I’ve been trying to avoid this all day as I have other more pressing things to do (study for 2 tests in calculus and chemistry mainly). Yet, here I am writing this anyway. Some things are just what they are, and one of the unfortunate doomed fates I seem to hold as a human being is a Kings fan.
What pisses me off more than anything is that this team can’t get consistent production from either Evans or Cousins. Cousins may be a great rebounder numbers wise, but the Kings are the worst rebounding team by DRB%. Exactly how much effect can one board man have? Well, it’d be one thing if the Kings were a middle of the pack Defensive Rebounding team with Cousins grabbing so many boards. But being in the very bottom? What does that say with so many plus rebounders on the roster? It’s not like DRB% is based on total numbers of caroms you get; it’s simply the percentage of caroms you take off the rim that are available.
Evans is just as bad. Evans leads the Kings with total Assists at 86 (which more than double the next guy–Isaiah Thomas–at 41), yet, how many times do the Kings really have quality ball movement with Evans as the primary playmaker? How many NBA level plays are being run?
Defense? Oh my, I don’t even know where to go there. Evans jogs back in transition, and to hear him point fingers at Jimmer Fredette let alone else during today’s practice sessions was one of the funnier things I’ve heard in awhile.
Cousins? The only player worse in transition than Cousins is Tyreke Evans, and that’s no mean feat. There might not be a bigger unprofessional duo in the entire NBA if you consider that Andray Blatche,JaVale “Pierre” McGee and Nick Young are not really considered centerpieces.
Speaking of duo’s, when is the last time you saw Cousins and Evans run a play together as a tandem. Then, again, again, and again? Oh, you haven’t. Me either. Of course, I haven’t watched a Kings game since the train wreck hit Memphis. (Sorry O’Jays. No Love Train around here.) I didn’t have the opportunity to watch the Portland game after my class Monday night, and I refuse to watch the Denver Nuggets layup line in the “Artist formerly known as Arco Arena” last night because I have a night class twice a week. (Guess which days?)
Are the Kings that bad? Are they victims of injuries, bad scheduling, a turned over roster that is mostly young and trying to figure it’s own role out while trying to figure out how to play with each other? Sure, but not to the tune of 94 points in the paint it’s not.
In some corners of the Knick locker room, there was fear after a listless loss to the rebuilding Cavaliers on Wednesday night that D’Antoni could be gone soon if progress isn’t achieved, according to a person familiar with the players’ thinking. That would be a shame, because D’Antoni never asked to coach the ill-fitting roster he has, and his reservations about giving up so much for Carmelo Anthony are proving to be dead on.
“I hope you’re wrong,” one person connected to the team said, hoping D’Antoni can hang on.
“It’s not the coach,” said another person invested in the Knicks turning things around. “I wish it were that simple.”
It isn’t, of course. A mess of this magnitude rarely can be blamed on one person or factor. To anyone who thinks so, I ask this: If the best offensive coach in the game has a team that is struggling to break 70 points and 40 percent shooting on a regular basis, what does that tell you about the players he is coaching?
This is the New York Knicks. The team that amnesty’d Chauncey Billups to free up cash to sign Tyson Chandler (who is missing Dallas) rather than hoping to lure Chris Paul (who wanted to play in MSG) without the money to do so. In fairness, it’s not like the Knicks had the actual cap room (or assets) to get Paul to New York to begin with. So Tyson Chandler was a reasonable play. But, the Knicks are still a train wreck.
And one quote from the always noted builder of team chemistry Amare Stoudemire himself:
“It’s got to be a willing thing from everybody,” Amar’e Stoudemire told reporters in Cleveland after the Knicks lost to the Cavs 91-81. “We all have to be willing to space the court, willing to move the ball. It has to be something that we all have to buy into. It works, and it’s been proven that it works.”
What a shock. Buying into a system. Of course, and even Stoudemire isn’t stupid enough to push these kind of boundries anymore, that means you actually buy into a system and run actual NBA plays. It’s not like NBA plays are that different from NCAA plays or European plays in this regard. A pick and roll is a pick and roll assuming that the play that is actually being run is a pick and roll.
Donte Greene sounds like a player who may be understanding that the AAU style may not work anymore:
Of course, that’s typically window dressing when a player says what Greene did. Unless it produces actual changes on the court, it means little what you say in post game interviews.
I loved what Keith Smart said at the very end of this:
“You don’t have to coach effort or energy.” — Keith Smart
That’s a telling quote. It was tucked away at the very end of the clip there , and after Smart explaining coaching X&O’s, trying to balance time off with practice time that this team obviously needs, and how difficult it is to get a young inexperienced roster to fill holes for a guy like Chuck Hayes.
I get all that. I really do.
But none of that speaks to what really ails the Kings. Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins lack the commitment to push a team to improve. Do they back Keith Smart with how they play? One could say they do, but one could also say neither guy could back any coach with the consistency each illustrates on a night in night out basis.
The Kings are playing better under Smart. You can’t tell after games like Wednesday night. But there is more competitiveness, more cohesion. The Kings were missing their arguably second-best player, after all. But they are wildly inconsistent, as bad, young teams are. Smart making it clear that they are held to their actions is considerably huge. He can give them a pat on the butt and punish them through that debacle at the same time. Smart’s not absolved here. And Smart took responsibility for it.
No Mr Moore, Smart is very much not to blame. But Keith Smart can’t salvage the wreckage that is Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins without acting like he is part of the problem. If Smart can gain Evans/Cousins trust, perhaps their effort and commitment would rise as part of trust. It is sometimes an issue with young players after all. (That would be the biggest reason to fire Paul Westphal in case you’re wondering.)
Again, the lack of commitment from both Evans and Cousins is astounding. The biggest issue to me is that both tend to point fingers (I love what Evans said about Jimmer’s defense last night after today’s practice; those who live in ivory towers should shut the fuck up son) and blame others for their weaknesses.
One of the issue’s I’ve had with Cousins claiming that Westphal tended to blame him more is because Cousins would often force Westphal’s hand throughout his short time. When you are a loudmouth and aggressive (which Cousins is), you are going to get into fights with people. You then can’t claim that you are being treated differently as such when other people aren’t as aggressive or loud with management and/or the coaching staff.
Again, this is the problem with firing Paul Westphal the way the Kings did: It shows how little importance the Maloofs have as owners, and, more importantly for a lot of people, how rapidly useless Geoff Petrie is becoming. The Kings are the NBA’s version of a Keystone Cops situation.
Can it improve? Who knows. Denver is the kind of team that gives the Kings problems (talented/athletic/professional) and the kind of team that struggled with that attitude of a particular Anthony before trading him. Denver feels better without Carmelo Anthony which not only says a lot about the Nuggets and their talent level, but also how much talent Anthony consistently left on the table during Carmelo Anthony’s stint as a Denver Nugget.
Guess what? The Kings are headed down that path with 2 young players who, in their minds, are elite, and are not anywhere near close that. Elite teams don’t allow 90+ points in the paint. Elite teams are not at the bottom of Defensive Rebounding %. Tyreke Evans is decent among G’s (5th), but should be near where Kyle Lowry is at (near 7 boards) and not well below 5 boards a game. It’s a pure and complete lack of commitment on Tyreke Evans’ part to not grab more boards. Elite teams don’t rank at the bottom of many statistical categories. Elite teams don’t have players that allow teams to be at the bottom of many, if any, categories. (Big Man FT’s are an interesting exception.)
Right now, Cousins is actually fouling at a higher rate than he was a year ago. Cousins is leading the league in Total Offensive Rebounds which would be impressive if Cousins didn’t shoot the ball at a such a horrendous clip. The fact that Cousins FG% is now 44.8% and improving says a lot if nothing else.
******
Blame the Maloofs for being cheap or Ed Hardy wearing clowns. (I personally dislike their Southern Californian thing of “let’s be here when it’s cool and when it’s hard slink away and act like we had important shit to do elsewhere” act.) Blame Geoff Petrie for being an impersonal turtleneck wearing rich kid asshole. You can fire the Maloofs and Petrie all you wish, and I’d be fine with that on both counts. I’m beginning to believe this team can only move forward is with real fresh blood. (That is something Keith Smart represents no matter how dilapidated or disorganized it may seem.) How good Geoff Petrie really is is a question that is starting to circulate. A year ago I would have given Geoff Petrie a lot of gap given how instrumental Petrie was into making moves.
Now? Take your straw and flip a coin for what the real problem is.
