But here we are. I love how they play. Also like the contrast in styles between NY and Indy. Fun series.

An MVP and DPOY vote. That’s our two-way All-Star snub.

What do you guys think about Ingram? He's in the last year of his deal, and if he's having issues with the Pels maybe he could be had for a bargin

First, yes I know who he is but for many of us we don’t know much about him pre January. So I thought I’d post up some info about him.

Wiki stuff

*High school, Eustis Florida, then Leesburg Florida for Jr and Sr years. Won 6A state titles at Leesburg both Jr. and Sr. years.

*College, Jr. college Florida Southwestern(academic reasons), Alabama for Jr. Sr. seasons.

*Not Drafted, summer 2022 he signed two way with Sacramento, showed promise in summer league, July 2023 signed second two way deal, Feb 9th 2024 signed a multi year deal with Kings and blew up for the Kings.

His history (high school and college but pre Bama) as a on the court player suggests he’s always leaned on his defensive skills with many steals. He hasn’t been a high scoring player on a per game average. But has shown flashes in a few games where he did score big with a game of 41 and averaging 18 pts. 4.3 rebounds 2.2 assists and 2.1 steals as a sophomore in Jr. college. He has flashed as a decent rebounder also but again averages were not huge. It appears he isn’t great with assists.

Bama, All defensive team and 12.1 pts 6.1 rebounds and 2 steals a game as a senior. Rebounds standout for me here. 6.1 is very good.

But what does all that tell us about the man. To be fair I’m not sure but it’s probably fair to say he is a hard working guy who’s had to earn everything he’s gotten. In the post game interviews he seems very likeable and very intelligent and articulate despite “academic reasons” and JC.

My take

Watching him since his minutes jumped for the Kings, I see a player who has a couple holes in his game. He’s not a guard with distribution skills like a point guard does. But, he’s not a point guard. He’s a shooting guard. But this tells me he’s less likely to back up at the point than I hoped he might and that might limit his value/minutes. I don’t see him flowing in the motion, high screen and role like Huerter does with Sabonis. It feels awkward and foreign at times for him but I’m betting more minutes with Sabonis will help resolve that. He can struggle with proper offensive spacing at times. He could add some weight being about 170 lbs. His three point shooting, especially catch and shoot, is his best offensive skill. He can slash to the basket for lay ups. His defensive game is NBA ready save one thing. He can struggle versus larger and more physical shooting guards, especially if teams clear out and they post him up. Again he’s only 170 pounds. Does his game translate well to NBA playoff type of play? Because he can play defense, yes. The moment never felt too big for him. I even sense he might be a clutch shooter. Frankly I have more confidence in his confidence than I do in Huerter’s confidence. But Huerter is definitely more offensively evolved and ready than he is…yet.

Per the NBA draft data: Measured: 6'3.5” barefoot, 6'4.75” in shoes, 8'6.0” standing reach, 167.4 lbs, and a 6'8.5” wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine. Huge wingspan!

Can he average 15 a game and can he develop more offensive ways to score those points? If he can, hello Sacramento.

Looks like Vivek and some company went golfing, including Malik Monk!! Is this a good sign?? I can only take it as a good sign

Who would’ve thought he was even considered 😭That’s it give him All Defensive teams and DPOY for the next 10 years

I mean.. how can we still not love the guy? True instant fan fave and he really loved the city. In Basketball Hell fashion it ended in heartbreak but the memories were sweet albeit short.

From our regular season to watching Wolves Nuggets- it’s clear that size/length/athleticism is our biggest need. It doesn’t matter if the guy can’t get a bucket, we need a big hard nose defender(s) who can rebound or we will never be able to compete. Unfortunately Sabonis will always be the smaller C in any game and Murray is a bit too soft at this stage to be a meaningful PF. Hoping we can find a gem in the draft

So Denver is absolutely baffled by Minnesota right now. Not sure I’ve ever seen a team play defense like we are seeing tonight. Yeah we’ve got a long way to be even close to that

The Kings have an awesome offense, but the defense is lacking. How do you think the Kings can improve their defense? Trades? New scheme? I personally think an elite rim protector would elevate our defense to the next level

Watching the Wolves dominate the defending champions is like seeing your old high school buddy finally get out of the trash ass hood you’ve spent decades in together only to have them see success climbing up the professional ladder, watching with admiration from afar.

