Bogdan Bogdanovic

[ParniValjak]

I hope Bogdanovic makes the right choice. If he decides to stay, then I think there's a chance that he'll never come over. Do you know if he's a FA after this year too?
He'll already be 25yearsold at the start of next season, so he's not exactly young by any means. (For an NBA prospect)

Apparently signed a 1 year extension for next season with Fener but there is a $1 million buy out.

Like I said a couple of days ago, I was very confident that as recently as 2 weeks ago that he would be coming over to the NBA but since the Cousins trade and the bad press it received not just in the States but worldwide (including Serbian media), I was not as confident that Bogdan will be in the NBA next year.

 

[ParniValjak]

The incentive for Bogdan is more money on a non-rookie deal and prove himself against the players in the world. As far as ton of SGs, we can slide Bogdan and Malachi to SF. Both have 7'0" wingspans. Allegedly there was trade interest in Ben around the trade deadline. If we get commitment from Bogdan I would anticipate a sign and trade with Ben. Affalo is going to get bought out. Temple is best in back-up utility role. Buddy will start next year with strong summer.

SG - Buddy - Temple
SF - Malachi - Bogdan

Under this scenario there is incentive for Bogdan to come over with minutes up for grabs. And even become a #1 or #2 option! Its not like he would be buried behind established players. If I am in his shoes that is more important than being on an established playoff team. I would also want to come to a team where the "culture" is relatively positive. This will be selling point for Vlade following trade, that Bogdan will to join young players to grow together. So with all due respect your "no incentive" conclusion is hogwash.

Money is not what drives Bogdan. He is a kid that plays because he loves the game and loves to compete. Bogdan has come through the ranks of my club Partizan and he was giving everything for that team despite lack of basic resources for a professional team. He played injured, he carried a load and led as a kid. Partizan owes SO much money to it's players. Bogdan was owed more than a year's salary from Partizan but he has written off that debt saying, I might play for other teams but I love Partizan. When the time came for him to leave Partizan, he has a MASSIVE offer from Barcelona and he chose Fener because that club was offering the bigger compensation to Partizan and partly because of the coach Zeljko Obradovic.

If you think it is all about money for Bogdan, or that money is a major incentive, then I think you are making a whole lot of assumptions. As one of the best players in Europe, he can get offers VERY comparable to the one he gets from Kings especially when you consider that contracts in Europe are after tax. Players like Navarro and Rudy Fernandez went back to Europe because they are getting more money than they were in the NBA. For as long as Bogdanovic continues to be one of the best players in Europe, he will get offers from big, financially strong European clubs that are comparable to anything he gets in the NBA.

 

[ParniValjak]

Bogdan kept pulling this crap when he was with us too. The Suns tried to bring him over every season after the first season in which he got drafted. He frustrated the Suns and I think that's part of the reason why they decided to just trade him for something.

I don't think he's interested in playing NBA ball and I do think he's just toying around.

I disagree with this strongly. As per my previous post, I have known Bogdan for a very long time. He didn't go over to Phoenix when he was drafted straight out of Partizan because he thought he was not ready for the NBA and saw himself as needing 2-3 years in a big European club to develop and play consistently so that when he does go to the NBA that he is ready to contribute right from the start.

Last couple of years he did not come over to Phoenix because of a number of factors with two main ones being a guard heavy roster (Bledsoe, Booker, Knight while he was actually reasonably good player) and a team going into full rebuild.

My personal read on Bogdan's thinking is that he wants to go to a good team that will fight for the play offs and he wants to have a chance at getting solid playing time. I don't think he wants to go to a rebuild project and he does not want to go to a team where he will not get enough playing time. Unfortunately, both Suns and Kings post the Cousins trade are in the same boat, heavy rebuilding project with guard heavy rosters.

And no, Bogdan is not a SF. He might be able to pinch a few minutes there in certain line ups but he is a guard.

 

[Blob]

Money is not what drives Bogdan. He is a kid that plays because he loves the game and loves to compete. Bogdan has come through the ranks of my club Partizan and he was giving everything for that team despite lack of basic resources for a professional team. He played injured, he carried a load and led as a kid. Partizan owes SO much money to it's players. Bogdan was owed more than a year's salary from Partizan but he has written off that debt saying, I might play for other teams but I love Partizan. When the time came for him to leave Partizan, he has a MASSIVE offer from Barcelona and he chose Fener because that club was offering the bigger compensation to Partizan and partly because of the coach Zeljko Obradovic.

