So hi everybody. I've been visiting this site for a few months now and it's becoming the first place I look for Kings news. I was thinking about something yesterday and it made me sign up and post for the first time. The question I was pondering was, who will fill in our spots at PF and SG next season (as it seems likely Cat is gone after this season -- especially after the Webber trade). The first names I came up with were Theo Ratliff and Larry Hughes and there's reasons why we could get both. Here's how I broke it down.
Theo Ratliff is not a free agent so we'd have to get him from a trade with Portland. I'm not clever enough to work out any multi team trades, but I found several trades that work. The real trick would be to somehow keep some of our newfound depth in the process and give Portland some reason to take the trade. This seemed the most likely:
Portland trades:
C Theo Ratliff
(4.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.6 apg in 28.5 minutes)
Portland receives:
SF Corliss Williamson
(10.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.9 apg in 22.1 minutes)
PF Brian Skinner
(2.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.2 apg in 10.2 minutes)
Change in team outlook: +8.1 ppg, +1.0 rpg, and +0.5 apg.
Sacramento trades:
SF Corliss Williamson
(10.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.9 apg in 22.1 minutes)
PF Brian Skinner
(2.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.2 apg in 10.2 minutes)
Sacramento receives:
C Theo Ratliff
(4.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.6 apg in 28.5 minutes)
Change in team outlook: -8.1 ppg, -1.0 rpg, and -0.5 apg.
TRADE ACCEPTED
This trade makes sense for us because Ratliff would presumably fill the roles of Skinner and Williamson by giving us a low post presence, some interior defense, and an offensive rebounding force with the added benefit of size. It would leave us without a legitimate big man backup again (cause it's painful seeing Ostertag out ther on the court) so maybe we could find a way to keep Skinner too. Ostertag does have an expiring contract, but I don't see any team turning a trade to pick up Ostertag unless he somehow turns into a shotblocking force again. Kenny Thomas has the bigger contract (between him and Corliss) but he brings more talent with it so that's also an option. He probably gets more rebounds per 48 than Ratliff does (also a reason why it would be tough to see him go).
With Ratliff in the starting lineup we have that interior defense we've been sorely lacking and on offense it works out like it did much of last season when we had Vlade and Miller out there. Miller moves into the high post where he's more dangerous and Ratliff fills in the low post, looking to dominate the offensive boards and make cuts to the basket. Size is more important in the Western Conference too and this would give us a huge frontline.
So why does Portland make the trade? They've signed Ratliff to a big contract and he's basically become a backup center on a team that's going nowhere. They've got to do something sooner or later and he's a good chip to move. We can't offer them a lot of cap room and they already have a logjam at the forward positions, but Abdur-Rahim is leaving after this season. Corliss, Skinner, and Ostertag have short contracts. As will Bobby Jackson if his team option is picked up, and Portland does have some need at PG with Damon Stoudamire leaving and Nick Van Exel not getting any younger. So the point is, we have enough pieces to make the deal attractive to Portland, but the trick is coming up with the deal that leaves us in the best possible position. It's tough, but doable. Unless Portland is dead set around rebuilding with Ratliff but it doesn't look like that the way they're playing him. And of course they're not winning so they'd be better off finding younger guys to rebuild around, or at least expiring contracts to swap him for.
So then there's the SG spot. There are a number of free agents this season at the PF and SG spots but most of the PF ones are undersized guys like we already have or big guys with limited skills. The options at SG are a lot more attractive though. Ray Allen and Michael Redd are probably too high profile to sign here, they'll be getting a ton of money thrown at them. But an even more attractive option for us who is slightly more obtainable is Larry Hughes. He's on a team with two All-Stars so he doesn't really have that MVP buzz about him even though he's having a monster season. He's a steal specialist with playmaker capabilites which brings back fond memories of Doug Christie's strengths at the SG spot.
And if you think about it, this is a pretty attractive situation for free agents. We've got spots open in our starting roster now which we haven't really had for awhile. The guys they'd be playing with at SF, PG, and C are all All-Star caliber. And it's a system that's been praised for it's ability to breed chemistry and make guys better. And it's a team with a proven ability to win that's ready to make a play for the finals. We haven't really had this kind of a hole to fill since the Maloofs have been with the team so maybe they'll surprise us and reel somebody in. We can't offer the most money, but we do have an attractive situation which may make up for it.
So here's my lineup for next season with Larry Hughes and Theo Ratliff filled in. Unfortunately this leaves us with a weak bench again, but Kenny Thomas and a healthy Bobby Jackson go a long way. Maybe Martin bulks up in the offseason and plays more minutes? Will Evans and Songaila return? Can we find a way to move Ostertag? Maybe it seems wrong to be talking about the offseason already, but we seem to be set up for an especially active offseason so there's a lot of questions to ponder. We're still a threat to most teams in the playoffs so who knows what will happen.
M. Bibby [B. Jackson?]
L. Hughes [K. Martin] [M. Evans?]
P. Stojakovic [K. Thomas] [M. Evans?]
T. Ratliff [D. Songaila?]
B. Miller [G. Ostertag]
Any thoughts?
