The draft is over. Now what?

[SacKingZZZ]

Hayes is a much more proven player and it noted for his post defense. One of the premier defensive role players out there these days.

[boogie-reke]

Having Chuck Hayes is much more to do with his personality, being a vet and a potential leader on the locker room then actually on the court - although he's a damn usefull player there aswell.

I wish we'll get him.

[City of Trees]

Hayes is a good player but is undersized. There are better options

Kings goals should be this in no particular order:
Resign Thornton
Fix SF log jam
S&T Daly
Add a quality PF
Add veteran leadership
Add high character/ high IQ players

[SacKingZZZ]

Hayes is a good player but is undersized. There are better options

Kings goals should be this in no particular order:
Resign Thornton
Fix SF log jam
S&T Daly
Add a quality PF
Add veteran leadership
Add high character/ high IQ players

That's true, but it actually helps him with post defense. Guys like he and Maxiell are able to push from a much lower center of gravity than taller players.

[Joel Embust]

Congrats on getting Tyler Honeycutt. Such a steal for you guys. This guy got a lot of hype before his college career but didn't pan out the way people expected him to at UCLA. He still showed enough potential as an all-round wing player. He has decent athleticism, a decent jumpshot, plays defense and has a developing passing game too.

With the right coaching this guy could become one of the better small forwards in the league in 3-4 years.

[ADoaN17]

Hayes is a much more proven player and it noted for his post defense. One of the premier defensive role players out there these days.

+1
I rather have a JT/Hayes forward rotation than a JT/Hickson, I like Hickson but I don't think he will fit well here and he could be a nice trade piece.

Would be nice to have another true role player on this team instead of the ball dominate players on this team.

[pillwenney]

Hayes' post D is nice, but there are sacrifices in other ways defensively. Teams with skilled, full-sized bigs routinely kill Houston and they have trouble defending the rim because their center is so short.

[City of Trees]

Hickson has been bashed quite a bit. Cleveland fans are quick to call him a black hole since they traded him. Lets not forget just a few weeks ago they thought CLE would get multiple draft picks for Hickson. Its always easy to bash a guy when he isn't on your team anymore. Honestly Kings fans should not bash him either. Let Hickson gel with the guys and see how he adapts first before you crown him a bad fit/ black hole.

Everyone is so quick to judge, sometimes I think it blinds some people of what could be.

[LavinMagoof]

If you watch the youtube highlights, Hickson seems to have athleticism that Jason Thompson never shows. There are enough scorers on the team. so if I were the coach, Hickson would never see an NBA minute unless he devoted that athleticism to defense rather than whatever he did in Cleveland. If JJ can't do that, he won't fit here and should be moved.

[City of Trees]

If you watch the youtube highlights, Hickson seems to have athleticism that Jason Thompson never shows. There are enough scorers on the team. so if I were the coach, Hickson would never see an NBA minute unless he devoted that athleticism to defense rather than whatever he did in Cleveland. If he can't do that, he won't fit here and should be moved.

Of course you want to see Hickson grow as a player and become a better defender. Sitting him down until he figures that out is not the way to handle a talented young Big. geeeez

[SacKingZZZ]

Hayes' post D is nice, but there are sacrifices in other ways defensively. Teams with skilled, full-sized bigs routinely kill Houston and they have trouble defending the rim because their center is so short.

Which if Hayes were on the Kings he'd probably be playing more PF, and switch to C on guys like Howard, Bynum, etc. when needed. He's a very diverse defender. He'll never be a star but he's definitely an "enforcer" type. The only thing that would make me a little nervous is outside of his pretty good vision and passing ability, he'll give you nothing on offense if needed.

[SacKingZZZ]

If you watch the youtube highlights, Hickson seems to have athleticism that Jason Thompson never shows. There are enough scorers on the team. so if I were the coach, Hickson would never see an NBA minute unless he devoted that athleticism to defense rather than whatever he did in Cleveland. If JJ can't do that, he won't fit here and should be moved.