If you think it is all about money for Bogdan, or that money is a major incentive, then I think you are making a whole lot of assumptions. As one of the best players in Europe, he can get offers VERY comparable to the one he gets from Kings especially when you consider that contracts in Europe are after tax. Players like Navarro and Rudy Fernandez went back to Europe because they are getting more money than they were in the NBA. For as long as Bogdanovic continues to be one of the best players in Europe, he will get offers from big, financially strong European clubs that are comparable to anything he gets in the NBA.

I didn't know you had direct access to his psyche. I admit that I don't but I know money is major incentive for anyone in their prime earning years. More importantly if you consider yourself a great player you want to compete against the best. He's not going to be able to do that if he's stays there. He has a chance to compete against Stephen Curry, James Harden and be teammate of Buddy, who had one of the best collegiate seasons of all-time. That doesn't appeal to him? If it doesn't it should. If it doesn't he probably should stay over there. If he doesn't come to states to play against the best players in the world, assuming a lucrative comparable or better contract offer, he's afraid and a bit of a coward. That's just my opinion. If he wants to stay in his comfort zone against competition he knows he can dominate, he can justify it however he wants. But if he wants to test his skills against the best, then we will see him in a Kings uniform, hopefully sooner than later.

 

[LPKingsFan]

The incentive for Bogdan is more money on a non-rookie deal and prove himself against the players in the world. As far as ton of SGs, we can slide Bogdan and Malachi to SF. Both have 7'0" wingspans. Allegedly there was trade interest in Ben around the trade deadline. If we get commitment from Bogdan I would anticipate a sign and trade with Ben. Affalo is going to get bought out. Temple is best in back-up utility role. Buddy will start next year with strong summer.

SG - Buddy - Temple
SF - Malachi - Bogdan

Under this scenario there is incentive for Bogdan to come over with minutes up for grabs. And even become a #1 or #2 option! Its not like he would be buried behind established players. If I am in his shoes that is more important than being on an established playoff team. I would also want to come to a team where the "culture" is relatively positive. This will be selling point for Vlade following trade, that Bogdan will to join young players to grow together. So with all due respect your "no incentive" conclusion is hogwash.

Temple is more of a SF than Mali or Bogdan. His wingspan is 7-foot from what I recall, and, if you look at basketball-reference at least, he's played over 40% of his minutes there the last two seasons.

 

[Blob]

Temple is more of a SF than Mali or Bogdan. His wingspan is 7-foot from what I recall, and, if you look at basketball-reference at least, he's played over 40% of his minutes there the last two seasons.

I wouldn't rely on that data. I think it is rather arbitrary. I don't want to go any deeper into the weeds on this but I will say the overriding variable is the more talented you are the more likely you can have success as a multi-positional player. If Bogdan is as good as Vlade claims him (the BEST player in Europe) he should have success as WING (SF and SG) whether predominantly "2" or "3" or mix depending on line-ups and match-ups. There may be opponents that give him difficulty because of length / strength difference but he should also cause as many match-up problems as he encounters. If he doesn't well then he's not as good as we hope him to be. There was a time back in the day when the idea of Stephen Curry as a PG seemed far fetched. But his talent and work ethic overcame positional restrictions. Same goes for Bogdan if he's the real deal. Finally positions across the board are down-sizing though I think there will be a counter to this trend and resurgence of bigs in the near future.

 

[VF21]

I didn't know you had direct access to his psyche. I admit that I don't but I know money is major incentive for anyone in their prime earning years. More importantly if you consider yourself a great player you want to compete against the best. He's not going to be able to do that if he's stays there. He has a chance to compete against Stephen Curry, James Harden and be teammate of Buddy, who had one of the best collegiate seasons of all-time. That doesn't appeal to him? If it doesn't it should. If it doesn't he probably should stay over there. If he doesn't come to states to play against the best players in the world, assuming a lucrative comparable or better contract offer, he's afraid and a bit of a coward. That's just my opinion. If he wants to stay in his comfort zone against competition he knows he can dominate, he can justify it however he wants. But if he wants to test his skills against the best, then we will see him in a Kings uniform, hopefully sooner than later.

