PDA

View Full Version : Shelden Williams Traded to Minny



lazee
02-19-2009, 12:17 PM
Looks like Sacramento did a small trade with Minnesota sending Shelden and Bobby Brown for Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/019784.html

Matches
02-19-2009, 12:18 PM
Maybe he'll actually get a chance to play in Minnesota.

OZZIE4DUKE
02-19-2009, 12:24 PM
Looks like Sacramento did a small trade with Minnesota sending Shelden and Bobby Brown for Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/019784.html
Go get 'em Shelden!

(post #2900, at least for now....)

CDu
02-19-2009, 01:13 PM
Maybe he'll actually get a chance to play in Minnesota.

Minnesota isn't really a great fit for Williams. They have Jefferson (their best player), a productive PF in Gomes, and their rookie lotto pick in Love. After that, they have Craig Smith, who has been giving them productive minutes. Williams doesn't seem to stand out in that crowd. Maybe he beats out Smith or steals time from Love or Gomes, but it doesn't seem like a great spot for him.

weezie
02-19-2009, 01:48 PM
Question: what was Jefferson's injury a few weeks back? Was it an ankle?

Billy Dat
02-19-2009, 01:50 PM
But Jefferson is out for the year.

Here's some comment from ESPN's John Hollinger that I didn't expect:

"Minnesota: The Wolves went sorting through Sacramento's scrap heap looking for a halfway decent big man to supplement their rotation, and if Williams can get in shape he could be an answer. He showed up 20 pounds heavy to Sacramento and never quite shed the extra baggage, but even so, he's put up decent numbers in his limited minutes. He'll audition for his next contract over the season's final two months; Minnesota would be able to keep him on the cheap if it likes what it sees."

OUCH - Shelden is out of shape? Shel, you're not supposed to put on the pregnancy sympathy weight if you're a pro athelete!

JDev
02-19-2009, 01:57 PM
But Jefferson is out for the year.

Here's some comment from ESPN's John Hollinger that I didn't expect:

"Minnesota: The Wolves went sorting through Sacramento's scrap heap looking for a halfway decent big man to supplement their rotation, and if Williams can get in shape he could be an answer. He showed up 20 pounds heavy to Sacramento and never quite shed the extra baggage, but even so, he's put up decent numbers in his limited minutes. He'll audition for his next contract over the season's final two months; Minnesota would be able to keep him on the cheap if it likes what it sees."

OUCH - Shelden is out of shape? Shel, you're not supposed to put on the pregnancy sympathy weight if you're a pro athelete!

I had no idea Shelden was having some weight issues. Maybe the frustrating nature of his career thus far has made it difficult to gather the necessary motivation to train at an elite level. He was always an exceptionally hard worker at Duke, and he will get it straight. He can definitely be a productive NBA player.

CDu
02-19-2009, 02:03 PM
Question: what was Jefferson's injury a few weeks back? Was it an ankle?

It was an ACL. He had surgery, but is out 6-8 months.

That changes the equation a bit. Jefferson got the lion's share of post minutes, but now those are up for grabs. Perhaps Williams can get some run down the stretch of this season.

SilkyJ
02-19-2009, 02:26 PM
OUCH - Shelden is out of shape? Shel, you're not supposed to put on the pregnancy sympathy weight if you're a pro athelete!

Yea, I commented on this a while back when he went from ATL to Sactown. I think Atlanta had made him beef up b/c they wanted him to play the 5. They had marvin williams and josh smith to play the 4, and were light at center at least in terms of talent. I was hoping he'd lose about 10-15 of those lbs. cause they were clearly slowing him down, but looks like he hasn't lightened up...

geraldsneighbor
02-19-2009, 02:45 PM
Odd move for each club. Hopefully, Candace is okay going to Minny with the Landlord for a little.

SilkyJ
02-19-2009, 03:10 PM
Jefferson got the lion's share of post minutes, but now those are up for grabs. Perhaps Williams can get some run down the stretch of this season.

We shall see. Besides Jefferson, realy only Kevin Love had entrenched himself in the post rotation, and he is playing pretty well averaging almost 10 and 9 per game. No one else is really any good there though besides craig smith, and he's pretty undersized for the PF position.

