SB Nation User Blog: Ziller

Leon Powe vs. Ike Diogu

Ziller — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:46:20 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Quite obviously, I'm in the tank for Leon Powe. I begged the Kings to draft him in 2006 with the No. 19 pick which went to Quincy Douby -- Powe ended up going to Boston with the 19th pick in the second round. Powe's story is heart-rending, and it gets even moreso every passing day. (He also happens to be a killer player.)

In Game 2 of Boston's opening round playoff series against Chicago, Powe tore his ACL. He finished the game on the injured leg, but then had to forfeit his season to get the ligament surgically repaired. This week, the Celtics decided to refuse to make a $997,000 qualifying offer to Powe because he won't likely be ready until December or February and the Celtics cannot afford to lock up a roster spot with an injured player when they're trying to get another championship. (It's perfectly fair. Heartbreaking, considering Powe's work ethic, character and talent. But fair. Boston can do whatever it wants.)

So Leon Powe is a free agent. The Kings will look to reportedly add one big man, with incumbent Ike Diogu as the early favorite. But would bringing in Powe turn out to be a better play for Sacramento?

Powe and Diogu, who battled in the Pac 10 for their Cal and Arizona State teams, are actually rather similar players: tough rebounders, good scorers, undersized defenders. Powe is the better rebounder, Diogu the more frequent scorer. Powe's defense has a better reputation at this point, though Diogu hasn't exactly had a supporting cast like Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo. Diogu will turn 26 in September, Powe will turn 26 in January. Despite one less season in the league, Powe has played about 400 extra minutes.

Powe, despite his size (6'8), is a great rebounder. He rebounds roughly 15% of all offensive rebound opportunities -- if he played enough minutes to qualify, he'd be near the league lead in that category. He's also a strong defensive rebounder, better (by the numbers) than Jason Thompson and on par with Spencer Hawes.

Diogu, though, would also be the best rebounder not named Jon Brockman on a Kings team. Ike's offensive rebounding is better than that of Thompson (who found himself in the league top 20 much of the year) but not quite up to Powe's standard, and Ike's defensive rebounding is just OK. (Thompson, Hawes and one can assume Brockman would be better defensive rebounders. As Thompson and Hawes are not great defensive rebounders, this could be an issue.)

Diogu has always been a high-shot guy when getting into games. His career usage rate is at a mammoth 22% (!), and over his four years he has averaged more than 12 FGAs per 36 minutes -- one shot every three minutes. Powe has maintained a high usage as well, though -- 20% over three season, shooting 10 FGAs per game. This high usage rate for each player makes sense when you consider how strong they are on the offensive glass -- when you get an offensive rebound, you're usually in position to go back up with an open shot. (This also explains why strong offensive rebounders -- think Joel Przybilla -- are often efficient scorers.)

Both are average shotblockers (good for their size, but average for the position) who infrequently commit turnovers. Both draw fouls at an insane rate, though Diogu is a considerably better FT shooter.

The safe bet would be Diogu. He can play from Day 1. He has existed in Sacramento without issue for a while, and Bobby Jackson told KHTK he was the hardest worker in practice. He'll always have the Denver and Minnesota games. Powe might not be back until February. If he's the pick, and God forbid one of the starters gets injured early, you're screwed. But when he does return, he immediately becomes an incredibly third big, a key rebounder, defender and scorer in your frontcourt. And he's a helluva good dude who can help build the relationship between the team and community.

The Kings aren't in a "win now" mode. In all honestly, the Kings could sign both, Powe more as insurance (or Diogu as a placeholder) and still have room for one Summer League invite (Jerel McNeal, John Bryant). I think either would be a smart pick-up, though my heart pulls for Powe.

Visiting Sergio Rodriguez in Gran Canaria

Ziller — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:07:10 -0000

Visiting Sergio Rodriguez in Gran Canaria

Blazers writer Casey Holdahl follows up a visit to Rudy Fernandez's youth camp on Mallorca with a stop on Gran Canaria to visit with new King Sergio.

Ron Artest, the Lakers and You

Ziller — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:09:29 -0000

More photos » by Matt Sayles - AP

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Ken Berger of CBS reports Ron Artest is a Laker. Carmichael Dave of KHTK and Ramon Shelburne of the Los Angeles Daily News confirm.

