Welcome back to another round of Chainmail! Before we jump into the call for questions, I want to address the last mailbag. On the same day in which we were planning to post our answers last week, Vlade Divac resigned, which destroyed the relevance of over half of the questions that were originally selected. It felt a little silly to answer a query wondering if Vlade would be fired when he had left the team just a few hours before. So, here’s the plan. We’re going to create a super-sized mailbag, in which we’ll answer quite a few questions from this current entry, as well as any leftovers from the last one that remained relevant.
Alright, with that out of the way, let’s talk all things Kings! Just a few things have happened over the last few days, such as Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic heading for the exits, Joe Dumars taking over, possibly leaking to the media that he was the man in charge, and possibly losing most of his power over such leaks, and the Kings hired a search firm to help themselves find their new General Manager. In addition to the internal chaos that defines the Sacramento Kings, the team was also granted the 12th overall pick in the 2020 draft, which will be added to their arsenal of the 35th, 43rd, and 52nd selections. From a league-wide perspective, the playoffs have started and are in full swing, while Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the draft, free agency, and the league’s proposed start of December 1st for the 2020-2021 season may all be delayed by several weeks.
We also want to take a second here to introduce a Sacramento based company that we are very proud to call our very first sponsor for Chainmail: Carter Imports!
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Now get asking so we can get answering!
All I want to know is:
Why?
Ask ALL the questions
Assume that Bagley comes back healthy next year and plays in at least 75% of the team’s games, what are some reasonable expectations on the court that you would consider a successful 3rd season?
I’d consider Bagley playing 75% of the games a huge success for him period
I’d consider Bagley playing 75% of the games a miracle.
I agree that is the obvious answer, which is why I attempted to exclude it. I am hoping to get an answer about on court production.
When Vivek bought the team, it was for a total purchase price somewhere in the neighborhood of $580M. The current Forbes value (prior to the COVID shit hitting the fan) is now $1.775B.
Is Vivek now where the Maloofs were five years before their sell-out, basically cash-poor but with sky-high equity? Might there be anybody in the current ownership group that has the money to buy out Vivek’s now-inflated share of the team?
a corollary to this would be a break down of the various owners and their current net worth. Collectively they may have a lot of money, but I don’t think any of them individually would crack the top 20 of NBA owners based on estimated net worth. That’s the type of thing that might not matter that much, but that can really hamstring a team if they aren’t generated enough revenue to cover operating costs for the foreseeable future.
I can’t imagine someone buying a team like the Kings in this unknown market. Right now I’d imagine it looks like a pretty extreme “sell high” situation. We don’t know how much the China situation has hurt the league yet, or how much lost revenue due to COVID. Or if any of that will actually affect a team’s overall valuation.
Vivek just put $350M into an investment group so I don’t get the sense that he’s cash poor.
What’s the conversation be like netween Peaches and the Vladfather if they went out to dinner right after he stepped down?
And why is there no edit mode after a comment is posted?
it adds an element of danger
(jk there’s an edit widget icon under the comment. I think there’s a limited amount of time netween when you hit Post Comment and when the comment can be edited)
It’s like the 24 second clock!
(only it’s longer than 24 seconds.)
yesterday I made a typo and typed “dank picks” instead of “dang picks”. I decided to just go ahead and keep the typo in place because “dank picks” just sounds hip and edgy.
You would believe ‘dank picks’ sounds hip and edgy.
Pfft, more like a 25 second clock.
We all know Bogi is a big priority this summer/fall. Who is the second-most important player for the Kings to re-sign this offseason, and why is it DaQuan Jeffries?
ð ð ð
Can we get some kind of fan movement going on social media to bring Sam Hinkie to become the Kings next GM?
Apparently we have that kind of power, since we got Vlade fired (per James Ham).
And 2nd part, will Vivek’s ego allow Hinkie to have full control? (Since that’s the only way he’d even consider coming here).
Question for everyone:
How do your friends/family members who are fans of other teams feel about your Kings fandom?
Do they feel pity? Do they think you are slightly insane/unstable? Do they try not to bring up Luka highlights?
