The Kings and Freeagency:

[bajaden]

Now that it looks like were going to have a season, and freeagency period. I thought I'd take a look at exactly where the Kings are. According to reports, as to the new CBA, the cap for next season will remain the same as last season. Which is just slightly over 58 million dollars.

The Kings current salaries, counting all players still under contract add up to $30,239,949.00. That leaves $27,760,051.00 with which to resign Thornton, and sign all three of our draft picks. Fredette's salary is pre-ordained and, I'm guessing here, but it should be around 2 mil. I tried to check, but the NBPA's website is down right now. So I'm basing it on what Paul George got the year before. I doubt that both I. Thomas and Honeycutt's salaries add up to more than 1.5 mil. And thats if both make the team, or possibly one plays in europe.

So if you substract the draftpicks salaries, your left with $24,260,051.00. I have no idea
how much it will take to sign Thornton, but I doubt it will be more than 5 mil. Which takes us down to around 19 mil left. Which leads me to my next question. Who would you rather have at the SF position? Salmons, or Caron Butler, Shane Battier, or Andrei Kirilenko? Of the four, Battier is the oldest. Salmons is 31 and Kirilenko is 30.

Salmons is due $8,500,000.00 this coming season. Would Kirilenko play for that amount of money? If so, wouldn't you prefer Kirilenko? At 6'9" he's a very long SF, while Salmons measurements lean more to the SG size. Would Battier play for that amount of money? Or perhaps, because of his age, less. Kirilenko's overall career numbers are better than anyone's. He's averaged 12.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, , and 2.0 BPG. His numbers last season weren't too far off those numbers, and he's been playing extremely well in europe. While Salmons would be an improvement at the SF position, Kirilenko would be a giant improvement.

What I'm suggesting is that we could use the amnesty clause on Salmons, and then use that money to sign Kirilenko, or if not possible, Battier. Because of the age difference, I perfer Kirilenko. And because of our available capspace, we would have the luxury of going after Kirilenko first, and if successful, then use the amnesty clause. That way all the bases are covered.

At that point, we still have the 19 mil left. We could then pursue Dalembert, Chandler or whomever. Or, we could decide to go with Cousins, Thompson, and Hickson as the main rotation, add a 4th bench big, or hope that Whiteside develops enough to make a deference on defense. Then wait till the next freeagency period which has more talent. I don't have a preference here, but it would be hard to pass up on Chandler or Dalembert if either is willing to sign on the dotted line for a reasonable price. However, I wouldn't be as unwilling to go with Cousins, Thompson, Hickson, and Whiteside, if I had Kirilenko on the team. He's a terrific weakside help defender, and shotblocker.

I'm sure I'll get some opposing points of view, but at least its nice to talk about basketball again.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Now that it looks like were going to have a season, and freeagency period. I thought I'd take a look at exactly where the Kings are. According to reports, as to the new CBA, the cap for next season will remain the same as last season. Which is just slightly over 58 million dollars.

The Kings current salaries, counting all players still under contract add up to $30,239,949.00. That leaves $27,760,051.00 with which to resign Thornton, and sign all three of our draft picks. Fredette's salary is pre-ordained and, I'm guessing here, but it should be around 2 mil. I tried to check, but the NBPA's website is down right now. So I'm basing it on what Paul George got the year before. I doubt that both I. Thomas and Honeycutt's salaries add up to more than 1.5 mil. And thats if both make the team, or possibly one plays in europe.

So if you substract the draftpicks salaries, your left with $24,260,051.00. I have no idea
how much it will take to sign Thornton, but I doubt it will be more than 5 mil. Which takes us down to around 19 mil left. Which leads me to my next question. Who would you rather have at the SF position? Salmons, or Caron Butler, Shane Battier, or Andrei Kirilenko? Of the four, Battier is the oldest. Salmons is 31 and Kirilenko is 30.

Salmons is due $8,500,000.00 this coming season. Would Kirilenko play for that amount of money? If so, wouldn't you prefer Kirilenko? At 6'9" he's a very long SF, while Salmons measurements lean more to the SG size. Would Battier play for that amount of money? Or perhaps, because of his age, less. Kirilenko's overall career numbers are better than anyone's. He's averaged 12.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, , and 2.0 BPG. His numbers last season weren't too far off those numbers, and he's been playing extremely well in europe. While Salmons would be an improvement at the SF position, Kirilenko would be a giant improvement.

