When Magic Inevitably Fails: Bulls 101, Kings 87
by Ziller on Nov 18, 2009 8:10 AM PST
in Recaps
186 comments
Honestly, given the injury to Kevin Martin, five wins by the end of the November is a minor miracle. And there will be more on the next homestand (which includes the 1-9 Knicks and the 0-11 Nets), so let's not shovel dirt on the .500 Sacramento Kings just yet. But we knew the team was a bit over its head, specifically in a few key areas, and Tuesday's loss to Chicago reaffirmed that.
Sacramento's frontcourt is still in a bit of trouble, despite the fantastic growth of Jason Thompson's game. Joakim Noah dominated the game without a single play drawn up for him. He did a great job on the offensive glass, getting easy tips when the Kings bigs didn't box him out. At the other end, he helped force J.T. into 3-7 shooting (with none of those FGAs outside of five feet). Thompson and Kenny Thomas still led the Kings to a good overall showing on the offensive glass (13 rebounds in 42 opportunities), but that resulted in few points because the Kings shot terribly (31-60 on twos, a disastrous 4-21 on threes) and had more turnovers than an Austrian bakery. (Patissierie metaphor! Like what!)
Exactly two Kings scored efficiently, and if I told you one of them is named Donte Greene you'd burn me at the stake. Sergio Rodriguez -- ! -- was the other. Yes, this team's offense depended on superlative efforts from Donte Greene and Sergio Rodriguez. I don't mean this expression of surprise as a dismissal of the extensive talents of either -- I'm the biggest Donte supporter around -- but with all the other options, it's surprising that the young Greene and the denotative Sergio were the models of balance. Tyreke Evans had some monstrous drives and exclamatory defensive stands, but was too often unbalanced and uncomfortable. Spencer Hawes was an abject disaster in evert facet of the game, and his confidence is readably horrible. Beno Udrih wasn't awful, and in fact last season this type of performance would have registered as above average. But without Martin, the Kings need Udrih to be excellent, and he (13 points on 13 FGAs, five assists) was not near excellent.
One could chalk up the loss to a perfect storm of shooting woes, as in, the Bulls shot wonderfully and the Kings shot woefully. But the Bulls consistently got the shots they wanted. Paul Westphal and his staff know that Luol Deng wants that mid-range jumper, and you know he imparted that knowledge on his players. Yet possession after possession, Deng took open mid-range jumpers. Jannero Pargo may be a bit more difficult to account for, because at times you'd prefer he look to shoot than let someone else take the play, but when you see him with the glint of a thousand bonfires in his eye, and you know a spree (good or bad) is coming, you keep on eye on him. The Kings didn't, the Bulls ran away, and that was that.
I can't stress enough how badly the Kings need Hawes to perform better. He knows this too -- he can't not know it. Effectively, he has been no better than Sean May was in the same spot. Since the Memphis game (Hawes's last off the bench), Spencer's offense has been mediocre. His defense comes and goes, and it just wasn't there against the springy Noah and the crafty Brad Miller. Many of us (guilty, I am) have extraordinary expectations for Hawes, but we don't need all that right now. I can take ordinary. But subpar ain't working, as Tuesday so cleanly elucidated. The Kings have survived the struggles for the most part (4-2 with Hawes off his game), but that won't work in Dallas or Houston, and heck, maybe not in Memphis. The Kings may not compete in Dallas even if Hawes draws upon the Myth of the Next Dirk Nowitzki, because the Mavericks are good and the Kings are average, but without Spencer there is no shot. No shot. (Double emphasis! That means I really meant that! Plaschke like what! Oh, wait, actually that'd be ...
... but without Spencer, there is no shot.
No shot.
No.
Shot.
, right?)
The Donte Greene Show, ladies and gentlemen: 24 points on 19 FGAs, five rebounds, a steal and zero turnovers. Dirk is going to do some mad recruitment for the German national team on Friday.
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Spence
I just posted a Fanpost on Spencer before Ziller wrote his article. He is just not getting it done. Maybe I just have just posted it here after Ziller wrote his article? I agree, with no Spence we have no chance. If you are interested, you can read my fanpost.
by noreboundsnorings on Nov 18, 2009 8:17 AM PST reply actions
Why Spencer? Why?
How is it possible Spence has gotten worse this year? Does anyone have a good explanation? It does look like confidence is a problem. I guess we can now admit that all those pre-season fears of Hawes going backward are true.
Um...yeah
An uncontested airball from the middle of the key? Yeah. Something’s not right in Spencer’s head. Still, there IS nobody better than him that’s worthy of the minutes as of right now.
Wasn't there some mention of Coachie working with Spencer on his 3pt shooting
Maybe he’s just in the middle of a shot change. Or, maybe, coachie has him thinking too much about his technic and it’s not coming naturally anymore.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
Oh, and this game and last are why we need Martin bad
Ridiculous to think Beno is a Martin replacement.
10 games
Does not a season make. Let’s not be fickle.
Sad
This really was sad to watch. The defense of Evans was amazing. Sergio and Donte’ stepped it up in a huge way…
Otherwise, the lack of roster depth really showed so glaringly. Kind of depressing.
I thought Spencer had moments during the winning streak
of playing better than his stats indicated, of being ordinary as TZ puts it, but he’s had several games of being horrible.
And if he’s not going to start making some 3’s, it might be time to rethink the team offense some.
Professional Hyperbole Slayer
If we had our 3 of our best players on offense back, we would have won
Bulls shouldn’t feel too good about themselves. With Kevin, Andres, Cisco, we would have scored 120 and they’d be sucking their thumbs thinking about the Lakers tonight.
Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance. Vonnegut
The Bulls average 88ppg
Our problem isn’t offense. Well, maybe last night. Our problem as a team is that we allow teams to shoot the 5th highest percentage in the league against us.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
This game looked wrong in the first few minutes
Something was off about them last night they just did not have that spring in their steps we have been seeing. I think PW should of revoked the 3 point shot pass earlier in the game I was getting tired of the bricks.
No rotation on defense
That was what stuck out more than anything else (besides turnovers and 3-pt suckage). The Bulls seemed to swing the ball from one side of the court to the other easily; each time they did so, the Kings were slow to rotate to cover the open man. I don’t recall that happening too often during their 4-game win streak. I think the loss of Nocioni as a pester-type defender hurt the Kings in this one. He would’ve kept Salmons out on the perimeter and Deng wouldn’t have been able to shoot from the top of the key.
by clicc916 on Nov 18, 2009 9:27 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
One too many bodies missing
on a team thats too young, both in its personnel and its experience with each other.
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 Nov 18, 2009 9:44 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Chicago seemed to have the best defense of any team the King's faced this year.
Obviously that was a major role in the outcome.
Ba-da
There were times when the Bulls had 5 players in the paint, as we drove the ball.
we still outscored them in the paint. Our problem early was that we had Spencer passing to Beno in the paint where he got blocked or had to back out. Where he needed a PG who could get the ball to our bigs in the paint instead of the other way around. That’s why we did so well with Sergio running the team.
With Beno & Tyreke in the backcourt together. the Kings know one of them is going to drive into the paint and maybe kick out. With Sergio on the Point, they know if they run off of screens and get clear, Sergio’s going to get them the ball. So, there’s more movement with Sergio. With Beno & Tyreke, the Bulls had no fewer than 4 players in the paint, while our players stood around outside the 3pt line.
We played right in the the Bulls game plan. We allowed them to clog the paint and shut down JT & Tyreke’s game.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
...and missed our shots
"Sometimes the capriciousness of youth anesthetizes common sense." -Let Geoff's words guide our patience this season.
by AnotherStupidSN on Nov 18, 2009 1:21 PM PST up reply actions
yeah, but if we hit our threes it's a different game.
We can’t turn the ball over like crazy and miss all our 3s and expect to win.
Even though we did just that against the UnSonics.
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 18, 2009 1:26 PM PST up reply actions
Last night watching JT in the paint
was like watching a lone man in a bar brawl.
Yep
He was pretty lonely in there
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 Nov 18, 2009 2:10 PM PST up reply actions
And, PW playing 3 PG's, JT and K9, didn't help any,
I still can’t believe he went with that lineup.
We have been winning by outrebounding teams and getting 2nd chance pts. And, if Tyreke, Beno, and Sergio were shooting well, it might have worked. But, JT & K9 offered no scoring inside and Noah was manhandling JT on the boards. And the guards didn’t help our rebounding, so for the most part it was one shot and out.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
lttg
You nailed in …4 starters, three had to play really well, and just 1 did (maybe). We had to pray Greene gave us something, and he exceeded our expectations. The Bench, consisted of what would be players 8,(Casspi), 10 Udoka, 11 Rodriguez 12 Thomas (brockman and May 13 and 14 if everyone is healthy.