I’m not Chicken Little. I’m not upset over one game or one play or one thing. This is a trend that has been happening for several years with this team. If Paul Westphal was the issue over the summer, and he was supposedly behind the John Salmons trade (yeah right–that’s protect Petrie’s legacy spin if I ever saw it), then fire Paul Westphal. I would be lying if I would have understood it because I don’t feel it’s ever fair to bring in a head coach to be a “caretaker”. (I’m convinced the Clippers could win the equivalent of 50 games with Westphal this season if he were their head coach.) If you took a normal 50 win season out of 82 games, that would mean you win 40 games in this lockout season. As is, the Clippers are 9-6 for a cool 60% Winning Percentage right now. With players like Paul and Griffin, Westphal might be the right kind of coach for that team. (Right or wrong. I’m not saying it will or won’t happen. I’m just saying that Westphal is not necessarily the god-awful head coach he is made out to be.)
John Salmons is not killing this team anymore than anyone else is. Jimmer Fredette’s problems are real, but they are not franchise killing. (Or Franchise savioring for that matter. Jimmer is what he is: A talented shooter/scorer with real potential to run a NBA team at some point in the future. That’s not superstar stuff IMO.) JJ Hickson has issue’s on defense especially, but this isn’t news. Jason Thompson has shown professionalism and pride at every juncture this season as far as I can tell. Isaiah Thomas is a rookie and that counts for only so much in this league. Chuck Hayes is missed. Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans were never going to be a perfect match. Tyler Honeycutt is the project on this roster that intrigues me. I like Francisco Garcia as a person (and when he plays well as a player; but only then), but from a franchise standpoint I’m glad Garcia’s contract is expiring after next season.
Keith Smart is a terrific coach in my opinion. Or, I think he has every ability to coach a real basketball team that acted in a professional manner. Or, more accurately than that, had 2 real cornerstones he could rely on for quality production on a night in night out basis.
I think the problem with this team is that they need a veteran like Paul Pierce (I like Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, but I think Allen/Jimmer are redundant and Garnett/Hayes are a bit redundant too regardless of talent differences for each–and I’m not claiming that 1st ballot Hall of Famers aren’t better) who can tell Evans and Cousins the ways of the world. Smack both Cousins/Evans over the head when each fucks up (Pierce’s hand is bound to get especially sore).
The truth is that the ugly dynamic of the Kings is that they have a 1st banana talent/2nd banana attitude in Tyreke Evans and a 2nd banana talent/1st banana attitude in DeMarcus Cousins. The trick, for Keith Smart, and Evans/Cousins, is to figure out how to utilize all these talents in the most effective of manners.
OF COURSE YOU HAVE TO ACT LIKE A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER FIRST. ALSO, WORK WITH YOUR HEAD COACH WHO IS ASKING YOU TO DO REAL THINGS THAN ACT LIKE A PETULANT ASSHOLE EVERY OTHER MINUTE YOU ARE ON THE COURT. BUT WHAT ARE DETAILS? KEITH SMART IS JUST ANOTHER GUY WHO IS ASKING YOU TO BE A GROWN-UP PROFESSIONAL (BECAUSE AFTER ALL ISN’T THAT WHAT THE NBA IS ABOUT?) AND THAT’S JUST TOO HARD FOR BOTH OF YOU ISN’T IT.
Caps annoyances over, that’s the deal. You can have shitty ownership and stupid management and have a quality team if your 2 best young players are accountable and want to get better. But do Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins want to get better? You can make a legitimate case Evans is only interested in his numbers. I would agree with at that this point until I see a better batch of evidence that tells me otherwise.
Cousins? I might be willing to believe (also having said this awhile ago) that if Cousins starts approaching playing the game as a profesional than a petulant dickhead kid with a condom head to match. Cousins has the type of personality that I think the losing is bothering him (it bothers Evans but not enough) so something may snap inside of him. When that happens, actual growth of the “I’m not an asshole teenager kid but an adult now” type happens and Cousins drags the Kings with him. In turn, it may entice Evans to grow up as well and start tapping his talents (which are considerably more).
I personally enjoy Keith Smart’s pressers a heck of a lot more (it doesn’t accompany unprofessional clownball that Evans/Cousins so much enjoy) than the games at the moment because I learn something about the man. Keith Smart really does understand the problem. So did Paul Westphal. So would Vinny Del Negro, and how many people do you know would want VDN to be the head coach of their team?
The good news is that Keith Smart is a competant professional basketball man who does things in a seemingly understandable and transparent fashion. Telling Cousins and Evans (it was not a shot at Fredette, Salmons or Thompson–all 3 act in a professional manner) that they have to live with their bad decisions and be on the court during blowouts says a lot. Smart says things about players without naming names which is, umm, pardon the pun, intelligent.
This team is in dire straits because of cash poor frontrunning bandwagon douche ownership, a Pres of Basketball Ops who is more interested in preserving his cult status of greatness (that ship has sailed with these series of episodes), 2 asshole petulant brats who masquerade as NBA stars, and a head coach desperately looking to carve a niche for himself where the book on him has been written due to a long relationship with Don Nelson. (Not a good thing unfortunately for Keith Smart.)
The truth is that I think the culture is capable of changing if Evans/Cousins wanted it changed. Oklahoma City’s culture is considered good, but it wasn’t always considered a winning strong culture. (Funny how winning and strong cultures go hand in hand doesn’t it?) Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were there for a bad losing season together (their first) that started poorly off under a head coach who had nowhere the amount of league success than Paul Westphal had in Seattle let alone in Phoenix.
Yet, now, Scott Brooks is considered a quality coach (for those who aren’t sniping and salivating at the idea of getting that job) and the culture of that franchise changed.
New Orleans had a strong culture that didn’t revolve around the ownership and/or front office (although Jeff Bowers was certainly a competent GM), but mostly around Chris Paul. Byron Scott is a terrific head coach in a lot of ways, but Scott couldn’t make that Hornets team work without Paul. Who could? Chris Paul instituted a system of accountability that included himself.
These things aren’t accidents. When players demand accountability that includes checks on their own behaviors, things improve.
Has your approach changed with Smart as your coach?
“It has. Everything has been positive right now. Coach isn’t scared to speak his mind. He’s going to tell the truth. He’s going to tell you how it should be and how it’s not going to be. He sets his guidelines and we all go by them. That’s something that we needed from the beginning. Coach is going to be real. If you mess up he’s going to tell you, ‘You messed up.’ That’s all we needed from the beginning.”
So you didn’t have that structure under Westphal?
“We didn’t, honestly. And it showed.”
Oh, you mean Westphal didn’t tell you to take crappy shots at inopportune times and then compound that with stupid turnovers and/or stupid fouls that take you off the court for at least 10-20 minutes of in game time for consistent periods? Stupid Paul Westphal.
If there is anything I’ve agreed with Tom Ziller on any one point, it was that part of Westphal’s odd statement (I never did like it–on the other hand Westphal looked like a guy after the New Orleans game who knew he was on his way out and it was only a matter of time) did seem to get a lot of people to not notice what Tyreke Evans said after the New York game.
I’m not criticizing to criticize here. I realize that the situation has been brutal in any adjusted or readl context and that an easier schedule could help ease some of the real problems the Kings have. (I liked this post at Sactown Royalty by Savage Beast, one of the long time readers over there. It makes a lot of sense if you are of the patient sort.)
But, Evans and Cousins have made this stretch beyond pointless to contemplate. There is a reason I didn’t talk about the Cousins’ lockeroom incident. The 2 heaviest hit Kings websites (Sactown Royalty and SacBee Kings Blog), and Jason Jones had a blogpost on the Sacbee Blog regarding all of this. Really, who cares? That’s not the problem then, or now with this team. That’s an incident with an emotional young firebrand who understandably didn’t want some asshole with a camera fishing for a story while he was dressing. I’d tell the guy to get the fuck away too. I simply didn’t add my 2 cents of: This is a stupid ass story because why?
But, Jones summed up it well:
I know Cousins has been sick for a few days and really had no intention of interviewing him. I also have a rule (that not all members of the media agree with) that I allow a player to get dressed before I start interviewing him.
Jones nailed this: This was an issue of decency. Cousins was right, but the only reason Cousins was even egged on was due to his reputation. There is money in getting players like Cousins to blow their top, and it gets coverage. The guy who gets that coverage gets something for it. You think incidents like this with Cousins won’t be overblown? If the Kings start winning, Cousins had better get used to it. Because that’s what will happen to him after any loss.
