Will we have a One-Two Punch? Or will just be DFC?

[bajaden]

Interesting that many of you seem to be writing McLemore off, or at least diminishing his impact on the team. So lets see? How many thought that I. Thomas would have any impact on the team when we drafted him in the 60th spot? How many of you thought Tyreke Evans would have an impact when we drafted him, or god forbid, thought for a moment, that he would be rookie of the year? I seem to remember most of you drooling over Ricky Rubio. Some even touted Johnny Flynn. Not many knew of, or wanted Evans. He was just some guy that played for Memphis or something.

My point isn't to say that I did know something about these players, but to say you shouldn't write off McLemore. He has more upside than either Evans or Thomas at this same point in time. He is not Thomas Robinson. So don't be surprised if he makes a bigger impact sooner than you think. Marcus Thornton may be the starting SG at the beginning of the season, but I predict that McLemore will claim that job before the trade deadliine. And he'll have earned it.....

 

[ElRey]

Interesting that many of you seem to be writing McLemore off, or at least diminishing his impact on the team. So lets see? How many thought that I. Thomas would have any impact on the team when we drafted him in the 60th spot? How many of you thought Tyreke Evans would have an impact when we drafted him, or god forbid, thought for a moment, that he would be rookie of the year? I seem to remember most of you drooling over Ricky Rubio. Some even touted Johnny Flynn. Not many knew of, or wanted Evans. He was just some guy that played for Memphis or something.

My point isn't to say that I did know something about these players, but to say you shouldn't write off McLemore. He has more upside than either Evans or Thomas at this same point in time. He is not Thomas Robinson. So don't be surprised if he makes a bigger impact sooner than you think. Marcus Thornton may be the starting SG at the beginning of the season, but I predict that McLemore will claim that job before the trade deadliine. And he'll have earned it.....

I think a lot of people are evaluating Big Ben based on his Summer League performance. I suspect Ben will look better in a organized setting of a real NBA game with TEAM basketball, as opposed to the streetball of Summer League. Nevertheless, you can tell that McLemore (though athletically gifted) is still very raw.

 

[John Galt]

Second star comes down the line - next year. This year is a system building year, a locker room building year, and a lottery tank year. I think the team is going to work as hard or harder than any other team in the league from the front office down to the towel boys so I won't mind a 25 win season as we figure things out and secure our pick next year. And his is just the right talent level to play hard, entertain, be tough at home, and still get that pick.

Then next year we will trade for the elite wing player/second all star.

This front office I believe wants to end up with one of the 12 worst records in the league so we get our pick in a deep draft. They're confident enough that they can work out the star pieces AFTER that. That's my guess from a limited interaction but I really think I read them right about this.

And I think the only truly important pieces - Malone, PDA, Vivek, DMC - are all on the same page about this.

 

[King Baller]

Interesting that many of you seem to be writing McLemore off, or at least diminishing his impact on the team. So lets see? How many thought that I. Thomas would have any impact on the team when we drafted him in the 60th spot? How many of you thought Tyreke Evans would have an impact when we drafted him, or god forbid, thought for a moment, that he would be rookie of the year? I seem to remember most of you drooling over Ricky Rubio. Some even touted Johnny Flynn. Not many knew of, or wanted Evans. He was just some guy that played for Memphis or something.

My point isn't to say that I did know something about these players, but to say you shouldn't write off McLemore. He has more upside than either Evans or Thomas at this same point in time. He is not Thomas Robinson. So don't be surprised if he makes a bigger impact sooner than you think. Marcus Thornton may be the starting SG at the beginning of the season, but I predict that McLemore will claim that job before the trade deadliine. And he'll have earned it.....

I agree that Benny Mac will look better in an organized team setting than in the SL. The team will run plays to get him open looks and I think he will knock them down. The team assists numbers will go up IMO due to more emphasis on team play. I also think he will be the best defending guard when the season opens. I'm also not counting out Ray Mac. Ray has the best all around physical tools to plays PG on the Kings. I think he will be the best PG on the team on the defensive end at the start of the season. Both of the Rookies will get their minutes as the season progresses and I think they become primary rotation players this season and Perhaps Ben starts as Baja stated.