That group is decent defensively but inconsistent offensively, as a group they did ok.
I think Noc is the straw that broke tcb. Without him the current group has to be almost perfect.
I am hoping for a road win, so we can get back above 500 with the Nets and Knicks
funny, I didn't even notice
Yeah, its one body short, one skilled Vet too short to hold things in any semblance of control at this stage in the careers of the kids.
But Kenny did well, hell I’m happy when he doesn’t shoot.
On our team Udoka is the 8th (oh, with KM and Cisco out? – right 10th man) but he’s a player that it suprises me was looking for a job. We’re lucky to have him right now. If he had stepped up big? – well, he didn’t.
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 Nov 18, 2009 7:45 PM PST up reply actions
But clearly we lost this game
because of TOs and substandard nights from JT and Hawes. (I sure hope we can still consider this a substandard night from Hawes)
Those guys have decent nights and maybe, even without Noc.
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 Nov 18, 2009 8:12 PM PST up reply actions
Spencer Hawes
What I don’t like is how Spencer evaluates shots. He doesn’t seem to be concerned with who is under the basket when he’s shooting, and doesn’t see the fast break that follows a miss. Guards do this, forwards do this, all by instinct after years of playing that position. That is why he is a center. That is why most Centers will shoot 3s from the corner, and not the top of the key, when they do. So guards are in position to defend the break!!
He can make the 3pt shot, but should he be, ever? I personally hate the 3pt shooting center, and I have a hard time thinking of a championship team with that kind of center. So why do so many Centers try and "add that’ to their game? It is nice to have a 3 from that position once and a while, but I prefer it to be because a foul was involved.
I have a few thoughts
1. WhooHoo! 87 points!, mostly from guys who don’t usually score! Trade Kevin Martin! Who needs him?
2. Another big to dump into and make a few simple lay-ups/dunks, play defense when someone is stinking it up, would be – good.
3. Some games we seem to have plays and execute them, some games we don’t. This was a don’t. Kids and new teammates. Hope the roster settles down soon. (after the addition of, you know, an All-Star)
4. PW needs to have a practice session called
‘What to do when you’re double teamed: The Art of not dribbling the ball away.’
5. Another: ‘When in doubt – pass, when passing doubt – just shoot the round leather thingy’
6. Where did this Donte’ Greene guy come from? Keep it up son, we’re proud of you! (minor note: think pass to open Israeli’s now and then)
7. How do we feel about quickly trading the steadying influence of one Andres Nocioni today?
8. Beno played excellent, not good, defense on Derrick Rose, there, I said it.
9. Hawes’game is a mess right now. (What, you didn’t notice?)
10. Dallas next (oh boy)
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 Nov 18, 2009 9:38 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
11. They need to stop televising LIVE in Israel for a month
Its too much for Casspi right now.
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 Nov 18, 2009 9:46 AM PST up reply actions
Good thoughts
One tiny thing to make it slightly better (that you may already know):
Alt + 0233 = “é”
"Sometimes the capriciousness of youth anesthetizes common sense." -Let Geoff's words guide our patience this season.
by AnotherStupidSN on Nov 18, 2009 12:08 PM PST up reply actions
I've tried before but here goes
nope
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 Nov 18, 2009 12:18 PM PST up reply actions
Hmmmm
Not sure why that would bé, but I guéss I’ll givé you a fréé pass on thosé.
/petty nagging
"Sometimes the capriciousness of youth anesthetizes common sense." -Let Geoff's words guide our patience this season.
by AnotherStupidSN on Nov 18, 2009 12:21 PM PST up reply actions
nothin'
I’ll try on my desktop, maybe different system? Who knows
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 Nov 18, 2009 12:35 PM PST up reply actions
Are you using the number pad?
It doesn’t work with the numbers that are above the letters. I think it’s different on laptops too. FWIW, both [alt]+0233 (é) and [alt] +130 work on my desktop (é)
Could try playing with some other alt codes.
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 18, 2009 1:15 PM PST up reply actions
thé kéy is to use the number pad
I was never able to do it before.
Life is every mammal's journey from very very wet to very very dry.
réally? I guéss so…
Sharlon Schoop - de favoriete Nederlandse honkbalspeler van McCovey Chronicles.
You always have to be one step ahead of your drunk friends
--Daisy Owl
if you are using the numpad, remember to have numlock on.
Sharlon Schoop - de favoriete Nederlandse honkbalspeler van McCovey Chronicles.
You always have to be one step ahead of your drunk friends
--Daisy Owl
on a laptop?
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 Nov 18, 2009 1:54 PM PST up reply actions
guess you’re just screwed then.
Sharlon Schoop - de favoriete Nederlandse honkbalspeler van McCovey Chronicles.
You always have to be one step ahead of your drunk friends
--Daisy Owl
wéll i’ll bé damnéd
Sharlon Schoop - de favoriete Nederlandse honkbalspeler van McCovey Chronicles.
You always have to be one step ahead of your drunk friends
--Daisy Owl
LTTG-
try to use the Fn key + Alt key then use the number pad hiding in you laptop key board to hit 0223 (letters mkkl).
No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.
-Ron Artest (e-mail exchange with Kyle Slavin)
nope
I’ll try later on my desktop
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 Nov 18, 2009 2:09 PM PST up reply actions
Are you holding down the Fn and Alt while typing the mkkl?
No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.
-Ron Artest (e-mail exchange with Kyle Slavin)
Or just copy and paste
Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.
You're just shittin' with us now!
"Sometimes the capriciousness of youth anesthetizes common sense." -Let Geoff's words guide our patience this season.
by AnotherStupidSN on Nov 18, 2009 8:48 PM PST up reply actions
I definitely think (surprise!) Noce would have made a big difference in last night's game.
Still, there’s got to be a time for guys like Greene, Casspi, Rodriguez etc to learn how to deal with situations like these right? Might as well be now.
There can only be one Noce!
I have liked the way Noc has played on this team since
we picked him up in trade last winter. Personally, I think we should hang on to him for the rest of the seasson and possibly another. Unless he is part of a trade that significantly improves the team and denotes success I say keep him for a while longer. The thing that frustrates me about him is his streaky shooting (same for Cisco) but I love his hustle and commitment to strong D.
Right now he represents our most movable vet contract, other than Kevin’s . He is well regarded around the league and doesn’t have a horribly overpriced contract and would really help a contender around the trade deadline. I have big doubts that Cisco is going to be effective when he returns and at the very least I think we should hold on to Noc through the season. If Cisco can return to form by the start of next season then Noc becomes more expendable.
"I make love to pressure" - Stephen Jackson
Team game just wasn't there
Omri’s line – 4 pts, 4 costly turnovers (felt like more than that) and 0 assists in 18 minutes. Not enough was made about Noc’s presence missing. His grit, 3’s, and familiarity with the Bulls would’ve been a nice addition.
Missing 3 of our (arguably) best players, and Shock/Hawes both having off nights won’t cut it against the Nets, much less the bulls (although after re-watching, JT’s first 3 fouls were wrong, and it took him out of the game). Let’s hope Dante’s star keeps rising, who Nattin’ knew?
I also wish one of the previous “coaches” had stood up to the Maloofs and played KT, not playing for 2+ years and still can play the game.
This loss will bring us down to earth a little, but 30+ wins still doesn’t seem as far away as it did 4 weeks ago.
Kings - 2011/2012 Champions
We probably got a little lucky in the Houston game
They shot below average and we shot above. We were also lucky to survive Utah’s 4th quarter comeback attempt. But, with games at Memphis, NY, NJ, & NO without CP3, there’s still a chance we finish the first month & a half with a 9 & 7 record.
But, don’t go doing the divide 82 by 16 and multiple by 9 thing to get our win total for the season. This has been the weakest part of our schedule. And, unless we make a player move to shore up our backcourt, or somehow the team starts to figure out how to play PW defense, this is still a 25 win team.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
I did the divide 82 by 16 and multiply by 9
We’re going to win 46.125 games.
Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.
Don't write me a check and send it to this P.O. Box
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
Sense of entitlement
The Kings played like all they had to do was step on the floor and they’d win. The Bulls were hungrier and played as a team. JT pulling a disappearing act didn’t help. I also thought Westphal gave up too early, and that sent the wrong message.
To play to their potential, the Kings need to hustle and fight every night. They just didn’t do enough of that last night.
"The basis for winning an NBA title is having a superstar in his prime. Not an all-star, or a bunch of all-stars, but a superstar."
by coolcatreportdotcom on Nov 18, 2009 10:11 AM PST reply actions
Chicago knows how to win though
While they dont win a ton of games, the bulk of that team is intact from last year. They learned how to win some games and have more vets than the kings can put out. Those things will come in time and experience as they get older as a team. What I did like is in the fourth quarter they were still playing which is the difference from last year.
by Hilton on Nov 18, 2009 11:13 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I think last year
this game would have been over in the 3rd quarter. Even though we caught the L, there were definite signs of Westphal’s new team attitude. The one play that sticks out the most is when John Salmons had an easy lay-up and KENNY THOMAS came up from behind and pinned it against the backboard. Wow, didn’t think I’d say that at the beginning of the season.
