After adding Sam Merrill, the Sacramento Kings now have now fully filled out their 20-man training camp roster. That number will need to be cut down to 17 prior to the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, making for some intriguing positional battles on the backend of Sacramento’s rotation.
Tim Maxwell joined the show to share his thoughts on the candidates along with a few other topics.
We mainly focused on a few different players who we identified as the ones who will be fighting for one of the Kings’ final spots.
- Matthew Dellavedova
- Quinn Cook
- Kent Bazemore
- Sam Merrill
- Chima Moneke
For each of the above-listed players, we spent some time talking about their recent performances and production whether that was in the NBA, G-League, Euroleague, or NBL.
Our starting point with the third-string point guards revolved around what skillsets and qualities we would hope to get in a third point guard. The Delly vs. Cook debate may be about more than their on-court production and capabilities.
We debated if there’s any chance that Kent Bazemore doesn’t make the team and if there’s any chance that Chima Moneke and/or Sam Merrill do.
🚨 NEW EPISODE 🚨
🔘Special Guest: @TimMaxwell22
🔘The battle between Cook & Dellavedova
🔘Gauging Mike Brown's potential defensive impact
🔘Kent Bazemore, Sam Merrill, & Chima Moneke
🔘Sacramento's full 20-man training camp rosterhttps://t.co/hl9YkkqQL3 pic.twitter.com/b72jC5uN39— Kings Pulse (@Kings_Pulse) August 20, 2022
Also in this episode, Tim asked the question, “Is Mike Brown being over-hyped?” It’s an interesting thought and made for good conversation. Hearing the general NBA world feeling optimistic about a new Sacramento head coach is weird, but is it justified?
Plenty of the Mike Brown conversation revolved around defense, which I’m sure will surprise nobody. Take a look at the list of names on Sacramento’s roster and tell us if you honestly think they will not be a bottom-10 defense. I identified two players who I view as the X-Factors of the Kings’ defense this coming season.
The Kings Pulse Podcast is available on all major listening platforms as well as in video format on YouTube.
Hype? Media Hype? Not sure. Brown has been the benefactor of coaching Lebron in his prime. Lebron is an amazing student of the game. Like having a second coach out there.
That Alpha Dog is not here in Sac. Or, I am yet to see it. Maybe, Murray? Maybe Fox has run out of excuses and elevates his game.
Brown hasn’t been a head coach in a long time. Usually, there is a reason for that. How many years have elapsed? Why wasn’t Brown given an opportunity in all these years as an Asst? 8 years as An Asst? Then, he gets a call from Sac.
There are a lot more questions than answers for Brown.
I am may be in the minority. But, I wasn’t thrilled with the hire. Hopefully, I am proven wrong. If not, I won’t be surprised.
Nobody wanted Brown and nobody wanted to coach the Kings. The simplicity of the situation is all too clear.
I wouldn’t say nobody wanted Brown. Of the potential coaches listed, I think Ham was the only coach I liked more.
My excitement though is just as much for his staff. First, that he seems to be given free rein to assemble the staff as he sees fit, and second I like the staff that he has assembled.
I don’t necessarily think Rico Hines was a big loss either. He seems like a really good dude, but I can’t say that I have seen anything different from a player development perspective since he has been here. We’ll see.
I need to clarify that I also like Brown. I think he ended up here first because he knew his chances were limited anywhere else. I exaggerated for purposes of humor I guess.
What I like most is that they basically flushed the entire coaching staff. I like Christie but I also think any other real NBA team would have sent him away unless the head coach truly wanted him as an assistant.
Like you said about Rico Hines, he had his chance and it was not happening here. I have heard that he helps other players with their development as well and that he is sought out for that. Maybe the Kings organization limited his ability?
God damn what I would give for Fox to emerge as Top Dog on this roster this season. It’s now or never.
Kings Org, Media, and Fans overhyping players and coaches to give our meager desiccated basketball souls some shred of life-giving hope?
“The Kings have done nothing over the last five years…but building for De’Aaron Fox.”
2020: Draft a point guard
2021: Draft a point guard
This circle cannot be squared.
I guess it was BPA and they turned Hali into Sabonis.
He was a good pick. I like Mitchel but he is redundant, but he does play D on a team with no D.
