[Game] Kings v. Pelicans - Thursday, Oct. 26 - 7:30 PT
- Thread starter VF21
- Start date
Great players somehow find themselves in such situations. By the "how could you possibly know" logic, hundreds of players could be great leaders and HOFers. How many games were the Thunder expected to win last year? Yet Westbrook carried them. There's a reason Carmelo post-Karl has not been considered a great player
Not to toot my horn but C-Webb had the same opinion as me.
http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-blog/article180940106.html
http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-blog/article180940106.html
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Too many draft busts (Trob, Jimmer, Stauskus, Bmac) and terrible management decisions (firing malone, losing IT and evans for nothing) for things to ever have worked out here with Cuz. There was a window for success BUT it was destroyed by management and that had notbing to do with the Big Mans crapy attitude.
Enjoyed watching him beast mode opponents but was ready to get off that 8th seed treadmill and try again for a more successful team build.
Wish the big man well and i continue to follow his career.
Enjoyed watching him beast mode opponents but was ready to get off that 8th seed treadmill and try again for a more successful team build.
Wish the big man well and i continue to follow his career.
Notice the shots at Vivek in Webber's quotes?
“That’s just wasting the guy’s young years of his career; that’s not supporting his teammates,” Webber said. “It’s just terrible. And you look at the terrible draft picks the Kings have had, players that aren’t even in the NBA today drafted in the top spots. So anytime you go into a terrible situation, unorganized, lack of communication and people that don’t know the game that want to make decisions, you’re going to be in that situation.
“So it’s good to see anyone in that situation with their job get a chance to implement their ideas and not just be the scapegoat for the problems previous owners, current owners have had.”
“That’s just wasting the guy’s young years of his career; that’s not supporting his teammates,” Webber said. “It’s just terrible. And you look at the terrible draft picks the Kings have had, players that aren’t even in the NBA today drafted in the top spots. So anytime you go into a terrible situation, unorganized, lack of communication and people that don’t know the game that want to make decisions, you’re going to be in that situation.
“So it’s good to see anyone in that situation with their job get a chance to implement their ideas and not just be the scapegoat for the problems previous owners, current owners have had.”
He made the playoffs one time in his Sacramento tenure on a sub-.500 team as the 8th seed and (sadly) arguably his best supporting cast as a King (Brian Grant/OP/The Animal big man rotation, Rookie Tyus Edney, Sarunas) and I never thought I'd find myself arguing in favor of Gary St. effing Jean but he was probably a better coach than the crapstorm parade that was Paul Westphal/Keith Smart/(brief Mike Malone respite)/Ty Corbin/George Karl that dominated Boogie's time in Sacramento.
Westbrook is in a unique situation, because his body and skillset allows him to do everything on the court. It's pretty much the same with Lebron. Those guys are guards/wings able to ultimately do everything needed for their team to win by themselves. While DMC tried to evolve in such a way, taking his game away from the basket and becoming more of a playmaker, than a traditional big man, he is still a 6'11 guy with a heavy body. Being the player that he is, Cousins relies on other teammates to get him involved more than Westbrook or Lebron and he relies on his teammates to defend the perimeter in a time, where most of the offense starts at the 3pt line.
This has nothing to do with figleafs like character, being a leader or other things that sound great in a discussion between fans, who still don't know a thing about them, because they aren't in the lockerroom and simply can't know, who is a leader, who has a great character, who is a beloved teammate and who is not. It's just that Cousins doesn't have Lebrons or Westbrooks physical profile.
That's why arguments like "Oh Lebron brought a terrible team to the finals. Therefore Cousins is bad, because he can't get his terrible team into the playoffs" are pretty simplistic.
Cousins isn't the player Westbrook or Lebron are. I agree. Well he shares this boat with people like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, James Harden (although offensively this dude is close), Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin and pretty much everyone in the basketball HOF out of a very select few.
Even worse - in todays NBA getting a team into the playoffs as the main cog, is much much harder as a big man.
1. The way the game is called gives smaller, quicker guys the advantage
2. Carrying a team out of the low post is very difficult, because of zone defense
3. the constant diet of high pick&rolls turns big man, who can't move their feet quick enough, into a defensive weak spot for their team
Still that's doesn't mean, that Cousins can't be successful, when a team is built to his very specific needs. It's honestly not that hard. 1 solid PG and 3 interchangeable, long guys, who play good D, are athletic and can shoot. One of them should be able to run a good pick&roll. And some of them should be able to make good entry passes. That's it. Big deal huh? In all the years of DMC as a King it was too much to ask for a roster like this?
This has nothing to do with figleafs like character, being a leader or other things that sound great in a discussion between fans, who still don't know a thing about them, because they aren't in the lockerroom and simply can't know, who is a leader, who has a great character, who is a beloved teammate and who is not. It's just that Cousins doesn't have Lebrons or Westbrooks physical profile.
That's why arguments like "Oh Lebron brought a terrible team to the finals. Therefore Cousins is bad, because he can't get his terrible team into the playoffs" are pretty simplistic.
Cousins isn't the player Westbrook or Lebron are. I agree. Well he shares this boat with people like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, James Harden (although offensively this dude is close), Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin and pretty much everyone in the basketball HOF out of a very select few.
Even worse - in todays NBA getting a team into the playoffs as the main cog, is much much harder as a big man.
1. The way the game is called gives smaller, quicker guys the advantage
2. Carrying a team out of the low post is very difficult, because of zone defense
3. the constant diet of high pick&rolls turns big man, who can't move their feet quick enough, into a defensive weak spot for their team
Still that's doesn't mean, that Cousins can't be successful, when a team is built to his very specific needs. It's honestly not that hard. 1 solid PG and 3 interchangeable, long guys, who play good D, are athletic and can shoot. One of them should be able to run a good pick&roll. And some of them should be able to make good entry passes. That's it. Big deal huh? In all the years of DMC as a King it was too much to ask for a roster like this?
Because at the end of the day "antics" or "professional attitudes" don't have as much of an impact on winning games as proper roster construction or having a coach who actively antagonized his entire roster.
If having a professional attitude was as conducive to winning as you seem to be claiming, Draymond "My Foot is Magnetically Attracted to Testicles" Green would be flipping burgers in some diner somewhere rather than be playing basketball for one of the greatest teams in NBA history as the reigning DPOY
If having a professional attitude was as conducive to winning as you seem to be claiming, Draymond "My Foot is Magnetically Attracted to Testicles" Green would be flipping burgers in some diner somewhere rather than be playing basketball for one of the greatest teams in NBA history as the reigning DPOY
I find all the points we've ever made about DMC's unfortunate time here have been amalgamated into one thread very succinctly. We've been over it so many times we're experts 
It also makes me incredibly sad, especially after reading what Webber said. I am sure DMC is going to be emotional tonight and no one better heckle him!
It also makes me incredibly sad, especially after reading what Webber said. I am sure DMC is going to be emotional tonight and no one better heckle him!
I'm saying DMC had it all, a craptastic attitude, crap on the court relations, losses, techs, guady numbers to help people sleep at night that he was worth the head ache. Draymond does wonders for his size. He does it from hustling back on defense, bbiq, knowing how to push the refs/opponents. DMC knows how to hijack a game where Casspi and Steph are putting on a 3 point clinic and get himself ejected.
I expect a win tonight. Remember, Coach and many of our guys already know DMC's strengths and weaknesses. They've practiced against him, know what gets under his skin, etc. I hope the Kings do a beautiful tribute for him...its well-deserved, a nice thing to do, and it might mess with his head a little. ;-)
This may just be because I've had like five hours of sleep over the last week but I'm struggling trying to figure out what the hell it is you're even trying to argue. No one is arguing that Boogie was some sort of saint but to seemingly cast the majority of the blame at his feet is negligent at best and willfully ignorant at worst.
You can win with less-than-friendly talent. Wilt? Notoriously an butthead. Once threatened to retire midway through his rookie year. Got several of his coaches fired. Once conducted an interview with Sports Illustrated called "My Life in a Bush League" where he criticized his teammates, coaches, and the entire league as a whole. Kareem? Once broke his hand punching a basket in anger and then broke it again when he punched Ken Benson hard enough to break the man's jaw. Forced his way out of Milwaukee to play in Los Angeles. Notoriously chilly with the media. Magic Johnson? Got Paul Westhead fired. Lebron? Abandoned Cleveland then Miami and now possibly Cleveland again. Got David Blatt fired. The Bad Boy Pistons? A whole team specifically built of notorious assholes, brawlers, and general stooges.
It goes on and on. I don't have the time or resources to go back and look at every single team that's won something or every former allstar but I'd wager that there have been more stars with "craptastic attitudes" than there have been "professionals".
You can win with less-than-friendly talent. Wilt? Notoriously an butthead. Once threatened to retire midway through his rookie year. Got several of his coaches fired. Once conducted an interview with Sports Illustrated called "My Life in a Bush League" where he criticized his teammates, coaches, and the entire league as a whole. Kareem? Once broke his hand punching a basket in anger and then broke it again when he punched Ken Benson hard enough to break the man's jaw. Forced his way out of Milwaukee to play in Los Angeles. Notoriously chilly with the media. Magic Johnson? Got Paul Westhead fired. Lebron? Abandoned Cleveland then Miami and now possibly Cleveland again. Got David Blatt fired. The Bad Boy Pistons? A whole team specifically built of notorious assholes, brawlers, and general stooges.
It goes on and on. I don't have the time or resources to go back and look at every single team that's won something or every former allstar but I'd wager that there have been more stars with "craptastic attitudes" than there have been "professionals".
I'm glad he's gone because of how polarizing he is to the fan base. I hate how venomous the discourse often gets around DeMarcus Cousins. "If you don't understand that his great play trumps his bad attitude you're stupid". "If you whitewash his bad attitude due to his gaudy stats you're stupid". "If you don't think DeMarcus has a 'character issue' then you're stupid". "If you don't realize he was a philanthropic giant you're stupid".
Wish each side took more pains to understand the other side. Reasonable people can regard him as one of the GOAT Kings, and reasonable people can be glad he's gone (plenty of NBA coaches wanted him gone apparently). It just isn't so black and white.
I will stand and cheer loudly when he takes the floor for warmups, for game intros, and for whatever video tribute gets played.
Then I will root for us to kick his ass. But I won't be surprised if he drops 50-20 on us and maybe bites WCS's ear off too.
Wish each side took more pains to understand the other side. Reasonable people can regard him as one of the GOAT Kings, and reasonable people can be glad he's gone (plenty of NBA coaches wanted him gone apparently). It just isn't so black and white.
I will stand and cheer loudly when he takes the floor for warmups, for game intros, and for whatever video tribute gets played.
Then I will root for us to kick his ass. But I won't be surprised if he drops 50-20 on us and maybe bites WCS's ear off too.
I'll be there at the game tonight giving Cousins a standing ovation for what he has done for this community & the loyalty he has shown this franchise when any common man would have taken the easier path and walked away/forced his way out.
You can hate his game, you can hate his whining, but to not show him respect for the things mentioned above would make me feel ashamed about the city I choose to call home. I'd like to think we're better than that, and I hope I'm proven right. I guess we'll see tonight.
You can hate his game, you can hate his whining, but to not show him respect for the things mentioned above would make me feel ashamed about the city I choose to call home. I'd like to think we're better than that, and I hope I'm proven right. I guess we'll see tonight.
