You tend to forget just how good Francisco Garcia is.

It’s nobody’s fault, really. Just a series of flukes that somehow pushed Cisco’s ability to the back of our mind. The overblown contract. The bizarre medicine ball injury. The less-than-impressive return last season. The miserable failure of the “play him at point guard” experiment, that reminded us mostly of what he can’t do and not of what he can.

But let’s face it – how many of us can play point guard in the NBA? Or can avoid weight-room appliances exploding and indirectly decimating our wrists? It’s not Cisco’s fault that he arrived when the franchise was on the verge of a depressing downslide, thus staining his advantages with the stench of a golden era in the rearview mirror. Sure, he has his liabilities, maxing out as a very good role player/locker room presence. But when given the choice between having Francisco Garcia on your team and not having Francisco Garcia on your team – salary factors not included – I don’t see how you could possibly choose the latter.

And yet, when you look at this Sacramento rotation and tell yourself that the Kings have no help on the wings, you suddenly blink, cock your head to the right, and say: “wait, a tick… is that El Flaco I see there on the depth chart?” Read more…

There is a very good reason for the now 3-month-long-boogie that has been in Kings fans hearts ever since draft night of 2010.

You’re damn right I started off with a nickname pun. Because when you’re dealing with 295 pounds made of nothing but pure talent, he can make everything – even nickname puns – work. The only problem is how. Because even though he has the ability, the body, the everything he ever needs, if you can’t put it together, it could end up as bad as my pun.

You’ve probably heard it by now, multiple times. You’ve been reading it non-stop since 2010 mock drafts started to surface. The attitude questions, the motor issues, the supposed lack of conditioning. The abundance of questions that all boil down to the same basic concept. Will he behave? Will he be able to use his massive frame and massive skill for the betterment of mankind, AKA Kings nation? Or does this road end in nothing more than a pat on the back from those burnt by Tyrus Thomas, Michael Beasley, and all other “draft by potential” headcases that never panned out? Will he be pre 2010, hold up the ball, kill your teammates’ will to live, airball iso 3s Zach Randolph? Or will he be 2010, dominant post scorer, rebounder extraordinaire Zach Randolph? All versions of the same question. Of THE question.

Read more…

I may be the only one, but seeing Samuel Dalembert in a Kings jersey will be really weird for me. I guess Sammy isn’t the first thing to pop in one’s mind when he hears the phrase “Philadelphia 76ers”, but he has been around for quite a while, always popping up in trade rumors and disproportionate contract discussions and yet always manning the middle for the usually overmatched squad from Philly.

And now it’s over. Quietly, uneventfully, for Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni, while we were much busier thinking about the then still undecided NBA finals.

So forgive me if I stall, and bump the “what Samuel Dalembert will mean for the Kings” bit down a hundred words or so. As a basketball fan with no affinity what-so-ever with the Philadelphia 76ers, I’m not sure if Sammy in a different jersey will ever feel right.

Okey Dokey. Moving on.

Looking ahead towards Dalembert’s Sacramento days, we must first separate two equally intriguing parts of Sam: his 6’11″, 250 pound frame, and his 13.4 million dollar expiring contract. The former could – SHOULD – be a great help for a team that desperately needs what he gives. The latter could potentially provide the Kings with a massive upgrade, or could be proven irrelevant.

We’ll start with Sam the player.

First and foremost, Sam is a shot blocker. So much of a shot blocker that he tries too hard, spanning all those goaltending jokes that you’ve been reading ever since the Kings pulled off that trade with Philly. But despite his occasionally mistiming his leaps so that his opponent’s shot still counts, his tendency to send anything even approaching the rim he’s defending to the other side of the country is generally beneficial. And if you don’t believe me, take a look at some of Spencer Hawes’ defensive “highlights”. Heck, even the best defender in this league occasionally catches one of the shots he loves sending into the stands after the apex of arcs. It’s just something you have to live with.

Luckily, Sammy isn’t just your empty block extraordinaire. No, as far as interior defense, the large Haitian is the real deal. Sam finished third in the entire league at defensive rebound rate, posting a beastly 30.7. While that’s easily a career high (an upwards bump from 29.1 in 08-09, after ranging between 22 and 25.4 since his rookie year) and unlikely to be repeated, a third place, league wide finish is hardly fluky: the man can crash the boards with a vengance, a welcome sight after last season.

Of course, the picture isn’t entirely rosy. The goaltending issue is a real one, with his carelessness frequently awarding teams with extra points. He also fouls quite a bit – these past two seasons he was just under 6 fouls per 48 minutes – which combined with the Kings’ frontcourt depth, should probably ensure that his minutes per game remain around the 25 mark he’s been at the past two seasons. He’s also not your best one-on-one post defender, specifically struggling against this league’s most monsterous post dwellers – let’s not forget how Dwight Howard destroyed him in that 08-09 playoff series, and even Marcin Gortat posted an 11 and 15 when Dwight was suspended for game 6. However, very few men can cope with his Dwightness. All in all, he is a very good defensive big man, and should prove to be a coup for the Kings on that end of the court.

Offensively, my thinking at the time of the trade was that Sam would be the designated lob-finishier/tip-in-master/general-garbage-man. He is a strong offensive rebounder, though he isn’t as dominant as he is on the defensive boards (his offensive rebound rate last season was 13.0, a very solid figure, but not among league leaders), and his constant mobility allows him to get put backs and turn loose balls into dunks.

There has also been talk of him playing a bigger role in the offense than what we’ve seen in Philly. Zach broke down the prospect on this very cyberspace and came out with mixed feelings. Ultimately, there is validity to the sentiment of featuring Dalembert – he is very mobile for a man his size, and a strong finisher around the rim (according to Hoopdata he shot 67% at the rim last season). Having him constantly set screens for either Reke or Beno, then cutting to the basket gives the Kings a strong option on the roll part of the pick and roll, while keeping opposing big men honest when trying to cut off Reke’s penetration. If Tyreke and Sammy can develop a strong understanding of when Sam is open of these drives, they can be a force as a pick and roll combo.

As far as floor spacing, though, Sam leaves one wanting. His shooting from the 10 to 15 foot range has regressed over the past 4 seasons – from 48% in 06-07 to 43%, 40%, and 35.6% last year. This from a range that offers little spacing. The picture from 16 to 23 feet is even grimmer – Sam shot 38% last year after showings of 30% and 37% the years before – so he probably shouldn’t be counted on to shoot from there.

However, his constant movement should be enough to make sure that the paint isn’t crowded. While he isn’t the ideal big man to pair with either Landry or Cousins when they go down low, one can certainly envision him moving off the ball on the opposite side of the paint, cutting in to the basket, trying to capitalize on DeMarcus’ elite passing skills. Landry shows less promise in this regard, but should be able to work with Sam’s off ball escapades as well.

