Kalk-Blocked: The Ryan Kalkbrenner Thread

[MasterIchiro]

I think he has the skill, but needs Jonas Valanciunas' body to play in the NBA right now, so he's a few years away. He's a string bean. I can't imagine him playing meaningful minutes in an NBA game, he's going to get killed!

Yeah at his current ability he will be thumped by big strong 5’s and made to look a bit like a turnstile from fast agile ones. He tried to extend his defense better in the Kings game, which helped a bit. His drop coverage was exploited in previous SL games. He’s not hopeless…I liked what he did do successfully, but he’s no where near ready for minutes with the big club. Sadly I fear Jeffie and Charlie will think they’re pick was validated and convince themselves to see how their 3 amigos work out.

The thing is, some gave assurances Plumlee was signed to play the same role as Taj Gibson, not to worry. And some even suggested Kalkbrenner, being a 5th year NCAA player, would step right in and play C2 minutes, relegating Plumlee to garbage time like Taj.

But that looks like hogwash. As of now, Plumlee is C2 and we will see him play meaningful minutes up until at least the trade deadline. And barring trade, the whole season.

Then there's the excuse that Hornets want to see what they have in LaMelo and Miller before they take on an impact player (with those typically locked in multiyear deals and owed big money) at the deadline. But playing the first half of the season with the weakest frontcourt almost ensures they will not be in position to buy anyways. Then they will use their losing position to flip the one win-now player they've added to last year's roster in Sexton.

It's okay to hold the new front office and owners accountable for something, even if you're still holding the line on Salaün and Green from last offseason.

What I don't like is that sometimes when criticisms are waged, and effort is made to hold the new regime accountable, the instinct is to act dismissive about it, and to make excuses.

No excuses for Plumlee getting serious minutes on a serious team. He was an unserious player 2 years younger. And we are still sitting on assets that can be converted into bigger contracts owed impact players.

Then we hear one of the owners loves Duke.

Yeah, these guys make no mistakes I'm sure. So let's all live in the past and rake the former regime so we don't have to raise our standards for the new one.

[fatlever]

there is no excuse for plum signing. i think 95% of us agree on that point.

im fine with the mark trade. but the following moves are confusing.

The front office thinking he can be a Brook Lopez type is laughable to me. the talent difference between lopez and kalk, That's a gulf that will never be bridged. Strangers in the capital strangers yeah you are lucky because the two of us are kind

[yosemiteben]

Yeah, these guys make no mistakes I'm sure. So let's all live in the past and rake the former regime so we don't have to raise our standards for the new one.

I don't know who you're referring to, I don't feel like this is an accurate characterization of anyone on the board.

[JMAC3]

Diabate played 17 mpg last year, he was basically a 2nd or 3rd string all year and now is projected to start and probably play 28 mpg. That is the first issue.

Then Kalk and Plumlee are below average 2nd stringers at best.

The center position is a mess from top to bottom.

[MasterIchiro]

Yeah, these guys make no mistakes I'm sure. So let's all live in the past and rake the former regime so we don't have to raise our standards for the new one.

I don't know who you're referring to, I don't feel like this is an accurate characterization of anyone on the board.

You specifically often downplay criticisms. So there's that.

Do you have a single criticism of the current ownership group and GM?

If so, please share.

[fatlever]

there is no excuse for plum signing. i think 95% of us agree on that point.

im fine with the mark trade. but the following moves are confusing.

The front office thinking he can be a Brook Lopez type is laughable to me. the talent difference between lopez and kalk, That's a gulf that will never be bridged. Strangers in the capital strangers yeah you are lucky because the two of us are kind

lol...

If anyone was confused about that last sentence then I get it.
The dangers of using voice to text using a headset while also watching TV. It picked up the audio from a Youtube I'm watching about hitchhiking across America. Trust me I'm not that deep to put odd sentences in my posts just to be poetic.

[yosemiteben]

Yeah, these guys make no mistakes I'm sure. So let's all live in the past and rake the former regime so we don't have to raise our standards for the new one.

I don't know who you're referring to, I don't feel like this is an accurate characterization of anyone on the board.

You specifically often downplay criticisms. So there's that.

Do you have a single criticism of the current ownership group and GM?

