Minor Moves: Worth Donnie’s Time to Explore King’s Roster?
While most of the trade talk on this site makes mention of headline players such as David Lee, Eddy Curry, Zach Randolph, Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford and/or Stephon Marbury, we can only hope that Donnie Walsh is exploring minor deals involving lesser known commodities. I am a big believer in having every roster spot count, and thus I would like to fill out our team with players who might be able to add value, and not simply just fill out the team to meet a quota.
Given that we need a backup center, I wonder what the market would be for a guy like Shelden Williams of the Kings. Maybe a swap of Mardy Collins and future 2nd round draft picks? Maybe Collins and Jeffries for Williams and Abdur-Rahim? The Kings do not have a backup point, and it is not as if Williams has proven that he is worth much. Now I am not sure that the Kings would pull the trigger on this type of deal, but it is the type of deal that I hope Walsh is looking into.
I liked Williams at Duke, but I will admit that the Hawks picked him about 10 slots ahead of where he should have been picked. That said, I do believe that he is a viable backup 4/5 in the NBA. He is a “Glassman” as my colleague as work just described him. I think of him as a poor man’s Antonio Davis (who is a Donnie Walsh guy ironically). He acts professionally and could be an asset on this team. Given that the Kings just drafted Jason Thompson and have Spencer Hawes and Brad Miller, Williams will not see a huge amount of time with the Kings. I think that Williams would be a good complement to guys like Zach and Eddy, as he plays defense and does not need the ball to be effective.
