Blazers Beat Kings 89-86 As Sergio Fails to Plunge a Dagger Into His Old Mates
by Tom Ziller on Oct 8, 2009 5:04 AM PDT
in Recaps
Email
PrintI believe that it is worth questioning whether Sergio Rodriguez is truly devoted to the Sacramento Kings.
You have the opportunity to hang a bomb on your old captors, and you miss ... what kind of King are you? For those who have not read the recaps, a mini-run sparked by defense and Omri Casspi left the Kings behind three in the closing seconds. With a chance to send the game to overtime, Sergio clanked a three from the top of the key.
He clanked the shot, despite having just come into the game a few minutes prior and despite being a poor deep shooter. I mean, that just screams conspiracy, doesn't it?
The truth is out there.
It would appear my Tuesday comment that Sergio is definitely behind Beno Udrih on Paul Westphal's depth chart is correct, and Wednesday night's should have done nothing to change that: Beno had eight points on six shots, five assists and zero turnovers. That is "aw, yeah, we can trade Bibby" Beno. Vintage. (Yes, eight points and five assists actually qualifies as vintage Beno, after the abomination of the 2008-09 season. Sad, yes?)
And while Tyreke Evans's point guard-y numbers (four assists, six turnovers in 37 minutes) were rough, Evans did score well (14 points on 14 shooting possessions) and helped free up the spectacular Kevin Martin (a ridiculous 28 points on only 19 shooting possessions, a True Shooting of .737). For the record, it was the first of many times the starting backcourt will exceed 40 points in a game.
* SERIOUSLY, OMRI, you're making a case for more minutes here! You'd better watch out or you're going to have to spend your winter evenings playing NBA basketball instead of the much more relaxing "waving a towel" job. Omri was a +7 over 17 minutes on Wednesday, scoring seven points on 3-of-4 shooting (1-of-2 from three) with one offensive rebound and one turnover. He had a sequence Sam Amick describes thusly:
Down 89-82 and using a zone late in the fourth quarter, Kings forward Sean May stripped Blazers center Greg Oden down low, Omri Casspi hit the floor for the loose ball and passed ahead for a Beno Udrih jumper that started the run. The frenetic play that delighted the announced Arco Arena crowd of 10,454 didn't stop there.
Portland's Andre Miller missed a contested jumper in the paint, with Jon Brockman gathering the ball and Casspi eventually finding himself alone for a dunk that cut the lead to three with 1:06 left.
Hitting the floor for a loose ball? Check. Pounding a breakaway dunk? Check. Mr. Casspi, according to my records, you're a lead-changing three away from completing your "Become an Instant Fan Favorite" boot camp.
* SERIOUSLY, KEVIN, in preseason? Harsh, dude! I wish I had been there to see how Portland guarded Martin so that I write an essay titled "Either the Blazers Don't Know How to Defend Kevin Martin, or Kevin Martin is Unguardable." It would get mad links!
* RAW PLUS-MINUS is problematic game-to-game, though it is the basis for a robust analysis when adjusted by someone smarter than me to account for teammates and opponents. But ... hmm ... just a cursory glance and well ...
Casspi: +6
Nocioni: -10
Obviously, I don't know the full story behind these figures. Even people at the game don't know the full story behind these figures -- you'd have to watch a game several times while taking copious line-up notes to know the full story behind single-game raw plus-minus numbers. But it bears mentioning that in no statistic is Nocioni (a grizzled vet) outperforming Casspi (a project player). It's just exhibition season, and maybe Nocioni is sleepwalking. But keep it in mind going forward.
* SEAN MAY not only did not foul out in his 23 minutes, but he only picked up two fouls! Jason Thompson, however, did foul out. In 18 minutes, having offered up six points and five rebounds. Which is, I guess to say, that it's just Spencer Hawes who will wake up to nightmares of Greg Oden, but that Jason Thompson will also do so in the awful future. :-(
* DONTE GREENE, a DNP-CD in the team's second preseason game, a game in which
- The Kings were on short rest
- The starting center was out, leaving the starting power forward to play center
- The fill-in starting center fouled out in 18 minutes
- The starting small forward was out, leaving the back-up shooting guard to start in his place
- The grizzled veteran combo forward was terrible for the second straight game
and D.G. still didn't get out of the hangar. Hmm.
