Team USA: Boogiewatch

[benchmobbin02]

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[SacKingZZZ]

I think he just ripped a hole in the space-time continuum.

[Zaccai]

Today he look comfortable with the team.

[Johnstarks]

Yeah i think his trade value is really at an all time high right now. Coming off team usa and with a good contract and time to ease him into the system. Problem is no one can compete with Golden state so no one thinks adding boogie is the key. I just don't think you're gonna get a monster package for him. All the fringe contenders seem to have good centers. I'm guessing with the strong pg draft you guys are looking for wings since you drafted 8 centers the past two years...

And next year as an expiring deal it could get even worse so it seems kinda key to get something done thiso year before the deadline.

The only decnt teams that could really use him are charlotte (if they'd trade mkg which is doubtful), Minnesota (I think theyd like to give up Wiggins or lavine), or maybe indy for turner... teams like Washington, Houston, pelicans, etc don't really have the assets to make a deal

It's just a disaster to let him walk for nothing in two years especially if the lockout occurs next year (kinda doubt it with all the money flowing but you never know). Hard to trust Vlade to make a good deal at this point. I still can't figure out that stauskas trade. If the kings end up with a top 3 pick in this loaded draft that they have to give away that's a disaater.

[codydaze]

Yeah i think his trade value is really at an all time high right now. Coming off team usa and with a good contract and time to ease him into the system. Problem is no one can compete with Golden state so no one thinks adding boogie is the key. I just don't think you're gonna get a monster package for him. All the fringe contenders seem to have good centers. I'm guessing with the strong pg draft you guys are looking for wings since you drafted 8 centers the past two years...

And next year as an expiring deal it could get even worse so it seems kinda key to get something done thiso year before the deadline.

The only decnt teams that could really use him are charlotte (if they'd trade mkg which is doubtful), Minnesota (I think theyd like to give up Wiggins or lavine), or maybe indy for turner... teams like Washington, Houston, pelicans, etc don't really have the assets to make a deal

It's just a disaster to let him walk for nothing in two years especially if the lockout occurs next year (kinda doubt it with all the money flowing but you never know). Hard to trust Vlade to make a good deal at this point. I still can't figure out that stauskas trade. If the kings end up with a top 3 pick in this loaded draft that they have to give away that's a disaater.

Well, I'll make it easy for you. We aren't trading him. Outside of the Stauskas trade, what other bad moves has Vlade made? I'm interested to hear what you think the bad moves were.

[SacKingZZZ]

The more time that passes, the more Vlades moves have made sense to me. He went out in this last draft and stocked up on young talent in case they have to rebuild. I'm sure the idea involving Stauskas was about competing at the time but Vlade knows if there is anything worth building around for the Kings post Cuz, it's something that will be attained if and when Cousins is moved.

Right now I can't wait to see what grit and grind looks like in Sacramento. At the time Vlades moves can look strange, but unlike the previous GM or two, there always seems to be a follow up that makes sense of it all. There is at least a few months to see if the right coach, and some of the right types of players can make the difference for Cousins in Sac.

[Johnstarks]

Yeah i think his trade value is really at an all time high right now. Coming off team usa and with a good contract and time to ease him into the system. Problem is no one can compete with Golden state so no one thinks adding boogie is the key. I just don't think you're gonna get a monster package for him. All the fringe contenders seem to have good centers. I'm guessing with the strong pg draft you guys are looking for wings since you drafted 8 centers the past two years...

And next year as an expiring deal it could get even worse so it seems kinda key to get something done thiso year before the deadline.

The only decnt teams that could really use him are charlotte (if they'd trade mkg which is doubtful), Minnesota (I think theyd like to give up Wiggins or lavine), or maybe indy for turner... teams like Washington, Houston, pelicans, etc don't really have the assets to make a deal

It's just a disaster to let him walk for nothing in two years especially if the lockout occurs next year (kinda doubt it with all the money flowing but you never know). Hard to trust Vlade to make a good deal at this point. I still can't figure out that stauskas trade. If the kings end up with a top 3 pick in this loaded draft that they have to give away that's a disaater.

Well, I'll make it easy for you. We aren't trading him. Outside of the Stauskas trade, what other bad moves has Vlade made? I'm interested to hear what you think the bad moves were.

