Comments on: Emeka Okafor for Kenny Thomas Rumors?

By: WarcraftBWP

WarcraftBWP — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:55:40 +0000

@MustangMBS
the talk needs to stop? I was counting the days this season waiting for a Kevin Martin injury to happen. Hey I didn’t have to wait long and now he will be out for 8 weeks. This will be 3 years in a row where Kevin Martin was out for a long stretch. I am sorry but 10-12 mil a year for a scorer who can’t stay healthy is not worth it anymore in my books. When he comes back, they need to shop him and get some value for him while they still can.

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:31:30 +0000

I disagree with those who say Okafor isn’t an upgrade over Hawes. Okafor hasn’t played great this year, but he’s on a new team, and not a very good one at that. Given time, this is a guy who will snatch 10-14 boards a game, while providing decent offense. He is a good shot blocker, and along with Thompson by his side, would make the Kings a good rebounding team. He is much quicker and more athletic than Hawes as well.

Even if the Kings make this deal, they wouldn’t need to trade a 21 year old kid who is still working on his game. Hawes would do better to come off the bench for now anyways. Plus Okafor isn’t going to be playing 40mpg, he would play 30-34mpg, leaving ample time for Hawes to come in and work. This move would provide depth. When Martin is back, you have a bench of Hawes, Udrih, Casspi, and Udoka. That is nothing to scoff at in my opinion.

By: Alieninajar

Alieninajar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:56:13 +0000

Okafor is better than Hawes on the court. But Okafor has a long contract to match a long history of injuries. For whatever reason Hawes keeps forgetting to go low and throw some weight around, so we have to get someone who can. It’s hard to say. Chemistry wise, it looks great. He’s the post presence that is missing, but his track record is full of losses. I think the Kings should wait, unless CP3 is part of the deal for some dumb reason.

By: Willy

Willy — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:19:19 +0000

I like the idea of Okafor in a Kings uni, and he will make the defense ten times better with his rebounding and shot blocking ability. But the kings are an uptempo team, if he can get up and down then great but i dont think he can. I guess he could be a trailer, but i also love the idea of getting rid of Kenny Thoamas.

By: MustangMBS

MustangMBS — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:54:32 +0000

@Edgar Swope Talk of trading Martin needs to just stop. We got a rookie who can't shoot that well and now he should be the Shooting Guard. Even though he plays Point Guard. Really? Martin is so efficient offensively and he spreads the floor so that Evans can drive. We saw the non-shooting of Mason and how that closed the lane. Evans is better at PG with Martin at SG plain and simple.

By: Edgar Swope

Edgar Swope — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:19:36 +0000

Tough call on this one…While it would be nice to have a strong defensive presence, the cost is huge. I can survive with theteam competing like they are now, but one injury to JT or SH and we are in trouble. I wouldnt mind seeing if we could get Okafor and trade the high contracts of Martin and Thomas..I think reke will make KM tradeable, and 2 gaurds are easier to get than a defensive big.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:16:45 +0000

@Zach Harper I completely agree, but is Okafor the piece we need to make the playoffs? I'm not sure but I would love to find out.

By: Zach Harper

Zach Harper — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:32:07 +0000

@EZ
Spencer Hawes is NOT as good as Okafor. He isn’t reliable on offense and his defense is far worse than what Oke give you. He’s also not close to the rebounder is than Okafor. I guess if your biggest concern is free throw shooting then Spencer is your guy there. This deal would relegate Hawes to the sixth man or trade fodder.

At the same time, you can’t assume free agents will want to play in Sacramento when they don’t even know if the team will still be in Sacramento. Players want to know where they will be long term when they sign a contract and could be spooked by the rumors of the team leaving.

I think if you’re not confident you can bring in someone as good as Okafor then you make the trade and hope everything comes together. Otherwise, you don’t assume the risk of that financial commitment.

By: EZ

EZ — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:26:25 +0000

This is tempting, but I don’t think Okafor adds much value and he really isn’t any better than Hawes. Okafor would just be an expensive backup.

Kenny Thomas has been a financial liability for the past 3 years, but his contract ends after this year, giving the Kings an extra $8.5 mil in the off-season. More than enough to sign a better player than Oke. Just say no to this deal.

By: pookeyguru

pookeyguru — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:18:49 +0000

I think the question, Zach, is how good would this make the Kings defensively? Can Okafor guard the bigs out West? Is he worth the money he’s being paid given he’s not an All-Star?

On the other hand, how he fits with Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans is a major factor here. I think it’s an important decision that any team can afford to take a few dsys to think about.

Tough call. Very tough call.