Holy crap it is going to be fun to boo Ron-Ron next year. Enjoy this, Lakers fans. Enjoy it well.

Kings Summer League Roster Announced

Ziller — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:17:58 -0000

The Kings released the full roster for its summer league team. It is rather stacked, in my humble opinion. The best news? Pete Carril will run the squad.

Check out the full roster after the jump.

No.	Player	Position	Ht.	Wt.	Born	From
42	Robert Battle	F	6-8	230	5/5/1981	Drexel
40	Jon Brockman	F	6-7	255	3/20/1987	Washington
43	John Bryant	C	6-11	275	6/13/1987	Santa Clara
20	Pat Calathes	G-F	6-10	210	12/12/1985	St. Joseph's
18	Omri Casspi	F	6-9	225	6/22/1988	Israel
13	Tyreke Evans	G	6-6	220	9/19/1989	Memphis
20	Donté Greene	F	6-11	226	2/21/1988	Syracuse
31	Spencer Hawes	C-F	7-0	245	4/28/1988	Washington
16	Marcus Landry	F	6-7	230	11/1/1985	Wisconsin
25	Wes Matthews	G-F	6-5	220	12/14/1986	Marquette
22	Jerel McNeal	G	6-3	200	6/1/1987	Marquette
15	Brian Roberts	G	6-2	175	12/3/1985	Dayton
8	Victor Stowes	G	6-2	215	9/29/1984	Reinhardt
34	Jason Thompson	F	6-11	250	7/21/1986	Rider
7	Ryan Toolson	G	6-4	190	3/21/1985	Utah Valley

Players in red have guaranteed roster spots.

Here's the schedule:

Friday, July 10 vs. Detroit 3 p.m.
Saturday, July 11 vs. Golden State 5 p.m.
Monday, July 13 vs. Milwaukee 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 15 vs. D-League Select 5:30 p.m.
Friday, July 17 vs. New York 3 p.m.

All games will be webcast on NBA.com.

This is quite a haul for the Kings, considering that 1) few expected Hawes to come back for a third year, 2) McNeal and Bryant were considered two of the top undrafted rookies, 3) Landry ain't far behind, and 4) Calathes actually got good minutes for a decent Greek team this season.

I love McNeal, and I will say Bryant could be an interesting 13th man if the Kings really don't do anything in free agency. He's definitely a center.

(The summer team has three likely starters. So amazing.)

Will the Kings Add Another Assistant Coach, Scott Roth?

Ziller — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:09:34 -0000

Scott Roth, most recently the coach of the D-League's Bakersfield Jam, was rumored to be a potential assistant coach on Paul Westphal's staff back when Westphal was hired. It didn't happen -- the Kings bypassed both rumored D-League additions (Roth and Bryan Gates) in favor of adding Jim Eyen, Mario Elie and Truck Robinson, and retaining Pete Carril.

But Roth might in fact join Westphal's staff. The coach resigned from his Bakersfield job this week. A day prior, a D-League blogger rumored that Roth would end up in Sacramento. I've been told there's a chance the Kings could add on to the staff, and that Roth could be the guy, but there's no verification. Heck, for all I know Roth could be a candidate for the Timberwolves job!

Happy Anniversary, Maloof Family

Ziller — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:40:46 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

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Kings VP Mitch Germann informs us today is the 10th anniversary of the Maloof family's purchase of the team.

The Maloofs catch a lot of flack in Sacramento. The arena issue has been the central wedge, though perceived tampering in Rick Adelman's expulsion, various trades and free agent signings and subsequent coaching hires have also tempered enthusiasm.

But anyone who has been around longer than 10 years understands just how much the Maloofs helped this franchise by rescuing it from the previous ownership. (In fact, you can usually tell the 2001 bandwagon fans apart from the longer-term fans based on their statements about the Maloofs.) The Maloofs have made some unfortunate steps, but in total have been by far the greatest ownership team the Sacramento Kings have ever had. Joe and Gavin, in particular, are great, accessible, passionate owners who deserve our kudos.

Congratulations, Maloof family. Here's to another decade of success in Sacramento.

Carlos Boozer is Suddenly a Whole Lot Cheaper

Ziller — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:01:57 -0000

Back in December, Mr. section214 made a fantastic argument in favor of the Kings going after Carlos Boozer. I will excerpt it.

