The more I see McCallum play, the more it pushes me into thinking Vonleh is our guy in this year’s draft. If we draft Vonleh and retain Gay and Thomas, I think we’re in good shape to start competing this year. This is what our rotation would look like going into next season:
Rotation:
PG - McCallum (18 min)/Thomas (30 min)/Veteran Minimum PG (0 min)
SG - McLemore (30 min)/McCallum (12 min)/Gay (6 min)/Terry (0 min)
SF - Gay (29 min)/Williams (19 min)/Outlaw (0 min)
PF - Vonleh (24 min)/Thompson (10 min)/Evans (10 min)/Williams (4 min)/Landry (0 min)/Acy (0 min)
C - Cousins (35 min)/Thompson (13 min)/Veteran Minimum C (0 min)
9 Man Minute Distribution:
Cousins - 35 mpg
Gay - 35 mpg
Thomas - 30 mpg
McLemore - 30 mpg
McCallum - 30 mpg
Vonleh - 24 mpg
Thompson - 23 mpg
Williams - 23 mpg
Evans - 10 mpg
I don't know about you guys, but I'm perfectly fine going into next season with that team. You give Cousins, Thomas, McLemore, McCallum, and Williams another offseason to develop, and who knows? We might be looking pretty strong next year. Also the fact that our core will have a training camp together will go a long ways (versus last year when we ended up changing half of the roster mid-season). I think if we keep this core going forward, we'll see a much more disciplined team that plays as a cohesive unit.
My Take on Next Year’s Starters
McCallum
I can see McCallum being that "run the offense first" PG that we need at the starting spot. I like that he's unselfish, knows his role, and tries to feed the guys that need to be fed. His ability to stretch the floor makes him very enticing as well. He's almost exactly what we need out of our PG. Unselfish, role-player, good decision making, good defense, good shooter, and good passer. I think he can improve on seeing the floor a little bit better, but I think the more time he gets on the floor, the more the game will slow down for him.
McLemore
McLemore needs to earn his paycheck this offseason. He's known as a gym rat, so now is the perfect time to do it. What we need out of McLemore next year is the ability to hit spot up three point shots, defend at an average level, improve ball security and handling, and bulk up. When I type it out, it seems like a lot of things he has to improve on, but for some reason I have a lot of faith in McLemore reaching those goals. I'm not too worried about his shot. With Chris Jent on staff, it should help him be more successful with it next season. Bulking up and adding strength shouldn't be too hard. Hit the gym youngin! Ball handling and defense are the two biggest question marks for me. We've seen improvement in his ball handling this year, but I would like to continue to see that improvement to get him to a respectable level. As for defense, he needs to be working a lot on this with Malone. Also being in the film room and being a good student would bode very well for him on the defensive side.
Gay
I think Gay would continue seeing success playing next to Cousins. He looks to be a great second option who can feed off of the attention Cousins demands and, at times, relieve Cousins' duties. I don't see him getting much better offensively or defensively (he'll be 28 soon), but what he can improve is his mindset and the way he approaches the game. He needs to be more about team basketball and less about putting up numbers. This can be said for almost everyone on the team, but Gay worries me a little more. I don't want him reverting to any bad habits that he might have picked up in Toronto.
Vonleh
As all rookies are, Vonleh will be a bit of a question mark. He's a terrific rebounder and defender which I think will carry over to the NBA. Most rookies struggle with the size and strength of NBA players when coming into the league. However, Vonleh is already built like an NBA player. He's 6'10" with a 7'4" wingspan and weighs 240 lbs. That's excellent size at PF. His jump shot is also very good. He hit 48.5% from three this season. All we'll be asking him to do is be a glue guy. Defend, block shots, rebound, hustle, and knock down open jumpers. There's no need to over complicate his role at this time.
Cousins
Cousins has showed improvement in every season, and I expect him to continue to improve next season. What's critical for him to take this team where it needs to go lies in between his ears. He needs to continue to improve on reigning in his emotions, and he also needs to give off positive energy towards his teammates. Too many times does he put on a face, throw up his arms, or shake his head when his teammates make a mistake. He needs to change that if he wants to lead this team. Again, I'm not worried about him becoming a better player next year because he most undoubtedly will. I'm going to be focusing on if he becomes a better teammate and leader. That will affect his team's play all by itself.