Are we really going to talk about unimportant things for that long? No, we aren’t.
The issue, and the main issue, and will still be the main issue no matter how many words are typed in this idiots WordPress formatter, will be whether or not Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins will act like professional, responsible, accountable and effective NBA players.
Oh, and be that idiot that says “You didn’t watch the game so you don’t know what you are talking about.” No, really, be that idiot. I’m wanting to crap on someone for stupidity since I can’t take a dump on Evans/Cousins’ head instead. (That’s my preference, but my options are limited in this department understandably.) I kinda figure I owe them a return on the favor they both have so willingly gifted us Kings fans this season.
One last thing. Until Evans and Cousins both accept that as stars they will get more share of the success, and blame as an opposite result, they can’t complain if they don’t get more credit for wins and get little blame for losses. When you are the two best players on a team, you are responsible for the WINS AND LOSSES. Every time I hear those two, I hear two kids who want to believe that they aren’t doing anything wrong and it’s everyone else’s fault but theirs. Hopefully Matt Moore, Savage Beast, Keith Smart are all right. It’s not like I’m sitting around hoping I win this battle. I’m not. I’ve just seen this story play out, and it usually has an ugly ending for the team that drafts these kind of players. Excuse me if I feel that reality is slowly playing out no matter how quickly or slowly we accept such a reality unfolding before us.
Read the title, and, I can already see the thought going through your mind with “uh oh” to which I can reply,” Hakuna Matuta brotha!” (Or sista. But I’m not sure there were sista’s in Lion King…. At any rate…) The question about the parking in Sacramento is: How valuable is the parking now, how valuable is the parking likely to be in the future as the current setup (without an arena), and how valuable would those parking spaces be if a new arena was placed using different funding mechanisms?
The real question: Is how much money over the 50 year period (or whatever time frame Sacramento would be leasing these parking spots for) would the city of Sacramento be giving up by taking an up front payment instead of waiting out the long term and collecting these payments for themselves.
Here’s the best question that a lot of anti-arena people haven’t considered: How does payment of the debt on those parking spaces/garages cut into the annual profit of these parking spaces? If it does cut into the revenue, how many services would this diminish because the debt first and foremost would have to be serviced? Additionally, because this is how debt works, how much interest would you accrue doing it this way?
In otherwords, does the long term debt and interest pay off the real difference in having these parking spaces 50 years? What if the revenue (Weiner says it’s 24 million annually) diminishes over time due to decreasing population 1), due to lack of employment because most private employers find Sacramento an uninviting business environment full of bedroom community ninny’s 2), or simply due to nature of the beast3)?
Those are the 2 important questions that anti-arena people simply cannot answer because it leads them down the uncertain path of “Why are you against a new arena in the 1st place?”
Well, that brings me to the 2nd part part of this equation.
There is alot of sentiment against selling parking because, rightfully so, the anticipation that parking will become more valuable with a new arena bothers a lot of people. You can’t have it both ways, but, as per usual, most expect you can have it coming and going. Guess what? You can’t. To get something you have to give up something. Resources at the City of Sacramento’s disposal are not abundant, the ability to replace an arena at the Railyards is not exactly teeming with numerous amounts of real possibilities that will generate the type of numbers needed to justify an expensive project that those railyards will be no matter who benefits.
Do you really care if some asshole billionaire gets rich as opposed to another asshole billionaire? Because that’s what we were are talking about here. The little guy isn’t getting ahead no matter what is proposed. Yet, if you listen to anti-arena proponents, that’s what we were are talking about “supposedly”.
Most vocal opponents of the arena are A) community activists who are concerned (understood) B) people who want to use the Railyards for the won’t cost you as much as that ghastly arena did. (This is always horseshit: It’s code for,”We won’t ask you for money unless it’s on the back end and our business is in ‘peril’.”)
Last but not least, there is always the tried and true favorite of anti-arena’ists by mentioning how other metropolises got screwed. Here’s a reality: What Chicago did was stupid. Sacramento is not in Chicago’s position so how exactly is the situation in Sacramento a carbon copy of what happened in the Windy City? (Answer: It’s not.)
How does building a facility in Chester PA (near Philly) and Harrison NJ (near New York City) compare to a city that is the largest in the region? Or, more accurately, how does it compare to said city chafing that it’s seen as the centerpiece when a heavy number of the older residents wish to bury their head in the sand and flip the bird to everyone who wants to see an actual modernish cityish type of environment in Sacramento?
Here’s a reality check anti-arena folks: Build a project in those railyards because it is one of the largest urban in-fill and replace the higher possibility (not a guarantee–but what is?) of significantly larger crowds for Kings games AND events.
Here’s the other truth that a lot of people have conveniently ignored: The Maloofs have repeatedly said recently they don’t wish to operate an arena.
Back to Weiner and the damning part of all this:
What Sacramento officials are trying to do is satisfy the Maloofs and NBA Commissioner David Stern’s demands which are give us an arena where we get the federal limit of 92 percent of every dollar generated within the building, how you pay off the arena is your problem not ours. The 92 percent is not limited to 41 regular season games annually, along with a couple of pre-season games and the possibility of up to 16 playoff games or maybe 60 dates. The Maloofs would get a substantial percentage of the revenue generated by every other event in the building including concerts, ice shows, minor league hockey and the circus.
There is a lot wrong here. There is no way the city of Sacramento will 92% of the building first off. Second, the Maloofs have said quite a bit recently they are NO LONGER interested in being an operate of an arena. (Probably because they can’t afford it.) Which means who can? AEG, who if part of the financing mechanism, will pay part of the up front construction cost in return for the right to operate and profit wildly off a new arena. (Kind of a pay to play scheme yes?) Third, the percentage the Maloofs get as part of a new arena is not based on what has happened in the past. I can guarantee that the Maloofs will almost certainly get signage rights (which is how they would pay their portion of a new arena) and little else 100% from a new arena.
In otherwords, if you put the cart before the horse, you get articles what Evan Weiner just wrote. It’s too bad too: If you like rhetoric this is the piece for you. If you live in reality land where complicated things are complicated, where progress is not as simple as selling/not selling parking spaces or building arena’s, then perhaps it’s not the time for silly rhetoric.
This is a decision about what kind of place Sacramento wants to be. An arena, which is mostly about land value (tha’ts important yes?), is only a small part of that in actuality. Given the lack of valuable land around Sacramento, that means vultures who are waiting for the right time to sell off property when land becomes valuable. (It may be a matter of time, but is it?) Which is probably where much of the vocal opposition is actually coming from. (These vultures stand to lose quite a bit if land around them is forced to sell at less than what a developed right now property costs.)
This entire argument is about which group profits. It’s not about whether Sacramento profits. Personally, I’d like Sacramento to get the profit end of the deal AND keep something that does engender some amount of civic pride. I don’t think it’s reasonable to tear down community theatres (even though I have no interest in them) or not pay for those types of art because they cost money. I think investing in your community includes an investment in arts, an investment in civic pride, an investment in land, an investment in the future, and an investment in pride that says this is about us. These things cost money, but do they truly become a heavy cost compared to the benefit? (This is a rhetorical question: Every person will answer that differently.)
No matter what any anti-arena opponent says, this is a complicated decision. Anti-arena’ists would do themselves, and those of us who do support a new arena, a lot of good by simply acknowledging that the Maloofs, and the NBA, are really at best supplementary parts to this discussion. But, that cuts out the angry rhetoric so what good is that?
Instead of spending the 4 or so hours writing a massive hit piece (which is what I just spent 4 hours doing) on why I hate Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins so thoroughly and completely. I need a weeks break from those 2 shitheads. Both have destroyed my love for the Kings for the time being, and hopefully a week of school/watching real NBA teams compete and perform will recharge my batteries and accept those two. (Yes, I just used the “recharging my batteries” in describing my feelings towards watching my favorite team since I was a teenager. I feel I need to be locked away in a room with a straitjacket for about 10 years after watching those 2 go out and “play” NBA basketball.) I’m assuming I’ll just go back to hating them both for eternity. Actually what I’m kind of hoping for is they both spontaneously combust and I’ll never have to look at them again. The odds of this happening? Slim and none. Such is life.
Which then means there will be a lot posts that would explore the scintillating whirling dirvish option of: Would it be better of if we shot 6 grenades at Tyreke every time he starts a possession after 16 seconds on the shot clock? Or would it be better if we shot him with 2 grenades to teach him an object lesson? Maybe Tyreke can pound the ball with only 1 functional leg. Now I’m fascinated. Maybe even morbidly excited?
