Originally posted by sacniner:
So, we have six guards: IT, McCallum, Reke, Jimmer, Thornton, McLemore
Who do you guys envision will make the squad? Who do you want to make the team?
Obviously, McLemore is the no brainer. I still want Reke. At least for this year. Who knows, if he works out, maybe put him back at the point with McLemore at the 2?
I would like to keep IT as an energy PT off of the bench. Also, even though McCallum won't play much this year probably, I wouldn't mind seeing if he can develop into a good backup true PG. I've liked what I've read and heard from his so far.
The odd guys out are Thornton and Jimmer. I don't really care who we get rid of or try to get rid of. For me, I guess it would be Thornton. Because of his salary, but also because he will not be happy losing that many minutes. He was complaining about not starting last year. If Reke does stay, with McLemore getting minutes this year that really pushes Marcus to the side. Maybe both of these guys will be gone. Whatever happens, the mix up here in the offseason will be really interesting.
Judging by the excitement McLemore has generated from management, seems like he's the shooting guard of the present and future. I mean, maybe he doesn't start right off the bat, but soon.
So you have two trains of thought on Tyreke --
1) He re-signs and starts at PG. Mike Malone is a big defensive guy. And this is a fresh regime that maybe sees an advantage to playing him there. I think we all remember the Evans at PG era. Certainly not a pure PG and he benefited greatly from someone else to share ball-handling duties with. But defensively it was a nightly advantage. And I have seen maturation in Tyreke's game -- he gets in takeover mode from time to time, but he's willing to share the ball (see his growing chemistry with Isaiah last year, letting IT run point.) With Evans back, I think Jimmer is the odd man out. McCallum stays as a 5th guard to develop. IT/Thornton/Evans/McLemore.
2) The Kings let him walk and invest that money in a traditional PG and/or upgrades in the frontcourt. It's a lot of money to commit on an experiment of Evans at full-time PG. In this case, Thornton for sure stays, probably starts until McLemore is deemed ready. Fredette still seems to be on the outs, but has a better chance.
Such a tough call and I've wavered myself since draft night. I'm leaning toward #1 -- Reke is such a weapon, and I'd hate to lose him so early in his development. Maybe an Evans/McLemore tandem isn't conventional, but it's full of talent. You could try to complement them with a ball-handling SF who could take a little pressure off.
I don't know. Either way, I just don't see the opportunity for Jimmer to thrive here. Have no desire at all to see Isaiah leave and I'm on Thornton's side. And I also like what I'm hearing about McCallum -- worth developing.