PMOTT3 and Chuck Texas Early Off-Season Review: Sacramento Kings
Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2015 3:34 pm
PMOTT3's Review:
Key Losses:
Their minds (i kid, i kid)
Other Losses:
Jason Thompson
Carl Landry
Nik Stauskas
Ray McCallum
The only guy they really lost here of importance was Stauskas imo. Despite having a rough rookie season i still think he's a good shooting prospect.
Draft:
Willie Cauley-Stein
I didn't mind the decision to go with WCS here because i think he's still a very good center prospect. But if it were me I would have taken Winslow or Mudiay at #6. I just feel those guys have higher ceilings and more of a star factor.
Trades:
.Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, Nik Stauskas, gave swap rights to their 1st to Philly for 2016 & 2017 AND I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) gave an unprotected 18' or 19' 1st to Philly as well? All for basically cap space.
.Ray McCallum for protected future 2nd
I feel like this was just an unnecessary extreme overpay for cap space. Including Stauskas with Landry and Thompson should have been enough imo. This deal has catastrophic potential downside for Sacramento and a King's ransom of upside for Philly. I thought Billy King taught all other GM's in the league why its a bad idea to include pick swaps in a deal..
Just meh on the McCallum deal.
Free Agency:
Rajon Rondo
Kosta Koufos
Marco Bellineli
Caron Butler
Seth Curry
Omri Casspi
Quincy Acy
Duje Dukan
I really really hated the Rondo signing. There's a reason why only like 1-2 teams pursued this guy. I felt like he showed his true colors in Dallas where things got really ugly. I'm just not sure their is a place in this league anymore for PG's who can't shoot at all. I know its only 1 year but for the type of season he just had, 9.5 mil still feels like an overpay.
I will say that they impressed me with the Koufos and Bellineli signings. Both of those players will give them the depth they lacked last year. However, i feel like Bellineli was a bit of an overpay but they do have a really good shooter on the roster now.
Butler is washed up and done imo. I don't expect much from him at all.
Curry was a SL standout but so was Doug McDermott for the Bulls last season so we'll just have to wait and see where that goes.
Re-signing Casspi was a good move and they did it for cheap. From my research he seems to be one of the fan favorites.
Not crazy about Acy and dont even know anything about this Dukan guy but at least these moves were done for cheap as well. Same goes for Anderson.
Current Depth Chart (really rough sketch):
PG: Rondo/Collison/Curry
SG: McLemore/Bellineli/Anderson
SF: Gay/Casspi/Butler
PF: Cousins/Acy/Dukan
C: WCS/Koufos/Moreland
Needs:
They need more shooting and 3-D shooters. As good as Bellineli is at shooting he's too one sided and may cost you on the other end of the floor. I'm not sure if they will start Gay at his position of SF or usr him as a full time small ball PF wing for added spacing. They need to figure that out if they haven't already and I'm not sure how i feel about Cousins at PF and playing WCS next to him as the C if that's the plan also.
I have a strong feeling that the Rondo experiment 2.0 is going to get really ugly and Collison will have his starting gig back. When that happens, i think their bench lacks the scoring they need and I'd like to see them get a scorer to bring off the bench.
Another big need for them is to re-build their identity because right now players in this league have been avoiding them like the plague (see Ellis & Matthews).
Additional Thoughts:
I've been holding out the biggest issue i have with the Kings for right here. They still have a pretty big elephant in the room they haven't addressed. The Cousins-Karl relationship is completely destroyed and the Kings should have let Karl go this off-season and washed their hands clean of him. When your star player is supposed to be a leader and lead by example then how are the other 14 guys going to follow when Cousins isn't listening to Karl? The situation is too toxic right now and i feel like it should be addressed as priority #1. They also need to find stability within that front office and everyone needs to be on the same page.
Win/Loss Prediction: 33-49
I think Rondo is going to be a train wreck, I dont think they have enough shooters to make him look good either. I suspect they will experiment with Boogie/WCS as their front court a lot and i dont see that going well either.
