The Kings started their longest road trip of the season by showing up in Minnesota for a two games in three nights matchup against the Timberwolves. After an anti-climactic flop at home to conclude their January home stretch, the Kings looked to get back on track against a fatigued Minnesota team, who just spent a big chunk of energy to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies last night. Let’s see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings lose, 110-117
Sacramento Kings: 110 pts, 45.1% fg, 27.3% 3 pt, 75.0% ft, 22 ast, 36 reb, 9 to
Minnesota Timberwolves: 117 pts, 52.5% fg, 45.9% 3 pt, 72.7% ft, 25 ast, 44 reb, 19 to
Though Minnesota was the team playing on the second night of a back to back, you never would have guessed it. The Timberwolves looked like they had the freshest set of legs on the court, while the Kings looked lethargic and a step behind all night long. The Kings made a push at the end, flirting within a five-point range for most of the 4th quarter, but ultimately couldn’t overcome the hole they dug themselves into from the first three periods.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good
- Early Aggression: As showcased in their shooting stats, the Kings struggled to score consistently throughout the game. Their offense had the usual movement and ball sharing to get them good looks, but for long stretches at a time, things just weren’t falling. To keep them in the game, the Kings relied heavily on Domantas Sabonis’ and Harrison Barnes’ aggression in attacking the rim. Both showed fearless resolve early on and put a ton of pressure on the rim, Rudy Gobert, and the Wolves’ defense as a whole. Barnes led the team tonight by going 10-11 from the free throw line, while Sabonis also got eight tries from the stripe.
- Monk Spark: Malik Monk looked much more like himself tonight as he led the bench with 13 points on 3-4 from the 3-point line. Monk provided his usual spark of energy off the bench on both sides of the ball, helping the Kings make their best run of the night in the 2nd quarter, when they outscored Minnesota 38-28. In the 4th quarter, Monk served up about four plays in a row to hit Domantas Sabonis rolling to the rim for good positioning and easy buckets.
The Bad
- Minnesota Moments: If it wasn’t one wolf, it was another. The Kings suffered from multiple Timberwolves having themselves a moment all night long. It started with D’Angelo Russell, who came out as a flamethrower, hitting his first seven 3-point attempts. Russell finished with 25 points on 7-9 from the 3-point line. Once Russell cooled off, Anthony Edwards stepped into the spotlight. During the 3rd quarter, Edwards found his stride, scoring 16 of his 34 total points by taking advantage of swaps and also just hitting some tough shots. Edwards took a little break just in time for Naz Reid to have his moment, as he scored 14 points from all three levels on the court. Edwards finished the Kings off, scoring another 10 points in the 4th quarter, completing the montage of Minnesota moments we had to suffer through all night long.
- Switching: It’s always been a big bugaboo of mine to see how often and easily the Kings switch on defense. Screens aren’t even necessarily set and the Kings are already ready and willing to hand their man off to the next guy in line. This tendency led to some bad matchups for the Kings, which allowed players like Anthony Edwards to take advantage of mismatches. The Kings also tend to get scrambled in these situations, which created a lot of open 3-point looks for the Timberwolves, and they unfortunately cashed in on a high percentage of them.
- Free Throws: While the Kings were efficient in getting themselves to the line, they weren’t able to convert consistently enough, as they left nine free points hanging there.
The Ugly
- Freezing Cold from Deep: In what has become a frustrating trend, the Timberwolves had an unusually hot shooting night from deep. They shot 45.9%, converting 17 of 37 attempts. On the other end of the spectrum, the Kings had an unusually cold shooting night, making just nine of their 33 attempts for a disappointing 27.3% on the night. As a team that relies heavily on their offensive efficiency, the Kings were constantly fighting an uphill battle without any consistent scoring from deep.
The King of Kings
In his 18 minutes, Davion Mitchell provided solid work for the Kings on both ends of the ball. Although he only logged four points on 2-3 from the field, he connected on five assists and provided the defensive focus the Kings were lacking without him.
Operation MCNAIR: Season 2 – Watch
Will recently released an update on the progress of Operation MCNAIR, and Kings fans, you’ve been showing all the way up! Proving once again to be the best fans in the world, you have continuously answered the call and Will has proudly reported that Operation: MCNAIR has officially donated over $16,000 to local charities. This community never fails to amaze me.
