{"id":826173,"date":"2014-04-13T05:00:33","date_gmt":"2014-04-13T12:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cowbellkingdom.com\/?p=28663"},"modified":"2014-04-13T05:00:33","modified_gmt":"2014-04-13T12:00:33","slug":"sunday-musings-can-the-sacramento-kings-afford-to-let-isaiah-thomas-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/news\/sunday-musings-can-the-sacramento-kings-afford-to-let-isaiah-thomas-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Musings: Can the Sacramento Kings afford to let Isaiah Thomas go?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n Rookie second-round draft pick Ray McCallum has been a revelation for the Sacramento Kings. \u00a0If you listen to longtime television color commentator Jerry Reynolds<\/a><\/strong>, he will tell you that McCallum should have been a lottery pick in the less-than-stellar 2013 NBA Draft. \u00a0Given the opportunity, the 23-year-old guard has been that good.<\/p>\n McCallum is the soup du jour. \u00a0He is the belle of the ball that has made the last 10 games palatable for fans and media alike. \u00a0So much that we brought his father on the Cowbell Kingdom podcast<\/a> earlier this week.<\/p>\n \u201cI really keep it simple,\u201d Ray McCallum Sr. said of the advice he gives his son. \u00a0\u201cPlaying hard, being a hustle guy, being a worker, making good decisions and doing things that give your team a chance to win. \u00a0It\u2019s all about winning (and) making winning plays. \u00a0And I think that\u2019s what he\u2019s trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n In all honesty, McCallum has shown potential, but he is no Isaiah Thomas. \u00a0Not yet at least, and that fact has been lost on plenty of folks.<\/p>\n Can McCallum develop further? \u00a0Absolutely. \u00a0Does he have a higher ceiling than the 5-foot-9-inch former Husky star? \u00a0I\u2019m not sure. \u00a0But the real question that people should be asking isn\u2019t an either-or; it is how do the Kings keep them both and build from here.<\/p>\n For now, Thomas is the better player and should enter the 2014-15 season as the starter. \u00a0He may be a placeholder for McCallum and then again, he may continue to improve and become the All-Star-caliber player that his numbers indicate that he is.<\/p>\n McCallum can continue to develop, while playing both guard positions. \u00a0For now, McCallum has answered a major question for the Kings next season. \u00a0He is the backup point guard with potential to be much more.<\/p>\n In two seasons, he may be ready to steal away the starting job and enjoy a huge payday of his own. But keep in mind that his value will be tempered by the fact that he will never have a breakout statistical season with Thomas in tow.<\/p>\n If the moment happens where McCallum forces his way into the starting position, then the Kings will relegate Thomas to a super-sixth man, the position that many believe he is better suited to play.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a win-win situation that should probably be answered two or three years down the road and not this early in the process.<\/p>\n Keeping McCallum is easy for the Kings. \u00a0Pete D\u2019Alessandro made a spectacular decision when he tied up the former Detroit Mercy star with a three-year deal. \u00a0Geoff Petrie<\/a><\/strong> made the same decision with Thomas in 2011, and the return on investment has been astronomical.<\/p>\n McCallum will make less than $2 million over the next two seasons combined. \u00a0When his contract ends, he will enter the summer of 2016 as a restricted free agent. \u00a0Kings fans can be rest assured that McCallum will not only be a King for the next two seasons, but he will make NBA pennies in doing so.<\/p>\n Thomas, on the other hand, is going to cost some major cash to retain – money the new management group may not be able to come up with and money D\u2019Alessandro and his group may not be willing to hand over.<\/p>\n But it is a mistake. \u00a0The decision shouldn\u2019t be one or the other; it should be both. \u00a0Thomas and McCallum should be the long-term future of the Kings at the point guard position, and McCallum\u2019s salary even helps make that possible.<\/p>\n