Jones: This off-season will be different for the Kings
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I did and Jason Jones reads like the Kings PR department instead of a newspaper reporter. The Kings have the reputation for the softest media in the NBA and it’s well deserved.
Why don’t our reporters ask questions like:
1) Statistically over the last 30 years, the number of times you draft in the 6,7,or 8 draft spot has a high correlation (almost 70%) with how poor your record is over that time. Yet you would have ended in that spot every year of your tenure except for a lucky lottery break and the sixers tanking for you.
Why do you chose to ignore the statistical evidence and conventional wisdom?
Why don’t our reporters ask questions like:
1) Statistically over the last 30 years, the number of times you draft in the 6,7,or 8 draft spot has a high correlation (almost 70%) with how poor your record is over that time. Yet you would have ended in that spot every year of your tenure except for a lucky lottery break and the sixers tanking for you.
Why do you chose to ignore the statistical evidence and conventional wisdom?
Continuity in the FO? Perry is gone. The article brings up our "much improved" scouting department, but we just fired the guy who was heading it, so there goes that stability. Williams is new and has the same title as Catanella (assistant GM), so could this end up another case of too many cooks in the kitchen?
Vlade and Joerger are the main standbys, and so far they haven't proven much beyond the "they're better than some of the past jokers we've had as GMs and coaches" argument. Although, to be fair I like how the kids play under Joerger, and the jury is still out on Vlade until we see what the kids start doing with more experience.
Speaking of the kids, I'm going to be optimistic, as I am every offseason (as opposed to the raging pessimist I am during the R.S.). I want to believe that Fox is going to be a stud PG next year. I want to believe that Giles is healthy and legit. That WCS will somehow find his way out of his own backside. That we'll see more improvement from Skal, Buddy, JJ, and Bogs. I want to believe that (assuming we don't jump into the top 3!) whoever we draft in the back end of the top 10 will be keeper.
But it's still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too early to sell me on this FO. They gotta do more than "be around" for more than a year.
Vlade and Joerger are the main standbys, and so far they haven't proven much beyond the "they're better than some of the past jokers we've had as GMs and coaches" argument. Although, to be fair I like how the kids play under Joerger, and the jury is still out on Vlade until we see what the kids start doing with more experience.
Speaking of the kids, I'm going to be optimistic, as I am every offseason (as opposed to the raging pessimist I am during the R.S.). I want to believe that Fox is going to be a stud PG next year. I want to believe that Giles is healthy and legit. That WCS will somehow find his way out of his own backside. That we'll see more improvement from Skal, Buddy, JJ, and Bogs. I want to believe that (assuming we don't jump into the top 3!) whoever we draft in the back end of the top 10 will be keeper.
But it's still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too early to sell me on this FO. They gotta do more than "be around" for more than a year.
WTF? we have not heard about stablity being a priory since before the Maloofs went broke. The same old song and dance was this kid or that kid was then next great thing or this coach knows how to win, or any number of other quick fixes. I am no fan of Jason Jones but he has a point. The team has been in flux for years and only now are we begining to see the signs of stability. If the winning culture argument has validity we should see an uptick in performace from the core guys next season. But waiting for the pick, or FA to come along and save the team IS the old song and dance.
For some reason, reporting from The Bee acts more like of an extension of the Kings PR department, with equal parts of lazy journalism. This article shows a bit of both:
- saying things would be better because of stability, but overlooking the fact that Mike Bratz abruptly left and not digging into they "why"
- talking about our scouting department being properly staffed but nothing is exemplified nor quantified
- going with the soft sell that this so-called stability = a reason to believe things will be better
I wish the Bee would dive in a bit deeper... especially given the how local papers are getting killed these days. Good journalistic content still sells.
- saying things would be better because of stability, but overlooking the fact that Mike Bratz abruptly left and not digging into they "why"
- talking about our scouting department being properly staffed but nothing is exemplified nor quantified
- going with the soft sell that this so-called stability = a reason to believe things will be better
I wish the Bee would dive in a bit deeper... especially given the how local papers are getting killed these days. Good journalistic content still sells.
So part of the reason why the Kings were able to bring in top prospects in for a workout was because of Perry who is no longer here? I'm also not sold on stability. How are we going to be able to keep reeling in top prospects? Also, how does it look on the Kings that we cut our 13th and 22th picks after 1 1/2 years? Seems like the excuse everyone gave was that the 2016 draft was we weak, so who cares? NBA agents care. Future NBA prospects care.
We also fired our scouting director Mike Bratz mid-season, which I see no mention of. How does this help our scouting department?
I'm not going to believe that things are changing until it actually changes.
We also fired our scouting director Mike Bratz mid-season, which I see no mention of. How does this help our scouting department?
I'm not going to believe that things are changing until it actually changes.
I mean, others have pointed out already what the Bee fails to. And even then, Vlade is a **** GM and this is an ill-fit coach so why does it matter? The Clippers had the same GM for god knows how long (AKA stability), and since we're already kinda like the 80s Clippers right now, sucks to suck I guess.
"For the first time in three years, general manager Vlade Divac isn't actively seeking another executive to help him. The once woefully understaffed scouting department is much better prepared to assess talent leading up to the NBA draft in June."
"... Divac is confident his group that includes Brandon Williams and Ken Catanella has the ability to keep things going in the right direction."
The above is the essential meat of the article: The scouting staff is much better prepared to assess talent because Divac is confident in his group. It seems a rather superficial and circular reporting to me. It certainly would be nice to hear why Divac is justified in his confidence in Williams and Catanella. Their track records perhaps? In doing some cursory research on the net I find that Williams emphasis is in FA recruiting, whereas Catanella's background to be more in salary cap management and analytics. So where exactly is the major expertise in talent evaluation?
"... Divac is confident his group that includes Brandon Williams and Ken Catanella has the ability to keep things going in the right direction."
The above is the essential meat of the article: The scouting staff is much better prepared to assess talent because Divac is confident in his group. It seems a rather superficial and circular reporting to me. It certainly would be nice to hear why Divac is justified in his confidence in Williams and Catanella. Their track records perhaps? In doing some cursory research on the net I find that Williams emphasis is in FA recruiting, whereas Catanella's background to be more in salary cap management and analytics. So where exactly is the major expertise in talent evaluation?
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The hope is always there that we will break out but then reality sets in and we realize that hoping is really all we have.
You cant blame Jones for writing a positive piece, half his mates have been shown the door and hes a Laker fan anyway. Laughing all the way to the bank thankful he has a job covering the only show in town.
You cant blame Jones for writing a positive piece, half his mates have been shown the door and hes a Laker fan anyway. Laughing all the way to the bank thankful he has a job covering the only show in town.
I've been as hard on Jason as anyone (ask him) but this is not true nor fair. He's from LA and of course his team was the Lakers. That doesn't prevent him from doing his job and, to be honest, I think he's come a long way in being a decent beat reporter. Want a bad beat reporter? Remember R.E. Graswich? Jones tells it like it is, without the homer viewpoint that sometimes makes the medicine a little easier to go down.
There's clearly a reason he still has a job, most likely because he was the lowest paid and easiest to retain in the current climate.
I don't have any beef with Jones. Hopefully he learns that keeping it real is his strength and writing positivism pieces is not what the job requires over factual reporting.
I don't have any beef with Jones. Hopefully he learns that keeping it real is his strength and writing positivism pieces is not what the job requires over factual reporting.