So, a year ago today, #OperationMCNAIR was born.
In the last 365 days, fans have raised $16,010 in donations for our community and despite the Kings owning the 3rd best record in the West at this point in the season, we’ve STILL found a way to raise $3504 for those in need. https://t.co/Wa2hdLIaDf
— Will Griffith (@WillofThaPeople) January 26, 2023
To keep the generosity going, tonight’s chosen charity is Professor Jamil Jan Kochai’s Winter Fundraiser for Afghanistan. Donate if you are able to do so and be sure to notify Will via Twitter (@WillofThaPeople) or e-mail ([email protected]) so he can continue to track the amazing progress you are all contributing to.
Up Next
Monday, January 30th @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 5:00 P.M. (PT)
Kings played a good game; Wolves played a great game.
Anybody had a chance to try the Moksa “Light the Beam” Imperial IPA? I just found out about it tonight but the tap was empty.
With respect I don’t think the Kings played a good game tonight. Their defense was largely absent. It drives me nuts seeing them trying to swipe the ball, out of the T Wolves player’s hands and then getting out of position and ending up with the ‘Pups having a clear path to hoop. This kind of “handsy” defense is not going to stop anyone.
If the Kings are going to end up with the 6th spot in the playoffs it’s going to be up to the players committing to playing real defense. Coach Brown is just another coach talking about defense while his players ignore him. It doesn’t matter how many times he calls a time out early in the first qtr to talk about defense if it doesn’t result in the players buying in and committing to playing the other side of the court.
There were exceptions—too few, but Davion and Monk played some good positional defense, Fox and Huerter, not so much.
At this point it is obvious Fox simply chooses not to play defense for whatever reason.
That’s been his MO his whole career, it’s not going to change now, I think he is who he is as a defender.
Maybe had a chance out of college then cam the KaNGz player development.
This year he has improved a lot. You can’t deny that.
My wife doesn’t believe this. She says he expends so much energy on the offensive end he tries his best on the defensive end it takes a lot out of him to do both.In part I to believe it to.
Could be true. He needs a balance to lead to wins. Scoring 30 while allowing 60 is useless. Hopefully he figures it out.
You need good defenders to play good defense and the Kings don’t have them. Coach himself said after the game it’s fool’s gold to think they’re just going to out score teams on the regular. Offense without defense isn’t going to go far in the playoffs when teams take their games to the next level.
It’ll be nice to finally make the playoffs, but I’m not predicting us to get out of the first round.
My basketball opinions are shit; I was more interested in the beer part.
Nevertheless, it seemed to me like the Wolves offense was pure fire to start the first quarter, but then the Kings defense stepped up for a while. Then it turned into a normal back-and-forth NBA game.
Wolves also played pretty good defense.
I pray they can get into the playoffs period. If they don’t play defense it ain’t going to happen.
We’re going to need a couple of moves to get made, because I just don’t see how this current team is good enough to be a 6 seed.
Kings didn’t play a good game.They played a horrible game. 27% from the 3 point line, nine missed free throws and no defense turns into a loss. Again so many straight line drives. Couldn’t protect the 3 point line. Allowed a lot of offensive rebounds and put backs.
The best starting guards played for the T-Wolves tonite .
When do we get 4 Quarters Fox instead of 4th Quarter Fox?
Remember he is an obvious All Star.
Even 2 quarters Fox would be good.
The team looks tired right now
Yeah, they could use the AS break.
Thanks, Mirann. Good writing and accurate analysis as usual. Domas played very well offensively, but if Minny is hot, the Kings have to hit their shots, and except for Domas they did not shoot well.
Also in the last couple of games he has had too many turrnovers most being unforced ones. I still don’t understand why he has to shove so many times under the basket. He is always flirting with that sixth foul. He also has missed a lot of layups. At 6′ 11″ this should not happen.
I kind of like that he is flirting with his sixth foul all the time. Been a very long time since the Kings had anyone who would do that. Having a backup will help that situation.
