The trade isn't as bad as its being made out to be. Cousins isn't resigning with the Kings (not a secret so no leverage for them) and he hasn't led his team to the playoffs once. West hasn't exactly been strong these past 3 years at the bottom and they had a decent roster last year. Westbrooks entire starting lineup died 2 years ago and he was a San Antonio tank + lucky ad buzzer beater earlier in the year from making the playoffs.
Galloway is the perfect role player for joerger's system
Hield (I think will be a bust) is still young and can be a decent sparkplug off the bench
If they keep their first it will be monk bridges or fox. If they slide further up they can get issaac Tatum Jackson or smith. The Pelicans pick will be rabb Collins harenstein or Giles. That's a pretty good draft if they all reach their potential.
My wife is from Sac and her family have been big fans since day 1. This is a horrendous trade.
http://www.sbnation.com/2017/2/20/14667600/demarcus-cousins-trade-kings-pelicans-disaster
Cousins' insiders (per the local media) stated he had every intention of re-signing for the max. It was known that he actually really liked living in the Sac area and was quite active in the community. Cousins was a cancer but not to the same level as ownership and the front office. Divac has now been involved in two of the worst trades (see the Philly trade) in NBA history. Not only that but there's another story circulating that player agents will be black balling Sac due to a recent history of underhanded methods and straight up lying. Free agents don't want to come to Sac and they've managed to land 1 good player (Boogie) over the last 10 years of perpetual lottery picks. Jimmer? McLemore? Stauskas? Everyone knew they were high on Buddy Hield during the draft and they got their man. Guaranteed he's a bust in Sac. He's a 'shooter' that has fewer 3's than Boogie this year. The front office is too inept to improve through the draft.
Crazy than the Pelicants suddenly have the best frontcourt in the league since like Duncan/Robinson. Because what we really needed was the West to get even better, what a joke of a conference Lebron plays in.
Speaking of which, it stands to reason that if Ainge didn't go after Boogie(he couldve easily made a better offer for him), then they must be trying to gut Butler, right?
Keeping a cancer, locking him up for 5/207 and losing your draft pick in a loaded draft is better than potentially getting two lottery picks in a loaded draft, two guards for depth (one has potential to be a 6th man and the other fits perfectly in joergers system) and you get rid of a team cancer that has failed to lead the Kings to just one postseason?
Kings aren't winning with cousins and this is a 10x better trade than Drummond/cousins swap that was also offered.
Didn't a ton of people say that last year, and look at how that turned out.
I'm struggling to find a positive spin on this trade, from Sacto's side, by any media outlet. Even local Sac media that was highly critical of Boogie is shocked at the ineptitude. Local media reporting they may waive Tyreke and Galloway, as well as current player Matt Barnes.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-kings-got-fleeced-in-the-cousins-trade/
RE the draft pick this year:
"By making this trade, the Kings are implicitly betting against Cousins. They’re betting against his living up to his projections and being a difference maker on an imperfectly constructed team. But in a perverse way, that’s why the top-three protection on the draft pick is such a killer. Let’s say everything breaks the Kings’ way — Cousins turns out to be a player who isn’t conducive to winning, the Pelicans struggle to integrate Cousins into the team, and the team struggles down the stretch. But if the Pelicans do tank with Cousins, the only way that affects the Kings is to lower the odds they actually get their hands on that 2017 lottery pick. And if things go the other way and the Pelicans make the playoffs, the pick can be no better than 15th." Kyle Wagner
Not defending Cousins but who wouldn't be a raging bull when you draft/trade/sign the way the Kings do? Vivek has made so many blunders, it's like a comedy show. Boogie has been the same from the beginning...did it really take this long to figure that out? They could have traded him 1-2 years ago for much, much better value. The Kings weren't going to threaten a long playoff run but they were just 1 1/2 games out of the 8th spot. I'll take it when the Kings haven't tasted playoffs in 10 years. With this move and odds-on average draft picks and refusal of free agents to even work out in Sac, that playoff drought gets extended another 5+ years.
A trade was likely but Divac panicked and got less than an optimal deal. Another team with real chances at a playoff run would probably have offered more.Vivek is a f**king moron (I'm a Mets and Knicks fan so I know what it's like to like a team with a terrible owner) so yea he's going to be a huge turnoff for free agents. Doesn't matter if boogie is there or not.
