2014 NBA Draft Lottery

[Superbone]

I know this is only said tongue in cheek, but it's getting more and more prevalent. Can we finally put to rest that there are "Basketball gods"? It's clearly obvious that this is a total farce and their are none. To give the Cavs the #1 pick 3 out of 4 years and 4 out of the last 6 times they have been in the lottery is a freaking joke. Also, it's clearly not rigged either.

Obviously there are Basketball Gods and they love the freakin' Cavaliers!

[Phoenix219]

I know this is only said tongue in cheek, but it's getting more and more prevalent. Can we finally put to rest that there are "Basketball gods"? It's clearly obvious that this is a total farce and their are none. To give the Cavs the #1 pick 3 out of 4 years and 4 out of the last 6 times they have been in the lottery is a freaking joke. Also, it's clearly not rigged either.

Agreed. I still can't believe Cleveland got it. Freakin' Cleveland.

Its ridiculous. Run down city, terrible conference, no major league landmarks there..... this is absolutely no reason they should be getting pick after pick. They must have incriminating photos, or give great fellatio. I came here in shock the second I saw the headline yesterday. Cleveland, AGAIN?? When is OUR "payback" for all the times we were "screwed" going to arrive? It makes literally no sense.

[INFORMER]

Regardless of whom one prefers when considering Green vs. Morris Bros., Sacramento isn't going to make that deal to get Gerald Green. Green has failed in too many places to have much trade value by himself. He's great here, but others GMs will probably be wary of giving up anything substantial for Green. Combine that with the fact that they Just spent a lotto pick on a 2-guard and have Rudy at the 3, Green just isn't going to do it for them.

I know all that - I wouldn't have suggested Green if it were early last season, but he's proven he can be one hell of a sparkplug off the bench. Plus, his value is the highest it'll ever be - strike while the iron's hot, so to speak.....

You can't say "I know all that" and then state something that goes completely against the knowledge that you're claiming to have.

[SwingMan]

Regardless of whom one prefers when considering Green vs. Morris Bros., Sacramento isn't going to make that deal to get Gerald Green. Green has failed in too many places to have much trade value by himself. He's great here, but others GMs will probably be wary of giving up anything substantial for Green. Combine that with the fact that they Just spent a lotto pick on a 2-guard and have Rudy at the 3, Green just isn't going to do it for them.

I know all that - I wouldn't have suggested Green if it were early last season, but he's proven he can be one hell of a sparkplug off the bench. Plus, his value is the highest it'll ever be - strike while the iron's hot, so to speak.....

You can't say "I know all that" and then state something that goes completely against the knowledge that you're claiming to have.

Say what?

I know they traded for Gay and drafted McLemore last year - how does that go against anything?

If it's my statement of "I wouldn't have suggested Green if it were early last season" that you have issue with, what I'm saying is that he struggled mightily (relatively speaking) when he came off the bench early in the season - therefore, if it were during that time, I wouldn't have suggested Green as a chip with value to the Kings. But, now that he's proven he can make a significant impact off the bench (as the season went on), I'll toss him in there.

And, his value IS at an all-time high - he's coming off of the best season of his entire career and he's a piece that could help solidify Sacramento's backcourt rotation. And, he's relatively cheap, to boot - how is that not value?

[INFORMER]

I didn't realize "I know all that" wasn't referring to the entire post you quoted.

Swing, they just aren't moving the #8 pick for Gerald Green. They're not moving a top 10 lotto pick for a reserve guard, especially a journeyman.

Green hasn't proven anything. Unless teams are getting Jeff Hornacek with him in a trade, it isn't reasonable to think another team will have enough confidence in him to pull the trigger on deal giving up a lotto pick for him. Worst yet, the Kings wouldn't be addressing a glaring need. I don't think you can find anyone who thinks the Kings would bite on that deal.

The best bet for the Suns is a deal surrounding Morris Twins, and even that may not be enough.

