Sasha Vezenkov Reportedly Doesn't Want to Return to the Sacramento Kings | Locked On Kings

Matt George reacts to the Eurohoops report that Sasha Vezenkov doesn't intend on returning to the Sacramento Kings. But the Kings have him under contract at least through next season. What are their options?
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Sasha Vezenkov Reportedly Doesn't Want to Return to the Sacramento Kings
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[@kboruss000]

I blame Brown for not playing him enough. Brown had a horrible year and he didn’t deserve an extension.

[@candidfob8423]

as if it's Brown's fault that the guy couldn't stay healthy...

[@ivannikolov4242]

@@candidfob8423 here it is .... Did Sasha stole ya girlfriend or something ? You are everywhere trying to talk bad of him :D So you are a legit hater fa sure.

[@spindragon]

I was looking forward to watching Sasha evolve in the NBA.. Still don't understand Mike Brown' ignoring his ability to score.

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

Sasha is goofy out there he wasn’t ready

[@TheHappyCoder]

@@SKOOBZTERZ Goofy in a what way? His style of play is different, yes. But his efficiency has been quite good, actually. He just played small minutes.

[@V71EXTER]

​@@SKOOBZTERZSomething you dont understand bud. When a european or foreigner comes to America, they need to adapt to the country and feel comfortable. Its a new fucking continent.

[@Cr_Sight]

@@TheHappyCoder I like sasha but he couldnt play defense.

[@richardmorono6660]

I felt Sasha could have been utilized much better. Just his shooting alone, really never got a chance to show case. MB not impressed enough. So go back and play in Euro. Sasha, is good but struggled in NBA. Personally, I felt Sasha should have been allowed to get a fair shot at more minutes . Then make decision to bench.

[@yvitataf]

Sasha is a good player but not a superstar obviously so its really about the fit with team more than anything. It seems like coach brown received some backlash for not play him a lot but as an olympiacos fan i kinda get it. Kings really suffered on the defensive end and sasha was definitely not the answer to their problems. I think a team like the lakers or the spurs could be a better fit as they desperately need shooting and some off ball players with high iq

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

Yall swear like he was anything close to what we thought he would be 😂

[@FeIix916]

I don’t think it’s just a coincidence that this news comes out shortly after Mike Brown is extended. The direction that this organization has committed to has been made clear and judging by the way Brown handled Sasha’s role, it isn’t in his favor. I am disappointed that coach was unable to utilize him or at the very least give him a real chance to earn a consistent role all season. Smh.

[@bluevelvyt_jwg]

I feel for Sasha, I hope wherever he ends up, here or other, he gets a legit shot at playing meaningful minutes in the NBA.

[@jameeltayyeb584]

I don’t blame him. We owe him an apology. There’ll be no shortage of takers for an elite shooter and a high IQ basketball player.

[@mordecaidrake]

Seriously.... the fact that brown failed so poorly to utilize sasha is a serious blight on him... the fact that you can't make a euro league mvp work AT ALL.. is completely and utterly a ridiculous failure on Brown

[@DanielTaylor-tz1rf]

@@mordecaidrake You can blame Mike all you want, but when we needed him to make his shots, he didn't.

[@Tony-xu9bf]

You clearly don’t watch kings basketball if that’s your take. Sasha is a good shooter but he was a defensive liability. In the NBA you can’t just shoot and not play defense. Good luck to Sasha but you’re overvaluing him based off emotions not facts.

[@jameeltayyeb584]

@@Tony-xu9bf unfortunately I never miss a Kings game 😁. Love my Kings. I don’t disagree with you about his defense. I just think there’s a place in the league for a player like him. Preferably a team that defense is there strong suit, but needs shooting.

[@Danxiong]

@@DanielTaylor-tz1rfshot better than Kevin Huerter 🤷‍♂️

[@jayjammer]

It did not work because Coach did not let him play! If you don’t play you can’t prove yourself.

[@Phil-S8]

How Harrison Barnes gets so many minutes is baffling. The dude is a trash fire, and the Kings will never make it past the 1st round with him on the roster. Brown's unwillingness to play Trey or Sasha instead, probably has Sasha feeling some kind of way. The Kings made a horrible error in resigning Barnes, and now have extended one of the worst X/Os coaches in the league. Not to mention, Brown can't make in game adjustments to save his life. This season will be rough...

