Someone posted Giles usage stats the other day which showed that when he's out there, everything runs through him in order for him to be most effective. That 4th quarter against the sun's the other night brought eeeerie shades of Boogie back into my mind. 10 mins 12 pts 4 boards 2 assists 1 technical 4 fouls and a verbal argument with the opposing team's (losing by 20ish) bench. Guy is ridiculously talented but doesn't have it quite figured out on defense yet and is built like Durant. He also has the mental block of everyone saying he'll never be the player he was due to injuries. He wants to prove them wrong so badly. Though playtime is crucial to his development, and he seems to be plenty worth developing, consistency and culture are more important to the franchises development. Big picture, the narrative is changing....force feeding Giles minutes would keep us right in "rebuild" mode mentally. He's gotta earn the minutes by doing things right. When he beats out Kosta, we'll know he's ready. Joergers been coaching Kosta since before Harry hit puberty
[Game] Kings @ Cavs (Dec 7th 4:30PT/7:30ET)
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Giles is legit our 5th big. 5th bigs on most teams barely play. He's actually getting more time that a typical 5th big man, especially in this guard heavy league right now. He plays about as much as our 5th guard, Yogi. People need to calm down about Giles. Thankfully Giles himself is cool as a cucumber and is giving no indication he's getting "antsy". That is a testament to the coaching staff and the relationship they are building with this kid.
You can do a lot when your players trust you and know you have their back... including not rushing youth. By the way, this is how the Spurs develop talent too. You play behind the vets until you're ready, in the mean time: learn learn learn.
I would say not a minor thing and something of which I was not aware.
Just to clarify for those saying Kosta is the better player now, I don’t disagree. The question is more what is better for the Kings in 2 years when we all hope they are making a Championship push.
That question is a legitimate question for which basketball people have different answers. Some think Giles absolutely needs more time even though everyone agrees it will hurt the team in the short run. But to get to that point you have to have an unselfish coach in it for the long run. Dave may or may not be that guy. That part is fair.
But when I hear DJ kicks Brandon out of practice and Harry goes from ~10 min a game to not getting any run even in garbage time..... that makes me start to question. Kosta getting that time for Family mitigates that somewhat. We shall see what keeps happening and what happens tonight.
Just to clarify for those saying Kosta is the better player now, I don’t disagree. The question is more what is better for the Kings in 2 years when we all hope they are making a Championship push.
That question is a legitimate question for which basketball people have different answers. Some think Giles absolutely needs more time even though everyone agrees it will hurt the team in the short run. But to get to that point you have to have an unselfish coach in it for the long run. Dave may or may not be that guy. That part is fair.
But when I hear DJ kicks Brandon out of practice and Harry goes from ~10 min a game to not getting any run even in garbage time..... that makes me start to question. Kosta getting that time for Family mitigates that somewhat. We shall see what keeps happening and what happens tonight.
This was a learning experience for the Kings. They came out fast and dominated. In the second quarter, they went on cruise control which should have proved to them that even teams at the bottom in the NBA have firepower and you cannot let up on defense. In the second half they used defense to change the course of the game. They are growing up quickly.
No one really knows what will be better for the Kings 2 years down the road, I know I certainly don't. However, the experience of winning games contributes to teaching players how to win in the future. If Kosta over Giles is what helps the Kings win now, one could make the argument that him playing over Giles is what is better for the Kings 2 years down the road. It could even benefit Giles and his personal growth.
Enlarge your time scope to support your claims. Game-to-game is just too short sighted. Giles has been hurt for close to 3 of the past 6 years dating back to high school, and has played (to date) in 44 official games in the past 2.5 seasons. His minutes may be entirely due to his time off, his injuries, his ability compared to the guys playing in front of him, or nothing about him at all (maybe Koufos is getting run as the Dec 15th date creeps up to show he is healthy so they can put him in a trade). To point the finger at Joerger this early in the season and Giles' NBA career is short sighted and not considering all the alternative reasons why Giles' isn't getting minutes. Give it a season.