[SwingMan]

I didn't realize "I know all that" wasn't referring to the entire post you quoted.

Swing, they just aren't moving the #8 pick for Gerald Green. They're not moving a top 10 lotto pick for a reserve guard, especially a journeyman.

Green hasn't proven anything. Unless teams are getting Jeff Hornacek with him in a trade, it isn't reasonable to think another team will have enough confidence in him to pull the trigger on deal giving up a lotto pick for him. Worst yet, the Kings wouldn't be addressing a glaring need. I don't think you can find anyone who thinks the Kings would bite on that deal.

The best bet for the Suns is a deal surrounding Morris Twins, and even that may not be enough.

Didn't say that Green was the only thing we'd be trading - we'd likely be giving up one of our picks this year or future picks.

And, who have they got in the backcourt backing Thomas & McLemore? 36 year old Jason Terry with an empty tank and a mish-mash of scrubs in McCallum and Cunningham - did you forget that Fredette is now in Chicago? The backcourt is where they're thinnest - why would they not find Green appealing?

Or, are you looking to get rid of the Morris twins for more personal reasons? I don't get that at all when they're crowded with Williams, Landry, Thompson and Outlaw (not to mention Evans, but he's just about done and is likely a goner) in addition to Cousins in the frontcourt - why would they take on a couple of 6th-8th men in the frontcourt?

[INFORMER]

Because every single power forward has failed. Landry missed nearly all of last year with an injury. Williams hasn't found a frontcourt position. Thompson is a backup center. It's been the never-ending pursuit since they drafted Cousins: who will play the 4 next to him? They tried Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes, and still have struck out.

[SwingMan]

Because every single power forward has failed. Landry missed nearly all of last year with an injury. Williams hasn't found a frontcourt position. Thompson is a backup center. It's been the never-ending pursuit since they drafted Cousins: who will play the 4 next to him? They tried Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes, and still have struck out.

And when has either Markieff or Marcus proven that they're better starting than coming off the bench?

What I least understand is why Sacramento came right out from jump street and said they were looking to deal #8 - I mean, Gordon or, conceivably, Vonleh could be there and potentially solve the situation without having to go through the hoops of a trade. I wouldn't even give this discussion any of my time if they hadn't done that, because I think it's a bit foolhardy in itself.

[INFORMER]

They don't want to wait on a rookie. I think they feel a little burned after McLemore turned in an abysmal rookie season.

And when has either Markieff or Marcus proven that they're better starting than coming off the bench?

Marcus isn't in the mix to start for any (good) team. Markieff has proven that he's better and/or younger than any power forward on their roster.

[SwingMan]

They don't want to wait on a rookie. I think they feel a little burned after McLemore turned in an abysmal rookie season.

And when has either Markieff or Marcus proven that they're better starting than coming off the bench?

Marcus isn't in the mix to start for any (good) team. Markieff has proven that he's better and/or younger than any power forward on their roster.

Thing is, he's done his best off the bench and in the post - the latter of which is Cousins' territory. How could Markieff play alongside cousins when there's no room in the paint?

Hell - maybe Frye could be a better trade option in this case. Then use #8 and Green to move up even higher (Orlando at #4 or Boston at #6, either of which would likely be Vonleh territory - likely Boston, as Orlando is already well set with Afflalo and, obviously, Oladipo).

[INFORMER]

Actually, Cousins operates from the top of the key whereas Markieff likes to get it on the wings. I don't love the pairing, but I think the Kings would desire it.

Boston and Orlando won't have any interest in Green. If you're looking for a team in the lotto that would want Green, then Charlotte's your team.

[SwingMan]

Actually, Cousins operates from the top of the key whereas Markieff likes to get it on the wings. I don't love the pairing, but I think the Kings would desire it.

Boston and Orlando won't have any interest in Green. If you're looking for a team in the lotto that would want Green, then Charlotte's your team.

But that's down a pick from Sacramento - no reason to trade Green for #9 if we already have #8 dangling. Whole object is to move up.