Would it be wise to shoot 6 rockets at DeMarcus Cousins every time he catches a ball at the elbow (which he should either shoot, or pass without taking a single dribble) and then proceeds to take 6 dribbles into the lane and try and score over 4 defenders so he can make himself look good. Or would only 1 rocket work for said object lesson? If DeMarcus loses his arm from said rocket, does that mean he’s more likely to shoot one arm shots from the elbow or 4 defenders? NOW I’M FASCINATED. JUST RIVETED.
As you can see, these are the critical and important things that I feel Kings basketball is about these days. Because it’s not like there is a professional basketball being played these days from the two players who matter more than everyone else in the entire franchise combined.
I wish I could say I enjoyed this game (I didn’t), but a victory is a victory nonetheless. I’m so sick and tired of this team 16 games into a shortened season where the deck was so one-sided in terms of being stacked against this group that it almost feels pointless to complain.
But I’m going to go right ahead and do it anyway.
This team is a terrible group of players collectively. As individuals, if they were in AAU, they’d be spectacular and dominant. The only problem with AAU ball is that it’s not real basketball by most NBA teams estimation. It’s just simply glorified streetball with slightly more organization. Do the Kings know that? Not really. They are too young. That isn’t an excuse though. That’s not all of the explanation.
Part of it is the Kings, starting with the pounding dribble maestro Tyreke Evans, dribbles and then makes the most obvious of moves towards the basket. Whether it’s one of the patented ridiculously retarded spin moves by Tyreke (I really hate that), or the pump fake and drive into the lane by DeMarcus Cousins. This team simply displays it’s ignorance in the most arrogant of ways. Sometimes, it’s simply youth. But really, they can get away with it against some teams like the Spurs who are not chock full of athletes and if the Spurs have a night off like they experienced.
Let’s be honest here. San Antonio was terrible tonight. Absolutely resoundly terrible. San Antonio should have lost by at least 15 points. They were that bad tonight. Hey, those nights happen and Sacramento certainly had a small part of that. The physical nightmare in matchup’s will always pose a team like the San Antonio Spurs problems given that the Spurs focus so heavily on skills, attitude and precision.
This team is literally impossible for me to enjoy given the lackadaiscal attitude, the poor ball movement, and the amount of youthful petulance exhibited all over the place (and it’s not just Cousins). This team needs to act in a professional manner, and, frankly, starting with Evans and Cousins,
those two simply doesn’t seem interested in playing the part.
I was going to write what I liked about this game (there are things), but fuck this team. This team can go fuck themselves until they learn how to make an extra pass, give extra effort on every possession, and play as if there is a gameplan (there certainly is but it’s not like they care).
Is it going to be pretty every night? Hell no. I’m not expecting that. Is it going to be perfect and run with absolute precision? Absolutely not. There comes a point where you either A) enjoy watching the team you’ve chosen to follow or B) you don’t enjoy that team. And I’m well beyond the point where I hate this team. That came probably from the time Westphal got fired (and nothing has happened since that tells me that Westphal should have been fired because Evans and Cousins were under performing; Neither Evans or Cousins need Westphal’s help for that), and truthfully it has absolutely nothing to do with Westphal. I absolutely 100% mean that I feel sorry for Keith Smart that he inherited two entitled spoiled brats who don’t understand what it means to run a NBA play. Or who don’t seem interested in running plays on a consistent basis.
The Kings need Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins to act like mature adults. Neither are ready, and tonight’s victory against the Spurs provides the stark reality of how immature both Evans and Cousins really are. A stark reality where Evans nearly picked up a Triple-Double (you know if he actually passed beyond the 1st half), Cousins picked up another double-double with 13 rebounds that reminds of why he went 5th in the 2010 draft in the 1st place. Neither guy won the game for the Kings, neither guy really did much to seal the victory (Cousins rebounding excepted), and both Evans and Cousins were not the real reason the Kings won. It says a lot about the Kings, and the 2 “franchise” players, that when they win it’s more about what the other team does not do than what the Kings are doing.
I’m at the point where I’d rather see this team lose by 40 so I could tune them out than have to pay attention to a close game and watch glorified AAU basketball. Until Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins learn that going 1 on 1 does not really work at the NBA level on a consistent basis (especially with the way Evans/Cousins insists on doing so), this crap will continue.
Well, another day, another dollar (for some) and another opportunity to export some of the worst looking statistically ugly the basketball world has ever seen. Tough choices you see.
Sacramento has an ORtg of 96.7 (28th of 30) and a DRtg of 108.0 (27th of 30). The Pace for the Kings is 93.4 (7th of 30) possessions per game.
San Antonio has an ORtg of 107.7 (4th of 30) and a DRtg of 103.9 (19th of 30). The Pace for the Spurs is 91.2 (18th of 30) possessions per game.
What do I expect? I’m just hoping everybody gets back in transition. This team has killed any and all expectations I have had simply due to their glorious and willful ineptitude (here’s looking at you Tyreke!). The Spurs are 10-5 while the kings are 5-10. Am I expecting much? No, I never really was honestly. The Kings have always struggled in San Antonio and tonight wouldn’t be a surprise that there is more of the same.
Required Reading
Apparently parking is drawing interest for a new arena. Via Tony Bizjak of the Bee.
I find this quote from Keith Smart in Jason Jones’ piece about team philosophy a bit interesting (to say the least):
“If I can count on them to come in the games like that and make plays the way they did tonight, they’ll stay right there (in the rotation),” Smart said. “Your bench really wins it for you in the NBA. Your stars close games out, but your bench keeps the game manageable until your stars can get in there and close a game out.”
“(DeMarcus) Cousins, if he wasn’t playing well, he had (Samuel) Dalembert,” Smart said. “Tyreke if he wasn’t playing well, he had (Beno) Udrih. We don’t have a lot of that now, these guys are the forefront. They now have to bring something to the table every night, that’s what I’m trying to build.”
This line is equally as important given the previous line:
Until the Kings know they can count on certain players to be consistent, Smart will continue to mix up his lineups as he sees fit and rely on his entire roster to try to win games.
Ailene Voisin wrote the inevitable Geoff Petrie hit piece on Wedneosday.
Last but not least, there are 2 terrific pieces on Cowbell Kingdom. The first is by James Ham and whether the Kings should or shouldn’t re-sign Jason Thompson. The second is regarding Keith Smart’s philosophy as a head coach by Jon Santiago.
48 Minutes of Hell is one of the finest blogs in the blogosphere (and obviously for the Spurs) and these 2 pieces are no detriment to that reputation. The first is discussing the impact of Kawhi Leonard by Jesse Blanchard. The second is Tony Parker’s paint points by Aaron McGuire.
Mike Monroe of the Express News discusses Danny Green and the perils of learning the NBA.
Last but not least, Project Spurs does a preview of the Kings-Spurs matchup tonight. If you should choose to, here is a funny moment from the Orlando-San Antonio game with Quentin Richardson. (Watch the video in the link.)
Stathead Final Thoughts
Here is a list of every player who has averaged Five or more Free Throws per game in the Sacramento era. There are 39 players who have done so. Some of the typical names you would expect are on there: Kevin Martin and Mitch Richmond are probably the first 2 that would jump to mind if I were guessing. Chris Webber did a few times as well.
The last time 2 teammates did it in the same were Kevin Martin and Ron Artest (I’m not calling him MWP–and not because of something like a Cassius Clay-Muhammad Ali thing either) during the full 2 seasons each played with other.
Before those 2 chuckleheads (I say that in a nice way), the last 2 Kings teammates to get to the line for at least 5 attemps were Mike Bibby and Brad Miller in the 2004-05 season. Chew on that for a minute.
Real Final Thoughts
The game starts at 5:30 PST, and either a competent game of NBA basketball will be played from the Kings end, or it won’t. (This is not a question of the Spurs; it’s simply mandatory.)
Good luck? I think the Kings will need it tonight unless the as per usual black-holeness works for our beloved dipshits selfish contigent of shoot first “players” in a strange twist of perverse God-like humor.
I’m going to keep this short because A) I’m sick and B) I don’t feel the need to blather on.
* Tyreke Evans did some good things and bad things in this game, but the stuff that will stick out is his poor decisions shooting the ball. Again, Tyreke has not progressed offensively as a player (he did play fairly good defense tonight) in terms of offensively diversifying his game. It’s not just the facilitation that Tyreke needs work on; it’s simply the overall decision making and attitude.