What I'm suggesting is that we could use the amnesty clause on Salmons, and then use that money to sign Kirilenko, or if not possible, Battier. Because of the age difference, I perfer Kirilenko. And because of our available capspace, we would have the luxury of going after Kirilenko first, and if successful, then use the amnesty clause. That way all the bases are covered.

At that point, we still have the 19 mil left. We could then pursue Dalembert, Chandler or whomever. Or, we could decide to go with Cousins, Thompson, and Hickson as the main rotation, add a 4th bench big, or hope that Whiteside develops enough to make a deference on defense. Then wait till the next freeagency period which has more talent. I don't have a preference here, but it would be hard to pass up on Chandler or Dalembert if either is willing to sign on the dotted line for a reasonable price. However, I wouldn't be as unwilling to go with Cousins, Thompson, Hickson, and Whiteside, if I had Kirilenko on the team. He's a terrific weakside help defender, and shotblocker.

I'm sure I'll get some opposing points of view, but at least its nice to talk about basketball again.

after locking up Thornton, I say go hard after Nene and Marc Gasol. Then I go after Shane Battier. he is the professional leader this team desperately needs, between him and Francisco we would have good role models for rookies and DMC. I would still go after Dally and bring him back also.

Tyreke, Jimmer, Thomas
Thornton, Salmons, Cisco and Honeycutt
Battier, Salmons, Greene, Honeycutt
DMC, Nene or Gasol, Hickson, JT
Dally, DMC, Hickson, JT

something like this...

if we need to send Thomas, Honeycutt or Whiteside to Reno to clear room so be it.

 

[boffacheerios]

after locking up Thornton, I say go hard after Nene and Marc Gasol. Then I go after Shane Battier. he is the professional leader this team desperately needs, between him and Francisco we would have good role models for rookies and DMC. I would still go after Dally and bring him back also.

Tyreke, Jimmer, Thomas
Thornton, Salmons, Cisco and Honeycutt
Battier, Salmons, Greene, Honeycutt
DMC, Nene or Gasol, Hickson, JT
Dally, DMC, Hickson, JT

something like this...

if we need to send Thomas, Honeycutt or Whiteside to Reno to clear room so be it.

Uh, I think the chances of picking up Dalembert AND Nene/Gasol are slim to none and a bit redundant, added to the fact that it's not going to be cheap to pry either one away from their respective teams. If we're overpaying for a guy he'd better be THE MAN and not somebody who's a tempory big off the bench. Pick up Gasol and Battier and the entire team's mentality will chage and transfer into hard fought wins IMO. I"m also one to believe we're better off with jimmer as the starter (very encouraged by his passing) and save thornton to play big minutes off the bench as a scorer. So to me, a lineup could look something like this:

Fredette, Thornton, Thomas
Evans, Thornton, Garcia, Honeycutt
Battier, Salmons, Greene, Honeycutt
Cousins, Hickson, Thompson
Gasol, Thompson, Whiteside

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I have plenty of thoughts on how we should approach this offseason .. too many to list right now, but I'll throw some things out there to talk about ..

First, this FA crop isn't great. I don't love how any of the big names fit on our roster. I still want to go after Iggy, but after that terrible Salmons trade all of my SF hopes have been crushed.

I mentioned using Salmons as our amnesty player when that idea was first talked about a few months ago. Would I amnesty Salmons? hell yes. I hate him as a player. I hate him as a teammate, and I'd rather not have to watch him.

But will the Maloofs amnesty Salmons? I doubt it. I highly highly doubt it. I don't see how they will be able to afford paying Salmons his entire contract just to stay home, and then expect them to spend MORE money on a guy like AK, Battier, or via trade with Iggy.

So I'm going to assume we wont be using that clause on anyone, which is why that particular part of the CBA isn't great for us.

That leaves us with a roster of Evans, Thornton (I assume he will be back), Thomas, Fredette, Garcia, Salmons, Greene, Honeycutt, Thompson, Hickson, Whiteside, Cousins.

12 players .. none of which I want to lose aside from Salmons. We don't have a lot of wiggle room here.

I know everyone wants to spend the cap room we finally have, but I just don't see a great fit out there.

Cousins, Thompson, Hickson is a solid young core of bigs. If you add a guy like Gasol or Nene to that .. talk about a numbers crunch. I shutter at the thought of adding a big minute big man to those three. Last year was torture watching Westphal jerk around Jt, Dally, Cousins, and Landry. Once we dealt Landry and minutes got consistent we started playing much better, and that was without a healthy Evans.

