would be shot in a leg..

that is why I would be really surprised if there is no follow up.
Yeah, it's the only thing that makes sense -- which is why it probably won't play out that way. It's sad, but I just don't have any faith that it will lead to a logical move.
 
Zbo + WCS + Ben + Davis + Shumpert for Ryan Anderson + Clint Capela (S&T)?

Then, Mason + KK for Melo + 2022 unprotected 1st?

Then sign a couple guys to fill backup 1, 2, and 3 spots?
 
Fox / XXX
Bogdan / Buddy
Melo / XXX
Bagley / Anderson
Capela / Giles

Melo gets traded at the deadline for more picks or prospects.
It took everything I had get through last seasons experiment of potentially sacrificing development to get Randolph isolation shots. I don't think I could go through that again with Melo.
 
We paid him $8 million a year. We don't owe him a damn thing. Why does it seem like this team is constantly doing favors for other teams and players every year?
Would rather had GT not opt in to begin with and given the Kings the 8 Mil in cap space right away
He could have done us a favor, instead he leaves us with Ben and Davis and 1 mil cap space?
We should have told him to opt out if he wants to get signed to a team long term or go to Europe
 
BMac's problem is between his ears. There have been hints and whispers from Sac Bee that the dude is dumb as a rock.
If only this were the extent of it. We didn't need the Sac Bee to tell us Ben was not the brightest bulb in the shed, but intelligence is not where his problems begin or end. He has issues with toughness, defensive awareness, playing through contact, shooting consistency, using his left hand, creating space, anticipating plays and rebounds, getting lost on back cuts, etc. He has (had) a lot of issues. You could argue his intelligence has affected his ability to address the areas that have held him back. There is allegedly a correlation between IQ and reaction time and I believe this to be true. The smarter you are the more you are able to process information, sort it, order it, process it, discern relevant from irrelevant stimuli, make the correct decisions and take appropriate actions.

The latter issue you raise is one of professionalism and work ethic. My recollection however is the Kings coaches applauded Ben for how hard he worked, it just never translated. The last point when Ben says he didn't know his role, I think this was an inelegant way of saying he didn't know how he fit in the offense. He didn't know if or when or where shots would come from. There was a degree of truth to this with Boogie dominating possessions as much as he did. Ben was never more than the 4th or 5th option on offense. While it is true he did not do anything to deserve a more prominent role, I can somewhat sympathize with a guy who would run and down the floor for whole quarters without the ball coming to him. I have mixed feelings on this and don't want to sound like I am defending Ben, but Boogie could be a ball hog. It is hard to play with a ball hog.

It is conceivable Ben would fit better in an uptempo style getting out on the break with Fox and Bagley. It is easier to envision success for him this way than half court, to the extent he is even capable of being a rotational player getting 15-20 MPG. I am not even saying this is possible. It is the best case scenario if the stars align or some other divine supernatural event bestows the player and team.
 
If only this were the extent of it. We didn't need the Sac Bee to tell us Ben was not the brightest bulb in the shed, but intelligence is not where his problems begin or end. He has issues with toughness, defensive awareness, playing through contact, shooting consistency, using his left hand, creating space, anticipating plays and rebounds, getting lost on back cuts, etc. He has (had) a lot of issues. You could argue his intelligence has affected his ability to address the areas that have held him back. There is allegedly a correlation between IQ and reaction time and I believe this to be true. The smarter you are the more you are able to process information, sort it, order it, process it, discern relevant from irrelevant stimuli, make the correct decisions and take appropriate actions.

The latter issue you raise is one of professionalism and work ethic. My recollection however is the Kings coaches applauded Ben for how hard he worked, it just never translated. The last point when Ben says he didn't know his role, I think this was an inelegant way of saying he didn't know how he fit in the offense. He didn't know if or when or where shots would come from. There was a degree of truth to this with Boogie dominating possessions as much as he did. Ben was never more than the 4th or 5th option on offense. While it is true he did not do anything to deserve a more prominent role, I can somewhat sympathize with a guy who would run and down the floor for whole quarters without the ball coming to him. I have mixed feelings on this and don't want to sound like I am defending Ben, but Boogie could be a ball hog. It is hard to play with a ball hog.