Baby Steps.
* DeMarcus Cousins had a poor shooting night, some great offensive rebounds, a lucky (and awesome) gambling steal on Darren Collison, and 19 rebounds (12 offensive). Cousins at times made an impact, but he misses way too many easy layup’s. At some point this simply has to change. Hopefully it’s sooner than later.
Baby Steps.
* Marcus Thornton had a rough shooting night. I have a feeling that with the compressed time schedule, we’ll continue to see poor shooting percenages from nearly all involved. Thornton figures to be the one guy on the Kings affected the most.
* A semi-poor outing by John Salmons was certainly off-set by Francisco Garcia having his best game of the season shooting percentage be damned. Coming into the game Cisco had a 46.5 TS% and after tonight has a 49.6 TS%.
Baby Steps.
* Isiaah “LSG” Thomas did it yet again. Thomas is becoming known for sparking the Kings when he comes into the game, and tonight was yet again another example. Thomas is clearly more advanced right now defensively than offensively (defense is mainly an energy endeavor after all) but given how many guys on this team look for their shot first and most that doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
* I can’t get away from not writing about Jason Thompson who has simply done a remarkable job of progressing as a player. JT missed too many FT’s, dropping his ridiculously low FT% from 37% to 35.4%. Other than that, however, JT played a terrific game on 2 ends showing why Keith Smart made a good decision starting JT. Jason’s progress as a player is one reason I’m so skeptical about the impact Paul Westphal had on players. Player progress isn’t really about a head coach; it’s about that player willing to do the right things to work on his game. Jason Thompson is proof that you can work effectively to get better; Tyreke Evans is proof that working ineffectively makes your game stagnant.
* My main take away from this game is that A) Keith Smart clearly has Tyreke Evans ear and B) ball movement is clearly being stressed by Smart and the coaching staff. Where I’m sure Westphal did stress it, apparently the message is getting through when Smart is preaching. That’s….something.
As far as the coaching goes, Smart got lucky that Indiana couldn’t figure out to beat a zone for most of the 4th quarter. It’s bad enough that the Kings only gave up 8 points in the 4th qtr, but a lot of that was what the Pacers weren’t doing rather than what the Kings were doing.
Tonight the Kings had a 52.3 DRB% which won’t get it done. The Kings shot 28-41 from the FT line which is 68.3%. That won’t get it done. The Kings missed many point blank layup’s tonight (Cousins especially) and that is clearly a trend that won’t go away until a few of these guys (Cousins especially) learn how to make shots.
The 2 take-aways from this game is that the Kings are still very much a long way from even being a .400 team. On the other hand, some signs were available that the team will figure out to be more competitive more often.
The other main take-away is that Keith Smart will do just about anything possible (which is his job) to search for the right combinations (something that is not easy given the high turnover on the roster and similar unproductive talent) on what will work for this team. It’s clear that Smart has some sort of buy-in right now from the players on the roster. (Mainly Evans and Cousins.) The question remains: How much will they work towards a goal when things aren’t going their way as they did tonight against the Pacers?
The Kings go on the road against San Antonio Friday, Memphis Saturday, and Portland next Monday. Of the remaining 18 games before the All-Star break, 13 are on the road. This team’s roughest stretch was always likely to be early which is the good news. The bad news is that there are bigger problems than health or schedule.
Another game, a decent effort, and mostly ridiculous mistakes made by a team that is still not even close to playing winning basketball on a consistent basis.
* Jason Thompson had a strong game. JT was 6-9 floor (but 0-3 line–grr!–and JT is now 37% from the FT line on the season) for a game 66.7 TS%. JT also grabbed 4 rebounds (too little), but mainly what I wish to talk about was JT’s activity level. JT is the one player on this Kings team who understands how to move without the ball. It would be nice if a few of his teammates were taking notes.
* John Salmons had a decent shooting night until he shot himself right out of that. This doesn’t really matter as the Salmons missed shots didn’t cost the Kings the game necessarily, but it is frustrating. Salmons missed 3 more 3′s tonight lowering his 3pt% from 19.5% to 18.1%. It can’t get worse right?
On the flip side, Salmons does play defense with a reasonable amount of effort and plays with effort. That is something. (I reiterate: Salmons is not really the problem or solution to this team ill’s.)
* Francisco Garcia had a successful shooting night raising his season TS% from 39.4% to 46.5% with his 4-6 shooting (2-4 from 3 2-3 line). That’s…..pretty good actually.
* Cousins had some bouts of immaturity again tonight, but he did raise his season FG% from 41.9% to 42.8%.
* Donte Greene is getting too many minutes from Keith Smart right now. Whatever Greene is showing Smart is not something I happen to be seeing. The problem I think Smart has is that Greene is simply the best of a lousy set of options at the disposal of a head coach for playing time. The sad reality of Donte’s minutes is it exposes the hole that Chuck Hayes has left
If I never see Donte dribble drive to create a shot for another teammate again, I’ll be very happy.
* JJ Hickson is making a lot of fans question Geoff Petrie’s decision making, and it’s fairly understandable. Hickson has shown very little flashes of what made a few fans (and Petrie certainly) so willing to take a risk on Hickson. The good news is that the Kings aren’t desperately needing a young player every season to add to the roster as the team is so ridiculously young already. Since the Kings (barring a complete turnaround and/or miracle and/or both) almost certainly won’t lose the draft pick to the Cavs until 2013 at the very earliest, this isn’t that big of a deal.
* I kept wondering where Isaiah Thomas was tonight. Hopefully it was a matchup issue and not Keith Smart losing confidence in LSG.
* Tyreke Evans had a statistically fairly good game sans his poor shooting, but nothing to write home about IMO. His decision making is still suspect in many instances and Tyreke simply needs to balance the need to score vs the need to create for others. He still looks lost doing so. If Tyreke wants to play with the ball in his hands, he needs to recognize that he has to create for others without interrupting the flow of his own shots. It’s not a simple thing to do, but Tyreke has to do it if he wants to be successful in the NBA. It’s really what it comes down to at the end of the day.
* Both teams DRB% were virtually even (65.1% for Sacramento; 65.9% for Minnesota) but Sacramento had an edge early. That edged dissipated in large part due to the fact that the effort on the boards got worse as the game went on. Tyreke Evans, to pick on him, had 7 boards at the half and ended the game with 8 boards. He is better than that even if 8 boards is an excellent number for a G.
The point is that Minnesota picked it up and as per usual the Kings crumbled when another team turned up the heat. When that team is 4-8, and whether it’s on the home or road shouldn’t make a difference, it illustrates how much further this team has to go.
* Sacramento’s FT shooting was a bugaboo again. 60% will never be acceptable from the FT line when you are in the NBA. (Or in College, High School or even Junior High probably.)
******
The good news is that there were some decent things accomplished tonight. There was ball movement when Tyreke had the ball (although not with Thornton which is a different problem), and Cousins actually made a pass to John Salmons for a layup in the late 1st quarter.
Cousins blocked 2 shots tonight which won’t hurt his season average of 1.7 coming into the game. Cousins is getting better at using his size and long arms to both alter shots and block shots outright. More often that not, when Cousins does block a shot it usually results in a fast break going the other way.
With 6:43 to go, Jimmer hits his Fadeaway Jumper to pull the Kings within 2 at 75-73. Ricky Rubio makes 2 FT’s, Salmons misses a Jumper but Donte gets fouled by Kevin Love and proceeds to hit 1 of 2 FT’s. At this juncture, the Kings are down 77-74. Kevin Love hits a Jumper, Donte hits his miraculous runner/half layup to bring the Kings back within 3.
In the next minute and half, Wayne Ellington hits a 3, Ricky Rubio hits a 3 and Love hits a layup. Kings are down 87-76. That was ballgame. This team simply doesn’t understand that it has to play every minute of every game to have a chance of winning games in the NBA. You’ve got to execute and hit shots to win games consistently. It’s really that simple.
The Kings don’t understand that mental lapses, and they have many throughout the game, combined with poor effort, poor execution and poor attitude will cost you games.
Until the Kings can get consistent effort from Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins (don’t be dumb enough to put this trainwreck on the other guys), and get actual star effort from both that merits the primmadonna act both are consistently putting on, this crap will continue.
See ya on the flip side.
UPDATE: Keith Smart’s postgame comments (listen to them):
The one thing I disagree with is Cousins, but that’s okay. I think Smart’s message’s was on point from A-Z and something that needed to be said. I’ve said it before, but I think Isaiah Thomas needs to be the lineup change. I’m not sold that JJ Hickson off the bench would help more than Jason Thompson (I like JT off the bench because he’s reliable and you know what you’re getting with him).