On the other hand, you have Jimmer, Thornton, and Evans for the guard sports. Same situation, really. 3 players for two positions. Add in another big time player there and you have another numbers crunch.

At SF you have Salmons and Garcia.

I'm sick of playing 10 guys a night. I want to see a solid tight rotation this year. I want to see us build chemistry. I want to finally see what these guys can do together for a full season.

That 8 man rotation of Evans, Thornton, Jimmer, Garcia, Salmons, Cousins, JT, and Hickson is what I want to see.

With all of this being said, the one semi big name I would target is Kirilenko. I think adding him wouldn't kill everyone elses numbers because of his versatility. He can take over that fourth big role and play Sf if/when Garcia gets hurt. We actually have a few versatile players, and AK could help us build on that. If Evans goes down you could just slide everyone over .. move Salmons to SG, put AK in at SF .. the possibilities are endless.

As of this moment, with the guys under contract that I assume will be under contract, AK is the only guy I'm going after .. and if we can't land him I'm ok going into the season with the roster we have.

 

[Glenn]

It is interesting to read notes that say we have too much talent to add a big name skilled talent. Really?

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Uh, I think the chances of picking up Dalembert AND Nene/Gasol are slim to none and a bit redundant, added to the fact that it's not going to be cheap to pry either one away from their respective teams. If we're overpaying for a guy he'd better be THE MAN and not somebody who's a tempory big off the bench. Pick up Gasol and Battier and the entire team's mentality will chage and transfer into hard fought wins IMO. I"m also one to believe we're better off with jimmer as the starter (very encouraged by his passing) and save thornton to play big minutes off the bench as a scorer. So to me, a lineup could look something like this:

Fredette, Thornton, Thomas
Evans, Thornton, Garcia, Honeycutt
Battier, Salmons, Greene, Honeycutt
Cousins, Hickson, Thompson
Gasol, Thompson, Whiteside

I was saying we go hard at both since we will be lucky to get one. not sign them both. and no way Jimmer starts over Thornton NONE. I am a HUGE Jimmer fan, but its going to be a huge learning curve. we are in the position to start him slow. thats the best in my opinion.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

As of this moment, with the guys under contract that I assume will be under contract, AK is the only guy I'm going after .. and if we can't land him I'm ok going into the season with the roster we have.

team has to be at 49mil salary cap come dec 25....their will be moves made. Thornton and rookies will only get us half way there. we will sign atleast 1 free agent. we dont have a choice. maybe a trade.

Tyreke I can see playing the 3 a little bit this season. Jimmer, Thornton and Tyreke lineup depending on matchups.

 

[Telemachus]

I was saying we go hard at both since we will be lucky to get one. not sign them both. and no way Jimmer starts over Thornton NONE. I am a HUGE Jimmer fan, but its going to be a huge learning curve. we are in the position to start him slow. thats the best in my opinion.

I couldn't agree with you more. I think Thorton is the perfect fit next to Tyreke (assuming he is resigned). Jimmer can come in for either player and is instant offense (which is perfect for a player coming off the bench IMO). It will be interesting to see what we will get out of Thomas and Honeycutt.

I am also curious to see how good Whiteside will be this season. From everything I've heard, he has added a lot of muscle this off season and still retained his athleticism. The question is how much he has improved his game.

 

[rainmaker]

I still want nothing to do with Salmons. Lockout didn't change that. I'll put up with him if I have to, but my vote is to use the amnesty clause on Salmons. Garcia would be my next option, but he offers a lot in the lockerroom, and is a great mentor to Cousins. Pardon me if I don't see Salmons turning into a great mentor.

Baja, out of the other guys you mentioned, Caron Butler, Shane Battier, or Andrei Kirilenko, I definitely want two more then Salmons, and am on the fence about Butler. AK has always been my number one option, and since free agency hasn't started, and we haven't even given going after him a chance, I'm still holding out hope. Will AK play for 8.5M? Maybe. I'd rather pay him 18-20M over the next two years then pay Salmons 16-17M, without a doubt, meaning I'd rather overpay to get AK, then pay Salmons 8.5M.

For 8.5M, you'd hope we solved the sf problem. We haven't. Salmons is more of a sg. Still doesn't help us against the best sf in the league, the way a larger AK or Butler would. And he isn't a lock for big minutes at the 2, given however Reke/Thorton/Jimmer will split minutes. I just hate the idea of paying 8.5 for a sf, who can't guard opposing sf's on a nightly basis. And that doesn't even touch on how much I think he won't fit in on offense.