I missed the game but caught a recap and discussion on NBATV. Coach Borrego (why is that guy not on a bench somewhere?) said he thought the Kings are a small piece away from making noise in the playoffs. He said the Kings need (you guessed it) a solid backup to Sabonis who can protect the paint and/or a solid defensive wing for perimeter defense.
He had a solid take that the Kings don’t need help on offense. They have no problem scoring. They just need some serious help defensively, as the boxscore and recaps showed tonight.
Coach Borrego (why is that guy not on a bench somewhere?)
His .447 career winning percentage as a HC probably has something to do with it.
Plus these analyst gigs beat the grind of coaching.
He hit the nail on the head. First we need a big backup center who can protect the rim and rebound. This should not be that tough to get. Liked Reid last night. What about Plumbee?Look at his stats. He can rebound is a fairly good passer. What about Bamba? There are others out there that would not cost an arm or leg. Getting a good 3 and D wing would be harder. It would cost us probably a starter or first rounder. Don’t know.We aren’t going anywhere if we don’t get good defensive help period.
240lbs?
https://twitter.com/JandersonSacBee/status/1619554217802498048
Also, totally random, I looked up Sabonis’ measurements and weights…. NBA.com and Wiki has Domas listed as 7’1″ ESPN has him listed as 7’0″
Did Domas suddenly grow? I’ve always known him as 6’10”
Actually, 6’10” seems a stretch . Plays very big though .
This Burton sounds like PJ Tucker 2.0
Tucker clocks in at 6’5 / 245
his g league stats were good. looks like he developed a 3-point shot.
Ayo can I complain about the broadcast here? 3 games in a row: dog show, then nbc sports down, tonight can’t cast from my phone to the TV (youtubetv). Am I the only one?! It is affecting my sanity.
It is unbelievably complex isn’t it. Stupid.
Thank you, I will accept and form of sympathy at this point. A beam would be nice…
DLO and Ant did not kill the Kings. The kANGz defense killed the Kings.
This team can be amazing if they ever grow up and play defense.
I totally agree. If we don’t wake up and play defense we have a good chance of not making the playoffs.
not they they shouldn’t play better defense but shitty shooting from deep lost this game. 27% from deep is terrible. 3 more made 3 pointers which still results in a shitty overall shooting percentage from deep wins them this game.
But to your point, 2 or 3 more defensive stops wins them this game too.
The concept of winning basketball games is still new to this group, defense and the little things are the ultimate differences.
We must be the league leaders in losing games against teams on a SEGABABA.
I hope these missed opportunities aren’t going to bite us in the ass by the end of the season.
Nah, I bet Houston is worse. 🙂
Hah, that would be such a relief.
Not far behind.
They will.
Too lazy to look, but I don’t think we’ve one a single one of those types of games this season.
The Kings resigned Monte McNair and never won again.
I’ll be in the minority here, but the Kings played much better basketball than the Wolves tonight. Watching the Wolves, I felt like I was watching Walton Kings. Isolation ball and a prayer. They hit bad shots and that’s why they won. The brand of basketball they displayed was ugly. Watching Edwards or Russell hit step back threes was impressive, but it’s a bad long term basketball strategy.
The Kings played well. They got good shots and missed. Aside from some Fox ill advised threes, I felt like they executed and just missed. It almost came around at the end with the Monk/Sabonis 2 man game leaving the wolves with no answers and followed up with Clutch Fox showing up and hitting mid range after mid range shot at the end, as he usually does. Then a run of missed free throws coupled with an off balance step back 3 by Edwards iced it. If this game repeats itself 10 times, the Kings win 8 of them by an average margin of 6 points.
Agree – the cookie crumbled just off for Sac with plenty of opportunities presented and not taken to advantage. Sacramento after 3 Quarters had to rally from behind and could not.
Missed FTs, a couple of missed coverages (McDaniels getting a lay in and a 3), HB bobbling under the rim. But De’Aaron Fox with 21 in the 4th was not the problem as Barnes, Heurter and Murray were dry in response.
Fox kept it close otherwise this was an 18 point loss. That was an All-Star 4thQ.
Btw, I am somewhat surprised to see Matt Barnes on the post game after the spitting kerfuffle.