It seemed like the Kings were maybe one big three or a couple of fast break points away from closing the gap in the fourth quarter. However, it is hard to do that when we miss free throws at the end of the game. I loved Donte’s performance and hope to see more of it but he has to make free throws down the stretch. Also, I loved Sergio’s alley to ’Reke that was definitely top play material because that pass was a little high but Evans went up and got it.
The loss stops the winning streak, just means it’s time to start another one.
by MTBalla on Nov 18, 2009 10:13 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
watching the game
even when we closed it to 7 I didn’t feel like we had a chance. We couldn’t stop them all night from a defensive standpoint, and even when we could we just didn’t have anyone who could reliably hit a bucket when we needed one. I think when injuries mount up at some point you just don’t have the talent to compete in the nba, and last night that was the case.
by Travis Mays Hayes on Nov 19, 2009 12:30 AM PST up reply actions
Turnovers, defense and lack of bench production
I think JT had 7 turnovers alone. He needs to learn how to go into the paint without dribbling so much.
Isn't it the job of the PG to get the ball to the bigs deep in the paint so they don't have to dribble?
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
We have bigs that set up deep in the paint?
consistantly?
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 Nov 18, 2009 1:31 PM PST up reply actions
Well Spencer races down on every offensive possession and tries to get position in the low blocks.
JT has shown some improvement with his left hand and his half hook. And, Spencer had some good low post moves in the game. We just don’t ever see any of our guards (Beno & Tyreke) getting the ball into the paint where JT & Spencer don’t have to back someone down or put the ball on the floor.
Spencer tries, but then when he doesn’t get the ball, he moves out to open the lane. Because as we all know, Tyreke, Beno, & Martin are eventually going to drive the lane and shot or pass outside hopefully to an open shooter. It’s the only offense we ever run.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
I have a question re: this "deep in the post" situation
Every once in awhile, early in an offensive set, I’ll see JT in the paint about 8 feet from the basket with his defender outside of him and he has his hand raised for the person with the ball, usually near the top of the key, to pass him the ball. I’ve never spent much time on the court so I can’t envision the passing angle but it always looks like he has a lot of daylight between him and the basket but he rarely if ever gets the pass in there. Is that just a high risk pass, a decoy on his part to draw a second defender? What’s teh story, why isn’t that play executed? Anyone?
No, he has position
its up to the player with the ball to find the angle to get him the ball. If he hasn’t already lost his dribble, he moves if the angle isn’t good. Or, if he has lost his dribble, he can pass to a player who has the best angle to get the ball into the post player.
It’s just not a skill that Beno or Tyreke have mastered yet. That’s why, more often than not you’ll see Spencer make the pass from the high post or FT line extended.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
I don't think he's deep enough
If he’s not just barely out of the paint, he too far out. But either way he’s not getting the ball quickly enough. By the time he gets it its obvious to everyone on the court he’s about to get it (if you know what I mean).
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 Nov 18, 2009 7:36 PM PST up reply actions
JT doesn't seem to get a lot of lift when he takes the ball to the hoop.
I think he dribbles more to gather himself and prepare for taking it up. He seems to get more elevation when he goes for a rebound or a tip in than he often does on his first shot.
"I make love to pressure" - Stephen Jackson
There were some really wild passes to Thompson also.
A couple of times he was led right into defenders and couldn’t come up with the pass. I kind of feel like Rodriguez has some really amazing passing skills but he has yet to get comfortable with his teammates and has very little chemistry with players like Thompson and Hawes.
No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.
-Ron Artest (e-mail exchange with Kyle Slavin)
He's averaging 9 minutes per game in only 6 games
How is a playmaking guard going to get comfortable and develop chemistry in such short minutes. Maybe if he was more of a shooting type guard like Bobby Jax, but when your entire strenght depends on you making tough passes and quick decisions, then you need alot more game time experience.
Beno is a better shooter than he is a passer & playmaker. With Keven & Cisco out he is the next best option for playing the 2 other than Tyreke. But, when we getting shut down by an opposing defense we need a playmaker not a poor imitation of Martin. And, at some time this year we need to acknowledge that Tyreke isn’t the best playmaker on the team. Just because he’s our rookie sensation and future star, he might not always be the best player to have at PG.
IMHO, our best option later on will be Tyreke & Sergio at PG & Martin & Cisco at SG. Until then Sergio at PG & Tyreke at SG should be our starting backcourt. Tyreke is averaging 17ppg because of what he can do on the court and not because of anything that Beno does or threatens to do. Let Beno come off the bench and sub at both the 1 & 2. Sergio will set up Tyreke and the rest of the team and Tyreke will be Tyreke when he needs to be.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
Have you watched him play?
Rodriguez can’t shoot and plays zero defense. He is a fun guy to watch when he starts flipping the ball around but Beno is proving that he is a legitimate option as the Kings third guard and certainly a starter until Martin gets back. With Rodriguez on the court, the spacing was horrible and Evans had no room to operate. Rodriguez also had major issues with entry passes into the post. It’s almost like he had to dribble all the way to his teammate and then hand the ball off.
Oh yeah, and Beno is under contract for 3 1/2 more years, Rodriguez will be gone as cap filler in a trade or via FA at the end of the season. Again, I don’t hate Sergio Rodriguez, I just think he is a long way away from being an NBA regular- even as a bench player.
No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.
-Ron Artest (e-mail exchange with Kyle Slavin)
What game are you talking about
Beno was 5 of 13 and Sergio was 4 or 6, so which guard can’t shoot. Sergio had just as many assists as Beno in half the PT. He was also equal to Beno in rebounds in half the PT, while giving up one less turn over and matching Beno in steals.
Most of Sergios 5 assists in 17minutes we’re to Tyreke & Donte with one to Beno. Beno got 4 of his 5 assists in the 1st quarter, but after the Bulls defense settled in, Beno added nothing. Sergio’s assists came at the end of the 3rd and in the 4th quarter, when the Kings were making their surge to get back in the game.
The only guard that hurt us was Pargo but he got 10 or his 12 pts in the 1st & early 2nd quarter before Sergio ever got into the game. Hinrich got 3 pts on 1 for 9 shooting and Rose got most of his 10pts off of Beno. So, I don’t see how you can say Sergio played bad defense. Especially when you consider how bad the Kings team defense was in general.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
lol sample size
Sharlon Schoop - de favoriete Nederlandse honkbalspeler van McCovey Chronicles.
You always have to be one step ahead of your drunk friends
--Daisy Owl
HT knows that (I'm sure)
but he’s responsind got JJ’s criticism o fSergio for THIS particular game. I agree that Sergio was actually helping the team more than Beno was, at least for lat night’s game.
Godfather of the "nice ass" movement.... the future begins now...
One game.
Beno was 5 of 13 and Sergio was 4 or 6, so which guard can’t shoot.
Beno Udrih is shooting .510 from the floor on the season, and ,429 from three. He is a career .448 shooter and .355 from three.
Sergio Rodriguez is a career .391 shooter and is shooting slightly below that this so far this season at .389. He is 3 or 5 (.600) from three so far this season but career wise he is .309 shooter from behind the arc.
Beno played horrific defense last season but he has improved so far this season. Sergio Rodriguez doesn’t ever try.
My quote:
Rodriguez can’t shoot and plays zero defense.
Your quote:
So, I don’t see how you can say Sergio played bad defense.
There is a difference between a player who “plays zero defense” and a player who “played bad defense”. I was implying that Sergio Rodriguez never plays defense and you miss quoted me saying that in a specific game Sergio played bad defense. I don’t make judgments on players overall skill by looking at one game. I have watched every minute of Rodriguez’s play this season and also watched him play in Portland and conclude to my standards that he plays zero defense.
Rodriguez had a few brilliant assists last night, hit a three and had a couple of lay-ups but I still believe that the Kings would have been a better team with him on the bench. Donté Greene also played well last night but I think the Kings would have fared better with Andres Nocioni on the floor for 30+ minutes instead.
No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.
-Ron Artest (e-mail exchange with Kyle Slavin)
That game, I hope, represents a new Sergio
Time will tell, but it would be so great if we see more of the Sergio who played last night. He came out on fire and lit it up big time.
Can PW pull of this miracle? Please God!!
And Donte couldn't play at all last year,
I’m neither willing to accept the past numbers or discount this seasons numbers. Last year Sergio was on a different team, playing under a different system. Last year Beno was playing under Theus & Natt. If you’d like to think that you can judge their individual worth by last years numbers, be my guest.
