Sactown Royalty - All Posts

Kings' Geoff Petrie leaves the NBA draft circuit

2013-05-25T13:06:55Z

Under the radar this week, the Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones reported that Geoff Petrie cancelled his attendance at a group NBA draft workout in New Jersey to meet with Vivek Ranadivé in Sacramento. The workout focused on second-round prospects, but it's a strong indication that Vivek will be replacing Petrie soon.

Petrie had planned to attend this week's predraft group workout in New Jersey. Instead, he's in California as the transition from the Maloof family to Ranadive's group takes place.

Jones later tweeted that the Kings did have other reps in Jersey.

I maintain that because of the proximity to the draft, I wouldn't be surprised if Petrie was retained in an advisory or consulting role for one more year, if he's willing to return, to help get through this summer and provide insight on the roster as it stands. Obviously the new ownership group would be hiring a GM who knows the league well, but there's extra knowledge of Sacramento's own players that Petrie and crew can help with. Petrie's contract ends in a month, though, so he could simply walk away.

Jones also tweeted on Friday that Kings trainer Daniel "Shippy" Shapiro has apparently taken a job with the University of Washington.

Vivek's Offseason To-Do List: Free Agency and Trades

2013-05-24T14:00:05Z

Free Agency is one of the few topics Kings fans don't claim to have expertise on because for the most part, the Kings have historically not been very active on the Free Agent market. The highest profile signing in Kings history was back in 1998 when the team made Vlade Divac one of the top paid Centers in the NBA (6 years, $62 million). In recent memory the biggest signing the Kings have made was Chuck Hayes in 2011 (4 years, $22 million).

Might that reputation change with new ownership?

Sacramento is fortunate to not be burdened with overly burdensome contracts. Jason Thompson currently has the longest deal of any King but is very reasonably priced for a big man. Marcus Thornton has the most expensive contract, although that will likely be surpassed by Tyreke Evans if he is re-signed.

In terms of cap space, the Kings have $41.3 million committed in salary for 2013-14 if you don't include cap holds. Of Sacramento's Free Agents (Tyreke Evans, Cole Aldrich, James Johnson, Toney Douglas) only Evans really has a solid chance of being retained. The Kings also own the #7 pick, which will add about $2.5 million to Sacramento's salary number.

Last year the Salary Cap was set at $58 million. It likely will go up for the first time in a couple years for next season. Let's assume a Salary Cap of $60 million. Without taking Tyreke Evans into consideration, they will have about $16.2 million in cap space.

If the Kings were to attempt a big move this offseason, who is out there to spend on? Here are the biggest names:

Josh Smith, F, Atlanta Hawks
Andre Iguodala*, G/F, Denver Nuggets
David West, PF, Indiana Pacers
Chris Paul, PG, Los Angeles Clippers
Dwight Howard, C, Los Angeles Lakers
Brandon Jennings**, PG, Milwaukee Bucks
Monta Ellis*, SG, Milwaukee Bucks
J.J. Redick, SG, Milwaukee Bucks
Kevin Martin, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder
Manu Ginobili, SG, San Antonio Spurs
Al Jefferson, F/C, Utah Jazz
Paul Millsap, PF, Utah Jazz
Jeff Teague**, PG, Atlanta Hawks
Andrew Bynum, C, Philadelphia 76ers

*Iguodala and Ellis must first exercise options before they become Free Agents. It's possible, if unlikely, that they could choose not to exercise those options.

** Jennings and Teague will be Restricted Free Agents

There are also some smaller names that could help the Kings fill positions of need:

Kyle Korver, G/F, Atlanta Hawks
Anthony Morrow, G/F, Dallas Mavericks
Corey Brewer, SF, Denver Nuggets
Jose Calderon, PG, Detroit Pistons
Jarrett Jack, G, Golden St. Warriors
Tony Allen, SG, Memphis Grizzlies
Mike Dunleavy, SF, Milwaukee Bucks
Dorell Wright, SF, Philadelphia 76ers
Toney Douglas*, PG, Sacramento Kings
Tiago Splitter, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs
DeJuan Blair, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs
Gary Neal*, SF, San Antonio Spurs

* Neal and Douglas can both be Restricted Free Agents

There is also another tried and true method of improving the team and that involves trading. The Kings definitely have some assets that can be used to acquire other pieces. I would rank Sacramento's assets in terms of trade value (I am leaving Tyreke Evans off this list due to his current Free Agent status) thus:

1. DeMarcus Cousins

2. The #7 Pick

3. Isaiah Thomas

4. Patrick Patterson

5. Marcus Thornton

6. Jason Thompson

7. Jimmer Fredette

8. The #36 Pick

9. John Salmons

10. Chuck Hayes

11. Travis Outlaw

With those pieces the Kings can make a big trade or two, but also a couple of small ones. One example of a small one I could think of is trading the #36 pick to Portland for the rights to International SF Kostas Papanikolaou. There was a report today that Papanikolaou is seeking a trade before coming to the NBA because Portland is already set at SF with Batum and Victor Claver. Papanikolaou plays for Olympiakos, the reigning Euroleague champions. He also shot well over 40% from three in over 50 games last season.