Minny has a lot of talent – and KAT is out. When he returns this team will either gel, as he adds so much on both ends of the floor or he will be a distraction as this looks like an Ant Man lead team. As a hoops fan, I am hoping it’s the former and that a dynamic team emerges.
I am hopefully optimistic that the next contest will have a better outcome for the Kings.
In part I agree. They got good shots and missed. Nine of those good shots and missed were from the free throw line. Some of the Wolves 3 point shots were tough ones but a lot were shot with no King within 6 to 10 feet. They had more straight line drives to the basket than we had and last but not least their offensive rebounds were more than I can count on both hands.
The O boards have been a problem all season for Sac as have instances of matador D, with layups or dishes for layups.
Missed FT were a killer for sure. Minny gave them chances, Kings got some stops. And yet…
But – that 4th by Fox was glorious if too late. Domas was solid as usual.
Trade deadline next Thursday February 9… any predictions for Sac? Anyone else?
Did you know that 4 years ago, February 10 2019 – A starting line up of Fox, Barnes, and Bjelica, WCS and Buddy Hield was 30-26 with their win over 11-47 Phoenix riding Marvin Bagley’s 32 point outing?
This is me as a scorned Kings fan, reviewing the Western Conference standings each day, despite still being in 3rd place
I guess I’ll be the first to bring it up here….but Myles Turner signed a renegotiation and extension in Indy. I think this is important because this was an important domino that basically takes them out of the running of absorbing John Collins into cap space. It could help McNair get a deal done with Atlanta for Collins (assuming that’s something McNair wants to do) because now there’s one less team in play for John Collins.
Again, I don’t know what this means for Sac at the deadline, but Indy using a lot of cap space to sign Turner is a good thing for buyers IMO.
I guess I’m in the camp of officially not wanting Collins. I don’t see how he helps the teams that struggles on defense, not to mention he’s just going to take minutes away from Barnes and Murray. He’s been atrocious from 3 this year (which I can’t figure out) and doesn’t really move the ball. I get that you might be able to buy on on Collins right now, but he’s still going to cost a lot more than Holmes, expiring and some 2nd round picks. If the Kings are looking for a buy low player right now, I’d hit up the 76ers for Thybulle.
As for a big, I prefer to get a minor piece like Plumlee or Zach Collins for far less. I also think they’d help the great core in smaller minutes than John Collins in greater minutes.
I’m not sure the Kings need another defensive wing who can’t score to help Okpala warm the bench. Collins brings weak-side shot-blocking, and an above-the-rim presence the Kings lack. One has to hope the Kings offense provides better looks to improve his outside shot, but the Kings need help around the basket as well, especially rebounding. I also like I. Hartenstein for a back-up big, good defender, strong offensive rebounder, sparks the break with his outlet passing. Collins could bring another dimension to the starting unit, AND fill the back-up spot on most nights. Moving Murray to the 3, along with adding Collins adds size to the front court size (and rebounding), while adding a wing of Barnes caliber coming off their bench would solve a lot of problems.
DeAndre Jordan is another guy who might fit well.
I said it before; our defense breaks down from penetration from the perimeter and especially from the point of attack. A big won’t solve that. It’s just shifting the problem when a big has to leave his man to try and stop the straight line dribves to the rim.
Once the ballhandler can get to the paint with ease, your rotations will often be too little, too late. That problem exists especially with Huerter, Monk and Fox. How you’re gonna fix it?
Agreed. Kings need to stop the easy paint touches by other teams guards. As much as Fox and Huerter are impressive on the offensive end, the same can’t be said on the other side of the court.
Sabonis isn’t a bad defender, but when he’s forced to leave his man to stop the drives, he’s either getting into foul trouble or his man is free at the dunkers spot.
Or there is an easy kick-out to the perimeter.
I think the defensive scheme is working and it is close to max out its potential with this current roster.
The Kings’ defensive location eFG% is 9th in the league. This measures how favorable opponent shot locations are. To break it down what that means, the Kings force 5th least opponent 3pt attempts, 12th least opponent shots at the rim, and 6th most mid range shots.
So the Kings are pushing opponents to shoot when they want them to shoot, which is in the mid range.