So I agree Baja, my vote would be to use the amnesty clause on Salmons, and if we don't, I think we'll regret it bigtime within a year, if we use it on someone else. Also agree AK is then the number one target. Hell, given that it appears the amnesty clause can be used once, over the life of the new CBA, why not go after AK as hard as possible, and if he signs, then waive Salmons? Even tell AK the same exact thing, that yes we have Salmons for security, but we want you, always have, and if you sign on the dotted line, we'll clear up the logjam be waving Salmons, which also gives us more money to spend elsewhere, such as Nene/Chandler/Dally.

What if Miller gets waived by Mia? Anyone interested in him? Solid defender, doesn't look for his shot(will fit in), doesn't pound the hell out of the rock, and spreads the floor. Should be healthy after the surgeries. I don't think by any means he lost his shot. I bring it up, because he could fit in for a few years, help us, not disrupt the offense, and would allow us to throw even more at a Chandler or Dally, then if we keep Salmons, or sign AK.

How about Prince? Don't like his personality, but I'd like him at the 3 a whole lot more then Salmons.

A lot of scenarios are playing out through my head, and this will be a very exciting free agent period. Fast and furious. And who knows how many other teams will match qualifying offer on their RFA's, now that the period to do so has been cut to 3 days.

I will say, if we don't use the amnesty clause on Salmons this month, then DO NOT use it until free agency next summer. DO NOT blow it on Garcia, while keeping Salmons. keep it for later use. See how Salmons pans out this year, and if we don't like him, then use the amnesty clause next July, when replacing him in the free agent market.

 

[boffacheerios]

I was saying we go hard at both since we will be lucky to get one. not sign them both. and no way Jimmer starts over Thornton NONE. I am a HUGE Jimmer fan, but its going to be a huge learning curve. we are in the position to start him slow. thats the best in my opinion.

Oh, my bad, i guess i assumed you were thinking sign Dalembert and Gasol/Nene since they were both in your lineup. As for Thornton, I think i have a generally bad feeling about him resigning. Did anyone else read his interview on cowbellkingdom where he talks about playing in sacramento in the past tense? Maybe I'm just paranoid, but quotes such as, "You know, the last month i was there..." and "He helped mentor me for that month i was there" don't give the impression that this is his number 1 destination. We shall see.

 

[Arkitect]

I think a Reke, Thorton, Jimmer is solid 3 guard rotation with Garcia putting in spot minutes there and behind Salmons. That rotation gives us excellent scoring and above average defense. Both the Salmons move and the Hickson move puzzled me though. I like Cousins and either Thompson or Hickson, but I don't see how both can fit. It is quite clear after last season having redundant skill sets at a position just does not work. I am worried that Hickson and Thompson are too similar. Obviously we still need a backup big who is defense oriented, whether that be Dally or Gasol. As far as SF, Salmons is really my forth choice behind Iggy, AK, and Battier. If we can nab one of those guys and/or Dally/Gasol I would be happy with this off-season.

 

[Telemachus]

Oh, my bad, i guess i assumed you were thinking sign Dalembert and Gasol/Nene since they were both in your lineup. As for Thornton, I think i have a generally bad feeling about him resigning. Did anyone else read his interview on cowbellkingdom where he talks about playing in sacramento in the past tense? Maybe I'm just paranoid, but quotes such as, "You know, the last month i was there..." and "He helped mentor me for that month i was there" don't give the impression that this is his number 1 destination. We shall see.

I think you are probably reading too much into him talking in the past tense (afterall, it did happen in the past). And unless the new CBA changes his status, he is a restricted FA, which means the Kings can match any offer given to him.

 

[ParniValjak]

First off we must re-sign Thornton and Dalembert. Lose Dalembert and we really are not better off IMHO ...unless of course we replace him with similar player!

I would like to add Kirilenko (give us length and flexibility at SF who can guard smaller PFs when needed) and a veteran PG that won't play much but could step in and play when needed (Earl Watson)

Do those 4 things and I would call it an off-season. This team does not need major changes but the right changes.

Oh, and while Kirlilenko fractured an eye socket the other day playing for CSKA in Moscow, he should be ready for the start of the season if not sooner. He has been killing it Euroleague this year.

 

[boffacheerios]

I think you are probably reading too much into him talking in the past tense (afterall, it did happen in the past). And unless the new CBA changes his status, he is a restricted FA, which means the Kings can match any offer given to him.