Idk, the offseason moves seem disjointed. You drafted a bunch of big men that will take awhile to develop even though your best two players are big men. You need backcourt help immediately but went after old bench guys like afflalo and temple while letting curry go for practically nothing . Seem like it would have made more sense to target younger guys for the rebuild if you couldn't get win now guys.

[Sheva7]

Idk, the offseason moves seem disjointed. You drafted a bunch of big men that will take awhile to develop even though your best two players are big men. You need backcourt help immediately but went after old bench guys like afflalo and temple while letting curry go for practically nothing . Seem like it would have made more sense to target younger guys for the rebuild if you couldn't get win now guys.

Our offseason makes sense if you understand what we are trying to do. We are not rebuilding. The draft is about picking the best available. We drafted one center and one PF this year and one PF/C last year. Not 8 or whatever number the national media makes up. We are trying to compete for a playoff spot this year, so filling our needs with veterans who will contribute on the court and help change the culture off the court is exactly what we need. Also vlade avoided locking up money long term which leaves us with a lot of flexibility next year and the years after. Locking up young players on insane contracts would have been the worst thing we could do. I love pretty much every move vlade has made this offseason.

[Johnstarks]

Well I think drafting big men always makes sense because you can get a viable big man like say myles turner, cody zeller, porzingis, noel etc for four years for practically 25-35% of the price of fragile older guys like Noah, mozgov, or dwight howard.

So I don't really subscribe to best player available outside of the top handful of picks. If you can get ben simmons or ingram potential obviously go for it but otherwise you should always slant your draft towards big men and use your cap space on solid wings like Courtney lee, bazemore, Danny green etc whose contract reasonably reflects their value.

I don't think you want to use that space on guys like temple, affalo, Tolliver etc. Would have rather seen them take a shot absorbing rose or George hill or someone I guess. Hill would be a pretty good complement for cousins/gay since they can assume playmaking duties sometimes


You guys seem like a top ten offense to me with Rondo gone. What were your problems defensively? I didn't get to watch the kings much I assume it's the same old George Karl issues as always in that he plays guys like all Harrington that can't guard their man and launch bad shots early in the shot clock that lead to transition buckets.

I just don't see how you become an above average defense with collison and affalo in the backcourt.

I think the real issue is that by hiring Karl you created such a toxic environment that free agents had the kings completely tuned out. That Mike malone firing is still bizarre what was the real reason behind that? Guy seems like one of the brightest young coaches in the game

I guess shifting into win now mode seems kinda bizarre to me. The top 3 seeds are pretty much on lock down by gsw, sas, and lac. With portland not far off. There's really no way to beat those teams right now so bottom half seeds are not of much value. And it's highly unlikely the kings could compete with teams like Utah, dallas, and Memphis for those seeds. Then you've got the youth movements in Denver and Minnesota that are likely to blow past you as their guys develop. Then new orleans and Houston stink but they both have elite talents that might singlehandedly make them better than sacramento collectively or help them land new targets.

Then as bad as the lakers and suns project to be even they have young talent that could blossom...

Just feels like win now is kinda disingenuous and you have a trade chip that could net you some really solid pieces. The mclemore, stauskas, and Robinson draft picks pretty much doomed the window to build a competitive team around boogie. It's just going to leave you entering the rebuild with no good pieces or picks to start with and unlikely to even have a playoff appearance to show for it. That's what I don't get the logic behind


Edit
Whoops sorry just realized thread topic is boogie watch because of the olympjcs. I thought you meant his impending trade news in this thread.

[PaKwAn]

i've been a fan of how hard delly plays, and watching the olympics this guy could have been a perfect fit for that grit and grind style of play..i wonder why we didn't go after him.

[c3j3h]

Idk, the offseason moves seem disjointed. You drafted a bunch of big men that will take awhile to develop even though your best two players are big men. You need backcourt help immediately but went after old bench guys like afflalo and temple while letting curry go for practically nothing . Seem like it would have made more sense to target younger guys for the rebuild if you couldn't get win now guys.

Our offseason makes sense if you understand what we are trying to do. We are not rebuilding. The draft is about picking the best available. We drafted one center and one PF this year and one PF/C last year. Not 8 or whatever number the national media makes up. We are trying to compete for a playoff spot this year, so filling our needs with veterans who will contribute on the court and help change the culture off the court is exactly what we need. Also vlade avoided locking up money long term which leaves us with a lot of flexibility next year and the years after. Locking up young players on insane contracts would have been the worst thing we could do. I love pretty much every move vlade has made this offseason.