Theo Ratliff is not a free agent so we'd have to get him from a trade with Portland. I'm not clever enough to work out any multi team trades, but I found several trades that work. The real trick would be to somehow keep some of our newfound depth in the process and give Portland some reason to take the trade. This seemed the most likely:
Portland trades:
C Theo Ratliff
(4.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.6 apg in 28.5 minutes)
Portland receives:
SF Corliss Williamson
(10.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.9 apg in 22.1 minutes)
PF Brian Skinner
(2.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.2 apg in 10.2 minutes)
Change in team outlook: +8.1 ppg, +1.0 rpg, and +0.5 apg.
Sacramento trades:
SF Corliss Williamson
(10.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.9 apg in 22.1 minutes)
PF Brian Skinner
(2.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.2 apg in 10.2 minutes)
Sacramento receives:
C Theo Ratliff
(4.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.6 apg in 28.5 minutes)
Change in team outlook: -8.1 ppg, -1.0 rpg, and -0.5 apg.
TRADE ACCEPTED
This trade makes sense for us because Ratliff would presumably fill the roles of Skinner and Williamson by giving us a low post presence, some interior defense, and an offensive rebounding force with the added benefit of size. It would leave us without a legitimate big man backup again (cause it's painful seeing Ostertag out ther on the court) so maybe we could find a way to keep Skinner too. Ostertag does have an expiring contract, but I don't see any team turning a trade to pick up Ostertag unless he somehow turns into a shotblocking force again. Kenny Thomas has the bigger contract (between him and Corliss) but he brings more talent with it so that's also an option. He probably gets more rebounds per 48 than Ratliff does (also a reason why it would be tough to see him go).
With Ratliff in the starting lineup we have that interior defense we've been sorely lacking and on offense it works out like it did much of last season when we had Vlade and Miller out there. Miller moves into the high post where he's more dangerous and Ratliff fills in the low post, looking to dominate the offensive boards and make cuts to the basket. Size is more important in the Western Conference too and this would give us a huge frontline.
So why does Portland make the trade? They've signed Ratliff to a big contract and he's basically become a backup center on a team that's going nowhere. They've got to do something sooner or later and he's a good chip to move. We can't offer them a lot of cap room and they already have a logjam at the forward positions, but Abdur-Rahim is leaving after this season. Corliss, Skinner, and Ostertag have short contracts. As will Bobby Jackson if his team option is picked up, and Portland does have some need at PG with Damon Stoudamire leaving and Nick Van Exel not getting any younger. So the point is, we have enough pieces to make the deal attractive to Portland, but the trick is coming up with the deal that leaves us in the best possible position. It's tough, but doable. Unless Portland is dead set around rebuilding with Ratliff but it doesn't look like that the way they're playing him. And of course they're not winning so they'd be better off finding younger guys to rebuild around, or at least expiring contracts to swap him for.
So then there's the SG spot. There are a number of free agents this season at the PF and SG spots but most of the PF ones are undersized guys like we already have or big guys with limited skills. The options at SG are a lot more attractive though. Ray Allen and Michael Redd are probably too high profile to sign here, they'll be getting a ton of money thrown at them. But an even more attractive option for us who is slightly more obtainable is Larry Hughes. He's on a team with two All-Stars so he doesn't really have that MVP buzz about him even though he's having a monster season. He's a steal specialist with playmaker capabilites which brings back fond memories of Doug Christie's strengths at the SG spot.
And if you think about it, this is a pretty attractive situation for free agents. We've got spots open in our starting roster now which we haven't really had for awhile. The guys they'd be playing with at SF, PG, and C are all All-Star caliber. And it's a system that's been praised for it's ability to breed chemistry and make guys better. And it's a team with a proven ability to win that's ready to make a play for the finals. We haven't really had this kind of a hole to fill since the Maloofs have been with the team so maybe they'll surprise us and reel somebody in. We can't offer the most money, but we do have an attractive situation which may make up for it.
So here's my lineup for next season with Larry Hughes and Theo Ratliff filled in. Unfortunately this leaves us with a weak bench again, but Kenny Thomas and a healthy Bobby Jackson go a long way. Maybe Martin bulks up in the offseason and plays more minutes? Will Evans and Songaila return? Can we find a way to move Ostertag? Maybe it seems wrong to be talking about the offseason already, but we seem to be set up for an especially active offseason so there's a lot of questions to ponder. We're still a threat to most teams in the playoffs so who knows what will happen.
M. Bibby [B. Jackson?]
L. Hughes [K. Martin] [M. Evans?]
P. Stojakovic [K. Thomas] [M. Evans?]
T. Ratliff [D. Songaila?]
B. Miller [G. Ostertag]
Any thoughts?
) Look at the other shooters in the league, they're shooting guards. Maybe he's been a disappointment in the playoffs and weak on the boards, but I still see a lot of potential in him and I think he's our most valuable asset. I think that's why Petrie's been so against trading him from the very beginning. And I was a big Webber fan too, so don't put me into one of those camps. I knew he'd have a tremendous year and he did, but the sad truth is that the team plays better without him. I thought last season was a fluke, but it doesn't seem to be. Anyway, I don't want to go into any of that now cause it's still a tough pill to swallow. If only they'd all won that championship in '02 like they deserved this wouldn't be so hard to take. But that's just the way it happened. Ever since '02 we've been trying to patch the holes and keep the ship together the past two season's so we can get back to where we were but maybe the best solution is just to scrap it and build a ship that doesn't sink instead. It's not like we have to scrap everything though.
