It hasn’t taken long for Davion Mitchell to make an impression. It’s obvious to anyone watching the California Classic or Vegas Summer League that Mitchell is a tenacious defender who puts in an extraordinary level of effort on the floor. Thanks to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes, we know that extends beyond the court as well.
Haynes shares a story of a practice scrimmage where Mitchell was suffering some cramps. Summer League coach Bobby Jackson pulled Mitchell aside to find out what was going on.
Mitchell divulged he had worked out at 8 a.m. for a few hours and then returned to the gym around noon for another hour or so workout before the 5 p.m. practice. The Kings then made the decision to pull him from practice.
“I just looked at him and said, ‘You really worked out twice before coming here? Bro, you can’t be doing that,’” Jackson said of his recollection. “He has an unbelievable work ethic. He’s a tough kid and competitive as they come. But we’ve definitely had to scale him back a little. He’s just wired differently.”
The Kings made Mitchell stop practicing for the day to take care of himself. But Mitchell was still trying to get extra work in before Tuesday’s game against the Wizards:
“He called me this morning and asked if we can go to the gym and get some shots up, and I said, ‘Young fella, there isn’t a gym available,’” Jackson said. “He’s trying to get some real work in on gamedays, and it’s not for show. He just wants to be in the gym. We just have to teach him how to manage his body on gamedays because he can’t do that for 82 games. I’m never going to tell a player to not work hard, but there are ways of doing it smart.
“He gives our team a toughness we really haven’t had. And it’s no knock on our guys, but he’s different. When you’re a small guy, you’ve got to fight and scrap for everything, and so I get why he works so hard. This brother is special, and we’re lucky to have him.”
That toughness and work ethic are the key to becoming a fan favorite in Sacramento, and it seems clear that Kings fans are going to love have Davion on the team.
The whole profile is worth you time, be sure to check out the whole thing. Davion talks to Haynes about his mental approach to the game, his reaction to questions about fitting in with Fox and Haliburton, and about proving people who doubt him wrong.
I was as confused as anyone when the Kings drafted another guard on draft night, but I’ve very quickly become a big fan of Davion as I’ve watched him play in Summer League. Hearing these types of stories about his work ethic only adds to that excitement.
I’m stoked!
I read the article yesterday, and all you can think is, this guy is looking better and better all the time. It’s always easier to teach someone to dial it down than it is to instill a serious work ethic. I speak from experience, as no one has ever been able to get me to do more than the bare minimum.
Probably should have kept Whiteside around to show Mitchell how to pace himself.
Oof yet again. 😉
The Whiteside comment might be one of your funniest ever!
Or WCS, or Donte Green, or… you get the point.
Andy, can I speak to you for a minute?
Well, that’s fair.
What has excited me most besides the lock-down defense is how effective he still is on offense. He’s already a refined two-way player who can give you good minutes in the NBA so now it’s just a matter of improving with time and reps. McNair found a guy that’s gonna be able to contribute right away but seemingly still has a lot of room for growth. Along with Queta, I’ll say Monte has at the very least proven he’s an above average drafter.
I only watched the highlights. He made a layup that I thought he should have used his left hand. Not a big concern, just something maybe the coaching staff should pay attention.
Tony Parker bored the shit out of me for nearly 20 years by doing right-handed scoop layups on the left side of the glass.
If that is Mitchell’s case, I’ll be happy as hell
Monte has proven he’s good at mechanical drawing?
Today this article was subject of a brief comment from Stephen A. during First Take. Kings are not often even mentioned in national shows.
How is Stephen A. still employed? He is terrible.
Because analysis is judged by clicks, views, and comments instead of insight these days.
Damn. Well STR nowadays has neither the clicks, views, comments, nor the insight.
(puts 50 cents into the “No Bringing Up STR” jar)
But they’re looking for local writers! That’ll get the clicks up (damn, where’s that jar).
It’s the same reason we still employ Tim.