The Kings enter a new era with a wealth of options before them. Finding the right one(s) is not always easy, but I have faith that Vivek and this new ownership group are committed to making the Sacramento Kings a winning organization once again. It should be an exciting summer of change, one that hopefully sees the Kings soar to new heights in the next few years.

Greg's Season Review: Brooklyn Nets

2013-05-24T13:37:21Z

[Before the 21012-13 NBA season began, before Sactown Royalty became overrun with covering negotiations, I previewed all 30 NBA teams and how I thought their season would go. But as much fun as it is to preview a season, it's also fun to look back and see what actually happened. And since Kings fans were pretty distracted by off-court events, these will also serve as a reintroduction to what we missed while we watched committee meetings.]

What I said:

The Nets arrive in Brooklyn with incredible buzz, and it seems inconceivable that they will miss the playoffs, especially in the East. But the Nets may not live up to the hype. Even though several Nets players, including Deron, have acknowledged that the team was checked out in the second half of last season, this team was still awful last year. A healthy Lopez should help. A full season of Wallace will help. Joe Johnson will absolutely help. But now the Nets need to deliver. They've created the buzz, built a respectable and exciting roster, and delivered on every promise they made. Now they need to deliver on the court and redefine what it means to be watching Nets Basketball.

What happened:

The Brooklyn Nets delivered on their preseason promise. We expected them to make the playoffs, but we didn’t exactly expect them to be title contenders. But that isn’t to say there weren’t some disappointments along the way. Gerald Wallace struggled mightily to find his role in the offense, and went through a prolonged period where he admitted he’d entirely lost confidence in his shot. As Wallace’s age is taking its toll on his athleticism, Wallace’s shot becomes more critical than ever. Kris Humphries was also a disappointment. I scoffed when the Nets gave Humphries a 2-year contract worth $12 million per year, but even I didn’t expect Humphries to be as underwhelming as he was. Humphries eventually saw himself become an afterthought on the bench. It’s truly a terrible signing, salvaged only by the fact that Billy King contained himself to a two year contract. The Nets will hope to find a team looking for a large expiring contract sometime next season.

The disappointment of Humphries was offset by two other very smart moves the Nets made. Reggie Evans, for all his faults, proved to be a better option in the starting line-up on a far smaller contract. Still, even at his best, Evans is a very limited player and isn’t a long-term solution for the franchise. The Nets also turned some heads this past offseason when they signed the oft-maligned Andray Blatche. Blatche was always a very talented player, but had become a punchline with the Washington Wizards. For the Nets, though, the gamble paid off. Blatche played very well in spurts, and it will be interesting to see what kind of contract he’s earned himself as he enters free agency. It seems like the Nets would like to bring him back if the price is right, but they’ve limited their flexibility entering the offseason.

Deron Williams chose to stay, but then failed to look like the franchise star he was supposed to be for much of the season. Whether it was an issue of conditioning, injury, or some combination of the two, Deron did not look like the guy we all expected him to be. Late in the season he finally turned it on and had a brilliant spell for the final month or two. If he can play like that consistently, the Nets will be regular staples in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

But perhaps the biggest key to this season’s success was Brook Lopez. Lopez battled injuries most of last season, and spent his time watching the Nets do everything they could to acquire Dwight Howard. When the Nets came down to the wire and risked losing Lopez outright, they bit the bullet, gave up on Dwight, and gave Lopez a monstrous contract that was heavily scrutinized. Lopez showed up as though nothing had happened and had a great season, re-establishing his reputation as one of the best offensive big men in the game. Perhaps more importantly, Lopez stepped up on the defensive side of the ball. While he may never be an elite defender, Lopez showed that he could at least be an average defender as opposed to the defensive sieve he was when he entered the league. In the coming seasons, Lopez could establish himself as the most critical player to Brooklyn’s success. Given what happened last season in his absence, some would say he’s already proven to be the critical piece.

Now that the Nets have delivered on their promise of immediate improvement and an immediate playoff berth, the Nets will now face an uphill battle towards trying to become legitimate contenders. In the playoffs the Nets were dispatched by a severely depleted Bulls team that simply outplayed and out-hustled the Nets. Brooklyn’s players looked lethargic and ready for the season to end. It was a disgrace. The contracts of Deron, Lopez, Joe Johnson, Wallace and Humphries will presumably prevent the team from making any major moves this offseason to improve the team. They’ll have a new coach next season, but you have to wonder just how much farther a new coach can take this roster. The Nets delivered on their first promise, now they have to figure out how to live with the consequences.