Moving on to the contract bit, this is where Sam turns from solid veteran help into endless mouthwatering possibilities. You’ve probably heard way too much already about the bleak and uncertain future of the league, with impending CBA threatening to forever alter the salary cap as we know it. Well, in such a state of financial overturn, contracts expiring before the new CBA comes into effect have immense value to teams looking to cut costs. Using Sam’s expiring contract, the Kings could allow themselves to take on long-term salary (they are currently on the books for just 26 million next year), thus upgrading the roster long-term without resorting to the financially unreasonable.

Or, if there doesn’t seem to be a long contract worth swallowing – a saddening yet very plausible scenario – Sam’s deal could be an immense help to the Kings just by running out. With so little money on the books for next season, the Kings have the flexibility to offer extensions to either Carl Landry, Sammy, both, or none of them – and still probably be a player in the free agent market. And while the class of 2011 isn’t nearly as impressive as the class we just saw this summer, there are some interesting prospects (specifically, allow me to officially start my campaign for the Kings to sign Marcus Thornton, who will be a restricted free agent after the season).

Though this may seem weird considering the guy has been in the league for 8 years and is a likely opening day starter (I find it hard to believe Westphal knocks the veteran for Cousins, even if that might be the right decision), this year will be somewhat of an audition for Sam. We know not what his market value will be with the new CBA in place and who could afford to get him – for example, in the current market, the Miami Heat would probably have knocked on his door with their MLE the second 2011 free agency starts – but we do know that his Bird rights belong to Sactown. Which means they could either sell them to the highest bidder, or use them to keep Sammy in purple for a few more years.

However, whether he sticks for a few months, the entire season, or beyond, Sam fills a clear need for this team. For the price of an overpaid, disgruntled veteran, and a prospect gone wrong, that’s a steal, even if he goaltends a potential Tyreke game winner.

It feels kind of stupid to write a 2010-2011 preview of Hassan Whiteside, because nothing about Hassan screams “2010-2011”. It’s like flying from L.A. to Miami – sure, you’ll probably be over Arizona at some point, and you might even enjoy that part of the flight if it’s when they pass out the peanuts, but that’s not really what the flight is about, is it?

Ditto for Whiteside – yes, he will make a cameo of sorts in this campaign, and chances are he exhilarates us a few times with a few monstrous blocks, but the ultimate goal is far, far in the future.

Physically, the upside is enormous. Standing seven feet tall, with a ridiculous 7’7″ wingspan. Bursting with muscle. Fast. Quick. Explosive. Not that we haven’t seen guys like this fail before – athleticism can only take you so far – but why penalize Hassan for failures past? Not to mention that for a big man, the frame means more than it does for other positions, since at the very least, everybody needs a shot-blocker/rebounder — even if he lacks all basic understanding of basketball and fouls out on a nightly basis. Just look at the money tossed Amir Johnson’s way this summer.

And while the supposed attitude issues may sound concerning (I say “may” because I doubt their validity. I am admittedly very far away from Sacramento’s daily happenings, but I haven’t seen nor heard anything regarding those concerns since draft night), once factoring that incredible frame, there is no reason to believe Hassan can’t already start out as that shot-blocker/rebounder, and grow from there.

Don’t believe me?

Hassan blocked 5.4 shots in 26.1 minutes per game in college. For those of you who can’t find your calculators, that’s a block every 4 minutes, 50 seconds. That extrapolates to 7.4 blocks per 36 minutes. Three times, his blocking numbers climbed to double digits. All three times he added 10+ points and boards for the rare collegiate triple double.

Want more? Last season, 21 teams averaged less than 5.4 blocks. 3 more clocked in at the 5.4 mark. The Kings came in 23^rd among teams at 4.5 a night. Your second round pick averaged, in 26 minutes, more blocks than 70% of the association.

Now, one could point out how different the NBA is from college, how it’s much easier to block physically inferior children than grown men who won’t look up at him, how different the timing is on shots. One would be right on every single one of those points. But come on, folks – 5.4. You can’t find that many blocks in a life sized Lego statue of Rony Seikaly. You don’t get those only by being tall. Nor do you get the 8.9 rebounds, a stat that translates relatively well to NBA ball.

The trick with Hassan will be to mold this roundball lump of clay into a fully functioning, fear inducing, paint dwelling behemoth. One wonders if the Kings have the right roster to do this – despite being 21 years old, Whiteside played only one season at college, and as such minutes will be crucial for his continued development. Minutes that will be hard to come by behind the Cousins/Landry/Dalembert/Thompson quadrabigman. The D-League could be a good source of minutes, but despite featuring high level basketball, it may be found wanting as far as providing Hassan with experience on how to bang down low. Staying on the bench and colliding with NBA level centers in practice might be the best way to go here, even if it means sacrificing playing time.

That being said, Hassan fits the Kings’ rebuilding process very well. Dalembert may/should be gone by the start of next season, vacating the spot of defensive-big-man-who-tries-not-to-get-in-DMC’s-way. I see no reason why Hassan can’t fill this role in the future. If all goes to according to plan, his development should perfectly mirror the team’s – slowly rising from irrelevance over the next two-three years, hitting his stride in the seasons that follow, and hopefully, peaking at great heights in his prime. In that regard, the Kings are absolutely perfect for a project big man.

For a glimpse at the other side of the spectrum, take a look at the Jarvis Varnado. Varnado averaged 4.8 blocks a night last season in the NCAA, second only to Whiteside. However, he was drafted by the Miami Heat, less than two weeks before they immediately became a contender. Varnado will be spending this season in Italy, while Whiteside will be in the NBA. Sure, Varnado isn’t anywhere near Hassan potential-wise, but this isn’t a coincidence. Young big men need time. The Kings have quite a bit in their stocks.

And whenever judging Hassan, that point will be key. True defensive centers are this league’s slowest developing breed – remember Jermaine O’neal’s seasons in Portland? – and Hassan is no different. While I think he could turn some heads immediately with preposterous per-minute blocking numbers, the eventual reward to the very low risk pick that is Hassan will be collected far beyond 2010-2011.

I must warn you – I can’t speak of Pooh Jeter without obvious bias trickling out in every word.

He was by far the most entertaining bro on my beloved Hapoel Jerusalem squad last season, and personally speaking, he was my second favorite player (the first was Uri Kukia, an undersized, unathletic forward with no discernable basketball skill except for the fact that he was clearly the smartest player on the court at all times). It wasn’t your idle, “OH GODZ BRIAN SCALABRINE IS SO AWESOMEZ” kind of love, either – Pooh is a baller, in every which way, and if he had another 3-4 inches, he would have never gotten to Israel in the first place.

However, to me, Pooh is also a representative of a system. Being an international NBA fan, I am constantly faced with both the need to defend the NBA against FIBA enthusiasts, who say the NBA is just an iso-laden, defenseless, sorry excuse for a pick-up game, and the need to defend European ball to NBA xenophobes, who say Europe is the kindergarten playtime to the NBA’s varsity.