* OTHER COVERAGE:
- The Bee's Jason Jones has a Spencer Hawes ankle update.
- The Bee's Ailene Voisin bemoans the state of replacement refs and the state of Jason Thompson's complaints.
- Cowbell Kingdom has postgame quotes and the excellent line-up breakdown.
- Jason Quick's Oregonian recap is (obviously) light on Kings material, but the stuff about Oden's development is pretty great, so long as you remember that the Blazers might be Western Civilization's best shot against the Lakers.
- More post-game quotes from Kings.com.
- Here's the NBA.com highlight reel.
72 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
wait... if there is an NBA.com highlight reel, does that mean that there is a broadcast?!?!
(that I can somehow pirate)
yea seriously...
They hired cameramen for the night…to do what exactly? Practice for the upcoming season?
by HabibityNickerson on Oct 8, 2009 9:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Beno Seems to be rising to the challenge
There’s little doubt now that Evans will start, but the battle for 2nd place is going Beno’s way right now.
I wonder if he can keep it up for 82 games though…
Beno Played well
He looked like a fine back-up PG – assuming he’s willing to accept that.
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions
Kevin Martin IS unguardable
He was just making unbelievable shots last night. Portland did their best to have multiple guys take turns on him, but he’s just too damn efficient. Also, I think some guy named Tyreke required Portland to not commit to a double team on Martin.
On a side note…Melvin Ely looked like he had no business being on the floor for all of his 3 minutes last night. He had one bad turnover and looked as if the Maloofs ran a “Who wants to play for the Kings tonight?” promotional contest during the pre-game. I mean, he was all over the place.
Lastly, seeing Sean May bring the ball upcourt was both funny and scary at the same time.
Nic Batum is a good defender and would have been guarding Martin
if Batum had played. Not saying he could have stopped him, Martin is that good. I like Batum better than anybody else the Blazers can throw at Martin, though.
Patty Mills - PG of the future. Book it.
With Miller on the court?
who guards Evans in that scenario? For how long in the game? If they mesh, they’re a tough backcourt to guard as it seems that the best way to guard Evans is with your quicker guy – which leaves your slower guy on KM.
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 9:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Telling you right now
Miller can’t guard either of them. At all.
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions
Yep
You said it best – “if they mesh”. If they do, there really isn’t a backcourt in the league that can guard them.
What the hell is Brett Favre doing here?
I wonder
if Phil will go with a Kobe/Ron backcourt at times as rumored … and how they’d do on Evans/Martin.
Good point
Although I wasn’t overly impressed with Ron-Ron’s defense the tail end of last season and into the playoffs.
That would be fun to watch though…
What the hell is Brett Favre doing here?
That would be best against Evans/ Martin I think
others on the Kings would have to come through on thier matchups as Kobe can handle KM and I think Artest can probably handle Evans.
Evans on the other hand can probably do a good job on Ron as well. He looks like he’s going to be a good defender. Ron is stronger of course so he’d probably try to muscle him.
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 11:23 AM PDT up reply actions
That's exactly it
Ron would just take Evans into the post and have some isolation plays run through him if that were the case. That might be the case a lot of the time with the L*kers because of Kobe’s willingness to get everyone else involved earlier in the game now.
when will the Kenny Thomas Reign of Terror end?!!??
by diehardkingsfan5 on Oct 8, 2009 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions
If I were LA
I’d put Ron on K-Mart (they played together, know eachothers game). Plus physical guys tend to frustrate K-Mart.
Kobe’s quicker, and quicker guys seem to frustrate Evans, so I’d put Kobe on him. Farmar also might work against Evans. Fisher wouldn’t stand a chance. If I were LA, I’d start Farmar or Brown this year and bring Fisher in off the bench as a scoring punch. Fisher was LA’s biggest glaring defensive weakness in the playoffs last year. Houston especially took advantage.
Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.
I've seen Kobe guard
KMart in person a couple of times, and he absolutely smothered him. I remember one game (early last season I think) in particular that came down to the final minutes and Kobe’s defense was lockdown. Kevin is an average ball-handler, so a great defender whose only goal is to lock him down can do it for reasonable intervals.
