Rockets on the verge of landing Kevin Martin? Posted by John Paulsen (02/18/2010 @ 11:20 am) Multiple media outlets have reported that the Rockets and Kings have struck a deal that involves sharpshooting off guard Kevin Martin. …the Kings and Rockets have agreed in principle to a deal that would send Kevin Martin and three other players to Houston in return for McGrady and forwards Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey. But that might just be the start. As the teams hammer out the details today, there are reports the Knicks are still involved, intent on landing McGrady and unloading Jared Jeffries. If no deal with the Knicks is made, the Rockets and Kings are still expected to go through with the swap.
The Rockets couldn’t come to terms with the Knicks because they were reluctant to take on Jared Jeffries’ contract without owning the Knicks’ future first rounders. They’ve reportedly coveted Martin all along, so when he became available, they went out and struck a deal with the Kings. If it stays simply a Sacramento-Houston deal, the Rockets will have essentially landed Martin at the cost of Carl Landry and the undead body of Tracy McGrady. While Houston fans will be sad to see Landry go, they’ll be getting a dynamic shooting guard and one of the best scorers in the game. Alongside Aaron Brooks, the Rockets will have one of the great young backcourts in the league. And the amazing thing is that it doesn’t appear that the Rockets will take on any long-term contracts other than Martin’s. As for the Kings, they wanted a big man for Martin and they got a pretty good one in Landry, who is averaging 16-6 with 55% shooting. I’m not sure how he fits in with Jason Thompson and Omri Casspi, but he’s probably better than Thompson and Casspi can play small forward, so there should be room for all three. If the Kings are able to move T-Mac to New York, they’ll likely have to take on Jared Jeffries’ contract — he’s owed $6.9 million for next season — and will probably get a draft pick as well. If the Knicks can clear Jeffries from the payroll, they’ll have enough cap space to sign two big name free agents this summer. Photo from fOTOGLIF
Posted in: Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip Tags: 2009-10 NBA season, Carl Landry, Houston Rockets, Kevin Martin, Kevin Martin rumors, NBA rumors, Sacramento Kings, Tracy McGrady, Tracy McGrady rumors
Kings in no rush to evaluate Evans/Martin backcourt Posted by John Paulsen (01/21/2010 @ 12:45 pm) John Hollinger writes that vulturous general managers shouldn’t get too excited about the possibility of prying Kevin Martin away from the Kings. For starters, the Kings lack a great incentive to rush into anything before the trade deadline. Martin and Evans have played only nine games as a tandem, and the Kings would like to get a much longer look at the duo before rushing into any landscape-shifting moves. Second, Sacramento is enjoying its first small taste of success after an awful 2008-09 campaign and is hesitant to make any moves that would upset its momentum. But mostly, the Kings don’t seem anxious to do anything because both the players and the organization think the pairing can work. “Kevin isn’t himself yet,” Kings coach Paul Westphal said. “He just needs his timing to get a little better and get some of the rust off, and it’s going to be a really tough backcourt to deal with.” Both players recognize that they’re going to have to make changes in their games to make the partnership flourish. “I don’t have a mind frame to go out there and score 30 anymore,” said Martin, who seemed notably more active defensively after basically being a one-man offense last season. “[I’m] just trying to do other things, have more assists and get other teammates involved. While I was out, guys developed, and they’re good players. I show my respect by getting them involved, and [I’ll] attack when it’s there.”
Less than a month ago, I wondered aloud about the possibility of Evans playing small forward, and I still think that’s a viable idea. Evans’ length makes up for his relative lack of height and there’s no reason that the Kings should stick with the mindset that their best penetrator also has to bring the ball up and initiate the offense. Think a smaller LeBron. So, maybe the Kings should try a lineup of Beno Udrih-Martin-Evans-Omri Casspi and Spencer Hawes or Jon Brockman and see how it goes. With Evans, Martin and Casspi, the Kings have a nice (albeit perimeter) core to build around. If they could find a true back-to-the-basket center (like Chris Kaman, Pau Gasol or Al Jefferson) and a bigger point guard who can hit the three and take on some of the perimeter defensive duties (like Kirk Hinrich or Rodney Stuckey), they’d really be in business. Photo from fOTOGLIF
Posted in: Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip Tags: 2009-10 NBA season, can Evans Martin backcourt work, Kevin Martin, Kevin Martin rumors, NBA rumors, Sacramento Kings, Tyreke Evans, Tyreke Evans Kevin Martin
Why can’t Tyreke Evans play small forward? Posted by John Paulsen (12/31/2009 @ 3:22 pm) Much has been made of the emergence of Tyreke Evans (22-5-5 in December) and how things are going to work once Kevin Martin comes back from injury. The Kings have three options: 1) try to play Evans at point guard when that’s not his natural position, 2) play Evans at off guard, even though he’s not a pure shooter, or 3) play Evans at small forward, even though he’s undersized. Evans is great at creating for himself, but he’s not a natural playmaker at the point guard position. Kevin Martin is an underrated scorer and should not be dismissed at off guard. He’s 40%+ from long range and can get to the line at will. He’d be great as a court-spacer/sidekick if the Kings can find a way to play him alongside Evans. What about small forward? Is Evans really undersized? Looking at the draft measurables, Evans is a tad short for SF (6’5″ in shoes), but his wingspan (6’11”) and standing reach (8’8″) are longer/taller than DeMar DeRozan, Chase Budinger, Gerald Henderson and Terrence Williams, and no one has a problem with the idea of playing any of those guys at small forward. He’s