bajaden
Hall of Famer
Do you mean that somewhere out there, a legitimate media still exists? In a parallel universe perhaps?
What If .... Lebron Signs with the Kings?
- Thread starter Peter_Gibbons
- Start date
Do you mean that somewhere out there, a legitimate media still exists? In a parallel universe perhaps?
The Hammer
All-Star
Did the legwork for everyone.
Kings = $33 million committed
Contract Players: Tyreke Evans, Carl Landry, Beno Udrich, Jason Thompson, Francisco Garcis, Spencer Hawes, Omri Casspi, Donte Greene, Andres Nocioni
(We have the most players on contract of any team, even compared to the teams with similar low 30s million committed. Clearly, we have the deepest roster and already a superstar on the team and a top pick comming in.)
Bulls = $32 million committed
Contract Players: Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, James Johnson, Taj Gibson
(Other than Rose, I don't see the attraction to go to Chicago other than that its a big media market. Noah and Gibson are ok pieces, but can they be better than Landry+JT+ Greene+ Hawes+ Casspi???)
Clippers = $33 million commited
Contract Players: Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan
(They don't have a proven 2nd piece like a Tyreke or Rose. Blake doesn't count because of how season ending injuries on bigs usually play out and besides, he hasn't proven anything in the NBA yet. Roster not nearly as team as the Kings.)
Heat = $31 million committed
Contract Players: Dwyane Wade, Michael Beasley, James Jones, Daequan Cook, Mario Chalmers
(No way LBJ and DWade would want to share the spotlight. Their egos are way too big for 1 team. Even LBJ signs, the rest of the team sucks. You need more than 2 stars to win a ring. Also I don't see their styles working together on the court.)
Wolves = $37 million committed
Contract Players: Al Jefferson, Ramon Sessions, Kevin Love, Johnny Flynn, Corey Brewer, Wayne Ellington
(Curry didn't even want to work out for the Wolves. That shows what kind of draw this team has.)
Nets = $26 million committed
Contract Players: Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian, Brook Lopez, Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee, Kris Humphries.
(To me, the Nets are right up there with the Kings as a "win for many years" type of team. Top pick coming in just like the Kings. They don't have a Tyreke type of star, but they have nice young pieces like Lopez, Harris, and Yi. They don't have as deep a roster as the Kings, but $7 mil more cap space. I doubt they can get as deep as the Kings with $7m, but they do have the NY + JayZ factor.)
Knicks = $19 million committed
Contract Players: Eddie Curry, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Toney Douglas
(The Knicks are only being talked about as a top destination because the media wants to. Look at this roster. Sure they have the enough for 2 max players. LBJ + Bosh/Amare/Booser. They would have 6 players total after signing 2 max guys. They'll need to fill the rest of their roster with MLE, vetern's min, and min contracts. Their 1st rd pick this year belongs to the Jazz. Bad choice for LBJ.)
When you look at it like this, comparing just these teams, and you consider that Lebron's goal is championships, not so much a media market, and you consider our very good team chemistry, our top pick coming up (Bulls no have this), our very good coach and bunch of young talent that will only improve, you really gotta think that our team is Lebron's best bet for getting set up to go on a MAJOR DYNASTY RUN. I think that's what he wants. He wants a run of championships. Media market blah blah blah. It's all global now anyway. Plus Maloofs are cool owners and have he Vegas connections. I think it's more than a slim chance he comes here, actually. He's not an idiot about how good Tyreke is.
Also consider that Tyreke may be the only other superstar that might be able to coexist with LeBron, due to Tyreke's humble personility. I have a feeling they would work well together. Draft Cousins and we win the title if not next year then the year after, and the year after, and the year after, etc.
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rainmaker
Hall of Famer
I think that will be true in a couple of seasons, maybe after next if all goes well. I don't really see us a top destination right now for a top FA that wants to make a championship run. We're still too early in the rebuilding process to attract top talent while in their prime, and that is exactly where Lebron is, entering his prime.You guys are very welcome.