Alright good, that's what i was hoping to hear.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I mentioned using Salmons as our amnesty player when that idea was first talked about a few months ago. Would I amnesty Salmons? hell yes. I hate him as a player. I hate him as a teammate, and I'd rather not have to watch him.

But will the Maloofs amnesty Salmons? I doubt it. I highly highly doubt it. I don't see how they will be able to afford paying Salmons his entire contract just to stay home, and then expect them to spend MORE money on a guy like AK, Battier, or via trade with Iggy.

So I'm going to assume we wont be using that clause on anyone, which is why that particular part of the CBA isn't great for us.

There seem to be several people hoping for us to use the amnesty clause on Salmons.

But you're right, it's not going to happen, not this year. Not a 1% chance, not a 0.0001% chance, but zero chance whatsoever.

First off, we deliberately traded for him. Remember, we traded DOWN in the draft and ADDED salary to get Salmons. I know it seems incomprehensible, but we actually WANTED Salmons. Westphal likes him, and Westphal wants some defense out of his 3-man. Salmons is going to play, and he's going to play a lot.

Second, we have to remember that even with Jimmer, Honeycutt, and Isaiah we're at 11 players and $16M under the salary floor. We can assume that we'll pick up Thornton, and let's be generous and say he gets $6M. We know Petrie likes to go with 14 players to start the season, so that means we need to spend at least $10M on two players to get us up to the floor. Given that we'll have to actually convince guys to come here, that probably means dumping a ton of money ($8-14M) at Dalembert/Nene/Chandler/Gasol. If we dump Salmons' $8.5M, that means that after Thornton we still have to spend at least $18.5M. How do we do it? There are going to be other teams throwing money around, some of them more tantalizing than us. We could very well get stuck paying $10M to a guy who should be getting a vet's minimum just to make the floor.

We just aren't in position to use the amnesty this year. Maybe next year on Garcia, where we'd only be burning one year of salary. But this year we've got too much cap room to use it.

 

[bajaden]

It is interesting to read notes that say we have too much talent to add a big name skilled talent. Really?

I don't really think he was saying that Glennn. I think he was saying that none of the big name talent out there in the form of bigs excites him. A matter of taste I guess.

 

[ParniValjak]

Using amnesty clause on Salmons is just wishful thinking by the fans. It is just not going to happen. Not in a million year. It just does not make sense in any way.

Just because fans don't like Salmons does not mean that the organization does not like him. It fact they are big fans. Salmons will play and play some big minutes. I am not a big fan either but despite my dislike of his as a player, he does bring some of the things we wanted out of our SF and that is ball handling, defence and 3PT consistent shooting.

We lose some size at SF and Salmons is not exactly an off the ball player. This thing could work but it could blow up just as easily. Remember we traded down in the draft and also probably our most consistent player in the last 2 seasons in Beno (who played well with Reke) to get Salmons. It makes no sense to then use amnesty clause on him. Just ain't going to happen.

 

[bajaden]

I still want nothing to do with Salmons. Lockout didn't change that. I'll put up with him if I have to, but my vote is to use the amnesty clause on Salmons. Garcia would be my next option, but he offers a lot in the lockerroom, and is a great mentor to Cousins. Pardon me if I don't see Salmons turning into a great mentor.

Baja, out of the other guys you mentioned, Caron Butler, Shane Battier, or Andrei Kirilenko, I definitely want two more then Salmons, and am on the fence about Butler. AK has always been my number one option, and since free agency hasn't started, and we haven't even given going after him a chance, I'm still holding out hope. Will AK play for 8.5M? Maybe. I'd rather pay him 18-20M over the next two years then pay Salmons 16-17M, without a doubt, meaning I'd rather overpay to get AK, then pay Salmons 8.5M.

For 8.5M, you'd hope we solved the sf problem. We haven't. Salmons is more of a sg. Still doesn't help us against the best sf in the league, the way a larger AK or Butler would. And he isn't a lock for big minutes at the 2, given however Reke/Thorton/Jimmer will split minutes. I just hate the idea of paying 8.5 for a sf, who can't guard opposing sf's on a nightly basis. And that doesn't even touch on how much I think he won't fit in on offense.