KB

 

[dude12]

I agree that Benny Mac will look better in an organized team setting than in the SL. The team will run plays to get him open looks and I think he will knock them down. The team assists numbers will go up IMO due to more emphasis on team play. I also think he will be the best defending guard when the season opens. I'm also not counting out Ray Mac. Ray has the best all around physical tools to plays PG on the Kings. I think he will be the best PG on the team on the defensive end at the start of the season. Both of the Rookies will get their minutes as the season progresses and I think they become primary rotation players this season and Perhaps Ben starts as Baja stated.

KB

I like Ray Mac as well......I think that one of the other PGs will eventually be gone if Ray pans out especially if he's a cheape option. IT2 or Greivis would become trade bait potentially.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I think a lot of people are evaluating Big Ben based on his Summer League performance. I suspect Ben will look better in a organized setting of a real NBA game with TEAM basketball, as opposed to the streetball of Summer League. Nevertheless, you can tell that McLemore (though athletically gifted) is still very raw.

Wait, back up... Big Ben? First of All™, there's already been a Big Ben in the league. Second of all, MacLemore hasn't played a game yet: he hasn't even established himself as Medium Ben. He's not even Gentle Ben, yet... In his rookie season, I'll settle for Tall Ben, working towards Venti Ben.

* - "First of All" is a registered trademark of Charles Barkley, LLC.

 

[hrdboild]

I really like Ben McLemore, but I think his style of play makes him a solid third option rather than a second option. Or more particularly, I think he's a good bet to excel as a spot up shooter and a guy who creates havoc with his athleticism on fast breaks and defensive rotations but I don't think he's a going to be a guy who gets a shot for you at the end of a quarter. And while you can dump it to Cousins inside with his solid free throw percentage and try to draw a foul, good playoff teams have a perimeter guy who can create shots in those situations. That's what we're going to be looking for.

Depending on how this season goes, it's possible we get that guy through the draft. Otherwise we're probably looking at one big free agent splash. And my suspicion would be, considering the emphasis made in press conferences on ball movement and the decision to acquire Vasquez to run the point this year, that management is either eyeing the SF position as where they're going to add a go-to perimeter scorer or they intend to mold McLemore into that scorer and get him a point who can feed him the ball. Or perhaps, given that the relevant players are all first-timers right now, they're not looking at this from that perspective at all and they're focusing more on creating a winning formula for the regular season and implementing an entertaining style of play rather than building a team for the playoffs.

 

[Padrino]

Interesting that many of you seem to be writing McLemore off, or at least diminishing his impact on the team. So lets see? How many thought that I. Thomas would have any impact on the team when we drafted him in the 60th spot? How many of you thought Tyreke Evans would have an impact when we drafted him, or god forbid, thought for a moment, that he would be rookie of the year? I seem to remember most of you drooling over Ricky Rubio. Some even touted Johnny Flynn. Not many knew of, or wanted Evans. He was just some guy that played for Memphis or something.

My point isn't to say that I did know something about these players, but to say you shouldn't write off McLemore. He has more upside than either Evans or Thomas at this same point in time. He is not Thomas Robinson. So don't be surprised if he makes a bigger impact sooner than you think. Marcus Thornton may be the starting SG at the beginning of the season, but I predict that McLemore will claim that job before the trade deadliine. And he'll have earned it.....

i was pretty convinced of tyreke evans' talent during his first summer league, which he flat out dominated. it gave a pretty solid indication that he was going to find success in the nba. how much success, exactly, has been and continues to be a matter of much debate. but, right off the bat, it was very clear that evans had a tremendous ability to get to the rim. ben mclemore, by comparison, has invited both caution and criticism of his potential with some truly lackluster summer league play. preseason will give us a better idea of what he may be able to accomplish during his rookie season, but i've said it many times now: a shooting guard with no handle and no rim attack is going to have a hard time surviving in a league of combo guards who can create off the dribble. ultimately, his effort and improvement on defense may be what saves him, as his athletic ability offers considerable promise on the side of the ball the kings need improvement in the most...

 

[Padrino]

as for the question that the original post poses, the kings currently have no one-two punch. if grievis vasquez and demarcus cousins can play inside-out, marcus thornton will likely be the beneficiary, and he could become a legitimate second option on offense, though a streaky and unreliable one, i'd wager...

 

[HndsmCelt]

as for the question that the original post poses, the kings currently have no one-two punch. if grievis vasquez and demarcus cousins can play inside-out, marcus thornton will likely be the beneficiary, and he could become a legitimate second option on offense, though a streaky and unreliable one, i'd wager...