He said he knows him personally. I think that qualifies as having "direct access"... I do recall Čarolija mentioning his acquaintance with Bogdan before, so I tend to believe him.

Also, I think that stuff about being a coward if he doesn't want to test his skills against the best is a poor argument. Bogdan played in the Olympics. He's gone up against some of the best. If he chooses to stay where he's comfortable, especially if it means avoiding a crapload of drama, I couldn't possibly blame him.

 

[Blob]

He said he knows him personally. I think that qualifies as having "direct access"... I do recall Čarolija mentioning his acquaintance with Bogdan before, so I tend to believe him.

Also, I think that stuff about being a coward if he doesn't want to test his skills against the best is a poor argument. Bogdan played in the Olympics. He's gone up against some of the best. If he chooses to stay where he's comfortable, especially if it means avoiding a poopooload of drama, I couldn't possibly blame him.

Fair enough but my general assessment of superior athletes and fearless competitors and aspiring champions is they want to compete against the best. They welcome it. They seek it out. They thrive off it. If rather they defer or avoid confrontation with rationalizations and excuses and the like it is likely rooted in self-doubt and fear. This is opposite of courage whether labeled cowardice or not. Its maybe not fair to say he's a coward if he doesn't come over next season presuming a superior contract offer but I will feel free to call him a scaredy-cat

 

[ESP47]

You are entitled to your opinion. I am not particularly inclined to debate you because you are rather lathered up in your tone. I will say the best SF in NBA not named LeBron or Durant came into league with 7"3 wingspan and 227 pounds (Kawhi). As long as a player is in this ball park relative to length and weight (strength), there is potential for a skilled wing player to slide between SG and SF. These positions are relatively interchangeable. If you don't think Malachi has this potential you are selling him short. It may be more of a stretch for Bogdan but not out of realm of possibility. A wing needs to be able to shoot from deep, breakdown his man off the bounce, slide down for rebounds, and hold their ground in the paint. To conclude so soon neither prospect is capable in this regard is short sighted.

It's realistic, not short sighted. The odds of either of them having a successful career at SF is extremely low. They would both be about the shortest SF's in the league. Other short SF's like Crowder and Iguadola are very strong. Malachi and Bogdan are not. You have to have a plus skill set other than shooting if you're a SG moving over to SF to be successful. I can't think of a single successful 6'6" SF that's neither strong nor athletic. If Malachi bulks up in a few years he might be able to slide over a bit here and there but if you want to win basketball games, you need to have an advantage at your position. Moving guys around to positions they aren't built for is not a recipe for success. Neither guy is very good at breaking down their man off the dribble, rebounding or holding their own in the paint. They would get destroyed by nearly every SF out there. It would be like Skal trying to guard Lopez last night.

 

[upinsmoke]

I think Buddy will end up being a darn good player playing on the ball. Once he polishes his game the quick release and ability to finish through contact will open up everyone's game. Going forward we have a nice backcourt developing. Let's pick a PG and SF who can D up.

 

[Blob]

It's realistic, not short sighted. The odds of either of them having a successful career at SF is extremely low. They would both be about the shortest SF's in the league. Other short SF's like Crowder and Iguadola are very strong. Malachi and Bogdan are not. You have to have a plus skill set other than shooting if you're a SG moving over to SF to be successful. I can't think of a single successful 6'6" SF that's neither strong nor athletic. If Malachi bulks up in a few years he might be able to slide over a bit here and there but if you want to win basketball games, you need to have an advantage at your position. Moving guys around to positions they aren't built for is not a recipe for success. Neither guy is very good at breaking down their man off the dribble, rebounding or holding their own in the paint. They would get destroyed by nearly every SF out there. It would be like Skal trying to guard Lopez last night.

If Allen Crabbe can play SF so can Malachi. We'll see about Bogdan...if he has the guts to come to the NBA.

 

[ParniValjak]

If Allen Crabbe can play SF so can Malachi. We'll see about Bogdan...if he has the guts to come to the NBA.

I prefer to say if he is smart enough to avoid the dumpster fire that is Sacramento. No money in the world would make me want to play for the Kings as the franchise is currently constructed.