Stephen A Giraffe
The other guy isn’t any better. That dude must drink 50 expressos before he goes on. Somebody get that man a stress pill.
Not to mention his Ohtani comments … not sure how he made it through that one.
That’$ a my$tery that may never be $olved.
He’s not that bad. Your not gonna hit on every single prediction but he provides some good nba insight
Stephen A Smith has his issues, but there was nothing wrong here. Smith may not have said the Kings at first but it is not like he did not acknowledge them in his take.
10 FGAs in Game 1 of LVSL, 8 FGAs in Game 2. I like that Off Night is not a thirsty scorer. He has burst and juke moves but he is not compelled to “get his” first and foremost, a la Jalen Green. He takes shots in the context of optimal shot seeking regardless of who shoots.
If he was not this way, if he had a chip on his shoulder like Isaiah did as a rookie, there’d be no way Ramsey would have got up 18 FGAs two games ago. Last night Mitchell tied for 3rd in FGAs (8) with Ramsey (8) and behind King (13) and Metu (9). Heck, even some guy named Murkey managed 7 FGAs in 14 minutes, only one less than Mitchell.
Greg Anthony made a related point Mitchell “does not preordain what he is going to do….” but lets the defense dictate his decision making. That is not a player who is going to force his offense.
This approach enables Davion to reserve energy for defense too, making his lockdown ability more sustainable. This is in contrast to Fox, who reserves his energy for offense. It is not like either is coasting on the other end. I see their respective energy expenditure like this:
Fox 100% offense 80% defense
Davion 80% offense 100% defense
These differing approaches, conducive to their respective skills, are complementary, as opposed to two scoring PGs taking turns looking to score. That is when you run into issues when one ball is not enough.
Ultimately you cannot be a good set up man if you do not present the threat to score; and you do not maximize your offensive effeciency if you do not use your shot creation ability for yourself and others. The first instance alludes to Mitchell and the second to Fox so I expect there will be natural harmony between them and the team.
The other dynamic is the “multiplier effect” that can occur when you have a 6’0″ teammate taking away airspace from every man he guards, often the best scorer. How contagious may this be? Holmes and Ty have commented on the lethality of Mitchell as a defender and the renewed focus and dedication this may inspire indiviudally and collectively.
For this reason you have to reconsider the idea of Bagley, Holmes and Davion for Simmons. If we have a younger Kyle Lowry in our midst, and remember Lowry is an NBA Champion and consummate leader who got a bag at age 36, do we want to reliquinsh him for a player who just pulled one of the biggest choke jobs in NBA playoff history? Not to mention Simmons personality inspires passivity, a non-leader, whereas Davion inspires ferocity & extra effort.
Simmons is sensitive to his image too, wanting to perceived as the coolest guy in the room. Davion does not need to try to be cool, he just is.
I want Simmons on the team, Bagley and Buddy off, and future firsts and swaps do not matter a lot to me if when the deal is consummated the team is complete and we project as a top contender for 5 years. The prohibitive issue is there is not a deal to be made because we are not talent rich enough to cede to the fair demands from TOR (Siakum) or PHI (Simmons), namely surrendering Ty or Mitchell. Fox is obviously off the table. And throwing in Barnes is not going to get it done.
It is for these reasons we should just focus on adding Markennan for Buddy or Bagley. This will make our off season a solid A- grade and provide us with the starting PF we are lacking. I wonder what is going on with Markennan, its been rather quiet on that front, which usually means something about to break.
I agree about giving up Hali and Davion as being more than I want to do, but Markennen does not “move the needle” as Jerry says. If I were Monte, I’d hold firm on Buddy or Barnes (preferably Buddy) and Bags and up to 3 firsts. That said I’d much prefer Siakam over Simmons.
I think I read on pounding the rock that markannen would have been a spur already if his asking price would go down. He was looking to get 20 million a year, and that’s crazy for a big with his injury history. He might end up like nerlens noel back with the mavs.
It was clear when Donavan moved Lari ti the second unit that his value to the Bulls had changed !
