Thursday Mail Sac, and it's Jimmer time courtesy Steven: "On what NBA team would Jimmer be successful? Personally I don't see Jimmer getting enough playig time in Sacramento to be successful. I think there is an NBA team on which he will become a good backup and successful guard like Scott Brooks when he played in the NBA."
I tend to agree that the Kings roster as currently constructed presents Fredette with quite a challenge. Absent of an exponential leap in his ball handling, he likely falls behind Greivis Vasquez and Isaiah Thomas at point guard. And while he can shoot, he's not a scorer like Marcus Thornton. And make no mistake, there is a difference between guys that can shoot and guys that can score in volume. The last time we saw Fredette, he was not yet in Thornton's class. That pits him against Ben McLemore for backup minutes at shooting guard. Fair or not, McLemore is the first pick of new ownership/management, and he will be given every opportunity to beat out Fredette for those minutes.
Now, the Kings are always just a trade away from Fredette moving up in the rotation, but as it stands, he sure appears to be the odd man out.
Let's look around the league, keeping in mind that guys like Rip Hamilton, Beno Udrih, and Rodrigue Beaubois are still unsigned. Also, I'm not cranking up the trade machine here - I'm just looking for places where Fredette might get a better chance for playing time right now.
Atlanta: Backing up Lou Williams at shooting guard. The Hawks have Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroeder at the point. Fredette's shooting off the bench would benefit the Hawks greatly.
Indiana: You know what? Fredette would be a nice fit behind George Hill. Paul George does a lot of handling from the two guard, so Fredette would work with him or even Lance Stephenson. C.J. Watson currently backs up Hill.
Los Angeles Lakers: Behind Nash (instead of Steve Blake), playing next to Kobe or Jodie Meeks. It could work.
Oklahoma City: Would he be better than Jeremy Lamb as a backup to Thabo Sefolosha?
Philadelphia: Their current backcourt is Michael Carter-Williams, Jason Richardson and Justin Holiday.
Phoenix: After Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic comes Shannon Brown. Fredette would at least have a shot at some burn here.
San Antonio: There is really no room at the Inn here, but Popovich would make a success out of him somehow.
Some folks like to point to Utah, but I don't see it. The Jazz are going all in with Trey Burke at point guard this year, and they have Alec Burks and Brandon Rush at the two (they can even slide Gordon Hayward to the two as they so desire). So that would leave Fredette battling John Lucas for minutes behind Burke. As much as folks like to see Fredette as a hometown boy, I see him as a somewhat divisive character. For every BYU fan there is a Utah or Utah State fan that really doesn't care for him too much.
All in all, some rather slim pickings. But he sure seems right for a Pacers uniform, doesn't he?
And from Chowking: "It's amazing to me that you guys can write about the Kings everyday even at off-season? How often do you think about the Kings in a day?
Michael Beasley might have played he's last game as a member of the SUNS. Another super talented player whose only problem is himself. I can't say who has a bigger problem between him and Cousins since it all depends on the person and what will make them change but do you think Beasley still has a career in the NBA? Would you even consider him for the Kings?"
We think about the Kings as much as Ziller makes us think about the Kings, which is always. Someday I will escape my confines and my parents will pay dearly for ever selling me to him. Someday...
Comparing the issues of Cousins and Beasley is comparing apples and otters. In fact, there are only a small handful of NBA players that can make you say, "Hey, at least DeMarcus Cousins isn't..." Michael Beasley is one of those guys. And Phoenix no longer possesses any assets that you could really package with Beasley to make it even remotely attractive to take him on. He is due to make $12.3m over the next two years (minus whatever money he's going to lose for his most recent marijuana arrest, which I believe was a felony count). The Suns would have to throw 2014 and 2016 1st round draft picks for me to take on the Beas at this point, and that would be a deal that would have them taking Chuck Hayes in trade...and then I would promptly waive Beasley.
And to think that at one point he was thought of as a potential #1 pick in the Derrick Rose draft. What a waste.
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Pick & Droll: Stat pondering.
Reggie Theus averaged 8.3 assists per game during his time in Sacramento, which is #1 all time for assists per game here in the River City. Kenny Smith was next at 7.2, and Spud Webb comes in third at 6.7. Will Greivis Vasquez average more assists per game than any of these guys this year (he averaged 9 per game last year)?
Jason Thompson is currently 10th all-time in games played as a Sacramento King. He will climb to 6th if he plays in 77 games this year, and #1 if he plays in 141 games (basically two seasons or less). Where is JT destined to wind up on this list, and what (if anything) would it mean?
In 1998-99 Chris Webber averaged an astonishing 13 rebounds per game. If DeMarcus Cousins can curtail his fouls a bit and takes dead aim at grabbing every rebound within range, can he eclipse that number? Where do you see Cousins' rebounding average coming in this year?
Webber also averaged an amazing 38.8 minutes per game during his stay in Sacramento. Who is going to lead the team in minutes per game this year, and what will the number be?
Mitch Richmond is the only Sacramento King to average double digit scoring while shooting over 40% from beyond the arc (40.4%...Peja Stojakovic came in at 39.8%). Will any of the Kings this year average double digit scoring and shoot at least 40% from three? 39%? 38%?
In that same vein, Peja's 89.3% from the line is tops for any Sacramento era double digit scorer. Which double digit scorer will lead the team in free throw percentage this year, and at what percentage?
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