So I agree Baja, my vote would be to use the amnesty clause on Salmons, and if we don't, I think we'll regret it bigtime within a year, if we use it on someone else. Also agree AK is then the number one target. Hell, given that it appears the amnesty clause can be used once, over the life of the new CBA, why not go after AK as hard as possible, and if he signs, then waive Salmons? Even tell AK the same exact thing, that yes we have Salmons for security, but we want you, always have, and if you sign on the dotted line, we'll clear up the logjam be waving Salmons, which also gives us more money to spend elsewhere, such as Nene/Chandler/Dally.

What if Miller gets waived by Mia? Anyone interested in him? Solid defender, doesn't look for his shot(will fit in), doesn't pound the hell out of the rock, and spreads the floor. Should be healthy after the surgeries. I don't think by any means he lost his shot. I bring it up, because he could fit in for a few years, help us, not disrupt the offense, and would allow us to throw even more at a Chandler or Dally, then if we keep Salmons, or sign AK.

How about Prince? Don't like his personality, but I'd like him at the 3 a whole lot more then Salmons.

A lot of scenarios are playing out through my head, and this will be a very exciting free agent period. Fast and furious. And who knows how many other teams will match qualifying offer on their RFA's, now that the period to do so has been cut to 3 days.

I will say, if we don't use the amnesty clause on Salmons this month, then DO NOT use it until free agency next summer. DO NOT blow it on Garcia, while keeping Salmons. keep it for later use. See how Salmons pans out this year, and if we don't like him, then use the amnesty clause next July, when replacing him in the free agent market.

Massy had a good point about whether the Maloffs would spend the money to eat Salmons contract. I can't answer that. They've stated time and again that they were going to spend money when they had the cap space. Well, they can prove it now. I believe that when you amnesty a player, that you can spread it out over a longer period of time. Plus I just finished reading the new unfinished CBA pdf, and if I read it properly, there will be some sort of waiver period where other teams get to bid on the waived player. It also said that if another team signs the waived player, then they would take on some, but not all, whatever that means, of the salary owed by the prior team. So the financial damage might not be as great as one would think.

So if it was me, I'd go after Kirilenko and if successful, I'd then amnesty Salmons. Not only is Kirilenko a very good defensive player, he's also a very good passer and a decent rebounder for the SF position. As for Prince, I watched him play last year, and I think his game has deteriated some.

 

[bajaden]

Oh, my bad, i guess i assumed you were thinking sign Dalembert and Gasol/Nene since they were both in your lineup. As for Thornton, I think i have a generally bad feeling about him resigning. Did anyone else read his interview on cowbellkingdom where he talks about playing in sacramento in the past tense? Maybe I'm just paranoid, but quotes such as, "You know, the last month i was there..." and "He helped mentor me for that month i was there" don't give the impression that this is his number 1 destination. We shall see.

It doesn't matter what his destination is. He's a restricted freeagent, and we can match any salary he's offered. So the choice is ours, not his. Now if someone offers him 10 mil a year, which I sincerely doubt, then he will be playing somewhere else. But all things being equal, he'll be a King this season.

 

[bajaden]

I think a Reke, Thorton, Jimmer is solid 3 guard rotation with Garcia putting in spot minutes there and behind Salmons. That rotation gives us excellent scoring and above average defense. Both the Salmons move and the Hickson move puzzled me though. I like Cousins and either Thompson or Hickson, but I don't see how both can fit. It is quite clear after last season having redundant skill sets at a position just does not work. I am worried that Hickson and Thompson are too similar. Obviously we still need a backup big who is defense oriented, whether that be Dally or Gasol. As far as SF, Salmons is really my forth choice behind Iggy, AK, and Battier. If we can nab one of those guys and/or Dally/Gasol I would be happy with this off-season.

I honestly don't see a problem rotation wise. Thompson can play both Center and PF, so it gives you a nice three man rotation, if thats the way you want to go. Defensively, Cousins will improve. Hickson is a terrific athlete, and that should translate into better defense, than say, Landry would give you. Thompson, while not an elite shotblocker, is a good iso defender and a good pick and roll defender. According to synergy.com, Thompson was one of the best bigs at isolation defense in the league last season. Yeah I know, you still have to defend the post, but as Bill Murry said, "Tiny steps, tiny steps"

Of course all this is a moot point if we end up signing Dalembert or Chandler, etc..

 

[bajaden]

First off we must re-sign Thornton and Dalembert. Lose Dalembert and we really are not better off IMHO ...unless of course we replace him with similar player!

I would like to add Kirilenko (give us length and flexibility at SF who can guard smaller PFs when needed) and a veteran PG that won't play much but could step in and play when needed (Earl Watson)

Do those 4 things and I would call it an off-season. This team does not need major changes but the right changes.