We really should be one of the top talked about destinations for top free agents if its based on winning. But obviously the media doesn't find that to be a good story. And I agree that if not Lebron, we should have a good chance at other FAs if they really want to win.
But if we can't get a top FA, we are still in good shape to either save the money for next yr or pick up some good but not too expensive guys that can make a difference such as Brendan Haywood etc.
Of course I would love to have him here. But honestly, if I were him, and had the options he has, and really wanted to win which I think he does, I wouldn't come to Sac. Not with our frontline. Not untill we prove ourselves somewhat. I think there's a better chance of us attracting top talent, maybe go after Carmelo next offseason. We need a qualty big, Tyreke's game needs to mature, and we need more consistency from everyone else. We're too young. Compare OKC from last offseason to this. Which would be more attractive?
captain bill
All-Star
I don't even know what's entertaining about that. Piece on Sacramento:
"12. Kings: Sacramento has the cap space, an iso stud in Tyreke Evans, plus several effective bigs in Carl Landry, Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes. If they played somewhere else it would be more plausible, but if the market was too small for Chris Webber.."
It's like he was going to try to rip the Kings for something regarding Webber, but then realized that he didn't actually have a point to make so instead of re-thinking his analysis he just stopped midsentence. Okay, so it is kind of entertaining seeing writing this bad get published as "expert," but not much other than that.
Widowmaker2k
Bench
Lebron's not coming to Sacramento. I wish he would, of course, he's the best player in all of basketball, but it's just not going to happen. We're a better fit than some teams, and worse fit than others, but we just don't have the national profile to pull it off. True, players who actually give Sacramento a chance end up loving it, but it doesn't have the national profile to solicit that kind of personality. Lebron can play in any city he wants. Sacramento is a great town, but flashy it is not. And, if nothing else, Lebron is flashy. He's just a bad fit here, off the court.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Lebron isn't coming to Sacramento...Nice dream, but thats all it is..
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...cj-on-bulls-chicago--20100516,0,7300558.story
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...cj-on-bulls-chicago--20100516,0,7300558.story
Calipari has already said he is definitely going to be coaching Kentucky next year. I wonder how good he considers his word to be. I suppose we will find out.
Interesting mention of the Clippers. If Sac has the pros of a potential star in place and an upcoming high draft pick, then you gotta say the Clips have at least the shot that we do. Now their star 'in place' is Blake, so that may not be the same, BUT <understatement>they are in a better media market than we are</understatement>.
Peter_Gibbons
Starter
Today is only 5/17, free agency doesn't begin until 7/1. Thats 1.5 months from now!!! There will be a lot of rumors flying. Next you'll hear from the NY Times that the Knicks' people are in talks with Lebron's people. Then the Clippers are reaching out to unnamed close friends of Lebron. The article is written by the Chicago Tribune. They know thats whats gonna sell newspapers and get hits online. It doesn't mention anything we don't already know.
Peter_Gibbons
Starter
The chances of the Kings landing Lebron is still slim as we all know. But...
a lot can happen in 6 weeks!!!
What if we get the Number 1 pick?? All of a sudden we have Tyreke + Wall or (Trade for lower pick to get Cousins/Favors/Turner+another main contributor). Even the #2-4 picks are great. We all of a sudden turn into a very attractive young team talent wise.
If we don't get Lebron or one of the top 3-4 FAs, we are still in good shape with our current situation. Thats what I'm excited about.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
bajaden
Hall of Famer
The amazing part to me is that absolutely none of the rumors mentions the Kings. How can that possibly be? Maybe we need to prod the Bee into starting a rumor. In all honesty, if he really wanted to play on the west coast, don't you think he'd rather play with Kaman, Gordon, Griffin and Davis in the heart of media central west. They also have DeAndre Jordan as a nice developing center of the future. Not to mention they'll add another lottery pick to the team. And what happens if they get lucky again and it happens to be one of the top four?