Off-Season Grade: D
Hated the Rondo signing, Hate. Hate. Hate. the Stauskas trade, Felt like they needed to swing for the fences for a player with superstar potential in the draft (Mudiay/Winslow), and hate that they haven't had their come to Jesus meeting with Boogie & Karl. The additions of Bellineli and Koufos are nice but dont make up for it.
Chuck Texas' Review
Losses:
Carl Landry
Jason Thompson
Nick Stauskas
Ray McCallum
I don't mind any of these subtractions really. I don't mind Thompson, but with WCS being drafted he was expendable. Stauskas still feels too far away for what the Kings are hoping to do.
Draft:
Willie Cauley-Stein
I don't mind the pick. Defensive bigs are always valuable and they were placating Boogie which isn't nothing. I would have prefered Mudiay as a potential perimeter star to pair with Boogie or maybe even Winslow or Johnson, but WCS is fine.
Trades:
McCallum for a 2nd
Lowry,Thompson, Stauskas, Swap rights in 2016 and 2017 where Philly can swap any of their 1sts with the Kings first if its a top 10 pick meaning the Kings need to be a top 20 team or they lose a great pick. Plus a 2018 1st that is top 10 protected for a year and then is unprotected. Meaning the Kings can't afford for this roster to not work.
Hate the Sixers trade. Just an absurd and dangerous overpay. Don't want to harp on this, but its a huge gamble on yourself.
Free Agency:
Rondo
Koufos
Butler
Belinelli
Curry
Casspi
Acy
I really like a lot of this. Koufos was a great pick up on a very team friendly deal. Long-term I love the bigs rotation here. I like Belinelli and Casspi as solid vets who fill clear needs off the bench. I like younger players Curry and Acy as both being worth taking inexpensive looks at. Butler is pretty much toast as a player, but he brings exactly what they need into that room. A strong, tough, do it the right way veteran. He will be a big voice in a locker room that needs it with Boogie and Rondo.
And finally, Rondo. Let me start by saying I have long been a big fan of Rondo. I know his game has some serious flaws in terms of shooting/scoring, but I have always loved him. And let me acknowledge that I have soured on him considerably after what he did in Dallas last year quitting on the team. My objective thoughts tho on Rondo for this year is the Kings are going to get the best Rondo he is capable of giving them. And that potentially that player could be a real difference maker. It's a risk and it could easily blow up in their face, but I don't think its going to. I think he really wants one more big contract and he knows he has to perform this year to get it.
Depth Chart(I think):
Koufos/WCS/Acy/Moreland
Cousins/Casspi/Dukan
Gay/Butler
McLemore/Belinelli/Anderson
Rondo/Collison/Curry
Additional Thoughts:
This is the team in the league that I think has the biggest swing between best and worst case scenario. I think this team could fight for a playoff spot in the West and I think they could struggle to win 30 games. Just so much combustion possibilities with Karl, Divac, some of these players. But I also think this is part of what Karl thrives on and is really good at. I don't think he's scared at all at dealing with all these personalties. As far as on-court stuff goes, I think he is the right man for the job.
Win/loss Prediction: 40-42
As mentioned above I think they get a really good year out of Rondo and I think Boogie stakes his claim as the 2nd best big in the league behind Davis. Just not quite enough around him yet to earn a playoff spot in the West.
Off-Season Grade: F
I know that grade looks harsh in light of me liking their free agency pick-ups(even Rondo I hate less than most) and being somewhat okay with WCS. But the front office/coaching situation remains a huge mess. If Divac is refusing to work with other key members of the FO that's a huge problem. This team has to fix its organizational flaws in order to succeed. The teams that win and have sustained success all have top notch organizations. You simply can't short-cut this stuff. And I hate the enormous risk of the trade to Philly. This could be a Brooklyn-bad scenario very very easily. You simply cannot put your franchise at this much risk for so little potential payoff. It would be one thing if that deal led them to getting a player who brought them into contention. But no justification for this. So while I like the team better for this year, I think the long-term dangers here are so great, I have to give it an F.
