Why Isn't Sasha Playing?

[Kingster]

It's an embarrassing development for the Kings. A year ago they recruited him heavily and to put it plainly - he was a bust. He seemed intimidated by the length and athleticism of the NBA. A quick shot became hyper-quick in order to get the shot off. Too bad, but it's not as if the Kings committed to a long term contract for a lot of money either. It was worth the try.

 

[kingsboi]

now that I think about it, he never posed in any of those post game victory beam photos and that alone, looking back was an indicator, along with his outbursts at times with Brown that this wasn't going to work for both parties

 

[hrdboild]

When Monte McNair acquired the draft rights to Sasha the Kings were coming off a 30 win season and had just hired their 12th head coach in 16 years. In that context you're trying anything to add talent to the roster and see who sticks.

By the time Sasha actually signed his contract with the Kings a year later they were a 48 win team coming off a hard-fought 7 game playoff series loss to the Warriors. Roles were established, expectations were high, and there wasn't an opportunity to bring the new guys up to speed slowly because our schedule was front-loaded with 3 "prove-it" games against the Warriors in the first month not to mention the in-season tournament games in November and December.

I don't think Mike Brown had a problem with Vezenkov, he just had other priorities. Maybe Vezenkov took it too personally? I'm not sure what his expectations were. Barnes and Lyles getting re-signed already made it so he would have an uphill battle to establish rotation minutes and Coach Brown prioritizing defense this year didn't work out in Vezenkov's favor either. It's kind of odd for a guy who has played in only 42 NBA games to say "I don't like my role, trade me out of here". Now the impression is out there, accurate or not, that he's a me-first player who cares more about getting his minutes than team success. I don't think that helps trade value so if his goal is to get traded, he just sabotaged himself by going public with a trade demand.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

Extremely intelligent on court play, on both ends. Was surprisingly solid as a team defender. Great on the glass. Impact stats were very favorable towards him,including gaudy numbers when on the floor with Fox and Domas.

Ok.....but the coaching staff who is analyzing every practice and game probably didn't see this?

 

[The_Jamal]

Ok.....but the coaching staff who is analyzing every practice and game probably didn't see this?

Good god, what do you want from me?

Yes, I'm not an NBA head coach. Yes, I'm not right about every single player I comment on. I've been accused of just loving everything Brown does and the second I'm critical of something he does (his usage of Sasha), all of a sudden I get jumped on for that too.

 

[megapoxy]

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?

There was a whole campaign for him to be persuaded to leave Greece and move to NBA around this time last year. Brown had traveled all the way to Athens to watch him play a couple of times and it wasn't an easy decision for Sasha to leave and also for Olympiacos to agree to release him getting those "buy out" money that if I am not mistaken were "deducted" by Sasha's rookie contract.

No details were mentioned if there were some promises, but who knows? Also it might have nothing to do with Kings and his limited role, it could be because he was away from family/friends/girlfriend for such a long time, and during the whole time there was a whole social media outburst that was impossible for him or his people not to notice. At one side we had the Greek/Bulgarian/European sites going in full war against MB for not giving him much playing time (way before the injuries) and on the other side there were the Kings group/fan pages that people that were not aware of him as a basketball player were mocking him and calling him a bust, because he fell way off those high expectations that he could make an impact.

As someone else wrote before, it could be connected with him coming back to Greece that caused him wanting to leave the Kings but that would probably mean leaving the NBA in total and not just the Kings.

FYI, Sasha was never causing chaos via media all his years in Europe, he was friendly with journalists, willing to give interviews (he speaks perfect Greek, you can't even tell he is not native, way better than my and his English) but he is a low profile guy. If the leak indeed occured by his side (that is the most possible thing) it was not from him but by someone else (agent?) that wanted to push/press things in a certain way. I hope he gets to stay in the NBA but I will not be watching his matches if the Kings are playing at the same time as well, unless he is the one we are playing against.

 

[upinsmoke]

Sasha looks like he's playing in lugz.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

Good god, what do you want from me?