The truth, as always, is in between – the leagues sport differents style of play, but while the NBA is obviously better, and Europe more team oriented, both display very high quality basketball, and a true fan of the game will find himself fascinated watching any one of the two.

There is one type of transition between the two leagues, though, that is rarely seen. Many European players have made the transition to the NBA, and almost every European team boasts multiple American key components. However, to my memory, there have been very few cases of American players moving to Europe to start off their pro careers, developing overseas, and then returning to the NBA as better players. Only Anthony Parker immediately comes to my mind – had a few uneventful NBA seasons out of Bradley, dominated in Europe, then returned as a key component on the Raptors before age caught up. While truly smart international basketball men such as ShamSports‘ Mark Deeks or Ball in Europe’s Os Davis (and dozens more who I’m regrettably forgetting) will probably find you more, I would like to hope that I know world-wide basketball well enough to successfully point out that this transition is rare.

However, the fluidity of trans-Atlantic basketball development seems to have become more of a two sided affair. Guys like Brandon Jennings and Josh Childress have already spent time in Europe during their careers, and promise to be good (Childress) to great (hopefully Jennings) going forward. Again, though – these aren’t players who made a name for themselves in Europe, but guys who made both the trip from and to the States as pretty much the same guys.

Pooh is of that other breed. He who spent his early years in the Old Continent, and returned in his prime. A breed that I don’t see too much of around the league.

Which is why what Pooh does for this team can go a long way. I’ve gone on record here before saying why I like the signing, and that hasn’t changed. Pooh is a great fit for this system because of his similarities to Beno Udrih, and while he is inferior to Beno, I think one can ably plug him in for the Slovenian without experiencing your typical “backup’s backup” drop off. And even in another system, this is a lightning quick guard who has the ability to be a strong change-of-pace scorer off the bench (think Will Bynum).

The upside, though, extends beyond the realms of Pooh Jeter. Europe is still very much an untapped market basketball wise, in the sense that most imports come through the draft. Returning American players who improved at their trade, or international guys who slipped under the radar when they were draft eligible and have since improved are much rarer. It might be because some recent cases were unsuccessful – Sarunas Jasikevicius, who was among the best point guards in Europe before moving to the NBA in 2005 and flaming out in Indiana, is a prime example. However, to me he was always an outlier, choosing a team who was an abysmal fit for his break neck style of play (the mid-decade Pacers. I’m telling you, had Saras gone to the Cavs instead of Damon Jones, the NBA would be very different right now).

And it’s a shame, because even through the very narrow perspective of Israeli basketball only, I can tell you for certain that there are many NBA level talents working their tails off overseas just to get into Sternville. Pooh is a step in the right track – even though I suspect that most of the Kings’ scouting of him came from his summer league stints. Moving ahead in that path could give the Kings more cheap talent to help round out a roster on the cheap. With the minimal resources needed to successfully watch European basketball in this day and age, there is no reason not to.

Keep this in mind when you watch Pooh this season. Whether he gets his shot at major minutes or not is a storyline of it’s own – it also depends greatly on whether Beno Udrih will be a starter or will come off the bench. But it’s the journey that brought Pooh to Sacramento which makes him an interesting case. A similar player with a similar journey will always be available if the Kings look hard enough.

I knocked the Antoine Wright signing when it happened, and after weeks of self-reflection (this is the stuff I reflect on, so shoot me), I’m not much happier. In fact, my stance remains pretty much the same.

It’s not that I don’t like Wright. In fact, in NBA Live 2006 (this was before my switch to 2K), my affection for the Kidd-Carter-Jefferson and my disturbing Nenad Krstic obsession (THE DUDE WAS A BORDERLINE ALL-STAR IN 06-07 BEFORE TEARING HIS ACL!!… yeah, sorry, not the time or place) made the Nets my go to team. On that squad, rookie Antoine was always the first guy off the bench. For reasons still unbeknownst to me, I saw something in that guy, and wanted to believe he could be a major player in this league.

I was wrong.

I’m sorry. I know this is pretty cut and dry. But Wright has had 5 years to show us that he has any basketball skills except for good perimeter defense. And he has yet to show it. So why bring him over? To bolster your outside shooting with the career high 33.5% three point shooting he posted last season? To give the Kings another creator in the backcourt with his 1.1 to 0.9 assist-to-turnover ratio? There is a good reason why Antoine has yet to make his mark. The need for stoppers is always there – Bruce Bowen started for three title teams, for Christ’s sake – and yet Antoine’s only choice for this offseason was a minimum, one year deal from the Kings. That’s not a coincidence.

This feels too much like Desmond Mason 2.0. Remember what happened to Desmond? He was cut. 5 games in. Because he had nothing to give at the NBA level. And what happened then, when it seemed like the Sacramento front office admitted their mistake? They signed Ime Udoka to a similar role. And while Udoka is much better than Mason at this point, and gave much more, it was the same messed up philosophy behind both signings. The “why let our young players develop when we can ignore them in favor of veterans who aren’t as good?” philosophy, which is all too prevelant in a sport that has minds who should be above this.

The exact same philosophy is sadly existent here. Sure, it would suck to watch Omri or Donté or Cisco get torched by someone on defense and wish there was a strong perimeter stopper to help out. But isn’t it better that the young ones learn to do it on their own? To instill a culture which, in a few years, allows the Kings to play Omri and Donte without needing to sign an Antoine Wright as a backup, because the youngsters are good enough on their own?

I hope I’m wrong here, I really do. The Cisco-Beno pairing set to take the court at shooting guard is far from ideal to me, with both players giving up cosiderable weaknesses. But this is not the answer. Not over a motivated D-Leaguer, or an undrafted rookie, or just more minutes of what Sacramento already has.

You might see a lot of Antoine Wright this season, and you might see very little. Hopefully, it’s the latter. Hopefully, the minutes he gives will be better than any minutes he’s given throughout his career. However, the fact that you’re seeing any of him at all is the result of flawed thinking by a front office who has successfully minimized, yet hasn’t completely abolished personnel mistakes.

I generally try to keep my Omri Casspi ramblings to a minimum over here, because I truly believe my own censorship is the only thing standing between a Sacramento Kings blog and an Omri Casspi fanclub. However, you will have to grant me this one tonight, because Omri has just turned in a performance of the highest caliber for the Israeli international team — absolutely obliterating a very good basketball team in the form of Montenegro.

Allow me to paint the setting for you: Israel is currently competing for a spot in the 2011 Eurobasket tournament, set to be held next summer in Lithuania. 10 teams have been granted automatic entry: Lithuania, Spain, Serbia, Greece, Slovenia, France, Croatia, Russia, Turkey and Germany. The other 6 spots are granted via qualifiers: 15 teams are split into 3 groups; the first placed team in each group automatically qualifies; the two 2^nd placed squads holding the best records join them; and the worst 2^nd placed squad is left to battle for the final spot with the other squads who failed to qualify from group play.