You have a better future with a lottery pick and a low lottery/high playoff pick than you do with boogie. You have no prospects or tradeable assets to better the roster, you have an ownership that no one wants to play for, and no picks before the trade. The roster isn't gonna get better with boogie there but it might with two picks so why not take a chance instead of keeping boogie around for another 6 years of maybe getting an 8 seed and swept?
I don't think this trade is that bad for SAC. It wasn't working with Cousins, they were not going to be able to get any other significant pieces to put with him and be upper echelon. Trade him away get some picks and take a shot the trades pan out in a few years. Trying to compete at the top right now doesn't make that much sense anyway as GSW/SA at the top and LAC/HOU as gatekeepers makes it a tough division to go through. In a couple years those teams may be on the downswing right at the time SACs moves comes to fruition.
If your goal is to win a title Its pretty obvious to me that wasn't going to happen with boogie as #1 guy. They were not ever going to be able to get a #1 to go with him. I think it took a big sack by Vlade to do this trade, but the team is no further to winning a title than it was before hand, they now have a future that is uncertain.
A trade was likely but Divac panicked and got less than an optimal deal. Another team with real chances at a playoff run would probably have offered more.
As an example, I know John Wall and Boogie would have moved the Wizards into the inside lane in the East. There are many pieces in the Washington stable better than Hield/Evans to make up for the difference in drafting order from the Pelicans to the Wiz. If Grunfeld didn't want to upset the team chemistry (Gortat is having a career year at the five), so be it. They are trying to add depth for the playoffs and are rumored to be willing to give up a #1 for Lou Williams and/or Bogdanovic.
Ainge in Boston is in the catbird's seat for the next deal with all those Nets' draft picks. He really must not have wanted Cousins for Divac to have gone to Plan C or lower.
The trade was absolutely awful for SAC. THere's absolutely no way around that. There's no situation where you trade the best center in the league, who's only 26, for what amounts to jack ****. This is nothing but gross incompetence by Vlade and Vivek.
Sounds more like Vivek was blocking deals. Apparently the only reason this one got through is he's obsessed with Heild and thinks he can be the next Curry. Reportedly Boston contacted the Kings with deals and their phone calls were not returned. I feel bad for Kings fans, they have a couple of idiots running their organization.
Apparently, they had deals from the Celtics, Suns, Lakers and others but none received return calls. Vlade even admitted on a local radio interview that they had a better deal with someone else 2 days before but it didn't happen (no specifics). If bored, you guys can Google 'Carmichael Dave', a local radio host in Sacto. There's a lot on his Twitter feed right now. Per Dave, Cousins' agent was assured up to the day of the trade he would not be moved, period. Shady. Here's Dave's secret photo of the Kings' front office decision tree on the Boogie trade:
https://twitter.com/CarmichaelDave/status/833781189278175233/photo/1
Vivek and Vlade are in WAAAAYYY over their heads. In two years, Vlade has been the trigger man for two of the worst trades in NBA history. Or as Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News put it, the Kings/Vivek certainly have a player type...Jimmer, McLemore, Rudy Gay, Heild...guys that shoot (and sometimes not well) and not much else.
The trade was absolutely awful for SAC. THere's absolutely no way around that. There's no situation where you trade the best center in the league, who's only 26, for what amounts to jack ****. This is nothing but gross incompetence by Vlade and Vivek.
Sounds more like Vivek was blocking deals. Apparently the only reason this one got through is he's obsessed with Heild and thinks he can be the next Curry. Reportedly Boston contacted the Kings with deals and their phone calls were not returned. I feel bad for Kings fans, they have a couple of idiots running their organization.
1. I'm still waiting to see if the tanking and hitching your wagon to what you hope will be a transcendent draft pick strategy is going to work (I'm looking at you, Sacramento!). For now, I'm putting it in the "mobile/running QB's are the future of the NFL" category that the experts have told me about the last 20 years...wake me up when it happens.
2. Over the last 25-30 years, you had 3 transcendent talents dominating the league...Jordan, Kobe (with Shaq's help) and Lebron. Everyone thought Jordan would be a great, great player but not many thought he would be the greatest of all-time leading up to the draft. The Lakers pulled off the heist of the century to get the rights to Kobe but again, he was the 13th pick (unreal) and hardly anyone declared him a sure thing. Lebron was a no-brainer. Jordan became a force of nature. Kobe needed that trade for Shaq. The Heat signed Shaq and traded for Antoine Walker and other pieces to get a title. Later Heat titles came from trades/free agents, (Lebron, Bosh, Miller) not the draft. Same goes for the Pistons and in large part, the Mavericks. They got Dirk and Pat Garrity for Tractor Traylor, for the love of Pete! There's not a human on planet Earth that though Klay and Curry would be this good, so that's true luck of the draft. The Spurs, of course, are the Patriots of the NBA. Teams like Sacto have to bank on draft picks because free agents don't want to sign with them. Long, drawn out point being, free agent signings and trades bring titles, unless you draft an all-time great (which is rare).
