Sacramento Kings: Examining Carl Landry

As pre-draft workouts continue for the Sacramento Kings and the rest of the league, a current on-court presence is once again looking at time away from the floor. On Tuesday, Kings power forward Carl Landry underwent surgery to address ongoing wrist problems which have lingered for months.

Landry missed five mid-season games in January due to pain in his right wrist, but after some examination, a surgical undertaking was deemed unnecessary. Prior to that, Landry’s second stint with the Kings (his first being from February 2010 to February 2011) has been shaded black and blue by his serious injuries. When he returned to the Kings in after signing in July of 2013, Landry started his season three months later than expected after undergoing surgery on a torn hip flexor. As the 2013-2014 run wound down, Landry suffered a medial meniscus tear and missed the final months of the season.

Now, with this most recent injury, the future of one of Sacramento’s veteran players seems overwhelmingly shadowed by his string of breakdowns. In a frontcourt dominated by one of the league’s best and most versatile big men, and now being in the hands of new management, one can imagine near future in which the Carl Landrys of the world don’t last long. During his time at Golden State prior to rejoining the Kings, Landry was by no means a core contributor, but a supplemental figure who was used in situations which would showcase his talents, not expand them or push them further.

When healthy, Landry works well as a clean-up man, penetrating the low post in a pinch, sweeping boards, and executing put-backs, while contributing around a dozen or so points with a mix of dunks, layups and mid-range jumpers.

Throwing in a recent history of injuries to hip flexors, knees, and wrists is generally going to alter that, and the four-year, $26 million investment the Kings made in Landry in 2013 is being downgraded with each of these obstacles. At 31, and with some bumps and bruises and sutures and fuses, Landry is going to face major hurdles in proving he is a positive difference-maker in the Kings’ current system.

With the forward positions being looked at as clear areas of focus for Sacramento this off-season, the team seems less likely to cut Landry slack than to cut him loose via trade. Were he to fulfill his contract with the George Karl Kings, it is likely to be as a veteran and mentor; a backup for someone who can play with a bit more consistent speed and intensity. Should his legs remain healthy, he’ll be able to provide some healthy numbers in terms of mid-range shooting, but his transition game and defense will likely be hampered by his weight and age. Even if the Kings are facing a slower ground-and-pound team, one presumes Karl will be interested in outpacing that style rather than trying to match it.

Should the Kings draft a player like a Willie Cauley-Stein, one can only imagine where that places Landry in the 2015-2016 picture. Cauley-Stein’s abilities seem almost tailor-made to fill in the gaps which Landry presents at this stage in his career. Be it perimeter defense, rebounding, put-backs, dunks, and mid-range shooting, Cauley-Stein offers those as well as upside potential from player development coaching. Landry, on the other hand, may find himself parked on pine unless he’s able to carve out a more limited and distinct niche for the remainder of his career.

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