Yes, I'm not an NBA head coach. Yes, I'm not right about every single player I comment on. I've been accused of just loving everything Brown does and the second I'm critical of something he does (his usage of Sasha), all of a sudden I get jumped on for that too.

Naa. I just don't think it's likely at all, that the guy who went all the way over there and spent part of his summer recruiting him and was obviously high on his potential,....would then proceed to overlook how valuable he was to the team.

My opinion is that the team would not have had a better record, if he had played more more than Barnes or Lyles. I think Brown and staff in this case, were right on the money with their evaluation of what was best for the team. They took a chance on a guy from overseas and it was a swing and miss.

 

[iowamcnabb]

I think it was largely a numbers game and the injuries. Before he signed we had a thread “Sasha or Lyles” or something like that and one of the arguments was that we might not be able to get the most out of both of them. Although they are different players, their roles overlapped too much. A lot of us thought Sasha coming over meant Lyles was going to be the permanent back up 5 and that never happened.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

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?

I doubt he was promised anything, Brown seems on the level with this, possibly to a fault. Both Brown and Monte were involved in the recruiting.

I really think this could be to ward off a trade to a 20 win team because one report was the Kings told him he isn't in their plans. I could see teams calling about him. Let's not forget when we took his rights most people said he would never come over here at all, so he already is more valuable with two years remaining on the contract than he was as an imaginary trade chip.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I don't think that helps trade value so if his goal is to get traded, he just sabotaged himself by going public with a trade demand.

The two semi-conflicting reports I saw were a) Kings told him he wasn't in their plans and b) he told Kings he is not coming back to the NBA. I've not seen one where he has requested a trade from Sacramento but to stay in the NBA. Maybe I missed that one?

 

[TaxMan]

Some of the takes here about the kings handling of him seem a bit over the top. He had some flashes but his shot seemed inconsistent (as beautiful as it looks leaving his hand) as he was getting adjusted to the nba and then injuries seriously impacted his second half of the year. I found he was a better team defender than I expected but clearly if he’s not hitting his 3s he’s going to struggle getting playing time. The kings weren’t in a position to develop an old rookie in his prime. He needed to seize the opportunity and he didn’t clearly come out on top of others options.

There were rumors he was very homesick so I wouldn’t be surprised if this is about not loving the transition to living in the US and being at best a role player in the NBA. Maybe just wants to get back to getting star treatment in Europe, closer to family and friends.

 

[ESP47]

I don't think he was a bust at all. He was pretty much just average with the chance to be above average if he shoots over 40% from deep. Part of the problem for him is Lyles was just a little better at nearly everything.

 

[ockingsfan]

There were rumors he was very homesick so I wouldn’t be surprised if this is about not loving the transition to living in the US and being at best a role player in the NBA. Maybe just wants to get back to getting star treatment in Europe, closer to family and friends.

This would make the most sense in that the reports I've seen were of Sasha's camp asking for his release. That would make me think they are asking to be released so he can return to Europe. If he wants to return to Europe, I don't see the Kings refusing that request. He took his shot at the NBA and apparently he didn't like what he saw, so he has every right to go back home if he wants.

But, if I were the Kings, I would make sure that there is a stipulation in the release that if he returned to the NBA during his Kings contract, that the Kings get compensated by the other team.

 

[206Fan]

Last I checked, Davion and Keon were playing their best ball at the end of the year. Does Brown get credit for that?

Davion and Keon were playing their best ball at the end of the year when they got consistent minutes. Consistency was the game changer for them

 

[Caccia]

A lot of hay is being made over an unreliable report...

I would want to see some confirmation.

 

[megapoxy]

An interview (mostly for Greeks, but it's in English) with Eric Pincus about the different scenarios how Sasha can be released (there are also some talks for Micic and Nunn later that are not related with the Kings). He even seems confused at some points.

 

[The_Jamal]

I don't think he was a bust at all. He was pretty much just average with the chance to be above average if he shoots over 40% from deep. Part of the problem for him is Lyles was just a little better at nearly everything.

Yeah I do think health was the real problem here. And we bag on Duarte, but Duarte had random stretches this year where he was really good and overall was solid for like a 10th man

 

[Jdbraver137]

Sasha was the most productive F on the roster according to the per 48's. Poor GM'ing aside, that says something.

Per 48, might be the most misleading stat ever.

 

[Jdbraver137]

Extremely intelligent on court play, on both ends. Was surprisingly solid as a team defender. Great on the glass. Impact stats were very favorable towards him,including gaudy numbers when on the floor with Fox and Domas.

He was out of position many times on defense. He got blown by the other team too often. He did get deflections, but I would not call him a good team defender. His shooting was below average and not the knock down shooter he was advertised to be. The fact is Lyles is a far better and more consistent player. He won’t get minutes over Lyles, nor should he.

 

[The_Jamal]

He was out of position many times on defense. He got blown by the other team too often. He did get deflections, but I would not call him a good team defender. His shooting was below average and not the knock down shooter he was advertised to be. The fact is Lyles is a far better and more consistent player. He won’t get minutes over Lyles, nor should he.

Lyles took a step back last year, but I do agree, he's proven to be a better player, thus far. I think had Sasha been able to stay healthy, he would have shown to be a better impact player. Disagree on the defense; he was expected to be a sieve, but I think his physicality and good hands kept him competitive on the defensive end. Good? No. But playable if he was able to get his offense really rolling

 

[cwebb2002]

So question is, if he doesnt get traded (hope he does) and doesnt report, can the kings use his $6M on another player? Its different from the nets/kyrie debacle where he was "willing" to play in away games. Id this guy is unwilling to play, what arenthe recourses short of buying him out (which I wouldnt want to do given he isnt honoring his part of the deal).

 

[Padrino]

I just didn't see what I wanted to see from Sasha in his first year with the Kings. There do seem to be some statistical analyses that suggest he was worthy of more minutes, particularly over guys like Duarte, but I remain unconvinced that Sasha was any kind of high impact answer just waiting on the bench. Keon Ellis was that guy because he's got otherworldly defensive skill, of which the Kings were sorely in need. By contrast, Vezenkov looked lost out there much of the time. He really needed to be a flame thrower from deep, especially considering the regression of Kevin Huerter. Still, it was just year one. It'd be a shame if the Kings and Vezenkov decided to break up over a rocky initial season together.

 

[Padrino]

When Monte McNair acquired the draft rights to Sasha the Kings were coming off a 30 win season and had just hired their 12th head coach in 16 years. In that context you're trying anything to add talent to the roster and see who sticks.

By the time Sasha actually signed his contract with the Kings a year later they were a 48 win team coming off a hard-fought 7 game playoff series loss to the Warriors. Roles were established, expectations were high, and there wasn't an opportunity to bring the new guys up to speed slowly because our schedule was front-loaded with 3 "prove-it" games against the Warriors in the first month not to mention the in-season tournament games in November and December.

I don't think Mike Brown had a problem with Vezenkov, he just had other priorities. Maybe Vezenkov took it too personally? I'm not sure what his expectations were. Barnes and Lyles getting re-signed already made it so he would have an uphill battle to establish rotation minutes and Coach Brown prioritizing defense this year didn't work out in Vezenkov's favor either. It's kind of odd for a guy who has played in only 42 NBA games to say "I don't like my role, trade me out of here". Now the impression is out there, accurate or not, that he's a me-first player who cares more about getting his minutes than team success. I don't think that helps trade value so if his goal is to get traded, he just sabotaged himself by going public with a trade demand.

It's part of the risk when bringing in these uber-established players from the European leagues, particularly those with winning bonafides. Vezenkov is older than Fox, but the NBA absolutely represents culture shock for most international players when they decide to make the jump. The game is faster. It's stronger. The talent and skill level are insane. There's considerably less margin for error defensively. So I have no qualms with Mike Brown's hesitation to give Sasha more playing time in his rookie season. I just don't think it's worth giving up after one year together. It was a tough season for everybody. Lots of ups and downs. Assorted injuries. I'd want Sasha to stick around for a bounce back year.

 

[ockingsfan]

It's part of the risk when bringing in these uber-established players from the European leagues, particularly those with winning bonafides. Vezenkov is older than Fox, but the NBA absolutely represents culture shock for most international players when they decide to make the jump. The game is faster. It's stronger. The talent and skill level are insane. There's considerably less margin for error defensively. So I have no qualms with Mike Brown's hesitation to give Sasha more playing time in his rookie season. I just don't think it's worth giving up after one year together. It was a tough season for everybody. Lots of ups and downs. Assorted injuries. I'd want Sasha to stick around for a bounce back year.

It's part of the risk when bringing in these uber-established players from the European leagues, particularly those with winning bonafides. Vezenkov is older than Fox, but the NBA absolutely represents culture shock for most international players when they decide to make the jump. The game is faster. It's stronger. The talent and skill level are insane. There's considerably less margin for error defensively. So I have no qualms with Mike Brown's hesitation to give Sasha more playing time in his rookie season. I just don't think it's worth giving up after one year together. It was a tough season for everybody. Lots of ups and downs. Assorted injuries. I'd want Sasha to stick around for a bounce back year.

Ideally you would want to see how year 2 unfolded before making any decisions on Sasha. Who knows, maybe we ship out Lyles in a trade for a bigger fish and a spot opens up in the rotation for him. It seems pretty rash for Sasha to request a release after one sub-par injury filled rookie season. Hopefully the Kings can back him off the ledge and have him come back for another season to see if we can make it work.

He's still relatively young, so he can still go back to Europe after year 2 or 3 and make a good living there, if it doesn't work out here.

 

[Tetsujin]

I don't think he was a bust at all. He was pretty much just average with the chance to be above average if he shoots over 40% from deep. Part of the problem for him is Lyles was just a little better at nearly everything.

Yeah I think the thing that doomed him aside from the three consecutive ankle injuries that absolutely robbed him of all momentum in the season was that Trey at the five wound up being one of our worst lineups of the season whereas Len/Trey together in the front court wound up being on of our better units. Lyles also had a regressive season as a scorer but was still solidly better on the defensive end (not a stopper there or anything but capable of getting switched without immediately getting roasted) and has sorta figured out how to play in this offense in his sleep.

 

[SacTownKid]

I doubt he was promised anything, Brown seems on the level with this, possibly to a fault. Both Brown and Monte were involved in the recruiting.

I really think this could be to ward off a trade to a 20 win team because one report was the Kings told him he isn't in their plans. I could see teams calling about him. Let's not forget when we took his rights most people said he would never come over here at all, so he already is more valuable with two years remaining on the contract than he was as an imaginary trade chip.

Maybe not, but when getting a player to come over is that drawn out it had to have required some type of guarantees at least in terms of their vision.

 

[SacTownKid]

Per 48, might be the most misleading stat ever.

Actually it's about the most basic one you can get. Whether or not those statistics prove out fully with more minutes or not, when on the floor, that WAS your per minute productivity on average. Nobody can argue that, it's the result. It's not some crazy wonked out stat like some of the ones these days. Pretty cut and dry.

 

[Jdbraver137]

Actually it's about the most basic one you can get. Whether or not those statistics prove out fully with more minutes or not, when on the floor, that WAS your per minute productivity on average. Nobody can argue that, it's the result. It's not some crazy wonked out stat like some of the ones these days. Pretty cut and dry.

So if I went out scored one point, got 1 rebound, and one assist, you would hype me up as a 48pt,48 rebound, and 48ast player? See that is outrageous.

 

[Jdbraver137]

It seems like vezenkov doesn’t know the defense. Instead of asking for a trade he should be watching film and working with the coaches. He need to humble himself and maybe he can stay in the floor and do good things.