Israel’s group consists of Montenegro, Italy, Latvia and Finland. With the two latter squads considered substantially weaker than the first three, Israel’s main competition for qualification was supposed to be Italy and Montenegro. However, despite high hopes coming in to the tournament and the presence of Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli, Italy started off 1-3, including a home loss to Israel in the first game, while showing an utter lack of a cohesive team game. Montenegro played it’s part by going undefeated through their first three games, featuring a well-rounded squad led by the dominant post play of new Timberwolf Nikola Pekovic. Latvia filled in for Italy as squad number three, going 2-2 through its first four games. Israel started off great, with a road win in Italy and a home win against Latvia, before falling to weak Finland in an embarrassing road collapse.

As such, tonight’s match couldn’t be more important to Israel. With Montenegro poised to distance itself from the group, and a road game between the two squads still set to come, Israel knew it couldn’t let this one slip away, leaving them to battle Latvia for the second spot while keeping an eye out for the other two groups.

All eyes, naturally, were on Omri Casspi. After scoring 68 points through 3 exhibition matches while displaying a more diverse offensive game to go with previously unseen leadership skills and extra muscle, Casspi performance in the games that actually matter was considered a step back. He struggled on offense againt Italy, and wasn’t much better on defense, unable to stop Belinelli from getting his points. He was better against Finland, finishing as the team’s second leading scorer with 17, but lacked aggressiveness on offense, and was unable to prevent the stinging one point loss. His best game came against Latvia, leading 6 Israeli double figure scorers with 21, but if he can’t score in a 22-point blowout, when can he?

Well he can against Montenegro, apparently. Omri was on the top of his game from the start when he blocked Montenegro’s first shot attempt. He then scored the first points of the game on a breakaway dunk. Down went his first three point attempt. Then he got to the line. Then he made a layup. Another block. Another three. Two more free throws. Another dunk.

When the dust settled on the first quarter, the scoreboard showed Israel 26, Montenegro 22, with 15 of those 26 points coming from the same pair of hands.

The second quarter wasn’t as dreamy as the first. Omri seemed to take his hot streak one step too far, forcing two bad shots within 30 seconds of each other. Omri went down to the bench for his first rest of the game, returning with only 2:45 remaining in the quarter. Casspi only attempted one more shot in the half – a desperation floater to with the clock winding down – finishing the second quarter with the same amount of points he had in the first. The score tied at 40.

The drought continued through most of the third quarter as well. Casspi did manage to register 2 steals during that span, but much like his teammates, he seemed tired and couldn’t cope with the size Montenegro had down low. After his getting trigger happy seemingly led to his benching in the second quarter, Casspi didn’t force things on offense, instead deferring to teammate Lior Eliyahu, widely considered as Israel’s second best offensive weapon. Lior scored eight straight points after a horrendous first half. Eliyahu wasn’t enough to match Montenegro, though, who started the quarter on a 7-0 run and were suddenly leading 56-48.

At this point Casspi came to life. Omri continued to go strong to the rim, scoring a layup while drawing foul number three on Pekovic. On the next possession, he added three more – this time from way, way behind the arc. After teammate Yaniv Green added two of his own, Montenegro scored four straight, only to meet yet another long range bomb from Omri to end the quarter. Israel had come back from the slippery slope of no interior defense, now down just two, 61-59, to start the final quarter.

The fourth started where the third ended: Montenegro once again went to Pekovic, who drew yet another foul on Israel’s only true center, Yaniv Green. But again, Casspi was there to return the favor, continuing to take the ball hard to the rim, and drawing Pekovic’s fourth while making the layup for dessert. Pekovic went over to the bench, but Casspi continued to draw fouls, with big man Vladimir Dasic joining Pekovic on the bench after committing a charge on, who else, Omri.

At this point the game became sloppy. Neither team scored for two minutes, with Casspi and Eliyahu committing turnovers for Israel and both teams missing long jump shots. Eliyahu broke the ice by making one of two free throws. The miss, however, proved to be more important than the make: after his free throw met iron, Eliyahu flew in for the offensive rebound, drawing the ire of Montenegro coach Dusko Vujosevic. Furious that the officials didn’t call Eliyahu for a lane violation, Vujosevic walked several feet into the court, immediately getting hit with a technical. Former Seattle draft pick (53^rd overall in 2006) Yotam Halperin tied the game at the line, with the momentum shifting towards the home team.

It is at this point that we criticize Casspi for getting a little trigger happy. Omri missed two bad threes from here on out, probably a little too eager to win the game himself. Luckily, Israel secured the long offensive rebound both times out, with Eliyahu contributing two points each time. However, at 70-70, Casspi basically seals the game y taking Nikola Pekovic off the dribble once again to draw the foul. Meeting the international foul limit of five, Pekovic is out of the game. Casspi makes two from the line then two more the next time down the court after yet another drawn foul, Halperin adds two of his own, and the game is over. 77-73 Israel, 30 points for Casspi.

Was the performance perfect? Hardly. Through a quarter and a half Casspi was absent offensively. He was often too eager to do too much, taking some bad shots and to my eyes committing more turnovers than the one he was credited for. And his defense was inconsistent as always, combining athletic blocks and nifty steals with constantly getting beat down low (to be fair, he was guarding bigger players then he does when playing the perimeter for Sacramento). Not only that, his tendency to bite on pump fakes almost cost Israel the game: up 72-70, Casspi tried to block a shot attempt by Goran Jeretin, only Jeretin was just faking. The guard proceeded to draw Omri’s fourth foul, sending Jeretin to the line for a couple. After Casspi responded with two free throws of his own, he was subbed out by Israeli coach Arik Shibek so he won’t commit his fifth foul on defense. However, the lack of live-ball timeouts in the international game kept Omri on the bench for the huge offensive possession that followed, which luckily ended in Halperin drawing and making two free throws of his own.

Nonetheless, Casspi’s performance was masterful. Beyond scoring 30 points in a 40-minute, 150-point game (I lack the advanced statistics skills to translate this into a pace-based offensive rating, but I bet it’s pretty high), Casspi took an entire squad on his back, both to start the game and to end it, and willed them to victory — all while showing the basketball IQ to constantly take it to the opponents most important player and foul him out of the game. The decision to constantly let Casspi play iso-ball late in the game – a role which he never played in Sacramento or in Israel, and which is quite rare in the international game – says it all.

We shouldn’t expect Omri to come back to Sacramento and drop 20 points on a nightly basis. This was a rare performance against inferior competition to what Omri sees during the regular season, and at times it showcased Omri’s flaws as much as it did his strengths. But along with the never ending swagger and the long range Omri has shown Kings fans last year (seriously, nothing was more fun to watch tonight than Omri taking a three from NBA range while his defender hopelessly stood on the international three point line), beyond the efficient shooting (30 points on 19 shots) or the encouraging progress at the free throw line (8 of 10), Omri is now showing the ability to lead. The ability to rise to the occasion. It may be a while before Sacramento plays meaningful playoff games, but one player seems more than capable of doing it at that level.