I admire your tenacity, and sincere belief that Sacramento is the place to be. And I certainly don't want to ruin your offseason. So I'll leave you to your musings... And Good Luck. I'll give you all the credit if it comes to pass.
Peter_Gibbons
Starter
The amazing part to me is that absolutely none of the rumors mentions the Kings. How can that possibly be? Maybe we need to prod the Bee into starting a rumor. In all honesty, if he really wanted to play on the west coast, don't you think he'd rather play with Kaman, Gordon, Griffin and Davis in the heart of media central west. They also have DeAndre Jordan as a nice developing center of the future. Not to mention they'll add another lottery pick to the team. And what happens if they get lucky again and it happens to be one of the top four?
I admire your tenacity, and sincere belief that Sacramento is the place to be. And I certainly don't want to ruin your offseason. So I'll leave you to your musings... And Good Luck. I'll give you all the credit if it comes to pass.
LOL... obviously I said from the first post that there is only a slim chance LBJ signs with the Kings. At this point, I still think he'll resign with the Cavs.
My points are that if winning is #1 like he said and if he decides to leave the Cavs, the Kings are not a bad choice at all. I've mentioned Kings, Clippers, Nets as the ones that has the best future. However, I don't think the Clippers has a better team going into next yr then ours. I watch almost every Clips and lakers game and I can tell you Baron Davis is no longer a good player. BD is out of shape every yr and misses a good chunk of gms from injuries on the regular. He only plays hard when he plays the lakers and most people feel he is not performing up to his contract. Kaman is decent and so is Gordon, Blake had season ending knee surgery and he hasn't played 1 min of real NBA ball so I don't think anyone would consider him a reason for a big time FA to sign with the Clips. But I think you got my point a long time ago, its just that you like the Bulls chances the most and to each his own.
captain bill
All-Star
In terms of which team sets up the best chance to win/best place for long-term reputation (media + storylines), I'd put:
1- Chicago (good team already, playoff-ready cast, big market)
[drop-off in desirability]
2- Clippers (talented, high pick, big market; second fiddle to Lakers, Baron Davis looks like he's on the downside, Griffin has injuries and is unproven)
3- Nets (talented players, big market, high pick; talent hasn't translated into wins and the stink of this season is pretty strong)
[smaller drop-off]
4- Miami (Wade but not much else; problem of not being the clear-cut no.1 guy)
5- Sacramento (lots of talent but a poor front court; I think the small market thing would be offset by the fact that the Kings would be the biggest game in NorCal and would get a big bay area following)
[bigger drop-off]
6- Minnesota (weaker talent than Sacramento, still a small market, franchise has a history of failing to win with superstars)
7- NYK (awful team, awful franchise, awful coach. If Lebron wants NY, he can play for the Nets.)
I think the Clippers and the Nets are roughly equal in terms of desireability; the lotto and what promises those teams can make will sort them out. Miami would be a good place to go to win a ring or two but probably not to build a dynasty (at least not right now, that team has almost no depth).
The problem is that while the Kings are an 'okay' destination, there are 4 teams that are better situations for him to go to (maybe give Sac the nod over Miami if Lebron really doesn't want to share a spotlight with Miami, which would look more like the current Celtics than the 90s Bulls in terms of being driven by a superstar). And Lebron gets to choose, so he's going to choose the very best situation, which, barring some big changes this summer, isn't going to be in Sacramento.
rainmaker
Hall of Famer
If thats your point, than us getting the #1 means nothing, because anyone we draft hasn't stepped foot on a nba court either. Clippers have a roster with more potential, and if I was Lebron, I'd go there before coming to Sac. They have an allstar center. We have Spencer. They have a #1 overall in Griffin, who should be a star. We have Landry. They have a young eric gordon, who can shoot the lights out. Plus, a large media market, nightlife, and the attention which comes with it.
As our team grows and matures, we will big attractive for future FA's. But not yet. Way too young.
captain bill
All-Star
^^^ Agree. Blake's injury should be a red flag in terms of how effective he will be going forward, but people know how good he is and how phenomenal hew as in pre-season. Clips are definitely more talented than us right now, even if their talent comes with more question marks.