His rights will probably get traded or he makes a pretty nice living playing basketball in Europe. His decision has nothing to do with guts. He has a choice to be part of the circus that this franchise has been for a good part of the decade or avoid the misery. If he stays in Europe as I think is most likely, then Divac has flopped on yet another player. There seems to be a common denominator in all this.

 

[SacTownKid]

When you put your name into the draft, you don't get to cherry pick where you go. Bogdan never should have put his name in the draft if he wanted the freedom to determine his NBA destination. He certainly has the right to stay overseas but that might shut the door on him coming to the NBA for good. He will have little trade value at that point as someone who appears to have shunned not one, but two NBA franchises, and the Kings really would have no reason to trade his rights to any other team.

I can see reasons for him not to come, but to have any team take a swing on an already developed prospect who was a late first rounder to begin with and anoint them as a huge building block for their team moving forward, well, he might want to think about how pretty cool that is.

 

[King Baller]

Well I hope Bogdan comes over. Rebuilding or not the Kings are a good chance for him to prove he belongs in the NBA.

 

[PHXSUNSFAN]

I disagree with this strongly. As per my previous post, I have known Bogdan for a very long time. He didn't go over to Phoenix when he was drafted straight out of Partizan because he thought he was not ready for the NBA and saw himself as needing 2-3 years in a big European club to develop and play consistently so that when he does go to the NBA that he is ready to contribute right from the start.

Last couple of years he did not come over to Phoenix because of a number of factors with two main ones being a guard heavy roster (Bledsoe, Booker, Knight while he was actually reasonably good player) and a team going into full rebuild.

My personal read on Bogdan's thinking is that he wants to go to a good team that will fight for the play offs and he wants to have a chance at getting solid playing time. I don't think he wants to go to a rebuild project and he does not want to go to a team where he will not get enough playing time. Unfortunately, both Suns and Kings post the Cousins trade are in the same boat, heavy rebuilding project with guard heavy rosters.

And no, Bogdan is not a SF. He might be able to pinch a few minutes there in certain line ups but he is a guard.

This just isn't true. He was directly quoted as saying after being drafted by the Suns that he wants to play in the NBA that same season and that he felt he was ready

Skip to the 1 minute mark of this interview:

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/draft/2014/06/27/20140626-post-draft-bogdan-bogdanovic.nba

The Suns thought he might be best off staying in Europe because they wanted to get a better look at Archie Goodwin. However, the Suns have been wanting him to come over every season after that and they wanted him to develop and beat Archie Goodwin for a roster spot but he lost all interest of playing in the NBA.

And for him to not want to play in the NBA because the team has many guards is silly. This is the NBA that we're takin about, if he comes here and performs then he will get minutes. If he's scared of competition then that's his fault.

In retrospect, I'm kinda glad that he didn't join the Suns because if he did then the Suns may have never drafted Booker who at age 20 is already better than Bogdanovic at age 24.

 

[ESP47]

If Allen Crabbe can play SF so can Malachi. We'll see about Bogdan...if he has the guts to come to the NBA.

That's faulty logic. Crabbe is a SG that plays spot minutes at SF. They have real SF's in Aminu and Harkless that take the majority of the minutes at that position.

 

[kingjatt]

CD says on twitter that him signing the extension is just for PR and not a big deal, he will be here next year, but I have my doubts. He has a pretty good situation in Europe, he had a nice Olympic run and has proven he is one of the best players in Europe.

Its going to cost a good chunk to get him over here but we should have the space if we need to up the offer. Its really on how Bogdan feels, going to a bad organization who has a bunch of players fighting for a spot at his position or stay a high profile star player in Europe. I think it would be better to have start out as a 2 because defensively it would be unfair to try to have him play 3.

If we don't get him to come over (real possibility) then that makes the phoenix trade way worse and the list of bad moves continues to grow. Oh and don't look now but Chriss is playing much better as well in this last stretch of games.

 

[206Fan]

I prefer to say if he is smart enough to avoid the dumpster fire that is Sacramento. No money in the world would make me want to play for the Kings as the franchise is currently constructed.

His rights will probably get traded or he makes a pretty nice living playing basketball in Europe. His decision has nothing to do with guts. He has a choice to be part of the circus that this franchise has been for a good part of the decade or avoid the misery. If he stays in Europe as I think is most likely, then Divac has flopped on yet another player. There seems to be a common denominator in all this.

