Kings Future

[longfellow44]

I thought that it would be great if we could talk about our teams specific future and what we may be doing to get to a championship contender level. Which of our current guys are the caliber of player that we will need to get to that level? Who are the players that we might want to target in drafts and Free agency over the next two year?

Evans- Certainly is going to be part of our overall future and should be a quality player on a championship squad. Weather he's playing pg or sg he will be the level of player that we need to get to that level.

Thompson- I see thompson as our garbage man at the 4. He's very athletic, is a great rebounder and can use his physicality to get to the hoop. Compare him to a better rebounding Aldridge. He's championship material next to a complete player at center.

Casspi- Big part of our future I think he's going to become a tougher grittier version of Keith Van Horn and should actually be a key piece to contending. I think he's our starter at the SF in the future.

Hawes- I'm not sure what to think with him I'm not sure that he's starter quality on a championship team. If he does develop the consistency that we need then he could be our key big man. But as of right now i'm expecting him to be the 1st big off the bench. Great player just not consistently excellent.

Greene- I think he's our PF/SF backup. He's going to be good but i think that Omri and Thompson will be good enough to keep him on the bench as a backup. His ability to come on and guard the other teams best wing player is key and his offense is a bonus. his versatility makes him the perfect 6th man type player.

Martin- Not sure if he will be here long term. but if he is compatible with Evans on the court you can expect the two of them to be devestating. martin won't be the # 1 option but i expect him to still be our highest scorer. After moving back to a 2nd or 3rd option I expect him to have a Reggie Miller type of success but as the 2nd or 3rd option where he will be much more successful.

Udrih- Will likely be on the team still when we compete and if he can develop a little bit of bit of chemistry with martin then he will be a fantastic backup to evans and should make some heavy contributions to the team.

Garcia- is a fantastic player but i'm not sure with the young talent that we currently have on the team what role will be available to him when we get to contention status. I can't imagine our rotation extending out past 9 on a regular basis so i'm just not sure where he will get his minutes.

nocioni- Certainly won't be on the team. Solid vet presence now to tutor the youngins but shouldn't be around long term.

May- Gone after the season
Kt- Trade Bait
Brockman- high energy end of the bench 12th man guy on a contending team. Great rebounder reminds me of reggie evans in that regard.
Sergio- probably won't be on the team when we are ready to compete unless he develops more of an outside shot.


I fully expect the kings to try to get another center this summer weather it's through the draft or through free agency or trade. We really need a complete guy at center that is consistent and is a defensive presence.

Trade targets
Kaman
Marc Gasol
Bogut
Al jefferson

draft target
Aldrich
monroe
Sanders

Free agency
there aren't really any centers that i would target in free agency due to age or lack of skill.

I just think that while we have a lot of great young talent i'm just not sure when all is said and done who will still be here in 2 years when we are ready to compete? Who will be brought in to help us get to the next level?

[deNIEd]

Without a quality center, our future will be second round exits year in and year out.

We need that defensive center that can anchor a defense, or a guy that simply so good at offense his defense doesn't matter. The problem we have now, is if we can obtain this center w/o giving up Martin/Evans/Casspi/Thompson/Hawes, well, then we will be contending within 1-2 years. However, if we do give up one of our key pieces, we will have to regain extra talent from somewhere else. We need to gain talent without giving up any...something that's incredibly hard for a team like Sacramento.

If only Chicago drafted Hawes...

[Smills91]

Without a quality center, our future will be second round exits year in and year out.

We need that defensive center that can anchor a defense, or a guy that simply so good at offense his defense doesn't matter. The problem we have now, is if we can obtain this center w/o giving up Martin/Evans/Casspi/Thompson/Hawes, well, then we will be contending within 1-2 years. However, if we do give up one of our key pieces, we will have to regain extra talent from somewhere else. We need to gain talent without giving up any...something that's incredibly hard for a team like Sacramento.