Which means it’s Team Donte’s turn to make a move.

As we all know and cherish, this very forum featured a plea to the Kings from our Zacharyous friend to sign the now waived Delonte West. The logic was simple, yet infallible: the Kings have a need for another backcourt player who can shoot, defend, and handle the ball; and whaddaya know, Delonte West can shoot, defend, and handle the ball. Zach has all the good stuff listed right here, including a fantastic breakdown of West’s shooting ability (specifically in crunch time), tactfully seasoned with details of the undersized guard’s off court issues and youtube clips of the even more undersized Seth Green.

However, though I thoroughly agree with Zach that Delonte would be a great fit, I have a hard time seeing the move come to fruition. I should note that my knowledge of who may be interested in Delonte pretty much amounts to the Sam Amico tweet Zach linked to (Sam names the Celtics, Bulls and Mavs). However, even without that list, I would imagine Delonte would be very reluctant to even consider Sacramento over contending teams who, if they possess logically sound people at the helm, are certain to go after him. The only way to lure him in would be to overpay, as Zach suggests, but given the recent nature of Geoff Petrie’s moves, I doubt he chooses that route.

However, there is another shooting guard out there who is supposedly very much available. Not as available as Delonte – there is a reason the term free agent includes the word free in it – but for a team reluctant to shell out money, he may be easier to get.

Rudy Fernandez has been on the market for quite some time. Kelly Dwyer wrote why teams should try and get him back in late July (remember late July?), after months and months of “I wanna go back to Spain” rumors interweaving with “I wanna stay in the NBA but not in Portland” rumors. Friday night, your, mine, and everybody’s friend Nick Flynt (perhaps better known as DDL legend Buck Nasty) discussed the chances that the Bulls, Celtics or Knicks – widely considered to be Rudy’s hottest pursuers – fill their respective needs for Spanish shooting guards. As most things usually do, this stirred up a twitter debate between Nick and yours truly, which opened my eyes to just how good Rudy would be on the Kings.

(While researching, I saw that commentator Robert Arctor mentioned Rudy as a nice fit in his response to Zach’s Delonte piece. He is a wise wise man.)

As mentioned by both Dwyer and the NBA record book, Fernandez is just one year removed from setting a new NBA record for 3 pointers from a rookie. And while his shooting from long range fell off from 40% to 37% in his sophomore campaign, few can doubt that the man can light it up. He probably attempts too many shots from behind the arc – 63% of his career shot attempts – but if he shoots them well, why stop him? His true shooting % was a strong 58.8% in his rookie year, and though that dropped to 54% last season, one feels much more comfortable going to war with a 54% true shooting mark than with a 38% field goal shooting mark. With Tyreke and DMC drawing double teams at every turn, and a new environment giving him a fresh start, Rudy should easily return to his strong 08-09 shooting form, and perhaps even eclipse it.

The shooting alone should sound good to Kings fans for the bargain price of 1.25 million next year, but there is more. Rudy is also a very good creator. In fact, his Portland stats hardly do him any justice in this regard – Nate McMillan mainly asked Rudy to stay in the corner and shoot threes. One has to assume that without the direct order from above, he won’t shoot as many.

His stats are still quite impressive, though. Rudy posted an assist rate of 19.1 last season – a very respectable 21^st amongst shooting guards. His turnover rate wasn’t as good, at 10.8, but was still middle of the pack. Had he stayed at his 08-09 rate of 9.2, he would have ranked 32^nd amongst shooting guards. All this, remember, while being denied the chance at initiating the offense, an ability that seems to be well within his repertoire. Obviously, hoping that Rudy comes in and immediately becomes the second coming of Manu Ginobili as far as creating from the 2 is more than cautiously optimistic, but the risk is fairly low here – at worst, Rudy is a servicable starter who can bring up the ball when necessary and knock down shots. The upside though? That’s through the roof.

On the defensive end, Rudy is hardly the ace Delonte is. While Delonte is an elite perimeter defender, Rudy is below average at best. However, his defense should benefit greatly from not playing next to a star shooting guard at all times. Brandon Roy’s sheer presence meant that on most nights, Rudy guarded opposing small forwards. Despite his athleticism, those small forwards tend to be a bit too big for him.

With the Kings, though, Rudy will be a shooting guard full time. In fact, the monster manning point guard is so big, that Rudy might even be able to switch to point guards when playing against the more physical 2s the league has. I doubt this makes him an elite defender, but when he’s not getting bullied left and right, his speed and athleticism should stop him from being a downright liability.

Of course, Rudy doesn’t come risk free. He’s not as disruptive personality wise as Delonte could be, but his tenure in Portland shows us he’s not a naturally happy camper. Rudy might bicker about wanting to go back to Spain the second he comes off the plane. If he remains unhappy, in a locker room full of strong personalities who are even younger than he is (24), the situation could get out of hand.

There is also the minor detail of how to sell Portland on shipping Rudy to Sactown – the Blazers reportedly want a first round pick, but Sacramento would be foolish to give one away for Rudy and nothing more (I would assume the best bet would be to try and sell the Blazers on Fransisco Garcia or Beno Udrih, since they have the financial resources necessary to take on such deals, and the Kings could then take on some filler salary like the injured Joel Pryzbilla’s expiring contract. Of course, if you move Beno, you suddenly lack a backup point guard, unless you really trust Pooh Jeter, which I do, but the Kings probably do not at this point. So then you want to get another player, and you probably ask the Blazers to give you Jerryd Bayless, and things can get out of hand very quickly. This is why speculating where players under contract can fit is stupid. However, this is the internet, so ha.)

All that being said, if the Kings can deal for Rudy without losing a major component of their core going forward, I think you have to do it. Rudy is too talented, too good a backcourt complement for Tyreke heading into the future to not take a shot. Can’t you see a rotation of Tyreke/Rudy/Donte/Omri/Landry/JT/Cousins/maybe Whiteside/’11 and ’12 draft picks growing old together? I can. The Kings have already seen one, possibly two grade A building blocks fall into their laps. It’s highly unlikely it happens again. Take the chance. Get me some Rudy.

After standing pat for three weeks and watching rival NBA GMs battle for the right to overpay free agents of various pedigree, Geoff Petrie has finally addressed the King’s glaring lack of backcourt depth in the form of Antoine Wright and Pooh Jeter. Lets take a look at what the two might bring to the table.

At 26 years old and 5 years into his NBA career, Antoine Wright is what he is at this point – a good to great defender that will give you little, if anything, on the offensive end. Tom Ziller had a fantastic breakdown of Wright’s defensive abilities at Sactown Royalty, which requires no elaboration on my part. He should compete with Donte Greene for the title of  the Kings’ go-to wing defender.