I really don’t care if Sergio isn’t the greatest shooter. Last night he was the best playmaker and PG. Having only played 55 minutes all season, I don’t expect up to be the next great PG of the Sacramento Kings. But, for last night he was the best we had. And, when you don’t have a great deal of talent, you better play the best you have.
In case you haven’t noticed the Kings are playing zone because they don’t have a lot of great defenders and most of the players don’t have a handle on PW’s defense yet. You are welcome to your opinion that Sergio plays ZERO defense, and I apologize for misquoting you.
You may be right, I’m less than perfect in my opinions. But, this time I’m going to have to go with my gut. I just don’t think a PG who can’t shoot, and plays ZERO defense could last 3 minutes in this league let alone 3 years. I’ve just got to think that the NBA professionals know more than you.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
?
Rodriguez had a few brilliant assists last night, hit a three and had a couple of lay-ups but I still believe that the Kings would have been a better team with him on the bench.
How can you say the above after Beno was playing like crap and Sergio came in to light it up like that? You must really dislike Sergio to be able to ignore the fact that he played outstanding basketball last night.
Well....
Beno did put up 13 and 5 and Derek Rose did absolutely nothing so I’m wondering where he was “playing like crap”. The Kings as a team got themselves in a hole. No one player pulled the team out of it and maybe you can point to Thompson as one guy who really did his best to get them in that hole. I saw a moment in the 4th when Rodriguez led a break and made a nice play and the crowd was into it but he was also still on the court when it all fell apart again minutes later.
Passing point guards off the bench are supposed to come in and give the team a lift in energy. Rodriguez did do that last night but there was a moment in the fourth when the change of pace PG had run its course and it was time to re-insert the starters. Westphal failed to see this point and the Kings lost because they were out coached.
No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.
-Ron Artest (e-mail exchange with Kyle Slavin)
Beno hits one more shot and he's 6-13, 5 assist 2 TOs
Not All Star but not sucks either. And he really kept Rose in check, really stayed in front of him.
Rose was 2-12, a lot of the time Beno was guarding him. He’s giving all his effort, whatever else you have to say.
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 Nov 18, 2009 8:00 PM PST up reply actions
Sergio had a great night offensively
sure, he’s not a great defender but he is the best passer on the team. He’d be even better if he knew where people were going to be, knew thier tendancies better. He’s a great passer actually.
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 Nov 18, 2009 8:02 PM PST up reply actions
I really only saw the second half of the 4th quarter
but I was wondering also why Beno wasn’t in the game when the Sergio-led comeback couldn’t quite get over the hump. I went to the post-game thread and asked if it made sense that Sergio stayed-in to people who watched the entire game, and the response I got was that Sergio was probably the one with a better chance of keeping the offense going in this game.
I had the same “it was time to re-insert the starters” feeling as you (especially as Beno has proven to be rather clutch so far this season), but again, having come into the game so late I don’t really feel like I have much credibility on the matter.
"Sometimes the capriciousness of youth anesthetizes common sense." -Let Geoff's words guide our patience this season.
by AnotherStupidSN on Nov 18, 2009 9:02 PM PST up reply actions
Beno was meh
OK, he played really good defense. I will give him that, but he plays too close to the lane and clogs it up. His shot wasn’t really hitting and the be offense was stagnant with him in there. They had him pretty well scouted out.
The thing is that the Bulls completed scouted out the Kings and doubled every player we had when they got the ball in their favorite shooting places. The Bulls played great defense.
IMHO, I think the reason why we had Sergio and Donte’ play so well is that the Bulls couldn’t prepare for them. They were unknowns and man did that Sergio really play. Loves those passes and when they covered for the pass he took it to the hole and made them.
Good point on the Bulls being ready
and not being able to set a game plan against Donte or Sergio. It defintely seemed like they did their homework on Reke and JT
Godfather of the "nice ass" movement.... the future begins now...
Thanks
It was clear that they knew exactly when and where to double each and every one of our guys, except Serg and Donte’.
I would really like to see JT learn to play off of the doubles. He has the passing skills and if the other teams are going to be doubling him and Reke down low then they need to kick out.
The problem is that we need 3 pointers dropping to make that work and it ain’t happening. Beno could be out making them, but gets to damned close in.
Coach Westpahl was on with Peaches today
and touched a bit on what he would like JT to do when doubled. He knows JT can pass off the double team but the problem right now is that spacing is not great. Many of us have noted this before and it’s clear out there that sometimes our young guys are not spreading the floor enough.
Godfather of the "nice ass" movement.... the future begins now...
I noticed that
Spacing in general was bad. Noc is great at spreading the floor. The guys who were playing kept close to the paint. Too close.
The coach should hook some of those shocking dog collars to them. Have them scrimmage and when players get too close he can push the button to shock the crap out of them.
That’d learn’em :)
Donte had a good game, because he's bigger
and more athletic than anyone Chicago could put on him. And, Noah couldn’t leave JT to help out, for fear that JT would go off on the offensive boards.
But, the Bulls plan to shutdown JT & Tyreke isn’t going to be unique. We’ll see a lot of that until Martin comes back.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
Also,
JT and Evans shots are from easily identifiable areas and prepared for by other teams. That isn’t so true for Donte’, Sergio, Noc or Casspi.
Donte’ is not as easily scouted as he is apt to shoot from all over. This versatility is one of the pluses that Noc brings as well as does some of the other players.
Sergio is something of a wild card in general because how can you prepare for those bounce passes. He is able to turn, screen and dish to a shooter or pass through defenders.
The scouting on this team has clearly been done. Time to learn how to cope.
Nice point.
It seems to be we did the same thing. Deng couldn’t get going at first while Rose couldn’t get going at all. It was the hitherto cold Salmons and the surprising Pargo who killed us in the 2nd quarter.
There can only be one Noce!
Yes
Pargo was flat out killing us. Salmons got so completely covered by Tyreke at times. I couldn’t believe it. Unforunately, you can’t stop Deng and Salmons all the time.
I was one of the ones that answered that question
and I truly felt that Sergio did a better job at running the team and there wouldn’t have been even a slight chance of a comeback if it wasn’t for his play. Whatever he’s done in the past is something else, we’re discussing last night’s game, and for this paticular game Sergio was better for the team than Beno, at least from my seat.
Now, I see a lot of “time to re-insert the starters” comments and while understand I don’t think some realize that’s not how the Kings have been playing. PW has gone with his gut most of the time since he started coaching this team. He stays with whoever is hot and whoever thinks is doing the best job. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that ‘starters’ have not finished every win (and every loss for that matter).
Is that good or bad? I personally don’t have a problem with it. We’re 5-5 and no one brought this up when we were winning. I remember talking about this before the winning streak but it stopped being a topic of debate with the wins. I’m not saying I don’t agree with the criticism (I feel is somehow warranted), I just feel like is being discussed now because we lost the game.
And on that same token, I don’t really know if we have enough talent that should absolutely be out there during certain situations. Maybe Reke or JT, but I don’t really see anyone being so important that they need to be on the court at the end of the game without a doubt.
Godfather of the "nice ass" movement.... the future begins now...
Exactly correct
Sergio brought the team within range of a potential comeback. He deserved to stay in the game based on his play.
Good points guys
food for 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 Nov 18, 2009 10:46 PM PST up reply actions
PW's approach
This is what gets the most out of the players. That is why he does it. Players have to have their A game on or they get pulled and somebody else gets the minutes who is playing better.
We get more wins, better performance from players, and it leads to a more positive culture within the team. I love it.
In general, I try to give Coach the benefit of the doubt
There’s a reason why he’s the coach and I’m not, so I try not to grandstand on these kinds of decisions too much. However, in this particular case it wasn’t so much a “your starters should finish the game” thing (even though that’s pretty much the statement I piggy-backed on from jjham15) as it was feeling that if we could just hit one or two shots towards the end there, we might have stolen that game.
The guys that were in could not hit that big shot. With Noce hurt, who on that roster do you feel best about making those big shots, especially wide-open ones? To me, the answer is definitively Beno.
"Sometimes the capriciousness of youth anesthetizes common sense." -Let Geoff's words guide our patience this season.
by AnotherStupidSN on Nov 19, 2009 8:44 AM PST up reply actions
Beno has made a lot of clutch shots and plays so far
no doubt. Passing to the open Israeli in the corner (44% from 3) would be a good idea as well – though I think the televising of every Kings game live in Israel is in his head.
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 Nov 19, 2009 12:08 PM PST up reply actions
Few options.
I disagree to some degree that Beno was the answer. This goes back to my point above. They have him scoped out. They know he will look for his little jump shot off of a screen.
I think that PW had few options with our guys out. The Bull gored us good that time. They came in with exactly the right plans and our offense completely mapped out.
