The Kings and Freeagency:

[kingofthejungle]

Please

If "rudderless" mode is not signing Tyson Chandler to 14.5 million per year over 4 years, then that's exactly what Geoff Petrie is. Think about it, that's literally three times as much as Hayes is being offered but their production is basically the same. Petrie is a patient dude and not willing to get caught up in the histrionics of this feeding frenzy. Teams are killing themselves and he's just sitting back and watching.

I was also hoping for a "big name" free agent this offseason, but if acquiring one handicaps your franchise, then you need the cognitive flexibility to back off and take what makes sense.

My God! And look what is transpiring due to his patience. The Kings may still be able to sign Dalembert outright or sign and trade him (my preference) for a guy who doesn't have his head up his ***. It's not even Friday yet and people want to jump off buildings. Bahhhhhhhhhhhh!

 

[funkykingston]

Looks like Houston is out of the deal.

Its reportedly a direct deal between Lakers and Hornets - CP3 for Gasol and Odom

Bad deal for the Hornets IMO. In terms of talent level I don't think it's that far off, but the Lakers are a contender and the Hornets aren't, and older vets aren't going to help them. The ideal trade would be an up and coming player with real potential, a young veteran, a draft pick and an ending contract for cap flexibility. Instead they get two older guys who won't want to play there and won't get them over the hump. And if people thought Odom had a habit of drifting and inconsistency with the Lakers, wait until he lands in New Orleans.

As for the Lakers, I think at this point in his career Bryant just wants to win and will welcome a guard that can take some of the burden off of him. Without the triangle I think he'll coexist fine with Paul. I think it means more pick and roll opportunities and chances for CP3 to feed him the ball in the post to bully smaller SGs.

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

Bad deal for the Hornets IMO. In terms of talent level I don't think it's that far off, but the Lakers are a contender and the Hornets aren't, and older vets aren't going to help them. The ideal trade would be an up and coming player with real potential, a young veteran, a draft pick and an ending contract for cap flexibility. Instead they get two older guys who won't want to play there and won't get them over the hump. And if people thought Odom had a habit of drifting and inconsistency with the Lakers, wait until he lands in New Orleans.

As for the Lakers, I think at this point in his career Bryant just wants to win and will welcome a guard that can take some of the burden off of him. Without the triangle I think he'll coexist fine with Paul. I think it means more pick and roll opportunities and chances for CP3 to feed him the ball in the post to bully smaller SGs.

Better than letting him walk next summer and getting nothing.

 

[funkykingston]

I have a little prediction:

Gasol to Gasol in Houston

Hadn't really thought about that but it makes some real sense of the Gasol brothers want to play together. Still, I think with the way the season ended Marc will almost certainly be back with Memphis.

If "rudderless" mode is not signing Tyson Chandler to 14.5 million per year over 4 years, then that's exactly what Geoff Petrie is. Think about it, that's literally three times as much as Hayes is being offered but their production is basically the same. Petrie is a patient dude and not willing to get caught up in the histrionics of this feeding frenzy. Teams are killing themselves and he's just sitting back and watching.

I was also hoping for a "big name" free agent this offseason, but if acquiring one handicaps your franchise, then you need the cognitive flexibility to back off and take what makes sense.

My God! And look what is transpiring due to his patience. The Kings may still be able to sign Dalembert outright or sign and trade him (my preference) for a guy who doesn't have his head up his ***. It's not even Friday yet and people want to jump off buildings. Bahhhhhhhhhhhh!

I never thought the Kings should have tried to sign Chandler. He's got a ton of miles on him and the price is too high. I'm not upset at the lack of moves this week. I'm bothered by the Salmons trade, the drafting of Jimmer, the rumblings that the Maloofs may spend just to get to the league minimum and the signing of Hayes if it means that the team has given up on Dalembert.

I like Hayes as a player. He's a scrapper and a nice big off the bench. But he's not an interior defender and the Kings need one next to Cousins. I think Dally is the right guy and I'd take him over Chandler and Nene even if money weren't a consideration.

 

[funkykingston]

Better than letting him walk next summer and getting nothing.

If those are the only two options sure, but I'd have taken a package from the Clippers even without Gordon (if it included Jordan and the Wolves draft pick) before I'd take a 31 year old Gasol and 32 year old Odom who eat up half the team cap and will likely be less than enthused to be playing for a mediocre New Orelans team.

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

If those are the only two options sure, but I'd have taken a package from the Clippers even without Gordon (if it included Jordan and the Wolves draft pick) before I'd take a 31 year old Gasol and 32 year old Odom who eat up half the team cap and will likely be less than enthused to be playing for a mediocre New Orelans team.

He wouldn't sign an extension with the Clippers though and they wouldn't have done it for a one season rental.

 

[ParniValjak]

If those are the only two options sure, but I'd have taken a package from the Clippers even without Gordon (if it included Jordan and the Wolves draft pick) before I'd take a 31 year old Gasol and 32 year old Odom who eat up half the team cap and will likely be less than enthused to be playing for a mediocre New Orelans team.