Our off-season doesn't make any sense at all.

Speaking of Boogie, man he sure does do a lot of fouling. He started tonight and played about 5 minutes because he picked up 4 fouls. It's a shame.

[SacKingZZZ]

Well I think drafting big men always makes sense because you can get a viable big man like say myles turner, cody zeller, porzingis, noel etc for four years for practically 25-35% of the price of fragile older guys like Noah, mozgov, or dwight howard.

So I don't really subscribe to best player available outside of the top handful of picks. If you can get ben simmons or ingram potential obviously go for it but otherwise you should always slant your draft towards big men and use your cap space on solid wings like Courtney lee, bazemore, Danny green etc whose contract reasonably reflects their value.

I don't think you want to use that space on guys like temple, affalo, Tolliver etc. Would have rather seen them take a shot absorbing rose or George hill or someone I guess. Hill would be a pretty good complement for cousins/gay since they can assume playmaking duties sometimes


You guys seem like a top ten offense to me with Rondo gone. What were your problems defensively? I didn't get to watch the kings much I assume it's the same old George Karl issues as always in that he plays guys like all Harrington that can't guard their man and launch bad shots early in the shot clock that lead to transition buckets.

I just don't see how you become an above average defense with collison and affalo in the backcourt.

I think the real issue is that by hiring Karl you created such a toxic environment that free agents had the kings completely tuned out. That Mike malone firing is still bizarre what was the real reason behind that? Guy seems like one of the brightest young coaches in the game

I guess shifting into win now mode seems kinda bizarre to me. The top 3 seeds are pretty much on lock down by gsw, sas, and lac. With portland not far off. There's really no way to beat those teams right now so bottom half seeds are not of much value. And it's highly unlikely the kings could compete with teams like Utah, dallas, and Memphis for those seeds. Then you've got the youth movements in Denver and Minnesota that are likely to blow past you as their guys develop. Then new orleans and Houston stink but they both have elite talents that might singlehandedly make them better than sacramento collectively or help them land new targets.

Then as bad as the lakers and suns project to be even they have young talent that could blossom...

Just feels like win now is kinda disingenuous and you have a trade chip that could net you some really solid pieces. The mclemore, stauskas, and Robinson draft picks pretty much doomed the window to build a competitive team around boogie. It's just going to leave you entering the rebuild with no good pieces or picks to start with and unlikely to even have a playoff appearance to show for it. That's what I don't get the logic behind


Edit
Whoops sorry just realized thread topic is boogie watch because of the olympjcs. I thought you meant his impending trade news in this thread.

One of the main issues with Karls defense is there was no commitment by anyone and when there was, he ran a switch scheme playing, I **** you not, at times Rondo at PG, Collison at SG, and Ben McLemore at SF. Even though Rondo held his own against some bigs in the post we all got to see both Collison and Rondo switched onto legit C's from time to time. Rondo somehow found himself on Al Jefferson more than once. Switch schemes work when you have size on the wing, not when your biggest wing at the time is 6'3" and 185 pounds soaking wet.

I really do think Collison is getting overlooked this summer. If his legal stuff checks out he's hopefully going to be the same good fit he was under Mike Malone. Collison is also a positive defender. He's quick and can hound the ball when motivated. Afflalo is a question mark, but finally the Kings have some bulk at SG at least. I also think Jeorger will use him for his post skills which will be a unique ability for Sacramento considering it's usually the Kings guards getting posted into oblivion.

From the stuff I've read, the players the Kings signed were ones that they targeted very early on. They called Temple almost immediately apparently. There is a running theme with some of the players they signed, they're usually the first guys teammates label as a good teammate. They also fill the roles the Kings have needed filled forever. I'm especially excited for Tolliver, I think he can be a great fit next to Cousins and Cuz should see more spacing than he has in his entire career.

I think Vlade has set himself up very well for both the future and/or time being. They have some young assets for either the purpose of trade or to help build upon in case of a rebuild and he's saved some cap space for next year if some tweaks need to be made around Cousins. He may have lucked into a diamond in the rough in Labissiere and he quietly nabbed the rights to Bogdanovic who is a young prospect who could help immediately regardless of the future of the team, be it rebuild or build now.