Oh, and while Kirlilenko fractured an eye socket the other day playing for CSKA in Moscow, he should be ready for the start of the season if not sooner. He has been killing it Euroleague this year.

How about Ronnie Price? He's an unrestricted freeagent. He's used to coming off the bench, and he's a very good defender. He has his flaws, but he wouldn't be playing that much anyway..

 

[bajaden]

There seem to be several people hoping for us to use the amnesty clause on Salmons.

But you're right, it's not going to happen, not this year. Not a 1% chance, not a 0.0001% chance, but zero chance whatsoever.

First off, we deliberately traded for him. Remember, we traded DOWN in the draft and ADDED salary to get Salmons. I know it seems incomprehensible, but we actually WANTED Salmons. Westphal likes him, and Westphal wants some defense out of his 3-man. Salmons is going to play, and he's going to play a lot.

Second, we have to remember that even with Jimmer, Honeycutt, and Isaiah we're at 11 players and $16M under the salary floor. We can assume that we'll pick up Thornton, and let's be generous and say he gets $6M. We know Petrie likes to go with 14 players to start the season, so that means we need to spend at least $10M on two players to get us up to the floor. Given that we'll have to actually convince guys to come here, that probably means dumping a ton of money ($8-14M) at Dalembert/Nene/Chandler/Gasol. If we dump Salmons' $8.5M, that means that after Thornton we still have to spend at least $18.5M. How do we do it? There are going to be other teams throwing money around, some of them more tantalizing than us. We could very well get stuck paying $10M to a guy who should be getting a vet's minimum just to make the floor.

We just aren't in position to use the amnesty this year. Maybe next year on Garcia, where we'd only be burning one year of salary. But this year we've got too much cap room to use it.

Your probably right, but in my suggestion, we would sign Kirilenko before waiving Salmons. We might even have to pay Kirilenko a little more than the 8.5 mil that Salmons makes. But the point is, the two salaries would be a push, leaving us right back where we still have to spend aroung 10 mil to get to the salary floor. Westphal aside, I happen to like Kirilenko more than I do Salmons. But like you said, it probably won't happen.

 

[ParniValjak]

Your probably right, but in my suggestion, we would sign Kirilenko before waiving Salmons. We might even have to pay Kirilenko a little more than the 8.5 mil that Salmons makes. But the point is, the two salaries would be a push, leaving us right back where we still have to spend aroung 10 mil to get to the salary floor. Westphal aside, I happen to like Kirilenko more than I do Salmons. But like you said, it probably won't happen.

That's all well and good but it makes absolutely no business or any other sense to:

1. Trade down in the draft to get the player you don't want (Salmons) AND
2. Trade your most consistent and probably most productive player over the last 2 years for a player you don't want (Salmons) AND
3. Take on more salary and longer contract only to use amnesty clause on that player (Salmons)

It makes no sense on any level at all. Fact is that the hierarchy like Salmons. Westhpal likes him, GP likes him and was allegedly reluctant to trade him to Chicago but understood that he needed to trade something of value for a team to take on Brad Miller's contract.

Last time this amnesty clause was introduced there was a lot of talk on this board that they would use it on Kenny Thomas but it was never realistic. Sure the other team will pick up some of the player's salary if they sign him up, but thats no different to the last time we had amnesty clause. What those players signed up for was league minimal because A) they still for their big money and B) the team that they went to got them for a bargain. For what ever money the player signs for with the new team, the difference to their projected salary is paid by the team that used the amnesty clause on them. Thats why last time Mark Cuban was paying Michael Finley $18million per season for X number of years but Spurs paid him the league minimum.

We might not like Salmons but those that are in change do like him quite a bit.

 

[Telemachus]

That's all well and good but it makes absolutely no business or any other sense to:

1. Trade down in the draft to get the player you don't want (Salmons) AND
2. Trade your most consistent and probably most productive player over the last 2 years for a player you don't want (Salmons) AND
3. Take on more salary and longer contract only to use amnesty clause on that player (Salmons)

I would argue that the purpose of the trade was NOT just to acquire Salmons, but to make room in the rotation for Jimmer. With Beno around, it would make the coaching staff choose between the two player as they would being playing the same role for the Kings. I think the Kings feel that Jimmer will be the better player of the 2 and wanted to create room for him to get playing time sooner rather than later.

