Grant Napier, the voice of the Sacramento Kings and Demarcus Cousins

[NBAFan93]

I'd love for the kings to get the right players around cousins and become a contender in the next few years. Their fans seem great and deserve to experience more winning.

I agree that trading away cousins for draft picks is like trading away a bird in the hand for two, really more like one, in a bush.

[City of Trees]

Grant thinks because players make millions of dollars they should just shut up and play, and if you can't do that something is wrong with you and the team doesn't need you. .... obviously his beliefs clash with Cousins behavior, so this relationship isn't salvageable. Grant has been very open about his dislike for Cousins. Grant has also clashed another big time Kings player C-Webb.

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[Kings2013]

Trade him for draft picks? The Kings haven't made a good pick since they took Cousins. There's no point in trading Cousins to play more lottery.

Lakers haven't made a good pick the last few years sans Zubac/Nance (relatively)

1. I disagree, the Lakers drafted just fine.
2. What does the Lakers' draft record have to do with anything? Why can't you address the point of this thread?

Why do you think I'd allow the OP to take a shot at my teams draft picks without me commenting on his? I have addressed the point of the thread multiple times obviously

[Xherdan 23]

Lakers haven't made a good pick the last few years sans Zubac/Nance (relatively)

1. I disagree, the Lakers drafted just fine.
2. What does the Lakers' draft record have to do with anything? Why can't you address the point of this thread?

Why do you think I'd allow the OP to take a shot at my teams draft picks without me commenting on his? I have addressed the point of the thread multiple times obviously

LOL "taking shots".
Whatever, I'm sure the kingdom is very proud of you "not allowing" this.

[azwfan]

Heard an interview with Grant Napier today, which was very good. One thing I love about Napier is that he doesn't hold back on his opinion. As a guy who has called their games for 29 years, its impressive that he isnt just a yes man for the Kings.

He said today when asked about cousins, that he would look seriously at getting out of the rut of being a 30 win team. Its that no man's land where you don't get a valuable draft pick, or make the playoffs. The leagues worst double whammy.

As a Warrior fan, we were stuck in that no mans land for over 20 years.

So the question is, whether the Kings should look to deal him for valuable picks or young talent? Or should the Kings hold onto him and try to make moves around him.

Obviously the goal is to win a trade. But sometimes the start fresh, away from the constant issue, is the way to go. I think I would be talking seriously to a few teams who could really use Cousins, and also have some assets to get a proper deal done.

The Kings need to keep Cousins and figure out a way to get some talent around him. Its going to be a hell of a lot easier to put supporting talent around Cousins then it will be to find another All-NBA / Olympian to build around.

[Kings2013]

1. I disagree, the Lakers drafted just fine.
2. What does the Lakers' draft record have to do with anything? Why can't you address the point of this thread?

Why do you think I'd allow the OP to take a shot at my teams draft picks without me commenting on his? I have addressed the point of the thread multiple times obviously

LOL "taking shots".
Whatever, I'm sure the kingdom is very proud of you "not allowing" this.

Your not a Kings fan I'm guessing, so maybe you don't understand being sick of people writing off your prospects because of the recent draft history of your franchise.

Any number of WCS/Skal/Richardson/Bogdanovic/Papagiannis/McLemore can still be players in this league, and there are pluses and minuses to their arguments. Claiming that the Kings haven't made a good pick since Cousins is premature, to say the least, but also annoys a bit because we have to deal with NbA pundits at large repeating it constantly. Imagine folks consistently writing off the prospects of your team

I think Skal has a ton of upside personally and can fit the bill as the long term stretch 4 with Cuz, and I think at least one of our guard prospects under 25 can shake out well. But all of these players under 25 have futures not yet set in stone

But the Kings have interesting prospects, and the jury is out if they will be good. Blanketly stating a franchises young prospects won't be good I'm guessing can inspire disdain with anyone, and I don't see how it helps the conversation because that may be an avenue of improvement

[Mylie10]

Grant also said that he wouldn't be surprised if 5 years from now Cousins was going to his 7th All Star game as a member of the Kings. But he also wouldn't be surprised if he heard Cousins was traded.