[SacKingZZZ]

Idk, the offseason moves seem disjointed. You drafted a bunch of big men that will take awhile to develop even though your best two players are big men. You need backcourt help immediately but went after old bench guys like afflalo and temple while letting curry go for practically nothing . Seem like it would have made more sense to target younger guys for the rebuild if you couldn't get win now guys.

Our offseason makes sense if you understand what we are trying to do. We are not rebuilding. The draft is about picking the best available. We drafted one center and one PF this year and one PF/C last year. Not 8 or whatever number the national media makes up. We are trying to compete for a playoff spot this year, so filling our needs with veterans who will contribute on the court and help change the culture off the court is exactly what we need. Also vlade avoided locking up money long term which leaves us with a lot of flexibility next year and the years after. Locking up young players on insane contracts would have been the worst thing we could do. I love pretty much every move vlade has made this offseason.

Our off-season doesn't make any sense at all.

Speaking of Boogie, man he sure does do a lot of fouling. He started tonight and played about 5 minutes because he picked up 4 fouls. It's a shame.

It does when you look at the draft and free agency separately. The draft was all about stocking up in case of a rebuild and having players that can grow into the team. Free agency was about picking up need. Need shooting and handling at SG? Afflalo. Need wing D and toughness? Temple and Barnes. Need a stretch 4 that's also a plus defensively? Tolliver. Obviously there are still holes on paper, but I think some of those players listed were brought in with the idea that some of their roles will be expanded. Between Temple, Afflalo, and Collison there should be enough handling ability. Sure, it's not super deep but oh well. Plus we have to see what other moves are made. Afflalo is one of the better post up guards and your center can spread the floor just as easily as play inside. What other team can post feed their SG with their C? That's a gimmick I hope to see exploited at some point.

As for Cousins and his fouling, this is something we see from time to time when he's been used offensively in a similar manner. When he's not featured offensively he seems to pick up fouls morey because he tries to put his imprint on the game defensively via a big defensive play that is meant to impress rather than just get the job done. There have been some horrible calls but he needs to just relax and settle into the role. If anything I hope this experience is helping Cousins realize how good he has it being top dog on a team like Sac.

[c3j3h]

Our offseason makes sense if you understand what we are trying to do. We are not rebuilding. The draft is about picking the best available. We drafted one center and one PF this year and one PF/C last year. Not 8 or whatever number the national media makes up. We are trying to compete for a playoff spot this year, so filling our needs with veterans who will contribute on the court and help change the culture off the court is exactly what we need. Also vlade avoided locking up money long term which leaves us with a lot of flexibility next year and the years after. Locking up young players on insane contracts would have been the worst thing we could do. I love pretty much every move vlade has made this offseason.

Our off-season doesn't make any sense at all.

Speaking of Boogie, man he sure does do a lot of fouling. He started tonight and played about 5 minutes because he picked up 4 fouls. It's a shame.

It does when you look at the draft and free agency separately. The draft was all about stocking up in case of a rebuild and having players that can grow into the team. Free agency was about picking up need. Need shooting and handling at SG? Afflalo. Need wing D and toughness? Temple and Barnes. Need a stretch 4 that's also a plus defensively? Tolliver. Obviously there are still holes on paper, but I think some of those players listed were brought in with the idea that some of their roles will be expanded. Between Temple, Afflalo, and Collison there should be enough handling ability. Sure, it's not super deep but oh well. Plus we have to see what other moves are made. Afflalo is one of the better post up guards and your center can spread the floor just as easily as play inside. What other team can post feed their SG with their C? That's a gimmick I hope to see exploited at some point.

As for Cousins and his fouling, this is something we see from time to time when he's been used offensively in a similar manner. When he's not featured offensively he seems to pick up fouls morey because he tries to put his imprint on the game defensively via a big defensive play that is meant to impress rather than just get the job done. There have been some horrible calls but he needs to just relax and settle into the role. If anything I hope this experience is helping Cousins realize how good he has it being top dog on a team like Sac.

They signed 4 free agents. All 4 of them are 30 years old or older (Barnes is 36!!). None of them are Point Guards, which is our biggest position of need...

[Sheva7]

They signed 4 free agents. All 4 of them are 30 years old or older (Barnes is 36!!). None of them are Point Guards, which is our biggest position of need...