If so, please share.

But I'm all rainbows and sunshine right, I can't be the one raking the former regime.

Or is the narrative that I don't just endorse every company line all the time?

Tough to track.

I think it's obvious that they did not set out to make Diabate their starting center next season.

I'm slow to judge next season's roster construction because...it's not next season and we don't know what the roster construction will be yet. I would not have drafted Kon and I would not have cut Okogie. I have previously communicated both of those things, but I guess that didn't change your narrative about me before and I don't expect it to now.

[MasterIchiro]

there is no excuse for plum signing. i think 95% of us agree on that point.

im fine with the mark trade. but the following moves are confusing.

The front office thinking he can be a Brook Lopez type is laughable to me. the talent difference between lopez and kalk, That's a gulf that will never be bridged. Strangers in the capital strangers yeah you are lucky because the two of us are kind

lol...

If anyone was confused about that last sentence then I get it.
The dangers of using voice to text using a headset while also watching TV. It picked up the audio from a Youtube I'm watching about hitchhiking across America. Trust me I'm not that deep to put odd sentences in my posts just to be poetic.

Well, at least we know now you're not trending paranoid schizophrenic.

[MasterIchiro]

I don't know who you're referring to, I don't feel like this is an accurate characterization of anyone on the board.

You specifically often downplay criticisms. So there's that.

Do you have a single criticism of the current ownership group and GM?

If so, please share.

But I'm all rainbows and sunshine right, I can't be the one raking the former regime.

Or is the narrative that I don't just endorse every company line all the time?

Tough to track.

Answer the question.

[yosemiteben]

You specifically often downplay criticisms. So there's that.

Do you have a single criticism of the current ownership group and GM?

If so, please share.

But I'm all rainbows and sunshine right, I can't be the one raking the former regime.

Or is the narrative that I don't just endorse every company line all the time?

Tough to track.

Answer the question.

Sorry, posted and then edited, see my edit.

[fatlever]

Yeah, these guys make no mistakes I'm sure. So let's all live in the past and rake the former regime so we don't have to raise our standards for the new one.

I don't know who you're referring to, I don't feel like this is an accurate characterization of anyone on the board.

You specifically often downplay criticisms. So there's that.

Do you have a single criticism of the current ownership group and GM?

If so, please share.

just from this summer
- not bringing back okogie
- plumlee signing
- adding 4 rookies to an already packed roster
- no consolidation trades
- keeping nsj
- the pat trade, is confusing, considering the roster crunch - did we need more 2nds at expense of keeping okogie?
- not addressing center in FA/trade after mark trade (which in still fine with)

[yosemiteben]

I don't know who you're referring to, I don't feel like this is an accurate characterization of anyone on the board.

You specifically often downplay criticisms. So there's that.

Do you have a single criticism of the current ownership group and GM?

If so, please share.

just from this summer
- not bringing back okogie
- plumlee signing
- adding 4 rookies to an already packed roster
- no consolidation trades
- keeping nsj
- the pat trade, is confusing, considering the roster crunch - did we need more 2nds at expense of keeping okogie?
- not addressing center in FA/trade after mark trade (which in still fine with)

I believe his point is more specifically directed at me because he's running with the take that I only am hyper positive and never disagree with moves.

[fatlever]

Well I've also been accused of being too overly positive this summer. which is weird because I got yelled at for three years straight for screaming at the mitch regime And overall being too negative. so... Lose lose I guess

New front office isn't perfect but it's miles better than the previous versions we've had. But at the end of the day they still need to prove it on the court. And a lot of that just purely comes down to our core players being healthy for once.

[MasterIchiro]

I don't know who you're referring to, I don't feel like this is an accurate characterization of anyone on the board.

You specifically often downplay criticisms. So there's that.

Do you have a single criticism of the current ownership group and GM?

If so, please share.

just from this summer
- not bringing back okogie
- plumlee signing
- adding 4 rookies to an already packed roster
- no consolidation trades
- keeping nsj
- the pat trade, is confusing, considering the roster crunch - did we need more 2nds at expense of keeping okogie?
- not addressing center in FA/trade after mark trade (which in still fine with)

That's all fair.

I appreciate balance.

Otherwise, downplaying others concerns only makes others feel like you don't hear them. And that can just frustrate people trying to express what they feel are legitimate concerns, just making them more vocal about it (which seems to be the most distasteful approach for the cheerleaders out here).

I don't see how anyone can look at our center situation and see something other than a trainwreck, whether that fan supports the Mark trade or not. I love Liam. Love what they got for Mark.

But the center position was downgraded and that's both a legit concern and tough pill to swallow given how much relief we all felt after dumping him and running with Mark.

Fans have a right to be pissed off about center. Especially now that we know Kalk is not a viable path to salvaging the position.

Bothers me that nothing has been done despite ample resources to get something done.

[JMAC3]

One thing to note and maybe this isn't the right thread.
PatC can be aggregated in deals starting Sept. 6th.
Rosters do not have to be down to 15 players until the start of the season which is Oct.21st.

So we could hold onto Pat and see if we can put him in a bigger deal during that 45 day window.

[KembaWalker]

Well I've also been accused of being too overly positive this summer. which is weird because I got yelled at for three years straight for screaming at the mitch regime And overall being too negative. so... Lose lose I guess

New front office isn't perfect but it's miles better than the previous versions we've had. But at the end of the day they still need to prove it on the court. And a lot of that just purely comes down to our core players being healthy for once.

miles better than the previous FO seems kinda crazy considering we're nearly 2 full offseasons in and they can't add a player better than LaMelo, Miller, Bridges, or Mark still. gotta raise the standards around here man lol

[MasterIchiro]

One thing to note and maybe this isn't the right thread.
PatC can be aggregated in deals starting Sept. 6th.
Rosters do not have to be down to 15 players until the start of the season which is Oct.21st.

So we could hold onto Pat and see if we can put him in a bigger deal during that 45 day window.

Hopefully, this tidbit is notable.

I've wondered if some of the market for center targets is frozen by the free agency situations/negotiations for players like Kuminga and Giddey. Those guys are owed big money. And both the Bulls and Warriors could look to return a rim protector in a trade because they both need one.

[yosemiteben]

I have zero push back on the center concerns, other than to say (1) I'm not mad about moving Mark (for reasons I've explained, but primarily due to my being **** over carrying injury prone guys) and (2) the offseason is not done, let's wait and see before shredding the FO.

I see the intentionality in terms of roster building, particularly with how they attacked the C position and how intentional they were about maneuvering around the C position last season, and I don't see a group that are like "I just don't care about the center position lulz."

I do think it is very possible that they are believers in Kalkbrenner and don't feel the same anxiety about penciling him in the rotation. That would seriously surprise me if that's the plan and I would definitely view that as a mistake, but at this point I don't think we know one way or the other what they want or what the plan is.

[fatlever]

One thing to note and maybe this isn't the right thread.
PatC can be aggregated in deals starting Sept. 6th.
Rosters do not have to be down to 15 players until the start of the season which is Oct.21st.

So we could hold onto Pat and see if we can put him in a bigger deal during that 45 day window.

good point. I can only assume that is the plan. Otherwise I figure he'll just be bought out and that'll be the price for whatever second rounders we got in the deal. I don't see any way he's on the roster opening day.

[MasterIchiro]

Well I've also been accused of being too overly positive this summer. which is weird because I got yelled at for three years straight for screaming at the mitch regime And overall being too negative. so... Lose lose I guess

New front office isn't perfect but it's miles better than the previous versions we've had. But at the end of the day they still need to prove it on the court. And a lot of that just purely comes down to our core players being healthy for once.

miles better than the previous FO seems kinda crazy considering we're nearly 2 full offseasons in and they can't add a player better than LaMelo, Miller, Bridges, or Mark still. gotta raise the standards around here man lol

This is exactly what I mean. Sleeping at the wheel with the current group (which hasn't done ****) because you're still pissed about the last group, when the last group brought in LaMelo, Miller.

Kalk is not the answer.

So we need to start holding the new group accountable for the mess at center.

The roster has a #1 and #2 scoring option inherited from this so-called worse group. Miles worse. Just a load of **** I can't take seriously, especially when Plumlee is C2. But they did sooooo many other great things like...draft Salaün 6, take on Josh Green whose contract is now negative, and.... oh wait.