I was describing to my friend who is a fan of the Celtics what it’s like to be a Kings fan, and how we’ve only experienced the playoffs for like what is it 10 times out of 35 seasons in Sacramento? He responded with: “Yeah, that’s how I felt like before we got Danny Ainge as GM”. ……………Um…..you have NO IDEA what it’s like to feel the pain Kings fans feel, Celtic Fan Friend.
I live in the Bay Area and like the A’s and Kings. In a way, people think I’m like a sports hipster that’s into obscure bands/teams. Nobody ever really looks down on me because they assume I know what I’ve gotten myself into, and have reached a level of acceptance. It’s like there’s nothing I can say to you that’s worse than what your own team has put you through so why bother?.
The Kings I get due to the lack of success. But the A’s? That makes no sense. They’ve been more successful than not since coming to Oakland.
Of course there were Giants fans who were stupid enough to think that roster had a chance to compete for a playoff spot so LOL…..
I’m actually lucky enough to live in a town that’s predominantly an A’s town (Clayton). If you go to the local sports bar in town the A’s games are always on the big screens and Giants are on the alternate screens. It’s more that my actual friends are all Giants fans. A lot of them have actual adopted the A’s the last couple of years.
That’s interesting. You can’t find many places here in Sac that have the A’s on. You usually have to ask.
They even have a bell they ring anytime the A’s score a run!
Woohooo!
I’d venture to guess there are fans of every team every season who think they might make the playoffs (including Kings fans). I’d say most knowledgeable Giants fans thought this would be a rough season.
Fun lineup. Horrid defense and relief pitching. Definitely not a recipe for making the playoffs, but there are some potential keepers for the long term (SSSI approved).
Not buying the starting pitching either. Relief pitching is generally volatile. That’s not going to change.
I was on a work trip in Atlanta a couple years ago, and I got talking to someone about sports. When we got to me answering why I’m a Kings fan, my best answer was “if 11 straight losing seasons can’t shoo me away, I’m in too deep.”
I have some friends from college that are Warriors fans. When I describe to them in great detail the misery I’ve had to endure for 14 years, at least they give me sympathy.
I just don’t talk about it.
You’d think there would be a 5 step program to help cure us?
Living in the South Bay, it’s almost total pity from everyone I know. Sort of like, Awww well hey maybe they’ll be good next year! Then I tell them they won’t be good next year and to stop patronizing me.
How much longer is Luke Walton the head coach of the Sacramento Kings?
A follow up question on the same topic:
If Walton is here for another season, what can we expect from him? Will he actually watch game tapes (I am not joking here) and make adjustment like a normal coach? And what will Hield’s role be next season?
As a corollary to this who are the Kings going to hire to replace Luke’s head assistant Igor Someeasterneuropeanlastnamewhichimtoolazytolookup?
I do feel a certain amount of sympathy for coaches that have to deal with Vlade’s team building skills, and that includes Walton to a certain degree. Having said that, I don’t like his pretty consistent deer in the headlights look, or his extremely vague post game presser answers. It just makes us assume his lack of intelligence.
If the Nuggets fire Mike Malone, would you take him back ( assuming he is willing to return, which I doubt)?
What would it take to lure Rick Adelman out of retirement and how would he bond with the young superteam?
I just looked him up a few days ago. That guy is now 74 years old. Petrie is now 72.
Popovich is 71 so it’s not fully out of the realm of possibilities!
Too young to run for President. Maybe in 2024.
Offer him the GM spot with the Kings?
Will the Kings attempt to move up in the draft? If so, who would they be going after and what might they need to trade?
Also, I just want to take the time to say I hate the fact the warriors get the 2 pick and we get the 12.
The funny thing is, I think the #2 pick is the one that is most likely to be traded. I don’t think they want the salary of a high draft pick, especially with 100% of their cap space being taken up by Curry, Klay, Wiggins, and Green.
Now, do the Kings have the assets to get the #2 from the Warriors. Warriors need depth. Wanna get crazy and offer Barnes and Holmes for Wiggins and the #2?