On offense, though, things start to get ugly. Wright has posted a PER of 8.63 for two consecutive seasons, after posting 0.70, 8.18 and 8.46, respectively, in his first three years. Say what you want about PER – it certainly has it’s faults – but a player who consistently posts a mark in the eights probably isn’t the answer to anyone’s hopes and prayers. The same goes with Wright’s true shooting percentage (hovering around 50 for 4 straight seasons).

The Kings’ main needs from a guard were ball handling and long range shooting. Wright gives neither. He has posted 1 assist and 0.8 turnovers per game throughout his career, and is a 30% career three point shooter, although he bumped that up to 33.5% last season. He gets a little better shooting long twos – he made 43% of his shots from 16 to 23 feet last year, after making 48% in 08-09. He also struggles at the line, shooting 67% for his career and 68% last season on only 1.2 attempts per game.

All in all, Wright should be considered a temporary stopgap, and the one year deal he signed should tell as much. He’ll give the Kings some hard nosed defense from the 2 and the 3, and will hopefully hit some outside shots with Tyreke and Run DMC setting him up. However, he should not be part of the rotation as far as long term plans go. The solid defense just isn’t enough to justify it, especially since Donte Greene has shown the potential to be a better defender with an actual offensive game. To be completely honest, I would have rather this roster spot go for a D-Leaguer or a summer league guy who might have some untapped potential, as opposed to Wright, who is extremely unlikely to show up at training camp boasting some new and extraordinary skill.

Moving on to Jeter, I must warn you that I am very nearly incapable of being objective regarding this guy. Not only is he nicknamed Pooh – and it’s not like Derrick Rose, who says it’s his nickname but never really uses it, this guy actually goes by the name Pooh – but he spent most of the 09-10 season with my beloved Hapoel Jerusalem, and was one of my favorite players to watch. Having said that, I think this is an absolute steal.

Generously listed at 5’11”, Jeter is a scoring point guard. His release is lighting quick, which makes him a very good shooter off the pick and roll, not unlike current King Beno Udrih. He also has virtually unlimited range. As someone who has spent the past season watching him play live, I can attest that I have never seen him take a shot that I didn’t think was going in. Of course, some of them don’t – 60% of them, last season – but this shows you that he has unlimited confidence in his game. Don’t let the 25% he shot from three in summer league fool you – the man can light it up.

Need proof? Jeter was responsible for one of the greatest performances in Israeli basketball. On March 27^th, against Hapoel Afula, he went off for 39 points (remember, in a 40 minute game), while shooting – get a load of this – 13 for 14 from the field, including 9 of 10 (!!!!) from three. Yup. I know. If that’s not enough for you, one of those threes was a game winner, as Jerusalem won 102-99. Jeter has shown his clutch ability in summer league as well, hitting a game winner for the Cavs against the Bulls (go here for a breakdown of the play by the fantastic Sebastian Pruiti).

Despite being primarily a scorer, Jeter is still a very capable ball handler. His assist numbers with Hapoel won’t knock your socks off – 2.6 per game in European play, 1.6 in the Israeli league – but trust me when I tell you that hardly tells the full story. European play rarely has bloated assist numbers (even Ricky Rubio had just over 5 per game in Euroleague play), probably due to stricter scorekeepers and less minutes as much as style of play. Jeter consistently gave Hapoel a calm ball handler, and set up the offense better than anyone else on the team. He showed as much at summer league as well, averaging 5.4 assists per game.

On the downside, Jeter’s confidence can lead to him becoming a bit trigger happy, and is a major flaw in his ball handling resume. Jeter did a good job controlling this at summer league, but at Hapoel, he had a tendency to take multiple bad PUJITs and heat checks. And when those didn’t go in, he hurt his team not just by the wasted possessions. As his shot goes, so does his game, and though he is calm and collected, shooting slumps can throw him off his game both as a shooter and a ball handler. This could be something to look out for – in an 82 game season, Jeter will have bad shooting nights, and will need to find other ways to contribute. If he keeps the contested pull ups to a minimum, he should be a very solid option at the point.

Defensively, Jeter’s size is obviously a major concern. While he was one of Hapoel’s better perimeter defenders – he’s lightning quick and stronger than he appears – the NBA has so much more size than anything Hapoel played against that it’s hard to take too much from it. He works his tail off all night long, which earns him a couple of deflections a night, and helps him collect more rebounds than you would expect from a man his size. But all the hard work in the world can’t compensate for the size advantage that almost every guard in the league should enjoy over him. I’m hoping that he shows the same defensive ability he did at Hapoel, but I may be too optimistic. It’s highly unlikely that he will be able to do anything against Chauncey Billups or Deron Williams type guards in the post, so he will probably be best defensively against quicker guys, and not back-to-the-basket beasts.

I realize that it’s kind of absurd that I’ve come off as more optimistic about the summer league addition than the 5 year NBA veteran. However, I truly believe that Pooh is an NBA level player. Yes, I’ve seen Pooh against much inferior competition, and the one skill he lacks the most (size) is probably the one most important to an NBA player. But he is such an athletic freak (it runs in the family – sister Carmelita holds the second best time ever in the women’s 100 meter dash) and has so much skill that I don’t see why it can’t translate. Even if it doesn’t, I love this move by Petrie. There is absolutely no risk involved. If Pooh shows that NBA level competition is too much for him, than he’s still just a third string point guard. If, however, he shows the same explosiveness he has shown in front of me in Israel, the Kings have acquired a legit NBA talent for nothing at all.

That would be my bet.

Hey there, Geoff! Why the long face? Did you get the 5^th pick in the 2010 NBA draft, even though you had the 3^rd best shot at getting the first pick overall? I see. Bummer. Well, you’re within your rights to be disappointed with the outcome of the NBA draft lottery, but you better not succumb to the pits of despair – after all, you know better than anyone that bad lottery luck can still translate into new franchise cornerstones.

Then again, not every draft works out as well as 2009 did for your Kings. And though the past season was encouraging from a “We finally have some young pieces to build around! We’re going somewhere!” standpoint, you still have a lot of work to do. Getting Samuel Dalembert from the Philadelphia 76ers was a good start – there’s that defensive big man you’ve been craving – but you still lack an elite wing player, have a logjam at small forward, and in general, don’t have the talent needed to compete at a high NBA level. All that work and more can be done on draft night, that rare blend of luck, gut feelings, and the ability to juggle multiple scenarios for your benefit.

What scenarios? Well, I’m glad you’ve asked. Conveniently laid out before you are the many, many ways you could go on draft night, ranging from “franchise altering” to “coaching Florida International”.

The Conventional Way
This is the conservative, yet usually common approach. You use your draft pick on the best player available, then use your cap space to bring in free agents. However, even here, there are many ways to go.