NO came out reasonably well out of it. Then end up with Odom, Scola, Martin, Dragic and a 1st round pick from Houston. Probably the best they could hope for to be honest. The Rockets get Gasol but give up a lot. They do clear a bit more salary cap room though and if they use the amnesty they could be as much as 16 million under the cap and still in the running for Nene, Dalembert and other good free agents.

 

[SacTownKid]

NO came out reasonably well out of it. Then end up with Odom, Scola, Martin, Dragic and a 1st round pick from Houston. Probably the best they could hope for to be honest. The Rockets get Gasol but give up a lot. They do clear a bit more salary cap room though and if they use the amnesty they could be as much as 16 million under the cap and still in the running for Nene, Dalembert and other good free agents.

Yeah, but they're pretty starless. If you're going to rebuild, this is exactly what you DON'T want to do. Rockets way overpaid for Gasol and moving forward they have Gasol and Nene/Gasol and NOTHING else.

 

[kingofthejungle]

Shot blocking fetish at kingsfans.com

I like Hayes as a player. He's a scrapper and a nice big off the bench. But he's not an interior defender and the Kings need one next to Cousins. I think Dally is the right guy and I'd take him over Chandler and Nene even if money weren't a consideration.

This is the kind of statement that just drives me nuts! You don't think Hayes is an "interior defender" because he's not an elite shot blocker. I bet you think Chandler's an interior defender, although they block about the same amount per minute. And interior D is so much more than shot blocking.

Lets step back a minute. Is shot blocking exactly the end all be all? What percentage of Dalembert's block attempts lead to easy baskets, fouls, goal tending, missed defensive assignments, loose rebounds because he wasn't in position, etc. Each shot block attempt comes with risk and the great ones limit those mistakes, ergo Dalembert is not a great shotblocker.

But I can't get over the problematic wording in both the main threads, and by a variety of posters no less. It's like groupthink.

Hayes is just as much the interior defender as Dalembert, Chandler, etc. Statistics have been posted, games have been played--there is evidence!

 

[rainmaker]

Woj
NBA owners have pushed commissioner David Stern to kill the deal sending Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell Y! Sports.

Stein
ESPN CP3 trade latest: Trade with Lakers will NOT go through Friday and Chris Paul is expected in Hornets camp, according to sources

Well that's unexpected.

 

[Sac.1989]

on what grounds can they stop it

 

[rainmaker]

on what grounds can they stop it

Maybe something to do with the NBA owning NO. Conflict of interest?

 

[rainmaker]

Here you go

Owners were irate in Board of Governors meeting with Stern, livid that the league-owned Hornets were allowed to make Paul deal, sources say.

Awesome.

 

[vikinginferno]

This is going to get reaallly interesting.

 

[Arkitect]

The league technically has to approve any trade if I remember correctly. Normally it is rubber stamped, but I can see the conflict of interest here and I think the owners have a right to complain.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

This is dumb. I'm willing to bet Mark Cuban is behind it. Remember he tried to stop our deal with NOH last year when we got Thornton for Landry.

Dell Demps is the gm, not David Stern. If he can't make moves for the team why do they even exist? Of course everyone wants to say '**** the lakers I don't care whats fair' but they made the best offer and the Hornets are getting a solid haul for Paul ( like that one?) The trade should be allowed.

 

[vikinginferno]

This is dumb. I'm willing to bet Mark Cuban is behind it. Remember he tried to stop our deal with NOH last year when we got Thornton for Landry.

Dell Demps is the gm, not David Stern. If he can't make moves for the team why do they even exist? Of course everyone wants to say '**** the lakers I don't care whats fair' but they made the best offer and the Hornets are getting a solid haul for Paul ( like that one?) The trade should be allowed.

GMs can't do deals without the owner's approval. It should be the same situation here.

 

[Sac.1989]

yep it should. They have no 4 now anyway and will regret trading gasol and odom. Really i dont thin CP3 is a great fit in LAL

 

[rainmaker]

Deal is now dead.

The NBA has killed the proposed deal to send Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell Yahoo! Sports.

 

[JB_kings]

This is dumb. I'm willing to bet Mark Cuban is behind it. Remember he tried to stop our deal with NOH last year when we got Thornton for Landry.

Dell Demps is the gm, not David Stern. If he can't make moves for the team why do they even exist? Of course everyone wants to say '**** the lakers I don't care whats fair' but they made the best offer and the Hornets are getting a solid haul for Paul ( like that one?) The trade should be allowed.

It sounds like more owners than Mark Cuban are livid. Reports are now coming out that the NBA is pulling the plug on this deal.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

GMs can't do deals without the owner's approval. It should be the same situation here.

With no owner and a GM in place who cannot make any moves .. Chris Paul is going to walk after this season and the team will get nothing in return. Nothing.

That's not fair.

 

[vikinginferno]

With no owner and a GM in place who cannot make any moves .. Chris Paul is going to walk after this season and the team will get nothing in return. Nothing.

That's not fair.

I don't think he cannot make any moves, but I think there has to be some type of approval or something.

 

[Section 101]

I don't think he cannot make any moves, but I think there has to be some type of approval or something.