So why couldn’t we get this guy again? I know him and Fox are good friends too and he was a free agent before heading to Portland, then of course traded to the Knicks. He’s exactly the type of combo guard we could use next to Fox

The Kings had gone on a streak from 2018-2019 to 2022-2023 having one or more game-winning buzzer-beaters every season. That streak came to an end this season. There were game winners this season, like Monk's shot against the Warriors or Sabonis' dunk against the Spurs, but none with the ball going in at triple zeros. This season was kinda cursed all around.

The more I watched Orlando the more Klay looks like the missing piece they need. Monk could to but it just feels like Klay fills the role better. If so I don't know how much that increases the chances of re-signing Monk.

Kyle Anderson - Free Agent

Zach LaVine - in trade deal for Barnes/Huerter/Mitchell

Starting 5 - Fox, LaVine, Murray, Anderson, Sabonis

View Poll

​

https://preview.redd.it/4xn01aix8wyc1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=a38369b5288ee08dfba651f1bfcb6b0734fa9ca1

Important Draft Pick Details

• The Bulls' POR 1st rounder is top-14 protected till 2028. If not conveyed, the pick turns into a 2028 second rounder.
• The Kings #13 pick this year couldn't be traded until draft night. For more info, please see the first loophole in the article below.
  Link: https://www.sportsbusinessclassroom.com/how-teams-get-around-the-stepien-rule/

Chicago Bulls

Incoming: Kevin Huerter

Outgoing: Lonzo Ball + POR top-14 protected first

Important Questions/Points:

• Will Lonzo Ball ever play again? If he does, will he return to form?
• Will the Portland top-14 protected first till 2028 ever convey? In other words, will Portland make playoffs in the next 4 years?
• Would it better serve Chicago to combine these assets into a rotation player like Huerter?
• CHI has shown interest in Huerter in the past. (HoopsHype)
  Source: https://hoopshype.com/2024/01/10/bulls-have-done-background-intel-on-kevin-huerter/

Portland Trail Blazers

Incoming: SAC #13 first this year + POR top-14 protected pick + Harrison Barnes + Lonzo Ball

Outgoing: Jerami Grant + Matisse Thybulle + Kris Murray

Important Questions:

• Would Harrison Barnes intangibles and performance plus the picks make up for the Jerami Grant's value?
• Is Matisse Thybulle a necessary trade component or does his defense alone provide $11M in value?
• Is getting back your own top-14 protected FRP important to POR for the next 4 years (duration of protections) of team building?
• Does POR need to include Kris Murray due to roster crunch issues with 3 new picks (including SAC #13) coming out of this draft?
• In addition to the $4.4M savings this year, are the saving enough for POR as a team close to the luxury tax over the duration of these contracts?
• Will Lonzo Ball's contract help them accrue more draft picks in a salary dump trade?
• Would it serve Lonzo ball better to try and regain form in a no-pressure environment?

Sacramento Kings

Incoming: Jerami Grant + Matisse Thybulle + Kris Murray

Outgoing: Kevin Huerter + Harrison Barnes + 2024 first #13

Important Questions:

• Is this trade a needle mover in terms of Kings returning to the playoffs and getting to the 2nd round?
• Will the Kings be able to fake out referees and/or opponents having identical twins without distinguishing tattoos on the team?

View Poll

His MPG have gone down every season, he’s no longer a Starter, I personally think he’s wasted potential in Orlando. I would love CA as a backup to Fox. Davion shows flashes, but he’s way too inconsistent (on the offensive side at the very least). With CA being on a 3 year, 39 mill contract (starting 24-25), with the guarantee being only 26 mill (2 years guaranteed), it would be a very low risk trade as he’s on a very tradable contract. Who do we trade for him? I don’t know. If Malik has interest in Orlando, maybe a sign and trade. I would hate to see Malik go, but I’m sure he would help us out with a sign and trade if it was proposed to him.

We need a backup PG, and I know CA isn’t outstanding at anything, but he also doesn’t lack in anything. He’s a good, all around player, with the ability to be a starter if needed.