Kings Bench Wiped Out - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

NVDA · 08-23-2003, 12:50 AM

Reposted from here

Honestly, since when has being a deep team been a bad thing for the Kings? I think we all realize that the Kings were a Chris Webber injury away from having the best shot out of any team at the 2003 NBA Championship. And I definitely know that everyone here realizes the Kings were one Horry 3 away from being 2002 NBA Champions. How would the Kings have survived last season without a deep bench? Does anyone here honestly believe Webber will play 82 games this year?

What I think happened was that Petrie got impatient; he was getting tired of burning money without getting a title, and had to drop players like flys to clear the cap this year. Dropping Hedo, Pollard, JJ, Keon, and some draft picks for what the Kings got this offseason is losing out.

Kings bench is as follows:

1) Bobby
2) Miller
3) Massenburg
4) Peeler
5) Wallace
6) Songalia
7) Funderburke

Clearly Bobby is Bobby, and is the Kings best player by far, and 6th man last year so he's still the cornerstone of the Kings bench.

Miller was voted an All Star last year but let's face it, being voted an All Star is a popularity contest (Shaq throwing a fist at Miller is probably the only reason anyone even remembered to vote Miller as a C in the Eastern Conference ballot). And of course, Miller certainly didn't deserve it based on his numbers last season (13 ppg, 8 rpg, and 0.5 bpg is hardly All Star). The fact that he's one of the best centers means nothing because of the extreme depletion of skilled centers in the NBA. IMO, Keon is just as good as Miller, and certainly a much much better blocker. To pay as much as the Kings did for Miller isn't sensible, despite the C depletion in the league. However, Miller's definitely a good big body bench player, especially as a C. Certainly better than the vast majority in the league on the bench.

Massenburg means nothing, basically a big body worth throwing in for 10 minutes a game. But giving up Pollard for this dude is totally ridiculous. Keon would be playing this spot as well, and it's definitely idiotic to give him up for Massenburg.

Peeler is a good shooter and decent defender, despite his age. However, JJ is a much bigger offensive threat and so Peeler is a downgrade. However, JJ's defense is only mediocre compared to Peeler. Peeler was a good pickup, but overall I'd say the Kings lost out on JJ.

I actually think Wallace is quite good, he has some potential. But obviously Hedo or basically anyone else the Kings had last year can rebound and shoot better than this guy. He especially needs to improve his shot.

Funderburke is another big body the Kings kept, but I'd rather have any of the players the Kings shipped out this offseason than Fundy.

Don't know much about Songalia, doubt he'll make a noticeable impact either way.

What do you guys think? (I'd post this on a Kings board but they ban the vast majority of their Laker fans...).

Evilmav2 · 08-23-2003, 01:12 AM

This offseason, the vaunted depth of the King's got flushed down the:

Toilet

With the exception of the Brad Miller move, everything the King's organization have done or said this offseason, indicates that the Maloof brothers desperately want to avoid any more great luxury tax hits, and thus the depth of Sacramento has been sacrificed on an alter devoted to the aquisition of cold, hard cash for the Maloofs...

The Miller aquisition may have actually extended the King's window of championship opportunity for a couple of years, but losing guys like Turkoglu, Pollard, Jimmy Jackson, and King Keon and replacing them with retreads, rookies, and stumblebums does not bode well for the best interests of that quest...

NVDA · 08-23-2003, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Evilmav2
The Miller aquisition may have actually extended the King's window of championship opportunity for a couple of years, but losing guys like Turkoglu, Pollard, Jimmy Jackson, and King Keon and replacing them with retreads, rookies, and stumblebums does not bode well for the best interests of that quest...

Agreed.

And, the Kings should be pray that they don't suffer the same amount of injuries (or close to it) that they suffered last year. If any of their starting 5 gets injured, it's going to hurt (except at the PG with Bobby).

Tony tha Mavs fan · 08-23-2003, 11:48 AM

Mavs bench

Best
Welsch
Howard
Najera
Fortson
Bradley
Daniels

Kings bench

Jackson
Songalia
Miller
Peeler
Wallace
Massenburgh
Funderburke

Advantage: Mavs

I dont see how the Kings can be considered the deepest team in the League anymore, especially since the Mavs bench got extremely younger, and more talented, and at the same time remained cap friendly. Nice Job Donnie Nelson, Mark Cuban

FilthyFinMavs · 08-23-2003, 12:00 PM

Bobby Jackson and Brad Miller are better than our whole bench put together. There squad isn't as deep as it was but there is still some talent there. They are really going to miss Glu, JJ, Pollard, and Keon. Damn thats alot of talent gone. They went' from being so deep that Turkoglu couldn't get any playing time to Gerald Wallace being there 3rd option off the bench.

jayC · 08-23-2003, 12:58 PM

Its almost as if they stood pat. They lost three contributors from their hearalded bench and gained a pseudo all-star. This move reminds me of the deon move the cowboys made a few seasons ago. Sure they got one last superbowl but the move hampered the cap and was the begining of the end for the cowboys. Honestly the kings blew it, they had two chances at a title but just couldn't stay healthy. They had to do somethng I just don't know if they are really better.

Psychedelic Fuzz · 08-23-2003, 05:30 PM

Maybe they just went after miller to keep us form getting him. other than that it seems like a pretty lateral move to me.

MavsFanatik33 · 08-23-2003, 06:15 PM

Vlade's getting old, so Brad Miller could become starter in the future, that will just make the King bench even less deep.