But almost 15 mil in 2014 for a 10 and 10 guy? No thanks.

Wow! Big commitment in money and time but gives a reliable shot blocking, defending, rebounding, gritty Center to this scrappy, gritty up and coming Kings team.

The Maloofs have oft stated they want a tough Spurs/Jazz like team – this would be a giant step in that direction. It helps that Okafor is an NBA ambassador type.

Spencer Hawes gets to grow into the moble high post 5 that he is destined to be instead of forcing him to be a full time low post presence. Not my money – but I vote YES.

First three seasons: 73, 26, 67, last two seasons 82, 82.
Okafor blocks shots – but has the distinction of geting his own shot blocked 12% of the time (about 1 out of 8 attempts).
The 2005 Rookie of the Year sat out much of his second season with an ankle injury. With Charlotte he has been one of the few in the League to average a double double – 14.0 ppg, 10.7 rpg.
For the Hornets – trading away Okafor after last season’s Chandler fiasco – has to be a sour taste for Chris Paul and remember, they just fired Byron Scott, the other link to respectability.. Look for him to ask to be

That would be the start of a firesale.

can throw in Paul … we can throw in Beno?

Just sayin ….

He can play PF with Hawes on the floor and C with Thompson. That’s a pretty good big rotation that always has a man down low, and a man who can stick the midrange J (or 3, for Hawes).

Then draft well and you’re on your way to glory.

Obviously it’s a major talent upgrade, but Okafor is 27, has four years left on his deal, and has a history of injruies. Say goodbye to cap room.

With the way salaries have started to come down, Emeka Okafor just is not worth 4 years $50 million barring some unprecedented rejuvination.

I don’t like this move. Okafor’s contract is ridiculous and he has a history of injury problems.

Namely because I think the idea would be to contend and get better as you move forward. It’s banking a lot on the improvement of Thompson and Evans as a core moving forward. You’re asking that Martin’s health (never 100% certain) holds up and this team improves on the face. It’s also asking that Okafor and Thompson work as a tandem.

There are so many unknown’s here. Okafor’s averaged 66 games played over his career, and that’s pretty durable. (Okafor has played all 82 games the past 2 season’s.)

I think the question is how much Okafor brings to this team defensively on the interior. If he can’t guard the bigger players (Larry Brown questioned that) on the interior 1 on 1, it makes it difficult to understand how this is anything more than a team that is on the playoffs, maybe the 2nd round at some point, and peaks at that.

The question is how good can Okafor be defensively in the post, helping teammates defensively, and can he mesh offensively with everyone else on this team. It’s a tough question, and I don’t know if the Kings can afford to say no. I also don’t know if the team can afford to say yes either.

I guess the question is Okafor keeping this team from getting a big in what is (according to someplace like Draft Express) a big heavy draft with loads of potential up & down the top 15 picks.

Okafor is a better defensive rebounder than anybody on the Kings at the moment, and his rebound averages are a bit down this season. On the other hand, he’s already rebounded at a 11 board per 36 min clip since he’s been in the league.

He’s a very good rebounder, shot blocker, interior scorer, and perhaps post defender. Maybe Okafor needs an environment where he won’t be seen as the franchise player every night.

I think the Kings will do it if they think they can move Nocioni or Garcia at some point to find financial relief. Then again, maybe not. Tough call. I’d be curious to know who started the talks here (the Kings or Hornets), but it’d be interesting to see how this plays out.

This may be the toughest call Geoff Petrie and the Maloof’s have ever had to make (including dealing Chris Webber). I do not envy them.

Interior presence, check. Good attitude, check. Young, check. Somebodies gunna have to talk me down here. Were 5-4 and we might trade K9 for one of my favorite players. Yes, please.

We ain’t geting anything better in free agency and even if we did we would have to overpay. If it’s straight Okafor for K-9, I’m voting yes

This is about money that the Kings want to commit to Okafor. Pure & Simple.

This is it in a nutshell. If you think Okafur is worth more than $10 million a year, guaranteed as far as the eye can see, you do the deal. And maybe you buy a little swamp land in Florida while you are at it.

I also think that if the Maloofs do a big-money deal like this it’s because they are headed for greener pastures sooner rather than later. Adios, Sacramento?

I voted no. Is that the 4 game win streak talking? Is that Cap Space screaming its death knell? Is this the sign I’m getting too old for this shit? I don’t know.

I think Okafor is a major big man upgrade, and he will give us something to combat teams with big men scoring threats like Phoenix Amare, *akers Pau/Bynum, Clippers Kaman/Griffin, etc. etc. (I don’t know historically how well Okafor has done against them, so maybe that’s why I’m squeamish).

I know we don’t have the… pull of big market teams like NY, LA nor a superstar that could attract big names like Miami or Cleveland in Free Agency. And even if we did, wouldn’t signing a talent like Okafor in FA be considered a good piece of business? Well, maybe his large contract has me skittish, the Kings have destroyed my willingness to commit to anything long term. C-Webb’s knee & Bibby have destroyed my willingness to commit to anything long term.

How quick or how slow will Okafor make our offense run? Phoenix tried to get a post presence in the paint with Shaq and went away from everything that made them a success in the first place. And this is a bigger commitment than a Shaq contract — and a larger risk, because of the 5 years (though for 8 mil less a season). If this fails, we get messed up for longer.

But what GP & Maloofs might be banking on is that Okafor removes two years of the rebuilding process — we no longer have to draft and develop a top 5 future franchise big man (and drafts, even if your record is good is possibly the riskiest way of improving your franchise because you don’t know who you’ll get and how they’ll develop).

(I’m not touching the ARCO situation, because Okafor is hardly a name that will fill seats in an Arena. Not with our fans, not with opposing fans. But maybe I’m wrong and he will be a major draw.)

I guess it’s because I don’ t know Okafor’s game that well (or at all). He could be a stud for us, and if we sign him, I’ll cheer for him. But my gut is screaming an exaggerated ‘Noooo!’ and I’m getting butterflies in my stomach just thinking about this trade. It’s exactly like when I’m trading in Fantasy Sports games — am I sure this move makes me better, the mouse hovering over yes… no. That’s where I’m at.

I just hope it all ends well.

p/s: I’ve done so-so with trades. My one fantasy bball championship has come when I didn’t make a trade. I’ve ruined 2 seasons by pulling an early season trade which reduced me from championship team to mere playoff team.

Check out the quick and crude chart below. It inlcludes all centers not on rookie contracts that have at least three years left on their deals (apologies if I missed anyone – I did this rather quickly) -

NAME 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Nene 11 11 12
Biedrins 9 9 9 9
Kaman 10 11 12
Bynum 13 14 15 16
Bogut 10 11 12 13 14
Jefferson 12 13 14 15
Howard 15 17 18 20
Duncan 22 19 21
Bargnani 7 9 9 10 11 12
Avg. 12 13 14 14 13 12

Okafor 11 12 13 14 15 0

Okafor appears to be at least fair value. And when you consider age into the equation, Howard, Bynum and Nene might be the only guys on the list that I’d rather have than Okafor (Jefferson’s health and lack of “D” concerns me, and Duncan is getting up there).

This deal is not without some risk, and some might even call it considerable risk. But it shores up the front line and makes us better on D. Age is not as huge of a factor with centers as speed guards, so at age 27 I don’t really have concerns over his ability to achieve throughout the contract.

I won’t be filled with regret if the Kings don’t make this deal, but I would be very excited if they did.