The Sacramento Kings Fansided website thinks rookie Willie Cauley-Stein should start this season at the power forward position next to DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay.
The problem is, George Karl is the Kings coach.
Anyway, here is the case for Willie starting:
Really, the Kings’ power forward spot is almost perfect for Cauley-Stein this year. He can come in and develop his offensive game with little pressure to produce in that area, and he can wreak havoc defensively, an ability that has been sorely missed in past Kings teams.
The real question is whether or not George Karl sees it the same way. Karl has a reputation for not starting rookies, and he’s suggested that Rudy Gay may see minutes at power forward. Vlade Divac also picked up veteran big man Kosta Koufos in free agency this offseason, and Karl may lean towards the established Koufos over the unproven Cauley-Stein.
Doing so would be a mistake. Starting Gay at power forward would throw the starting lineup into flux. Omri Cassipi or Ben McLemore could play small forward, but neither option would be optimal for the Kings. Cassipi, while a very good bench option, is not a starting-caliber player, and McLemore is small for the position. Putting Kosta Koufos in at power forward would be an offensive catastrophe, especially down low, where Cousins and Koufos would only interfere with one another.
Starting Willie Cauley-Stein at power forward is the right thing to do for the Kings. He’s offensively raw, but with players like Cousins and Gay in the lineup, it’s not a bad thing to have a player that can take a backseat offensively. Defensively, Cauley-Stein can step in on Day 1 and contribute, both as a shot-blocker and a man defender. It’s George Karl’s call, but Cauley-Stein is the right decision.
Read “Should Willie Cauley-Stein be the Kings’ Starting Power Forward?” by clicking here.
Whether Willie starts or not, it is a matter of time that his defense will get him a lot of pt throughout the season.