What is bad is that opponents are shooting a very high percentage at the rim and in the floater range.
This is just normal defensive rotation. Help defense come from the low men from either side of the corner. It would be nice if the low men are shot blockers then that would put fear into some of these opponent drives.
What we need in long term is a weak side shot blocking 4 to pair with Domas. Barnes is quite a bad fit defensively. His block rate is 0.3%, lowest amongst all rotational players. The 2nd lowest is Huerter at 0.8%. Lol that is almost 3x better than Barnes.
Weak side shot blocking will help reduce the opponent shot at the rim, both in term of attempt and FG%. Opponents can shoot all the floaters they want but they better feel trepidatious when they get all the way to the rim.
Maximus is alive!!! Woot!!!!
Yeah man, it is the most exciting season for Kings fans in a long long time. Happy to be a Kings fan.
Are you as surprised as I am the Kings are top 3 in ORtg on the season?
I thought this team could score, but they still have the highest point total scored in a game this season and it’s nearly February!!!
I also think it’s interesting that Domas only lineups have worked really well. That was somethimg Indy always struggled with.
Anyhoo, glad you’re still around!
I am somewhat surprised about the ranking. I am much more surprised that they have 117.5 ORTG. That is ridiculous. Probably historic high for the league all time.
Sabonis’ DHO unlocks so many offensive weapons. And in a way, Fox and Sabonis unlock each other.
The defense though. Once upon a time, the starting lineup was pretty good defensively. But lately, it has been pretty bad. This is something that Indy struggled with, how to build a dynamic defense around Sabonis. And they could not.
Lucky for us, our offense is so good that we can be patient trying to figure out the defense. Unlucky for us, when we sign Sabonis to a max or near max contract, we don’t have much wiggle room for improvement.
All in all, good time to be around.
Yep. It’s not an all time high but it’s in the top 10 if memory serves. It’s an era and parity thing, IMO.
What I find so interesting about this team is that it doesn’t feel unsustainable. Bunch of guys are avg’g career highs, but it’s mostly just a cut above their career normal highs. I think you’re right about Domas unlocking alot of this roster.
Some of the years, overall, it was offense they struggled with. With Turner and Sabonis, they never were able to build a good offense together.
But you’re right, that was probably a function of not be able to leave Sabonis as the lone big on the floor effectively. And every time I look, Domas’ points avg is going up. Other than the year in 20-21, Domas has never averaged 20 PPG at any point. The 18.9 PPG Domas is avg’g this season is his 2nd highest for his career to ther lone Nate Bjorkgren season.
Hell yeah, haven’t had this much fun since the 2018-19 year and I was caught off guard by that team. I never expected them to be anything as good as they were.
I don’t feel like I’m that surprised by this team, just surprised by the level of achievement they have put up to this point.
I agree on Plumlee or Collins. If we trade Holmes, Davis and Metu and 2 seconds to the Hornets we could possibly get Plimlee and P J Washington. That would move Lyles to the 3 Washington the 4 and Plumlee at center. All play pretty good defense. Trey shoots threes and drives from the 3 spot. Washingto is a good defender and shot blocker at the 4 and Plumlee rebounds blocks and is a pretty good passer. Give me some imput.
I recall reading somewhere that the Hornets want to keep Washington. They plan to match offers this summer on him since he is a RFA. He’s not available.
As to Plumlee, the rumor now is the Hornets want a first round pick for him. That ain’t happening., IMO. They also don’t want to take on salary, so Holmes may be off the table for them. I’d offer the expirings of Len and TD plus a 2nd rounder or two for Plumlee and see if they respond.
Okay.
Kupchak will overplay his hand here because that’s what he does. He doesn’t want to get taken on the trade market and he doesn’t want to look like he’s not trying to get value in return. Hence these type of rumors.
I’d be very, very surprised that wherever Plumlee ends up (unless he wants to stay in Charlotte) he fetchs this type of price unless it’s from OKC. And I’d say the same for Poeltl. for that matter.
I don’t have my heart set on any guy at this point, and I’m not worried what McNair does either. Mostly, I’m intrigued to see how he goes about this deal given where the Kings are at.