Either way, it’s good to see that Smart is considering changes. It’ll be interesting to see what happens if anything does happen.
Interesting stuff today to say the least. Fans (or at least more than a few) will be getting their first extended look at Ricky Rubio, which means we will get to hear the inevitable “we shoulda taken Ricky instead” comments.
The reality is that the Kings are not the Wolves or vice-versa. And just before you think it’s good to be the Wolves these days, fans are happy that the Wolves are 4-8 and playing competitive basketball.
The Wolves are 9th in DRtg at 100.7 points and 21st in ORtg at 101.4 points.
The Kings are 29th in ORtg at 96.2 points and 28th in DRtg at 108.5 points. (This is terrible basketball I can believe in!)
Canis Hoopus takes a look at whether the Wolves have really improved their talent level. (If you don’t already, I suggest checking out Tim Allen’s game preview when he gets it up. It will be well worth your time if you have a sense of humor. If not, just skip it.)
A review of the David Kahn trades from TWolves Blog. Also in the piece is what kind of trades the Wolves should make.
It turns out Jimmer is too nice. You can watch him ask for the ball. With the clock winding, you can almost hear the please and thank you. His teammates act accordingly, passing to the other guy, the one who is yelling at them, not the guy who is asking politely.
The coaches tell him to be more aggressive, first Paul Westphal and now Keith Smart. They know his potential, but similar to Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, they have yet to figure out how to fully harness or unleash Jimmer’s talents.
Jason Jones of the Bee writes the obligatory “Jimmer needs to be more aggressive” piece:
“Looking for his shot a little bit more would be better for him, but I think he’s trying to fit into a team,” said Kings coach Keith Smart. “But I’m telling him all the time: ‘Be you. Don’t try to be this point guard and average 10 assists – just be you and shoot when you have to shoot. The team understands that.’ “
If you don’t see the difficulty of coaching NBA players after reading a quote like this, you’re insatiable AND impossible.
“We’ve got to get our vision,” Smart said. “That’s something that we haven’t had. I’m used to guys seeing the whole floor. A guy’s open, they find him. I’m finding out now and trying correct is that we get a tunnel and we see straight to the basket and not seeing with the peripheral vision.”
And, later:
“We have a lot of isolation players,” Smart said. “Guys that have been conducive to getting the ball and standing around make a play for themselves. I’m trying to get them to still have that ability but yet don’t do it unless you see the check offs first.”
Stathead Final Thoughts
This is a bit of foreshadowing for a later post, but the Kings have exactly one guy with a positive differential of ORtg to DRtg (higher ORtg than DRtg in otherwords), and one guy who has an above average TS%. (League Wide Avg TS% is 52.4% right now.) Thankfully, it’s one guy who holds that distinction. Unfortunately, Jason Thompson has a 112 ORtg and a 109 DRtg which isn’t going to wow anyone. And, to top it off, his team leading TS% is a whopping 54.4%.
Real Final Thoughts
I’m beginning to think the issue isn’t finding out what this team doesn’t do, but find out what it can do well on a consistent basis and go from there. This is an elementary approach, true, but it’s not like the Kings are playing high-level fundamental basketball right now. At this point, I’d settle for these guys keeping their diaper pin pinned while dribbling or just even playing. Or jogging. Or putting their uniform on. I’m not very picky when it comes to this. I’m just not interested in watching a grown man’s diaper fly off in the middle of a NBA game.
The game is at 5pm PST, on CSNCA, and probably will make you want to throw up in your designated puke while watching Kings basketball bucket. Grand times these are aren’t they?
This recap will be simple and very short. Here is the Box Score. I don’t want to pontificate on things I have discussed frequently lately. Frankly, this team isn’t worth writing a recap for, but, whatever, you gotta do things you don’t want to do.
When you don’t move the ball, when you don’t provide resistance on the defensive end, and when you are lazy you get blown out. It’s that simple.
Do I need to call out players? I don’t think I need to. I don’t think any one player is totally to blame, and I don’t think Keith Smart is to blame. These kind of games do happen, but this team is struggling in part because they are insisting on playing isolation jack it up basketball. This simply doesn’t win at the NBA level and until these guys get it it won’t make a difference who is the coach.
Another game, another potential victory for greatness, blowouts or terrible transition defense. (Or all 3.)
Irk and Allas; otherwise known as Dirk and Dallas. Well except for the fact that Dallas is 7th in DRtg at 99.6 Pts (per 100 possessions) and 18th in ORtg at 101.5 Pts. They play at a fairly fast pace at 92.6 Possessions for 12th in the NBA.
The Kings are currently 99.0 (24th of 30) in ORtg, 108.8 (28th of 30) in DRtg and 94.0 (4th of 30) in terms of Pace.
What’s the key to beating Dallas? Well they rebound well, force turnover’s, and are barely in the bottom 3rd in defensive eFG%.
First, the Kings must continue to not commit a ridiculous sum of turnover’s. Second, running the offense in the halfcourt to get as many quality shots will be mandatory. Getting easy baskets in transition will help that effort. It’s really not that difficult. Get quality shots and be patient with the offense, get back in transition, expend energy on defense, and get the rebound. Go back the other way and do it all again. Rinse, wash, repeat.
Required Reading
Rob Mahoney’s recap of the Mavericks win over the Bucks last night at Two Man Game.
Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com breaks down the Bucks victory for the Mavericks and scouts the Kings. (You’ll find some interesting thoughts in Donut 5 and Donut 6.)
To the Kings links…..
Jason Jones recaps the loss to Houston. Something Keith Smart said makes me think a potential lineup change could come starting tonight:
“I’ve got to make sure I have the right group in the game early knowing that maybe we’re a little bit slow or lethargic to start the third quarter,” Smart said.
“But we can’t be that way – we’re pros. We’ve got to be able to get ourselves ready in the third quarter. But I’ve got to do a better job of making sure the run doesn’t last longer than it has.”
I’m not going to bang the drum for Isaiah Thomas starting as often as possible, but isn’t it obvious the Kings are struggling with Evans and Thornton/Fredette as the starting backcourt?
Also, there is a portion of the Kings notes from Jones that include this part about Chuck Hayes return to Houston:
Hayes’ return – The visiting team might have had the most popular player at the Toyota Center.
An injured visiting player rarely goes on pregame television for the home team, but that was the case with Kings forward-center Chuck Hayes.
Hayes, who spent his first six seasons with the Houston Rockets, has missed the last four games because of a dislocated left shoulder.
There was a video tribute for Hayes after the first quarter, and many of the fans gave him a standing ovation. The video ended with the phrase, “Chuck Hayes, Thanks for Six Great Seasons.”
“My son asked me, ‘Are they going to boo you?’ ” Hayes said before seeing the video. “I was like, ‘I don’t know if they’re going to boo me.’ “
Hayes said it was difficult to return to Houston while injured but still appreciated the Rockets fans.
Last but not least, Sam Dalembert talked about the odd situation that developed when the Kings offered and retracted a contract offer back in December:
“You know that’s the business is and sometimes there’s bad blood,” Dalembert said. “I was expecting a more professional approach but obviously some people handle things differently. To me obviously they were upset and I wasn’t wrong. I feel bad, they have a great fan base over there, I loved playing over there but I had the feeling they really didn’t want me back. For them to come out and say something like that it shows they really didn’t have it in mind to get me back. It’s the way it is and it’s the way the business is and I’ve had to deal with it.”
Stathead Final Thoughts
DeMarcus Cousins has the lowest individual DRtg on the Kings with a 102. The next lowest? JJ Hickson, Tyreke Evans, and Isaiah Thomas with a 108 DRtg.
Jason Thompson leads the Kings in TS% with 54.3 TS%, Marcus Thornton isn’t far behind at 53.8%, Isaiah Thomas is at 53.2%, and Tyreke Evans is at 53%.
Cousins has had 1.8 blocks per game so far this season which is up from 0.8 Blocks last season.
The last important thought is that the Kings are 4th in the NBA at Free Throws Attempted. But, they are also 17th in FT% at 74.2% which is literally a few shades below league average. Tyreke Evans, after that slow start percentage wise from the FT line, is now shooting FT’s at 76.4%. DeMarcus Cousins is now shooting FT’s at 76.6% clip!
Final Thoughts
The game is at 6pm PST, may or may not be an outlet you have heard of, and will most likely disappoint. Who said I couldn’t be succinct? Go Kings.