2013 Sactown Royalty Draft Board: Pick No. 2

2013-05-24T12:00:14Z

Nerlens Noel, the big man from Kentucky, was the first off the board this year by a sizeable margin. Still, this is the first year in a while that the first pick on StR's draft board hasn't won by a landslide.

When a choice comes up, pick who you'd want the Kings to pick given all the players remaining. Note: THIS IS NOT A MOCK DRAFT. This is draft board, a list with the order of prospects you'd like to see the Kings pick. In other words, if we were the Kings front office, when our pick came up, we'd take the top name left on our board. So pick your choice, not who you think ~~Geoff Petrie~~ GM To Be Named Later or anyone else would choose in a slot.

Explain your choice in the comments, and lobby for who should be added to the next pick's choices.

This poll ends at 5 AM tomorrow. The next one will be begin shortly thereafter. We will go roughly 20 picks deep.

Poll

At #2 on the StR Draft Board, I select:

Otto Porter

324 votes

Ben McLemore

203 votes

Trey Burke

57 votes

Victor Oladipo

66 votes

Anthony Bennett

12 votes

C.J. McCollum

10 votes

672 votes | Poll has closed

Long Live the Kings Rally: Open Thread

2013-05-23T21:20:39Z

The Long Live the Kings Rally is tonight at Cesar Chavez Park from 5 - 9 P.M. If you're planning on attending make sure to get there early as there likely will be plenty of traffic and a scramble for parking. This is FREE so definitely try to make it out there if you can.

It should be an amazing event, as we'll be introduced to Vivek Ranadivé and several other new members of the team ownership, as well as see some familiar faces in Mitch Richmond, Bobby Jackson, Tyreke Evans, Isaiah Thomas, Scot Pollard and even Chris Webber. The man of the hour, Mayor Kevin Johnson, will also be there.

For those who can't attend, this thread is for you. ~~I'm certain that the event will be streamed online somewhere~~. The rally will be streamed live on Kings.com.

For those that are able to attend, I hope to see you there and put some faces to names.

Tonight is our chance to really celebrate what we were able to accomplish. This is a once in a lifetime thing. Carmichael Dave said it best earlier today: "A championship only last one year, but what we did lasts forever".

Vivek's Offseason To-Do List: Tyreke Evans

2013-05-23T14:00:06Z

The Kings seemingly struck gold in the 2009 NBA Draft when they selected Tyreke Evans with the 4th pick. Evans went on to have a historic rookie campaign, one that saw him join Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and LeBron James as the only rookies to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Evans won the Rookie of the Year and the future looked very bright for the young guard.

As we all know, the promise of that rookie season has not yet been fulfilled. Evans followed it up with an injury plagued sophomore year and a third year that saw him move into a role he was not comfortable with. Last season however, we saw some big improvements from Evans, even if his per game numbers weren't particularly glamorous.

Evans is now entering Free Agency, and the new ownership group will have to make a decision on Evans' future with the Kings quickly. The team can make him a Restricted Free Agent by tendering him a $6.9 million Qualifying Offer which would then give them the right to match any offers Evans might sign with other teams. The Kings can also try to negotiate their own offer and lock Evans up before another team makes the first move. Evans is talented enough that there likely will be other suitors.

First, let's look at what kind of contract Evans might command by looking at the contracts signed by other guards and wings in the past couple years.

In 2011 the Kings signed Marcus Thornton to a 4 year, $31.15 million contract.
In 2011 the Pistons signed Rodney Stuckey to a 3 year, $25.5 million contract. Final Year is only $4 million guaranteed.
In 2011 the Nuggets signed Arron Afflalo to a 5 year, $38 million contract.
In 2012 the Celtics signed Jeff Green to a 4 year, $36.24 million contract.
In 2012 the Nuggets signed Danilo Gallinari to a 4 year, $42 million contract extension.
In 2012 the Warriors signed Stephen Curry to a 4 year, $44 million contract extension.
In 2012 the Rockets signed James Harden to a 5 year, $78.6 million max contract.
In 2012 the Pacers signed George Hill to a 5 year, $40 million contract.
In 2012 the Hornets signed Eric Gordon to a 4 year, $58.37 million max contract.
In 2012 the Thunder signed Russell Westbrook to a 5 year, $78.6 million max contract.
In 2012 the Sixers signed Jrue Holiday to a 4 year, $41 million contract extension.
In 2012 the Suns signed Goran Dragic to a 4 year, $30 million contract.
In 2012 the Trail Blazers signed Nicolas Batum to a 4 year, $46.1 million contract.
In 2012 the Raptors signed DeMar Derozan to a 4 year, $38 million contract extension.

