Sacramento Kings: Why Greivis Vasquez Was A Great Pick-up
By John Hugar
Grevis Vasquez will make the Sacramento Kings a much better team. Photo Credit: Mark Allison, Flickr.com
The Sacramento Kings have been in a rut for quite some time. Year after year, they finish near the bottom of the Western Conference, as the memories of Chris Webber and Mike Bibby become increasingly distant. There have been a number of reasons why the Kings routinely finish in the cellar and one of them is the lack of consistency at the point guard position. Ever since Bibby left town to join the Atlanta Hawks, the Kings have plugged in a number of players at the 1 with limited success. That’s why acquiring Greivis Vasquez from the New Orleans Pelicans last week was such a key move. Vasquez is one of the most underrated point guards in the league and he fixes one of the biggest holes on the Kings’ roster.
Vasquez was acquired from the Pelicans in a trade that sent Tyreke Evans to New Orleans. Evans is an extremely talented player and in the right situation, he could thrive. With that said, you can’t blame Kings fans for being happy to see him head out the door. In his four years in Sacramento, he never fully put it together. After an excellent rookie season in which he was Rookie of the Year, Evans declined every year after that. Granted, this wasn’t all his fault; he struggled with injuries and the Kings never really found the proper position for him. Evans leaving Sacramento for New Orleans is likely a good move for both parties.
The Kings repeatedly tried to convince themselves, as well as the rest of the NBA, that he was a point guard. It sort of worked for the first year, but after that it became clear that he wasn’t suited to play the position. From that point, they plugged anyone they could think of into the point guard spot and it rarely worked out in their favor. They drafted Jimmer Fredette hoping his skills would translate, but in the NBA he’s more of a spot-up shooter than anything else. Isaiah Thomas had his moments, but his horrible defense canceled out whatever he gave the Kings as a scorer. Finally, Aaron Brooks was never able to recapture the skill that allowed him to win Most Improved Player honors with the Houston Rockets. The point guard position has been a revolving door for the Kings and now Vasquez will be a stabilizer.
Vasquez isn’t a player who receives a great deal of hype, but he had a very strong year with the former Hornets last season. He finished second in the league in assists per game, trailing only Chris Paul. He’s probably the best passer in the league that no one ever talks about. The Pelicans chose to move forward with Jrue Holiday, who was an All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers last season. While Holiday might be a stronger point guard than Vasquez, the difference isn’t as pronounced as you might expect. Holiday is a quality scorer, but he rarely gets to the free-throw line, which hurts his efficiency. The Pelicans likely made a slight upgrade, but Vasquez is still a quality point guard and he’s just what the Kings needed.
The Kings have a lot of problems and it’s unlikely that they will make the playoffs in 2013-14. Still, bringing in Vasquez was an enormous step in the right direction for a team that has been floundering for years now. He’s better than any point guard they’ve had since Bibby and his excellent passing will allow DeMarcus Cousins to become more engaged and give Marcus Thornton more chances to score. This franchise is still putting everything together, but acquiring Vasquez was a great start.