| Good Outweighs Bad In Wells Trade Authored by Logan Flowers - July 26, 2005 - 2:25 pm
The King’s recent acquisition of Bonzi Wells is somewhat controversial, as longtime King Bobby Jackson was shipped out of town in the process. Though the deal is not perfect, the Kings ultimately come out in the black.
Cons
The trade did not come without a price. Bobby Jackson was an important member on the most successful teams in Sacramento Kings history. He was the only truly quality player left on an already depleted Sacramento bench. Additionally, Jackson was the only King besides Mike Bibby who provided an example in terms of heart and attitude.
Secondly, Bonzi Wells does not exactly have a spotless history. Wells is a known malcontent, and was shipped out of both Portland and Memphis for just this reason. Further, while Wells is a slightly better than average defender, it is quite possible he will catch the bad defense disease from the rest of the Kings, as did Brad Miller.
Finally, Wells is in the final year of his contract. Last year, the Kings dealt for Cuttino Mobley in the last year of his deal, which was thought to be a coup. Yet all that ultimately came of the deal was a half a season of Mobley chucking threes too early in the shot clock before he opted out and headed for the Clippers.
Pros
Bobby Jackson’s history and positive attitude not withstanding, injury has left him unavailable for the playoffs the past couple of seasons. Not only that, but it is ultimately better to have a starter than a bench player. Jackson is just that, a career bench player. He lacks the physique to start at shooting guard, and he lacks the court vision and disposition to start at point guard.
Additionally, most of the team chemistry problems caused by Wells are the result of a drop off in minutes. That will not be an issue in Sacramento, a team that desperately needed a starter-quality shooting guard. Wells was a solid contributor on some good Trailblazer teams, before things went south in Portland.
Whatever may happen in the future, Wells instantly becomes the best defender in the Kings starting line-up. Granted, that is not saying much, but how can this be a bad thing? At the very least he can try to take on a Doug Christie-type role defensively, creating offense through forcing turnovers. It also bears mentioning that he is arguably the Kings best post-up player as well. Hopefully he will take advantage of these back-to-the-basket skills more than he did in Memphis.
While Wells might be in the last year of his contract, the Kings will get the benefit of having him for an entire season, and fully integrating him into the team system (Unlike Mobley). This is a guy that has had a couple of lean years in Memphis. He is definitely going to be trying to maximize his value as a free agent this year, and the Kings will reap the benefit, at least for a season.
Conclusion
Wells baggage not withstanding, the Kings were able to add a needed starter without losing one of their “big three.” There is a better chance that Wells will behave than that Bobby Jackson will suddenly become healthy. This does not move the Kings up in terms of the standings, but does put some more ground between them and teams like, say, the Nuggets. Not every trade can be a blockbuster, but any trade with more positives than negatives is ultimately a good thing. |