As far as the draft goes, sticking to this philosophy should be fairly simple. The 2010 draft has a funny build – it has a consensus top pick (John Wall), an almost consensus #2 and #3 (Evan Turner, then Derrick Favors), and two more guys who round up a pretty consensus top 5 (DeMarcus Cousins and Wesley Johnson). Since, whadaya know, the Kings have the 5^th pick, the thinking here is to allow teams 1 through 4 to deal with the headache of having to actually choose who they take, and then snatch the remaining guy. As of today, it seems that guy would be either Cousins, who fills in a nice frontcourt rotation with the newly acquired Dalembert, Carl Landry and Jason Thompson, or Johnson, who will probably share the swingman positions with Donte Greene/Omri Casspi.

You are then left with ample cap space to use during free agency. Assuming no top free agent feels like tagging along to the Sacramento rebuilding project, the conventional route says to nab some cheap, young, and talented free agents, who could grow with the teams existing core.

Interestingly, the best fits at shooting guard – Sacramento’s most burning need after bringing in Dalembert – are all restricted free agents: Golden State’s Anthony Morrow, a knock down shooter that would thrive next to Tyreke’s drive and kick game; J.J. Reddick, who possesses a similarly deadly stroke to go with the much improved play making and defensive abilities he displayed for Orlando these playoffs; and Ronnie Brewer, who has shown glimpses of becoming a defensive stopper/offensive slasher for the Utah Jazz before slipping this year, ultimately being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies and injuring his knee one game in; Chris Douglas-Roberts showed a knack for scoring from the wing, but has fallen out of favor in New Jersey and may not get his option picked up; and maybe even Wes Matthews will be available after a very good rookie season for Utah, though he probably wants to stay in Salt Lake City.

You are then left with a plethora of intriguing rotation players. Amir Johnson is a pogo stick who led the NBA in field goal percentage, but seems to lack basic basketball smarts. Dorell Wright is a good defender, and has improved his 3 point range last year. Travis Outlaw was Portland’s second best clutch option before being hit with the double whammy of injury and a trade to the Clippers. BOTH Collins twins could be available. And you know as much as I do that you want to see Jason Williams back in Sacramento.

All in all, though, one can clearly see that the conventional way is unlikely to land the Kings an immediate star. However, as far as long rebuilding processes, this is a good way to add young pieces, gun for another lottery pick next year, and preserve some of that cap space.

Drafting By Need
There are problems with picking the best guy available. As stated, the most likely reward in this case would be either DeMarcus Cousins or Wesley Johnson. However, both of these players have huge concerns. While Cousins has the potential to be an NBA superstar and the best player in this draft, he also seems to be a total nutjob, the kind of player who only figures stuff out on his 3^rd or 4^th team, destroying chemistry on every squad he goes through before that. For references, ask the Miami Heat if they regret picking Michael Beasley in 2008.

Johnson, on the other hand, will already be 23 years old by the time next season starts, raising questions as to how much he can still improve. Going through his college resume, one also sees a glaring hole in the 2008-2009 season – he sat it out after transferring from Iowa State to Syracuse. While his lone season with the Orange was a huge success, you must ask yourself why a player so talented feels the need to forego a season so he can switch teams, and why his one year with Syracuse was his only truly dominant college campaign. And, of course, the biggest problem – how does Johnson fit with Sacramento’s existing roster? Versatile and athletic as Johnson is, at 6’8”, he’s not a natural fit at shooting guard, and plugging him at the 3 could prove redundant with Omri Casspi and Donte Greene on board.

The thinking here is avoiding those problems by taking someone who might not have as much potential as Johnson or Cousins, but is safer. Want to finalize your new frontcourt rotation, hopefully fixing those defensive concerns once and for all? There are big men a plenty in the mid-to-late lottery range – Cole Aldrich, Ekpe Udoh, Greg Monroe and Ed Davis, Patrick Patterson, Daniel Orton and Hassan Whiteside are all potential lottery picks – of varying defensive prowess. Monroe in particular seems to have caught the eye of the Kings front office, with a polished offensive game that has drawn comparisons to the still beloved Vlade Divac.

There is no shortage of athletic wings either, with Al-Farouq Aminu (a Josh Smith-ian, mega athletic 3/4 tweener) and Xavier Henry (an NBA ready scorer) leading the pack, and Gordon Hayward, Luke Babbit, Avery Bradley and Paul George getting plenty of love as well. Any of these could concievably turn out great for the Kings.

Of course, any of them could be a bust too. Picking by need is always dangerous – as we all remember, it was Portland’s reason for passing on the greatest player of all time. So if you go down this road, choose wisely.

Trade Down
Even if you draft by need and hit the jackpot, one must always strive to maximize the value of his picks. And if you can get your player both at number 5 or at number 10, the obvious choice here is to take him in the spot where you pay him less money, and try to get another asset – be it a pick or a player.

The Warriors are picking 6^th, and have reportedly been looking at moving up, but I doubt they give up anything substantial for one spot. However, acquiring a solid backup big man in Ronny Turiaf, or a scoring swingman in Kelenna Azubuike or Reggie Williams could be something to look into.

Zach and PistonPowered’s Dan Feldman have already discussed a potential trade with the Detroit Piston, where the Kings get the 7^th pick and Tayshaun Prince. However, this also included Detroit taking on Nocioni’s bad contract, which the Sixers have now done themselves. Perhaps the deal could still happen, though – Sacramento still has two bad contracts on the books in Beno Udrih and Francisco Garcia, and while both players (especially Beno) give the team more than Noc did, shedding that extra weight and acquiring the veteran Prince could be worth it.

The Utah Jazz, picking 9^th (thanks, Isiah), are reportedly quite infatuated with Greg Monroe, which is understandable, since their all-star power forward seems poised to leave in free agency, and their starting center is aging and coming off a major injury. Monroe probably won’t be available at #9, though, which could open warm the Jazz up to trading up. Do they have anything the Kings want though? Their best young assets are C.J. Miles, a 23 year old, 5 year veteran that never seemed to learn how to play basketball, and Paul Millsap, who is on such a bargain of a deal that the cost-cutting Jazz would be fools to let go. Still, if you like Miles and can get your guy at both #5 and #9, this could work.

Ditto for the Indiana Pacers, at #10, who have very few young assets themselves, other than Roy Hibbert (whom I doubt they trade) and Brandon Rush (shooting guard, has potential, is terrible on the court).

However, if you’re looking for a wild stretch that works for both teams, try this one:

The Sacramento Kings trade Francisco Garcia and the #5 pick for Richard Jefferson, George Hill and the #20 pick
I have to start this with a disclaimer: this deal makes sense for the Kings if and only if they are certain that they don’t want Cousins, and he’s available at #5. I know this seems odd at first – both teams seem to be giving up to much. But walk through this one with me.