Enlarge your time scope to support your claims. Game-to-game is just too short sighted. Giles has been hurt for close to 3 of the past 6 years dating back to high school, and has played (to date) in 44 official games in the past 2.5 seasons. His minutes may be entirely due to his time off, his injuries, his ability compared to the guys playing in front of him, or nothing about him at all (maybe Koufos is getting run as the Dec 15th date creeps up to show he is healthy so they can put him in a trade). To point the finger at Joerger this early in the season and Giles' NBA career is short sighted and not considering all the alternative reasons why Giles' isn't getting minutes. Give it a season.
I suspect it's a combination of things. Dave is fighting for his next contract. Including the contracts of his assistants. The best way to get that contract is to win games. That means playing the guys who are steady and can execute the game plan. Kosta. Even JJ.
But I wouldn't put it past being a middle finger to Williams saying he can do what he wants. Dave is obviously salty right now.
I like Joerger as a coach, but I still don't know where this narrative that Dave is a saint and Williams is the devil came from. Seems pretty one sided info coming out. I know folks are upset about the Haynes article and it's assumed, not confirmed, that Williams is the source. But there have been negative quotes/stories about Williams to the media and nobody questions those leaks and where it came from. So Dave won that media battle awhile ago, even before the article. So you're not going to convince anyone that Dave is wrong. Best stick to the stuff on the court.
Giles isn't ready to play on a playoff team yet. That's what the Kings are right now until they're eliminated from that discussion. He'll get his minutes in time.
But I wouldn't put it past being a middle finger to Williams saying he can do what he wants. Dave is obviously salty right now.
I like Joerger as a coach, but I still don't know where this narrative that Dave is a saint and Williams is the devil came from. Seems pretty one sided info coming out. I know folks are upset about the Haynes article and it's assumed, not confirmed, that Williams is the source. But there have been negative quotes/stories about Williams to the media and nobody questions those leaks and where it came from. So Dave won that media battle awhile ago, even before the article. So you're not going to convince anyone that Dave is wrong. Best stick to the stuff on the court.
Giles isn't ready to play on a playoff team yet. That's what the Kings are right now until they're eliminated from that discussion. He'll get his minutes in time.
And playing Giles more can hurt Fox/Bagley going forward. It's much harder to focus on 5/6 young guys than 2/3. Playing Giles means others get less attention too from the coaches. It's one thing when KK is not available. Also, if he really was trying to get back at Williams Skal would be active over Giles.
The thing is, it could be any number of reasons, or even combinations of reasons why Giles has not been getting burn.
The most common reason that springs to my mind is getting Kosta some burn so that we can do him a solid (like we tend to do) and get him to a more viable situation. He is solid in his minutes as always, but he and everyone else knows his time here is likely very limited.
Perhaps, and I hope it is not the case, Giles may have been feeling something in his knees and they are being cautious. He will be with us a while, no need to risk anything. It may be minor so, no need to alert the media yet. Again, this is all conjecture.
Then of course there are the conspiracy reasons being bandied about. Personally, I hold Dave in a high regard in that I can not see him using players for political warfare. Just can't see it.
Patience is the key here. We are doing so well, no need to muck up the good vibes unnecessarily. We are on the way up as a team. Let's enjoy it.
The most common reason that springs to my mind is getting Kosta some burn so that we can do him a solid (like we tend to do) and get him to a more viable situation. He is solid in his minutes as always, but he and everyone else knows his time here is likely very limited.
Perhaps, and I hope it is not the case, Giles may have been feeling something in his knees and they are being cautious. He will be with us a while, no need to risk anything. It may be minor so, no need to alert the media yet. Again, this is all conjecture.
Then of course there are the conspiracy reasons being bandied about. Personally, I hold Dave in a high regard in that I can not see him using players for political warfare. Just can't see it.
Patience is the key here. We are doing so well, no need to muck up the good vibes unnecessarily. We are on the way up as a team. Let's enjoy it.
While I would love to see Giles get more playing time, I feel that winning should be the #1 priority. Players in Giles' position tend to get more minutes at home than on the road (in my experience). There is usually more room for error.