Markannen is going to end up Schroder’ing himself. Another injury would just add insult to injury (for both of them).
Agreed, the fact that he’s not been a primary scorer before, and won’t need to be in the NBA should make his transition easier. He’s not being asked to be something that he isn’t, which is an ill-fitting suit often imposed on rookies.
All he’s got to do is improve the many things he’s good at, and the handful that he isn’t. If he can get to 70-75% for free throws this season, and approach league-average from three, we’ve got ourselves a player.
Love to hear it. I just hope the staff saves him from himself.
Example, if he is having back issues in SL, please dont allow him to keep playing. I cant wait to see him with Fox and Hali!
“Back issues” covers a lot of ground, though. If it’s an actual injury, sure he should sit. If it was more of “perhaps deadlifts were ill advised yesterday”, well, he can play through the soreness with no long term problems. It might suck, but DOMS isn’t actually an injury.
Modern medicine has a lousy record of treating the back.
We spend too much time on the front.
Haven’t read the full article, but I read that before the game against Bouknight that Davion was up watching film the night before, and it clearly paid off. I read the same thing in earlier articles about him. This kind of thing is how you end up an immediate fan favorite in Sac, almost regardless of your on floor impact.
imagine if our head coach did the same thing!
He was, but the film was probably “Sex in the City” or some such shit.
Court Cam more likely 😂
Floored
I mean, Walton is always looking at the film, or at least suggests that he’s going to. I’d imagine it’s like having the TV on in the background while you do something else, in his case, vigorously swiping right.
Luke’s problem is no one has VHS tapes available any more.
Monte trying his best to right Vivek’s ship.. and shit
Monte: The Professor
Vivek: (The Millionaire) Thurston Howell the Third
Matina: Lovey Howell
Vlade: The Skipper
Kyle Guy: Gilligan
(When you think about it, where the heck were they going to on a three hour tour? Catalina Island makes sense, but damn they got hella far out away from there.)
Well, the weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed. Under those circumstances, it was something of a miracle that the Minnow wasn’t lost.
Davion’s influence is already rubbing off on those around him. Heck, even Walton has decided to break a sweat.
Wonder if he breaks a sweat watching tape? Oh that’s cold sweats. Never mind.
“Walton, you’ll be going up against Corey Maggette tomorrow. I want you to watch his tape tonight before bed.”
(gulp) “You mean Corey ‘Bad Porn’ Maggette??”
http://www.nbamixes.com/worst-nicknames-in-nba-history/8 (go to page 8)
Can’t unsee that. My day is ruined now.
“And now, the hotel room position…”
Stretching before he goes outside to suntan his taint.
I love that Bobby Jackson (probably my fav King ever) is coaching Mitchell right now.
“He gives our team a toughness we really haven’t had. And it’s no knock on our guys, but he’s different. When you’re a small guy, you’ve got to fight and scrap for everything, and so I get why he works so hard. This brother is special, and we’re lucky to have him.”
This could have easily been a quote about Jackson during his hey day with the Kings.
I really hope the work ethic, tenacity, competitiveness and defense is contagious. I am very excited to see Mitchell and Holmes on the floor together. Now Holmes has a tough nosed perimeter defender to play with.
Yeah, it’s a perfect pairing. Coach Bobby Jackson with Davion Mitchell. This is good, as Brown would say.
Bobby Jackson is taking SL seriously, and I love it. I don’t know if it is just his way or if he knows that several of these guys will be on his Gleague team and just wants to get his program off to a good start. But boy does he deserve credit for getting them to play defense.
Davion reminds me a little of Bobby as a player. If Davion can continue to improve his outside shot (like Bobby did), he could have a similar career, which would make this a great pick. There’s a lot of parallels there.
Still think Sengun was BPA (Hou got a steal), but from what I’ve seen I’m pretty happy Mitchell’s on the team. Totally agree with the Kyle Lowry comparison. he has the floor game, for sure. Remains to be seen if he’ll be as clutch as Lowry, but he may have even more defensive upside.