I can see how Hickson fits in, and why the Kings were more than happy to take him. He can finish at the rim and score on his own when needed. Great player to have possibly coming off your bench. I think you can find a lot of opportunities in the high post with Cousins finding Hickson with the lob, back cut, or a post up. Clearly Westphal likes to utilize the post and now he has the personnel to do it. Hickson >>>> as a post option over Daly and >> over Jason Thompson. Neither guy can finish in the post effectively, Hickson can. Westphal will be able to use a lineup where he can literally post up out of all 5 positions. I don't think I've ever seen that before. He used it last season to absolute F standards because it was the exact opposite way of using some of those players, he can get away with it now. Basically Casspi turns into Salmons who can post, and Thompson/Daly turn into Hickson who can post as well. Just got to hope Hassan turns into that rim protector.

Tyson Chandler's comments about free agency seemed somewhat promising, but I've taken the same stance as some here: AIN'T HAPPENING.

[deNIEd]

Hayes' post D is nice, but there are sacrifices in other ways defensively. Teams with skilled, full-sized bigs routinely kill Houston and they have trouble defending the rim because their center is so short.

In my perfect world, we'd pick up a Gasol/Nene type player to put next to DeMarcus. Between Cousins/(Free Agent) we would have a huge size advantage over every front court in the league.

However, if the other team has a small/quick PF/C, Hayes would step in and be the primary defender on the quicker/smaller guys. Hayes has always done well against the likes of Amare. Hayes might have problems with bigger guys, but thats why we would have Cousins/(FA).


Now realistically, I still think Hayes is a good fit for this team. He wouldn't be able to guard every PF/C out there, but he would significantly improve our defense by himself. His attitude, work ethic, demeanor, and mentality would also be beneficial for this young team.

I view Hayes as a Battier/Christie (later years) type player. A guy that would help any team he's on, by playing hard defense, good work ethics, and being a good teammate.

The last thing we need right now, is another player that requires the ball.

[LavinMagoof]

I'm watching this Cavaliers game vs the Bulls. Hickson's "post up" game consists of face up jump shots and one dribble finishes off of passes from Baron Davis. And he only "posted up" 6-7 times in the half, all of which were face ups. He never posted up unless they were running a play specifically for him. The rest of the time he'd just stand around on the weak side trying to avoid as much contact as possible, wait for someone to throw up a shot so he could try to crash the glass.He was the only rebounder on the floor since Varejao and Jamison were injured. That's why his rebounding stats were inflated. Consequently he was always late to get back on defense, but this was by the coach's design.

I'm also watching this Kings game against the Magic. On nearly every possession, Jason Thompson is running the floor to beat the defender to the spot to post up even though he rarely gets the ball. He always has his hands up and ready for a pass, and if he actually gets the ball, he's got a good turn around jumper, decent foot work and a big body that draws fouls. He can also shoot face up jumpers, but he mostly leaves that to Cousins. Thompson's noticeably bigger and wider.

[SacKingZZZ]

Jason Thompson is a good player, but I just don't see him ever producing like Hickson did at times in Cleveland. Hickson is a more well versed scorer. Thompson is a very good role player, but the star potential between the two was seen last year. Unless Hickson regresses I think what these players are is fairly clear.

And most people post up as a result of a play call. Hickson won't be a great post player, but he can get good shots at the rim, and can maneuver in the paint. Jason is somewhat awkward and mechanical in the paint. Thompson is probably a better face up player though, something Westphal should have primarily used JT as.

[City of Trees]

If JT can learn to finish at the rim he will be a good player. I can even count all the times ive seen JT make a great move going to the basket and not finishing. At this point in his career that is his biggest challenge.

[PaKwAn]

Jason Thompson is a good player, but I just don't see him ever producing like Hickson did at times in Cleveland. Hickson is a more well versed scorer. Thompson is a very good role player, but the star potential between the two was seen last year. Unless Hickson regresses I think what these players are is fairly clear.

And most people post up as a result of a play call. Hickson won't be a great post player, but he can get good shots at the rim, and can maneuver in the paint. Jason is somewhat awkward and mechanical in the paint. Thompson is probably a better face up player though, something Westphal should have primarily used JT as.

+1

[SacKingZZZ]

Which isn't to say Thompson isn't a better FIT per se. With Hickson it will come down to role and how he fits with the rest of the team, but as a pure talent? Nah, ate that crow myself earlier in the year, at least now it's looking a lot tastier! hahaha.