Last season
Was that when KMart had the ankle problem. Most of last year he was fast, but was really only on one good ankle. It really limited his overall game. He is much quicker and more likely to, I hope, do better against Kobe this year. Good match up to watch!
I remember that game
and yes Kevin was slowed(all season), but when Kobe wants to play D he’s one of the best. He also gets the superstar freedom to grab and tug on Kevin and Kevin doesn’t always get his usual calls
This is also why Kevin seems to disappear late in games. Defenses tighten up and the Refs lose their whistles. Hopefully his new bulk(as some have reported) will help him in these situations.
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 Oct 8, 2009 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions
If Kobe and Ron guarded Kevin and Tyreke
I’d counter with a Noc/Garcia kick out for a three. Unless Odom was in the game. Then I’d have Beno do the Tasmanian-Slovenian thang…Unless Kobe rolls over for the trap. THEN, I’d kick it out to Hawes for the easy two—unless Gasol has him defended well. Then, um…
How ’bout that SLAMWOW commercial? Eh?
Absolutely correct.
But Martin & Evans will do even worse against Roy & Miller on the other end.
Martin/Mller not gonna get it done on defense (thought Martin can still improve on that a bunch).
*Unless KP has a secret plan that makes this statement incorrect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
Nic is a small forward who would have guarded Martin, leaving Roy with your 3 and Miller at the point.
"If the Lakers are Hollywood, then we are South Central." - Clipper fan.
Roy can't guard most 3s or Martin
and who exactly would Miller be guarding? The Center or PF?
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 1:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Roy actually was better at defending the small forward position last year by opponent PER and other metrics. He did so in most games as Batum defended Bryant, Wade,LeBron, etc.
Roy guarded Cisco and co. last year, I’m sure he could guard Casspi. It’s what they did for the entire last season.
Miller would guard the point guard, Evans in this case. This is a matchup advantage for the Kings, obviously, but I’d far rather have Evans trying to score than Martin.
"If the Lakers are Hollywood, then we are South Central." - Clipper fan.
Hey, we'll take any match-up advantages we can get at this point
but I think Roy (I can’t swear it) would have trouble guarding the taller quicker 3s that seem to be taking over in the NBA.
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Roy isn't really exerting a lot of energy on defense period
He can in bursts, ask Joe Johnson or Melo who he both prevented to get off crucial shots. Or Artest, who later said Roy was his toughest opponent to date. But he still stands to improve on that end and up his consistency.
He likely would have problems guarding the most physical 3s, but he is quick enough to stay in front of them.
"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard
Newsflash
Bill is a wee bit nutty
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Evans is a matchup advantage against most NBA point guards. Portland is at a point where they have enough versatility to play their game and not mess with their rotation to match a lesser team. Let Tyreke score, he isn’t nearly as efficient as Martin.
"If the Lakers are Hollywood, then we are South Central." - Clipper fan.
How long till "Martin-Evans"
is crowned the newest patron saint of liberated fandom?
Victory is tasty.
I said it in the other thread
but there was a moment right after KM drained another shot in the 3rd Q that Evans looked over at Kevin and a little shudder of realization went through him that Kevin was really good, it almost seemed like suprise.
He probably had never really seen Kevin play before this year – but I think he realized that he might rack up some assists if he got that Martin guy the ball.
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 9:22 AM PDT up reply actions
Its a good point
Evans has very likely never played for any length of time with a player as good as Kevin is. Evans has been “the guy” probably since grade school. If he really did notice, that’s a great thing, both for their game together, and for Tyreke to realize, holy crap, this is the NBA, and I’m not really better than everyone here, and I’m going to need to want it to be really good.
Professional Hyperbole Slayer
Nice recap
I’m very excited about the direction of this team. Some many things are better than they were a year ago. I can’t believe we have to wait until next Thursday? for the next game. On the bright side it’s against the [Redacted] so there’s a good chance it will be broadcast.
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
Oh, and how about that baseline spin move for the reverse by 'Reke
That was nice.
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 Oct 8, 2009 8:11 AM PDT up reply actions
He was just standing there like "duhhhh... I didn't do it"
There was almost no reaction from him.