I think that there will be a player or two that went after him that will wind up being better, but he has the appearance of a guy that will more than justify him going 9th in this draft.
Yup, that’s where I’m at. Sigh of relief and twinge of excitement.
I’ll add that I’m also kinda getting Rodman vibes with the insanely relentless workouts and obsession with defense.
I envy the Houston fans that saw their team add Jalen Green and Sengun (and Garuba). What a frickin’ draft night for them.
That’s just two extra helpings of fun added to that recipe. Houston could win 25 games or 50, depending on how well the many injured guys come back.
If Wall and Wood can stay healthy while Green and Sungun make claims for ROY, I could see them finishing with a better record than the Kings.
To say nothing of KPJ and KMJ, who both showed really high level flashes last year.
If the 40 million diva- decides he wants to be a player again the Rox could shake up things !
That’s because you’re seduced by the beautiful play. Sengun can’t stop anyone, and Green doesn’t want to. Hou will give up 120 a game. Doesn’t mean I don’t like those guys, but Dave is exactly what our softies needed.
I was just thinking this. Sengun looked amazing offensively, but the defense looked Marvin Bagley-esque
I’m guessing he’ll be fine (and by “fine” I mean not a complete train wreck) once they get into the season and have an actual team system in place. Summer league is all about 1v1.
And I think that he turned 19 a couple of weeks ago, so there is definitely a chance that there is some untapped potential there.
He’s got the same heavy legs as Papa John’s. If you aren’t quick at 19, you’re probably not gonna be. I think he’ll always be a liability on D. Conversely, nobody in the NBA looks like Mitchell. He’s Tyreke Hill on a basketball court. He literally jumps out of the screen.
You mean the same heavy legs as Nikola Jokic? Sold!
Players can play. Sengun’s “heavy legs” are every bit the canard as Mitchell’s lack of height.
Heavy legs like Vlade, Miller, Jokic, Vucivich et all! Kid will likely be a top pro for 15 years ! Skill, smarts and toughness has always seemed to work !
Very well, but I was only talking about D. Clearly, he has offensive skill. But Jokic’s D doesn’t inspire either. Both will always be limited as unswitchable, non rim defenders.
Jokic wins his position on most nights while making his teammates better, yes? I’d like to place an order for a few of those for the Kings, please.
I think you just got one.
I like what I have seen from Mitchell. Rockets fans must like what they have seen from Sengun. It will be interesting to see how they take their SL momentum into their respective camps.
If Sengun becomes too much of a liability on D, they can have Garuba play instead. Garuba could be an excellent defender.
Exactly what was said about Jokic in his first season ! This kid is going to be very good for Houston ! Davion will be for the Kings !
Beautiful play and your mom!
If Sengun becomes too much of a liability on D, they can have Garuba play instead. Garuba could be an excellent defender.
Like hockey- line switches
and Christopher as well. I was impressed by their draft selection. I maybe bias since I’ve been an advocate for Alperen Sengun since day 1 but he looks like a guy who can be really good in a couple of years.
I liked this pick before, during and now after the draft.
Don’t worry that he’s “old” – LOL- all NBA rookies used to be 22 and most were better players than the one-and-done scrubs currently clogging up NBA rosters and soon to be on their way to Europe.
And don’t worry that he plays guard – the cream rises to the top and good teams rarely regret drafting BPA.
Drafting for position is what got us Marvin Bagley.
Preach!
Option 1: Pick a 22-year old with a clear track record of high-level basketball achievement and several clearly observable NBA-level basketball skills.
Option 2: Pick a 19-year old with great “measurables” and major holes in his basketball skillset, under the assumption/hope that he will develop those skills to their full potential. There is no way to determine what that “full potential” might be; therefore, just assume it is Hall-of-Fame level, because “potential” is non-falsifiable.
I simply do not understand why teams “penalize” players for being older (read: 22 instead of 19). Why is having experience and a defined, observable NBA-caliber skillset considered a negative? Why do so many teams/scouts/etc. assume that a 19-year old with little actual basketball skill is going to become a superior player to the 22-year old who already possesses much of that skill? Do they not realize that the 19-year old is going to become 22 someday, and in those 3 years there is absolutely no guarantee they will develop their skills up to the level that the today’s 22-year old already has? The draft lottery is riddled with busts who were drafted on potential: “Oh, he’s RAW, but that’s actually a GOOD thing, because it means he can get better!” Oh, and you’d rather roll that dice than go with the guy who’s already good, because the guy who’s already good has a “ceiling” based on the fact that… what, he’s already good? It’s lunacy. I give Monte a ton of credit for using his first 2 lottery picks on players who are full-stop GOOD AT BASKETBALL, instead of guys who can jump super high but can’t dribble or see the court beyond their own nose (cough cough Bagley).
It’s not lunacy…it’s data. Why penalize older players? I would say this is why:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/fivethirtyeight.com/features/drafting-sophomores-is-a-smart-strategy-for-nba-teams/amp/
This discusses sophomores but clearly freshmen on average produce more in short and long term than seniors. It’s just an overall talent discrepancy. If those guys had equal talent to the Freshmen that get chosen, they likely would have come out earlier. I think this is especially true in the lottery picks. Lottery seniors who have been successful the last 20 years are few and far between, but they can exist. Each teams circumstances are different when on the clock so it’s not dumb to choose an older player necessarily but data generally doesn’t support the choice.
All that said, Davion looking like a good pic and I think it was a good pic despite initial 2 hours of shock. But if Z Williams, Moody or Sengun become all stars, and Mitchell doesn’t, half this board is going to be bitching why didnt the Kings swing for the upside pick, especially in this market. Might be fair too.
Interesting. I would say being specific to the Kings I can’t remember many draft picks with potential turning into a stars. Usually it’s the complete opposite.
Maybe Gerald Wallace after he left the Kings? He was very young when drafted.
Maybe Peja or Hedo? They were mostly unknowns.
With the Kings track record I am pretty happy with a little older sure thing who lives up to it. If someone behind Mitchell turns out better I can live with it, better than a total whiff (cough, Bagley).
Kings fan draft philosophy in a nutshell. I feel you and I
have said the same : )
Yeah Kings have been historically bad at drafting, but I wouldn’t suggest Monte draft based on the track record of Pete or Vlade. Sure you aren’t either.
This article was interesting too (mainly second half is the meat): https://www.libertyballers.com/2016/4/13/11376588/nba-draft-age-star-superstar-draft-analysis
Thanks for the article. Interesting!
Personally, I don’t go overboard on the data/stats. I tend to go by the eyeball test. And from what I have seen so far my eyeballs say Mitchell can play and ‘gets it’.
I think that is one thing that data can’t convey… whether a player ‘gets it’. It’s hard to even quantify but anyone who knows basketball at all can see it.
I won’t argue against the idea that freshmen and sophomores often make better picks than seniors. The best college players often go pro early, and most of the players who stick around through Senior Night are still there because they don’t project to be good pros–and oftentimes, this is due to significant physical limitations, which the blue-chip frosh and soph prospects almost never have. Having big physical upside can be enough, almost by itself, to “show out” in college and thus gain the attention of NBA scouts. It covers up for deficiencies in actual skill. I would argue that there is a general threshold of physical ability required to play exceptionally well in the NBA, which can vary depending on position, system, etc. I suspect a lot of the “raw” frosh and soph prospects who get drafted every year are way above this threshold, which is why they get picked (they’re like flashy sports cars on the lot), but they come up short in the end because they don’t actually have the skills potential everyone imagines they do (they’re the sports car that breaks down a lot). Meanwhile, I suspect there are several junior and senior prospects each year who are ignored because they are not so far above the physical ability threshold, even though they are at the threshold or slightly above it. They are “good enough” physically to succeed in the NBA, once their actual skill set is factored in. They deserve a longer look.
The few people who rated Bagley higher than Doncic in 2018 did so largely because of Bagley’s physical profile–he was seeing as having a higher ceiling simply because he could jump higher and run faster than Luka. They forgot that Luka, despite not being a physical phenom, was still more than “good enough” in that department, and had approximately 100x more actual basketball skill (read: realized potential) than MB3 to boot. (Yes, ironically, Luka was a teenager, too–you could argue this shows that it is not unreasonable to expect teenage prospects to have some kind of developed skillset, and if they don’t, it is a red flag.)
Luka is an outlier though. He didn’t just have potential. Dude turned pro at 16. He had what, 3 years experience as a pro before he even got drafted!
I mean some of this is true sure…but it is what it is. Whatever the reasons, you have a better chance at getting a meaningful/star player taking the upside Frosh/Soph vs the Junior/Senior. Doesn’t mean either can’t be successful, but there are good reasons to be suspect of older players and what they will develop as a ceiling. Whether that’s important is up to each individual team/needs.
I would guess NBA teams would say, they have had a longer look. An extra couple years and 60 more games of tape to make enough GMs think they don’t have upside, pushing them down the draft board. Some pop on occasion, but the vast majority don’t. At a worse rate than younger players, statistically.
As far as the Bagley pick, I think there was only one person by draft time who rated Bagley as a higher prospect than Doncic because of better athleticism/ceiling…and he no longer has a job.
I remember there was a guy at CBS Sports who wrote that he thought Bagley was the best prospect in the draft (which seemed ludricous then & seems even more ridiculous now).
Think it should be a red flag for a 19-year-old to have poorly developed skills. Means he could be lacking in work ethic and has been coasting on his natural ability. The exception to this is the foreign player that grew up playing soccer and came to basketball late.
Right. A 19-year old who can’t dribble or lay it up confidently with both hands, or can’t play basic help defense, should be considered a walking red flag.
I agree with all of this, other than the suggestion that VD drafted for position. He just wanted to show how brilliant he was by going against the conventional wisdom.
I think this applies to Vivek even more than Vlade. Not to say that Vivek made the picks or whatever, but he seems overly enamored with his ideas.
That’s probably fair, although if I had started with squat and became a billionaire, I’d also be inclined to think that I had some magic going on in the old brain pan.
That said, everyone isn’t a genius at everything. Prince, maybe.
Definitely this.
Apparently Jason Kidd would not find this level of work sufficient
Jason Kidd used his son as a human shield during a press conference in 2005 about alleged adultery and spousal abuse on his part. Absolute scumbag.
It must have cost him a fortune to scrub it from the intarwebs, because there is next to nothing about any of it sitting out there.
Wonder how Luka and the Mavs will enjoy stuff like this..
:large
For context, this was 2 days before Christmas after a loss.
Read that yesterday, and can’t say that I was surprised by it. The guy has had his scrotum polished by basketball people since junior high, and that will ruin most people.
For the record, it’s entirely possible that Jason Kidd was already a terrible person before the basketball industry got hold of him. There’s always a nagging bit of dread that given his NorCal roots that he might be considered for a position in Sacramento
Fun fact: The picture in this article is the only time Davion stopped practicing since draft night.
This reminds me of the narrative when Buddy was traded here and the stories about him being a gym rat and a crazy hard worker and how infectious that would be with the other players.
We’ll see how Mitchell effects the other players. I’m hoping for the Marcus Smart effect.
I remember that McLemore was called a hard worker (though he said after he left that he spent of his time practicing dunks, so that was poor player development if he was mainly working hard on dunks).
Ugh, what a day…My alternator in my car died JUST as I was about to get on the freeway and make my way home from work, so had to get it towed to Honda and I’m sure this means a good chunk of money I’m losing soon to fix it… 🙁
Time to de-stress and read some funny comments here on TKH. 🙂
Towed to Honda?? 😬
That sucks Klam!
Hoping they fix it, or else!
KANGZ’d!
Sorry to hear that, Klam.
Maybe it’s better this didn’t happen in LA.
Hope you’re able to de-stress.
Thanks! In hindsight, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, because if my car had given out AFTER I had gotten on the freeway it would’ve been more dangerous. And when it did, I literally was just able to pull it to the side of the road before I couldn’t drive it anymore, so I’m thankful that at least I was able to get in a somewhat safe location to get roadside assistance to tow it. Although since I didn’t take a lunch at work, by the time I got home I ended up eating my peanut butter and jam sandwich around 5:30…
And compared to LA traffic, Bay Area traffic seems like it’s pretty bad too!
Never seen an alternator on a Honda….but they aren’t too tough to fix. Question is how much Honda wants to charge you for it, and where it is on the engine, too.
Of course the alternator on my Corolla is in a very different place than it was on my Malibu….and that’s because GM and Toyota make very different kind of cars.
Good luck Klam!
I know he went to Baylor, but I want to see him master the UTEP 2 Step.
Tyrese and Davion!
https://twitter.com/NBCSKings/status/1425624595504062470
Lazy closeout on the guy guarding Davion at the three point line!
Can he dunk?
Who Mitchell? If so, easily but he won’t be putting any NBA player on a poster board if that’s the type of dunking u meant.
Yes Mitchell. I believe you but, he hasn’t looked like a guy who can when I’ve watched. I actually meant literally. Can he dunk with two hands. I think that means you have to jump higher, but some smaller guys need to use two because they don’t have big enough hands to palm the ball with one. I can’t dunk so, I don’t always know the difference between easy and difficult. I don’t feel very enthusiastic about an NBA PG who can’t dunk, even though I think there has been a few who couldn’t in recent years. I don’t think IT could dunk.
Oh well. Never mind the dumb questions. I just looked on YouTube and found a nasty looking one-handed windmill from a High School clip.
I’m pretty excited about Davion. Not sure what his ceiling is, I’m concerned about how he’ll fit, and I’m becoming more nervous that Monte is counting on being able to make another deal to acquire some more help on the wing, and I don’t see where he’s gonna find that deal. Can you offer any insight regarding possible ways to add more talent to this roster, or at least help balance it out a bit before next season starts? It might help put my mind at ease.
I’ve seen video of him dunking, and I’ll put it this way: They ain’t cheap.
I think you said the Kings can be a six seed this season. Do you mean this roster? Or are you pre-supposing some more dealing before opening night. I’ve spent a few off-seasons waiting for deals that everyone thought were forthcoming just to wait some more, and then some more…crickets…still waiting. Furthermore, we probably had a better deal, a few days earlier, than the Pelinka deal that fell through for Westbrook.
Monte seems pretty smart. I can’t help but wonder if he wouldn’t like to run a less dysfunctional team. One without Vivek. If I’m Monte I understand that a professional tear-down, and rebuild will never be possible under pressure from Vivek to win now. He can’t even afford to let me hire a coach. So my goal in Sac is not to prove I can build a competitive roster, but rather just show other teams that I can draft, get myself a good job elsewhere, and leave fool Vivek, and whomever he replaces me with, to make sense of the disparate talent pool I leave behind.
Why engage in futile arguments with the boss that are only going to make my position less secure? Just tell ’em what he wants to hear, “Yeah this rookie is gonna get us to the playoffs this year!” Then my agent explains to prospective employers how the Kings are dysfunctional, and that no one will ever have complete success under Vivek. I just need support from the right owner for my methods to come to full fruition. I’m the Billy Beane of basketball looking to escape the confines of a small market, in a place that can be my Boston.
More useless paranoid confabulation? It’s not completely wasted on me that it’s almost 3am Sunday morning and I’m up after a bad ending to an otherwise enjoyable date trying to read the tea leaves of Sacramento’s future. And discussing it with no one in particular. Do they have a twelve step program for strung-out Kings fans? Who’s more dysfuctioal? Them or me? Us? your a Kings fan too!
Badge Legend