Key Losses:
Their minds (i kid, i kid)
Other Losses:
Jason Thompson
Carl Landry
Nik Stauskas
Ray McCallum
The only guy they really lost here of importance was Stauskas imo. Despite having a rough rookie season i still think he's a good shooting prospect.
Draft:
Willie Cauley-Stein
I didn't mind the decision to go with WCS here because i think he's still a very good center prospect. But if it were me I would have taken Winslow or Mudiay at #6. I just feel those guys have higher ceilings and more of a star factor.
Trades:
.Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, Nik Stauskas, gave swap rights to their 1st to Philly for 2016 & 2017 AND I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) gave an unprotected 18' or 19' 1st to Philly as well? All for basically cap space.
.Ray McCallum for protected future 2nd
I feel like this was just an unnecessary extreme overpay for cap space. Including Stauskas with Landry and Thompson should have been enough imo. This deal has catastrophic potential downside for Sacramento and a King's ransom of upside for Philly. I thought Billy King taught all other GM's in the league why its a bad idea to include pick swaps in a deal..
Just meh on the McCallum deal.
Free Agency:
Rajon Rondo
Kosta Koufos
Marco Bellineli
Caron Butler
Seth Curry
Omri Casspi
Quincy Acy
Duje Dukan
I really really hated the Rondo signing. There's a reason why only like 1-2 teams pursued this guy. I felt like he showed his true colors in Dallas where things got really ugly. I'm just not sure their is a place in this league anymore for PG's who can't shoot at all. I know its only 1 year but for the type of season he just had, 9.5 mil still feels like an overpay.
I will say that they impressed me with the Koufos and Bellineli signings. Both of those players will give them the depth they lacked last year. However, i feel like Bellineli was a bit of an overpay but they do have a really good shooter on the roster now.
Butler is washed up and done imo. I don't expect much from him at all.
Curry was a SL standout but so was Doug McDermott for the Bulls last season so we'll just have to wait and see where that goes.
Re-signing Casspi was a good move and they did it for cheap. From my research he seems to be one of the fan favorites.
Not crazy about Acy and dont even know anything about this Dukan guy but at least these moves were done for cheap as well. Same goes for Anderson.
Current Depth Chart (really rough sketch):
PG: Rondo/Collison/Curry
SG: McLemore/Bellineli/Anderson
SF: Gay/Casspi/Butler
PF: Cousins/Acy/Dukan
C: WCS/Koufos/Moreland
Needs:
They need more shooting and 3-D shooters. As good as Bellineli is at shooting he's too one sided and may cost you on the other end of the floor. I'm not sure if they will start Gay at his position of SF or usr him as a full time small ball PF wing for added spacing. They need to figure that out if they haven't already and I'm not sure how i feel about Cousins at PF and playing WCS next to him as the C if that's the plan also.
I have a strong feeling that the Rondo experiment 2.0 is going to get really ugly and Collison will have his starting gig back. When that happens, i think their bench lacks the scoring they need and I'd like to see them get a scorer to bring off the bench.
Another big need for them is to re-build their identity because right now players in this league have been avoiding them like the plague (see Ellis & Matthews).
Additional Thoughts:
I've been holding out the biggest issue i have with the Kings for right here. They still have a pretty big elephant in the room they haven't addressed. The Cousins-Karl relationship is completely destroyed and the Kings should have let Karl go this off-season and washed their hands clean of him. When your star player is supposed to be a leader and lead by example then how are the other 14 guys going to follow when Cousins isn't listening to Karl? The situation is too toxic right now and i feel like it should be addressed as priority #1. They also need to find stability within that front office and everyone needs to be on the same page.
Win/Loss Prediction: 33-49
I think Rondo is going to be a train wreck, I dont think they have enough shooters to make him look good either. I suspect they will experiment with Boogie/WCS as their front court a lot and i dont see that going well either.