I don't think he hates Cousins or anything, but just that he's not going to be quiet when Cousins acts up and makes poor decisions.

I would also add that this draft appears to be a very good one. So if someone offers them a great package, they may take it.

[Kings2013]

Grant also said that he wouldn't be surprised if 5 years from now Cousins was going to his 7th All Star game as a member of the Kings. But he also wouldn't be surprised if he heard Cousins was traded.

I don't think he hates Cousins or anything, but just that he's not going to be quiet when Cousins acts up and makes poor decisions.

I would also add that this draft appears to be a very good one. So if someone offers them a great package, they may take it.

No, they won't. Vlade has put his name on the fact Cousins won't be traded and there is an understanding for an extension

[Mylie10]

Grant also said that he wouldn't be surprised if 5 years from now Cousins was going to his 7th All Star game as a member of the Kings. But he also wouldn't be surprised if he heard Cousins was traded.

I don't think he hates Cousins or anything, but just that he's not going to be quiet when Cousins acts up and makes poor decisions.

I would also add that this draft appears to be a very good one. So if someone offers them a great package, they may take it.

No, they won't. Vlade has put his name on the fact Cousins won't be traded and there is an understanding for an extension

Ok, your probably right, but in all my years of following sports, it doesn't really mean anything when GM's say things. Food for thought.

[Winsome Gerbil]

Heard an interview with Grant Napier today, which was very good. One thing I love about Napier is that he doesn't hold back on his opinion. As a guy who has called their games for 29 years, its impressive that he isnt just a yes man for the Kings.

He said today when asked about cousins, that he would look seriously at getting out of the rut of being a 30 win team. Its that no man's land where you don't get a valuable draft pick, or make the playoffs. The leagues worst double whammy.

As a Warrior fan, we were stuck in that no mans land for over 20 years.

So the question is, whether the Kings should look to deal him for valuable picks or young talent? Or should the Kings hold onto him and try to make moves around him.

Obviously the goal is to win a trade. But sometimes the start fresh, away from the constant issue, is the way to go. I think I would be talking seriously to a few teams who could really use Cousins, and also have some assets to get a proper deal done.

Ok, a little context. Napear HATES Cousins. One thing that I had to get used to as I was watching Cousins was a team's own play by play guy hating his own star. Apparently they don't even talk. Cousins won't do postgame interviews with him, and Napear has a radio show where he routinely runs him down and fires up anti-Cuz people and tries to radio trade him.

That's the context here. And that goes before even noting that play by play guys don't get trade their team's players. Or noting that the Kings and Cousins themselves by all indications have all but said Cousins is staying and getting the mega-max after the year.

So whatever he said, it's just a bitter guy sliming a guy he doesn't like basically. He has no power or position in the organization. I'm sure Cousins would trade him as a play by play guy to Orlando for a play by play guy to be named later too if he had a choice.

[Xherdan 23]

Why do you think I'd allow the OP to take a shot at my teams draft picks without me commenting on his? I have addressed the point of the thread multiple times obviously

LOL "taking shots".
Whatever, I'm sure the kingdom is very proud of you "not allowing" this.

Your not a Kings fan I'm guessing, so maybe you don't understand being sick of people writing off your prospects because of the recent draft history of your franchise.

Any number of WCS/Skal/Richardson/Bogdanovic/Papagiannis/McLemore can still be players in this league, and there are pluses and minuses to their arguments. Claiming that the Kings haven't made a good pick since Cousins is premature, to say the least, but also annoys a bit because we have to deal with NbA pundits at large repeating it constantly. Imagine folks consistently writing off the prospects of your team

I think Skal has a ton of upside personally and can fit the bill as the long term stretch 4 with Cuz, and I think at least one of our guard prospects under 25 can shake out well. But all of these players under 25 have futures not yet set in stone

But the Kings have interesting prospects, and the jury is out if they will be good. Blanketly stating a franchises young prospects won't be good I'm guessing can inspire disdain with anyone, and I don't see how it helps the conversation because that may be an avenue of improvement

Well, fair enough.
I know it gets frustrating when people always focus on the negative but the Kings have made a lot of mistakes in draft.
That's not the reason they shouldn't trade Cousins for picks, they should keep him because even if they're perfect with their draft picks they're still unlikely to get someone better than DMC.
I personally think the kings arn't in a bad spot at all. In order to content in this league you need superstars and good supporting cast. The Kings have their superstar, which is a very rare thing to have, now they need to get rid of dead weight and not let Vivek make anymore decisions.

