To borrow a line from Rick Pitino, Blake Griffin isn't walking through that door. After a week of agony and self-reflection, I'm ready to move on and face reality that the Kings won't have the first pick in the NBA draft, despite the best chance of anyone to win it. Call me crazy, but I don't think Sacramento's projected frontcourt of Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson, and Andres Nocioni strikes fear into the hearts of opponents. While Nocioni's defensive tenacity in meaningless, late season games didn't go unnoticed, he'd be better suited an energetic sixth man, and Thompson and Hawes are still too inexperienced and inconsistent to start on a regular basis. So, let's go shopping for a new forward in the free agency market. And while we're at it, let's not forget that Kenny Thomas' corpse — excuse me, expiring contract — will be very enticing to cash-strapped teams in a possible sign-and-trade.
To begin, it's hard to imagine that any players with early termination options (ETOs) in their contracts would opt out this summer, since the salary cap has dropped while teams' payrolls have ballooned like Shawn Kemp during the lockout. So, the likes of Jermaine O'Neal, Al Harrington, Hedo Turkoglu, and Anderson Varejao are almost certainly out of the picture, while Carlos Boozer remains somewhat of a question mark. Be that as it may, there are quite a few interesting forwards who might be available for the right price. And we're not going to talk about Ron Artest. We're just not.
Rasheed Wallace: If there's any team with a need for Sheed, it's Sacramento. There's no denying that the soon-to-be 35-year-old is a risk to go off at any minute, and his infamous locker room tirades could offend the youngsters' virgin years. But he's also a four-time All-Star with a versatile skill set to impart on impressionable up-and comers, and is nothing if not entertaining (technically speaking). And at least I'd be certain that for once, both teams played hard out on the court.
Shawn Marion: It seems like a lifetime ago when Marion was considered one of the NBA's best athletes and perimeter defenders. Two years removed from the run-and-gun Suns offense, he's averaged a more pedestrian 13 points and nine rebounds per game with Miami and Toronto, and registered the fewest blocks and steals since his rookie season. At 31, he'd only make sense on a one- or two-year deal, but more importantly, putting Marion's two-handed push shot in the same lineup as Kevin Martin's awkward hip release would make the Kings unwatchable. Well, even more so than they are now.
Article comments
1 - ebooker
Jordan Hill Manny-style dreadlock wigs will be all the rage in Sactown come this Fall..
2 - doktakra
I was going to respond with a Ricky Rubio quip, and then I noticed he was born in 1990. Sigh...has it already come to that? Man, I'm old.