Yes none of them are true PGs but afflalo can handle the ball at times and they said temple will play some PG. The big thing is that they all fill needs, fit what we want to do, and bring veteran leadership and a desire to change the culture(which is probably our biggest need). Their age doesn't matter at all, I actually think it's a good thing because all of them have been around the league and know what it takes to win. All of them have plenty left to contribute, even Barnes who is in great shape for his age. You really would have preferred to be locked into huge 5 year contracts for young players, leaving us with no flexibility in case we do need to move on from cousins and rebuild?

[c3j3h]

They signed 4 free agents. All 4 of them are 30 years old or older (Barnes is 36!!). None of them are Point Guards, which is our biggest position of need...

Yes none of them are true PGs but afflalo can handle the ball at times and they said temple will play some PG. The big thing is that they all fill needs, fit what we want to do, and bring veteran leadership and a desire to change the culture(which is probably our biggest need). Their age doesn't matter at all, I actually think it's a good thing because all of them have been around the league and know what it takes to win. All of them have plenty left to contribute, even Barnes who is in great shape for his age. You really would have preferred to be locked into huge 5 year contracts for young players, leaving us with no flexibility in case we do need to move on from cousins and rebuild?

NO. Absolutely not. Where did you get that from? I never said that. That's a straw-man if I've ever seen one.

Like you said, they're relying on Afflalo and Temple to be the primary ball handlers besides Collison, assuming he is suspended. Good luck with that.

[Sheva7]

They signed 4 free agents. All 4 of them are 30 years old or older (Barnes is 36!!).

NO. Absolutely not. Where did you get that from? I never said that. That's a straw-man if I've ever seen one.

It's pretty clear unless I'm missing something. You aren't happy with signing FA's that are 30+. That tells me you wanted younger FA's. Most of the younger players signed long term contracts. If that's not true what type of players did you want to sign?

[c3j3h]

They signed 4 free agents. All 4 of them are 30 years old or older (Barnes is 36!!).

NO. Absolutely not. Where did you get that from? I never said that. That's a straw-man if I've ever seen one.

It's pretty clear unless I'm missing something. You aren't happy with signing FA's that are 30+. That tells me you wanted younger FA's. Most of the younger players signed long term contracts. If that's not true what type of players did you want to sign?

The point is that none of the guys they signed are good enough to improve the team significantly. They say they are competing to win right now, yet they didn't improve the team much at all. They drafted a bunch of projects that aren't going to contribute right away. They traded for a SG that won't come over for a year. 2 of the free agents they signed have clauses in their contracts so they can be cut for cheap next year, so they are clearly stop-gaps. They have steadfastly refused to do a true rebuild by hitting the reset button with Cousins.

So they didn't commit to improving the roster significantly to compete next year. They didn't commit to any difference-makers long term this summer in free agency. They signed a bunch of 30+ year olds to 2-year contracts (with the exception of Temple who has a player option for his 3rd year). But they also brought in a bunch of projects and players like Bogdanovic that won't be able to contribute right now.

So they aren't full rebuilding, but they are kinda rebuilding. And they aren't all-in on competing this season, but they're kinda trying to compete. And they didn't sign any veterans long-term, didn't sign anybody younger than 30, and signed only 1 guy capable of starting. They still haven't solved the biggest hole on the roster, which is Point Guard. They have 2 SGs that they are going to try to pass off as PGs, which is an absurd strategy.

So what the hell ARE they doing? It seems to me like they signed these vets to these deals so they could kinda half-ass "compete" this year and pray to god that something clicks with Boogie to make him want to stay, but they really just made a contingency plan for when they have to trade Boogie away. They brought in some projects that can hopefully contribute in the future, and some vets that they can cut bait with and move on if necessary in a year. That's not so much a plan as it is a contingency plan.

They are stuck in the middle, where they know they have to prepare for life after Boogie, but aren't committed to it yet. Seems like they're delaying the inevitable to me. I wish they would just commit to the rebuild and get a head start on it. Seems better to get a head start on making tough decisions ahead of time so they can at least control their destiny, rather than delaying the inevitable for as long as possible and just praying that it works out.

You and I obviously disagree on this, though, so no need to blast off on me again. You're not going to agree with me, and I'm not going to agree with you. This forum has already established that they aren't interested in trading Boogie, or even discussing the possibility in a healthy way.

[codydaze]

They signed 4 free agents. All 4 of them are 30 years old or older (Barnes is 36!!).

NO. Absolutely not. Where did you get that from? I never said that. That's a straw-man if I've ever seen one.