If you map out our offense with the people we had on the floor you will see that most of our players take their shots from 1 – 15 feet out. This is true for JT, Tyreke, and Beno.
You cover the inside, just outside the paint, and you got just about got everybody covered. You can easily rotate the defense and thereby double every player we had looking to shoot.
The only other option that I see, that could have been done, would have been to put in Omri, Dante’, and Spencer. Set them up, spaced well, along the 3 point line. and have either Tyreke or JT kick out of the double teams for them to shoot.
I would say Beno could be one of these three, but you would have to make him sit there. He drifts towards the paint too much.
Interrupted 5 times
I was interrupted repeatedly and didn’t re-read before posting. I think I was too restrictive.
There were probably lots of other options for how to play against the Bulls. They had us scouted well, but the one option I presented was that, just one option.
My point being, we have to change our offense up and shoot from more places on the floor, primarily IMHO this should be out farther from the paint.
Didn't get to watch the game cause of work but did have my phone providing constant updates
And even from that, I could tell it just wasn’t going to be our night. I remember fiddling with my phone for a second to see if it had stopped refreshing because it seemed to be stuck on “Janerro Pargo hits 17 foot jumper and Donte Greene misses 25 foot 3 pointer” for about 5 minutes, but no that wasn’t the case. I’m glad Donte had a nice game, but I wonder what could have been if he had taken the ball inside instead of shooting 8 3s. He was 2-8 from 3, but 8-11 from 2. Plus he got fouled a bit.
The whole team really couldn’t hit a 3 ball to save their life, and I don’t know if it was just good Chicago defense, or bad Sac shooting (again, didn’t watch game). Our assist:turnover was absolutely atrocious, and I think thats why Sergio got some burn (did nicely too).
‘Reke looks like he won the battle of Tigers this round, but Rose’s team came out with the win so I don’t know how much stock to put in that. Noah dominated Hawes and JT (no double-double, no win), and Salmons came out of his shooting slump at the wrong damn time.
Chicago wanted this win more and I think the Kings might have been getting a little cocky. I think Dallas is going to be another sobering night for the Kids to realize they’re not “all that” yet.
Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.
by Aykis16 on Nov 18, 2009 10:24 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Salmons defending Tyreke, instead of Rose
This is the problem with playing Tyreke and Beno together. Rose switched to Beno on defense and Salmons defended Tyreke. So, the guards cancelled each other out. Rose & Salmons scored 33pts and Tyreke & Beno scored 33pts. But, Salmons & Rose had 6 steals and Tyreke & Beno had 6 turnovers.
We lose any advantage with having Tyreke playing PG.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
What about with Kevin?
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 Nov 18, 2009 1:36 PM PST up reply actions
Well Kevin isn't available,
When he and Cisco return then they take Beno’s place in the backcourt with Tyreke. Until then, PW needs to start dictating how the other coach has to defend Tyreke. Maybe playing Tyreke & Omri or Tyreke and Udoka. Either combo, would have been interesting to see. Rose hasn’t been scoring well, the Udoka’s defense and Omri’s lengh might have force Chicago to move Rose onto Tyreke.
We are not a good defensive team, so we need to find rotations that give us the mismatch on offense and take our chances that we can outscore and out husle the other team. Making our offense weaker, to impove our defense isn’t helping.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
We Proved that already
I just think its a tough spot, now no Noce either. I’m not sure how many noticed that he was making clutch D plays and hitting shots at key mementum moments.
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 Nov 18, 2009 2:22 PM PST up reply actions
There's no doubt that Noc brings alot of offense & defense
But, Donte more than filled in during Noc’s absence. What we did miss was the bench scoring and defense, but the bench has only been average at best. Although occasionally, one of our bench players have stepped up (Donte’s 17pt game & Omri’s 10 rebound game).
Alot of our clutch plays were just lucking. Noc’s 4pt play & Tyreke banking in a couple of long shots as the clock expired. You can’t be lucky all the time And, the truth is that Noc is only shooting at an average pace of 42% from the field and 33% from 3 pt range while shooting only 65% from the FT line.
Is he more consistent then our other options at SF, Yes. Is he above average when compared to other SF starters across the league, No. Did his being out cost us the game, No. Will either Donte or Omri take his stop in the starting lineup, Yes, and sooner than some people believe.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
I'd have to disagree (a little bit).
The 4 pt play wasn’t lucky. Noce’s feet were set, he was in rhythm and he shot the ball before he got hit (unlike other players who throw the ball up after hearing the whistle, hoping to get to the FT line and being lucky enough to have the ball go in). It definitely wasn’t a lucky shot.
Yes, Donte scored more last night than Noce did in those other Sac wins. But sometimes, volume isn’t as important as timing (people like Maggette with the Clips, Marbury with the Nets, Brand with the Bulls and the Clips scored a lot but didn’t log a lot of wins.)
Noce hit the 4pt play just as the Thunder tied the score. They were well on their way to a comeback victory. But the 4 point play derailed them, and they never got the chance to take the lead again.
In the last few games Noce was able to hit a crucial shot, or make a crucial block/defensive play that disrupted the momentum of the other team, allowing the Kings to survive. That makes a hell of a difference.
Did his being out cost us the game? I think so. But then again, so did the loss of Martin and Garcia. Remember, Donte went 2-8 in 3’s. Lately, Noce has been better shooting the 3 so if he went 2-4 (realistically possible) in the first half, who’s to say the Bulls D wouldn’t have tried to adjust? That would have meant a declogged paint area for JT, Hawes and Evans.
Will he be replaced by Donte or Casspi at SF anytime soon? I think so. It might even be by this season.
Should he be traded? I think so. Right now? Well, why don’t we wait a little, see if we can get more than Dalembert. (Im ok with Okafor tho)
There can only be one Noce!
There is always skill & luck in making shots
and when a player is shooting under 40% from 3 and you end up with a 4pt play your lucky even if the player is skilled. The percentages say it doesn’t happen often.
I disagree about anyone making a few more 3’s opening up the lane. Noc is shooting 33% from the 3. If he took Donte’s 8 shots he probably makes 1 additional 3. Even 2 more 3’s still puts us behind by 8 pts.
The Bulls were already willing to give up the 3pt shot, since a lot of the 21 shots we took were open. Their plan was to shut down JT & Tyreke our top 2 scorers, who make their living in the paint. The Bulls were willing to let our 3pt shooters beat them, but not JT & Tyreke. We shot 35% as a team. 35% of 21 shots is 7 and we made 4. We would have had to make 12 of 21 to beat them with our 3pt shooting, and that’s was what they were counting on
The fact, the Omri played 17 minutes & only put up 1 3pt shot, hurt us because at 45% he’s a better 3pt shooter than Noc.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
Maybe, but again, it's timing.
Maybe Noce would have hit just 3-8. But if he hit all those three within 3 mins of each other? I’d say VDN makes an adjustment.
Also, I think the Bulls were giving us the 3pt shot because we weren’t hitting them. If Greene had hit 3 straight or (preferably) if 3 Kings players hit back-to-back-to-back 3’s, the Bulls wouldn’t have said, go on and beat us with that extra point per shot, we’ll just shut down JT and Reke. They’d still have made the adjustment.
There can only be one Noce!
Disagree
but the bench has only been average at best.
I think the bench was one of the keys to the win streak. Great play from the bench allowed us to dominate the second quarters in those games and was a big factor in the wins.
"The basis for winning an NBA title is having a superstar in his prime. Not an all-star, or a bunch of all-stars, but a superstar."
by coolcatreportdotcom on Nov 19, 2009 1:12 PM PST up reply actions
I like Casspi at the 2
he is pretty quick with his feet, and his length will help him defend the shooting guard spot as well. He wasn’t playing good last night, but I definitely see what you are saying about Westphal and I agree. Against the Mavericks we are definitely gonna have to step it up and create some mismatches of our own. And I think it can be done. Here is what I would like to see Westphal try against Dallas for a stretch:
Evans
Casspi
Udoka
Greene
Hawes
If they play Kidd and Beaubois then whoever Kidd guards will have the advantage. Most likely Casspi. I would like to try switching Greene and Udoka onto Dirk; nobody can stop him, but Udoka can probably be pretty solid, and Greene has length to bother him.
I would also like to see them attack Kidd with Sergio’s speed:
Sergio
Evans
Greene
Brockman
Thompson
I haven’t noticed Brockman and JT playing together, but I would like to see it for the rebounding alone. Get the possession, push the pace with Serge, Tyreke, Greene.
I think it will be a mistake to put JT on Dirk, especially in Dallas. Shock does not need to be chasing him around. Keep him in a position to get rebounds.
Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance. Vonnegut
We lost our advantage with having Tyreke playing PG, along side Beno
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
I agree
Which is why I really want to keep Kevin. Kevin and Tyreke present a HUGE matchup problem for most teams. Reke and Beno not so much.
Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.
Battle of one healthy Tiger and one Tiger with a bad wheel = Inconclusive.
33 Wins. Yeah, I said it.
I'm happy
Since when is the last time we’ve complained about a loss, instead of expecting a loss? We’re still .500, kiddos!
I wasn't predicting a win here
even before Noce was out I thought a close loss. Its still upsetting they played so raggedly, so careless with the ball. But not enough bodies with real game exp with Kevin, Cisco and Noce out.
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 Nov 18, 2009 11:14 AM PST up reply actions
I too believed it would be close
But, I’m more upset that we allowed Chicago to dictate our play. Sure they packed the paint and gave us the 3pt shot. But, we didn’t make our 3pt shots and we still won the battle of the points in the paint.
PW needs to stop letting the other coach dictate his substitutions and how we play. If we’re going to miss shots anyways, I’d rather see us feed the ball to our bigs in the paint and let the onslaught begin. Noah kept JT off the offensive boards, but we never let JT & Spencer work the ball inside together. Noah has better hops then JT, but he shouldn’t be able to beat both of our bigs at once. And, the only thing Gibson was able to do is foul.
If teams are going to crowd the paint to stop Tyreke, Then at some point we need to attack inside with our bigs, because we just not a good 3pt shooting team. And, having Spencer out high passing to the guards in the paint, is a play designed by PW. But, it’s now one that’s going to be affective when there already waiting for Tyreke to penetrate.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
On the bright side
attendance is creeping up
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 Nov 18, 2009 1:54 PM PST up reply actions
seriously
we’re running out of useful bodies
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 Nov 18, 2009 1:55 PM PST up reply actions
I totally agree about the Bulls dictating the game.
I thought the Kings did a damn good job of shutting down both Rose and Deng for most of the game. It was on the offensive end where I just kept thinking what in the F#$% are you doing with Udoka, Thomas and Rodriguez on the floor together. I also though that the Kings did a poor job of feeding Casspi in the post. He had countless miss-matches and no opportunities.
If teams are going to crowd the paint to stop Tyreke, Then at some point we need to attack inside with our bigs, because we just not a good 3pt shooting team.
This point is kind of odd though. If Evans can’t get to the hole because the lane is clogged, then the lane is also clogged for the Kings bigs. What the Kings needed to do if the three’s weren’t falling was to start working baseline jumpers like Deng did for the Bulls to try and open up the middle a little.
Another issue with this game was that Rodriguez is such a poor perimeter shooter that the defense sagged in to the middle against him. The Kings should have responded by collapsing the middle when Rose had the ball as well because he looked horrible fromt he perimeter.
No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.
-Ron Artest (e-mail exchange with Kyle Slavin)
It's the aggressive side of me
At one point during the game I point out to Mrs. Hightops the our front court had zero fouls, and it was late in the 3rd quarter (Hawes, K9, & Omri I believe). I told her that the Kings needed to leave a few bruises on the Bulls front court on the defensive end so that they will remember us when we play again.
I take the same attitude on Offense. Noah is not a good defender and either Gibson. We made no attempt to attack them. We played into their hands and let them take JT’s offensive rebounding game away from him by boxing him out and out jumping him. We played our one big against their 2 and we lost.
Tyreke ran an excellent pick an roll with Spencer around the FT line and Spencer was able to score +1. With Spencer and JT crossing in the paint and picking each others man, there are opportunities to get free for an entry pass and a close in shot. Even if we don’t make the shot, we’re no better off then when we miss the 3’s and long 2’s. But, we do have the opportunity to draw a foul, and put their bigs in foul trouble instead of just JT.
The Bulls were setting up with 4 guys with one foot in the paint. A zone if you will. And, the best way to attack that is with a pass from on top into a post up guy just below the FT line. So, I say, the best defense is a good offense. Attack and let the defense stop you if they can. If they can then they deserve to win, but I’m not willing to play the game the way that they dictate. Their defense isn’t that good, that we shouldn’t even try.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
it is easier to defend when you can't score
The Bulls defense got a big assist from a dismal Kings offense.
by betweentheeyes on Nov 18, 2009 4:23 PM PST up reply actions
I agree that their bigs kicked JT and Hawes in the ass but...
Noah is a very good defender who averages 2.0 blocks and an amazing 7.8 defensive rebounds a game. Taj Gibson was drafted for his shot blocking ability (2.9, 2.5, 1.9 @ USC) and defensive prowess because lord knows the dude has no offensive game.
I think that the starting line-up of Gibson, Noah, Salmons, Deng and Rose sport 4 plus defenders. Any time the Kings made a push, it was with Miller, Hinrich, Pargo on the floor- all sub-par defenders.
No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.
-Ron Artest (e-mail exchange with Kyle Slavin)
Their defense isn't that good
was a comment meant to say that it wasn’t so good that we shouldn’t even try to attack it. Obviously, it’s good enough that they won 5 games while scoring an average of 88ppg.
And, if we made our 3pt shots, there would have been no need to attack inside.
But there aren’t a lot of choices when it comes to scoring in the NBA. You either make your outside shots or you attack inside. We did neither.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
Good/Great teams dictate the game. (or bad/mediocre teams that are having a great night)
It’s very easy to say “don’t let the other team dictate the game”, and I’m sure coaches emphasize the point in the locker room. Whichever team is playing better dictates the game usually. If the King’s had hit more of their three’s and turned over the ball less, I believe it would have appeared that the Kings were dictating the play.
The Bulls had their best shooting game of the year. It all comes down to putting the ball in the basket. Whichever team does that dictates the game.
Ba-da
Surprised nobody mentions the lack of Nocioni
when dissecting this loss. The value of a tough vet on the court with our starters I think is important, not just in stats.
But just saw ESPN: They have Coach W. as an early fave for COY, Reke ranked at number 2 for ROY and three of the Kings rooks in top 13 for PER. Not bad.
uuhm
How do we feel about quickly trading the steadying influence of one Andres Nocioni today?
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 Nov 18, 2009 11:25 AM PST up reply actions
I did not see that--has all the Thorpe stuff below already been mentioned as well?
by VirginiaBlue on Nov 18, 2009 11:27 AM PST up reply actions
Nope, though I saw some it
I think the trading KM stuff is hoopsworld crap. They consult Kevin on drafting Tyreke and then trade him? Seems unlikely.
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 Nov 18, 2009 11:29 AM PST up reply actions
I agree
the WGN announcers last night were talking about how scary it would be when Martin is back and Evans has more experience. That is a pretty good combination that you dont at least try out for the rest of the season.
Maybe if some team that is aiming high for 2010 fails they would try and swing a deal, but I dont see this being a season JP rushes to trade Martin.
Do you mean GP?
As in Geoff Petrie? Or are you combining Jason Levien and Geoff Petrie into JP?
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 18, 2009 1:33 PM PST up reply actions
Nocioni has been big in crucial moments
He has had a tendency to hit shots when the Kings really needed them. He has also been pretty timely on turning up the defensive intensity when necessary. Nocioni has shown that he has a fluency in the rhythm of games. Missed that big time in the 3rd and 4th quarters.
I said the same thing
and wondered if anyone else noticed and was giving him enough credit.
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 Nov 18, 2009 2:24 PM PST up reply actions
I'll admit, I've had visions of a Noce for cap-space trade
Although I don’t know enough about cap space to know if trading him for an expiring does us much good in the upcoming free agency bonanza. But I like seeign him on the court now. He’s been a rock thus far.
Maybe at the deadline if Casspi and Donte'
continue to develop. No rush.
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 Nov 18, 2009 7:32 PM PST up reply actions
Lots of Kings bits from Thorpe in the Q&A:
David Thorpe
(12:24 PM)
“I think it’s possible that Kevin could get traded once he’s healthy, but we’re far from that now. Too early and I’d guess they want to see if Evans and Kev can excel together. But Martin was averaging 30ppg and just had a 29 and 11 game (with a broken wrist), so I’d think the Kings would want more than expiring deals.”
David Thorpe
(12:03 PM)
“Literally, I can not think of a bigger myth being perpetrated onto the NBA fans than the one that suggests that Hawes can shoot the 3 ball. He’s 0-13 this year, and is a career sub-30% shooter. Can he be good one day? Sure, but that day is far off.”
David Thorpe
(12:15 PM)
“One quick sidenote-Sam Amick, the terrific beat writer for the Sacramento Bee, lost his dad last night. I don’t know the details, but Sam is a great pro and represents his company, family, and this business incredibly well. He’s one of the best men I know. So for those of you that do this kind of thing, please send your prayers to him and his family. Thanks.”
A shame for Sam
Anyone know (TZ) where we can send condolences?