Carlos Boozer is an NBA all-star, a career double-double man (21/11 over the past two plus seasons). He is a low post beast that finishes at the rim with either hand, and he can hit the mid-range jumper. He runs the pick and roll with the best of them, and he is currently 27 years old. He has already told the Jazz that he is opting out of the final year of his contract.

Oh yes, that. Carlos Boozer has the reputation of being a "mercenary," a gun for hire, a player with no loyalty. This was born out of his nasty exodus from Cleveland. And there is no way to candy coat this – when an agent thinks that you’re too sleazy to work with, well, that’s sayin’ something. Add to that the announcement to opt out and the fact that he has missed significant time to injury in three of his seven seasons, and you have all of the ammunition that you need to call this guy a selfish pr*ck.

Except that his teammates have never really castigated him for any of this. It is the nature of the beast of the modern day athlete. They all play in glass arena’s and none of them will throw stones, as they are all prepared to take a similar path if the opportunity presents itself.

I agree completely with 214 on these points. The sensationalism of Boozer's separation from Cleveland is not that no one else would ever do it, it was that no one else had ever done it. Especially to a blind guy. Meanwhile, you have a star power forward with one of the best rebound rates in the league, elite scoring instincts and even a record of success following his latest injury.

He has certainly fallen from the lofty standard of "potential max player." Fallen so far he picked up his player option for 2009-10. He will make $12.3 million this season and be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2010.

Why does this matter to the Kings? After all, Boozer is no longer a free agent, and the Kings did not clear enough space to grab him regardless. He is irrelevant, right?

Wrong. Utah didn't want Boozer to stick around. The Jazz almost assuredly wanted Boozer to flee so that the team could keep Paul Millsap without hesitation. Millsap is a restricted free agent whose agent has placed a starting salary of $10 million on his head, but is more likely to get a starting salary of $8 million or so. Now, because Boozer and Mehmet Okur both opted in (bucking expectations at the last minute), the Jazz sit roughly $3 million over the luxury tax line before dealing with Millsap. An $8-million salary in 2009-10 for Millsap would cost the Jazz $11 million in tax penalty and the lost revenue given to teams under the tax (about $3 million in recent years). The Jazz have traditionally been a "no-tax" team. Owner Larry Miller died this past season, and his son Greg took over. The younger Miller does not seem particularly eager to change Dad's stance on this issue. The tax is a real pox on small-market teams like Salt Lake City and Sacramento.

This is where the Kings come in. Assuming Utah is committed to keeping Millsap -- the team was the first to call Millsap's agent Wednesday morning -- they need to move big salary. Andrei Kirilenko? They have been trying to trade him for years. More than $30 million for two more years ain't going to be easy in today's risk-averse NBA. It's got to be Boozer, who has had personality conflicts with Jazz management (including the late Miller and the younger one) in the recent past. When Boozer opted in, he ensured he would be second most rumored trade name this summer (behind Amar'e Stoudemire).

What can the Kings offer? What will it take?

First and foremost, the Jazz need salary relief. The Kings should have more than $7 million in cap space (depending on Ike Diogu or any other free agent signing) come July 8. That means the Kings could trade for a $7-million player straight up, without giving any salary back. But Boozer makes more than $7 million. An extra $5 million, actually. How could the Kings bridge that gap, with the understanding Utah will likely reject salary extending into 2010-11 and beyond.

Kenny Thomas' Expiring Contract.

Some combination of Kenny Thomas, C.J. Miles and/or Matt Harpring could get the Jazz about $8 million in cap relief for next season. (In Miles' case, it would get the Jazz cap relief for 2010-11 as well.) That doesn't make up to full Monty, and perhaps another team (Oklahoma City? Memphis?) could put together a better cap relief package. But if Geoff Petrie wants a star in the frontcourt while maintaining flexibility if it doesn't work out, if Petrie wants to spend pennies on the dollar for an All-Star, Boozer's the dude.

Clay Travis on Racial Paternalism in Sports

Ziller — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:41:43 -0000

Clay Travis on Racial Paternalism in Sports

Before you advocate for a higher NBA age minimum, guess how many pro baseball players have college degrees.

Bubba Burrage Returns as Advance Scout

Ziller — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:39:41 -0000

Bubba Burrage Returns as Advance Scout

E:60 on the life-long development of Tyreke Evans

Ziller — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:22:35 -0000

E:60 on the life-long development of Tyreke Evans