The Queta-Noel Era is Over
- Thread starter Tetsujin
- Start date
Figured that was the case. Pretty easy to follow the money there.
Curious what happens with that last roster spot though. I do think Jordan Ford makes a ton of sense as an emergency ball-handler; he's 25, he's gotten about as much development as he can hope for in the G-League and he looked outstanding in summer league. I'd feel very comfortable giving him 10ish MPG in emergency situations if we have guard injuries.
Curious what happens with that last roster spot though. I do think Jordan Ford makes a ton of sense as an emergency ball-handler; he's 25, he's gotten about as much development as he can hope for in the G-League and he looked outstanding in summer league. I'd feel very comfortable giving him 10ish MPG in emergency situations if we have guard injuries.
Because they needed backup center depth and didn't know if they could land McGee, whom they obviously prefer. Both were unguaranteed contracts, so it's not like there's a big financial hit there.
At any rate, it's backup PG that has been an obvious hole, especially when we started over-signing big men. Now that we're down to 14 contracts, I'd look for us to fill that last roster spot with a PG whether it's Payne or somebody else.
At any rate, it's backup PG that has been an obvious hole, especially when we started over-signing big men. Now that we're down to 14 contracts, I'd look for us to fill that last roster spot with a PG whether it's Payne or somebody else.
Was thinking this too right when I saw your post. I assume they will have a Mitchell/Duarte/Payne battle for some backup PG/SG minutes. (if they sign Payne). It's a good thing to have a battle of players capable of putting up 10ppg off the bench. Monk shouldn't be in this battle as Monk should receive most of the backup time for those two positions as he's a friggin baller.
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No problem with Queta being let go at this point. The dream of him blossoming is great, but I just don't think it's ever going to happen. I would have liked to have seen McGee, Noel and Len battle it out in camp for one (or two) of the backup spots, but I can respect cutting him loose so he can catch on somewhere else.
Maybe. McNair has shown that he likes having roster flexibility so I could see him signing Ford to the last two-way deal so the team still has an open roster spot to take a flyer on a wing on a small one year deal that he could later waive if needed to grab a cast off after the trade deadline.
I have no idea if that's the actual plan, just the way it seems Monte likes to operate.
I have no idea if that's the actual plan, just the way it seems Monte likes to operate.
I have to admit I'm a little disappointed we're going with the 35 year old JaVale McGee instead of keeping either Queta (24) or Noel (29) stashed on the roster. This seems a little short-sighted to me even if we are in win-now mode. On the other hand, the fact that a guy like Noel was available for the veteran's minimum 3 weeks into free agency suggests that the value of defensive role-player 7 footers who don't shoot has essentially reached rock bottom so perhaps we'll easily be able to add one next year or mid-season if/when something happens to JaVale. The optics of a team who got destroyed by opposing bigs last season dropping last year's G-League defensive player of the year from the roster is hard for me to square. I've never been a fan of JaVale though, so that no doubt plays a part in it.
There's also a weird kind of Catch-22 in that centers are bit players in a modern NBA rotation so you can't afford to load up your roster with a bunch of them but they're also injured far more than every other position so you actually need extra depth there for injury contingency. I don't know if I should be wishing that JaVale and Len stay healthy all season now or wishing that they get injured before other teams take the other decent bigs off the market.
There's also a weird kind of Catch-22 in that centers are bit players in a modern NBA rotation so you can't afford to load up your roster with a bunch of them but they're also injured far more than every other position so you actually need extra depth there for injury contingency. I don't know if I should be wishing that JaVale and Len stay healthy all season now or wishing that they get injured before other teams take the other decent bigs off the market.
Queta had a chance to prove himself during the SL, but he really disappointed us. He struggled to play within the structure and only performed well when we featured him in the offense. That's not what the senior team is looking for. We just need a backup C who can play physical, dunk, alter shots, and rebound. McGee checks all those boxes.
However, I still think Queta can be an NBA player. On a team that's not super powered on offense like the Kings, maybe they can give him a bigger role off the bench where he can showcase more of his scoring. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up "breaking out" somewhere and everyone orders why the Kings didn't keep him. Short answer: he was never going to get that type of role on this team...
I wish Queta the best of luck. Hopefully he does find his footing in the league.
However, I still think Queta can be an NBA player. On a team that's not super powered on offense like the Kings, maybe they can give him a bigger role off the bench where he can showcase more of his scoring. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up "breaking out" somewhere and everyone orders why the Kings didn't keep him. Short answer: he was never going to get that type of role on this team...
I wish Queta the best of luck. Hopefully he does find his footing in the league.
I mean... meh. Queta had 2 full seasons and another full off-season/SL to really start to distinguish himself into an NBA rotation player. And really, while he's gotten himself in much better shape, a lot of the same problems we saw his rookie year SL were still here in year 3. We're a team pushing for another top 4 playoff spot and 50+ wins. There's just no time or room for Queta to be "bad" in a reserve/emergency role.
On the flip side, that's basically what Javale is. He's a dude who might not play for 5 games, but you know exactly what you're going to get every time you put him on the floor; rebounding/rim protection/a few wild and wacky plays. This is a margin improvement anyway; I still think Lyles is the everyday back-up C and we only turn to the big guys if there's another biiiig C on the other side.
It was important for the FO to really solidify the back-up C role. Was a massive weakness all year and we were pretty damn lucky that Domas barely missed any time, otherwise we would have been in a world of hurt. Lyles/Len/Javale SHOULD be an improvement on last years Metu/Holmes/Len.
On the flip side, that's basically what Javale is. He's a dude who might not play for 5 games, but you know exactly what you're going to get every time you put him on the floor; rebounding/rim protection/a few wild and wacky plays. This is a margin improvement anyway; I still think Lyles is the everyday back-up C and we only turn to the big guys if there's another biiiig C on the other side.
It was important for the FO to really solidify the back-up C role. Was a massive weakness all year and we were pretty damn lucky that Domas barely missed any time, otherwise we would have been in a world of hurt. Lyles/Len/Javale SHOULD be an improvement on last years Metu/Holmes/Len.
Should it come to it, McGee sitting on the bench most games and used when needed is way better for Queta than Queta doing the same thing. Watching basketball will do absolutely nothing for Queta at this point and could literally put a button on his pro career if he's forgotten about. In a perfect world this circles back around like Hassan at some point either by catching on with another NBA team or taking a trip overseas.
You think the Kings have solidified the backup C role with Alex Len and JaVale McGee? Those two guys are zero impact players over the course of their careers. Even if Lyles is the guy (which he probably will be) I'd rather have Nerlens Noel and Neemias Queta riding the bench - - a guy who has consistently provided good defensive value and another guy who is young enough to grow with the team - - than Len and MxGee. This just strikes me as an overaction to McGee playing two good seasons for Golden State 5 years ago.
We're talking about what will likely be the last two spots in the rotation so it's whatever but given the phalanx of potential centers McNair has brought in over the summer, it registers as a minor disappointment to me that not a single minute has been played yet but we've landed with the two guys I regard as the worst of the lot. If this is the last week of pre-season and McGee and Len had both earned those spots it would be a different story. That's what I wish would have happened here. McGee isn't worth cutting bait on plans B, C, and D two months before the start of the season.
We're talking about what will likely be the last two spots in the rotation so it's whatever but given the phalanx of potential centers McNair has brought in over the summer, it registers as a minor disappointment to me that not a single minute has been played yet but we've landed with the two guys I regard as the worst of the lot. If this is the last week of pre-season and McGee and Len had both earned those spots it would be a different story. That's what I wish would have happened here. McGee isn't worth cutting bait on plans B, C, and D two months before the start of the season.
Around the time Queta was failing to take advantage of an opportunity with the big club, Mike Brown said something along the lines of 'We want a backup 5 who can defend the pick and roll and not put the other team into the bonus'. From that point of view, a Len/ McGee rotation seems fine. Add in Lyles and it is still probably fine, probably as good as the club can afford.
Yeah. On paper the depth chart probably looks like this:
C Sabonis/McGee/Len
PF Murray/Lyles/Vezenkov
SF Barnes/Edwards/Duarte
SG Huerter/Monk/Jones
PG Fox/Mitchell/Ford(?)
But in reality if Vezenkov's game translates I think he, Lyles and Monk will be the main players off the bench with Mitchell rounding out the 9 man rotation and Duarte playing the TD role from last season. McGee and Len will likely get spot duty based on matchups.
C Sabonis/McGee/Len
PF Murray/Lyles/Vezenkov
SF Barnes/Edwards/Duarte
SG Huerter/Monk/Jones
PG Fox/Mitchell/Ford(?)
But in reality if Vezenkov's game translates I think he, Lyles and Monk will be the main players off the bench with Mitchell rounding out the 9 man rotation and Duarte playing the TD role from last season. McGee and Len will likely get spot duty based on matchups.