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 Nov 18, 2009 11:28 AM PST up reply actions
effort
At least the Kings are making efforts in terms of trying to force things and being anxious. I’d rather have that than the dross and minimal effort that we had last year
by Murf on Nov 18, 2009 11:53 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Wait
I thought we were ready to give up on this Donté kid. He’d never make it as an NBA player, right? Could’ve sworn I read some folks saying that this summer. Weird, he looked pretty good.
Never forget: I am a complete idiot
I admit, he's made a fool out of me.
You got me, banana.
"Sometimes the capriciousness of youth anesthetizes common sense." -Let Geoff's words guide our patience this season.
by AnotherStupidSN on Nov 18, 2009 12:32 PM PST up reply actions
Actually
I’m going to stick with my exact same view on Donté: still too soon to say.
He’s young, he has potential, but it is far too early to make any statements about what he can become or will become. Patience still reigns.
Never forget: I am a complete idiot
Yep
but certainly some very positive signs lately. (Did some chuckin’ though.)
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 Nov 18, 2009 1:01 PM PST up reply actions
Agreed
However, his progress is encouraging. He really did look completely hopeless much of the time last season.
"Sometimes the capriciousness of youth anesthetizes common sense." -Let Geoff's words guide our patience this season.
by AnotherStupidSN on Nov 18, 2009 1:03 PM PST up reply actions
Hmmm, I found some old interesting boxscores:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280415013
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=261115024
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280328013
Just sayin’, there’s rarely a first round pick in this league that doesn’t have a “breakout” game at some point. Donté’s going to need a considerable amount of consistent performances before I’m convinced he’s going to make it in the league.
The only conclusion I draw from those boxscores
is that the Lakers suck.
"Sometimes the capriciousness of youth anesthetizes common sense." -Let Geoff's words guide our patience this season.
by AnotherStupidSN on Nov 18, 2009 1:01 PM PST up reply actions
always
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 Nov 18, 2009 1:02 PM PST up reply actions
Donté had some pretty post moves last night
They were surprising. If that showed me anything it was that he is capable of learning, adapting.
Agreed though, he’s no where near being declared consistent.
He definitely has the size to punish most small forwards if he gets down low.
He needs to do that more, and learn how to pass out of the double team. I like the glimpse of the future we got from Greene though.
Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance. Vonnegut
The only problem with Donte
was that when he was carrying the scoring load the rest of team went to sleep and forgot what to do with the ball once they finally got it.
Better to go to your go-to players than take over the game in your first game off the bench. Complement them, not usurp them.
"The basis for winning an NBA title is having a superstar in his prime. Not an all-star, or a bunch of all-stars, but a superstar."
by coolcatreportdotcom on Nov 19, 2009 1:19 PM PST up reply actions
Is that Donte's fault
or is that the “rest of the team that went to sleep” fault?
Godfather of the "nice ass" movement.... the future begins now...
Donte's fault
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.....
Oh, hes in the laegue two and Jayson Thomson and that Boggins dude on Milwokee, and Occur for the Jizz. Its a talented laegue.--Kfan in Korea
No
For not being good enough to lift the Kings up to heights that Michael Jordan would be jealous of.
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.....
Oh, hes in the laegue two and Jayson Thomson and that Boggins dude on Milwokee, and Occur for the Jizz. Its a talented laegue.--Kfan in Korea
Haha
I love how we went from “Donte is not an NBA player” to " I just want to see some progress; baby steps" to “Man, Donte’s scoring too much and not letting others get in the flow of the game.”
Godfather of the "nice ass" movement.... the future begins now...
It definitely is
a slippery slope. Kevin faced the same issues until they vaporized the competition..
"The basis for winning an NBA title is having a superstar in his prime. Not an all-star, or a bunch of all-stars, but a superstar."
by coolcatreportdotcom on Nov 19, 2009 5:50 PM PST up reply actions
I think he jacked up a few too many threes
But I agree his recent play is a nice problem to have compared to him getting blisters from sitting. Part of the growing pains.
"The basis for winning an NBA title is having a superstar in his prime. Not an all-star, or a bunch of all-stars, but a superstar."
by coolcatreportdotcom on Nov 19, 2009 5:53 PM PST up reply actions
The Kings play better with Spencer, bad shooting and all
Spencer played the 1st and the Kings were even until inexplicably they wasted a foul to give with 8 secs allowing the Bulls to get a 3pt shot at the buzzer. Spencer sat the 2nd and we got outscored by 10. Spencer played the 3rd and we matched the bulls with 25 pts each. And Spencer sat the 4th and we scored a total of 15 pts.
Kenny Thomas has played well, and is rebounding at a higher rate than Spencer. But, we’re not going to win by defense & rebounding alone. Spencer is in a shooting slump but playing him every other quarter isn’t going to get him to work out of it. We saw that when he was coming off the bench. Against the Bulls, with all of his shooting woes, Spencer matched the scoring of JT in 10 fewer minutes.
The fact of the matter is that the Kings aren’t losing because Spencer isn’t hitting his open jumpers. Their losing because their team defense isn’t very good. Tyreke watching the shot while Salmons leaks out for a break away dunk, Noah getting a fast break dunk, JT doubling Noah while Salmons drives baseline off the pick for a dunk when JT was supposed to give weak side help.
The KIngs are 6th in team scoring but the 5th worst in opponent Shooting Percentage allowed. We’ve been winning because of offense not defense. And, for PW to play K9 instead of Spencer in the 4th quarter is stupid. JT is a better with Spencer. Teams don’t have to worry about Thomas scoring so they can concentrate on JT. The same way that they didn’t have to worry about Mason when he was playing.
Offensively, Sergio is a better playmaker than Beno or Tyreke, right now. Beno has the size advantage but Sergio is quicker and a better passer and decision maker. When Beno is hitting his jumpers like in the Houston game it’s hard not to want him on the court. But, when he’s driving in close and missing his pattened stop & pop shot, he doesn’t make the team better. Sergio is more like what most people wanted out of Rubio. A playmaker who can penetrate & pass.
I still think PW makes more substitution mistakes, by going with his gut. He seems to be a counter puncher, substituting based on what the other coach is doing rather than going with our strengths. Plus he favors defensive substitutions when the problem seems more of a team defensive problem and an individual defensive problem. When 2 players both move to double, and you end up with 3 players guarding one, and leave someone open for an uncontested 3pt shoot, putting someone in who’s a slightly better man defender isn’t going to help.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
by HighTops on Nov 18, 2009 12:55 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
There are good points there
very good ones.
On Hawes, I’m just not sure as a coach that you can reward a young player (him)/not give others an opportunity when the numbers are so bad. I’m not sure (really!) if its a good idea or a bad one to leave him out there when he’s struggling.
Sergio: When he shoots like that he belongs on the floor. Most nights he doesn’t shoot like that. Same problem as K-9. He was successful because they didn’t expect him to shoot or score.
Beno: Played very very good D on Rose.
On Coach: He’s still adjusting to available personnel and the abilities of such, which seem to evolve every few games or so. These guys don’t know instinctively what the other is going to do yet, thats the cause of many of the TO’s though many were just bad decisions by JT and Tyreke etal.
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 Nov 18, 2009 1:26 PM PST up reply actions
But I was screaming at the TV
literally
“WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT!” etc
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 Nov 18, 2009 1:38 PM PST up reply actions
We don't have the talent to bench any starter or rotation player
There isn’t anyone else. Are you going to play May & Thomas for the rest of the year, if Spencer don’t improve? If we had Noc, we could of gone with JT at Center and Donte at PF.
JT has had some good game against undersized front lines. But, by far, he has better games when the opposing Center has to cover Spencer, and Spencer boxes out to allow JT to control the boards.
The mistakes we’re making are rookie & team mistakes. Omri gets cut off driving the baseline and makes a bad pass into the far corner. Rookie mistake, but there was no one for him to pass to on the strong side of the court. No one moved into the corner behind him or FT line extended for him to have an outlet to pass to. That’s a team problem. So, do you bench Omri? If yes, then don’t you have to bench the guard too, who didn’t move, and gave Omri no other outlet except the cross court pass.
I just think PW is concentrating on defense, and is too critical of individual defensive and offensive lapses. While overlooking the team deficiencies. Kind of not seeing the forest because of the trees in the way.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
by HighTops on Nov 18, 2009 2:10 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
as usual I agree with much of your analysis, and just as usual I will add my own 2 cents (rec'd)
First off: this team is playing to (or arguably above) it’s potential. The current 5-5 record is a boon, the attitude of the squad refreshing, the interest in the team by StR is overwhelming. Westphal (I will repeat my St.Paul moniker) is an absolute delight.
In summary: the team is winning more than we could have reasonably expected (yes, ten games in) with 3 of your 4 meaningful veterans returning from last year’s squad sitting one or more games. The lost boy – Donté – is showing promise, the rookie (Evans) is improving every game, and last year’s rookie is looking like a solid NBA starter – this year.