Drafting Bagley because he fit with Fox and wouldn’t take the ball out of his hands.
Like anything with this team…..the plan is a windy illogical path. They have in my opinion openly been building around Fox but have not really done it well. Taking those point guards is actually the smartest decision they have made in decades.
Bagley was a dumb decision, whether you take Fox into account or not. That’s indisputable. But you’ve changed the subject, which you like to do when you don’t have a response to what’s stated.
2020: Draft a point guard
2021: Draft a point guard
Focus, and explain how that is all about building around Fox. Dance!
Pretty sure what I wrote was obviously clear. The Kings have been openly committed to building around Fox but like everything else with this organization logic and order do not prevail.
Drafting two point guards while openly building around Fox was dumb in the fact that Fox is a point guard. Your simply basic understanding of the obvious is always apparent. Looking beyond the obvious is where you have been lost forever.
The two point guards drafted are in many ways better than Fox. Dumb luck and taking the best player available instead of sticking to a plan. The inability to follow a plan actually worked out because they do not know what type of player to put next to Fox. Taking the best player available has worked out for them in comparison to drafting players based on their fit with Fox (the Bagley pick being most obvious).
One of the point guards brought in a potential all star that not even Fox could return in a trade. The other point guard has more opportunity of having a complete game compared to Fox who still struggles well into his career.
You could just have said that the fact that the team took point guards in two consecutive years confirms that the assertion that
is simply incorrect.
I’m absolutely thrilled that we are in agreement.
Just my $0.02, but the fact that the Kings took point guards in two consecutive drafts does not prove/disprove that the Kings have been building for De’Aaron Fox. It is clear that the kings were trying to build around Fox for his first 3 years.
It probably at least partially depends on your definition of “building”. As far as drafting and high-end talent, McNair seems to be trying to acquire the best players available. Fit is taken into account (not just with Fox) with the rest of the acquisitions. I am sure Fox was taken into account with the additions of Huerter and Monk.
After hearing to the above pod cast I have the feeling that Harrison Barnes isn’t what he used to be. I agree. At 30 most players in the NBA aren’t. With that said I have read a couple of trade ideas . One was Barnes plus a whole lot of picks for OG Anunoby. I would like some comments on this trade. OG has a lot of health issues but if he could stay healthy he would make the starting five one to be hard to beat. He is also a very good defender. We sure need that.
The other trade I thought was interesting was Barnes for the Clippers Luke Kennard and Omir Coffey. Kennard is one of the five best three point shooters in the entire NBA. Coffey can play small forward and is one of the best passers in the league. He is also a very good defender. Both are young and fit McNair,s timeline. Both have good contracts and won’t cost all of those draft picks as theAnunoby trade.
Both have their strengths and weaknesses.Tell me what you guys think of these trades?
It’s the kind of thing where, if Barnes has lost that much of a step, I am sure the other teams are aware too, so he has very little value. I never thought he great lateral quickness, so I am more inclined to believe it was an engagement thing last season.
As for Anunoby, I do like him as a player, but given the amount of games he misses, I don’t know about the multiple 1st round picks. I thought he used to be a really good defender, but I think his defense has dropped off a little bit as his offense improved. I am not sure how much he moves the needle without being really good on defense.
Just not into dancing.
I don’t see the real training camp battle as at one position, but rather 2 starting spots for whoever emerges between Davion, Monk, Huerter, and Murray.
I’m as excited for Murray to be the third option on this roster as anybody, but at the end of the day the guy who I want getting minutes this season is the guy who plays the best on the floor. I’m not going to stifle the potential of Davion, Monk, or Huerter to find another level to their game and get rewarded for it just because of a narrative.
With that said, I suspect Fox/Huerter/Barnes/Murray/Sabonis is the opening 5, and that lineup looks like a playoff team on paper.
Otherwise, idc between Delly/Cook and I’m a fan of bringing back Baze as a third-string wing. Expect Merrill, Moneke, and Cook to be the cuts.
I’ll place a wager on the dark horse Chima Moneke to make the team.
I expect Merril and Delly to be the cuts. And…hold on… trade Len.
Thanks for a good show. You painted a clearer picture about all of these additions.
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