Honestly, I can't buy that excuse. If he doesn't come over, then it just means he doesn't have the right mentality for the NBA. Look at all of the NBA players, they're all competitors. Nothing is ever given to them and they work their asses off to play for THE best competition in the world. Look at DLeague guys. They make less than 24k/year in the DL, when they could just go overseas and make at least 60k/year. The main reason why they stay in the DL is because they want to get to the highest competition in the world, the NBA.
If he's fine with where he's at, that's ok. It does show that he's scared of competition though.
You said he didn't want to go to the Suns because they were "guard-heavy". Then you said you think he probably wants a good amount of "PT". All of that is earned in the NBA. You fight for your spot on the team. You fight for your PT. You beat out guys for the job.

Even with all of this being said, I think Bogdan is a huge competitor and I have no sources, but I think he'll come over next year. Even though we have a crap-ton of guards, we still have no franchise player. Bogdan could potentially step into that role if he proves himself good enough.

I really wouldn't fault the guy if he didn't want to come over. He can create his own legacy in the Turkish League and be the face of their league. Plus, he gets to travel all over. The U.S. is nice, but our cities don't compare to theirs.

 

[Glenn]

A large number of people seem to think that the ultimate goal for a basketball player is to get to the NBA. Although the NBA may be superior to other leagues, that doesn't mean it is the most desirable. It is not a small deal to uproot yourself and go live in a different culture. If you look at this country through unbiased eyes, it doesn't look so hot either but this is no place to argue that. Yes, Bogdan can make a very good living in Europe. Perhaps he doesn't measure his self worth by the size of his bank roll. Is this a Vlade screw up? I think it is difficult to be a GM for this team which, believe it or not, has only had 6 or so good years since 1985. There was a long stretch even way back then where we were worse than now.

I would rather be on a team battling it out for a title than be on a team that loses and has traded itself into a worse position. I would also be skeptical about coming to a team that has a barrel full of players who play my position. He might not even play! I know darn well what I would do if I were he. I'd stay in Europe, make a relatively large amount of money, stay near my family and friends and have fun. The "have fun" part is a sum total of other concepts but in the end, if you aren't having fun, what is the extra amount of money worth?

 

[allrightythen]

I prefer to say if he is smart enough to avoid the dumpster fire that is Sacramento. No money in the world would make me want to play for the Kings as the franchise is currently constructed.

His rights will probably get traded or he makes a pretty nice living playing basketball in Europe. His decision has nothing to do with guts. He has a choice to be part of the circus that this franchise has been for a good part of the decade or avoid the misery. If he stays in Europe as I think is most likely, then Divac has flopped on yet another player. There seems to be a common denominator in all this.

So are you projecting your view of the Kings onto Bogdan's situation or do you have a connection to him that is telling you that he has issues with the way the Kings are being run? I'm not impuning you at all, I really want to know. I think the Kings are a mess right now too I'm just curious about the real situation with Bogdan. I'm reading some places that his deal with his Euro club is actually old news and didn't happen recently so I'm curious if he has actually told anyone that he doesn't like what the Kings are doing.

 

[Larry David]

On the bright side, he hasn't come over before because he would have been required to sign a rookie contract. He can now come over and sign whatever deal he wants, and he'll be negotiating with a front office that is inclined to reach a little on terms because Bogdan is part of their narrative that they didn't botch the 2016 draft. He probably wants to play in the NBA, as long as it's the right situation.

On the other side, he's a shooting guard. The Kings roster is loaded with shooting guards, including two that were selected in the first round by the Kings and another that was the centerpiece coming back from the Cousins trade. One would think the Kings are going to buy out Affalo and let Ben and Tyreke walk as free agents, but until that's cleared up, he would have to serious pause about joining a roster this full of shooting guards.

Even assuming they clear out the deadwood, he'd still be on a roster looking to give minutes to Heild, Richardson, and Bogdan, who are all primarily shooting guards. One of them isn't going to play very much. All things being even, one of those players is beloved by the owner and was the centerpiece coming back from the Cousins trade ... and that's not Bogdan. That's a real issue. While the Kings hope to nail two picks this summer, it appears the plan is to bottom out in 2018 to secure a franchise player with a high pick. 2018 is going to be a slog and perhaps not the best time for anyone to join the Kings if you have options you perceive as better. On top of that the Kings have a long and horrible run of developing young players and their coach has been reluctant to play rookies before he deems them ready to play. He might be forced to play a lot out of position on a bad team, which can derail a players development. Objectively, there is real risk that he'd be stepping into a toxic situation that would derail his career and development due to no fault of his own.

