Well, folks, the dust from the greatest competition on this here planet earth, the NBA Las Vegas Summer League two-team championship tournament, has settled, and our championship hangover has officially faded. We're now looking at weeks and weeks before meaningful basketball is played again. What does that mean for a basketball-based mailbag that follows one historically inept team? Why, we're gonna get weird. We're gonna get personal. We're gonna get emotional!
This week's edition, due to the lack of recent news, is whatever you want it to be, even more so than usual! Have a question about the site itself? Or how about one for a specific member of the staff? Want to know Will's and my favorite King of all time? How about who we would protect in the event of an expansion? Should we predict how many games the Kings will win this season? What's our favorite cut of steak? Where did Will take me to eat when I was in town for one evening? Will Marvin Bagley and Buddy Hield be on the squad at the start of the year? Did I really take a picture outside of Matina's office when I was in Sac and tweet it to her? The possibilities are endless! Endless, I tell you!
Now, get to asking (about literally anything), so we can get to answering!
“Hey wait guys where are you going, don’t you want to ask me about my favorite cut of steak?”
That is literally your exact haircut
Sadly longer than that right now, I really need a trim
“I need to speak with the manager of this wildlife preserve.”
Cutting steak? Why you throwing shade at Ricky Rubio? đŸ˜‰
Is this from Jurassic Park?
(I haven’t seen it yet.)
Griaffic Park.
What is Monte waiting on to trade for Ben Simmons? He’ll fill the Draymond Green role, only better. If a 3rd team is needed…get it done!
My guess is he’s waiting for Morey’s price to come down, or for Simmons to learn how to shoot.
And ribeye, rare. I mean, come on.
That cut is actually best medium. You gotta cook it long enough to let the fat absorb into the protein. Tenderloin rare, however…
Medium is burnt. I’ll go medium rare, but that’s it.
Depends on the cut. With ribeye, rare means you likely haven’t even rendered the fat. I mean, you may like it that way. That’s fine by me. It just defeats the purpose of a rib eye in my opinion. A good flatiron or sirloin on the other hand…
Hard no on a thick steak cooked rare. You’re just eating raw beef at that point. No thanks.
Seasoned and seared raw beef.
The outside sounds delicious!
Most of us have this as a 31-35 win team. Obviously, that’s not going to cut it. What’s the realistic trade you’re making as GM to boost those wins into a certified playoff team?
Which current players are still members of the Sacramento Kings when this team next makes the playoffs?
John Salmons
KING SALMON
forget the steak
Put some respect on future assistant coach Salmons’ name.
Doug Christie and Bobby Jackson
If Vivek is still the owner, I expect Fox as a coach in 2051, with Buddy as general manager and Marvin Bagley as director of player development.
None. But it will be a great time for those ‘attending’ at The Golden 3 Virtual Arena (Golden 2 having finally bit the dust in the Great Quake of 2137).
Does Tyrese Halliburton head coaching count?
If/when the much-anticipated “big move” fails to materialize, when do we riot? And should we call it “Here We Cray”?
Shut up and be happy that we still have a team.
If you riot players will not want to come here and it will be your fault that we cannot have nice things.
Can’t have a riot if we don’t win a championship. Thus, we don’t have to worry about scaring away championship-caliber players.
We’ve got a small, three guard lineup and we know the Kings would need to package assets to pull off any big swing they’re thinking about.
Fox/Haliburton/Mitchell: which two are you keeping and who are you trading the third one for?
I suspect the answer is that if Davion can prove he can handle lead guard duties (A/TO ratio of 2:1 or greater, 36-37% from deep, sturdy defense) then Fox is the guy Monte wants to trade. He never picked Fox, Fox isn’t the type of advanced stats darling that Monte covets, and yet he has the highest trade value of anybody on the roster. If he could cement a young backcourt with guys who can play defense, hit their threes, and facilitate the offense (Mitchell-Hali) then he will use the big fish to bring in an Ingram/Siakam/Simmons/Brown, type forward which has been our most glaring need since Peja left.
You may not be that far off the truth. If Davion turns out to be a top level PG who can run a team and still be a threat to score, Monte just may move Fox to make a big splash kind of move. If Mitchell looks like the second coming of Lowry and you can move Fox for someone like Ingram, I think you do it.
I do love Ingram’s game, and would absolutely consider it.
Mitchell-Hali-Ingram-Barnes-Holmes as your starting lineup before you’ve even had to trade Buddy, Bagley, or picks is not a bad place to be.
We are not trading Fox. Fox is going off this year. He’ll have a career year.
With the current roster, who would you position as the 6th man (first off the bench)? Is that still Hali, or now Davion, or another candidate (who doesn’t feel threatened by that role)?
With the three guard lineup, do you think the team will go with a 3-on-5 defense, a variation on Vivek’s 4-on-5 defense? #2SecondsAhead
The Kings might have the toughest division in the NBA. Will they finish anywhere but last in the Pacific, predict their division record, and has a team ever made the playoffs while being last in their division?
I have this vague memory from several years ago that the whole Southwest division got in with the Pelicans in the 8th spot.
I was thinking that same thought. Looks like the 14-15 season they did. The Pels were the 8th seed with 45 wins. They got in via a tie breaker with the Thunder, who also had 45 wins.
Now I’m going down the rabbit hole to answer my own question. I guess I shouldn’t look at anything before there were 30 teams, because that would mean some divisions only had 4 teams.
+1 = 4 GUARD LINEUP OF DEATH
+ TYREKE at Center
+ COACH SALMONS
you would get just as many wins with these 2, and it would be way more fun!
You reluctantly get up early on a Sunday to join your buddy in a Dodgeball tournament he found on Craigslist. Running late, you had to skip coffee and breakfast but upon arriving at the site you are shocked to find that a guy who resembles Vlade Divac is in fact THE Vlade Divac. Apparently his Sundays are pretty free nowadays and he likes to keep in shape by joining Craigslist recreational leagues.
Vlade came alone, looking to join a team… either yours or your opponents’s.
It’s your team’s call, and your buddy asks you what to do.
Winners get $1000. After watching Vlade warm up, you see he has pretty good Dodgeball playing skills.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I read this comment in Dennis Hopper’s voice, just so you know.
(breathes in deep)…. “LET’S…..watch Kings basketball! I’ll watch kings basketball anything that moves! “

Since this is an “Ask Us Anything Mailbag”….
You’re given one million dollars and need to do something with it right away. What do you do with it? Spend some on a house? Put it in savings? Give some away? Bribe Vivek to get a new coach? Buy Blu-Rays of Lady Bird and Little Women? Other?
Will is offered one million dollars to watch Lady Bird.
Q: What movie does he spend $14 on to watch instead?
Thanks for the laugh.
btw, has anyone fallen asleep while watching The Green Knight besides me?
I was hoping for some inspiration for Kings memes. Instead, it made me feel like I was watching a Kings game.
If you haven’t heard, there’s an Amazon Prime exclusive series called “Invincible.” It’s animated and it has one season out so far (eight episodes), but it’s really good. I got hooked after just the first episode because it ends on a cliffhanger and ended up binge watching it all the next two days. And it’s renewed for a second season, and I’m really looking forward to it!
Twice! It looks incredible and Dev Patel is committed, but it ultimately feels like typical A24 fare to me; fantastic promotion followed by a lot of style and little substance. Based on the source material, I kept wishing that I was watching Excalibur, instead. There are some exceptions to their rule: Ari Aster’s stuff, Ladybird, Free Fire, and a few others, but I’ve been fooled by A24 more times than I can count.
My rental expires tonight, so I’m gonna have one more go at it this evening.
Excalibur!!!
Preface : in no particular order I love: you, your username, your delicious takes. A24 is the most vital resource for good art film right now. Maybe a story about shame and being poor stewards of the environment isn’t for you, that’s okay! I don’t want that weight on me either. What about the power of telling 13 year olds stories (8th grade), sex workers stories (Zola), stories of the desperate (High Life, Good Time), stories about mental illness, confused sensuality, and substance abuse (Lighthouse), stories about inherited Income inequality (Last Black Man in San Francisco), or a story about immigrants trying to harvest the dead on the vine fruits of the American Dream (Minari). That studio keeps giving platform to tremendous artists that want to give a voice to the protected classes in this country, and I love them for that.
Tldr: I stan A24, and you all should watch some of those movies they paid for.
And, Ladybird has some serious issues when it comes to the Sacramento it shows. Like, that’s not my world. I’m glad Greta got her education at St. Francis and got into a fine art program in NYC, but what city is it shes so frustrated with as far as homogeneity? She ever cross Broadway southbound? I like that movie as an art piece. ,but hate it as a resident of the city.
Ineptitude has taken its toll. Rate your level of care for the upcoming season on a scale of 1-10. I’m at a 2, barely.
After 15 years of this, you guys are rightfully various levels of sick. But I may well take the cake insofar as I’m a brand new poster (first day).
Welcome!
But why?
Here’s a random question.
The Kings like to try and be “innovators” and do things other teams aren’t: robotic security, accepting Bitcoin, etc.
What do you think their next big “leap forward” going to be?
I know it won’t be the playoffs.
Other teams are already doing that, it wouldn’t be innovative
I kid you not, I could see them trying some kind of VR game watching tech. Something like pay to sit courtside from the comfort of your home.
Seriously though, how far away are we from that kind of tech and experience? People could basically sit courtside from anywhere in the world. You could have a million “paid attendees” who have different costs at different visual levels. Teams could have a dozen or so 360 degree cameras in the arena each with thousands logging on to use them from home.
Anyone here with that kind of tech experience know how far away from that we may be?
Wow, so it’s already begun?
Once we make the playoffs, that will be your clue that they’ve got the simulation working.
Speaking of Vivek,
I was reminded that his pal and a guy he admires, Malcolm Gladwell, remarked about the 10,000 hours = mastery thingy.
I’m guessing Vivek is taking all of this losing in stride, confident that when he gets 10,000 logged, well…..you know.
Based on some quick napkin calculations, Vivek’s already got roughly 1,500 hours of losing down in 8 years.
It’s gonna be a while to get that 10,000 hours in.
“Sure.
……….But when I do finally reach 10,000 hours…watch out, world!”
AI coach!
Winning?
Is Fox better than Simmons, and is there a good justification for not swapping those two players via trade?
IMHO, it comes down to what you want the identity of your team to be. If you want a fast, run-gun, high-scoring offensive machine, Fox is the better pick. If you want to embrace a hard-nosed, stifling defensive mentality that just makes your opponent miserable, Simmons is the choice.
Hi, my name is Rob. First time caller, long time listener. Looooove the show. I have a question, and I’ll take the answer off air:
Hey, Monte just has to mix the right players to get there!
I typically go into every season with a level of optimism, only to have that optimism dashed at some point in the season. What should I be hanging my optimistic hat on this pre-season? Can development of Hali/Fox, the addition of Mitchell, defense and depth actually move the team into a playoff spot? Or should I just give up hope from day 1 rather than string myself along for the first 40ish games before I give up?
You know the drill.
(…there’s a line forming…)
How long does the front office have to wait for the draft and tinker around with bench players before pressure from ownership and fans to make moves that will win more games starts to become real?
Can you go over how G-league rosters are constructed and how they relate to summer league rosters, if at all? I’m curious if guys like Coleman, Murkey, and Terry are likely to be in Stockton.
If you could replace any players on the opening day roster with Harry Giles, would you? Ignoring cap space implications/benefits of replacing a player like buddy or bagley
Easy one for me, definitely Thompson
Tastes great or less filling?
If you could meet and talk to anyone for five minutes (even if historical), who would it be?
Can it be an animal?
What is the point of having a lame duck coach on a losing team? Is his contract status really not an issue?
Gotta have someone to throw under the bus to buy time?
Did Louis King’s play in LV Summer League earn him serious consideration for a regular roster spot instead of a two-way contract? If so, who is the guaranteed-contract player most likely to be waived?
My guess would be Damian Jones. Woodard hasn’t shown rotation level ability yet, but he’s 21 and has enough potential based off his physical attributes to be worth a roster spot through his current contract.
Who is in the projected starting lineup and who are the 5 primary backups?
I’m guessing Fox_Hali_Barnes_Metu_Holmes
Mitchell_Buddy_TD_Harkless_Len
I don’t know if Walton has the balls to start Haliburton over Hield. Both are obviously going to be getting 30+ minutes per night.
Yeah, Walton is the major “what does it matter?” element to any plan to make the most of this roster.
My opinion is based on keeping Buddy from ever guarding a premier scorer, boxed between Mitchell and TD with Harkless as support and Len as a backstop, Buddy’s defensive issues can be mitigated a bit while allowing him to be the offensive focus.
Same goes for Bagley over Metu. I’m not sure Vivek and Co. would want to see that happen. Would they see that as an admission of failure?
So Metu is starting and Bagley can’t even sniff the second unit?
Curious, is the group consensus so disinterested in Marvin that there is no desire to see what he has to offer this year?
Bagley and Metu have similar stats (I would argue Metu worse), but Bagley is 2 years younger and if he develops some, I think more of a name asset moving forward than Metu might ever be.
I for one am curious, even if it’s just for 20 (healthy?) games to start the year at 20-25 mins a game.
The reason is that Metu is not Marvin Bagleying all over the place the way Marvin Bagley is. All that Marvin Bagleying gets old really fast.
Two reasons:
(1) – I think Metu is better than Bagley, at least in terms of a team concept.
(2) – No desire at all to watch Bagley, even if Bagley finishes the year on the team roster, there is zero chance he is with the Kings beyond the final year of his contract so the team shouldn’t worry about how much run he gets and instead focus on developing Metu, D. Jones, Queta, and King.
Bagley was a poor pick, the team should be ready to cut all ties and Bagley should not be a part of any long-term plans and if he’s not in the long term plans, he won’t be gifted playing time like in the past and I doubt he earns any PT. Bagley is physically gifted, but is one of the worst team players I’ve ever seen.