Well lets be honest, if GV and Cousins get a good inside-out game going all 3 of the "other guys" will benefit, the question is who will step up to make the most of the opportunity. I think you are right that Thorton is most likely but P. Pat forcing big men out on the perimeter could have a huge season if defenses are forced to choose between throwing 2 bigs at DMC or covering a PF who stretches the floor.

 

[gunks]

I say we make a trade.

McLemore needs a lot of time to develop, and his ceiling seems to be more of a #3 guy than a 2nd go to guy. I'm a Thornton hater, he can give us 20ppg but whoever he is supposed to be guarding will drop 25. Nobody else on our roster is even close to being a #2 guy let alone a #1b.

I still think PDA ***** up trading Tyreke.

I dont really know who we have on the roster that we can even trade for a star, unless a team is looking to unload for flexibility.

Honestly, I think our best chance at getting a 2nd star is going to be through this upcoming draft. It is supposed to be crazy deep, so if we can get a top 6 pick (doable with our roster), we can get a player.

 

[rainmaker]

I'm very curious how over half of Kings fans who voted on this poll believe we can trade for a 2nd star. Exactly what causes the belief we can trade assets aside from Cuz for a 2nd star level player?

We've gone years not being able to trade for even a proven starting level SF or a starting level defensive big. We tried shopping for a higher pick yet no one wanted to take on any of our players. Yet somehow these same assets minus Reke are going to get us a legit 2nd option star?

BTW, if your 2nd option(s) are players who can't create their own off the dribble and are streaky off the ball jump shooters, that's quite a problem. Looks great when they're on, but terrible when they're off and it's not something you can count on nightly.

 

[bajaden]

I'm very curious how over half of Kings fans who voted on this poll believe we can trade for a 2nd star. Exactly what causes the belief we can trade assets aside from Cuz for a 2nd star level player?

We've gone years not being able to trade for even a proven starting level SF or a starting level defensive big. We tried shopping for a higher pick yet no one wanted to take on any of our players. Yet somehow these same assets minus Reke are going to get us a legit 2nd option star?

BTW, if your 2nd option(s) are players who can't create their own off the dribble and are streaky off the ball jump shooters, that's quite a problem. Looks great when they're on, but terrible when they're off and it's not something you can count on nightly.

I agree with your premise on how to acquire a star. You either trade value for value, or you draft him. On rare occasions, you can pick up a Chris Webber for an over the hill Mitch Richmond, and that was only because Webb had a similar, but different reputation as Cousins. We just drafted McLemore, so we'll see how he develops. He certainly has all the right tools to start with, and he's very good at one thing, and that's shooting the ball.

Comparison to Robinson in summer league last season. Robinson looked totally lost to me. He looked shell shocked at times, and a player that wasn't sure what position he played, and how to define that. Who knows, maybe with proper player development, he'll eventually turn into a solid player. None of that was true of McLemore. He never looked like a player that lacked confidence, and he did many things well, except for a few games that he didn't shoot the ball well, and that was mostly due to taking bad shots. He had two games where he looked like a legit shooting guard. He moves without the ball extremely well. Where he needs the most work is on the defensive side of the ball. He did look lost at times on that side of the ball. But I'm hopeful that he'll make rapid improvement.

I know most believe that Thornton will start at the SG position. And logic almost dictates that. But personally, if you truely believe he's going to be somewhere between a solid player, and a star, then if possible, you start him and take your lumps. He needs to develop, and as quickly as possible. The best way to do that is with significant minutes. Not saying he doesn't need to earn them, but as long as he puts in a solid effort, I'm good with him. Plus, that way you won't have to demote Thornton sometime during the season. Probably not going to happen, but that's the route I'd take.

 

[Sac.1989]

invest in the future now indeed

 

[Dreadnought]

Tank the season I say.

Wiggins 2014

 

[Bricklayer]

I'm very curious how over half of Kings fans who voted on this poll believe we can trade for a 2nd star. Exactly what causes the belief we can trade assets aside from Cuz for a 2nd star level player?

We've gone years not being able to trade for even a proven starting level SF or a starting level defensive big. We tried shopping for a higher pick yet no one wanted to take on any of our players. Yet somehow these same assets minus Reke are going to get us a legit 2nd option star?

BTW, if your 2nd option(s) are players who can't create their own off the dribble and are streaky off the ball jump shooters, that's quite a problem. Looks great when they're on, but terrible when they're off and it's not something you can count on nightly.