If I was Bogdan, I would have my people talk to the Kings and look for a contract that addressed by concerns. A short deal / player option to escape and a salary high enough to both incentivize my team to give me minutes and numb my concerns over the situation and roster would be essential. If the Kings reached for that kind of deal, I'd probably come over this summer. If not, I'd probably play one more year overseas, see how the roster and situation shakes out in Sacramento, and reassess my options a year later.

That's not cowardice or having the wrong mentality, it's smart business, career management, and keeping oneself sane.

 

[John Galt]

I want to rationalize it, but it feels like a real problem. If Buddy Heild is Vivek's darling boy - it's a problem for Bogdan. Not easy to get around it. Can a team succeed with no true PG and run Buddy & Bogdan & Skal & WCS & Pap out there? Is it possible to get things done without a pg?

 

[Livinthedream]

I want to rationalize it, but it feels like a real problem. If Buddy Heild is Vivek's darling boy - it's a problem for Bogdan. Not easy to get around it. Can a team succeed with no true PG and run Buddy & Bogdan & Skal & WCS & Pap out there? Is it possible to get things done without a pg?

It's hard to overlook the fact that the owner trades his franchise center for a SG who he compared to Steph Curry and on multiple occasions told Buddy he was going to get him. Buddy will get every chance to succeed. That leaves Bogdan as a backup on a bad team. Not ideal. Coming to the NBA to play as an undersized SF against Durant, Lebron, Leonard, etc.... is not a smart business move. He can try to negotiate for a one year deal, but playing backup or against Small forwards isn't going to increase his value for the next contract.

 

[John Galt]

I shudder to say it after watching Buddy cough up the rock in traffic a bunch of times already - but CAN you run them both together - Buddy & Bogdan? Can either guy develop pg adequate handles?

 

[Larry David]

Could the Kings play a shooting guard at point guard hoping that he might develop into a point guard? When you change GMs and coaches at record pace, you can make the same mistakes at much faster intervals.

The rudderless franchise sometimes advocates positionless basketball, so who knows?

 

[VF21]

When you put your name into the draft, you don't get to cherry pick where you go. Bogdan never should have put his name in the draft if he wanted the freedom to determine his NBA destination. He certainly has the right to stay overseas but that might shut the door on him coming to the NBA for good. He will have little trade value at that point as someone who appears to have shunned not one, but two NBA franchises, and the Kings really would have no reason to trade his rights to any other team.

I can see reasons for him not to come, but to have any team take a swing on an already developed prospect who was a late first rounder to begin with and anoint them as a huge building block for their team moving forward, well, he might want to think about how pretty cool that is.

Oh please. You can't possibly be saying that with a straight face.

 

[VF21]

I shudder to say it after watching Buddy cough up the rock in traffic a bunch of times already - but CAN you run them both together - Buddy & Bogdan? Can either guy develop pg adequate handles?

Yeah, because trying to force players into other than their natural positions has worked so well for us in the past?

Oops, looks like Larry David already said pretty much the same thing.

 

[ESP47]

I shudder to say it after watching Buddy cough up the rock in traffic a bunch of times already - but CAN you run them both together - Buddy & Bogdan? Can either guy develop pg adequate handles?

They can do that if they're tanking but not if they're trying to be successful. Both guys are getting a little too old to all the sudden improve their handles by a bunch. Bogdan would probably have better handles than Temple but not enough to run a team at the point. Hield will more than likely never have a good handle on the ball but he should be able to improve enough to drive into the lane without it getting stripped half the time. Neither guy is going to go down the court and break down the defense on a consistent basis. I think it would just be a lot of passing around the exterior from one covered player to another like they used to do years back.