I assume ‘crazy’ is the key word here?
Who are you picking to win the NBA title this year, and what will you do if it’s Luka Doncic leading the Mavs to a championship? 😉
Impossible. Grant told me they’re a 7th seed, so Luka cant be that good.
What compelling reasons exist to care about this team?
Found this on the NASA Kids page:
The Kings need to play in a vacuum? I thought the bubble was as far away as a team could get from their home Arena and fans?
Tyreke Evans will be eligible for NBA reinstatement in May 2021. Should the Kings give him a look? 20-5-5 baby! I’ll hang up and take my answer off the air.
Never take anybody (players or personnel) with former ties with the Kings!
All kidding aside, I hope he makes a healthy and happy return to the NBA.
Who can the Kings bring in to work with DeAaron on his shooting both from the 3-pt line and at the free throw line?
Who is faster? DeAaron Fox or Kira Lewis?
I’d say they’re really comparable in straight out speed in the open court but Fox has better handles and is more explosive. So he’s faster and more effective in traffic. That said, Lewis is a better shooter. I would seriously consider trading a bit of Fox’s explosiveness for an effective deep shot.
Yeah, Kemba Walker didn’t develop a consistent 3-pt shot until his fifth year, and that made a huge difference in his game. He credited Bruce Kreutzer, then an assistant coach with Charlotte and now an assistant with Orlando, with helping turn him into a better shooter. I think Kreutzer has been helping Markelle Fultz with his broken shot this year.
Peja
Buddy Hield might be too easy an answer. I go Steve Nash here. What is Steve Nash for $100?
Why is Vivek the way that he is?
What team would be interested in Bagley?
Ginebra!
Friends, I have been in the mountains without cell service the last eleven days. The last I checked the Kings have one game left and the sky was blue. I got one notification that Vlade was fired but that’s about it.
Can anyone give me the turbo summary of the last 12 days?
How excited and happy will you be when Dearest DeMarcus returns home? #BoogieBacktoSAC
What should the free agency plan look like? And if you think they should sign guys, what type of player should they be looking at?
I think the Kings really need to try to look into 2nd draft types to see which young guys that have been in the league that haven’t proven much yet may be able to provide rotation minutes.My 2 guys who I would look at?
Josh Jackson has a pretty bad rep, deservedly so, but he has a bit of talent as a wing and I think is worth giving a shot.
The other? Skal Labissiere, again. We all knew he was going to take some time. He had some moments with the Blazers and has a skillset that is needed. He is an RFA I believe but the Hawks have Dedmons 13 mil contract and and Capelas, I doubt the Hawks want to tie that much money up in the Center position. If they draft a big again then disregard Skal.
How do we get in on a Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid trade? If so, would you sell the farm?
Vivek seems to have used Joe Dumars’ presence to force Divac out. This is the second time he has used a new advisor’s presence to passive-aggressively oust a sitting GM (he used Vlade to nudge aside Pete D). Given Vivek’s apparent affinity for sh*tty office political games and the fact that he has literally never hired a coach or GM using a “normal” process, is there any reason we should feel confident that the current GM search/decision will be done professionally?
For the sake of our sanity should we just pretend today’s Mavs game didn’t happen?
It’s very very hard to watch. Even if the Kings manage to win 1 title in the next 25 years, a franchise like this doesn’t recover from not drafting a once in a generation talent. This surpasses the non drafts of Kawhi/Dame/Curry
Why does Luka have to be THIS good?
Taking Harris at $36Mi is a big leap. With Bogie getting $11-15M? I don’t see how the dollars work, the cap is unknown, Vivek’s willingness to open his wallet is unknown. Dumars has a boatload of work to do. Hiring a GM quicko should be first hire.
I wouldn’t touch Harris’s contract unless it came with a S-TON of additional assets. It’s one of the 5 worst contracts in basketball.
What are some names that we’d be seeing on our GM search list if we were, say, a well respected team and what are the names we can actually expect since we’re the Kings?
Badge Legend