Trying To Understand the Kings’ Offseason Moves

How bad can it get for Sacramento? If they knew this is how ownership would run the Kings, I’m not sure fans wouldn’t rather the team moved to Seattle two years back. Two days ago, I was KILLING the Kings for a head scratching trade with the 76ers. SAC went into clear “salary dump” mode rewarding Philadelphia a Top-10-protected first round pick, two draft swaps, and last year’s #8 pick, Nik Stauskas, for taking on the $26 million remaining on Carl Landry and Jason Thompson’s contracts. I thought the trade was completely one-sided and apparently I wasn’t alone…

Over the last three months, Vlade Divac and George Karl have reportedly been arguing about whether to trade their franchise player, Demarcus Cousins. Rumors persisted Cousins would be dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers, but nothing ever became of it. It appeared Divac won the internal battle and Cousins would remain with the Kings. Cool. But then things started getting crazy. And desperate. Crazy desperate.

In an effort to please everyone, the Kings decided to get active. First, they wanted to please their star player. How do you do that? Well you bring in other star players and make the team better. One would hope this influx of talent would lead to more winning, and winning would lead to happier players… and happier fans… The front office would look good and the owner would be happy. Presto!

Allow me to assume Divac’s position moving forward and try to understand his perspective… First, we need a new coach. George Karl sucks. He’s always complaining that we’re doing things wrong—he’s a bigger pain in the ass then that Mike Malone guy we were completely fair to. Let’s ask a guy we know DMC likes…

No dice? Ok, Karl, I guess you can keep the job. Have you ever considered 4 guys on defense—just have the fifth suckerhang? Think it can work? I’ll hold all of these brilliant ideas for later, right now we have a dynasty to build. So let’s make that aforementioned “F” trade to open up cap space. Bam! We got $26M to bring in free agents. Let’s target some big names. Monta Ellis and Wesley Matthews are out there, and I’m sure they’d love to sign here. Let’s make them some offers…

Shit. We just traded two first round picks for this space, and we have nowhere to spend it. Think we can get Tobias Harris?

Corey Brewer?

FUCK!

We traded our shooter, the guy we took with our #8 pick last year, to land free agents and no one wants to come here. It’s a good thing we picked basically the same guy with the 7^th pick in the 2013 draft because Stauskas was a flop right? He scored 4.4 PPG and shot 36.5% from the field. We can’t hold onto a guy with those kinda numbers… Get rid of him!

Again, it doesn’t matter that we had two identical players—we need TWO identical players, and we just got rid of one… But we did get some money, let’s give it to someone older and more expensive…

Eat your heart out, NYK! Stauskas, 21, had one season left at $2.9M, then TWO team options for $2.9M and $3.8 in 16/17 and 17/18. Who would want that kind of flexibility moving forward? We’re the Kings. It’s much wiser to pay Belinelli, 29, $6-7M per season through 2018. Team options? What are we, the Sixers? Who cares about the future? We must win NOW!

Now if you’re going to build a truly awful NBA squad in 2015, there’s really only one man who can be your cornerstone… He’s got it all—selfishness, immaturity, a complete lack of awareness, no humility, and an inflated perspective of his own value. Which reminds me, since there are NO other suitors (and trust me, no one else wants this guy) be sure to pay him whatever he wants.

Done deal! We just replaced Darren Collison with a guy who is substantially less productive, makes twice as much money, has missed 129 games over the last four seasons, and sabotaged a competitive playoff team less than three months ago! Who said DeMarcus Cousins is our franchise player—we got Rondo!

Kings fans, I’m sorry. Rajon Rondo? Interest in Josh Smith? You guys are truly lost. My condolences.

Kings Make Bad Trade With Sixers

Unless you’re a Kings fan, you gotta love the Kings!  They draft guys like Thomas Robinson and Nik Stauskas and then give up on them immediately; however, busts like Jimmer Freddette are given three years to improve (Yikes!)  They trade for, then extend lackluster players like Rudy Gay, and they trade first round draft picks so they can acquire dudes like JJ Hickson.  Imagine trading a first-round pick (and Omri Casspi) for JJ Hickson?  I wouldn’t trade a ham sandwich and the rights to Darius Miles for JJ Hickson.

But to limit Sacramento’s ineptitude solely to the court would be an oversight–they also have the worst ownership in basketball (has James Dolan been dethroned?).  Vivek Ranadive, who bought the team in 2013, has been fucking up for close to two years now.  Not only has he suggested the laughable idea of playing 4-on-5 basketball, but he also has a strong tendency to hire head coaches and THEN hire GM’s with radically different perspectives on how to succeed.  Mike Malone, the ONLY NBA coach that has seemed to garner DeMarcus Cousins’ respect, was unceremoniously tossed aside after starting the season 5-1, but soon falling to 11-13 due mainly to a Cousins’ injury in which he missed close to two weeks.  Malone almost immediately clashed with newly hired GM Peter D’Allesandro, and D’Allesandro won.  All worked out for Malone, though; he was named head coach of the Denver Nuggets and can now lament the fact that he had more fun coaching his daughter’s basketball team than the Kings.

Ranadive later imposed his will by replacing interim coach with veteran coach George Karl, a coach who was seemingly not informed that DeMarcus Cousins is the centerpiece of the team and tried to trade him immediately.  Almost instantly, Ranadive decided to bring on Vlade Divac as general manager, who has reportedly already feuded with Karl concerning the direction of the team.  And I wouldn’t be surprised if this latest move doesn’t go over well with some with the franchise…

The Kings have agreed to send Nik Stauskas, Carl Landry, and Jason Thompson to Philadelphia for the rights to two overseas players, Arturus Gudaitis and Luka Mitrovic.  Philadelphia will also receive a future Top-10-protected pick and the right to swap two future first round picks.  Sacramento will receive a future second round pick.

Wow!  …Just wow!  No need to explain how Philly made out in this heist trade, but let’s examine why Sacramento would do this.  First of all, it’s all about cap space.  Before this trade, the Kings had roughly $11 million to throw at free agents, after the trade, they should have close to $26 million.  Which would be kinda cool if they were looking at better free agents.  Reportedly, the Kings are pursuing some combination of (or perhaps the entire trifecta of) Rajon Rondo, Wes Matthews, and Monta Ellis.  Now I’m not gonna beat up on Ellis, he is what he is, and you know what you’re getting.  He was effective in Dallas, and if you want a volume scorer and you’re okay with the price tag–have a blast!  I like Wes Matthews’ game, but there are some red flags…  Actually just two, he torn his left achilles tendon last March and he still wants $15M a year.  I’d be cautious.  And Rajon Rondo?  Rondo?  You gotta be shitting me.  Shouldn’t this guy be out the league?  I thought by now he’d be blackballed ala Stephon Marbury or Isiah Rider.  He’s no longer a top 30 (yes, THIRTY) point guard in the league; he can’t shoot; he’s extremely selfish; he’s often injured; and he’s just seems to act like a dick in general.  Oh yeah, and he’s delusional enough to believe he should be paid $10M a year… Despite no other team showing ANY interest in him.  Someone needs to explain capitalism to him (or perhaps the Kings).

The even scarier part is the Kings’ willingness to part with draft picks.  Not only are they parting with the 2014 #8 pick (Stauskas), but to toss in a Top-10-protected future first rounder is crazy (in fact, I could easily see them drafting between 11-16 by 2018).  And the idea of swapping picks is just nuts!  It’s basically an insurance policy just in case things work out for the Sixers and they’re a decent team in two-three years, they can still swap picks with a really crummy Kings squad…  Move over Knicks, you’ve met your match in ineptitude.