... With an Assist From the Worst Defense in the League

by Ziller on Nov 8, 2008 6:34 AM PST in Recaps Comment 19 comments

Okay, perhaps that's not fair. Minnesota might have the worst defense in the NBA, but we don't know yet. New York's can't be good in the long run. Golden State will probably finish low. Memphis will likely come back to Earth. Washington has looked atrocious on both ends, and Indiana won't be stopping too many opponents. There are a lot of bad defenses, to be sure.

But WOW! that was some bad defense last night!

I think the narrative out of this Kings win (121-109) will focus on some sort of correction from Beno Udrih, a tough performance from an injured Kevin Martin, a fantastic all-around game from John Salmons, and a display of the importance of Brad Miller. Not to be the ant party, but the tremendous offensive output had a whole lot to do with the pitiful Minnesota defense. Stop-n-Pop of Canis Hoopus gets off a good rant about it, and he's right.

To be honest, Sacramento's defense wasn't very good. (Minnesota's offense had a rating of 118 ... way too high.) Sacramento's defensive rebounding was poor, allowing Kevin Love and Al Jefferson to combine for seven offensive boards. That's too many. And perhaps because of a) youngsters and b) a rusty Miller, the Kings are fouling way more frequently than last season. That allowed Love to get 10 FTAs, which hurts.

Still, you'd be crazy not to feel positive about the win. Bobby Brown continued to prove himself worthy of playing time. Spencer Hawes had back-to-back hooks ... with either hand. (The true hook with his right was a masterpiece.) Martin and Salmons combined for 49 points on 43 shots; you can take one being less than perfectly efficient so long as the other hits his marks.

This team can shoot with the best of them. The low number of turnovers was a huge factor in the insane offensive output; if the Kings protect the ball, they should be able to score efficiently. The team will have few nights in which it shoots at less than 43-45%. Beno Udrih: zero turnovers. Bobby Brown: zero turnovers. Bobby Jackson: zero turnovers. The point guards have been making bad turnovers this season, the sort that turn into easy baskets the other way. But the Wolves got almost nothing in transition on Friday, not because of transition defense. It was all the lack of turnovers.

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I read Stop's post about last night

He’s very right that it was poor defense. There was alot of poor officiating. The only things I thought the Kings did really well was not turn over the ball, and that was the difference in the lead. The Kings will look rusty a bit, and a bit tethered I imagine like they did at times last night, in trying to find a rotation and chemistry that works.

I will be the on trade bandwagon for Mikki now. It’s very clear Jason Thompson needs something consistently, and Reggie won’t give it to him until Mikki drops off. I’m not sure that’s wise for Jason or Reggie. I’m also not sure removing Mikki out of the situation can eliminate some of the bad defense. (He can’t defend anyone in the post.) I think it’s time to move Mikki for some expiring (I’m thinking Malik Rose for Mikki & QD.)

Last but not least, I think the fact that the Wolves were off was not a bad thing. You can’t play 100% perfectly all the time, and the Kings played a bit loose against the Wolves which was nice considering how good their Turnover’s were for the most part. I am pleased that this team isn’t looking as lost as it did in Philly and Miami. That’s got to be worth something right?

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 8, 2008 7:31 AM PST reply actions 1 recs

Mikki

As I’ve mentioned here before, I rarely get to watch the Kings play. Living in Colorado, I only get to see the Kings play when they’re on national television (translation: never). But from what I’ve read here, it seems that JT is more ready than we could have hoped for.

I’m with you, pookey. Time for Mikki to be shipped off, and let JT take the starting position. He’s older than most rookies are, and I don’t have any concerns that he’s not ready for a larger role. There will be mistakes, but the development will be quicker if Thompson is the starter.

Never forget: I am a complete idiot

by Exhibit G on Nov 8, 2008 10:25 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

or even start Hawes with Miller

and give JT 20-25 minutes backing them up.

by passionforPERPS on Nov 8, 2008 4:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice win

The offense looked much more cohesive (hello Brad). But it’s a travesty that Mikki Moore is taking the lion’s share of minutes over JT. I think JT can do 12 and 5 in his sleep, and this was really an exceptional game for Mikki.

Also, I really like what I’ve seen from Kevin Love. For such a young guy, he’s pretty polished – it just feels like he’s got almost a veteran presence out there. I think they are really going to like him in the long-term, especially if he keeps himself in shape (crazy how different his body looks now than at UCLA).

Kevin Pritchard has Chuck Norris tied up in the trunk of his car.

by otis29 on Nov 8, 2008 8:49 AM PST reply actions 2 recs

Great point about JT & Mikki

I don’t think Mikki has anything left for the Kings to give, other than depth. And perhaps that is buzzkill.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 8, 2008 9:59 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Whoa!

One game does not a pattern make! JT is obviosly going to get his minutes, Theus said he seemed a little tired, had lost his voice, was under the weather. Lets not run the kid into the wall!

This a lot heavier schedule than college guys are used to. Give Reggie a break until we see how the minutes are for a few more games. If he’s trying to pace JT, thats a graet idea as long its reasonable, keep JT hungry. Everybody, EVERYBODY, can see that he should get minutes and Reggie is not stupid, he knows his job depends on both winning and playing the kids, especially one who looks ready to contribute in a meaningful way.

its a looong season guys…..

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 8, 2008 11:33 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, you’re right, how quick of us to jump to a judgment about Mikki. The last couple of games are certainly the first time we’ve ever thought that he shouldn’t be a starter in this league!

C’mon man. We’ve been talking about this since last season, power forward is our weakest position. It’s not a knock on Mikki, per se, but he’s not a starter. Theus seems determined to play him as a starter. I’ll grant you that pacing JT is a good idea, but you can still pace his minutes even if he’s a starter.