Proof on whats serious & what isn't RT @TIME: At least six are dead following office buildings collapsing in Rio | http://t.co/92seq2wq14 hours ago
Whatever KG was smoking, that silly shit is funny. 14 hours ago
Shaq's army metaphors need to die a sudden death. 15 hours ago
@sacgirl88 @mocoveli The problem w/ Batum is he will be RFA. Will cost a lot more 2 keep the Blazers frm matching. Which they may do anyway 15 hours ago
I’ve been trying to avoid this all day as I have other more pressing things to do (study for 2 tests in calculus and chemistry mainly). Yet, here I am writing this anyway. Some things are just what they are, and one of the unfortunate doomed fates I seem to hold as a human being is a Kings fan.
What pisses me off more than anything is that this team can’t get consistent production from either Evans or Cousins. Cousins may be a great rebounder numbers wise, but the Kings are the worst rebounding team by DRB%. Exactly how much effect can one board man have? Well, it’d be one thing if the Kings were a middle of the pack Defensive Rebounding team with Cousins grabbing so many boards. But being in the very bottom? What does that say with so many plus rebounders on the roster? It’s not like DRB% is based on total numbers of caroms you get; it’s simply the percentage of caroms you take off the rim that are available.
Evans is just as bad. Evans leads the Kings with total Assists at 86 (which more than double the next guy–Isaiah Thomas–at 41), yet, how many times do the Kings really have quality ball movement with Evans as the primary playmaker? How many NBA level plays are being run?
Defense? Oh my, I don’t even know where to go there. Evans jogs back in transition, and to hear him point fingers at Jimmer Fredette let alone else during today’s practice sessions was one of the funnier things I’ve heard in awhile.
Cousins? The only player worse in transition than Cousins is Tyreke Evans, and that’s no mean feat. There might not be a bigger unprofessional duo in the entire NBA if you consider that Andray Blatche,JaVale “Pierre” McGee and Nick Young are not really considered centerpieces.
Speaking of duo’s, when is the last time you saw Cousins and Evans run a play together as a tandem. Then, again, again, and again? Oh, you haven’t. Me either. Of course, I haven’t watched a Kings game since the train wreck hit Memphis. (Sorry O’Jays. No Love Train around here.) I didn’t have the opportunity to watch the Portland game after my class Monday night, and I refuse to watch the Denver Nuggets layup line in the “Artist formerly known as Arco Arena” last night because I have a night class twice a week. (Guess which days?)
Are the Kings that bad? Are they victims of injuries, bad scheduling, a turned over roster that is mostly young and trying to figure it’s own role out while trying to figure out how to play with each other? Sure, but not to the tune of 94 points in the paint it’s not.
But this is what actually inspired me to write this piece. From, the guru of angry journalists, Ken Berger about those famed Madison Square Garden Knuckleheads:
This is the New York Knicks. The team that amnesty’d Chauncey Billups to free up cash to sign Tyson Chandler (who is missing Dallas) rather than hoping to lure Chris Paul (who wanted to play in MSG) without the money to do so. In fairness, it’s not like the Knicks had the actual cap room (or assets) to get Paul to New York to begin with. So Tyson Chandler was a reasonable play. But, the Knicks are still a train wreck.
And one quote from the always noted builder of team chemistry Amare Stoudemire himself:
What a shock. Buying into a system. Of course, and even Stoudemire isn’t stupid enough to push these kind of boundries anymore, that means you actually buy into a system and run actual NBA plays. It’s not like NBA plays are that different from NCAA plays or European plays in this regard. A pick and roll is a pick and roll assuming that the play that is actually being run is a pick and roll.
Donte Greene sounds like a player who may be understanding that the AAU style may not work anymore:
Of course, that’s typically window dressing when a player says what Greene did. Unless it produces actual changes on the court, it means little what you say in post game interviews.
I loved what Keith Smart said at the very end of this:
“You don’t have to coach effort or energy.” — Keith Smart
That’s a telling quote. It was tucked away at the very end of the clip there , and after Smart explaining coaching X&O’s, trying to balance time off with practice time that this team obviously needs, and how difficult it is to get a young inexperienced roster to fill holes for a guy like Chuck Hayes.
I get all that. I really do.
But none of that speaks to what really ails the Kings. Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins lack the commitment to push a team to improve. Do they back Keith Smart with how they play? One could say they do, but one could also say neither guy could back any coach with the consistency each illustrates on a night in night out basis.
Interesting point made by Matt Moore–of the CBS Sports variety–today that should be relayed:
No Mr Moore, Smart is very much not to blame. But Keith Smart can’t salvage the wreckage that is Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins without acting like he is part of the problem. If Smart can gain Evans/Cousins trust, perhaps their effort and commitment would rise as part of trust. It is sometimes an issue with young players after all. (That would be the biggest reason to fire Paul Westphal in case you’re wondering.)
Again, the lack of commitment from both Evans and Cousins is astounding. The biggest issue to me is that both tend to point fingers (I love what Evans said about Jimmer’s defense last night after today’s practice; those who live in ivory towers should shut the fuck up son) and blame others for their weaknesses.
One of the issue’s I’ve had with Cousins claiming that Westphal tended to blame him more is because Cousins would often force Westphal’s hand throughout his short time. When you are a loudmouth and aggressive (which Cousins is), you are going to get into fights with people. You then can’t claim that you are being treated differently as such when other people aren’t as aggressive or loud with management and/or the coaching staff.
Again, this is the problem with firing Paul Westphal the way the Kings did: It shows how little importance the Maloofs have as owners, and, more importantly for a lot of people, how rapidly useless Geoff Petrie is becoming. The Kings are the NBA’s version of a Keystone Cops situation.
Can it improve? Who knows. Denver is the kind of team that gives the Kings problems (talented/athletic/professional) and the kind of team that struggled with that attitude of a particular Anthony before trading him. Denver feels better without Carmelo Anthony which not only says a lot about the Nuggets and their talent level, but also how much talent Anthony consistently left on the table during Carmelo Anthony’s stint as a Denver Nugget.
Guess what? The Kings are headed down that path with 2 young players who, in their minds, are elite, and are not anywhere near close that. Elite teams don’t allow 90+ points in the paint. Elite teams are not at the bottom of Defensive Rebounding %. Tyreke Evans is decent among G’s (5th), but should be near where Kyle Lowry is at (near 7 boards) and not well below 5 boards a game. It’s a pure and complete lack of commitment on Tyreke Evans’ part to not grab more boards. Elite teams don’t rank at the bottom of many statistical categories. Elite teams don’t have players that allow teams to be at the bottom of many, if any, categories. (Big Man FT’s are an interesting exception.)
Right now, Cousins is actually fouling at a higher rate than he was a year ago. Cousins is leading the league in Total Offensive Rebounds which would be impressive if Cousins didn’t shoot the ball at a such a horrendous clip. The fact that Cousins FG% is now 44.8% and improving says a lot if nothing else.
******
Blame the Maloofs for being cheap or Ed Hardy wearing clowns. (I personally dislike their Southern Californian thing of “let’s be here when it’s cool and when it’s hard slink away and act like we had important shit to do elsewhere” act.) Blame Geoff Petrie for being an impersonal turtleneck wearing rich kid asshole. You can fire the Maloofs and Petrie all you wish, and I’d be fine with that on both counts. I’m beginning to believe this team can only move forward is with real fresh blood. (That is something Keith Smart represents no matter how dilapidated or disorganized it may seem.) How good Geoff Petrie really is is a question that is starting to circulate. A year ago I would have given Geoff Petrie a lot of gap given how instrumental Petrie was into making moves.
Now? Take your straw and flip a coin for what the real problem is.
I’m not Chicken Little. I’m not upset over one game or one play or one thing. This is a trend that has been happening for several years with this team. If Paul Westphal was the issue over the summer, and he was supposedly behind the John Salmons trade (yeah right–that’s protect Petrie’s legacy spin if I ever saw it), then fire Paul Westphal. I would be lying if I would have understood it because I don’t feel it’s ever fair to bring in a head coach to be a “caretaker”. (I’m convinced the Clippers could win the equivalent of 50 games with Westphal this season if he were their head coach.) If you took a normal 50 win season out of 82 games, that would mean you win 40 games in this lockout season. As is, the Clippers are 9-6 for a cool 60% Winning Percentage right now. With players like Paul and Griffin, Westphal might be the right kind of coach for that team. (Right or wrong. I’m not saying it will or won’t happen. I’m just saying that Westphal is not necessarily the god-awful head coach he is made out to be.)
John Salmons is not killing this team anymore than anyone else is. Jimmer Fredette’s problems are real, but they are not franchise killing. (Or Franchise savioring for that matter. Jimmer is what he is: A talented shooter/scorer with real potential to run a NBA team at some point in the future. That’s not superstar stuff IMO.) JJ Hickson has issue’s on defense especially, but this isn’t news. Jason Thompson has shown professionalism and pride at every juncture this season as far as I can tell. Isaiah Thomas is a rookie and that counts for only so much in this league. Chuck Hayes is missed. Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans were never going to be a perfect match. Tyler Honeycutt is the project on this roster that intrigues me. I like Francisco Garcia as a person (and when he plays well as a player; but only then), but from a franchise standpoint I’m glad Garcia’s contract is expiring after next season.
Keith Smart is a terrific coach in my opinion. Or, I think he has every ability to coach a real basketball team that acted in a professional manner. Or, more accurately than that, had 2 real cornerstones he could rely on for quality production on a night in night out basis.
I think the problem with this team is that they need a veteran like Paul Pierce (I like Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, but I think Allen/Jimmer are redundant and Garnett/Hayes are a bit redundant too regardless of talent differences for each–and I’m not claiming that 1st ballot Hall of Famers aren’t better) who can tell Evans and Cousins the ways of the world. Smack both Cousins/Evans over the head when each fucks up (Pierce’s hand is bound to get especially sore).
The truth is that the ugly dynamic of the Kings is that they have a 1st banana talent/2nd banana attitude in Tyreke Evans and a 2nd banana talent/1st banana attitude in DeMarcus Cousins. The trick, for Keith Smart, and Evans/Cousins, is to figure out how to utilize all these talents in the most effective of manners.
OF COURSE YOU HAVE TO ACT LIKE A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER FIRST. ALSO, WORK WITH YOUR HEAD COACH WHO IS ASKING YOU TO DO REAL THINGS THAN ACT LIKE A PETULANT ASSHOLE EVERY OTHER MINUTE YOU ARE ON THE COURT. BUT WHAT ARE DETAILS? KEITH SMART IS JUST ANOTHER GUY WHO IS ASKING YOU TO BE A GROWN-UP PROFESSIONAL (BECAUSE AFTER ALL ISN’T THAT WHAT THE NBA IS ABOUT?) AND THAT’S JUST TOO HARD FOR BOTH OF YOU ISN’T IT.
Caps annoyances over, that’s the deal. You can have shitty ownership and stupid management and have a quality team if your 2 best young players are accountable and want to get better. But do Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins want to get better? You can make a legitimate case Evans is only interested in his numbers. I would agree with at that this point until I see a better batch of evidence that tells me otherwise.
Cousins? I might be willing to believe (also having said this awhile ago) that if Cousins starts approaching playing the game as a profesional than a petulant dickhead kid with a condom head to match. Cousins has the type of personality that I think the losing is bothering him (it bothers Evans but not enough) so something may snap inside of him. When that happens, actual growth of the “I’m not an asshole teenager kid but an adult now” type happens and Cousins drags the Kings with him. In turn, it may entice Evans to grow up as well and start tapping his talents (which are considerably more).
I personally enjoy Keith Smart’s pressers a heck of a lot more (it doesn’t accompany unprofessional clownball that Evans/Cousins so much enjoy) than the games at the moment because I learn something about the man. Keith Smart really does understand the problem. So did Paul Westphal. So would Vinny Del Negro, and how many people do you know would want VDN to be the head coach of their team?
The good news is that Keith Smart is a competant professional basketball man who does things in a seemingly understandable and transparent fashion. Telling Cousins and Evans (it was not a shot at Fredette, Salmons or Thompson–all 3 act in a professional manner) that they have to live with their bad decisions and be on the court during blowouts says a lot. Smart says things about players without naming names which is, umm, pardon the pun, intelligent.
This team is in dire straits because of cash poor frontrunning bandwagon douche ownership, a Pres of Basketball Ops who is more interested in preserving his cult status of greatness (that ship has sailed with these series of episodes), 2 asshole petulant brats who masquerade as NBA stars, and a head coach desperately looking to carve a niche for himself where the book on him has been written due to a long relationship with Don Nelson. (Not a good thing unfortunately for Keith Smart.)
The truth is that I think the culture is capable of changing if Evans/Cousins wanted it changed. Oklahoma City’s culture is considered good, but it wasn’t always considered a winning strong culture. (Funny how winning and strong cultures go hand in hand doesn’t it?) Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were there for a bad losing season together (their first) that started poorly off under a head coach who had nowhere the amount of league success than Paul Westphal had in Seattle let alone in Phoenix.
Yet, now, Scott Brooks is considered a quality coach (for those who aren’t sniping and salivating at the idea of getting that job) and the culture of that franchise changed.
New Orleans had a strong culture that didn’t revolve around the ownership and/or front office (although Jeff Bowers was certainly a competent GM), but mostly around Chris Paul. Byron Scott is a terrific head coach in a lot of ways, but Scott couldn’t make that Hornets team work without Paul. Who could? Chris Paul instituted a system of accountability that included himself.
These things aren’t accidents. When players demand accountability that includes checks on their own behaviors, things improve.
Let’s read Cousins statement about Westphal again:
Oh, you mean Westphal didn’t tell you to take crappy shots at inopportune times and then compound that with stupid turnovers and/or stupid fouls that take you off the court for at least 10-20 minutes of in game time for consistent periods? Stupid Paul Westphal.
If there is anything I’ve agreed with Tom Ziller on any one point, it was that part of Westphal’s odd statement (I never did like it–on the other hand Westphal looked like a guy after the New Orleans game who knew he was on his way out and it was only a matter of time) did seem to get a lot of people to not notice what Tyreke Evans said after the New York game.
I’m not criticizing to criticize here. I realize that the situation has been brutal in any adjusted or readl context and that an easier schedule could help ease some of the real problems the Kings have. (I liked this post at Sactown Royalty by Savage Beast, one of the long time readers over there. It makes a lot of sense if you are of the patient sort.)
But, Evans and Cousins have made this stretch beyond pointless to contemplate. There is a reason I didn’t talk about the Cousins’ lockeroom incident. The 2 heaviest hit Kings websites (Sactown Royalty and SacBee Kings Blog), and Jason Jones had a blogpost on the Sacbee Blog regarding all of this. Really, who cares? That’s not the problem then, or now with this team. That’s an incident with an emotional young firebrand who understandably didn’t want some asshole with a camera fishing for a story while he was dressing. I’d tell the guy to get the fuck away too. I simply didn’t add my 2 cents of: This is a stupid ass story because why?
But, Jones summed up it well:
Jones nailed this: This was an issue of decency. Cousins was right, but the only reason Cousins was even egged on was due to his reputation. There is money in getting players like Cousins to blow their top, and it gets coverage. The guy who gets that coverage gets something for it. You think incidents like this with Cousins won’t be overblown? If the Kings start winning, Cousins had better get used to it. Because that’s what will happen to him after any loss.
Are we really going to talk about unimportant things for that long? No, we aren’t.
The issue, and the main issue, and will still be the main issue no matter how many words are typed in this idiots WordPress formatter, will be whether or not Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins will act like professional, responsible, accountable and effective NBA players.
Oh, and be that idiot that says “You didn’t watch the game so you don’t know what you are talking about.” No, really, be that idiot. I’m wanting to crap on someone for stupidity since I can’t take a dump on Evans/Cousins’ head instead. (That’s my preference, but my options are limited in this department understandably.) I kinda figure I owe them a return on the favor they both have so willingly gifted us Kings fans this season.
One last thing. Until Evans and Cousins both accept that as stars they will get more share of the success, and blame as an opposite result, they can’t complain if they don’t get more credit for wins and get little blame for losses. When you are the two best players on a team, you are responsible for the WINS AND LOSSES. Every time I hear those two, I hear two kids who want to believe that they aren’t doing anything wrong and it’s everyone else’s fault but theirs. Hopefully Matt Moore, Savage Beast, Keith Smart are all right. It’s not like I’m sitting around hoping I win this battle. I’m not. I’ve just seen this story play out, and it usually has an ugly ending for the team that drafts these kind of players. Excuse me if I feel that reality is slowly playing out no matter how quickly or slowly we accept such a reality unfolding before us.
See ya Saturday.
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