 

[ParniValjak]

Honestly, I can't buy that excuse. If he doesn't come over, then it just means he doesn't have the right mentality for the NBA. Look at all of the NBA players, they're all competitors. Nothing is ever given to them and they work their asses off to play for THE best competition in the world. Look at DLeague guys. They make less than 24k/year in the DL, when they could just go overseas and make at least 60k/year. The main reason why they stay in the DL is because they want to get to the highest competition in the world, the NBA.
If he's fine with where he's at, that's ok. It does show that he's scared of competition though.
You said he didn't want to go to the Suns because they were "guard-heavy". Then you said you think he probably wants a good amount of "PT". All of that is earned in the NBA. You fight for your spot on the team. You fight for your PT. You beat out guys for the job.

Even with all of this being said, I think Bogdan is a huge competitor and I have no sources, but I think he'll come over next year. Even though we have a crap-ton of guards, we still have no franchise player. Bogdan could potentially step into that role if he proves himself good enough.

I really wouldn't fault the guy if he didn't want to come over. He can create his own legacy in the Turkish League and be the face of their league. Plus, he gets to travel all over. The U.S. is nice, but our cities don't compare to theirs.

I think everyone is entitled to their opinion. As fans we have a certain view, generally clouded by our allegiances and our opinions are mostly based on feelings. Professional athletes look at it differently in most cases. How often would a player from team A go to the team B eventually and tea, A amd team B are great enemies?! Hell didn't Vlade leave the Kings to go to Lakers?!

One thing I can absolutely understand with majority European players is their love for the game but also certainty. If I was a star player in Europe earning damn good money, getting endorsement deals there, lifestyle, travel to see the whole of Europe and I am a two hour flight from home where I can go back and see my folks and childhood friends any time I have a couple of days off, why would I give all that up for an uncertainty of the NBA unless I am going to a good team with good amount of playing time?

Let me say ine thing, Bogdan Bogdanović will NEVER be a franchise player of any NBA team. He is not that level of talent. What he can be is a good, productive, smart NBA player in the right situation. By the right situation I mean in a team where they don't expect him to be their franchise guy but a good solid play off team that could use a productive SG who plays within the system, do the team things and score his fair share.

What is not a great situation for a player like Bogdan is a rebuilding team that is heavy on SG. Bogdan is in his mid 20s. By the time Kings start contending Bogdan will probably not be there anymore. Say he comes over but the owner creams his pants over Buddy as the next Curry. The Kings have Buddy who they will want to develop and pump in as much playing time into as possible. They also have Richardson with whoom they would want to do the same. Pump in as much development as possible and as much playing time as possible. Both of those guys are young enough to be there when the Kings plan to compete. Then there is Temple, a veteran leader you absolutely want on the rebuilding team and getting solid minutes to lead by example.

Where does that leave Bogdan, a mid 20s established European star?! Most likely on the outer because of the direction of the franchise.

Now imagine Bogdan on a team on the verge of the playoffs or a play off team. Lets imagine Bogdan on the Kings PRIOR to Boogie trade this year. A team fighting for a play off spot. A SG, area of need for the team fighting for the play off spot with a franchise player drawing the attention and rest of the team playing off that attention? Vastly different propositions for a player like Bogdan. On the team prior to the trade deadline, he is a player getting 25-30 minutes and contributing. Team is at the point where Bogdan is a player now and part of the future. On the Kings as currently constructed Bogdan is not that. Bogdan on a team like lets say the Pacers is a different proposition. Pop would love to have him in SA and he would be getting minutes there too and probably be one of their key players going forward with Leonard and LMA.

Let me reiterate that Bogdan is NOT a franchise level guy. He can be a good, solid, productive player in the NBA but a lot of his success depends on the team he goes to and where that team is at.

Now why would a European star in his mid 20s go 1000s of miles away from their home to ride the pine, get sporadic minutes for a franchise that is the laughing stock of the whole NBA and wider for a comparable money?! When they can get paid just as much in Europe from their contract and endorsements which he won't have in the NBA, be a major cog in the wheel of one of the best team in Europe and still be 2 hour flight away from home? It makes no sense. How often do your hear players say that its business? To them it is their occupation. They make a living playing basketball. That is why you see a lot of the stars in Europe chose to stay there and play their career there.

 

[SacTownKid]

Oh please. You can't possibly be saying that with a straight face.

Well, of course games can be played behind the scenes by those with a bit more stroke as a prospect, but when you are slotted at the end of the first in a so-so draft I'd say it's a good indicator of your options around the league at that point.