SI Pre Season Power Rankings

BPaoliano — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:30:58 -0000

SI Pre Season Power Rankings

Kings are dead last here too.

Bobby Jackson and Mitch Richmond to Produce TV show in Sac

BPaoliano — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:22:38 -0000

Bobby Jackson and Mitch Richmond to Produce TV show in Sac

Hosted by Flava Flav, the show will also be filmed in Sacramento and feature A-C list stars.

Good luck with this one guys....

Evaluating the current roster and moving forward.

BPaoliano — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:28:12 -0000

It was obvious to everyone that after a 17 win season the Kings needed to take a serious look at their on-the-court personnel. Changes started with the firing of Natt and the remains of Theus's staff, the hiring of Paul Westphal and his assistants and just recently the drafting of Evans, Casspi and Brockman. Now, after all this progress, I thought it'd be a good time to take a look at a snapshot of the Kings roster as of now for evaluation before the meat of free agent action. These are the Kings, as of now, that will be under contract at the start of the '09-'10 season.

Guards 1s & 2s Wings 3s Bigs 4s & 5s

Tyreke Evans 6'6" Andres Nocioni 6'7" Kenny Thomas 6'7"

Sergio Rodriguez 6'3" Omri Casspi 6'9" Jason Thompson 6'11"

Beno Udrih 6'3" Francisco Garcia 6'7" Spencer Hawes 7'0"

Kevin Martin 6'7" Donte Greene 6'11" John Brockman 6'7"

Obvious roster observations - A young roster. The trade of Salmons and Miller effectively moved some malcontent vets struggling with a bad team in an obvious period of transition. The addition of expiring contracts brought cap flexibility and open roster spots to let Petrie do his thing.

Coaching Staff- I understand all the praise and criticism (well most) of Westphal but considering the salary range and contract length being offered by the FO, I feel we got a great value. I also am OK with the staff, the assistants all have a certain level of experience and success in the areas where the Kings need the most help: Defense, rebounding and a legitimate offensive identity.

My opinion on the roster- It's obviously still a work in progress. Lot's of youth and potential that needs time to learn and evolve. What I like about the make-up of this roster is the athleticism, length, versatility and toughness (maybe I should say potential for toughness). If Evans and Greene break into the starting rotation this year we would have a line up of 6'6" PG, 6'7" SG, 6'11" SF, 6'11" PF and a 7'0" C. After witnessing the value of size in the playoffs this bodes well. Noce and Thompson are physical players. By all accounts Evans, Casspi and Brockman are as well. All the pieces are there and as long as everyone can live up to potential ( a BIG if, I know) we are well on our way to a turn around.

Moving Forward

The last part this off season is free agent signing/trades. The Kings are currently at 12 roster spots and must add at least 1 to get to the league minimum. Considering the current economic climate of the franchise the possibilities are varied. Do they fill the final 3 spots with inexpensive vets and fringe talent? Do they spend for an asset (Gortat) and roll with the minimum roster using 10-day contracts and D-league call ups to save money on roster spots in case of injuries? What happens with Bobby Jackson? Ike Diogu? Trades- what actual assets are we willing to move? Who are likely targets? These are all rhetorical questions that all of us will answer uniquely but with a little analysis some of the possibilities can be narrowed down.

Looking at the above roster it's easy to see who doesn't fit.

Beno - Where it is entirely possible he could rebound to his contract year's production the point is moot. I think it's clear that what he brings to the table doesn't pair well with the current fare. Unfortunately his contract is prohibitive to moves. Someone would have to be very desperate for a back up PG to offer anything of value.

Noce - Love his grit and determination, he could be a great role model. There is no doubt he'll bring it every night on the court but there have already been glimpses of his unhappiness with the transitory state of the franchise, he could also be detrimental to the young talent.

K9 (Woof!) - What more can I say that hasn't been already? At least he's expiring this year and he gets more valuable as the trade deadline nears.

It's also clear to see where the holes are: the lack of a clear cut superstar and the front court.

Sac currently has JT and Hawes manning the front line. Brockman will most likely get his PT at the 4 but as undersized as he is, probably not much in his rookie campaign. But it's easy to see what type of player Petrie will target to round out the team. Big Men. Personally I think a Center should be the main target. Marcin Gortat ( as mentioned above), for example, could allow Hawes to shift to the 4 for a big line up, complement JT nicely spelling Hawes and provide some rebounding and D.

Chad Ford has a list of free agents and Aykis916 posted a great discussion about how to shore up the front line.

As we roll into the dregs of the off season I think it's obvious what needs to be and what should be done. The entire organization has a lot of work ahead before the beginning of the regular season.

DC Pro Sports Report NBA Mock Draft index

BPaoliano — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:20:10 -0000

DC Pro Sports Report NBA Mock Draft index

For those of you who DON'T know about this.

The most comprehensive Mock Draft index to my knowledge.

OKC to pass on Rubio?

BPaoliano — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:12:50 -0000

OKC to pass on Rubio?

If, indeed, RR's agent can convince Memphis not to draft him...

Oh joyous day!!

Too good to be true?

Interesting poll

BPaoliano — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:32:05 -0000

Interesting poll

on ocregister.com asking readers if they would root for a relocated Anaheim Kings team.

I hope the Malooves read the comments.

SB Nation User Blog: BPaoliano

SI Pre Season Power Rankings