It is conceivable Ben would fit better in an uptempo style getting out on the break with Fox and Bagley. It is easier to envision success for him this way than half court, to the extent he is even capable of being a rotational player getting 15-20 MPG. I am not even saying this is possible. It is the best case scenario if the stars align or some other divine supernatural event bestows the player and team.
Pretty sure that just means he's a terrible basketball player. It's too bad though, could have said something special if Cousins, Tyreke, and Ben figured it out. In the case of Tyreke and especially Ben, the stuff between the ears was severely lacking.
 
Oh please. They didn't treat him badly or make him feel unwelcome which is a stupid jerk move idea to begin with. If we want to draw free agents in the future, you don't do the kinds of things you're trying to say the Kings should have done just to rationalize your own weird take. The idea that Tenple didn't want to be here is, BTW, totally without basis in fact of any kind.
I don't know why you want to debate a trivial speculative point but did I even say the Kings treated him badly? The Kings could have informed Temple in tactful way through his agent they did not envision him in their plans to get him to opt-out. Tell him they were unhappy and dissatisfied with his play, a fair assessment, and did not expect significant improvement at age 32. He was a pretty much a shot happy bricklayer and his defensive intensity and effectiveness waned. A new home might serve him well, I would say. I would have gone a step further and say "inform your client do not expect playing time in 2018-19". I would play hardball! If perceived as a jerk oh well! If it meant saving 8M off my cap space to help turn my team around it would be worth it. This is not personal. This is business. Danny Ainge traded Isaiah after he had an incredible year was Top 5 MVP candidate, hero in Boston set for a mega contract. You don't think that was cold-blooded? It was, but in retrospect it was the right move. It is not a perfectly analogous but you get my point. You cannot worry about niceties when you are trying to construct a winner. Maybe the Kings should have been more cold blooded with Temple. Could have saved some dough and wouldn't have to suffer through Ben again! :p
 
I don't know why you want to debate a trivial speculative point but did I even say the Kings treated him badly? The Kings could have informed Temple in tactful way through his agent they did not envision him in their plans to get him to opt-out. Tell him they were unhappy and dissatisfied with his play, a fair assessment, and did not expect significant improvement at age 32. He was a pretty much a shot happy bricklayer and his defensive intensity and effectiveness waned. A new home might serve him well, I would say. I would have gone a step further and say "inform your client do not expect playing time in 2018-19". I would play hardball! If perceived as a jerk oh well! If it meant saving 8M off my cap space to help turn my team around it would be worth it. This is not personal. This is business. Danny Ainge traded Isaiah after he had an incredible year was Top 5 MVP candidate, hero in Boston set for a mega contract. You don't think that was cold-blooded? It was, but in retrospect it was the right move. It is not a perfectly analogous but you get my point. You cannot worry about niceties when you are trying to construct a winner. Maybe the Kings should have been more cold blooded with Temple. Could have saved some dough and wouldn't have to suffer through Ben again! :p
There is zero chance they played it like that. Come on man. I’m sure they told him he wasn’t in their plans going forward, but no way they disrespect him and tried to poison the relationship so he wouldn’t opt in. You might think that’s the smart play here, but no way the team does. They are trying to create a positive culture and I’m sure part of that is doing well by players that have contributed in the locker room and sac community like Temple has.
 
There is zero chance they played it like that. Come on man. I’m sure they told him he wasn’t in their plans going forward, but no way they disrespect him and tried to poison the relationship so he wouldn’t opt in. You might think that’s the smart play here, but no way the team does. They are trying to create a positive culture and I’m sure part of that is doing well by players that have contributed in the locker room and sac community like Temple has.
Offering an honest assessment of his season is not "disrespect". And neither is excluding him from future plans and letting him know in no uncertain terms. I mean, it all depends how you word it, right ? I am not saying above is what I would say verbatim. Maybe I would I don't know depends on the push back I got from the agent LOL. But this speaks to my main point that those discussions, regardless of how blunt or tactful they may have been precipitated today. Today was likely following through on mutual desire for both parties to move on. There was speculation this is the first step preceding another move. I hope so and I hope we get Capella but I think today happens whether we have another move in the works or not.
 
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