My Take on Next Year’s Core Bench Players
Thomas
Finally, Thomas is reverted back into the role he was meant to play. By retaining Thomas, we maintain having three efficient scorers on this team. By having one of them come off the bench, it balances our roster and assures us that we’ll always have at least one (and for most of the game at least 2) scoring threats out on the floor. I’m not sure I have anything in particular for Thomas to work on this offseason since reverting him back to a sixth man will take care of a lot of his bad tendencies. I will say that he needs to be on board with unselfish basketball and making the team better.
Williams
Williams maintains his spot as Gay’s backup. Williams is a solid guy to have on your bench. He is a bit of a spark plug in that he can make some pretty spectacular plays and swing momentum. That’s definitely a valuable asset to have. He’s not as good of a scorer as Thomas is, but Williams is another guy that can be relied upon in the second unit to get some points. We need him to really improve on his three point shooting this offseason. If he is able to turn that into a consistent weapon, he’ll be a lot more valuable in our rotation and in a trade if we choose to do so.
Thompson
A lot of people around here aren’t too big of fans of Thompson. I happen to see the value he brings. Is he a little overpaid? Yes. I think 4-5 mil is what he would get on the open market, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he is a very, very solid third big. He’ll be in charge of doing the dirty work (along with Evans), but I like Thompson more than Evans due to his size, athleticism, post defense, and jump shooting. With the two main bigs next to Cousins being Vonleh and Thompson, you’ll have two guys who are helping to spread the floor. Being in the second unit, I would encourage him to work on his post offense to give us an adequate option down low in the second unit. One of his major drawbacks is his BBIQ. I would want him in the film room not only watching other players, but watching himself (very intently I might add).
Outlook
I’m excited for next season! I hope our team works hard this offseason and impresses us come next season. Landry immediately stands out as the black hole who is sucking our money away, but hey, there are better fitting players that I would rather give minutes to so tough luck. I would be thrilled if PDA was able to trade him for 2015 expirings (maybe a vet PG and vet C?).
I think this team would be ready to compete next year. Hopefully there are no major setbacks. Go Kings!
Rotation:
PG - McCallum (18 min)/Thomas (30 min)/Veteran Minimum PG (0 min)
SG - McLemore (30 min)/McCallum (12 min)/Gay (6 min)/Terry (0 min)
SF - Gay (29 min)/Williams (19 min)/Outlaw (0 min)
PF - Vonleh (24 min)/Thompson (10 min)/Evans (10 min)/Williams (4 min)/Landry (0 min)/Acy (0 min)
C - Cousins (35 min)/Thompson (13 min)/Veteran Minimum C (0 min)
9 Man Minute Distribution:
Cousins - 35 mpg
Gay - 35 mpg
Thomas - 30 mpg
McLemore - 30 mpg
McCallum - 30 mpg
Vonleh - 24 mpg
Thompson - 23 mpg
Williams - 23 mpg
Evans - 10 mpg
I don't know about you guys, but I'm perfectly fine going into next season with that team. You give Cousins, Thomas, McLemore, McCallum, and Williams another offseason to develop, and who knows? We might be looking pretty strong next year. Also the fact that our core will have a training camp together will go a long ways (versus last year when we ended up changing half of the roster mid-season). I think if we keep this core going forward, we'll see a much more disciplined team that plays as a cohesive unit.
My Take on Next Year’s Starters
McCallum
I can see McCallum being that "run the offense first" PG that we need at the starting spot. I like that he's unselfish, knows his role, and tries to feed the guys that need to be fed. His ability to stretch the floor makes him very enticing as well. He's almost exactly what we need out of our PG. Unselfish, role-player, good decision making, good defense, good shooter, and good passer. I think he can improve on seeing the floor a little bit better, but I think the more time he gets on the floor, the more the game will slow down for him.
