State of the Kings....also, CWEBB dominates Broadcasting!

The SAD THING is that these trades are realistic.

but you lost me at Channing Frye.

LDM: I completely agree with you.

Ariza would be a great fit at the SF…. Then adding a PG in the draft would be perfect. I haven’t been following College Basketball as religiously this season as I normally do, so I’m a bit out of touch with the hottest prospects.

I think Landry and Dalembert should be traded at the deadline.

I was trying to be as realistic as possible in my trade proposals, trying to not let my fanhood outweigh logic.

There aren’t many great fits out there in regards to the pieces the Kings have to trade, but there are a few. I really feel that Hinrich could be had, wether or not Kings fans would welcome that is a different story. But he undoubtedly would be an upgrade from Beno….. and Hinrich would bring some defensive awareness to the guard position, something we haven’t really seen since Doug Christie and his wife.

Kyle_B, the vast majority of potential players I listed in regards to what the Kings have to offer is realistic. I threw Carmello in there because of all the trade talk, and threw Kevin Love in there because of his recent comments about wanting to leave…..Of Course the Kings would have NO CHANCE at getting either.

I also stated that the proposal with the Bobcats would only work if MJ was out gambling, making another Hanes commercial with Charlie Shean, or drafting his son with their lottery pick.

I did the Wizard proposal as an example of numerous routes the Kings can take….And actually I think that trade is fair and would work well for both teams. Plus, the Wizards are actively shopping Blatche.

Blatche can be had. Players like Hinrich, Calderon, Posey, Ford, Dunleavy and Tayshaun Prince….

And while they are not the most attractive names in the NBA by any stretch of the imagination, they are nevertheless upgrades.

Lets make something happen.

It seems to me that Francisco, Omri, Donte Greene, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson are all in the same mold.

No, they’re really not. Cisco, Omri, and to some extent Donté are set shooters and cutters, comfortable stepping out beyond the arc to knock down a three, or taking a quick pass as they’re running baseline for a lay-up.

JT and Landry are in-the-paint hustle guys with limited range.

With that said, the Kings need to part ways with 4 of the following 6 players: Francisco Garcia, Greene, Landry, Thompson, Dalembert, and Whiteside.

I can see reasons for parting with Dalembert, possible cost/contract reasons for parting ways with Landry, but everyone else on that list is playing on the cheap and of dubious trade value, except El Flaco, and Cisco is still of dubious trade value due to his contract.

I’m not a fan of making moves just to make them. I can see wanting to improve from some of these players, but then, why isn’t Beno on that list? We could improve from his play at the ‘other guard’ position too.

But I like where we are at the moment. As someone mentioned in another post, we’re close to having a ton of room in our cap, an advantage we haven’t had in quite some time. With the exception of trading maybe Top Hat/Dally, I’m in favour of GP maintaining the status quo. We’re essentially watching our team grow right in front of our eyes, which is very okay with me. Patience is the key to rebuilding, and once we can get through these tough (and sometimes fun) times, the grass will be a whole lot greener!

I mean there’s nothing wrong with that if it benefits both teams. My problem is you say “these guys are nothing but role players so we should trade them” Then you put forth a list of role players who you want to trade them for.

Anyways that said I like the idea of Kirk Hinrich & Andre Blatche.

Hinrich is a good defender, ball handler, & has improved his 3pt shot. Could be a very nice complement to Tyreke in the backcourt. Basicly Beno with defense. I just don’t see the Kings spending $9 mil on him when the could have had Luke Ridnour for $4 mil.

Andre Blatche would be great next to Cousins in the front court. My only concern would be how volitile he is. Him & Cousins on the same team could make OJ Mayo vs Tony Allen look like a pillow fight.

Right now I would say Reke & Cousins obviously are untouchable. Omri should be close & Cisco should be until we either find another leader or one of our core guys steps up. That could take a while so I say keep Cisco. Beno really shouldn’t be traded just because he has a bad contract. He should only be traded if we find a replacement for what he does. Otherwise we are left with the nightmare of a Tyreke/Luther Head backcourt.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that the backbone of any good team is its role players. We need role players to be good in the future, just like anyone else.

And I do see the value of holding onto Jason Thompson…I think he would do better if our team was a bit more rounded out, and I still feel he can improve.

However, the ultimate message I was trying to get across, and what I truly believe is the problem with our beloved Kings, is that of the current 12 man roster about 6 of them are interchangeable role players. They all serve the same role, give or a take a slashing 3 combo forward here (Greene), an Energetic Shooter there (Casspi/Garcia) and an 4 that rebounds slightly better and bangs down low (Thompson).

I love watching the young players progress. I think Reke and DeMarcus have bright futures, and I’m also a huge fan of Omri’s upside.

Yet, I just don’t think Landry, Donte Greene, and Francisco will ever get any better than they are right now. They are all good players, and would serve good roles on contending teams….I could see Francsico being a great player off of the Chicago Bulls bench, I could see Donte Greene providing a lot of energy and a nose for the basket on a team like the Bucks, Thunder, Jazz, or Celtics. And I could see Carl Landry playing big minutes off of the bench for a team like the Spurs, Celtics, Jazz, or Mavs.
However, on our team, these players all wash each other out.
(With the exception of Francisco’s leadership, which I do value, and which is evident to all who watch the games.)

However, if we were to somehow make an upgrade, I wouldn’t be opposed to holding onto Thompson and Garcia if we could do it by simply getting rid of Beno, Landry, Dalembert, and Donte Greene.