[bwgood77]

Lakers haven't made a good pick the last few years sans Zubac/Nance (relatively)

1. I disagree, the Lakers drafted just fine.
2. What does the Lakers' draft record have to do with anything? Why can't you address the point of this thread?

Why do you think I'd allow the OP to take a shot at my teams draft picks without me commenting on his? I have addressed the point of the thread multiple times obviously

The OP didn't take a shot at your draft picks. There is no need to derail and turn this into bashing the Lakers draft picks. Just keep it on topic.

[Warriorfan]

Right now kings are with the bottom of th e Western Confidence being down within striking distance of the 8 seed.

Philly is still bad so Sac will have the opportunity to draft an impact player.

TBH T Rob who has turned out to be terrible and Mc Lemore were consided prospects with high floors and ceilings

[codydaze]

The kings would have a good team if they had drafted well.

2011: Jimmer Fredette
2012: Thomas Robinson
2013: Ben Mclemore
2014: Nik Stauskas
2015: Willie Cauley Stein
2016: Big PapaGiannis(Why?????), Malachi Richardson(has some promise), SKal Labisierre

Drafting is really the foundation of 90% of NBA teams. Kings just missed on so many picks. Klay Thompson, Kawhi in 2011, Lillard in 2012, Giannis (2013)(Maloofs supposedly wanted to draft him, but Vivek took over team at the time along with Alessandro), 2015 still had Winslow, Johnson, Turner, Booker, Lyles on the board. Opted for a center in WCS and then another two centers in the 2016 draft.

Maloofs didn't want Giannis, that was Petrie and he told Pete and Vivek to take a look at the guy but they decided to get with Ben. It really sucks that the Maloofs opted for jersey sales instead of the right player in those 2011 and 2012 drafts. I hope we can swing a pick in this 2017 draft but it's looking more and more like we're going to lose it and I don't think we can trade into the lottery for anything less than Cousins. Super womp womp.

[G35]

Heard an interview with Grant Napier today, which was very good. One thing I love about Napier is that he doesn't hold back on his opinion. As a guy who has called their games for 29 years, its impressive that he isnt just a yes man for the Kings.

He said today when asked about cousins, that he would look seriously at getting out of the rut of being a 30 win team. Its that no man's land where you don't get a valuable draft pick, or make the playoffs. The leagues worst double whammy.

As a Warrior fan, we were stuck in that no mans land for over 20 years.

So the question is, whether the Kings should look to deal him for valuable picks or young talent? Or should the Kings hold onto him and try to make moves around him.

Obviously the goal is to win a trade. But sometimes the start fresh, away from the constant issue, is the way to go. I think I would be talking seriously to a few teams who could really use Cousins, and also have some assets to get a proper deal done.

The Kings need to keep Cousins and figure out a way to get some talent around him. Its going to be a hell of a lot easier to put supporting talent around Cousins then it will be to find another All-NBA / Olympian to build around.

Didn't the Kings draft Isiah Thomas? Yes that Isiah Thomas who is killing it for the Celtics right now.

Dies anyone think Thomas would be the player in Sacramento he became in Boston playing with Cousins....

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[Kings2013]

1. I disagree, the Lakers drafted just fine.
2. What does the Lakers' draft record have to do with anything? Why can't you address the point of this thread?

Why do you think I'd allow the OP to take a shot at my teams draft picks without me commenting on his? I have addressed the point of the thread multiple times obviously

The OP didn't take a shot at your draft picks. There is no need to derail and turn this into bashing the Lakers draft picks. Just keep it on topic.

I used the same exact wording he used. He said the Kings haven't made a good pick since Cousins, and I said the Lakers haven't made a good pick since so and so. Maybe it is tit for tat, and unnecessary. But I felt the OP was unnecessary for making definitive statements on players two years and in that would perturb certain Kings fans. Both statements seem to indicate bad will and can be taken wrong by the other. I'm still trying to understand the difference?

