| How Did Sactown's 2008 Offseason Pan Out? Authored by Bryant West - April 13, 2009 - 3:11 pm
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And while the 2008 draft presented Sacramento with one of it's brightest young talents in rookie forward Jason Thompson, the free agency insured that the Kings would be stuck with a poor long-term contract in guard Beno Udrih.
And that whole mess about Ron Artest to the Rockets? Well, the jury is still out on that one.
When Sacramento selected Thompson with the 12th overall pick in the 2008 draft, the choice caught many fans and experts by surprise. ESPN called it the first "surprise" pick of the draft, a nice way of saying "we don't get this one." The 6'11" big man out of Rider University had been projected in the high teens to late first round, but then head coach Reggie Theus praised Thompson as the best big man the team had worked out.
Fast forward ten months later. Thompson is one of the few rays of hope for the Kings. Among rookies, he is tenth in scoring (11.1 per game), fifth in field goal percentage (49.9%), fourth in rebounds (7.3 per game) and eighth in minutes (27.8 per game).
Midway through January, Thompson nabbed the starting job away from now-Celtics backup Mikki Moore and hasn't looked back. After averaging 8.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in just over 22 minutes on the bench, Thompson elevated his play and as a starter has averaged 12.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in slightly over 30 minutes a contest.
Thompson slumped in February after the Kings traded away Brad Miller and waived Moore, when the team effectively handed Thompson and fellow youngster Spencer Hawes the big men spots. After the February 18th trade that sent Miller to Chicago, Thompson averaged just 8.9 points and 7.0 rebounds in the month's final seven games.
But his struggles didn't last long. In March, Thompson averaged 13.1 points and 8.3 rebounds and since the beginning of April, Thompson's averages have skyrocketed – 17.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per contest.
Certainly Thompson's stats could be elevated because the Kings have no other NBA quality bigs (aside from Hawes). But you can't ignore the numbers – Thompson had career-high 23 points and added six rebounds against the Suns on April 3rd, and had 18 points and 11 boards against the Lakers on April 7th. Against the Warriors on April Fools Day in a 143-141 overtime loss, he had 14 points and 19 boards in 35 minutes.
He hasn't had the easiest rookie season, playing on a team that fired it's head coach early in the season and has struggled to find cohesiveness all year long. Yet Thompson is one of the few bright spots in the storm clouds that hang over Arco Arena. He's got plenty to improve on – he needs to work his interior defense, and timing for blocks. He also needs to stop picking up little fouls – he averages 3.9 fouls a contest, but a lot of his weaknesses look to be nothing more than rookie mistakes, and there is no real reason to think he won't fix them in time. He's quick, athletic enough, and shows the drive a young player needs, and is a perfect piece that a rebuilding team like Sacramento needs.
Udrih, a fourth-year point guard, is a different story.
After Sacramento failed to snag a suitable rookie point in the draft (D.J. Augustin was snatched by Charlotte, while the Pacers took Jerryd Bayless and traded him to Portland), the Kings re-signed Udrih to a four year, $25.5 million dollar deal with a player option for a fifth year at $7.81 million.
It's almost ironic to think that should the Kings have gotten Augustin or Bayless in the draft, they may have been more reluctant to give Udrih a longer term deal – but the Kings also wouldn't have Thompson.
But when it was all said and done, the Kings drafted Thompson and signed Udrih – and while Thompson has been a spark, Udrih isn't living up to his deal. Last season with the injury to Mike Bibby, Udrih was signed and averaged 12.8 points and 4.3 assists. This season, with the team desperately needing him to step up, his production has tanked. He is averaging just 11.2 points and 4.7 assists and simply doesn't resemble the solid player he was last year. He appears sluggish and lacks the aggressiveness needed to be a floor leader of a young team.
Certainly, Udrih's poor stats are not completely his fault. Having a young team without a consistent offense can partially explain his poor assist numbers. The Kings haven't had any cohesiveness this season, Udrih hasn't meshed with current head coach Kenny Natt, and the Kings haven't had a consistent offensive plan all season.
He also does have his moments. Against the Hornets on March 31st, he hit the go-ahead jumper to give the Kings a two-point advantage with a second on the clock before Rasual Butler sank a three to give New Orleans a 111-110 victory. The next night, he sank a driving layup to force overtime in the 143-141 loss to Golden State.
But these few strong performances don't erase the failed expectations. When Udrih was re-signed, Theus said he hoped for 7-8 assists a night from the point. Of course, that never happen – Theus was axed in December and last year's Udrih has been completely replaced by this newer, less effective and less enthusiastic model.
And while Udrih's role as the starter is in jeopardy heading into the 2009 offseason, his contract is guaranteed whether he's riding the bench or not. Five years, $32.5 million is a lot for a guy who regressed significantly when his team needed him to step up. The Kings, who'll have two first rounders (their own and the Rockets) and a good amount of cap space, need desperately too find a replacement.
While Thompson's debut has been a success and Udrih's return anything but, it's still too early for the final verdict on the Ron Artest to Houston trade.
Artest elected to use the player option on his contract during the offseason, keeping him in Sacramento for the 08-09 season, and immediately afterward called it the biggest mistake of his life. The Kings could have kept him, and no doubt he would have produced whether he was happy or not, but Sacramento did the right thing at the time in trading him to the Rockets.
So Artest and rookies Sean Singletary and Patrick Ewing Jr. went to Houston for rookie forward Donte Greene, Bobby Jackson and the Rockets 2009 first rounder.
Artest has played well for Houston and has avoided controversy, averaging 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals. But while keeping Artest was basically out of the question if Sacramento wanted to avoid serious chemistry woes, it's still too early to tell exactly what they got out of the deal.
Bobby Jackson, a fan favorite in Sacramento is basically nothing more than a loved veteran with a $6 million dollar expiring contract. Any first rounder is a plus for a rebuilding team, but with the Rockets sitting third in the West the selection will most likely be in the mid-20s.
The key part of the trade was Greene, a promising youngster who hasn't seen much time this season. If Greene turns into a decent player, or if Sacramento secures a good rookie with the Rockets pick (Udrih's replacement, perhaps?), the Artest deal could look pretty beneficial for the Kings.
While all three deals could have lasting effects on Sacramento, this past offseason currently looks like an enigma for the Kings. Sactown's royalty was headed nowhere but down into rebuilding, finally forced to admit the past years of success were dead and gone.
The three major deals of the 2008 offseason will most definitely shape the rebuilding to varying degrees; Thompson looks like steal, Udrih's contract looks like a flop, and the word on the Artest deal is still up in the air.
Whatever the final verdict is when it's all said and done, Petrie's moves last offseason have and will undoubtedly effect the hopes of the franchise. |