[@hc434]

I also believe Mike Brown is the one who wanted to re-sign HB at 18 mil a year because Brown was talking about contending for the championship this (lottery) year back in October. You don't talk about contending for the title in a season unless you like the roster Talks between Monte and HB went silent for a couple weeks last offseason so we know Monte did NOT want to run it back per se. I think many of the big problems come down to Mike Brown's poor decision making - same reasons he got let go from Cleveland

[@Saint_Cephas]

Coaches like Mike Brown work with guys like Curry and Thompson, but if your guys arent insanely talented Mike wont adjust he will literally start you every game even when it doesn't work.

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

If the kings just make some moves to make the team better Mike brown would be praised .. he has a mid tier roster be real

[@hc434]

@@SKOOBZTERZ Mike Brown is the one who wanted to run it back, by all evidence. Read my comment above

[@hc434]

@@SKOOBZTERZ Mike Brown is the REASON they didn't make big moves last offseason, by the evidence. That's why he thought they can contend for the championship this lottery season. His decision making is bad

[@reedrodz75]

Mike browns rotation isbouta wack! And he played HB more..a poor defender at 118.8 and Sasha is at 115.

[@hc434]

HB had the worst or 2nd worst defensive rating, rebounds per minute and plus minus on the team. Yet he averaged 3 more minutes a game than Malik Monk

[@justmyopinion8395]

Exactly! Mike Brown is not the right coach for the long run. Stubborn and inflexible. Should have played out this season before giving him a contract extension.

[@WillLlamas]

Go look at why Brown got fired in Cleveland. Sound familiar?

[@obryn]

Cuz of LeBum that's why lol...How many LeBum coaches have been fired because of his whiny personality. It's always about him. Dont get it twisted. That was a LeBum problem.

[@BeerAndJointsAllDay]

@@obryn LeCoach Blames

[@jacobmorris16]

I don't think it's any coincidence that this news comes almost immediately after Mike Brown got his extension. I don't think there's any respect in either direction between those two.

[@scoobeedo991]

Good for Sasha... He came here to play and the Kings lied. The little time he did get was a joke and Mike Brown is to blame.. dont put this on Sasha.

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

Put this on Mike 😂🤣🤣 yea cuz we thought Sasha was gonna be better right ? He didn’t wow anyone at all relax

[@scoobeedo991]

@@SKOOBZTERZ I can only go off the narrative which is presented to us every day. We're told players who haven't played or coming off injury need time , they need reps.. there is NO comparing practice to REAL game play. Sasha was given no real game time experience or consistent minutes or any length of time over any stretch of games. However when he did get a little time in a few games in a row, he showed improvement. Simply going off the eye test. Mike Brown is to blame for not playing him. This doesn't mean Brown is responsible for Sasha's talent or ability to play in the NBA, only that he decided to give time to other players that didn't workout.

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

@@scoobeedo991 Sasha can score in the Europe league without dribbling because it’s an easier league , nba is a different animal he can’t dribble , can’t move his feet laterally defensively , he’s not who we thought we was going to be man. Not saying he can’t get better but as of now we have no use for him , us trading him is not going to hurt us . Remember this comment . We need monk back and make a move for kuzma or bridges we need another bucket getter

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

@@scoobeedo991 Mike brown took over and we became a 46-48 win team with a mid tier squad , how about you give Mike brown a better roster around Fox sabonis and Keegan and see how more wins we get ….

[@scoobeedo991]

@@SKOOBZTERZ I just said Mike Brown was to blame for Sasha, which is true.. coaches in sports make mistakes or just do things I wouldn't do lol The Lions coach went for it on 4th down instead of kicking the field goal.. it's the way it goes..coach Carl just never gave Seth Curry playing time even when Everyone was screaming for it.. I digress 😃 As for Kuzma.. this is a mystery to me as Monte could have signed him last year??? So either Monte is an idiot or Kyle didn't want to play for Sac.. if he didn't want to play here, then We don't want him, If this was Montes fault then he needs to go. Something odd is going on with this. I think Monte was an improvement from our previous GMs but he really isn't great.

[@JustinQuarles]

If there’s 1 thing I think Mike Brown failed at its Sasha Vezenkov

[@hc434]

I can think of many more: Harrison Barnes who had the worst or 2nd worst plus minus, rebs/min and defensive rating averaged more minutes than Malik Monk. Brown benched Keon Ellis for about 15 of the final 20 games leading up to the allstar break, despite Keon Ellis being arguably the best defender on the team

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

Sasha was ok . We need to upgrade the roster anyways bye Sasha

[@ebahtimaikata]

​@@SKOOBZTERZNice upgrade you did

[@mrstrange5128]

He needed steady minutes and actual plays run for him. Misused mike brown dropped the ball

[@candidfob8423]

you can't be a successful NBA roleplayer if you need plays drawn up for you...