Never forget: I am a complete idiot

by Exhibit G on Nov 8, 2008 11:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If this is the case

Theus said he seemed a little tired, had lost his voice, was under the weather.

I totally agree.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 8, 2008 1:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I hope what Reggie said was ttrue

And he just wasn’t looking to justify JT not getting mins. That’s all I’m going to say. I’m still in Reggie’s corner. I just think Mikki’s time with this time is looking over from where I stand.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Nov 8, 2008 4:17 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Careful about being in Reggie's Corner™

It’s easy to fall prey to those eyes.

au contra ire

by JediLeroy on Nov 9, 2008 3:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Didn't hear the comments

About JT being under the weather. If so, I stand corrected. But I also watched Mikki play big minutes all last year, even though the guy rebounds like a 6’3" guard.

So we will see how it goes down the road.

Kevin Pritchard has Chuck Norris tied up in the trunk of his car.

by otis29 on Nov 8, 2008 5:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd also say

That he didn’t look that graet when he was out there, so maybe that backs it up(?)

Let me add that i think its inevitable that JT starts in the next month or so.

Cisco? Cisco? CISCO!!!! #*$!%! !

by lietothegirls on Nov 9, 2008 10:45 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately

The assist from the Minny D was one of the very few the Kings got last night. I know it’s ugly to naysay about a W, and obviously I’m extremely pleased with the result. But the Kings were the highest-scoring team in the league last night and managed only 19 assists. By comparison, the 14 other teams that met or beat the 100 point mark last night averaged 25 assists.

Not surprisingly considering their output and lack of assists, the Kings also led the league in FG% last night (Speed being the only player shooting less than 50). While that seems like the right kind of problem to have, we just can’t expect 55 shooting and 22-23 FTs on a regular basis. As TZ pointed out, NBA defenses as bad as the Wolves’ are few and far between.

I love that the PGs combined for 0 TOs, but they also combined for just 4 assists, which I hate. I would hesitate to call a game a correction by Beno until he combines the lack of silly TOs that he achieved last night with a reasonable assist total for a starting PG on a solid offensive team. Hopefully Brad will boost the overall assist numbers and take some pressure off of Beno.

In the mean time, let the good times roll. Let’s keep the win streak alive and get to .500 by picking off the Dubs and surprising the Pistons at ARCO.

by furious.d on Nov 8, 2008 9:41 AM PST reply actions 1 recs

I'll take this win with open arms

Good points, everybody. I’m going to predict that Beno plays into top form by the end of the month. He had a few flashes of brilliance last night when he did his spin moves in the lane. However, I do agree that a point guard with his contract should be having at least 4-5 assists a night.

Agree with the Love comment. Being a Bruin fan, Love’s success doesn’t surprise me. I watched him all year last season and he and Russel were the only consistent Bruins. Not only is he a great talent, but a good character guy. It almost hurt to root against him last night.

To admit you're a Laker fan is to admit you don't know anything about basketball.

by WaymanChilcutt on Nov 8, 2008 11:21 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

To be fair,

Beno just had some poor luck last night with regard to assists. He should have had at least 4 or 5, but his teammates just were not finishing at those particular points in the game – despite such a good shooting night overall.

And Beno certainly looked much more comfortable last night – more comfortable dribbling, shooting, and moving the ball. I think he might be back to his old self by the end of the home stand. Well, at least, I hope ;-)

by Kusian on Nov 8, 2008 12:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not ready to give Beno a pass

I was at my son’s football game last night so didn’t see the game live (I was watching the play by play comments on my cell phone). So when we got back from Redding the replay of the game of the game was just starting on Comcast. It was kind of cool to watch the replay of the game and follow the game thread here. As I was looking at the box score recap just before the game got going I was shocked at how few dimes Beno had.

Kusian, I agree with your point. Beno should have at minimum 4 where he made a good pass for an easy bucket and that either bounced out or wasn’t finished.

The other point is that a lot of times Beno brings the ball upcourt to Brad and Miller passes the ball to the guy who scores or passes off to another player who gets the assist, not that there was a ton of ball movement going on. I forget when it happened but peaches mentioned that Beno couldn’t buy a dime. Beno was desperate and he was making good passes on high percentage shots and the ball just wasn’t gping in.

"We are in the business of kicking butt and business is very, very good." - Charles Barkley

by Bluejohn on Nov 8, 2008 2:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Theus went with the hot hand

Mikki started off very well last night, was playing passable defense on Al Jefferson and was scoring and rebounding in the first quarter. Reggie saw that and milked it. That’s good coaching.

What might have been more surprising was that Hawes got way more minutes than JT. Maybe it was the matchups, maybe it was JT being “under the weather” as Theus said. I guess we’ll see how this all plays out.

It’s nice to see the Kings beat two crappy teams at home, because after four games they looked like they may go 0-82. These next two games will tell us a lot more.

by coolcatreportdotcom on Nov 8, 2008 2:01 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

But is Reggie playing the hot hand?

You might be able to make that case for last night, but JT didn’t really get a chance to show whether or not his hand was hot.

Stats through 6 games:

Mins/game: Mikki 22.2 – JT 22.0
Points/game – Rebounds/game: Mikki 6.0-3.4 – JT 11.7-6.0
PER: Mikki 7.25 – JT 21.90

These numbers include last nights game where JT only got 11 minutes 2 points and 2 rebounds. JT has the hot hand, so using your argument he should be getting the PT.

And even on a “Hot” night for Mikki he ended up with 12 points and 5 rebounds which is below JT’s average.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Nov 8, 2008 3:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs