While today’s news that Chris Hansen voluntarily raised his bid to buy the Kings again was slightly disconcerting, I am going to do exactly what the NBA did last time Hansen upped his bid and ignore it. Hansen and company are once again showing that their answer to any problem is to throw more money at it, and frankly, if it hasn’t worked so far, we have no reason to assume that it will suddenly make a difference. I’d like to focus on yesterday’s rumor that the Kings new ownership could be interested in Monta Ellis, if they are unable to retain Tyreke Evans.

First of all, isn’t it wonderful that the potential new owners would even look into a free agent capable of commanding and eight-figure salary? We’ve spent years trying to get excited about signing players like Chuck Hayes and Aaron Brooks. It’s exciting that someone like Ellis would even be on our radar. Having said that, few are convinced that Ellis would be a good fit in Sacramento. I will break down the arguments for and against a potential Monta Ellis signing below.

The argument for Monta Ellis:

Monta Ellis would be a big name signing for an ownership group looking to make a big splash, fill seats, and usher in a new era of Kings basketball. Ellis is popular in Northern California; Warriors fans booed their owner Joe Lacob for trading him to Milwaukee last year. Ellis is also a very entertaining player, who is capable of creating his own shot and closing out games. The Kings have not had a clear go-to guy with the game on the line in a long time, and Ellis could be that guy. He has enough confidence and swagger to compare himself to Dwyane Wade, and he is a veteran who could provide leadership qualities the team has been lacking.  Ellis is also a good passer, as he averages 5.8 assists per 36 minutes (according to basketball—reference.com).

Another thing the Kings have struggled with in recent years is defining exactly what role players will take on. Tyreke has played point guard, small forward and shooting guard, and it remains unclear which one is the best fit for him. As a result, the Kings players often seem unsure of their role in the offense, the ball movement gets stagnant and players try to go one-on-one too often. Having Ellis instead of Tyreke Evans could help the Kings to solidify their rotations, with Isaiah Thomas playing point guard, Ellis as the clear cut two guard, plus Jason Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins in the frontcourt. Ellis and Cousins could form one of the best inside-outside scoring duos in the league.

The argument against Monta Ellis:

While Monta Ellis was suggested as a replacement for Tyreke Evans, I think the real reason not to sign him has more to do with Marcus Thornton. While Thornton’s production decreased this year, Tom Ziller over at Sactown Royalty did an excellent job of detailing why that has more to do with a decrease in playing time than any sort of decline in production. When you look at Ellis and Thornton’s per 36 minutes stats, they are almost identical in most categories. Ellis averaged 18.5 points per 36 minutes to Thornton’s 19.1, 3.7 rebounds per 36 minutes to Thornton’s 3.8, and shot 41.6% from the field to Thornton’s 42.9. The other statistics show that Thornton is a much better three-point shooter (37.2%) than Ellis (28.1%), and turns the ball over far less often than Ellis. Ellis dishes out significantly more assists than Thornton, but if the Kings are trying to define roles more clearly, then Isaiah Thomas should clearly be the distributor and whoever is playing shooting guard should be the scorer. The argument that a team would sign Ellis because of his assists average just doesn’t hold up. If the Kings pass on signing Evans and want to solidify their lineup, they could just start Marcus Thornton and use the money they would have spent on Ellis to go after a small forward, which remains the team’s biggest need.

Monta Ellis’ usage rate is also very high (26.23). The Kings don’t need another ball dominating backcourt player, at least as long as they have Marcus Thornton. Thornton’s contract is also much more reasonable than the one that Ellis would likely demand.

The Verdict:

I don’t think that Monta Ellis is the right big name player for the Kings to go after this season, even if the team is unable to or declines to retain Tyreke Evans. When we look at the kinds of contracts that players like Eric Gordon and Nicolas Batum have received in restricted free agency, it remains a legitimate possibility that the Kings brass will decide not to match an offer for Tyreke Evans. If Tyreke leaves, the Kings should stick with the three man backcourt rotation of Marcus Thornton, Jimmer Fredette and Isaiah Thomas and look to spend the money that would have gone to Tyreke on a significant upgrade at small forward. Andre Iguodala, Kevin Martin and Trevor Ariza are intriguing, if unlikely, possibilities.

Given the thin free agent market, and the weak draft, the best course of action for the Kings, in my opinion, is to negotiate a fair, long-term deal with Tyreke Evans and commit to him as their starting shooting guard. The team should then look to trade Marcus Thornton, along with any other players another team might want, for a legitimate starting small forward.

Also, amnesty John Salmons.

April 10, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings fan celebrates after shooting guard Marcus Thornton (23) scores a three point basket against the New Orleans Hornets during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

For the Sacramento Kings’ Marcus Thornton, the 2012-13 season is one he’d like to forget – not so much for his on court play, but simply because he didn’t get on the court. Well, not as often as he’d like.

With a couple public Twitter rants/comments, Thornton made it clear he wasn’t happy with his role that saw his minutes reduced greatly and in his words was just “waiting to be unleashed”. Well, he may not have been unleashed, but despite a slow start to the season, the LSU product turned in quite possibly his best season as a Sacramento King. Here is his 2012-13 season review.

Scott:

It could be said that no player was more adversely affected by Keith Smart‘s rotations than Marcus Thornton. A year after leading the Kings in points per game, Thornton was asked to move to the 6th man role. He didn’t take well to the change. While I’ve consistently been in Thornton’s corner and believe his role should have been more prominent, even I can’t excuse his early season play. New role aside, Thornton simply did not perform like he has in the past. Certainly the demotion to the bench was a factor, but when you’re the Kings best gunner, missing shots is an easy way to lose the coach’s faith. Thornton struggled through much of the year, but post All-Star break, he seemed to finally find a rhythm. Toward the end of the year Smart seemed more willing to include Thornton in a lineup with fellow guards Isaiah Thomas and Tyreke Evans. In this grouping, we saw glimpses of the unconscious, lethal scorer that was a fixture in Thornton’s previous seasons with the Kings — his eight-trey performance in the double OT loss at Miami stands out. Through the ups and downs, Thornton still played with the same passion and aggressiveness, and there’s still no other player, for my money, who should have the ball with the game on the line. Guards are aplenty on Sacramento’s roster, but I’m hoping Thornton doesn’t get the squeeze. His scoring instincts for a 25-year-old are well above average, and he can be a huge weapon for the Kings going forward.

Marilyn:

Marcus Thornton is best known by most Sacramento Kings fans as “Buckets” because of his ability to rain down a flood of two and three point shots to confound the opponent and ignite his team and fans.

Geoff Petrie acquired him in a trade from New Orleans on February 23, 2011, where he was averaging 16.2 minutes per game as a bench player. Thornton made an immediate impact shortly after he arrived in Sacramento with his toughness, scoring finesse, and clutch mentality. In one of his first games for Sacramento, on February 28, 2011, he made 29 points in 27 minutes in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers. It is no understatement to say fans were thrilled with this new player.

Thornton started in 74 out of 78 games his first two seasons with the Kings. Last season, with the reshuffling of the starting guard rotations he was assigned a 6^th man role. Following his reassignment, he struggled for a period with his shot, although he finished the season stronger than he started. One of his memorable high performance games came on February 26, 2013 at Miami, where he made 8 out of 12 3-point attempts in 40 minutes of play.

Thornton is valued primarily as a scoring option, whether as a starter or in the 6^th man role. His cool mentality and ability to hit shots makes him a valuable option to start, close, or turn a game around. He serves as a role-model to his teammates with his unwavering confidence. Despite some of his struggles this season, it is hoped the anticipated changes to management and staff will bring greater stability for the franchise and promote a winning environment to bring the best out of all the players. Thornton is one my favorite players and I look forward to seeing more of him next season in a Kings uniform.

Bryan:

It was a rough go for Marcus Thornton this past season. The Bayou Bomber’s minutes per game dropped from 34 minutes a contest in 2011-12 to 24 in 2012-13, yet, his percentages actually went up – something that given some of his performances throughout the season, you really wouldn’t have expected.

On the defensive end, Thornton was, well, Thornton. He’s never one that doesn’t give a full effort but his footwork is highly questionable, resulting in his .1 defensive win share. His offensive win share dropped from his 3.7 rating in 2011-12 , though, not significantly and odd as it may be to say, Thornton – at least numbers wise, had a better year this past year off the bench.

It’s not a role Thornton is happy with, which he made clear on Twitter a handful of times. That said, when Thornton eventually adapted to the role, he became the prototypical sixth man that so many teams lust after.

You wouldn’t have assumed it, but across the board, Thornton’s 2012-13 season was his best in a Kings uniform – shocking as that is to say.