not a prototypical small forward, but the league is getting smaller and he definitely has a swingman-type game. The downside? Evans won’t have a strength advantage over most small forwards, which is one of the reasons he’s currently so effective getting to the rim. However, he will have a quickness advantage over most taller SFs, so that should help. Another issue is defensively with Evans and Martin, the Kings wouldn’t really have a stopper on the wing. Oddly enough, the solution would be at point guard. To complement Evans and Martin on the wing, the Kings would need to find a defensive-minded, pass-first point guard who is tall and strong enough to cover the other team’s best perimeter player. And it would help if he was a 40%+ shooter from long range. Think 2006-07 era Kirk Hinrich. He doesn’t need to handle the ball a lot, just get it up the court, initiate the offense, and share the ball on the perimeter. It could work, right? Photo from fOTOGLIF
The top 10 first round steals of the last 10 years Posted by John Paulsen (06/11/2009 @ 12:20 pm) 
Everyone loves to focus on the lottery, but there are good players to be had in the late first round as well. A while back, I put together a list of the top second round picks of the modern era, so now I’m going to focus on those players that were drafted between pick #21 and pick #30 in the first round. (Note: If a player was drafted in the second round, even if they were taken with the #29 or #30 pick overall, they are ineligible to make the list. Sorry, Gilbert.) Since there are more star-quality players available in the 20’s, I’m limiting this list to the last ten drafts (i.e. 1999 through 2008). It is sometimes tough to rank older players with newer players, but even if a younger player holds more trade value right now, I am going to take into account each player’s entire career. For the young guys, I have to project a little bit, so keep that in mind as you read and react. I feel great about the top eight guys, but there are a few players that missed the list that are pretty interchangeable with #9 and #10. On with the list… 10. Aaron Brooks, Rockets 26th pick in 2007 I had to decide between Brooks and Nate Robinson here and went with Brooks given his fine performance in the playoffs this season (16.8 ppg, 3.4 apg, 42% from 3PT) and how Robinson’s numbers are a little inflated playing for Mike D’Antoni. Brooks is not a natural point guard, but his sharpshooting is a good fit given Houston’s inside-out attack. He’s small, but he’s quick and is able to score at the rim when given some daylight. The Rockets feel good enough about Brooks to trade Rafer Alston away midseason, so you have to like his upside. 9. Kendrick Perkins, Celtics 27th pick in 2003 (drafted by the Grizzlies) In the world of “big” guys, I also considered Boris Diaw here, but it’s tough to pass on a 6’10” 24-year-old who averaged 8.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game on a team loaded with vets. Without Kevin Garnett in the playoffs, the C’s needed Perkins to step up his game and he responded with 11.9 points, 11.6 boards and 2.6 blocks per contest. He also did a pretty good job on Dwight Howard, who had his worst numbers of the playoffs against the Celtics. 8. David Lee, Knicks 30th pick in 2005 Isiah Thomas couldn’t make a good trade to save his life, but he could spot talent in the draft. Lee has turned out to be a steal with the last pick in the 2005 draft. He’s an athletic lefty whose best traits are his hustle and smarts. In just his fourth season, Lee averaged 16.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, which made him one of the most consistent double-double guys in the league. His stock is so high right now that the Knicks might be able to use him as trade bait in order to land Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire. Maybe they’d be better off sticking with Lee… Read the rest of this entry » Posted in: NBA, NBA Draft Tags: 2009 NBA Draft, Aaron Brooks, Andrei Kirilenko, Beno Udrih, Boris Diaw, Courtney Lee, David Lee, Delonte West, George Hill, Gerald Wallace, Jarrett Jack, John Salmons, Jordan Farmar, Josh Howard, Kendrick Perkins, Kenny Thomas, Kevin Martin, Leandro Barbosa, Linas Kleiza, Morris Peterson, Nate Robinson, NBA Draft, Rajon Rondo, Rudy Fernandez, Samuel Dalembert, Tayshaun Prince, Tony Parker
Bill Simmons’ trade value column Posted by John Paulsen (02/24/2009 @ 3:00 pm) Yes, it’s 12 days old and the trade deadline has passed, but if you haven’t had the chance to check out his annual trade value opus, it’s a good read. He ranks the top 40 players by total trade value (i.e. age, upside, salary, talent, etc.). Here’s what he has to say about Tim Duncan: 4. Tim Duncan His finishes in the Trade Value column since 2001: No. 2, No. 3, No. 1, No. 2, No. 1, No. 3, No. 3, No. 4. Uncanny. Speaking of consistency, check out his 12 regular seasons (including this one) split into groups of three seasons … Duncan (first three years): 22-12-3, 52 percent FG, missed eight games. Duncan (next three years): 23-13-4, 51 percent FG, missed eight games. Duncan (next three years): 21-12-3, 50 percent FG, missed 31 games. Duncan (last three years): 20-11-3, 52 percent FG, missed five games. Then, remember that he also played 155 playoff games and averaged a 23-13-4 with 50 percent shooting, plus first-class defense and leadership. And sprinkle in the little fact that no Duncan team has ever lost even 30 games in a regular season. Translation: Greatest power forward ever, most consistent superstar ever and you cannot sleep on him in May and June.
I do take issue with a few of his rankings… Yao at #7? Too injury prone. KG ahead of Deron Williams? Garnett is too old. Nash at #23 (ahead of Rondo, Devin Harris, Mayo, Kevin Martin)? Seems awfully high for a 35 year-old. There are a few others, but I’m not going to nitpick. Posted in: Fantasy Basketball, Humor, NBA Tags: Bill Simmons, Devin Harris, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Martin, O.J. Mayo, Rajon Rondo, Steve Nash, The Sports Guy, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming
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