Peter_Gibbons
Starter
We are "attractive" to FAs when compared to other teams that has cap space. Of course most FAs wants to go to the lakers, Magic etc. But those teams don't have the cap space to make such a move.
My point with Blake is that season ending knee surgery and bigs don't go well together. Look at Greg Oden, Andrew Bynum and our own CWebb. He is a question mark because of what these injuries does to a player, not because I don't believe he is a good prospect.
In the meantime, we have the reigning ROY. I think we have a better roster because we are much deeper than any other team with similar amount of $ committed. We have 9 guys that all can play. Other teams might have 1 or 2 decent players but thats it. Media market... is a bit overrated to me. The media follows Lebron. As far as nightlife, if he is ok with Ohio's then I don't think he'll have a problem with Sacramento's.
rainmaker
Hall of Famer
Then I will agree to disagree. I think in a year or two we will become a more desirable destination for FA's. We are young, and have promise, but thats about it. Nightlife might be overrated, but if you are a 25 yr old worth over $100M, and enjoy being the center of attention, and you can choose between NY, Miami, Chi, LA, and..... Sacramento, which would you choose?
My sister lives in Sac, as a bay area and NY transplant, and even she says the nightlife doesn't compare. Frankly, she says it sucks. So it might be overrated to some, but not all.
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Peter_Gibbons
Starter
I know what you mean with the nighlife/media part. It'll all depend on what Lebron really wants. He has said winning is his only desire, wanting to win many championships as he knows thats what his legacy will be judged on.
Of course it can be all talk and he really rather have fame/money/fun? But then again, how much attention can he get if he doesn't win anything in NY(the biggest media)? at least not positive attention.
Peter_Gibbons
Starter
BTW guys, Joe Maloof was on ESPN radio earlier and he did say that the Kings will go after the top FAs.
The Hammer
All-Star
No way is it all talk. I think people waaaaaay overestimate how much Lebron values "big media markets". Sure he'll soak up attention if it's there, but he creates it. There is no way in hell he'll make his decision based on anything OTHER than how many championships he can win. One thing we have going for us, we have owners that everybody knows are willing to spend money and take chances when the time is right to make a push. But damn LeBron plus our team right now, plus a draft pick.... I don't know that kinda smells like a dynasty to me, to be honest. A long, long dyansty. That's all he cares about.
Larry David
Starter
If we are going to debate “what if Lebron signed here” we should probably start mapping out the route for Sac State parade when they win the NCAA Hoops title. The percentages are the same - zero.
BTW guys, Joe Maloof was on ESPN radio earlier and he did say that the Kings will go after the top FAs.
Like Mikki Moore... those sorta guys?
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Peter Gibbons said:
I think it should be pointed out that there are knee injuries, and there are knee injuries. The injury Griffin suffered isn't nearly as bad as tearing your ACL or having microfracture surgery. He just had a cracked kneecap. Basicly the same injury that Oden had. I don't know if the severity is the same, but its pretty much like just letting a bone heal as oppossed to reattaching a tendon, or trying to recreate the cushion in the knee.
So unless there was some other complication I don't know about, he should be good as new. Even if he were to lose just a little athleticism, he has some to spare. Remember this is a 6'10", 250 pound guy that has close to a 40" vertical leap and terrific lateral movement. I should also point out that this was a freak accident, similar to Oden's and prior to this injury he hasn't been injury prone.
Peter_Gibbons
Starter
Well you gotta admit, if you are willing to spend anything more than the vet minimum on Mikki Moore, you are probably willing to max out just about anybody else.
HAHAHA.. Mikki still does the best 3 point hand sign hands down.
Peter_Gibbons
Starter
Yes I agree, I believe him when he says he only wants to win. The media will follow him. The money and endorsements will follow him as well. The one fear that he has is what if he never wins a championship... or multiple championships. Thats what he is probably worried about.
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