He can make moves. They just have to be approved by the owners. Just like last year, Cuban was mad because they were able to take on salary.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Not to nitpick, but this isn't the thread for this discussion. There's a thread for this in the NBA forum. Best to use this one for talk related to the Kings to avoid confusion.

 

[rainmaker]

I'm actually pretty surprised by this. NO could get completely screwed. Also puts the rest of the NBA free agency on hold for a little bit, I'd assume. I mean, can we go after Okafor, or do we have to wait for this to play out?

 

[rainmaker]

Not to nitpick, but this isn't the thread for this discussion. There's a thread for this in the NBA forum. Best to use this one for talk related to the Kings to avoid confusion.

I agree normally. But today and tomorrow aren't like most days in the NBA. Rumors were flying left and right, and many of us were discussing how these rumors/trades effect our team, can we get involved, and so on.

 

[ParniValjak]

This is the kind of statement that just drives me nuts! You don't think Hayes is an "interior defender" because he's not an elite shot blocker. I bet you think Chandler's an interior defender, although they block about the same amount per minute. And interior D is so much more than shot blocking.

Lets step back a minute. Is shot blocking exactly the end all be all? What percentage of Dalembert's block attempts lead to easy baskets, fouls, goal tending, missed defensive assignments, loose rebounds because he wasn't in position, etc. Each shot block attempt comes with risk and the great ones limit those mistakes, ergo Dalembert is not a great shotblocker.

But I can't get over the problematic wording in both the main threads, and by a variety of posters no less. It's like groupthink.

Hayes is just as much the interior defender as Dalembert, Chandler, etc. Statistics have been posted, games have been played--there is evidence!

And this is the sort of thinking that gives everyone else who understands what it takes the ****s!

Firstly, there is a BIG difference between a good interior man defender and interior defense. One takes care of his man and his man only, the other takes care of his man and covers the backside of his team mates.

No one here is saying that Hayes is not a very good man defender on the big guy. So he is a good interior man defender but he is universes away from being a good interior defender that not only takes care of his man but also help the rest of his team mates by protecting the paint when they blow an assignment. In that type of defense shot blocking is absolutely necessarily. Its not how many shots you block, its how many shots you alter and Dalembert is one of the best in the league at precisely that. He is top 10 shot blocker in the NBA history. you and select few others whinge about goal tends but they are on par with the numbers of the rest of the premier shot blockers. For every goal tend that Dalembert gets called for, there are 10 other shots he eithe ralters or blocks. Thats a difference of 18 points which is significant.

The only way you can be a contender without a shot blocker is if every one of your key rotation players is an outstanding defender and for as long as we have Cousins, Hickson, Thornton, Jimmer, JT etc we are not going to have that type of team. It is MUCH MUCH easier to build your defensive schemes around a player like Dalembert than it is around Hayes. With all due respects to Hayes he is no ones defensice lynch pin!

 

[KingsCitizen]

Wow! It seems that suddenly the Free Agents frenzy came to a halt after NBA vetoed the Paul to LA trade.

BTW, Cleveland might amnesty Baron Davis and he might be taking his services to NY. Wow! If NY gets both Davis and Chandler. They could easily jump to the top of the East. WOW!

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Its sooo quiet all of a sudden. Ok...so 12:01am(EST) is when the free for all starts??

 

[Telemachus]

And this is the sort of thinking that gives everyone else who understands what it takes the ****s!

Firstly, there is a BIG difference between a good interior man defender and interior defense. One takes care of his man and his man only, the other takes care of his man and covers the backside of his team mates.

No one here is saying that Hayes is not a very good man defender on the big guy. So he is a good interior man defender but he is universes away from being a good interior defender that not only takes care of his man but also help the rest of his team mates by protecting the paint when they blow an assignment. In that type of defense shot blocking is absolutely necessarily. Its not how many shots you block, its how many shots you alter and Dalembert is one of the best in the league at precisely that. He is top 10 shot blocker in the NBA history. you and select few others whinge about goal tends but they are on par with the numbers of the rest of the premier shot blockers. For every goal tend that Dalembert gets called for, there are 10 other shots he eithe ralters or blocks. Thats a difference of 18 points which is significant.

The only way you can be a contender without a shot blocker is if every one of your key rotation players is an outstanding defender and for as long as we have Cousins, Hickson, Thornton, Jimmer, JT etc we are not going to have that type of team. It is MUCH MUCH easier to build your defensive schemes around a player like Dalembert than it is around Hayes. With all due respects to Hayes he is no ones defensice lynch pin!

You don't have to be a shot-blocker to be a good help defender. You have to be someone who rotates & switches when he is supposed to, and knows when to double-team and still get back to his own man quickly. I haven't seen anything that would make me think that Hayes doesn't do those things. Of course, it helps when you have someone who comes from the weak side and blocks a shot, but I would point out that Donte did that more than anyone for the Kings last season. Most of Dalembert's blocks always seemed to be against the man he was guarding. I would also point out that the biggest part of playing good team defense is TALKING, and that is something the Kings did very little of last season (including Dalembert).