It's pretty clear unless I'm missing something. You aren't happy with signing FA's that are 30+. That tells me you wanted younger FA's. Most of the younger players signed long term contracts. If that's not true what type of players did you want to sign?

The point is that none of the guys they signed are good enough to improve the team significantly. They say they are competing to win right now, yet they didn't improve the team much at all. They drafted a bunch of projects that aren't going to contribute right away. They traded for a SG that won't come over for a year. 2 of the free agents they signed have clauses in their contracts so they can be cut for cheap next year, so they are clearly stop-gaps. They have steadfastly refused to do a true rebuild by hitting the reset button with Cousins.

So they didn't commit to improving the roster significantly to compete next year. They didn't commit to any difference-makers long term this summer in free agency. They signed a bunch of 30+ year olds to 2-year contracts (with the exception of Temple who has a player option for his 3rd year). But they also brought in a bunch of projects and players like Bogdanovic that won't be able to contribute right now.

So they aren't full rebuilding, but they are kinda rebuilding. And they aren't all-in on competing this season, but they're kinda trying to compete. And they didn't sign any veterans long-term, didn't sign anybody younger than 30, and signed only 1 guy capable of starting. They still haven't solved the biggest hole on the roster, which is Point Guard. They have 2 SGs that they are going to try to pass off as PGs, which is an absurd strategy.

So what the hell ARE they doing? It seems to me like they signed these vets to these deals so they could kinda half-ass "compete" this year and pray to god that something clicks with Boogie to make him want to stay, but they really just made a contingency plan for when they have to trade Boogie away. They brought in some projects that can hopefully contribute in the future, and some vets that they can cut bait with and move on if necessary in a year. That's not so much a plan as it is a contingency plan.

They are stuck in the middle, where they know they have to prepare for life after Boogie, but aren't committed to it yet. Seems like they're delaying the inevitable to me. I wish they would just commit to the rebuild and get a head start on it. Seems better to get a head start on making tough decisions ahead of time so they can at least control their destiny, rather than delaying the inevitable for as long as possible and just praying that it works out.

You and I obviously disagree on this, though, so no need to blast off on me again. You're not going to agree with me, and I'm not going to agree with you. This forum has already established that they aren't interested in trading Boogie, or even discussing the possibility in a healthy way.

Well Afflalo and Tolliver are basically one year deals, they both have team options on the second year. To me, the plan feels like we improve a little bit this year, especially on the defensive end, and use the vets we signed to improve our culture and locker room. Then next year when Bogdan comes over, we try to make a bigger splash in free agency now that we'll have a wing that will probably be our starter. Skal looks good and if Papa turns out ok then we have two good, young backup bigs on rookie deals. I think stopgap is a perfect term to describe this year. We weather the storm, improve our culture and go for it next year. That's just how it feels to me.

[c3j3h]

The point is that none of the guys they signed are good enough to improve the team significantly. They say they are competing to win right now, yet they didn't improve the team much at all. They drafted a bunch of projects that aren't going to contribute right away. They traded for a SG that won't come over for a year. 2 of the free agents they signed have clauses in their contracts so they can be cut for cheap next year, so they are clearly stop-gaps. They have steadfastly refused to do a true rebuild by hitting the reset button with Cousins.

So they didn't commit to improving the roster significantly to compete next year. They didn't commit to any difference-makers long term this summer in free agency. They signed a bunch of 30+ year olds to 2-year contracts (with the exception of Temple who has a player option for his 3rd year). But they also brought in a bunch of projects and players like Bogdanovic that won't be able to contribute right now.

So they aren't full rebuilding, but they are kinda rebuilding. And they aren't all-in on competing this season, but they're kinda trying to compete. And they didn't sign any veterans long-term, didn't sign anybody younger than 30, and signed only 1 guy capable of starting. They still haven't solved the biggest hole on the roster, which is Point Guard. They have 2 SGs that they are going to try to pass off as PGs, which is an absurd strategy.

So what the hell ARE they doing? It seems to me like they signed these vets to these deals so they could kinda half-ass "compete" this year and pray to god that something clicks with Boogie to make him want to stay, but they really just made a contingency plan for when they have to trade Boogie away. They brought in some projects that can hopefully contribute in the future, and some vets that they can cut bait with and move on if necessary in a year. That's not so much a plan as it is a contingency plan.

