Why Isn't Sasha Playing?

GWD

GWD

Bench
#331
#331
This development was certainly predictable. Coach Brown and Sasha did not share the same vision of his role on the team. Conflict was evident during a few games during the season (as noted earlier in this thread)..

Sasha will likely be more successful, and receive decent playing time, on another team. The potentially interesting outcome is if he proves to be a valuable asset that was missed by the Kings.
 
AaronPDX

AaronPDX

Bench
#333
#333
Potentially a dumb question here for the salary cap gurus, but does this mean potentially more cash for Monk could be available with a waive or buyout? (fingers crossed)
 
Capt. Factorial

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#335
#335
AaronPDX said:
Potentially a dumb question here for the salary cap gurus, but does this mean potentially more cash for Monk could be available with a waive or buyout? (fingers crossed)
Click to expand...
If a zero dollar buyout actually happens, we would free up $6.6M of salary cap space (so, technically, luxury tax/apron space). That wouldn't change the amount of money we can offer Monk, which is limited by the Early Bird rules and not by our cap space, but it would give us that $6.6M in breathing room under cap rules.
 
chief bromden

chief bromden

Starter
#336
#336
I thought this dude would be money playing with Saboner. Maybe he'd work well on a team that needs shooting but has plenty of defense like the Magic. I could also see him as a good fit on the Spurs too. A trade involving him and some others for salary match for Keldon Johnson could work. By all accounts, Keldon is a great teammate and he is pretty mediocre at free throws so he'd fit right in!
 
AaronPDX

AaronPDX

Bench
#337
#337
Capt. Factorial said:
If a zero dollar buyout actually happens, we would free up $6.6M of salary cap space (so, technically, luxury tax/apron space). That wouldn't change the amount of money we can offer Monk, which is limited by the Early Bird rules and not by our cap space, but it would give us that $6.6M in breathing room under cap rules.
Click to expand...
I was afraid that would be the answer....damnit.....LOL
 
captain bill

captain bill

Starter
#338
#338
Blaming this on Coach is unfair. He's a rookie who was injured for large stretches of the year on a team that was fighting razor thin postseason margins. And where there weren't a lot of minutes available for him based on roster alone

Hopefully he showed enough that other teams will be interested in what he can do, and if he can help get us assets that's a win for a second round pick, even if I'd have liked to see him develop more here
 
SacTownKid

SacTownKid

Hall of Famer
#339
#339
sactowndog said:
Sasha was a poor fit on the roster which was already overloaded with stretch 4 type of players. Just another example of poor roster construction by Monte who builds rosters like he is doing a fantasy draft.
Click to expand...
Sasha was the most productive F on the roster according to the per 48's. Poor GM'ing aside, that says something.
 
SacTownKid

SacTownKid

Hall of Famer
#340
#340
captain bill said:
Blaming this on Coach is unfair. He's a rookie who was injured for large stretches of the year on a team that was fighting razor thin postseason margins. And where there weren't a lot of minutes available for him based on roster alone

Hopefully he showed enough that other teams will be interested in what he can do, and if he can help get us assets that's a win for a second round pick, even if I'd have liked to see him develop more here
Click to expand...
Coach might need to look at the productivity.
 
2

206Fan

All-Star
#342
#342
I blame Mike Brown. Saw the issues coming from a mile away, but I thought Sasha would eventually crack the rotation… but he never did. The injury didn’t help either.

Injuries aside, it’s unacceptable that the Kings didn’t have a consistent bench rotation last year. Brown fiddled with the players and their minutes making them “stay ready” and then yanking them out when they miss a shot or two. We saw it with Davion, Keon, Duarte, and Sasha. We saw the same thing in his first year too. Moneke was a fringe NBA players, but I think his public sentiments are probably what our bench players feel.

Hopefully Mike Brown isn’t stubborn and is willing to change his ways. He can’t be yanking these bench guys around like this
 
pdxKingsFan

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#343
#343
This situation stinks all around. It was worth the shot bringing him in. Brown has a system and part of that is making guys earn it. Sasha was NOT there early on but he was coming into his own right at the time he got injured. I'd have loved to see one more year of Sasha to see if we could make it work assuming that the roster looks quite a bit different next season. But I was also envisioning him as a salary piece and at least a buy low sell medium (possibly high if he truly is a bust) option, especially to a high lotto team like Portland or Washington that has a piece that we might covet. And I can see why when the writing is on the wall that he'd be going to Portland or Washington he would leak "I'm done with the NBA".