[@mrstrange5128]

@@candidfob8423 your right, but you won’t be successful period without consistent minutes.

[@candidfob8423]

@@mrstrange5128 the way to earn consistent minutes in the NBA is to make the most out of your inconsistent minutes... Sasha hasn't been dealt a tough hand. This is something that every NBA-hopeful player has to prove...

[@GregoryLee-sd9wi]

Mike brown was wrong for not giving him PT cause there were times I thought he should get some of Barnes minutes

[@candidfob8423]

Barnes can actually create a shot on his own every once in a while. That's the difference.

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

Barnes is washed but Sasha still wasn’t on his level relax

[@GregoryLee-sd9wi]

@@SKOOBZTERZ how u know that and Sasha didn't get playing time

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

@@GregoryLee-sd9wi Sasha couldn’t create his own shot for Shii, and I remember Sasha getting crossed so bad on defense 😂 he’s not ready for the NBA

[@orurour8354]

🤔Sasha wants trade? then trade him with Duarte or Barnes to Orlando for Either Chuma Okeke, or Caleb Houstan, or Kevon Harris or all 3🤔

[@joesmith8725]

Brown didn't play Sasha enough. Should have played him more. Sasha will probably go play for the Nets.

[@candidfob8423]

lol the guy couldn't stay healthy

[@joesmith8725]

Lyles

[@Saint_Cephas]

Sasha is about to go to another team and start and cook. If a team actually gives him the keys I think he would be scary

[@WillLlamas]

Davion was in the same boat. As were many.

[@brianmorton963]

I got halfway through this Mike brown apologist Shill episode before I couldn't take any more of it. Forgive me if I don't take double down's talent evaluation seriously. You can keep telling us that Monk loves coming off the bench. And how much better we became defensively, even though it had nothing to do with us becoming better defensively. The whole league got better after he All Star break. Because Adam silver told the referees to call the games differently. Wasn't anything the king's did, Points per game dropped dramatically throughout the league. After the all star break it wasn't some magical mic brown moment. I'll tell you what a magical Mike brown moment was not making adjustments to his lame Ass dribble hand off system that the whole league figured out in the warrior series of the playoffs last year. And as for your evaluation of Sasha and his defense and how Mike Brown just couldn't play him cause it wasn't with what he likes to do Defensively, Harrison Barnes is dramatically worse defender than Sasha. Go look at the numbers. Mike brown supposedly preaches deflections and sasha destroyed harrison barnes on deflections. And like I said at the top forgive me for not Putting too much stock in double downs evaluation of talent.

[@hc434]

Local media as a whole shill for Mike Brown. It's bizarre

[@hc434]

The defense stagnated at around 23rd until Mike Brown was forced to play Keon big minutes - after which it jumped to 14th. Keon bailed out Mike Brown because the "ran back" defense was barely better than last year and the offense fell off a cliff Yes the local media is shilling for Mike Brown

[@marknash6398]

I would too they just resign Mike Brown🤔 he threw Davion Mitchell under the bus The team went backwards

[@GrapplingDork]

I never understood why Lyles and even Duarte got much more run time over Sasha at the 3/4. Sasha is a good rebounder, great cutter, and one of their best shooters. This is all on Brown. We complained about it all year.

[@JDsilva7]

Trey lyles is straight up a better player. You're right on Duarte tho

[@hc434]

No issue with MB starting HB 82 games and playing hik 29 minutes per game?

[@pattijohnson6946]

I have commented on this before. He was an MVP in euro league and hardly even played after moving his whole family over him. Good on you Sasha. Do what's best for you and your family. The NBA can be heartless. I've seen this time and time again.

[@BeerAndJointsAllDay]

@@JDsilva7 ahahahaha you can jusr go and check advanced stats bro. Sasha scores on average 45 points per 100 minutes, Trey Lyles score on average 36 points per 100 minutes

[@JDsilva7]

@BeerAndJointsAllDay do advanced stats show that sasha's a significantly worse and less versatile defender than trey? On a team with so many offensive weapons, we have to prioritize guys who compete defensively as well

[@mdw274]

*Yes, there were plenty of times where we didn’t play him enough. It was frustrating. However, when he did get playing time he didn’t do enough to show he deserved to be on the court. He had some good contributions, but nothing special. Sasha just needs to be more explosive.*

[@fusionstar916]

How can he prove himself if brown doesn't play him? HB is out there just doing cardio, heurter cant shoot to save his life. And the way sabonis plays limits other play styles.

[@candidfob8423]

cardio was what Vezenkov was doing out there too...