M—
I'm lovin' me some Brockman
Yeah raw plus/minus is not all that accurate, but Brockman just has a nose for the ball and he always hustles. And 7 out of 8 from the line is always a good thing from a front court player.
"I'm a man, but I can change.....if I have to......I guess." - Red Green
He was already starting
to get a really nice round of applause when he left the court. As the season goes on thats going to get a lot louder.
He drove the Blazers crazy by insisting on being in the right spot and battling for every ball. Very impudent by him they thought.
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions
Nocioni
As I think about it, is just a bad match-up against the Blazers. They’re the wrong team, too long and quick at the 3-4. He’ll be fine against other teams who play more physically rather than the Blazer ‘quick’ version.
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
yo ziller the funniest thing about x files intro is that we used to say that the battle between sergio and bayless was “alien vs. predator”… because………………… wait for it……………… sergio kind of looks like an alien and bayless kind of looks like predator
by Ben Golliver on Oct 8, 2009 10:17 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Here's what you don't seem to get about my frustration with Martin
As the one person here who doesn’t blather on endlessly about Martin like he was Lebron:
I like his shooting. Great set shooter. But because he is one-dimensional, I consider him far more of a glorified role player like Peja, but more efficient.
Obviously, what sucks is that he can’t pass (at all) or finish regularly at the rim— so often when teams clamp down on him, he just keeps shooting until the Kings reach their usual 9-pt. hole. Because he knows he’s the “franchise” guy, he has that mentality that he can singlehandedly finish off games, when he has proven time and time again that he can’t.
If he could find other players during some of his streaks, or ever mix it up, get physical and finish inside instead of trying to jump into opposing players and throw up weak shit—I would have no problem with him at all.
As it is, Ill take his great shooting; but I get sick of watching the Kings become a one-man show at crucial points in the game. Its much more enjoyable when they play as a team, both offensively and defensively. And Martin, Mr. poor man’s Reggie Miller, is simply not well-rounded enough to carry a team like he tries to. I don’t know if he ever will be.
Nobody said last night’s poor D was solely Martin’s fault. It was horrible team D, plain and simple. From what I could tell, the game was lost mainly because they had no answer for Oden and they continued to shoot like crap (apart from Martin).
Nobody here blathers on about Martin like he was Lebron
And that’s the problem many of us have with your continual bashing. You keep saying that like it’s true…but you’re really the only one SAYING IT.
We’ve discussed Kevin’s relative merits as a player for a long time here, and the impression of Kevin by the majority of the site (please someone tell me if I’m offbase) is he’s an exceptional scorer who needs to add some components to his game to become an elite player. The most obvious being his defense, but his ball handling, passing and rebounding could improve as well.
Your criticism of his offense is frustrating. Unless you think true shooting percentage is a voodoo statistic, then there’s very little debate that Kevin is one of the premier offensive players in the game, period. Whether you think he can finish or not at the rim, Kevin’s stats over the last few years have been achieved by very few NBA players.
I think most of us feel that Kevin is young enough that he could be a part of the finished product – but he’s not going to be the best player on anything other than a low level playoff caliber squad. Now he could be the second or third banana on an elite level squad. I think that has value…you seem to think otherwise.
Maybe Evans will be the elite player to take that pressure off of Kevin…we’ll see.
What the hell is Brett Favre doing here?
by otis29 on Oct 8, 2009 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
You're off base because you didn't consult my genius before commenting
Otherwise your views on Speed are 104% correct.
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Can't win for losing
And if he passes off he gets the reputation of a guy that won’t take the big shot.
The “finishes at the rim” thing mystifies me. It’s as though trips to the free throw line don’t count with you. Martin is one of the most efficient offensive players in the league. This is a statistical fact. I just don’t get where you’re coming from on this one, but I’ve never been known to be the sharpest pencil in the drawer.
Not that there were that many games last year that came down to a last shot, but who was Martin supposed to dish to? I remember Nocioni gagging an open baseline jumper late in the season, Douby short-rimming shots early on, and Natt simply not running any plays at the end of games (or the beginning or middle from what I could see).
I agree 100% that Martin should dish late in the games when he is pulling an extra defender along with him. This, of course, is providing that the rest of the team is actually running a play and a semi-reliable player is finding an open spot (for example, an open Garcia on the wing would be appealing, since he has buried these shots in the past).
