Last night's Kings' victory over the Celtics got me thinking. There's way to build a team out of the roster they have now. The key is to look at the solution in reverse, i.e.: start with your reserve players and work up to your starters. At the moment and for most of the season, as I've expressed before, except for Cousins, and Rudy Gay, all the other players on the team would be reserves on any other team in the NBA. That makes the King's reserve team arguably as good as or better than any reserves in the NBA if they were asked to play only against reserves.
But last night I saw one of these reserves: Willy Cauley Stein demonstrate his potential to be an effective starting center in the NBA: a shot blocker, and rim protector, a runner, dunker (a la DeAndre Jordan), and a scorer (if he develops that 16 foot jump shot). If I'm right, then the Kings can trade their only sure-fire tradeable assets: DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. They probably won't get a lot for Gay now that he has to come back from a torn Achilles tendon injury. (Perhaps a low first round draft pick or a high second) But they should be able to get at least two strong players at any of the starting positions, (one should be a bone-fide point guard) for Cousins. Free agency and a willing pocketbook should account for the other starters. Get your pen out Ranadive.
There'd have to be some trimming of reserves, of course, but I don't see that as a problem. Ben Maclemore, for example, needs to be on another team if he has any chance of living up to his potential. And a couple of last year's draft choice need the D League or Euro-League for a couple of years.
Let's be clear, a strong bench is essential to a winning team. The Warriors have proved that. Their guys off the bench are held in high esteem by coaches and starters, who are demonstrably delighted with their successes on the court. Seeing most of the Kings'present team as reserves is not a put- down, but a put-up.
As of now, the Kings have got that half (the reserves half ) of the team right. It's time to get to work bringing starters to Sacramento.
In other news How about some love for Steph Curry in this morning's paper, calling The Trump an ass, a synonym for rump.
As it's Black History Month:
To Satch (or American Gothic) by Samuel Allen
Sometimes I feel like I will never stop
Just go on forever
Till one fine mornin
I'm gonna reach up and grab me a handfulla stars
Swing out my long lean leg
And whip three hot strikes burnin down the heavens
And look over at God and say
How about that!