In sactown, despite them having an abysmal record, we was actually stuck behind a couple solid talents in brad miller and spencer hawes.

BTW, does anyone realize that Sebastian Telfair is STILL playing in the NBA. Ridiculous...

CDu
02-19-2009, 03:20 PM
We shall see. Besides Jefferson, realy only Kevin Love had entrenched himself in the post rotation, and he is playing pretty well averaging almost 10 and 9 per game. No one else is really any good there though besides craig smith, and he's pretty undersized for the PF position.

In sactown, despite them having an abysmal record, we was actually stuck behind a couple solid talents in brad miller and spencer hawes.

BTW, does anyone realize that Sebastian Telfair is STILL playing in the NBA. Ridiculous...

You're overlooking Ryan Gomes, who has started 47 of their 53 games at PF and is their third-leading scorer. They'll likely move Love into the starting C spot and keep Gomes at the starting PF spot, leaving the backup minutes to Williams and Smith.

I agree though that, with an injured Jefferson, the picture is much less bleak in Minnesota (for the rest of this year at least). In Sacramento, he'd have to compete with Gooden, Hawes, Thompson, and Diogu (the Bulls just traded Miller/Salmons for Gooden/Nocioni/Diogu/Simmons, with Ruffin going to Portland for Diogu).

SlimSlowSlider
02-19-2009, 04:20 PM
BTW, does anyone realize that Sebastian Telfair is STILL playing in the NBA. Ridiculous...

I think I read in today's paper that Telfair dropped 30 last night. Maybe not too ridiculous. Kid's gotta be real young, too.

Back to Shel, I hope this works out for him. A fresh start may be what he needs (a la Duhon). Also, having Kevin McHale tutor you cannot be the worst thing in the world for a big man.

SupaDave
02-19-2009, 04:50 PM
Crazy b/c I just watched him play AGAINST the Hawks last night! Man, the NBA is starting to seem more and more like MY job...

Oriole Way
02-19-2009, 04:57 PM
Shelden is in a better situation in Minnesota. Even though it's still not an ideal team for him, he can at least get additional minutes and control his own fate in regards to his future a little more.

Jason Thompson jumped over him as the Kings' PF of the future. In Sacramento, Shelden would have to deal with Hawes, Thompson, Gooden, and Green for minutes. He really only has to compete with Craig Smith off the bench for minutes in Minnesota. Smith has been solid, if unspectacular, in limited minutes, so Shelden has his work cut out for him, but it could be much worse.

Billy Dat
02-19-2009, 06:00 PM
The weight issue is very dissapointing. Being in peak physical condition, if you are a marginal NBA player, is required for you to have any chance at breaking through. This at least shows me that Shelden has some serious upside. Dropping 20 lbs would make a huge difference in every aspect of his game. Let's hope Shel eyes up Smith, thinks back to their ACC battles, and gets the fire back.

chrisheery
02-19-2009, 06:35 PM
You're overlooking Ryan Gomes, who has started 47 of their 53 games at PF and is their third-leading scorer. They'll likely move Love into the starting C spot and keep Gomes at the starting PF spot, leaving the backup minutes to Williams and Smith.

I agree though that, with an injured Jefferson, the picture is much less bleak in Minnesota (for the rest of this year at least). In Sacramento, he'd have to compete with Gooden, Hawes, Thompson, and Diogu (the Bulls just traded Miller/Salmons for Gooden/Nocioni/Diogu/Simmons, with Ruffin going to Portland for Diogu).

Seems like Gomes is more suited to a 3 spot, maybe a tweener. His versatility should let Sheldon get minutes backing him up and playing with him with the starting SF (Mike Miller when he's not hurt) comes out. Plus, he can also back up Love.

For what its worth, it is kinda funny they would trade for Sheldon when they have his (shorter) doppleganger in Craig Smith. They were pretty even when they played against each other in college.

CameronBornAndBred
03-12-2009, 09:51 AM
Shelden got 18 minutes off the bench last night. The game before he was a DNP (coaches decision). He got only 4 points, but 11 rebounds.