Will Sacramento Regret Passing on Mudiay?

[max215]

Sacramento went into the Draft with a huge need at PG, but the two elite PG prospects were widely expected to be top 4 picks. Lucky for Sacramento, Emmanuel Mudiay fell to the Kings at #6. However, Woj revealed that Sacramento would choose WCS, the player Boogie Cousins wanted the team to select. After Sacramento selected WCS at #6, the Nuggets promptly took Mudiay 7th, lucking into the perfect replacement for locker room cancer, Ty Lawson. Sacramento went on to overpay Rajon Rondo on a 'prove-it' deal.

Here are a few of my concerns with Sacramento's decision:

1. WCS and Cousins will not be a good fit IMO.
2. Rondo, who I will always love for what he did for the Celtics, is not the player he once was.
3. Rondo is on a 1 Year deal and is, inherently, not a long-term solution.
4. Sacramento went on to sign Kosta Koufos, another defensively minded Center.

And then you take into account the advantages associated with Mudiay:

1. Cost controlled for 4 years, then RFA
2. 10 years younger than Rondo
3. Similar skill set to Rondo: excellent passer, great athlete, very poor shooter, defensive potential
4. Ability to develop

So, my question to CB is: Will the Kings regret passing on Emmanuel Mudiay?

[moiso]

They absolutely will.

[Who]

Not just Sacramento. Orlando & Philadelphia will too.

Probably New York and the Lakers as well. 

[Csfan1984]

I love the WCS and Cousins combo. I do think they needed a different PG not Rondo. I would have gotten CJ one year to back up Collison and just wait for Conley. Conley, McLemore, Rudy, WCS, Cousins are a very good starting five.

[BDeCosta26]

Absolutely they will. I still can't believe they took WCS at #6. I mean I like his potential on D but they already have Cousins (Who, like Monroe, can't play much 4 in today's NBA) and Koufos. With Rondo there too, that team is going to be hurting for spacing, sanity, camaraderie, and wins. I have a feeling that thing is gonna blow up in spectacular fashion. Karl, Cousins and Gay all leave and they're left with nothing but WCS, McLemore and a bunch of picks they owe Philly. Here's hoping we capture Cousins in the fall-out.

I'm not 100% sold on Mudiay either, PG's who can't shoot are more limited than ever in today's NBA. But Mudiay has legit star potential, the most of anyone left on the board when Sacto picked at 6. More than anything else, they need more talent regardless of what shakes out of the Cousins situation. I think WCS is gonna be an all-defense type player, but he doesn't have that kind of potential, Mudiay does.

There Sacramento, you just know it's gonna blow up in their face and they'll regret it for years. It's just the way it has to be.

[BDeCosta26]

I love the WCS and Cousins combo. I do think they needed a different PG not Rondo. I would have gotten CJ one year to back up Collison and just wait for Conley. Conley, McLemore, Rudy, WCS, Cousins are a very good starting five.

Why would Conley go to Sacramento? Wes Matthews took less money to go to Dallas over Sacto and reaffirmed that even after the DeAndre thing. Conley will be a top FA next year with 10-20 teams interested in him. He probably ain't picking the Kings.

Do you really like the WCS-Cousins combo? I kind of like it defensively, but offensively I think it's gonna be a disaster. In today's NBA, at least one of your three or four main bigs must be able to shoot the three well enough to be respected and at least one of your starters needs to be a knock-down shooter from the mid-range. I don't think either of those guys are, and with a PG like Rondo who can't shoot at all and who needs the ball in his hands every possession to be effective the spacing is gonna cause problems. They better be a dang good defensive team because it's gonna be up to Cousins and Gay to do the vast majority of the scoring.

That team has so many question marks it's not even funny, both schematically and in the locker room. That's the most troubling thing. If things don't go well out of the gate, they have all the makings of a toxic situation that gets ugly VERY quickly.

[max215]

Absolutely they will. I still can't believe they took WCS at #6. I mean I like his potential on D but they already have Cousins (Who, like Monroe, can't play much 4 in today's NBA) and Koufos. With Rondo there too, that team is going to be hurting for spacing, sanity, camaraderie, and wins. I have a feeling that thing is gonna blow up in spectacular fashion. Karl, Cousins and Gay all leave and they're left with nothing but WCS, McLemore and a bunch of picks they owe Philly. Here's hoping we capture Cousins in the fall-out.

I'm not 100% sold on Mudiay either, PG's who can't shoot are more limited than ever in today's NBA. But Mudiay has legit star potential, the most of anyone left on the board when Sacto picked at 6. More than anything else, they need more talent regardless of what shakes out of the Cousins situation. I think WCS is gonna be an all-defense type player, but he doesn't have that kind of potential, Mudiay does.