With the logjam at the 3 and 4, I still feel that our bigger problem is a true Point Guard that can compliment Tyreke’s game. That is why I suggested Kirk Hinrich, who is a realistic option (meaning we have the right players to make a trade), and who would bring defense to the guard position and who would play a more traditional PG, allowing Evan’s to explore more scoring options in the half court game.

Hinrich, and all of the other players I listed (besides Love and Carmello) are the realistic trade options of each team in the NBA. I went through every team, and only listed teams that have a player they would be willing to trade for what we have, a team that would be willing to trade with us in the 1st place, and a trade that would make sense for both teams — that is why not every team is listed.

Then I said that only a few are truly obtainable, and only a few are true upgrades: Tayshaun Prince, Iloysva, Calderon, Dunleavy, TJ Ford, Hinrich, Mo Williams, and James Posey.

I would love to trade 3 of our role players for one of these guys, and I think it can be done, perhaps without throwing in a future draft pick. And I would love to trade Beno…..I can truly see a fair trade between both teams working out…Calderon, Ford, Prince, Hinrich…..

Yet, I also see a tiny bit of logic in waiting it out…
We are undoubtedly heading for a Top 4 pick in the 2011 NBA DRAFT.
And there are some nice players out there. According to NBADRAFT.NET , the Top 5 prospects for the 2011 NBA Draft are:
1.) Perry Jones 6-11 SF Freshmen from Baylor
2.) Kyrie Irving 6-2 PG Freshmen from Duke
3.) Terrence Jones 6-8 SF Freshmen from Kentucky
4.) Jared Sullinger 6-9 PF Freshmen from Ohio St.
5.) Derrick Willaims 6-9 PF Soph from Arizona

Perry Jones, Kyrie Irving, and Jared Sullinger would all make me very happy. I’ve watched a view Ohio St. games, and Sullinger is the truth at Power Forward. I’ve also seen Perry Jones highlight film on YouTube, and wow, the kid is athletic. Though I do remember watching him play once and he was very very raw…..But then again, I remember watching JaVale McGee live in College and thinking that I could check him (I’m 6-0), he literally traveled on every single possession and had no knowledge of the low post game…yet, look how far he has come.

With that said, I also took a look at the Free Agent Class of 2011, and man is it dull.
The biggest impact players out there are: Caron Butler (Unrestricted), Tayshaun Prince (Unrestricted), Aaron Brooks (Restricted), DeAndre Jordan (Restricted), Wilson Chandler (Restricted), Jeff Green (Restricted), Al Thorton (Restricted), and Andrei Kirilenko (Unrestricted)

Now, if we could somehow outbid the Houston Rockets for Aaron Brooks, or the Thunder for Jeff Green, I would be all for that! I think those two signing alone (given our cap space next year), would be pieces that fit right into the puzzle. I highly doubt that the Thunder will not match any offer on Jeff Green, so I say we go the route of an Andrei Kirilenko or Tayshaun Prince…..They immediately start at our SF.

If we don’t address the PG position through a sign or a trade, then we pray that we land Kyrie Irving in the draft — meaning that we draw out with either the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Though I also saw some intriguing names listed to land later in the draft at the PG position: Josh Shelby, Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight, Nolan Smith, Jimmer Fredette, LaceDarius Dunn, Shelvin Mack, and Corey Fisher…..Though I don’t really see any of them being impact players.

Sorry to stray from my initial point though….Which is, I’m tired of sitting and waiting for this vision Petrie apparently has. When the Kings can realistically upgrade this season by the trade deadline, let our young core mature, and then land at least 1 or 2 good players in the 2011 Free Agency and with our Lottery Pick.

So, lets part ways with Greene, Landry, Dalembert, and Beno this midseason, and hopefully land a true PG or a defensive SF in the mold of a Tayshaun Prince.

Then we can address blatant holes in the roster with a nice 2011 Free Agent, and a smart pick in the draft.

Again, just for the sake of speculation, 2 Visions for the 2011 Sacramento Kings:

Vision 1: Address a SF this midseason with a trade of Beno, Landry, Greene, Dalembert, and a future 2nd round pick, then sign a PG (like Brooks) in 2011 and draft a Power Forward (Sullinger):

PG: Aaron Brooks; Tyreke
SG: Tyreke; Garcia
SF: Tayshaun Prince; Omri Casspi; Garcia
PF: Jason Thompson; Jared Sullinger
C: Demarcus Cousins; Whiteside

Vision 2: Address the PG this midseason with a trade of Beno, Greene, Landry, and a future 2nd round pick for a player like Kirk Hinrich or TJ Ford; sign a SF in the offseason like Andrei Kirilenko or Wilson Chandler; and draft the best available PG (hopefully Kyrie Irving with the 1st or 2nd pick):

PG: Hinrich; Kyrie Irving
SG: Tyreke; Garcia
SF: Kirilenko; Casspi; Garcia
PF: Thompson
C: Cousins; Whiteside

Again, the two roster examples are simply examples. I THINK there are lots of positive ways we can go.
And, let me just say, I love Sactown Royalty. I should be writing my personal statement right now to get into Law School, but instead I’m envisioning the future of the Sacramento Kings! WELL WORTH IT!

Small Forward Palooza is the new in thing in the NBA think about it. Way too many teams have way too many small forwards. I wonder if this all happened by accident??

My girlfriend has been extremely busy lately with grad school and work, so sadly, ROSTERBATION is all I have right now.