And while you don’t blather on endlessly about Martin like he was LeBron, I would like to know who around here does. The general consensus on Martin around here seems to be:
- He is the best player on the Kings, due to his high rate of efficiency on the offensive end.
- He is not the cause of the Kings current woes, but he won’t be the primary cure.
- He needs to be the 2nd or 3rd best player on the team, but it is not his fault that he currently happens to be the best player on the team.
- This team would be much worse off without him, unless you think you can trade him for an all star, in which case you do have an inflated opinion of him.
If your frustration were that you were rooting for a team whose best player is Kevin Martin, I’d be with you, 100%. But your frustration seems to be with Martin, and that’s where you lose me, and seemingly the majority of the people around here. That doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. It just means that you have been unable to logically state why you’re right.
SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!
by section214 on Oct 8, 2009 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
Section makes a lot of sense but I do get what I think Virginia Blue is saying
It’s one thing to root for a bad team, it’s another to feel like you’re part of a fanbase that has fallen so in love with Mitch Richmond that they almost don’t mind the losing as long as Mitch’s numbers are so gorgeous.
Sometimes I think STR falls too deeply in love with K-Mart’s pretty numbers, and loses sight of what really adds up to W’s. Maybe that’s where VBlue is coming from.
Life is every mammal's journey from very very wet to very very dry.
Fair enough
But to have ignored the talent of Mitch Richmond would have been the same as ignoring the Kings, as he was the only thing worthwhile about the roster for quite a few years. I think the fair assessment would have been “Mitch Richmond is a helluva player. Too bad that he’s stuck with this bunch.” Mitch could have been Joe Dumars had he been in Detroit, or Clyde Drexler had he been in Houston.
Kevin Martin could be Ray Allen in Boston right now, or Vince Carter in Orlando. Instead, he is Kevin Martin in Sacramento. That’s unlucky for him, not for us.
SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!
I get ya'. Agreed.
Not right for us to nitpick KMart just because of his situation.
But let’s not over-focus on his aesthetics, either.
Life is every mammal's journey from very very wet to very very dry.
When there are few bright spots
to focus on, not focusing on the bright spots leads to very depressing reading. Some would prefer to keep a positive attitude.
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 Oct 8, 2009 5:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Question
If Martin were more like Rip Hamilton or Vince Carter from a defensive and assist standpoint, but his offensive efficiency dropped from 57% to 52% or 54%, does that make him better, worse or the same?
Martin – 24.6 on 57% TS, 3.6 Reb., 2.7 Ast.
Hamilton – 18.3 on 52% TS, 3.1 Reb., 4.4 Ast.
I don’t know the answer. I just know that Martin stacks up pretty will with these highly regarded 2-guards.
Carter – 20.8 on 54% TS, 5.1 Reb., 4.7 Ast.
SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!
And 1 -
I did not factor salaries (Martin makes far less than Rip and Vince), and I did not compare Martin to guys like Roy or Kobe, because they are Batman, and we have determined that Martin is not Batman.
Simply, can we agree that Martin is an upper echelon player who has faults and weaknesses, but that he is not the cause of the KIngs’ current lot in life?
SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!
an assist = 2 pts
for a teammate, so essentially KM is right there with Carter, a (rebound down) and superior to Hamilton by a statistically sig. degree.
Not a bad guy to have on your team (of course, I could be craaaazy)
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 6:01 PM PDT up reply actions
How dare Kevin Martin not play with Jason Kidd or on the Pistons teams
How dare he!
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Just one note from the game
KMart finished a great play right at the rim from Beno last night. He back cut, blew past his guy, and dunked one. Beno hit him a little low, just under the rim, so it was a little struggle to get it up and over, but that KMart is the one I remember before his ankle injury.
he saved an assist for Beno
by handling a ball many might not have
So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii
by lietothegirls on Oct 8, 2009 6:03 PM PDT up reply actions
I feel the same way.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a bunch of people blathering about K-Speed as if he was LeBron on here. But if someone did go on and on about Kevin Martin, who cares? When you’re a fan of a team that had 17 wins, you have to talk about something and Kevin Martin is it.
With all of his deficiencies, Kevin Martin is a still considered an all-star caliber by players and coaches around the league. There’s not a team in the league that would not want K-Speed on their team.