Bringing in Salmons was a bonus because he filled their need at SF, and there was no guarantee that they would be able to sign any of the FA SFs out their this off season. With the amnesty clause, it would give the Kings the ability to go after those FAs knowing that they could let Salmons go if one of them signed. If they can't get any of them to sign (which is a distinct possibilby), then they would still have Salmons to play the 3 this season.

 

[kpm308]

I would like to throw Luc Richard MBah a Moute's name into the ring. I just love his fit as a defensive specialist on this team. He doesn't bring much offensively, but I think he is one of the up and coming defenders in the league. Of course he is restricted, but I'd definitely take a shot at him over guys like Kirelinko and Prince. He could have the type of impact as a defender on this team that you see with Tony Allen in Memphis, which will especially help if we ever gt into the playoffs.

 

[Jkbiker]

So if Free Agency and training camp actually starts Friday dec 9 , I would guess a lot of signings would be formally done on Friday the 9th, but it seems i read somewhere this morning that the lockout would end after legal settlement/reform the ubion, nego B items, palyers and owners vote.

But if all that is done by lets say Mon the 5th , then maybe teams can start contacting FA and we will get "tenative handshake" agreements, maybe a 3-4 day courting period?

so things might heat up a week from tomorrow?

 

[Glenn]

I don't really think he was saying that Glennn. I think he was saying that none of the big name talent out there in the form of bigs excites him. A matter of taste I guess.

None? Hmm! There are a lot of bigs that excite me and that's the one position that worries me the most.

Does anyone know why the Kings were so hot on Salmons? He was definitely unsatisfactory to me when he had his first run with the Kings. Perhaps he has changed and perhaps the Kings "mix" has changed so that he might fit better. I am still up in the air about that one and really don't get it.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Honestly to me we news vets. Good, professional vets with leadership and experience at every position. Our biggest need is sf and PF/C.

 

[bajaden]

That's all well and good but it makes absolutely no business or any other sense to:

1. Trade down in the draft to get the player you don't want (Salmons) AND
2. Trade your most consistent and probably most productive player over the last 2 years for a player you don't want (Salmons) AND
3. Take on more salary and longer contract only to use amnesty clause on that player (Salmons)

It makes no sense on any level at all. Fact is that the hierarchy like Salmons. Westhpal likes him, GP likes him and was allegedly reluctant to trade him to Chicago but understood that he needed to trade something of value for a team to take on Brad Miller's contract.

Last time this amnesty clause was introduced there was a lot of talk on this board that they would use it on Kenny Thomas but it was never realistic. Sure the other team will pick up some of the player's salary if they sign him up, but thats no different to the last time we had amnesty clause. What those players signed up for was league minimal because A) they still for their big money and B) the team that they went to got them for a bargain. For what ever money the player signs for with the new team, the difference to their projected salary is paid by the team that used the amnesty clause on them. Thats why last time Mark Cuban was paying Michael Finley $18million per season for X number of years but Spurs paid him the league minimum.

We might not like Salmons but those that are in change do like him quite a bit.

All that you say could be true. Or not! I'm not a mind reader, and I wasn't a fly on the wall when the deal to send Beno off for Salmons was drawn up. But my gut tells me that the deal was as much about making room for Jimmer, as it was aquiring Salmons. If the deal was about both, then doing the deal came with limitations on who they could deal with. How many teams out there wanted Beno, and had a SF that you wanted in return.

That aside, I'm not concerned about what the original intentions of what the deal were. Things change! And if your going to improve, then you change with them. There was no amnesty clause when the Salmons deal was gone, and now there is. If you want to improve the team, you take advantage of it. When opportunity knocks, you answer the door. No one thought the Webber deal was a good move when it happened. Going on past history, it was a risky move. But it worked! Sometimes you have to make bold moves, or risky moves if you will, to take that next step. Anyone can sit on their hands and hope for the best.

I happen to think that Kirilenko would have a far bigger impact on this team than Salmons would. Thats just my opinion of course, and your entitled to disagree. But he is available, and we do have the money and the where with all to aquire him, without affecting the cap. All we have to do is eat some money. Not my money of course. What do you think Jerry Buss would do?

 

[upinsmoke]

Welcome back Kingsfans Family! been to long...


Anyways my thought after a lengthy off-season is let Dally walk and wish him the best of luck if he expects us to break the bank for him. Lock up Thornton and outbid the Celtics for a Mr. Jeff Green. Also I feel John Salmons is going to be a good fit because he's a good overall player and got a jumper.