Evans is certainly not worth a max contract, and I don't believe any team will offer him one. I think Evans potentially salary in a new contract will range somewhere between $9-12 million a year. The question that must be answered of course is is he worth it?

I believe he is.

Evans definitely has not lived up to expectations, but those expectations were probably unrealistic in the first place. Evans is still one of the better young Shooting Guards in the NBA with plenty of room to grow.

Here is how Evans ranks among his peers:

	Age	MPG	PPG	FG%	3P%	RPG	APG	STL
Tyreke's Total	23	31	15.2	0.478	0.338	4.4	3.5	1.4
Rank Among SGs	5th	15th	12th	3rd	26th	8th	10th	6th

Evans is also tied for 2nd with Kobe Bryant among Shooting Guards in Free Throw Rate (behind only James Harden) and 3rd among all guards (behind Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook) in makes at the rim. Part of that is because Evans' mid-range game is still far from developed, but it's also a credit to his elite penetration ability. Also, as I said above, Evans made strides with his shot last season. His three point percentage jumped from 20.2% to 33.8% (still bad but on the way to respectability). According to My Synergy Sports, his three point percentage in spot-up situations was 36.8%, which is a very decent number. He also cut the number of shots he took from 16-23 feet (the worst shot in basketball) by one-third.

Evans also has all the physical tools to become a very good defender. We've seen glimpses of shut-down defense from Evans in the past but it has been inconsistent. A lot of that comes down to experience and coaching, and hopefully the next Head Coach of the Kings will be able to make team defense a priority.

Another reason not to let Evans go is because it would be the loss of one of Sacramento's best assets. Even on a more expensive contract, Evans will still be very tradeable thanks to his youth and potential, unless he suffers some sort of career-ending injury. A young, rebuilding team like the Kings can ill afford to let an asset leave for nothing.

Evans has been rather injury-prone throughout his rookie contract, missing about 18% of possible games. None of the injuries appeared to be chronic however, as he's dealt with plantar fasciitis, concussions, rolled ankles, and a bone bruise on his knee. To play the devil's advocate, that might be a symptom of his aggressive style of play.

The only reason I could see for letting Evans walk this summer is if the new management believes they can bring someone in that is equally or more talented and/or productive. I don't see that kind of player available in the draft at the 7th pick, and maybe not even if someone like Victor Oladipo falls. There are a few Shooting Guards available in Free Agency (O.J. Mayo, Monta Ellis, Tony Allen, J.J. Redick, J.R. Smith, Kevin Martin) but none that I see that would give much bigger "bang for the buck".

Evans may never be the Superstar that we had hoped, but he's still really good and should remain a Sacramento King.

Coming Tomorrow: Free Agency/Trades

2013 Sactown Royalty Draft Board: Pick No. 1

2013-05-23T12:00:07Z

Welcome to the 2013 Sactown Royalty Community Draft Board. This is the readership's opportunity to create a democratic draft board which represents the order in which we as a collective would like the Kings' draft board to look like. It does not represent the desires of individual writers or fans (trust me ...), but some semblance of the community's collective thinking.

Explain your choice in the comments, and lobby for who should be added to the next pick's choices.

This poll ends at 5 AM tomorrow. The next one will be begin shortly thereafter. We will go roughly 20 picks deep.

Poll

At #1 on the StR Draft Board, I select:

Nerlens Noel

330 votes

Ben McLemore

126 votes

Otto Porter

196 votes

Victor Oladipo

51 votes

Trey Burke

65 votes

Anthony Bennett

22 votes

790 votes | Poll has closed

Cody Zeller to Kings in NBA.com, SI.com mock drafts

2013-05-22T16:00:08Z

Cody Zeller -- that's Zeller -- is the pick at No. 7 according to the latest mock drafts from NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper and SI.com's Chris Mannix. Zeller is the 7-foot center from Indiana who was pretty much a disappointment as a sophomore but showed everyone in Chicago at the Combine that he can really jump well.

Zeller is said to be highly skilled offensively, but had nearly twice as many turnovers as assists and attempted two (college) threes total in two seasons in Bloomington. He did score efficiently on two-pointers, though, and hit 75 percent of his free throws. He was only an average rebounder (which could spell doom at the pro level where there are lots of people his size) and iffy shotblocker.

Howard-Cooper implies that drafting Zeller would mean farewell from DeMarcus Cousins, while Mannix argues that Zeller complements Cousins. Who knows?

In case you're curious, Zeller is definitely The Player Ziller Perhaps Irrationally Mistrusts Because His Stats Don't Match His Narrative And Because Ziller Can't Stand Very Tall Men Who Can't Rebound At A Very Good Level.