3. LeeD, I challenge the futility of GSW #1 picks vs the Sacto Kings...worth a Google.
But what has boogie gotten them. Vivek is a clown sure, but they are out of the playoffs with the guy and they are not getting into playoffs or contending with him. It sounds like most people hate playing with the guy and he holds guys to standards and makes them act in a way that he himself don't. He aint a leader and he was always going to be an Alpha in SAC. I think a few teams balked at him going into a situation with young guys and being the alpha. I think they were expecting more players but Phoenix layed off and they decided they just needed to cut the cord. As soon as Vlade had co-sign from Vivek I think he just sent him packing to the next deal that came along after the better one 2 days before.
But yea Hield wont cut it, hell never be more than a spot up shooter. But they had to move him and those deals rarely end up benefitting the team shedding the mega star. They talk about how the Nuggets fleeced the Knicks in the Melo deal, but the Nuggets still suck so whats it matter. the potential is there with the picks and if Hield figures something out (he wont but still).
It works and it has already happened many times. I have watched it happen 3 times for Orlando. The front office blew it with resigning Shaq and Penny's knees just tapped out. That's 2 though, just in Orlando. Dwight is the 3rd. Took us to the finals as well. The problem was keeping those guys from fleeing to a large market and that is where the newest CBA comes in.
With the new CBA, the best way to build a team around a star is by drafting one. You have a much better chance of keeping that player now due to the rights the drafting team has.
This is why the 76ers tanked so hard. They got criticized like crazy by the fans but now all those fans actually bring signs saying "trust the process" and the place is selling out again.
Oklahoma City drafted Durant, Westbrook and Harden.
Clippers with Griffin, Golden State, Pelicans with the Brow, Blazers with Lilliard and Mccollum.
Drafting a star is the best way to rebuild a franchise. The problem is that there is luck involved. Ping pong balls, weak draft years..etc. Some fans can't deal with that reality. The good news is there are a lot of great players in this draft.
Must be the food in Sacramento the drives the players away,
I hear where you're coming from but none of those teams have won a title and most have no chance of even sniffing a title run. Griffin has less to do with the success of the Clips than CP3 and arguably 2nd round DeAndre Jordan. That last title run with Dwight wouldn't have happened without acquiring Hedo and Rashard Lewis. On top of that, Orlando actually has a competent front office and is a desirable destination. With my wife being from Sac, I'm familiar with the niceties (close to Tahoe, close to Napa and SF, low cost of living relative to other major cities in Cali) but players don't view it as a desirable city to live in or place to play. When you throw in how poorly run the organization is, it's a death knell for attracting talent. Rookies aren't developed and run screaming when they can. The typical scenario for Sac is they may keep a good draft pick a few years, he realizes Sac is "basketball hell" (to quote Rudy Gay), Kings must trade him to get value or just let him walk. On top of that, a player could leave a Cali team (Sacto) and move to a Texas or Florida team and take far less $$ but come out ahead due to state taxes. There is no good scenario for a team like Sacto. When you get a good player that actually wants to STAY in Sacto, warts and all, you hang on like H E double hockey sticks.
I'm in no way disagreeing that he should be traded. He needs a change of scenery. But what they got for him was embarrassing. Vlade himself said he had a better deal two days ago(what an idiot) and we also know that the Celtics were turned away, and the Raptors offered Jonas and a 1st. That's at least 3 teams with better offers. I mean **** the Magic got more for Serge Ibaka than the Pelicans got for a top 15 player
Thanks for the memories. Ate at the one in Inglewood, CA
Golden State has won a title, and Cleveland got one with Lebron. I guess we could say Miami as well since Wade was homegrown. You need that core pice to attract other players. Of course Hedo and Rashard helped but after getting Dwight, it was so much easier to build a contending team.
I know what you are saying, but I do think players will come to play with a star. The Clippers were a joke forever, same with Golden State. The Kings problem is they are horrible at drafting. They truly have no eye for talent at all, so the team is just a giant mess of awful draft picks. I remember Cousins tweeting something like "Lord give me the strength" during last year's draft.