Plus, I've always seen Cousins operate on the block - sure, he floats to the elbow at times, but his primary option has been the (left) block.

Oh hell - I've got a headache. Too close to sack time to explore scenarios, apparently.....

[INFORMER]

But that's down a pick from Sacramento - no reason to trade Green for #9 if we already have #8 dangling. Whole object is to move up.

The point is that if you're hellbent on using Green, Charlotte is about the only team that would have interest in him.

[INFORMER]

And let's not overcomplicate this:

Derrick Williams finished the season shooting 42% from the field and 26% from 3.

And Markieff is no more limited to the post than Jason Thompson, who the Kings were starting next to Cousins.

So being clearly superior to both of those players, we can debate how well Kieff and Cousins mesh as much as we want to, but to deny that it is a clear upgrade from what they have is just silly.

So they could either upgrade their weakest position, or they could trade a lotto pick to get bench depth that they could just try to acquire in free agency.

[SwingMan]

But that's down a pick from Sacramento - no reason to trade Green for #9 if we already have #8 dangling. Whole object is to move up.

The point is that if you're hellbent on using Green, Charlotte is about the only team that would have interest in him.

No, I said a few posts back "Hell - maybe Frye could be a better trade option in this case. Then use #8 and Green to move up even higher....." - I guess we could trade Green to Charlotte and then package both #8 & #9 to try to move higher. Depends on the mindset of other GM's, I guess.....

[SwingMan]

And let's not overcomplicate this:

Derrick Williams finished the season shooting 42% from the field and 26% from 3.

And Markieff is no more limited to the post than Jason Thompson, who the Kings were starting next to Cousins.

So being clearly superior to both of those players, we can debate how well Kieff and Cousins mesh as much as we want to, but to deny that it is a clear upgrade from what they have is just silly.

So they could either upgrade their weakest position, or they could trade a lotto pick to get bench depth that they could just try to acquire in free agency.

Point is, Markieff is the most effective in the post - when he tried to be "Frye 2.0" during his first 2 years, he actually regressed.

And, I guess they could get Green in free agency, but they'd have to wait a year.

[Ring_Wanted]

Kieff has not done his best in the post. He is a midrange animal, which would fit well with Cousins who is indeed apost beast. I would really like the combo, at least on offense. I don't know how the Kings or the league overall values the Morrii, but they can play and if Sacramento doesn't want to wait for a rookie to develop, they could take a look at the twins.

Frye, I don't think he'll be nearly enough, at least compared to the twins. Older, expiring contract vs two younger guys still on their rookie deals. Still, sometimes weird things like these happen. The Wizards traded a high pick for Mike Miller in hopes of finally competing. Shane Battier too. Maybe the Kings have the same mindset. It's worth a phone call.

[ShelC]

As soon as I heard the Kings were looking for vets for their 8 pick, I immediately thought of Frye plus some combo of our picks. Frye is the kind of proven vet they need on that roster, lead by example, stretch 4 opposite Cousins. Would they take Frye and 14 for 8? Would we trade trade Frye and 14 to move up 6 spots? For whom? If we could move in the 5-7 range for a shot at a guy like Vonleh than sure. But i'm not sure I'd give up Frye to move up to 8. Would probably rather stay at 14.

[Sunsfan4life]

Anybody else kind of bewildered by this rumor that the Kings could be eyeing Dennis Schroeder with the 8th pick? I liked him going into last yrs draft, but his rookie year has hardly warranted getting into the top 10. I guess Him and 15 would make a bit more sense, but it came out the Kings were putting the pk on the block for a veteran and then his name was linked to it and you were like "he's a veteran?"

IMO, I doubt Kieff,Green or Frye would be able to land #8 and if they could I'd do it in a heartbeat. Your almost guaranteed 1 of Randle,Gordon or Vonleh if that happens.

[ShelC]

Gordon doesn't do much for me. His measureables weren't that impressive. Not that that's the end all be all, but still.