Enjoyed the lecture.

I do think that it is OK to constructively critique the games of these players, and it is equally acceptable to be disappointed when they underperform (let’s be honest, we all want Spencer to look better than he has this preseason).

That said, I also tire of the folks that would trade Kevin Martin because he had back-to-back turnovers in the 2nd quarter of an exhibition game. And it is apparent that many people don’t take age, experience and growth potential into consideration when evaluating the players.

To summarize, thank goodness the regular season is just around the corner.

I don’t think Beno is right or good for this team. The more I see the more it confirms my opinion… Am I just a critic at this point? I don’t think I am a critic.

I think that this is a tough line to parse. I think that there are times when being a fan means you question whether or not a player should still be on the team for the best interests of the team.

There is also a point in which you, as a fan, must recognize when a player is stinking it up. That doesn’t mean you want them to play bad. In my last write up of the game I said Spencer sucked, but that wasn’t because I wanted him to suck. That isn’t good for the Kings.

Now that said, there are some fans who let their own biases overcome their ability to think and analyze critically. I hope that I haven’t let my own biases from last year overcome my mental faculties about Beno.

It isn’t that I want him to fail. It is that he keeps doing it all on his own.

The only complaint I have is that Donte’ is not doing what he did in college. Much like the Doubster, he seems to have lost his shot along with his confidence. In college he shot 41% from the field and almost 35% from the three—not great, but not terrible for a big guy. He averaged 17+ pts and over 7 rebounds a game. I would be delighted if he could come close to this in the NBA. A SF does not have to spend all his time in the paint, so I am okay that he doesn’t bang, and I’m sure his D will come around. But the truth is that critic of fan, you have to admit that the Donte we are seeing right now seems totally lost most of the time. this is not about changing who he is, but deciding if his game can translate to the much tougher NBA. Not every great college player can.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

When I think of Donte, as a Louisville fan I immediately think of Earl Clark, because they’re both guys with forward bodies who like to play like guards, have a lot of tools at their disposal, and both have some nights where they look like they’re putting it all together other nights where it looks like the wheels are coming off. They both have a lot of work to do to find where they fit in the NBA, but I think Earl has an advantage that Donte doesn’t: he can play lockdown D at an NBA level right now while his other skills catch up.

I think Donte’s biggest problem is that he came into the NBA without a go-to skill that he could polish up and be excel at to show himself and his coaches that he could compete on an NBA level. If he’s going to make it in the NBA, he needs to find something that he can improve to the point where he’s above average to great at it, and then ride that skill until his shooting and other attributes catch up.

if they make the shots they take. Is that too much to ask?

a clever passer from from the elbow etc. but I would like him to learn to play more at the rim. Even perimeter Centers need to be able to play a significant amount of minutes in the paint and be effective, hold their own.

What exactly is Donte’ good at again?

but I think it is safe to say that the majority of STR members want Hawe’s to succeed.

Its important to remember that professional NBA players are making millions of dollars hence subjecting them to increased critism is “just”. Were not talking about a UPS driver or construction worker, but a premier athlete that chose to enter the draft at the age of 19.

Spencer’s 2008-2009 season currently ranks 20th of all Centers in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, three-pointers, field-goal percentage, and free-throw percentage. Thats higher than Channing Frye, Marc Gasol, Joakim Noah, Tyson Chandlier, Drew Gooden, Brad Miller and Shaquille O’Neal. The kid is more than capable of playing great ball.

My problem with Hawe’s has never been him having an off night or two but rather the effort I see him lack on a consistent basis, the constant complaining when he doesn’t get a call and his willingness to bypass summer league after coming off a 17 win season.

If Hawe’s were to demonstrate the work effort and attitude put in by Kevin Martin, Francsico Garcia, Jason Thompson or Tyreke Evans I would be far less critical of his play thus far.

Bottom line, is I am a Kings fan first and a player fan second. If Spencer puts in the effort, listens to his coach and helps the franchise succeed then I will be the first in line to congratulate him. If he complains about not starting, cries to the refs about calls and lacks the effort on defense, I will continue to critisize his performance.

I agree with what was said. I went to the GS home game a week ago or however long ago and I really thought Donte played pretty well. He didn’t do much offensively but he finished on a fast break after bobbling the ball and also play tough defense on Corey Maggette and had a nice steal.
With Donte I think instead of looking at a guy like Rashard Lewis we should look more at a guy like Travis Outlaw. He did nothing with the Blazers for quite a while while he learned the pro game. But look at him now, he is officially a professional basketball player. I think Donte is really working hard on improving his defense first, but we probably won’t see him be a good player for us for a couple more years. But be patient!

He and Spence will both have break-out years just wait and see

I am a fan of the Kings, first and foremost. I want them to get better. Players who play well deserve praise; those who underperform deserve criticism.

I don’t think being a fan means you have to be a homer and spew nothing but positive drivel when you don’t really mean it and the player’s play doesn’t merit it.

Let’s call ’em like we see them and hope the best players rise to the top of the heap, get the most minutes and take the Kings back towards playoff contention.

We’re dealing with NBA players who are adults, not six year old children who need positive reinforcement in the formative years.

Being objective about players’ performances should never be considered a sin. Yeah, I can’t stand it when people unjustly demand trades and what not but it’s part of being a sports fan (you’ll can’t escape those types of people).