[@ivannikolov4242]

@@candidfob8423 Barnes cardio is more special ... like 30 mins per match for $18 Millions a season. Sasha averages 34 seconds of play .... nice one Timothy

[@candidfob8423]

@@ivannikolov4242 Barnes is old and washed and yet he's still 5X as athletic as Vezenkov. And Barnes can actually create a shot for himself every once and a while - Vezenkov scored like 3 unassisted baskets for himself all season. And who's Timothy?

[@ivannikolov4242]

@@candidfob8423 i know Barnes is a good player but he is not good for this Kings rotation. Seriously and you call yaself a basketball fan? Are you sure you are not just a hater… Karenio Do you have any idea how beneficial is the quick release for this team of Sacramento with this bench? Have you ever seen Sasha playing with the rest of the starting five?

[@candidfob8423]

@@ivannikolov4242 so I'm not a real basketball fan because I don't massively overrate a player who has proven nothing at the highest level of competition? alright, bud. Having a quick shot isn't enough to justify getting starter minutes when that's all he does. Look, you obviously are already convinced that Sasha is legit NBA rotation guy - I remain unconvinced that it's just Mike Brown "misusing" him

[@N3bula79]

Didn't really get a fair shake in a rookie year, only played half to 2/3 of the season factoring in injuries...not to mention sporadic/inconsistent minutes and playing time. Kings may have told him he's not in their plans, because with a possible Monk deal, Sac will be in the luxury tax. Moving him will help them avoid that. Trade him to TO for Jalen McDaniels.

[@hc434]

From what Ive heard, Olympiakos paid their players income taxes and even gave them houses so ultimately after paying California tax Sasha was making about the same as he did in Europe

[@alexap7]

they also give them cars (olympiacos fan here)

[@toetoe6127]

Highly doubt that

[@alexap7]

@@toetoe6127 it is exactly like that. there isn't a salary cap here and there are benefits given to the players through sponsorships. for example, Olympiacos has bought homes that they provide their players with. They have as a sponsor Flexcar, which gives them a free car and lastly, their salary is not taxed. The owners pay the tax, so when you hear 3 million that means that they are getting that exact amount.

[@orurour8354]

🤔Sasha wants trade? then trade him with Duarte or Barnes to Orlando for Either Chuma Okeke, or Caleb Houstan, or Kevon Harris or all 3🤔

[@toetoe6127]

@@alexap7 I’m just sayin if you REALLY think the NBA is paying close to the euroleauge I’d do a little research. People can say they’re close but for revenue there’s nothing like American sports market

[@WillLlamas]

Nobody has really analyzed how misusing or signing Sasha w'out knowing how he plays hurt us. Trade him or find a way to utilize him. This situation is not a good look for Monte and Brown.

[@mordecaidrake]

Seriously.... the fact that brown failed so poorly to utilize sasha is a serious blight on him... the fact that you can't make a euro league mvp work AT ALL. Especially a sniper in this day and age....this is completely and utterly a ridiculous failure on Brown🙄

[@justinshumate6232]

Brown doesn't like him he's slow and he didn't like his defense he didn't give him minutes cause he doesn't want him just like benching huerter I feel those are Monte guys

[@justinshumate6232]

I dnt like sashas Game he has to hit from 3 like Kyle Korver or I dnt see the use he's too slow and we're a fast pace team

[@candidfob8423]

EuroLeague MVP doesn't mean shit lmao

[@enbo1728]

@@candidfob8423 , y? like Luca?

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

Bro Sasha was slow af he was not who we thought he was enough with the excuses send him back to Europe

[@teec6272]

That's Fine he another Trade chip! Shit that Make the Kuzma deal that more sweet for the wizards.

[@hc434]

Does anyone actually believe Malik Monk wants to play under coach Brown? Brown being the coach is more reason for Monk to leave

[@lxb88b]

Didn’t age well

[@hc434]

@@lxb88b So you think Monk likes playing under Mike Brown? Seriously? He stayed because he likes the city and Deaaron is here. They probably forced Mike Brown to start Monk in negotiations

[@VladPanov-u8t]

Vezenkov is the people's player - this is one of the most seen pods of last months already, whenever he would get a seconds on the court Golden 1 will have this special buzz. Coach did not like him, but he should have said so a year ago and not hide behind the cliches. I hope he finds another team or goes to Europe as its clear that fans want to watch him play.

[@ivannikolov4242]

Lot of fans don’t realize that if you don’t feel welcome in any working environment will tied your hands. It’s weird how a little legit trust could reflect on anybody who having potential. He just not fit In this type of rotation. I’m afraid he will give his potential only if he got team build at some points around his presence. He used to more important role and he sitting on the bench 5/6 of the playing time. That many matches he was not even considered to go in. Man this is the worst… and i like coach Brown but must be painful for one player to watch from the bench and never get in.

[@Ivan21bg]

I don't think you can fully blame either side. I think Sasha for sure didn't wow anyone, but also I don't think he was really used that well either. It just doesn't feel like he was a good fit for what they wanted to do. I think both the Kings should have had more of a place for him and maybe given him more of a role, but also Sasha didn't really shine (which for first year in the NBA not surprsing) If anything I hope he gets one more year in the NBA I still think he can be better than what he showed, and maybe both sides can get something out of this if the kings can get a piece they need.

[@tattooedteddy]

Can blame him look what Mike brown did to him …. Your coach the coach you freaking out to keep .

[@quitalllester3367]

Trade him

[@VladPanov-u8t]

Money had nothing to do with, Matt. He is not taxed in Europe as he is in California and has all expenses paid, so he probably was making more or close to. He is also ready to let the 2nd year go, so Vezenkov is not in this for the money.

[@jimgarfinkel1090]

Re :James Ham: "According to two European media outlets, that might not be the case, although the news from the two reporters contradict each other..... But both lead to similar conclusions -- that a breakup between the Kings and Vezenkov is potentially on the horizon"

[@divad23]

Completely not surprised by this...but Sasha needs to trust the process. I dont think he can stay now but i wish him the best. He will do well if he gets used properly

[@reedrodz75]

HB defensive made MBs standard. Why not Sasha?

[@NOCALGooN916]

Sasha is a rookie you have to earn it nothing is given

[@candidfob8423]

HB is not a good defender, but he's not as flat footed as Sasha.

[@JulianBG]

Matt, he didn't get more money here. Actually, Olympiacos matched and slightly exceeded the offer that he got by Kings. He also made it clear that he is not coming for the money but for the NBA experience. Obviously he is frustrated because he is not playing and not getting the experience he expected.

[@maxiancambridge668]

Sacramento played him - he should have been getting more minutes, Barnes , Heurter ,Lyle's Duarte were also inconsistent, hope he gets another chance in the NBA , and gets a coach and a team who respects his games

[@jared4walsh]

he's now a Toronto.

[@WillLlamas]

Sabonis ballhandling/handoff limits the play of many others.

[@Drewskiifadez]

Sabonis ballhandling/handoff is the reason kings has had any type of success on the offensive end

[@WillLlamas]

@Drewskiifadez it's overused. He also gets single-minded and runs the same plays with Murray and Huerter. Also takes the ball out of Davions' hands. Thank god for Malik to show us what we needed. A Pg to run the p&r.

[@Facelessman276]

Really too bad that Sasha got injured when Trey went down. That was his chance. If not for injuries Keon would have had 70 DNP-CD’s last year. MB does not give some guys a real shot unless he has no choice.

[@WillLlamas]

We ran thosebstupid curl 3 plays for Murray and Huerter but not for Sasha.

[@Eglass25]

As soon as they signed Brown, he was as good as gone.

[@DaveKingDavid]

Sasha fits the mold. The Kings might have to move him or Trey or HB, (maybe even two of the 3), to get longer and more athletic. But Sasha is valuable too. He really improves the offensive flow. And that clearly has to improve, in my opinion, if the Kings have any hope of contending. He also brings some things on the defensive end we didn't expect. I.e. Quick hands, and a feel for the game that helps him make defensive plays and muck up what the other team is trying to do. I believe if Sasha stays, works on the things MB wants him to, fights and is always ready to contribute when his number is called, he will find himself with an important role on this team. But who knows... we will see, or maybe we won't.

[@edbrewington3]

Sasha needs more time to acclimate to the NBA game. He'll be ok if he gets more run, but he couldn't crack the rotation and then he got injured. I think he needs to stay one more year and really commit and put in the work. We really don't know what this guy can do because last year was his rookie year in many ways.

[@charlesmayeda5668]

Fuck putting in more work. This guy already does that. Mike brown needs to actually let him play instead of being a tool and letting harrison bum and chris dicksuckte get more minutes than they deserve (and what they deserve is no minutes after this season)

[@rp2808]

Dude already quit on the Kings… cmon dude. There are no saviors for the Kings. They need players who WANT to be here.

[@edbrewington3]

@@rp2808 Well....we don't know if this report is true, right? There are conflicting stories. However, if I were him, I'd want out too because I'm not getting any younger for one; I was a star in Europe and will be treated that way if I return; and I most likely don't fit MB's needs. I hope he'll fight back and work harder to prove everyone wrong, but I need to hear more articles on this and listen to his own words before I start saying he's a "quitter."

[@NOCALGooN916]

He was a dang rookie idk the last time i heard a rookie say i want out. he still needs to figure out how to adjust to the style of play and get better defensively, he's a liability and if he can't understand that get rid of him

[@justmyopinion8395]

He is still under contract so does that mean he is requesting a trade?

[@WillLlamas]

Sasha once scored 24 pts w'out a dribble. He set a record for pts per dribble. Brown/Monte didn't know this?

[@WillieBowen-o2n]

Mike Brown is clueless

[@WillieBowen-o2n]

Mike Brown is clueless

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

Yea he would never do that in the NBA EVER

[@candidfob8423]

Where did he do that? The Euroleague? doesn't mean shit....

[@WillLlamas]

@candidfob8423 it does mean shit. That's all he does, which is shit.

[@Drewskiifadez]

Trade his ass to the wizards

[@SHAUNDylan-c1v]

Trade vasenkov to gsw for kevin looney or gary payton swap one on one...

[@matthewyip8695]

A pipe dream ... Bad take. But Sacramento should do either all day long. But why would gsw do that ? Sasha isn't even making much in comparison to those two who get paid more than HB.

[@obryn]

why? They're all old!

[@GrapplingDork]

Lyles averaged 7pts, 4reb and 1 assist in 20 minutes. Why are you acting like he is infinitly better than Sasha? Lyles is a poor perimeter defender as well. We've seen enough to know. We haven't seen enough Sasha. Trade Lyles in a Kuzma deal and draft either Ware or De Silva.

[@Saint_Cephas]

Yeah I like Trey but the Sasha hate is crazy the guy practically didnt play even one whole game

[@DanielTaylor-tz1rf]

Any other unathletic eurofraud, average 3 point shooters that's a defensive liability we can replace him with?

[@hc434]

HB had the 2nd worst defensive rating on the team. Sasha had the 10th worst defensive rating. So if you're concerned about who's a defensive liability ask Mike Brown why he started HB 82 games and averaged 29 minutes for HB It's not like Mike Brown called any plays on offense for HB either, so what was he doing playing so many minutes

[@NOCALGooN916]

​@@hc434HB played way more minutes not a big enough sample size from sasha

[@hc434]

@@NOCALGooN916 WHY did the worst or 2nd worst defensive rating, rebounds per minute and plus minus guy get so many minutes? That's what I'm wondering

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

@@hc434Barnes is washed ! But he’s old 😂 he was still more serviceable then Sasha bro be real Sasha isn’t who we thought he would be ! But it’s Mike browns fault okay

[@hc434]

@@SKOOBZTERZ Mike Brown is the one who wanted to re-sign HB at 18 mil a year, by all evidence. Now the team is stuck with that contract or looking for another team to absorb it at a cost

[@kingsland24]

Kings haven't been playing to there strengths. Sasha is a clear indication. Hope he doesn't and ends up in the starting five. Warriors get him it's over in the West.

[@enbo1728]

Happy for Sasha, sad for Kings. All blame for Sasha and Malik on Brown.

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

Sad for the kings 😂🤣 we’ll be okay without him

[@hc434]

Mike Brown DNP'ed Keon about 15 games in the final 20 leading to the all star break. That was probably the most baffling one - when your team is the worst perimeter defending team in the league, a supposedly defensive minded coach DNP's his best perimeter defender.. Mike Brown is not a good coach Also playing HB as much as he did

[@iankinzel]

With Sasha, I think his defense was just part of the problem. The larger problem is that he didn't really contribute much outside of catch-and-shoot. He scored 9 unassisted baskets all season long, 1 unassisted three pointer all season long - his scoring off the bounce is totally nonexistent. Couple that with his limitations as a playmaker and a defender, and it makes sense why he didn't work out for us. People forget, Euro League MVP guarantees nothing in the NBA. Jan Vesely, Anthony Parker, Sergio Rodriguez, and Nemanja Bjelica all won Euro League MVP; in the NBA, they were all rotational players at best for a few years.

[@hc434]

Sasha had a (barely) positive plus minus on the season. HB had the worst plus minus on the team. Sasha had the 10th worst defensive rating among active Kings players while HB had the 2nd worst defensive rating. Why did Mike Brown play HB 29 minutes a game again? Couldn't spare a few more for Sasha and Lyles?

[@iankinzel]

@@hc434 You have to balance metrics with what we see in the games. Advanced metrics like EPM place Barnes at 49th percentile defensively, Vezenkov at 21st percentile, which matches the eye test: Barnes was an unspectacular middle-of-the pack player defensively, while opposing offenses were hunting Vezenkov as a defender. And again - Sasha hit 9 shots off the dribble all season. 9. That's really bad. Barnes was inconsistent, but he at least has league-average ability to create his own shot. In that regard, Sasha is uniquely limited.

[@NOCALGooN916]

Thank you sir 💯

[@hc434]

@@iankinzel what about HB having the worst rebounds per minute and 2nd worst plus minus? How are you gonna try to explain away those? Barnes is a solid offensive player still but Mike Brown said he didn't call any plays for him. So what was HB doing on the floor for so long.. It all comes back to Mike Brown and it's sus

[@iankinzel]

@@hc434 None of that changes the fact that Barnes is more playable than Vezenkov. Whatever flaws Barnes has, he can do things that aren't catch-and-shoot, and he's not a major liability on defense. You can't say the same for Vezenkov. In these comparisons, +/- isn't meaningful because when your role is as limited as Vezenkov's was, odds are you're only going to go up against the most favorable matchups. EPM is more respected by league GM's as a closer approximation for a player's actual contribution, and Barnes blows Vezenkov out of the water on that.

[@kingarthurworld9162]

I actually like Sasha . I saw him make big plays against the warriors one game . Out of him and Harrison barnes i think he’s a better team defender . Needs to get stronger and have more confidence shooting the ball . Probably haven’t came off the bench in years . Year 2 should be better .

[@FranciscoGarcia_42]

Sasha say hello to Washington 😂

[@nfn58]

I don't blame him. But on this team he's essentially less athletic version of Trey Lyles

[@matthewyip8695]

Exactly 💯. I thought so too. Trey is still better in this system. The other problem was Monk was the main ball handler and took more shots that just gave less shots to everyone else off the bench. Monk was also the main distributor off the bench.

[@NOCALGooN916]

Pretty much

[@nfn58]

i love the depth we have in this role, but it's tough for them unless either trey or sasha get moved

[@enbo1728]

Better movement, Off-Ball Scoring and cutting compared to Trey.

[@orurour8354]

🤔Sasha wants trade? then trade him with Duarte or Barnes to Orlando for Either Chuma Okeke, or Caleb Houstan, or Kevon Harris or all 3🤔

[@p9r4ex8dyk]

Huerter and Barnes are the weakest links on the Kings. Get rid of these trashy players if the Kings want to be legit contenders.

[@Saint_Cephas]

Shouldve started Sasha at the 2 for his size and shooting, wouldve been better than Heurter

[@extremistikovoutiro2877]

You have a 20ppg player on your roster and you let him rot on the bench because he came from the Euroleauge? Dogshit franchise

[@Ruben-Sammich]

Trade him and a 2nd round pick for Bogie back

[@herby8789]

Sasha fits in gsw trade him for Moses moody if Malik decided to run away from sac both parties in win win situation.

[@TheHappyCoder]

Mike Brown is going down next year.

[@James-fb9lw]

I feel wasn’t used to the best of his talent by his coach and his teammates. But I really don’t like quitters.

[@ra-ge]

He was not given a chance to prove himself.

[@babycakes9976]

There's been nany defensive head coaches that simply couldnt get the job done. Anyone could with the eye test this team hasn't found a identity. We'll wait, when reLizing Rickets, Grizz, Spurs may jump ahead.

[@bobtis]

No surprise. He never fit. Poor guy

[@reeze3776]

Let him walk. He was a big liability on defense. He needs to know just because you're a European MVP you still have to earn your spot.

[@Lightdabeam916]

I saw him get crossed so hard he left the screen multiple times

[@reeze3776]

@@Lightdabeam916 😂😂😂

[@NOCALGooN916]

Trueee💯

[@gate7elllas]

Just fire mike brown .His a bad coach !!

[@Chudley716]

Stay healthy and earn more playing time. That’s how to develop an NBA career.

[@killgronia5815]

He was terrible. I mean what did he expect? You have to produce. Don’t quit, put the work in.

[@mordecaidrake]

Brown sucked at using him.. he didn't really suck by the analytics

[@willstout5988]

He was putting up some pretty good minutes before his last injury that took him out down the stretch. I imagine this season would’ve played out pretty differently if he didn’t get hurt

[@GrapplingDork]

What are you talking about? Brown hardly played him. Sasha never got a fair shake until towards the end of the year and then he got hurt twice

[@killgronia5815]

@@GrapplingDork and when he did , he was trash. Not Mike’s job to always have you ready. Especially for an MVP. He has his money and now produce. At least do the one thing we got you for.