If only Chicago drafted Hawes...

Hawes > Noah. You're impatience is amusing. Not saying a Noah wouldn't HELP. But to say Noah is better than Hawes as a prospect makes me laugh.

[mobiuseinz]

But Noah complements Thompson better than Hawes... I'd rather have a loudmouth guy who will actually get 12+ rebounds, defend and bang down low, than a guy who is afraid of the ball unless its passed to him, and he'll just stand around and shoot 3s... although Hawes has a much higher ceiling than Noah, i don't even know if he can ever even get to it.

[Nicky Nix Nook]

I'd say Hawes vs. Noah is VERY similar to Thompson vs. Randolph.

[Smills91]

I'd say Hawes vs. Noah is VERY similar to Thompson vs. Randolph.

How, Randolph's a bum. The other 3 are all solid-good.

[deNIEd]

Without a quality center, our future will be second round exits year in and year out.

We need that defensive center that can anchor a defense, or a guy that simply so good at offense his defense doesn't matter. The problem we have now, is if we can obtain this center w/o giving up Martin/Evans/Casspi/Thompson/Hawes, well, then we will be contending within 1-2 years. However, if we do give up one of our key pieces, we will have to regain extra talent from somewhere else. We need to gain talent without giving up any...something that's incredibly hard for a team like Sacramento.

If only Chicago drafted Hawes...

Hawes > Noah. You're impatience is amusing. Not saying a Noah wouldn't HELP. But to say Noah is better than Hawes as a prospect makes me laugh.

Hawes could have more potential than Noah, but to this date he is not better than Noah.

And like Mobi said, it's about fit and what this team needs. Just because a player is more "talented" (questionable) doesn't mean anything, a less talented player can have a far more significant impact on a team.

The one thing that this team needs the most is a defensive anchor and Noah is better than Hawes in every single aspect at defense. We don't need another scorer.

Who would you rather have, Boozer or Okafor? David Lee or Perkins? Both Boozer and Lee are more talented and "better" players, yet our team would be better off with Okafor or Perkins.

Duh

[Nicky Nix Nook]

I'd say Hawes vs. Noah is VERY similar to Thompson vs. Randolph.

How, Randolph's a bum. The other 3 are all solid-good.

Because Thompson is clearly better than Randolph now, but he's older and more developed. Many people think Randolph has a higher ceiling, and although he has played like a bum in stretches, he has played magnificently in others while battling Nelson's dog house.

Because Noah is clearly better than Hawes now, but he's older and more developed. Many people think Hawes has a higher ceiling, and although he has played like a bum in stretches, he has played magnificently in others while battling Westphal's dog house.

[Nicky Nix Nook]

Smills reincarnate yourself.

[EvoStrife]

Brockman is doing a phenomenal job out there with limited minutes, but hes pushing Hawes for more PT. I definitely think he should be a part of our long term plan, as hes really been an impetus for a lot of the kings runs. What surprised me is how Amare in the suns game was on fire against Hawes, yet fell flat against Brockman. Maybe height really isn't everything.

[Silver Man]

Draft Cole Aldrich with our draft pick if land around a five or lower pick.

-Look and see what we can get for Kevin Martin. I'm not saying trade him, but just look and see what's out there.

-Sign some depth during the off-season. Maybe a player like Tyrus Thomas to add depth behind Thompson (Yes I'm very high on Thomas still if you haven't noticed). Or maybe travis Outlaw.

-Try and trade for Meka during the trading deadline.

-If we were to get Noah I'd be a very happy man, depending on what we give up, and all that.

Tyreke Evans//Beno Udrih
Kevin Martin//Free Agent
Wesley Johnson//Omri Casspi
Jason Thompson//Tyrus Thomas
Emeka Okafor//Jon Brockman

Or

Tyreke Evans//Beno Udrih
Kevin Martin//Free Agent
Travis Outlaw//Omri Casspi
Jason Thompson//Tyrus Thomas
Cole Aldrich//Spencer Hawes

[deNIEd]

Draft Cole Aldrich with our draft pick if land around a five or lower pick.