The Spurs have one and a half legs out of their championship-winning window. The critically aclaimed trade for Jefferson backfired, with RJ looking nothing like the near all-star he was for those early decade Nets teams, and the Spurs were swept by the Suns in the playoffs. However, they still have Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili on their last legs, meaning they can’t go to a full-fledged rebuilding strategy.

This seems to me like the next best thing.

In Garcia, the Spurs get just what Jefferson failed to provide – albeit on a smaller scale. Cisco can score, he can defend, he can shoot, and he can handle the ball. He’s a perfect fit either at the 3 next to Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, or at the 2 when Manu is on the bench.

This is where one says “Cisco is nice, but he’s not as good as George Hill”. Is that so? Check this out:

Best Year	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	TO	REB	AST	PTS
G. Hill 09-10	29.2	47.8	39.9	77.2	0.9	0.3	1.3	2.6	2.9	12.4
Garcia 08-09	30.4	44.4	39.8	82.0	1.2	1.0	1.7	3.4	2.3	12.7

Those numbers are dauntingly similar. In their best campaigns, Hill and Garcia give virtually the same production – Hill is a slightly more efficient scorer, passer and ball handler, while Garcia gives you more blocks, steals and rebounds. For the immediate future, which is the Spurs’ bottom line, this is no loss. And by upgrading their pick from #20 to #5, the Spurs can now pick a young stud who can both contribute right away, and develop under the tutelage of Pop and the Big Three (do you have any doubt that DeMarcus Cousins will destroy this league if Tim Duncan’s work ethic rubs off on him?

Sacramento looks at this deal differently. In the Garcia-Hill trade off, the Kings obviously prefer Hill, since he’s younger and still on his rookie contract. Hill could be a very nice compliment to Tyreke in the backcourt, both as a second ball handler and as a shooter of Reke’s drives. While Garcia and Hill are similar now, if Hill improves down the road he could become the better player, which is what interests the Kings more than what happens right now.

In addition, bringing in Jefferson’s expiring deal gets rid of yet another bad contract – Garcia is nice, but isn’t worth  a year. Jefferson probably never plays for the Kings, either getting bought out or immediately swapped to a team looking to get under the cap next summer.

Which brings us the pick swapping. Remember when I said this only works if the Kings don’t want Cousins? That’s because in this draft, the disparity from top 5 to the rest of the draft, that drafting number 6 (which is essentially what the Kings will be doing if they stay at #5 and don’t take Cousins) isn’t that different than drafting at #20. In fact, Hassan Whiteside, who has already had two workouts for the Kings and is apparently getting at least some consideration from them at #5, goes at #22 in Chad Ford’s latest mock draft.

IF you don’t want Cousins – which, given his background, is understandable – this deal means you can still get one of your guys in the draft, while dumping a bad contract and getting a young stud on the way. Which is pretty neat.

The Financial Bullet
The conventional use of cap space is usually to sign a free agent. However, it also enables you to take on another team’s bad contract so you can extort an asset or to from them. For example, the 76ers are reportedly willing to give away the 2^nd pick in the draft to the team that takes Elton Brand of their hands. Brand’s deal is truly horrific, though, so the Kings probably don’t want that.

However, several other teams might be looking to shed some payroll, and could be willing to give away a key piece for it. The Knicks could be looking to move Eddy Curry’s final year so they can sign another big free agent, and might be willing to give away Wilson Chandler – or even Danilo Galinari. The Heat have reportedly already offered to trade Michael Beasley to the Nets for virtually nothing to clear more cap space themselves, which is an intriguing possibility if you believe Beas could still fulfill his potential with a change of scenery.

The options truly are endless: this is a league full of overpaid players and frugal owners. A creative GM with cap space to play with could end up swinging something major. Whether that thing is taking on a player who can contribute despite being overpaid, or to take on a package including both an albatross and an asset, this might be your best bet.

The Blockbuster
Of course, if you’re sick of drafting, making minor moves, and waiting,  the Kings have the right combination of assets to pull off a major deal. Here is a random idea on how to make a splash felt round the league:

The Kings trade Donte Greene and the 5^th pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Andre Igoudala
Gotta admit, Geoff, you kind of beat me to this one. Originally, in my mind, this trade was included in the Dalembert for Nocioni and Hawes deal (though I assumed Philly would want Jason Thompson and not Hawes, and Greene was not included). However, despite these deal going halfway down, I see no reason why the other half can’t follow. The original trade, with both Igoudala and Dalembert, couldn’t have gone down until July 1^st anyway (Sacramento officially gets their cap space only then).

For the Sixers, this sends the franchise into a full rebuilding mode – and not a moment too soon. Igoudala was never worth the franchise money he was given, and though losing their best player hurts, this allows Philly to pick Evan Turner, and hand the franchise over to him without worrying how he’ll coexist with Iggy. Throw in the 5^th pick, and Philly suddenly has a really nice, young core: Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams, Turner, Donte, Thad Young, Marreese Speights, Hawes and whoever Philly nabs at #5 (Cousins?) form a young, athletic top 8, all of whom offer room to develop. This team could do serious damage down the road.

As for the Kings, this move fills yet another major whole with a former 76er. With Dalembert shoring up the frontline, Igoudala will join Tyreke to form an explosive backcourt duo, with burgoening defensive potential. While Iggy isn’t the perfect Tyreke compliment, as he isn’t a great outside shooter, his shooting percentage should benefit greatly from somebody else creating his shots – he posted respectable true shooting percentages of 58.0 and 59.8 in his first two seasons in the league, when his usage was relatively low.

The Kings would now have a great 3 guard rotation of Tyreke/Beno/Igoudala, which presumably swallows nearly all 96 backcourt minutes. The rest can go to Fransisco Garcia, who will also split small forward duty with Casspi. Losing Greene hurts depth-wise, but down the road, would you rather have him or Igoudala? Right. I thought so.

Throw that backcourt with a frontcourt that includes a post scorer in Carl Landry, a post defender in Dalembert, a potential-laden big man in Thompson, and a rebounding specialist in Jon Brockman, and you have a nice rotation. Not a championship rotation by any means – and probably a squad that, in the West, will just barely fight for their playoff lives unless Tyreke makes a huge leap – but a squad full of potential.

Last, but not least, Sacramento is now poised for the future. Since Dalembert’s deal expires after next season, Sacramento are now on the board to be well under the cap for the summer of 2011. While this can still change – an extension for Landry could be in order, as well as one for Dalembert if he fits in, and nobody really knows what is going to happen with the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement – the flexibility is a huge asset.

The Isiah Thomas
Trade the #5 pick and your 2012 first rounder for Hedo Turkoglu. Trade Casspi, Landry, Greene and Thompson for Gilbert Arenas.  Watch fans cry weeply. Not recommended for those who aren’t into destroying their franchises and tarnishing their reputation beyond repair. Then again, Geoff, if you’re into that, who am I to deny you the oppurtunity. After all, you’re the one in charge, not me.