October 28th couldn't come soon enough.
Went to the game
The last run at the end was exciting. Such a shame he missed the 3. What was up with Noc pulling up from three so much? Oh well, it was fun.
And that's wassup.
by Sacramento_Strong on Oct 8, 2009 12:59 PM PDT reply actions
That's that vet leadership your always hearing about
He’s trying to show Donte how the 3 position is played.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
Donte a dissapointment???? anyone??
He who jumps into the void, owes no explanation to those who stand and watch - Jean Luc Godard
by LObSterBusH15 on Oct 8, 2009 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions
God, let's hope the Blazers can hang with the Lakers should they meet...
Thanks for this.
The plus/minus for Cass’ and Noc’ really stood out to me.
Also, I always felt Kevin Martin is best as a 1st option player disguised as a 2nd option. He always seemed to be more efficient when the opposing defense paid more of their attention to someone else (back then – Bibby & Artest / NOW – Tyreke). The best part of it all is that Tyreke won’t have problems passing the ball. Can’t wait for this season to start. Go Kings.
Now all we need is a deep front court…
October 28th couldn't come soon enough.
Ill take those arguments on Martin's behalf
And I can mostly agree with them; I do think Martin’s numbers tend to induce kool aid fanatics, and one reason I use the Lebron comparison is because Martin seems to be the only player off limits to ever trade or criticize here (I’m still not so sure if the Kings have another shit year, that they shouldn’t move in a different direction with a pure PG matched with Evans). And I disagree that Martin wouldn’t bring something very nice in return, such as a potential all-star. People have been gearing their game plans against him for a few years now, he is not a hidden commodity as Legler seems to suggest over on ESPN’s preview.
But for the time being, I just think Martin could make much needed strides as a team leader if he got other players involved offensively, and that is one area of his game that should’ve improved more by now.
That said, I am far more worried about our frontcourt right now then Evans and Martin. Even Beno seems to be playing better off the bench. But Thompson, Hawes and May need to step up their games big time before reg. season starts.
Well if you put it like that
you certainly have a lot of valid points, and I think a lot of people here agree with you too to a certain extent. It’s just that just about every game there’s an angry Martin bashing comment that seems like it’s a kneejerk reaction to a missed shot, and we’re just flat out sick of hearing it.
And I didn’t mean to call you out specifically with my comment. You were just the latest “offender” in a long list of “offenders” but after you’ve explained yourself a little more, I can at least see that you’re not an ungrateful douchebag like some of the other ones.
That is assuming you weren’t one of the trolls Martin-bashing in every game thread. If you were, then I think we’d all appreciate it if you made an attempt to develop your points a little more like you did in this thread. I would hope you can forgive us for being quite defensive of the few good players we do have on this team.
In Martin's defense...
Good players who evolve into great players who ‘make much needed strides as a team leader if he got other players involved offensively’ also have had great coaches. If Rick Adelman was still Kevin Martin’s coach, I have no doubts he would become that player. Who has been there to guide Kevin Martin to greatness in the past three seasons? Hopefully, he has a good coach who can help him improve his game in Westphal.
Although Kevin Martin has more than a few holes in his game and isn’t a franchise player, he’s still one of the top 6 players at his position in my opinion. I have no qualms about trading him as long as we get someone or something equal in return.
October 28th couldn't come soon enough.
If I were to trade Kevin Martin
I want Danny Granger.
Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.
Turning back to a positive
absolutely loving Casspi & Brockman right now. Energy guys off the bench! You gotta dig it.
Donte needs to follow those guys. Just start hustling, working his ass off on court and all his talent will make him shine.
What is causing Reke’s TOs? Any fixes, or is experience all he needs?
There's nothing to fear but everything.
AFAIK
a few were offensive fouls, two which were bad calls by the refs, and the rest were just silly mistakes that experience will fix.
Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Days of NBA Lives: Wherein Shane Battier knocks Greg Ostertag
- A preview of Tom Thibodeau’s All-Star coaching style
- The Three-Point Shootout participants have been named
- Jeremy Lin finally gets a new apartment, and a place in NBA history
- Wizards owner Ted Leonsis takes a needless swipe at his team’s fan bloggers
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