McLemore
McLemore needs to earn his paycheck this offseason. He's known as a gym rat, so now is the perfect time to do it. What we need out of McLemore next year is the ability to hit spot up three point shots, defend at an average level, improve ball security and handling, and bulk up. When I type it out, it seems like a lot of things he has to improve on, but for some reason I have a lot of faith in McLemore reaching those goals. I'm not too worried about his shot. With Chris Jent on staff, it should help him be more successful with it next season. Bulking up and adding strength shouldn't be too hard. Hit the gym youngin! Ball handling and defense are the two biggest question marks for me. We've seen improvement in his ball handling this year, but I would like to continue to see that improvement to get him to a respectable level. As for defense, he needs to be working a lot on this with Malone. Also being in the film room and being a good student would bode very well for him on the defensive side.
Gay
I think Gay would continue seeing success playing next to Cousins. He looks to be a great second option who can feed off of the attention Cousins demands and, at times, relieve Cousins' duties. I don't see him getting much better offensively or defensively (he'll be 28 soon), but what he can improve is his mindset and the way he approaches the game. He needs to be more about team basketball and less about putting up numbers. This can be said for almost everyone on the team, but Gay worries me a little more. I don't want him reverting to any bad habits that he might have picked up in Toronto.
Vonleh
As all rookies are, Vonleh will be a bit of a question mark. He's a terrific rebounder and defender which I think will carry over to the NBA. Most rookies struggle with the size and strength of NBA players when coming into the league. However, Vonleh is already built like an NBA player. He's 6'10" with a 7'4" wingspan and weighs 240 lbs. That's excellent size at PF. His jump shot is also very good. He hit 48.5% from three this season. All we'll be asking him to do is be a glue guy. Defend, block shots, rebound, hustle, and knock down open jumpers. There's no need to over complicate his role at this time.
Cousins
Cousins has showed improvement in every season, and I expect him to continue to improve next season. What's critical for him to take this team where it needs to go lies in between his ears. He needs to continue to improve on reigning in his emotions, and he also needs to give off positive energy towards his teammates. Too many times does he put on a face, throw up his arms, or shake his head when his teammates make a mistake. He needs to change that if he wants to lead this team. Again, I'm not worried about him becoming a better player next year because he most undoubtedly will. I'm going to be focusing on if he becomes a better teammate and leader. That will affect his team's play all by itself.
My Take on Next Year’s Core Bench Players
Thomas
Finally, Thomas is reverted back into the role he was meant to play. By retaining Thomas, we maintain having three efficient scorers on this team. By having one of them come off the bench, it balances our roster and assures us that we’ll always have at least one (and for most of the game at least 2) scoring threats out on the floor. I’m not sure I have anything in particular for Thomas to work on this offseason since reverting him back to a sixth man will take care of a lot of his bad tendencies. I will say that he needs to be on board with unselfish basketball and making the team better.
Williams
Williams maintains his spot as Gay’s backup. Williams is a solid guy to have on your bench. He is a bit of a spark plug in that he can make some pretty spectacular plays and swing momentum. That’s definitely a valuable asset to have. He’s not as good of a scorer as Thomas is, but Williams is another guy that can be relied upon in the second unit to get some points. We need him to really improve on his three point shooting this offseason. If he is able to turn that into a consistent weapon, he’ll be a lot more valuable in our rotation and in a trade if we choose to do so.
Thompson
A lot of people around here aren’t too big of fans of Thompson. I happen to see the value he brings. Is he a little overpaid? Yes. I think 4-5 mil is what he would get on the open market, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he is a very, very solid third big. He’ll be in charge of doing the dirty work (along with Evans), but I like Thompson more than Evans due to his size, athleticism, post defense, and jump shooting. With the two main bigs next to Cousins being Vonleh and Thompson, you’ll have two guys who are helping to spread the floor. Being in the second unit, I would encourage him to work on his post offense to give us an adequate option down low in the second unit. One of his major drawbacks is his BBIQ. I would want him in the film room not only watching other players, but watching himself (very intently I might add).
Outlook
I’m excited for next season! I hope our team works hard this offseason and impresses us come next season. Landry immediately stands out as the black hole who is sucking our money away, but hey, there are better fitting players that I would rather give minutes to so tough luck. I would be thrilled if PDA was able to trade him for 2015 expirings (maybe a vet PG and vet C?).
I think this team would be ready to compete next year. Hopefully there are no major setbacks. Go Kings!