This game against the Bulls was disappointing – they played poorly- and only lost by 14. Do you remember the losses last year? There is no disgrace in losing when you don’t lose disgracefully. The Kings beat themselves last night and the Bulls helped. It was a loss by an inexperienced team that doesn’t know how to win consistently, not a loss by a team that doesn’t care. HUGE upgrade from last year.
As for Spencer: I am not ready to throw him under the bus. Let the 21 year old figure it out – you know he wants to, he has the talent, he has the desire, he has the intelligence.
Omri Casspi had his worst game as a pro. Donté his best. Now, onto the road trip and Cuban’s crew.
by betweentheeyes on Nov 18, 2009 2:59 PM PST up reply actions 4 recs
Your positive attitude is encouraging and uplifting
I went to the game hoping that the Kings would give my hometown Bulls a run for their money. And, although it wasn’t as close as I would have liked, I feel the effort was there to justify my spending my time and money to watch.
I see improvement already and the possibility of further improvement as the season progresses, and the coach & players get more experienced. Before the season I saw this as a 27 win team with 30 as an attainable goal. I expect a young team to make a lot of mistakes, and they haven’t disappointed. Which makes every step forward that much more encouraging, no matter how many steps back they take.
And, although PW does seem to be jelling well with his young core, and making some good time out and x’s and o’s calls during the game, I still wish he’d stop trying to be some great defensive strategist, and just put the 5 best players on the court at the end of games. They need to learn how to play together, and win together in crunch time.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
that is a tall order, but you hit the nail on the head. They are new unseasoned cogs, not close to a well oiled machine
They need to learn how to play together, and win together in crunch time
Kevin Martin out, Cisco out, now Nocioni saying yesterday he is at 60-70%. The kids are too young to play too much (I found Tyreke’s 42 minutes a bit much, I liked what Sergio and Donté brought but neither is ready to contribute for extended periods- more than an 6-8 minute stretch – yet. You are right, they just don’t know how to play together. (the question is yet? not still?)
by betweentheeyes on Nov 18, 2009 4:22 PM PST up reply actions
The Maloofs and their defense
I seem to recall the Maloofs starting this fuss about defense when they started their search for Adelman’s replacement. They kept saying, “Defense wins championships. Look at the Spurs. We need a coach who knows defense.” At the time I thought they were trumping up charges against Adelman because they wanted to sound like they had a legitimate reason for not renewing his contract. I don’t think they are necessarily wrong about the impact good defense has on winning but I also wonder if they felt like they had to stick by their demands and have now fostered the idea that the Kings franchise needs to have a defensive minded culture that has manifested itself in strategies that do not always make the most out of the roster.
It's not about culture
We’re 5th in the league in points scored. Not because we’ve perfected PW’s offensive scheme but because we have good offensive players who are going to get their points even without a scheme.
Defense is different and harder to achieve. Screens & Picks mandate a scheme on defense, and when your player gets beat 1 on 1, help defense demands a scheme. We have better individual defenders at some positions this year, but very few of our players really under stand the defensive scheme or even their own responsibilities in it.
Guards aren’t getting back when opponents leak out, help defense isn’t coming or it’s coming from too many guys, bigs aren’t showing on pick & rolls, & players are switching creating mismatches that benefit the other team. It’s a major task, and it’s going to take time. But, the Maloofs are right about defense being needed to win championships. But, it was an unfair excuse to dump Adelman. In the golden years we were a great defensive team. But as that team moved on we never replaced them with defensive players.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
by HighTops on Nov 18, 2009 5:05 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Team defense can only be learned
by experience playing with each other. These guys still don’t know how to pronounce Casspi’s name (overstatement) but good defensive team have usually been together for a while.
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 Nov 18, 2009 7:30 PM PST up reply actions
Agreed. Growing pains.
We are like a teenager with bouts of bad acne not even P. Diddy can cure.
by VirginiaBlue on Nov 18, 2009 8:35 PM PST up reply actions
well, they have said that since before the Adelman firing. It is their team and they pay the bills - they get to decide what type of team they want to field
That means that they have to be part of the acquisition of coach and players – hiring the people to hire the people so to speak. They haven’t fared well with their choices nor their intervention, but the intention has not waivered.
Let’s give credit where credit is due: this current Kings team is different than any team in the Sacramento era; It is a scrappy, rebounding, emphasis on defense team. It is hard to change from a rose petal to a thorn bush – lots of room for growth from all sides. 17 wins last year, and a good start thus far with another 72 to go. Breath and let breath.
by betweentheeyes on Nov 18, 2009 5:10 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd. Very well said
... Now let me show you why they call me the Velour Fog...
by tomroadrunner on Nov 18, 2009 7:26 PM PST up reply actions
yeah i think sergio played pretty good this game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0drp1_Ynmc
by anen87 on Nov 18, 2009 10:13 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Too early to tell on Sergio
That was by far his best effort of the season and first time he got extended minutes. Meanwhile, Beno has been clutch and was a huge factor in our four wins. He remains the best option of the two by far.
I think Westphal kind of waved the white towel when he gave Sergio that many minutes, but it will probably help us down the road.
"The basis for winning an NBA title is having a superstar in his prime. Not an all-star, or a bunch of all-stars, but a superstar."
by coolcatreportdotcom on Nov 19, 2009 1:24 PM PST up reply actions
Hijacking the thread
but Okefor looks good tonight, he looks worth $50mil Maloof bucks to me. :)
Professional Hyperbole Slayer
LOL 4-3
It’s all a matter of opinion at this point.
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.....
Oh, hes in the laegue two and Jayson Thomson and that Boggins dude on Milwokee, and Occur for the Jizz. Its a talented laegue.--Kfan in Korea
My reply on Sergio
I’m a Blazer fan keeping my eye on Sergio, and just couldn’t resist creating an account to share my 2 cents on him after reading all your comments. You guys struck GOLD with Sergio and your team’s playing style. He needs some minutes!!!!!!!! He has been on a leash his whole career. Someone needs to let him run. Now let me back up my statements before I get yelled at :D Sergio has rarely recieved any playing time… and when he has, he has succeeded. Case in point: his first game w/ over 30 min of playing time = 24pts 10 assists etc against Denver. His reward: 8 min next game. He has only had 5 games in his 3 yr career as a blazer with over 30 min… and he played GREAT in each of them. With 12 min a game his rookie year he was second to Steve Nash in Assists/min… and this is in NATE MCMILLANS SYSTEM!!!!!! For the love! WORST fastbreak offense in the NBA… look it up, I’m not lying (and I hope it changes this year). It was a miracle for Sergio to get the stats he did in Nate’s system. Its an efficient system, but for Sergio it was worse than trying to get Nash to run PG for the old San Antonio w/ only 10 min a game. Sergio needed a change, and Paul W’s system is it. I honestly think he is another Steve Nash w/ his passing abilities… Look up his spanish championship game on youtube… so fun to watch :D Get him some real playing time consistently in a fast offense, and you will have a star. Any of you see his ESPN reel last year when he got 8 assists in 5 min of playing time? I can’t begin to describe how jealous I am of you guys :D
Emeka Okafor update:
vs the Suns tonight:
12 rebounds, (7 offensive!), 6 of 10 from the field for 13 pts. (1 of 2 from the line); 2 steals, a block, two turnovers, one foul.
Emeka was +12 for the game, as the Hornets prevailed 110-103.
Can we start that rumor again?
"When the going gets Weird, the Weird turn professional."
(Hunter Thompson)
He also guarded Channing Frye all game instead of Amare Stoudemire
How impressive is his stats really when Peja Stojakovic grabbed 13 boards?
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.....
Oh, hes in the laegue two and Jayson Thomson and that Boggins dude on Milwokee, and Occur for the Jizz. Its a talented laegue.--Kfan in Korea
not at all impressive
he sucks. he’s a joke. never mind.
"When the going gets Weird, the Weird turn professional."
(Hunter Thompson)
LOL
I was kidding. Okafor is a guy who will never be appreciated by a certain group of fans. Other fans will have no problem with him, but for some reason he tends to bring about a ton of emotions across the board. (I really don’t know why.) Ailene Voisin called him an average player who is undersized for his position in her Bee chat.
I don’t know if he’s an average player at his position. I know the Hornets won tonight. I know that Okafor IS GREAT off the ball in ways that aren’t measured easily. I know that he has a crappy FT% this season (and every year). I know that it won’t likely improve. I know that the headlines said Peja Stojakovic was the reason behind the Hornets victory. Perhaps he was. What I know is that the Hornets weren’t angry that Okafor was on the floor.
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.....
Oh, hes in the laegue two and Jayson Thomson and that Boggins dude on Milwokee, and Occur for the Jizz. Its a talented laegue.--Kfan in Korea
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