It's difficult to say whether the Kings chose to acquire the "wrong" New Orleans Hornets center in dealing for career backup Hilton Armstrong, since the previously-rumored deal for Emeka Okafor would have all but wiped out the Kings' salary cap space for the foreseeable future. It is, however, far safer to say that Armstrong is all but destined to join the ranks of Shelden Williams, Ike Diogu — who ironically won't end up playing a single minute for New Orleans after undergoing season-ending microfracture surgery — and most recently, Sean May, as another one of Sacramento's one-and-done projects than a Geoff Petrie success story.
Under contract for one season at $2.8 million and obtained for practically nothing — a conditional second-round draft pick that may never even see the light of day — Armstrong can certainly help the Kings' frontcourt rotation, where the aforementioned May has played a combined 15 minutes in the last two months, and Kenny Thomas has hardly struck fear into the hearts of opposing centers. In the best case scenario, Armstrong, 6'11" with a long wingspan and a penchant for shot-blocking can compliment Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson, and Jon Brockman by providing a spark on defense with his strength and athleticism.
But while he's still young enough to at least have the potential for a breakout campaign, the former first round pick -- selected three spots above fellow Hornets' bust Cedric Simmons, who played seven forgettable games of his own for the Kings last season -- sports underwhelming career averages of 3.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game over three and a half seasons, presenting an alarming history of underperformance and lack of focus. It's even more troubling when a 25-year-old big man is freely given away by the team that drafted him.
It's possible that this trade will be a precursor to a larger transaction involving any (or hopefully all) of Kenny Thomas, Andres Nocioni, and May in the near future. But by making the deal at this time, Sacramento loses a large portion of its available salary cap space and will have far less flexibility to make larger moves as the NBA trade deadline approaches in just over five weeks. It's hard to imagine that the Kings' previous efforts to shed long-term contracts for a chance to be a buyer at this year's deadline, when more teams than ever are valuing cap space above actual on-the-court talent, are best utilized on Armstrong before further exhausting all of their other possibilities.
The Kings have struck gold with one low-cost acquisition this season (Ime Udoka) while failing terribly on two others (Desmond Mason, May). If Armstrong happens to pan out, perhaps this is one way that Sacramento can reach that coveted .500 record.
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