Sucks all around but nobody is actually the bad guy here either.
 
T

The_Jamal

Hall of Famer
#345
#345
206Fan said:
I blame Mike Brown. Saw the issues coming from a mile away, but I thought Sasha would eventually crack the rotation… but he never did. The injury didn’t help either.

Injuries aside, it’s unacceptable that the Kings didn’t have a consistent bench rotation last year. Brown fiddled with the players and their minutes making them “stay ready” and then yanking them out when they miss a shot or two. We saw it with Davion, Keon, Duarte, and Sasha. We saw the same thing in his first year too. Moneke was a fringe NBA players, but I think his public sentiments are probably what our bench players feel.

Hopefully Mike Brown isn’t stubborn and is willing to change his ways. He can’t be yanking these bench guys around like this
Click to expand...
There's some Mike Brown blame here, for sure, but I think Sasha was just pretty unlucky with his injuries too. Every time he got some momentum, was playing well... he'd go down With some ankle tweak.

He's probably better than Lyles and maybe even HB at this point, but you got to stay on the floor to prove it.
 
ShastaKingsFan

ShastaKingsFan

All-Star
#346
#346
The_Jamal said:
There's some Mike Brown blame here, for sure, but I think Sasha was just pretty unlucky with his injuries too. Every time he got some momentum, was playing well... he'd go down With some ankle tweak.

He's probably better than Lyles and maybe even HB at this point, but you got to stay on the floor to prove it.
Click to expand...
I'd be surprised if anybody on the Kings staff or roster thinks that Vezenkov is a more valuable player than Lyles or Barnes.
 
T

The_Jamal

Hall of Famer
#347
#347
ShastaKingsFan said:
I'd be surprised if anybody on the Kings staff or roster thinks that Vezenkov is a more valuable player than Lyles or Barnes.
Click to expand...
Probably true as well. I'm just doing a bit of forecasting with his numbers and limited time on the floor, but I think he's got a chance to to a real impact player, especially on the floornwith Domas.

Coaching staff probably doesn't agree, but I also think they're not just going to give a guy a rotation spot on a good team. And just as he was proving that he earned a spot, he got hurt.
 
pdxKingsFan

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#348
#348
It's a shame we won't get so see a healthy Sasha in a re-worked squad (assuming at least 2-3 significant changes this offseason) but it was also getting hard not to see how he wouldn't be included as sweetener if not salary filler in any deal.
 
D

dude12

Hall of Famer
#349
#349
206Fan said:
I blame Mike Brown. Saw the issues coming from a mile away, but I thought Sasha would eventually crack the rotation… but he never did. The injury didn’t help either.

Injuries aside, it’s unacceptable that the Kings didn’t have a consistent bench rotation last year. Brown fiddled with the players and their minutes making them “stay ready” and then yanking them out when they miss a shot or two. We saw it with Davion, Keon, Duarte, and Sasha. We saw the same thing in his first year too. Moneke was a fringe NBA players, but I think his public sentiments are probably what our bench players feel.

Hopefully Mike Brown isn’t stubborn and is willing to change his ways. He can’t be yanking these bench guys around like this
Click to expand...
Last I checked, Davion and Keon were playing their best ball at the end of the year. Does Brown get credit for that?
 
whitechocolate

whitechocolate

Bench
#350
#350
I didn't see him do anything with the ball in his hands at an NBA level other than spot up shooting. He could even be exceptional in that regard, but I don't think he can guard anybody. His footwork is awkward and slow. I don't think he's a rotational player. He's situational at best. I don't get why fans remained so optimistic about him.
 
ShastaKingsFan

ShastaKingsFan

All-Star
#351
#351
The_Jamal said:
Probably true as well. I'm just doing a bit of forecasting with his numbers and limited time on the floor, but I think he's got a chance to to a real impact player, especially on the floornwith Domas.