So yeah a good front office helps. Divacs is absolutely awful at his job and should be fired immediately.
I'm in no way disagreeing that he should be traded. He needs a change of scenery. But what they got for him was embarrassing. Vlade himself said he had a better deal two days ago(what an idiot) and we also know that the Celtics were turned away, and the Raptors offered Jonas and a 1st. That's at least 3 teams with better offers. I mean **** the Magic got more for Serge Ibaka than the Pelicans got for a top 15 player
I'd like to know what the better deal was. Bottom line Vivek wasn't taking it, when he finally opened up the idea his personal love for Hield was enough. They would have trade last year if Vivek would have allowed it. Then they probably would have gotten a young star player
Valuncinus at 15 mill a year and a late 1st rd pick is not helping them long term. It probably makes them good enough that their own pick falls in the middle of the draft.
A slightly higher pick and a 2d rounder and a gamble on Hield on a rookie contract working is not a terrible deal. These superstar trades are 75 cents on the dollar at best. Hield was a late bloomer in college its possible he figures out something resembling an offensive game and plays better defense. They will lose a ton of games rthis year and have a higher draft in a draft with some talent.
I'm just not sure what else they were going to get offered that was any better. Boston wasn't giving up any of those high draft picks on a questionable character locker room cancer guy.
Magic's first move as Lakers' Poobah is to move Lou Williams to Houston for Corey Brewer and Houston's 1R pick.
Grunfeld deals for Bogdanovic and McCullough from the Nets for Nicholson and Thornton and the Wizards 1R pick.
If Vlade had a better offer two days before what would lead him to believe the it would get better in the next couple days.
He had to go, Vivek is clown who thinks Hield is the next Curry. I think once Vlade got Vivek to sign off he had to pull the trigger before he changed his mind. I still don't think anything better was out there.
Noel for Anderson bogut and a conditional first
surprised they couldn't get anything better
Thanks to Orlando giving Ibaka and with Kevin Love being out with a knee surgery (and possibly won't be 100% in April), all of a sudden Toronto can have a good shot at winning the East!
If the top 4 in the East hold serve in 1R, that'll be some set of conference SFs...Cavs vs Raptors and Celtics vs Wizards as it stands right now.They have a good shot at getting to the finals.
As long as LeBron is on the court close to 100% with Kyrie Cavs wont lose until they face off with GSW.
Thanks to Orlando giving Ibaka and with Kevin Love being out with a knee surgery (and possibly won't be 100% in April), all of a sudden Toronto can have a good shot at winning the East!
And thank you for Terrance Ross. This guy looks very good as a starting SG. The problem is that we don't need to be wining games right now. But slapping ATL and Dwight around is always nice. What a stunner, we go small, let our athletes use their speed, and beat them handily.
Ibaka should be good for you guys. He was very good on the Magic but very bad for the Magic at the same time. At the end of the day I am happy. We have Ross a guy who shoots the 3 very well, plays with good energy on D, can get the ball in the basket (gorgeous pull up jumpers) and is basically what we hoped Oladipo would be - for half the price. We basically gave up last years pick, who is probably benched now for Taj Gibson and got another pick in this year's draft (deeper, better) for T Ross. I'll take it!
Can't believe it took those idiots so long to realize their mistake in getting Ibaka. A blind man could see that Gordon belongs at the 4.
Enjoy T Ross. I wish him the best. He served well in Toronto. I still don't think he is an impact starter in this NBA because of his inconsistency but he can score on a good day. He is not terrible on defense but not a good defender either. Very hard to find a guy that is good on both ends. Hopefully he can flourish with the chance given. He was always in DeRozan's shadow in Toronto.And thank you for Terrance Ross. This guy looks very good as a starting SG. The problem is that we don't need to be wining games right now. But slapping ATL and Dwight around is always nice. What a stunner, we go small, let our athletes use their speed, and beat them handily.
Ibaka should be good for you guys. He was very good on the Magic but very bad for the Magic at the same time. At the end of the day I am happy. We have Ross a guy who shoots the 3 very well, plays with good energy on D, can get the ball in the basket (gorgeous pull up jumpers) and is basically what we hoped Oladipo would be - for half the price. We basically gave up last years pick, who is probably benched now for Taj Gibson and got another pick in this year's draft (deeper, better) for T Ross. I'll take it!