They are stuck in the middle, where they know they have to prepare for life after Boogie, but aren't committed to it yet. Seems like they're delaying the inevitable to me. I wish they would just commit to the rebuild and get a head start on it. Seems better to get a head start on making tough decisions ahead of time so they can at least control their destiny, rather than delaying the inevitable for as long as possible and just praying that it works out.

You and I obviously disagree on this, though, so no need to blast off on me again. You're not going to agree with me, and I'm not going to agree with you. This forum has already established that they aren't interested in trading Boogie, or even discussing the possibility in a healthy way.

Well Afflalo and Tolliver are basically one year deals, they both have team options on the second year. To me, the plan feels like we improve a little bit this year, especially on the defensive end, and use the vets we signed to improve our culture and locker room. Then next year when Bogdan comes over, we try to make a bigger splash in free agency now that we'll have a wing that will probably be our starter. Skal looks good and if Papa turns out ok then we have two good, young backup bigs on rookie deals. I think stopgap is a perfect term to describe this year. We weather the storm, improve our culture and go for it next year. That's just how it feels to me.

That would be great if Boogie had 3 years left on his contract, but he doesn't...

According to your plan, the team is going to miss the playoffs again this year, with the intention of trying to get lucky in free agency next summer so they can make the playoffs. So that means that Boogie will be entering the final year of his contract after missing the playoffs for the SEVENTH season in a row to start his career in Sacramento! That's a pretty terrible precedent to set for a guy that the Kings have to convince to re-sign here as an unrestricted free agent.

On top of that, when is the last time we signed a good impact free agent? I'm pretty sure it was Vlade Divac himself in 1998! The precedent has already been set that free agents don't come to Sacramento. Look how badly they struck out this summer with a ton of cap space! Why are you so optimistic that next summer is going to be different? Especially when you consider the fact that any free agent that signs here for more than 1 year will be doing so under the caveat that Boogie himself will be a free agent the following summer, so they could be signing on to play with a guy that won't even be there...

I'm mad about this summer because this upcoming season is the most important for this team (on the court) in years. This is the last season to convince Boogie that they are serious about competing, and are serious about building around him as our franchise player for the future. But they didn't do that this summer at all! They made a bunch of moves that Boogie himself has said he doesn't understand at all. They drafted his replacement with a lottery pick (and did a terrible job of doing so at that). They also signed some bum free agent veterans specifically so they can cut them for cheap after one year. That doesn't scream "committed to winning" to me. That's committing to not-committing.

Forcing on with this strategy is going to result in some very awkward negotiations next summer where Vlade and co. are expecting Boogie to sign an extension early, and convincing him to stay here for the rest of his prime on a team that is back in the lottery for the 7th season in a row of his career...I have a feeling Boogie is going to tell them to kick rocks. That's if he's even on the team still at that point. If they start out terrible this upcoming season they could just deal him at the Trade Deadline (they should anyway).

My point of view is that they almost certainly are not going to compete next season, and Boogie is almost certainly not signing an early extension. This leaves the Kings with a choice: Either play out the last year of his contract and hope he signs as a free agent (which is basically suicide), or trade him. They cannot allow him to walk as a free agent and get nothing return. If they do that, they should all be fired immediately, at the very least. So if he doesn't sign an early extension next summer, they're going to have to trade him no matter what. Missing the playoffs again this upcoming season sure as hell isn't going to make him MORE likely to sign an extension...

So, if they are more than likely going to have to trade him next summer (barring a miracle contract extension), then what's the point of waiting? We already agree they aren't making the playoffs next year, and probably won't be close at all. So what's the point of arbitrarily holding on to him for another year of non-competing, tanking his trade value in the process, when they can just trade him now and get a head start on the imminent rebuild? They can set their price this summer and take advantage of a bunch of teams that have assets they want to move right now. Cash in while your guy is at an all-time high. He's playing in the Olympics right now ffs, coming off consecutive All Star appearances and an All-NBA selection.

Obviously it sucks. I love Boogie. He's one of my favorite Kings of all time. Unfortunately they have just exhausted all of their options to build around him, and they have blown every great opportunity they've had to draft a star to put next to him. They have traded away all of their future assets. They don't have many tradeable pieces left over. We're not a free agent destination. They're just ****. It's time to move on. I'm way more pissed about missing out on Kawhi Leonard and Damian Lillard than I am about anything else.