[Game] Kings at Timberwolves, 1/15/14 8PM EST/5PM PST
- Thread starter Tetsujin
- Start date
Okay, I'm gonna step in here for the simple reason I think people are being unfair to IT and painting him as something he is not. He's not a selfish joke. He is a player who has fought incredibly hard to get to where he is, who believes in himself, who trusts in his abilities and who definitely has a place in the NBA.
What he isn't, IMHO, is a starting point guard. That is my only beef with him. I've watched him in person enough this year to gauge, I think, his character at least a bit. He's intense, he's driven, he wants to win, he truly loves playing the game, etc. I've been as critical of him as almost anyone on this forum, but I won't go so far as to call him a joke and I think it's patently unfair for others to do so.
What he isn't, IMHO, is a starting point guard. That is my only beef with him. I've watched him in person enough this year to gauge, I think, his character at least a bit. He's intense, he's driven, he wants to win, he truly loves playing the game, etc. I've been as critical of him as almost anyone on this forum, but I won't go so far as to call him a joke and I think it's patently unfair for others to do so.
It's not the tweet in itself. It's his body language/behaviour on the court, it's his post game interviews etc. Or not ever just heaving a half court shot. Or taking 3 pointers in the closing seconds of a game when we're down 10+ and the rest of his team is walking off the court frustrated (he's done that multiple times this season already).
Everything he does always screams ME FIRST, MY STATS! A good number of his assists/passes come from him jumping to take a shot and then passing because the defender closes on him. Now that can clearly be interpreted in several ways, and I'm not going to fault him for actually passing the ball, but for whatever reason he seems to be one of the only guards who actually does that. That comes off to me that he's again looking to score first and is only passing out at the last second (hmm where have I heard this criticism before...). That's just how I choose to interpret it.
Now obviously I'm not on the court with him or seeing him in practice. But neither is anyone else, and I know for a fact that at least a handful of other posters agree with me on his on-court behaviour. Yeah the guy plays with a ton of heart, but IMO that heart is purely for individual success.
Everything he does always screams ME FIRST, MY STATS! A good number of his assists/passes come from him jumping to take a shot and then passing because the defender closes on him. Now that can clearly be interpreted in several ways, and I'm not going to fault him for actually passing the ball, but for whatever reason he seems to be one of the only guards who actually does that. That comes off to me that he's again looking to score first and is only passing out at the last second (hmm where have I heard this criticism before...). That's just how I choose to interpret it.
Now obviously I'm not on the court with him or seeing him in practice. But neither is anyone else, and I know for a fact that at least a handful of other posters agree with me on his on-court behaviour. Yeah the guy plays with a ton of heart, but IMO that heart is purely for individual success.
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I see the same thing too, especially with his behavior on the court. When he made that 3 pointer to go up by 11 (102-91 i think), he was scowling and barking at the air like he just hit the game winner/sealer with 10 seconds left. After that, he failed to manage the game. Gay alluded to 'maybe some people, not necessarily on this team, but some young guys think the game is won and want to get their points.' That owes to what you see with IT trying to get his points at the end of games. I agree with you but I also think that IT is probably one of the most underpaid guys in the league because of his draft position and subsequent contract. The next contract is very important to him, and I respect that. I hope that he can find a balance between getting his and playing within the team structure.
At the end of the day, this team has won 4 out of the last 5 and that is fun to watch after the last few years. I hope that this team continues to improve, go Kings.
At the end of the day, this team has won 4 out of the last 5 and that is fun to watch after the last few years. I hope that this team continues to improve, go Kings.
The first thing I noticed is that the pg should have given the ball to the sf. Rudy Gay was heroic in the end of the game or we would have lost. We shouldn't put ourselves in such a position. It was totally avoidable. I realize IT is inexperienced and his inexperience was on full view for those who wish to see it.
The ball just needs to be in Rudy's hands down the stretch when its time to put a game away OR time to win a close game. He is a proven clutch player, and he is also very smart. He also knows the importance of feeding the ball to DMC when we need a bucket. the Rudy/DMC 2 man game should be the go-to down the stretch every time, not the Isaiah dribble around and chuck a contested shot show