But as far as PJ Washington goes? Eh, definitely not for the price Kupchak wants.
any price that includes a first round pick for any of these guys is just way too high. Kings could give up a first rounder (with some co-operation from the Hawks) but would have to get a solid starter in return with an age that fits the core and a medium-term deal. There are very few of these options. Somebody like Markenon but the price for him will be way too high.
What do you think of Fox’s trade value? What’s he realistically worth to the rest of the league?
I’m not advocating for trading him. I’ve never really considered his trade value, then struggled while doing so.
I don’t see him being worth a lottery pick. Somewhere in the 13-15 range seems right. Is he worth a good player and that level of 1st?
Details of any trade package would of course matter, but I was thinking in terms of establishing a minimum level of value. (which I might not be able to get!)
Will either of these guys cause other teams to lose sleep? no.
Plumlee has some skills but is an atrocious shooter ( except for dunks). PJ is woefully inconsistent. Washington is the type of player that the team that owns him thinks he is better than he actually is.
They have Mark Washington who they drafted and Nik Richards as the third center. There may be value there.
I just doubt that the Hornets want the Kings excess. You want to trade flotsam and jetsam for two guys that they over-value. Just won’t occur.
Best option is a team that is a seller, wants to dump salary for not much.
Washington was that with Rui- they got far less value in return but got rid of salary. That’s the type of deal Kings need. Not a desperate over pay.
I do believe that the current third slot is illusionary- some of the teams below will get hot and move into top 6- LAC (but they tanked tonight), LAL (doubtful), Suns with Booker back, duds with all their arrogant talent, Minn with KAT, Mavs, etc. The 3-10 slots are close and Kings in precarious spot. Need to win 4-5 games on this trip to stave that off.
Teams will have to make decisions- buy or sell? Hope for more Wenbyama sellers and some deals that just pop up.
A buyer’s market hurts the Kings since I think that buying will not keep the top 6 slots. I see Mavs, LAC, duds, Suns in top 6.
I will be disappointed, but I am used to it and am trying to be realistic. There is just so much parity and all it takes is for one of those teams to get the injury guys back and real off 6-7 in a row.
Hence, my reluctance to wish for a trade that jettisons assets for a goal that is I think an illusion. I do not believe that Rui was the right guy for here- no defense but that type of deal- a player who does not play + some second rounders, is the right type of deal. Look to next year, not just this year.
Collins- I think the price is high and for what?
The Kings defensive problem is partly size at the rim, shot blocking and protection of the inner paint but the problem also occurs out on the periphery. KZ has helped at times, but his offense is atrocious. and teams somehow do not let the Kings hide him on offense.
I like HB, Lyles and KM but all are 3’s, not 4’s. and not your standard athletic 3 at all. If they play the 4, there is not much in terms of paint protection. If they play the 3, they can be beaten by athletes.
I heard tonight on NBA TV that they expect an active trade deadline. Kings are buys but don’t have much to sell. Want multiple sellers who will compromise, just to sell. Kings are in trouble in a buyers’ market because they don’t have enough to sell and might be tempted to sell too much.
Everything you said I like a lot.
I get not wanting JC. At this point, I’m a bit in the middle and not totally committed to any one idea. I’m not sure what the preferred play is, for me, honestly.
I was thinking trade the 2023 pick (which as of now you cannot do), the 2025 pick, both top 4 protected, and Holmes/Len/Davis to make the money work. It’s not a phenomenal package or anything, but Collins is a buy low guy and there’s no way I want both Holmes and Collins on this roster.
Also, Collins essentially functions as your backup C, provides some rim protection (if you go on previous years without Capela), shoots the 3 (has not done so well this year, again, obviously), and what not. I could see why the Kings go that way.
My point was, in a way, is that Atl’s FO is putting out propaganda (through Jake Fischer) that Indy, Utah, New Orleans are interested in Collins. What the Turner renegotiation/extension did was make it very difficult for Indy to get involved in a Collins deal. I’m not sure there’s a deal that makes much sense for the Hawks unless they want Buddy Hield. i’m not sure that’s the best play for Indy, either.