Ultimately, Giles will get his opportunities and hopefully take advantage of them. This would be good for both him and the Kings.
For coach to sit Giles because of some feud with Williams benefits nobody. It is in everyone's best interest (including the coach) for Giles to improve and become an important contributor for the Kings.
Ultimately, Giles will get his opportunities and hopefully take advantage of them. This would be good for both him and the Kings.
For coach to sit Giles because of some feud with Williams benefits nobody. It is in everyone's best interest (including the coach) for Giles to improve and become an important contributor for the Kings.
I think part of what we need to remember is that Kosta was injured to start the season. The Kings' young bigs including Giles and even Labissiere got some run early on as Joerger looked for who could help the team. Clearly ZBo wasn't in the plans for this season but Koufos always was - he just had to get healthy first.
On another topic I really liked seeing Bagley get some more run as the 5 man with Bjelica. It doesn't work if the opponent has a big that can punish MB3 in the block (and right now a LOT of guys can do that) but with the right matchup it's a better fit for him than pairing Marvin with Willie or Kosta.
As he gets stronger I think Bagley can be an ideal center in today's NBA due to his offensive and defensive flexibility. And he's a strong enough rebounder to make it work too.
On another topic I really liked seeing Bagley get some more run as the 5 man with Bjelica. It doesn't work if the opponent has a big that can punish MB3 in the block (and right now a LOT of guys can do that) but with the right matchup it's a better fit for him than pairing Marvin with Willie or Kosta.
As he gets stronger I think Bagley can be an ideal center in today's NBA due to his offensive and defensive flexibility. And he's a strong enough rebounder to make it work too.
I just took who was in towards the end was more of a result of the careless play the previous game. The end of the game saw a more controlled team which played much better than that previous showing.
Bagley getting some run at center last night was a great change and gives me the idea that he is trusting him and trying to find ways to keep him on the floor. I also saw fox give up the ball to let Bogi bring it up court a few times.
Saw most of those things in the second half and that’s when we pulled away. Not to say it was the main reason or the teammates calling each other out. But I think what was going on at the end of the half had something to do with the change.
These guys want to win and some of them want to see a cohesive unit that puts out the same effort as they do.
Bagley getting some run at center last night was a great change and gives me the idea that he is trusting him and trying to find ways to keep him on the floor. I also saw fox give up the ball to let Bogi bring it up court a few times.
Saw most of those things in the second half and that’s when we pulled away. Not to say it was the main reason or the teammates calling each other out. But I think what was going on at the end of the half had something to do with the change.
These guys want to win and some of them want to see a cohesive unit that puts out the same effort as they do.
Right now Koufus is the only large body we have that can clog up the middle and play contact defense and consistently rebound. I think both Bagley and Giles will be much better at that role in two years than they are now. Bagley especially has the potential to play the 5 in the modern NBA.
Willie has turned into an offensive threat, but I don't think it matters how long you wait, he is never going to be a rim protector or a consistent rebounder. Same with Skal. They are too lackadasical and lack desire. I don't see how they are going to acquire it.
Bjelica gets some offensive boards and put backs that come as a surprise. He gets some blocks. He is a nice compliment to who ever plays the 5. The Kings can run and it is especially important to rotate the big guys. The current formula is working so well, I would hesitate to mess with it.
Willie has turned into an offensive threat, but I don't think it matters how long you wait, he is never going to be a rim protector or a consistent rebounder. Same with Skal. They are too lackadasical and lack desire. I don't see how they are going to acquire it.
Bjelica gets some offensive boards and put backs that come as a surprise. He gets some blocks. He is a nice compliment to who ever plays the 5. The Kings can run and it is especially important to rotate the big guys. The current formula is working so well, I would hesitate to mess with it.
Like others have said the bigest positive with the Clevland and SUns games is how we are handleing weaker opponents. It is so refreshing to see a team winning the games they should win and not playing down to th level of the oponent. This is quite frankely a sign of a mature team with a solid sense of identity. The Kings are now in the process of becomming a team that other teams have to adjust to rather than the oterway arround. When these young men play their style of ball they are a very hard team to beat and a lot of fun to watch!
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