-Look and see what we can get for Kevin Martin. I'm not saying trade him, but just look and see what's out there.

-Sign some depth during the off-season. Maybe a player like Tyrus Thomas to add depth behind Thompson (Yes I'm very high on Thomas still if you haven't noticed). Or maybe travis Outlaw.

-Try and trade for Meka during the trading deadline.

-If we were to get Noah I'd be a very happy man, depending on what we give up, and all that.

Tyreke Evans//Beno Udrih
Kevin Martin//Free Agent
Wesley Johnson//Omri Casspi
Jason Thompson//Tyrus Thomas
Emeka Okafor//Jon Brockman

Or

Tyreke Evans//Beno Udrih
Kevin Martin//Free Agent
Travis Outlaw//Omri Casspi
Jason Thompson//Tyrus Thomas
Cole Aldrich//Spencer Hawes

1) we won't be in a position to draft Aldrich
2) we won't be in a position to draft johnson
3) where the f does nocioni and garcia go

[10B10]

Draft Cole Aldrich with our draft pick if land around a five or lower pick.

-Look and see what we can get for Kevin Martin. I'm not saying trade him, but just look and see what's out there.

-Sign some depth during the off-season. Maybe a player like Tyrus Thomas to add depth behind Thompson (Yes I'm very high on Thomas still if you haven't noticed). Or maybe travis Outlaw.

-Try and trade for Meka during the trading deadline.

-If we were to get Noah I'd be a very happy man, depending on what we give up, and all that.

Tyreke Evans//Beno Udrih
Kevin Martin//Free Agent
Wesley Johnson//Omri Casspi
Jason Thompson//Tyrus Thomas
Emeka Okafor//Jon Brockman

Or

Tyreke Evans//Beno Udrih
Kevin Martin//Free Agent
Travis Outlaw//Omri Casspi
Jason Thompson//Tyrus Thomas
Cole Aldrich//Spencer Hawes

I think Casspi is the starting 3 here long term. He is a good fit next to Tyreke and is already playing at a starting level. I would love Aldrich but he just isn't going to be around when we pick barring a complete collapse during the rest of the season, which I don't foresee happening.

I'll trust Petrie with the kind of big that this team needs and based on the guys that we have rumored to be interested in, I think he will get us a big guy to clog up the middle. It was amazing how a guy just like Brockman could come in yesterday and totally change the game just because of his defense on Amare. Our center needs to be able to do that AND have some skill to finish around the rim. That's the real missing piece, IMO.

[longfellow44]

I completely agree about getting Tyrus Thomas, but only if we can't seem to get that kind of high energy defensive guy at center. Thomas is a beast on the weak side and is a great energy rebounder, he's dumb as a brick but that doesn't matter. He would have very specific duties and would preform them very well.

If we can't get the center that we want this is what I would do.
Sign Tyrus for 7-8mil per year for 3-5 years.
Draft Xavier Henry at around 11 or 12 where we will likely pick.
Looks to move Garcia for expiring late pick at the deadline
use that late pick to get another legit 7footer-Art Parakhouski
Keep trying to get rid of nocioni

Kings lineup in 2010
Evans/Beno
Martin/Henry
Casspi/Greene
Thompson/Tyrus
Hawes/Parkhouski

[SacKingZZZ]

I would bet Tyrus could be had for the MLE, just watch.

[SacKingZZZ]

I like the idea of Aldrich, but agree that he may be out of our range. I expect to have a pick in the 8-12 range. Here's what I think:

Trade Noc for expirings at the deadline, or as close to full expirings as possible.

Draft day: Trade Jason Thompson for the rights to Cole Aldrich. With our pick select John Henson (upside pick).