There Sacramento, you just know it's gonna blow up in their face and they'll regret it for years. It's just the way it has to be.

With any other team, I'd argue against this logic, but the Kings have earned it.

[max215]

I love the WCS and Cousins combo. I do think they needed a different PG not Rondo. I would have gotten CJ one year to back up Collison and just wait for Conley. Conley, McLemore, Rudy, WCS, Cousins are a very good starting five.

Why would Conley go to Sacramento? Wes Matthews took less money to go to Dallas over Sacto and reaffirmed that even after the DeAndre thing. Conley will be a top FA next year with 10-20 teams interested in him. He probably ain't picking the Kings.

Do you really like the WCS-Cousins combo? I kind of like it defensively, but offensively I think it's gonna be a disaster. In today's NBA, at least one of your three or four main bigs must be able to shoot the three well enough to be respected and at least one of your starters needs to be a knock-down shooter from the mid-range. I don't think either of those guys are, and with a PG like Rondo who can't shoot at all and who needs the ball in his hands every possession to be effective the spacing is gonna cause problems. They better be a dang good defensive team because it's gonna be up to Cousins and Gay to do the vast majority of the scoring.

That team has so many question marks it's not even funny, both schematically and in the locker room. That's the most troubling thing. If things don't go well out of the gate, they have all the makings of a toxic situation that gets ugly VERY quickly.

Yep. I'm of the belief that Sacramento is going to be a disaster and descend into madness fairly quickly. Great news for us if Cousins publicly demands a trade.

[Csfan1984]

I love the WCS and Cousins combo. I do think they needed a different PG not Rondo. I would have gotten CJ one year to back up Collison and just wait for Conley. Conley, McLemore, Rudy, WCS, Cousins are a very good starting five.

Why would Conley go to Sacramento? Wes Matthews took less money to go to Dallas over Sacto and reaffirmed that even after the DeAndre thing. Conley will be a top FA next year with 10-20 teams interested in him. He probably ain't picking the Kings.

Do you really like the WCS-Cousins combo? I kind of like it defensively, but offensively I think it's gonna be a disaster. In today's NBA, at least one of your three or four main bigs must be able to shoot the three well enough to be respected and at least one of your starters needs to be a knock-down shooter from the mid-range. I don't think either of those guys are, and with a PG like Rondo who can't shoot at all and who needs the ball in his hands every possession to be effective the spacing is gonna cause problems. They better be a dang good defensive team because it's gonna be up to Cousins and Gay to do the vast majority of the scoring.

That team has so many question marks it's not even funny, both schematically and in the locker room. That's the most troubling thing. If things don't go well out of the gate, they have all the makings of a toxic situation that gets ugly VERY quickly.

I feel Memphis is snake bitten more so than the Kings. Grizz can't get over the hump. I think a max contract from Kings would help sway Conley. Now on the other hand I'd love to be wrong and Kings implode and Cousins becomes available.

[Tr1boy]

No. Mudiay has a shaky jump shot

[littleteapot]

I would have taken him over Russell. He could easily wind up being the best player in this draft.

[slamtheking]

I'm not sure if they will.  WCS will most likely contribute faster than Mudiay to keep Boogie happy and he's far less likely to be a bust.  Philly will regret it far more than Sac.

I think Rondo on his make-good deal will bounce back to being the Rondo that many here enjoyed watching in Green (not all -- can't please everyone) and will help that team a lot.  I think he'll help Mclemore look a lot better than he really is and Gay will score like he did in Memphis

[guava_wrench]

I love the WCS and Cousins combo. I do think they needed a different PG not Rondo. I would have gotten CJ one year to back up Collison and just wait for Conley. Conley, McLemore, Rudy, WCS, Cousins are a very good starting five.

Explain to me the spacing of Rondo, Cousins and WCS.

[D.o.s.]

I love the WCS and Cousins combo. I do think they needed a different PG not Rondo. I would have gotten CJ one year to back up Collison and just wait for Conley. Conley, McLemore, Rudy, WCS, Cousins are a very good starting five.

Explain to me the spacing of Rondo, Cousins and WCS.

It's the basketball version of anti-art.

[Csfan1984]

I love the WCS and Cousins combo. I do think they needed a different PG not Rondo. I would have gotten CJ one year to back up Collison and just wait for Conley. Conley, McLemore, Rudy, WCS, Cousins are a very good starting five.

Explain to me the spacing of Rondo, Cousins and WCS.

I wrote, "they needed a different PG not Rondo".