I’m good on this. Wait until summer. Unless it’s a low, low 2nd round pick for Thybulle. I’m not saying Okpala is better than Thybulle, but why waive Okpala for Thybulle? That seems like a lateral move RN and more of a summertime move IMO.
This is certainly debatable and a matter of preference. I’m not paying a 1st rd pick for Plumlee or Poeltl. (Although if I was Sam Presti, I probably would if for no other reason than to have Bird rights on one of them. Especially since they have so many 1st rd picks, they can afford to move one of them. Ousmane Dieng + the Philly 1st in 2025 for Jakob Poeltl. Who says no?)
At this point, my eyes are on guys like Goga Bitazde, Zach Collins, Jaxson Hayes, Mason Plumlee, Naz Reid, Jericho Sims guys like that. Other than a bigger talent like John Collins which I think the Kings need, too.
It’s an interesting crossroads for Monte McNair and this FO, Adam. They’ve come a ways, have a ways to go. I’m really interested to see how they go about this trade deadline, far more than I usually would be honestly. Because usually I’m of the mindset ‘trade’ll happen or they won’t’
I’m with you on all of this. I too do not want Holmes and John Collins on this roster. Holmes would have to be part of the deal for Collins. I could swallow the pick modifications to this year’s first with no restrictions and a 2025 with protections. The Kings are going to loose a first rounder to ATL eventually, thanks to the Huerter deal, so what is one more in a Holmes for Collins swap. The problem is getting numbers to work because I don’t know how you get it to work without including Monk or Barnes.
In terms o Thybulle, he would be a buy low prospect right now. Philly may move him if it can improve them now as they look to be a strong title contender. I’ve also read they want a legit back center to Embiid because Harrell may not cut it. They may have interest in Holmes. Thybulle and filler (Korkmaz) for Holmes works. Also, the Kings wouldn’t need to waive Okpala as they could just cut their 10 day player.
Still, I’d prefer those bigs you listed at there near the end, specifically Plumlee and Zach Collins, because I think they fit the system better and could be had for far less.
Personally, it’s a no thank you on JC, I just don’t believe he moves the needle all that much and that contract is hefty.
I really like Reid, but would be happy with Plumlee. I also like kicking the tires on Thybulle to see if there is another small deal to be made.
IMO, with what’s currently available (and considering the ridiculous Gobert trade that inflated the market costs) the best strategy for this team at this time would be to work the edges of the roster and continue preaching an expectation of winning & team defense and just see how far we can get with this group.
Agree that Holmes has to be part of the deal, and that’s likely the snag (finding a home for Richuan if Atlanta doesn’t want him).
If your looking to shorten the rotation to 8 for the playoffs, then with a starting five of Fox, Huerter, Murray (or Barnes), Collins< Sabonis, you have, off the bench 1 guard, 1 wing, and 1 big.
Monk is the obvious third guard, Barnes (or Murray) becomes your third wing, and Metu is the third big, for now.
Mitchell, Davis, Lyles, Holmes, two 2nds for Collins.
I don’t love it but I like it, especially past this season. Which makes me think it could be realistic. I get queasy at the thought of losing Davion, but they have three guards.
As for giving up perimeter penetration, and all that, well, obviously Collins doesn’t solve all their problems but, I think they would be a better team and I like what a deal like this does for our salary structure moving forward.
Right, I know that. I just think Okpala and Thybulle are redundant is what I actually meant.
As far as that trade, I guess…. it’s something? Still wouldn’t do it. Especially because you have Okpala, what is Thybulle an upgrade at and Korkmaz does what for you?
I’d wait for the summer on those two, personally.
Price is going to matter here, a lot. I don’t think the Kings are going to do a go for broke trade and while they will be perceived as desperate in some outlets, mostly they will be talking about Vivek Ranadive. There’s not going to be much pressure for Monte McNair to really go out and do something stupid based on recent history. The Sabonis-Haliburton trade was framed that way, but none of that discussion has ever discussed whether or not Sac had the ability to rebuild around Haliburton. And the time.
Anyhoo, yeah.
This is my least favorable option. As you know, Sacramento is not a free agent destination. I also don’t want to play the RFA game as the smaller market. If (and this is a totally speculating) Monte likes Thybulle, you make a move for him now then use his rights this summer to dictate your path.