Free agency: Sign Rudy Gay to a free agency contract and pick up Tyrus Thomas for the MLE. Re-sign Jon Brockman

PG: Evans/Beno
SG: Martin/Garcia
SF: Gay/Casspi/Greene
PF: Thomas/Brockman
C: Aldrich/Hawes

Surround Evans/Martin with superior athletes, dual shotblockers in the paint that can also be an ally oop threat. Brockman for toughness off the bench and Hawes for shooting and offense.

[KF10]

Interesting idea SKZZZ.

For the most part, I kinda like it. With the frontcourt of Thomas and Aldrich, our interior defense improves by alot! I consider Aldrich is a very solid to very good post defender. And Thomas an awesome help defender. The team dynamics changes a bit though. We now have another offensive option in Rudy Gay. For some reason, I can't project in my mind if it's going to be a beneficial move for the Kings adding Gay to the team. And top of that, how much are we going to offer him? Will he cost a lot?

We lose Thompson's awesome (offensive) rebounding, his inside/out game, his motor and his (underrated) understanding when to pass or not ability. Tyrus is ok but his basketball IQ is low. I mean low low. He is a very frustrating player. He takes a fond of shooting jumpers, even though he is bad at them. I will not be pleased if he continues his habit here in Sacramento. Is he worth the MLE? Maybe. But I think the potential in Thomas is still there IMO.

Anyways, I think the team would be very exciting and can be very successful if the pieces fit together.

Nice work SKZZZ.

[wiltchamberlain]

I think maybe some people are doing a little too much work. When I look at the roster is now, and try to project what I think it could look like in the future, I kinda hope it looks the same. I mean you'd have to figure most of these young guys are going to continue to mature and get better, assuming for a second that they do grow at a reasonable pace and there aren't any major injuries (which I know is assuming a lot) so what's so bad about keeping this roster together. Let me be clear, that doesn't mean we can't have tweaks, or even some bigger changes down the line, I'm just talking about large scale turning a team upside down change.

Also I have a quick off topic question. What happened to Smills? I've been gone for a few days and I see he's waived. I imagine there's a good reason as he has always been the type of guy to start trouble, I'm just curious.

[SacKingZZZ]

Nah, too many holes stylistically. Still have yet to see if a Martin/Evans backcourt will really even work. We either need to go talent or need in the frontcourt or maybe even both and swing a blockbuster for a guy like Amare or Bosh. Right now we're kind of caught in the middle. This is what most rebuilding teams do, get as many assets you can and then build a team that makes the most sense around the best ones. With this team playing this well already it might actually be time, or at least very close to it, to start making moves based on need and fit regardless of a potential loss in overall talent level.

[SacKingZZZ]

Interesting idea SKZZZ.

For the most part, I kinda like it. With the frontcourt of Thomas and Aldrich, our interior defense improves by alot! I consider Aldrich is a very solid to very good post defender. And Thomas an awesome help defender. The team dynamics changes a bit though. We now have another offensive option in Rudy Gay. For some reason, I can't project in my mind if it's going to be a beneficial move for the Kings adding Gay to the team. And top of that, how much are we going to offer him? Will he cost a lot?

We lose Thompson's awesome (offensive) rebounding, his inside/out game, his motor and his (underrated) understanding when to pass or not ability. Tyrus is ok but his basketball IQ is low. I mean low low. He is a very frustrating player. He takes a fond of shooting jumpers, even though he is bad at them. I will not be pleased if he continues his habit here in Sacramento. Is he worth the MLE? Maybe. But I think the potential in Thomas is still there IMO.

Anyways, I think the team would be very exciting and can be very successful if the pieces fit together.

Nice work SKZZZ.

I figure a trio of Gay, Thomas, and Aldrich is going to be a nightmare for teams to keep up with athletically. One thing I've noticed about Evans is he can push the ball like an mother F'er, it would be nice to have pretty much every other guy on the court right there with him when he's storming up the court. That team would kill on the fast break.