[bwgood77]

Why do you think I'd allow the OP to take a shot at my teams draft picks without me commenting on his? I have addressed the point of the thread multiple times obviously

The OP didn't take a shot at your draft picks. There is no need to derail and turn this into bashing the Lakers draft picks. Just keep it on topic.

I used the same exact wording he used. He said the Kings haven't made a good pick since Cousins, and I said the Lakers haven't made a good pick since so and so. Maybe it is tit for tat, and unnecessary. But I felt the OP was unnecessary for making definitive statements on players two years and in that would perturb certain Kings fans.

Doesn't matter what wording you used. This thread isn't about the Lakers. Keep it on topic. If you think you've made good draft picks, fine, then state that.

[Kings2013]

The OP didn't take a shot at your draft picks. There is no need to derail and turn this into bashing the Lakers draft picks. Just keep it on topic.

I used the same exact wording he used. He said the Kings haven't made a good pick since Cousins, and I said the Lakers haven't made a good pick since so and so. Maybe it is tit for tat, and unnecessary. But I felt the OP was unnecessary for making definitive statements on players two years and in that would perturb certain Kings fans.

Doesn't matter what wording you used. This thread isn't about the Lakers. Keep it on topic. If you think you've made good draft picks, fine, then state that.

I'm not going to argue this, and will discontinue the conversation but I feel as if he insulted my team, which makes it hard not to respond in kind. Making unilateral comments that the team hasn't made a good pick when the 2015/2016 classes is hardly accounted to me is inciteful as well. I wish he would have phrased that in a manner I would think less hostile to Kings fans

I'm not going to carry this on, but as a RealGM user I'm not sure if I were on a Lakers thread, and I stated that the Lakers haven't made a good pick in so and so years that I wouldn't be replied to. I feel, feel, that it times it might be more acceptable to dump on the Kings or have leeway as a mod in discussion. Just how I feel.

But I will leave this discussion

[bwgood77]

I used the same exact wording he used. He said the Kings haven't made a good pick since Cousins, and I said the Lakers haven't made a good pick since so and so. Maybe it is tit for tat, and unnecessary. But I felt the OP was unnecessary for making definitive statements on players two years and in that would perturb certain Kings fans.

Doesn't matter what wording you used. This thread isn't about the Lakers. Keep it on topic. If you think you've made good draft picks, fine, then state that.

I'm not going to argue this, and will discontinue the conversation but I feel as if he insulted my team, which makes it hard not to respond in kind. Making unilateral comments that the team hasn't made a good pick when the 2015/2016 classes is hardly accounted to me is inciteful as well. I wish he would have phrased that in a manner I would think less hostile to Kings fans

I'm not going to carry this on, but as a RealGM user I'm not sure if I were on a Lakers thread, and I stated that the Lakers haven't made a good pick in so and so years that I wouldn't be replied to. I feel, feel, that it times it might be more acceptable to dump on the Kings or have leeway as a mod in discussion. Just how I feel.

But I will leave this discussion

Again, I didn't see the OP mention draft picks. If you are talking about the second post, then he was basically saying they shouldn't trade him for draft picks. I agree with this. They've been drafting guys for years. They have a star. They are desperate to compete.

Everyone has opinions about draft picks made by other teams. It's not good to take it personally. I hear people saying Booker sucks, Warren sucks, Bender sucks, Chriss sucks, Len sucks, etc, but I don't let it bother me. They can have their opinion. Those guys do suck at some things or a lot of things, but I'm happy to have them personally.

I can understand wanting to defend your team but you don't need to bring other teams into it. That's just derailing, and doing the same thing you were offended about.

[Winsome Gerbil]

Here again is why this whole thing was really just an impotent hater kvetching:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/244942/DeMarcus-Cousins-Plans-To-Remain-With-Kings-Sign-Long-Term-Extension

Both sides have said it so often this year that I think its actually a pretty good test of whether somebody has an outside motivation for them to ignore the repeated proclamations.