As to redundancy with Thybulle and Okpala. I just want to see some players who care about defense. I don’t care if they are redundant. The Kings have plenty of redundant shooters on offense, but few redundant defenders. Also, Thybulle is a proven NBA defender, while Okpala is not. I feel like we’ve been told Okpala is some kind of superior defender, but I haven’t seen it.
Lastly, Korkmaz was just filler to make numbers work.
I hate this comment but mostly because this guy isn’t a NBA player but a number. I get it, it’s part of the business side, yadda yadda, but I still hate it. It will always be a pet peeve of mine.
It’s disingenuous to say Fox, Monk and Huerter don’t care about defense. You’d say the same about Ja Morant, too, if he was playing with this group. They just have better defenders overall. And guys who play two ways. But it’s not like Steven Adams is an offensive guy either. He’s a distant 5th option most nights.
Who is t.he great stopper on Denver? KCP? Gordon?
You give way too much creedence to the front of the jersey and record sometimes, IMO, Adam.
I’m not worried about this whatsoever. Philly is over the tax, Thybulle avg’s 12 MPG as of now. He’s not a major part of their rotation. Worrying about the RFA game with a guy playing that little feels like you’re misreading the market. This isn’t DeAndre Ayton we’re talking about here. Thybulle isn’t commanding 6.25M on the market as an AAV (and that’s his QO# I might add). Plus there’s the whole ‘player has a no trade clause’ thing when a guy signs his QO. This is a perfect example where a good team lets an ‘asset’ walk for nothing. Because realistically, Thybulle isn’t an asset. And certainly not one worth fretting over whether his team offers him the QO or not. At this point, I’d be shocked if Philly even offers Thybulle the QO.
Anyhoo, yeah. If you can get Thybulle for a low 2nd, fine. Otherwise wait. There’s no hurry. He’ll be available in July.
Just read and article on Bleacher report that we might be able to trade Holmes and a second or two for Josh Hart. Then trade Len and Dais and a second or two for either Plumlee or Collins.
I’d do Holmes and a second or two for Hart in a heartbeat, but PDX won’t
Looking back, I think 27-19 will have been the high water mark for the kings. They’ve beat up some beat up teams, and now the bad losses to mediocre teams are piling up. And the Kings are no longer a surprise to the league. I think we end up 2-3 games above .500 for the season. Hope I’m wrong!
I had them at 3-4 on this trip, with one of those games coming in Minnesota. However, after watching this team slowly start to unravel over the last week or so, I’m revising that to 2-5, with a win against the Spurs and one of two in Houston.
Last night showed that Minnesota is definitely the superior team in this matchup. Getting pretty much whatever they wanted on offense (no surprise, as that’s been the Kings calling-card), and showing that only takes an ounce of perimeter defense to wreck our offense, because we have almost zero ability to score inside. Something it seems the league in general is picking up on, too.
I was admittedly guilty of buying into the hype of what looked to be a massive turnaround, but watching the wheels slowly coming off the team, barring a roster shakeup to get a couple of players who can play decent ball on both sides of the court, not just one or the other, we’re very likely to find ourselves fighting with the Thunder for that last play-in spot down the stretch. I’m also expecting them to return home from this trip in the 7th spot.
At least it was a fun, albeit brief, ride. Hell, I hadn’t been that excited about Kings basketball in almost 2 decades.
I watched a different game. I saw a team making difficult, low percentage shots and the Kings still had a chance at the end. They were a step back 3 and a few missed free throws from winning. I think the Kings blow them out tomorrow.
They are 7-3 in the last 10. What are you watching??
A lot of bad basketball over the past two weeks.
Is it reasonable to hope in a 7 game series, our 3 pt shooting is great for 3 games, and Fox/Ox carries us for the other 2 games? I don’t know if defense will improve much at this point, at this rate I am hoping for 4-2 or 4-3 series. I know Mike Brown said outshooting teams is fools gold.
Have we clinched a playoff spot yet? Has the beam been lit?
Pay attention bro. There’s still a lot of games left.
Of course hypothetically, assuming Monte not able to upgrade significantly by trade deadline.
Badge Legend