If BMac flops this might not be viable, but if he at least looks promising, and then you throw in a Top 10 pick next year in the supposed draft of drafts...that's the sort of package that could buy you a star, assuming you could find a rebuilding team willing to give up their old one. It would buy you Rondo, but while he's a great player, not I think truly a star of the type you need to give Boogie a 2nd weapon. It might buy you Aldridge, who is a bad fit next to Cousins and might get happy feet. Point is though, there would be your valuable trade assets capable of netting a star. We'll talk some other time about whether picking in the Top 10 for 6 straight years and only ending up retaining one of them is an accomplishment or not.

 

[Spike]

I'm very curious how over half of Kings fans who voted on this poll believe we can trade for a 2nd star. Exactly what causes the belief we can trade assets aside from Cuz for a 2nd star level player?

We've gone years not being able to trade for even a proven starting level SF or a starting level defensive big. We tried shopping for a higher pick yet no one wanted to take on any of our players. Yet somehow these same assets minus Reke are going to get us a legit 2nd option star?

BTW, if your 2nd option(s) are players who can't create their own off the dribble and are streaky off the ball jump shooters, that's quite a problem. Looks great when they're on, but terrible when they're off and it's not something you can count on nightly.

Because that's the only option that gives me hope.

 

[Agent23]

Because that's the only option that gives me hope.

The Thunder are jumping at the chance to trade Westbrook for Jimmer and Chuck Hayes

 

[Hadlowe]

Well lets be honest, if GV and Cousins get a good inside-out game going all 3 of the "other guys" will benefit, the question is who will step up to make the most of the opportunity. I think you are right that Thorton is most likely but P. Pat forcing big men out on the perimeter could have a huge season if defenses are forced to choose between throwing 2 bigs at DMC or covering a PF who stretches the floor.

Inside out is not the natural game for those two. Cousins isn't particularly gifted in the low post and Vasquez is only a slightly above-average outside shooter. Pick and roll will be a much better game if we're looking for Vasquez to run point with Cousins most of the time. That gets Cousins lanes to the rim or fades for open mid-range, where he he has a decent stroke. It should also force defense to collapse to the lane and let Vasquez hit open outside shooters.

 

[Spike]

The Thunder are jumping at the chance to trade Westbrook for Jimmer and Chuck Hayes

Yeah, that ain't happening, but I figured that they might be able to luck into a pickup that would help.

 

[jcwkings]

I think if coach Malone stresses good ball movement we have plenty of scoring options.

I'm projecting this to be our lineup, or at least on paper it would be the most balanced starting/ 2nd unit we could field.

starters:

PG: Vasquez
SG: Thornton
SF: Mbah Moute
PF: Patterson
C: Cousins

With this unit I imagine Vasquez being the facilitator, being able to run pick and rolls/ pops with Patterson and Cousins similar to what he did with Anderson in NO. Thornton will be used strictly off the ball, I think this is important because it gives the rook McLemore something to learn from early in his career, it sets itself up so that McLemore can eventually slide into the starter role when he is ready, having essentially the same role as Thornton. We can also run through Cousins in the high/low post.

2nd unit

PG: Thomas
SG: McLemore
SF: Salmons
PF: Landry
C: JT

On paper i like this second unit a lot, Thomas can take the Bobby Jackson spark off the bench role, work the drive and kick game with McLemore. We have a go to low post option in Landry, and a garbage man in JT. I imagine this unit will run up and down and do a number on the offensive glass. Salmons can play the secondary ball handler role that he is better at than corner spot up guy he was last year.

I'm not expecting much this season, but this team does have some talent that could over achieve if Malone gets them playing well together. If that first unit can hold its own, i can see the second unit coming in and running up the scoreboard, especially at home.

 

[Kingster]

I'm not expecting much from McLemore this season. If he plays well, then I'll be wrong, and happy for it. I think he's pretty raw and has a lot to learn. As far as a comparison with Robinson, he too was raw with a lot to learn, but he didn't even know what his identity should be on the floor. He thought he could or should be LBJ/Paul Pierce, when in reality he's a rebounder/shot blocker/hustle guy. McLemore doesn't appear to have an identity issue, and if he does, I think Malone will take care of it very quickly.

I do not anticipate Malone will throw McLemore in the fire and give him a lot of minutes. Just the opposite. I think he'll be judicious with the minutes so the kid will gradually build confidence and become a better player.

 

[King Baller]

Yes: