For 15 years, I worked in an industry where the job motto/slogan was "See the big picture". It sounds hokey but it was a true fact and people would say it to each other all the time. Someone walking by and overhearing a conversation where someone was telling someone else about a circumstance where they screwed up would lean in and say to the speaker, "See the big picture".
In looking at the young Kings, I try to look at what kind of careers they are likely to have. I see only complimentary pieces, no Jordans or Pippens or even Horace Grants.
Here is how I see them:
W C-S:
Best case scenario: Jermaine O'Neal
Worst case scenario: Steven Hawes
Likely Scenario: Robin Lopez
Fills a position for 10-15 years, but never a top three player on the team.
Skal:
BCS: Larry Nance
WCS: Brad Sellers
LS: Brandon Wright
Fills a solid bench spot for 10-15 years
Justin Jackson:
BCS: Caron Butler
WCS: Bobby Gross
LS: Wesley Johnson
Decent starter on bad team or 8th man on a good team
Harry Giles: ????
Bogi:
BCS: Drazen Petrovic or even John Havlicek
WCS: Sasha Vujovic (sp?)
LS: Sarunas Marculionis (sp?)
Good starter on bad team/6th man on good team. Been a pro for 9 years, so, what you see is what you get.
Frank Mason
BCS: Chris Paul
WCS: Raymond Felton
LS: Patty Mills
Needs a shot as the starter or he'll just be Felton or Mills
Buddy:
BCS: Jamal Crawford
WCS: Joe Hasset
LS: Vinnie Johnson
Perfect 3rd guard but hot and cold forever
Fox:
BCS: Allen Iverson
WCS: Brandon Jennings
LS: Stephon Marbury
How will he handle being very good but not great? Probably by asking for a trade in three years
Obviously, if the best case scenarios come true, you have the makings of a great team. If the worst come to pass, you have a total flop of a rebuild (but no complete failures like Robinson or Fredette).
The likely scenario is (as Joerger has recently been suggesting) a team that will be like Denver is now in a few years. That would actually be fine with me, but imagine THIS team:
PG: George Hill (eventually giving way to Frank Mason)
SG: Bogi (backed up by Ben McClemore))
C : Demarcus Cousins (backed up by Kosta)
PF Zach Randolph (tutoring Willie Cauley-Stein - when Zach leaves, Skal is the backup)
SF: Garret Temple/Omri Caspi (Vince Carter backing up at 20 minutes per game)
last man up: Jakar Sampson
We give up the #1 to Chicago (no Fox) but still draft Mason with our second round pick (which we gave to Chicago instead). No Jackson or Giles (boo hoo) or Buddy. Because the trade basically was Fox, Jackson, Giles and Hield and a second round pick for Cousins, Mason and Caspi. I know that sounds nonsensical, because we got Mason anyway, but without the the trade, we would not have had the Pels second rounder to draft him (but would have had our own second to draft him).
I would have kept Collison if he was willing to be a backup slash occasional starter until Mason took that job.. In that case, Hill would have played some shooting guard and McLemore would have been the fifth guard
the draft pick this year becomes the eventual starter at SF
That team probably makes the playoffs this year and a few years more.
But Vlade did not bring in a good veteran supporting cast until it was too late for DMC. Instead, he set up DeMarcus for failure with guys like Anthony Tolliver, Arron Afflalo, Ty Lawson, Marco Bellinelli, James Anderson, Seth Curry and Matt Barnes. As Cousins said(before last season), "Lord, give me strength".
The wild card is Harry Giles. The team as it is now sinks or swims on whether he can still be a force or not. The draft will tell all. If they draft a big man, they don't really believe in Giles. If they draft a small forward, they do.