Off-Season Grade: D
Hated the Rondo signing, Hate. Hate. Hate. the Stauskas trade, Felt like they needed to swing for the fences for a player with superstar potential in the draft (Mudiay/Winslow), and hate that they haven't had their come to Jesus meeting with Boogie & Karl. The additions of Bellineli and Koufos are nice but dont make up for it.
Chuck Texas' Review
Losses:
Carl Landry
Jason Thompson
Nick Stauskas
Ray McCallum
I don't mind any of these subtractions really. I don't mind Thompson, but with WCS being drafted he was expendable. Stauskas still feels too far away for what the Kings are hoping to do.
Draft:
Willie Cauley-Stein
I don't mind the pick. Defensive bigs are always valuable and they were placating Boogie which isn't nothing. I would have prefered Mudiay as a potential perimeter star to pair with Boogie or maybe even Winslow or Johnson, but WCS is fine.
Trades:
McCallum for a 2nd
Lowry,Thompson, Stauskas, Swap rights in 2016 and 2017 where Philly can swap any of their 1sts with the Kings first if its a top 10 pick meaning the Kings need to be a top 20 team or they lose a great pick. Plus a 2018 1st that is top 10 protected for a year and then is unprotected. Meaning the Kings can't afford for this roster to not work.
Hate the Sixers trade. Just an absurd and dangerous overpay. Don't want to harp on this, but its a huge gamble on yourself.
Free Agency:
Rondo
Koufos
Butler
Belinelli
Curry
Casspi
Acy
I really like a lot of this. Koufos was a great pick up on a very team friendly deal. Long-term I love the bigs rotation here. I like Belinelli and Casspi as solid vets who fill clear needs off the bench. I like younger players Curry and Acy as both being worth taking inexpensive looks at. Butler is pretty much toast as a player, but he brings exactly what they need into that room. A strong, tough, do it the right way veteran. He will be a big voice in a locker room that needs it with Boogie and Rondo.
And finally, Rondo. Let me start by saying I have long been a big fan of Rondo. I know his game has some serious flaws in terms of shooting/scoring, but I have always loved him. And let me acknowledge that I have soured on him considerably after what he did in Dallas last year quitting on the team. My objective thoughts tho on Rondo for this year is the Kings are going to get the best Rondo he is capable of giving them. And that potentially that player could be a real difference maker. It's a risk and it could easily blow up in their face, but I don't think its going to. I think he really wants one more big contract and he knows he has to perform this year to get it.
Depth Chart(I think):
Koufos/WCS/Acy/Moreland
Cousins/Casspi/Dukan
Gay/Butler
McLemore/Belinelli/Anderson
Rondo/Collison/Curry
Additional Thoughts:
This is the team in the league that I think has the biggest swing between best and worst case scenario. I think this team could fight for a playoff spot in the West and I think they could struggle to win 30 games. Just so much combustion possibilities with Karl, Divac, some of these players. But I also think this is part of what Karl thrives on and is really good at. I don't think he's scared at all at dealing with all these personalties. As far as on-court stuff goes, I think he is the right man for the job.
Win/loss Prediction: 40-42
As mentioned above I think they get a really good year out of Rondo and I think Boogie stakes his claim as the 2nd best big in the league behind Davis. Just not quite enough around him yet to earn a playoff spot in the West.
Off-Season Grade: F
I know that grade looks harsh in light of me liking their free agency pick-ups(even Rondo I hate less than most) and being somewhat okay with WCS. But the front office/coaching situation remains a huge mess. If Divac is refusing to work with other key members of the FO that's a huge problem. This team has to fix its organizational flaws in order to succeed. The teams that win and have sustained success all have top notch organizations. You simply can't short-cut this stuff. And I hate the enormous risk of the trade to Philly. This could be a Brooklyn-bad scenario very very easily. You simply cannot put your franchise at this much risk for so little potential payoff. It would be one thing if that deal led them to getting a player who brought them into contention. But no justification for this. So while I like the team better for this year, I think the long-term dangers here are so great, I have to give it an F.