[@pvantran82]

Mike Brown do not know how to utilize him. MB suck!

[@orurour8354]

🤔Sasha wants trade? then trade him with Duarte or Barnes to Orlando for Either Chuma Okeke, or Caleb Houstan, or Kevon Harris or all 3🤔

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

Sacramento kings fans are full of excuses , wasn’t this guy coming over suppose to be a game changer for us ? 😂 he was OK yall need to stop already

[@seanadams25]

EARP!

[@badnewssourgrapes]

Let him leave NBA too physical for him just like I figured it would be it was a nice try by Monte but he missed on this guy too looks like

[@NOCALGooN916]

Yea he would of fit perfectly in last years system we were way more up an down the court and more focused on offense we changed to more of a defensive style of play this year witch does not fit how he plays

[@Drewskiifadez]

Everyone in here crying about Sasha and feeling bad for him. Like he didn’t get paid millions of dollars . He’s lucky he even seen the floor, if Colby is barely getting minutes then he shouldn’t be crying either

[@NOCALGooN916]

He was a dang rookie he shouldn't be crying about anything in the first place

[@Drewskiifadez]

@@NOCALGooN916 I realized I typed my comment wrong. Colby never seemed to have a problem with his minutes because he’s a rookie and technically so is Sasha. So Sasha should be crying over his minutes like minutes aren’t earned

[@headhunterextracts5167]

auf Wiedersehen

[@rp2808]

lol this is who Monte used his cap flexibility on 🤣. Gtfoh, better start looking at apartments in Chicago

[@TicklepennyLane]

Brown is obviously racist. Kings got the best euro player and disciplined him on bench? How stupid is that.

[@Martin_3030_]

How does that make him racist? Sabonis plays, Alex Len plays, Huerter played 🤔 just making assumptions

[@nathan2000100]

Sasha looked clumsy on the floor, he also didn't get many minutes. Overall letdown and I understand why he's unhappy here

[@eddiprosper4347]

SASHA "THE BROKEN MICROWAVE" VEZENCHOKE

[@obryn]

You don't get to be an MVP and be inconsistent the next season lol. The whole team was inconsistent. Wonder why, maybe because of the coaching which trickled down to the players idk lol

[@andrewfranks8788]

Sasha was good awful , could not make a three and could not stop a wet fart . Plus injured most of the year. Great European player not an NBA player

[@s0meguy09]

Well.. whatchu gonna do? Doesn't bother me

[@andrewfranks8788]

What is wrong with all you hating on Mike Brown in the comments,Pretending like you know more about basketball than coach. You are dillusional.

[@hc434]

Mike Brown has gotten fired 3 times, never won a title as head coach after coaching Lebron 5 years in Cleveland with one of the highest team salaries in the league. So yes, plenty of people know much better than Mike Brown. His basketball decision making is bad

[@BigHittt]

Kings - the whole organization is Inconsistent.

[@adriansanchez6915]

Mike brown was saying all training camp Sasha had a lot of work to do. He sucked, got injured and milked it, still sucked and decided to go back home lol if you actually watched a kings game and saw how bad he moved on defense you wouldn’t be upset

[@adriansanchez6915]

Sasha wouldn’t dance in fan fest get him tf outta here

[@swavyfamiliaalex99]

Who cares? He wasn't as good or consistent as we expected anyways

[@esactown5754]

He weak 🤦‍♂️ instead of taking the challenge and conquering his spot he wants to evade like a 🐈

[@rickfishn6888]

Well he didn't do nothing special for the kings lmfao lol tell me he helped us get better cuz he didn't

[@James-fb9lw]

I feel wasn’t used to the best of his talent by his coach and his teammates. But I really don’t like quitters.

[@hc434]

Mike Brown punished Sasha, Ellis and Len with DNPs even after they played well. Keon Ellis had about 15 DNPs in the 20 games leading to the allstar break. It's ridiculous but Mike Brown is really that clueless and I don't blame Sasha for jumping ship

[@MsGmishev]

You don’t know the past of Sasha. Doing with stupid coach just like his early years in Barcelona after he won Greek MVP….it would be mistake. Better to sick for his team and coach….but not with this MB

[@SKOOBZTERZ]

@@hc434Sasha can leave for all we care

[@hc434]

​@@SKOOBZTERZ He deserves better than Mike Brown and if you think Malik Monk wants to play under Mike Brown I have a beautiful bridge to sell you If Monk stays by some miracle, it will be in spite of having to play under this coach