Coaching staff probably doesn't agree, but I also think they're not just going to give a guy a rotation spot on a good team. And just as he was proving that he earned a spot, he got hurt.
Click to expand...
What was the coaching staff probably not seeing, but you did, in terms of him earning a rotation spot?
 
T

TheMobb

Bench
#352
#352
Is this confirmed that Sasha won’t be returning? Just my opinion but I felt like the Kings had a plan that the first half of the season would be a learning curve, Sasha adjusting to a new country, new culture, the NBA game, new schemes and teammates, and that the 2nd half they would start ramping up his minutes and role. He had some solid play and good signs the 2nd half of the year, but injuries derailed his progress. I feel there’s still a chance he can carve out a solid role, but if he doesn’t want to return and grind it out that’s understandable as well.
 
T

TheMobb

Bench
#353
#353
The_Jamal said:
Probably true as well. I'm just doing a bit of forecasting with his numbers and limited time on the floor, but I think he's got a chance to to a real impact player, especially on the floornwith Domas.

Coaching staff probably doesn't agree, but I also think they're not just going to give a guy a rotation spot on a good team. And just as he was proving that he earned a spot, he got hurt.
Click to expand...
I agree with this. We never even really got to see Sasha with Domas and Fox.
 
S

serbiangoat

Starter
#354
#354
Petrusev was such a better fit making a fraction of the money........I'm actually more surprised Micic has not gone back either I'm assuming its back to Olympiacos for Sasha?

It's a very hard adjustment going from being a star in Europe to playing in the NBA which is why role players tend to do better in the NBA if they have a certain skillset.
 
Last edited:
ockingsfan

ockingsfan

Starter
#355
#355
Capt. Factorial said:
We would have to go through the buyout process but if he truly wants to leave - and walk away from his guaranteed salary this year - it appears that we can do that, and we won't have any salary cap obligations to him.
Click to expand...
I don't see why the Kings would do that though.... I have never seen that happen in the NBA before.

I can't see the Kings agreeing to let Sasha out of his contract so he can play with a competing NBA team like the Mavs or GSW? At the very least, I would try my hardest to trade him for at least a 2nd round pick or as salary filler in a bigger trade. The only way I would just release Sasha is if he went back to Europe, otherwise I wouldn't let him walk for nothing in return.
 
Last edited:
Capt. Factorial

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#356
#356
ockingsfan said:
I don't see why the Kings would do that though.... I have never seen that happen in the NBA before.
Click to expand...
It's rare, because it's not very often that a player wants to walk away from that kind of money. But if we don't want to use him in the rotation, and he doesn't want to be here, and he's willing to walk away from the money - why waste the roster spot and the money and force him to show up every day when he doesn't want to be there?

I'm sure the Kings will look into possible trades, and if reports are wrong and Sasha isn't actually willing to walk away from the money, then you don't cut him unless you *need* that roster spot. But as a team that will certainly be in the salary tax, the salary cap implications alone make a no-fault divorce pretty tempting.
 
SacTownKid

SacTownKid

Hall of Famer
#359
#359
dude12 said:
Last I checked, Davion and Keon were playing their best ball at the end of the year. Does Brown get credit for that?
Click to expand...
Brown also put Davion back in over Keon when Keon was already starting to show out while Davion was out prior to the end of the year. Brown clearly makes certain guys earn it. Usually it's the new players. Nothing wrong with that, until it creates an issue. This was, and now is a Monte issue. What was Sasha promised coming over? What were the expectations?
 
S

serbiangoat

Starter
#360
#360
ockingsfan said:
I don't see why the Kings would do that though.... I have never seen that happen in the NBA before.

I can't see the Kings agreeing to let Sasha out of his contract so he can play with a competing NBA team like the Mavs or GSW? At the very least, I would try my hardest to trade him for at least a 2nd round pick or as salary filler in a bigger trade. The only way I would just release Sasha is if he went back to Europe, otherwise I wouldn't let him walk for nothing in return.
Click to expand...
Its a everyday occurrence in Europe during the season ,former NBA player Shabazz Napier was the biggest example this season.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.