https://youtu.be/FA-S6Bs4zuA
Was anyone else slightly aghast when Cory Joseph signed a three-year, 36-million-dollar contract with the Kings at the start of last season? I was for sure. I might have even surpassed being “slightly aghast” to be “moderately aghast”. Obviously, I’m happy that Cory Joseph got the bag, because the bag is something that every NBA player should get at some point in their career, and I’m not trying to put Joseph down in any way, shape, or form, but, come on. In the grand scheme of Sacramento Kings screwups, it’s not even in the top 25, but it’s still a notable screwup.
Cory Joseph is a fine backup point guard. You can even start him if you want (case in point: he started this game [at shooting guard, apparently]). He’s been steady and reliable for a long time. Every team would love to have a player like him as their backup. He compares favorably to Andre Miller as long as you don’t think too hard about the comparison.
But, here’s the thing: when you’re a team like the Kings, your primary off-season focus is getting core pieces that can help you make the playoffs. You don’t go out on day one of free agency and throw piles of money at a backup point guard, thereby hampering your cap flexibility. That’s called doing things in the wrong order. If you do all the important signings and trades first, and then realize that you need a backup point guard, you can just go grab one from somewhere. For example, for the past decade straight, D.J. Augustin has been available to literally any team that is willing to trade a second-round pick for him. At any point, you could (and still can) pick up the phone to talk to the GM of the team that has Augustin, say, “we want Augustin for a second round pick”, and he’s yours. Boom. Problem solved. No need to give mid-tier starter money to a guy like Cory Joseph, who, in the end, is just a guy.
In conclusion, haha, Vlade is a bad GM, haha, Kings are stuck in purgatory forever, haha, also the Kings ruin every free agent they touch but somehow Cory Joseph is still decent at basketball, haha, LOL.