Kings extend QO to Willie Cauley-Stein
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Looks like he may get his wish again as he may be replacing Cousins on the roster unless of course Cousins resigns.
Maybe he will have that 20ppg, 10rpg and 2bpg season But I really think he may have a comparable season as last year and we will see how the warriors fans like their new version of hake a shaq in crunch time.
Maybe he will have that 20ppg, 10rpg and 2bpg season But I really think he may have a comparable season as last year and we will see how the warriors fans like their new version of hake a shaq in crunch time.
I'm terms of talent, Dedmon isn't necessarily "better" than Cauley-Stein (and that argument skews toward WCS even more if their respective ages are considered), but in terms of fit he may prove to be a much better choice.
That's exactly it. Last year WCS was clearly the best option to start at center so Joerger needed Bjelica to start next to him to provide the spacing Fox needed. That left Bagley coming off the bench as even with his outside shot looking better late in the season he was a poor fit alongside Cauley-Stein.
On paper Dedmon is a much better fit next to Bagley. His outside shot provides spacing for Bagley and Fox (and Barnes who should be allowed to post up when matchups dictate) while being a better rim protector than WCS. And while his rebounding isn't great, Bagley (and Barnes & Buddy who board well for their positions) can make up for that in the same way that Collins picked up the slack for Dedmon in Atlanta.
Vlade clearly wanted a center that would allow Bagley to start at PF and he got one. And he also put together a tough and balanced second unit with Joseph, Bogdanovic, Ariza, Bjelica (or maybe Holmes) and Giles. This group will get every chance to prove that they are a "super team, just young."
As a side note, I do see the fit with WCS and the Warriors. Kerr likes having centers who can run the floor, set screens and operate out of the high post to find cutters etc. Willie is a good passer for a big man and while he doesn't protect the rim as we all hoped, if he can finally be consistent night in and night out he can be very effective in Golden State and raise his value around the league.
And look, I don't know Willie. Like most fans my knowledge of any player is cobbled together from interview quotes and journalist/commentator comments. So I could really be off base on this next part, but just based on the comments from his agent and Willie himself I'm guessing that right now he's blaming the Kings for "holding him back" or "not getting to show his game" and/or even just for extending the qualifying offer as the reasons he didn't get more interest in free agency. I've always liked WCS but for him to take the next step I think he needs to have more self awareness and take more personal accountability.
That's exactly it. Last year WCS was clearly the best option to start at center so Joerger needed Bjelica to start next to him to provide the spacing Fox needed. That left Bagley coming off the bench as even with his outside shot looking better late in the season he was a poor fit alongside Cauley-Stein.
On paper Dedmon is a much better fit next to Bagley. His outside shot provides spacing for Bagley and Fox (and Barnes who should be allowed to post up when matchups dictate) while being a better rim protector than WCS. And while his rebounding isn't great, Bagley (and Barnes & Buddy who board well for their positions) can make up for that in the same way that Collins picked up the slack for Dedmon in Atlanta.
Vlade clearly wanted a center that would allow Bagley to start at PF and he got one. And he also put together a tough and balanced second unit with Joseph, Bogdanovic, Ariza, Bjelica (or maybe Holmes) and Giles. This group will get every chance to prove that they are a "super team, just young."
As a side note, I do see the fit with WCS and the Warriors. Kerr likes having centers who can run the floor, set screens and operate out of the high post to find cutters etc. Willie is a good passer for a big man and while he doesn't protect the rim as we all hoped, if he can finally be consistent night in and night out he can be very effective in Golden State and raise his value around the league.
And look, I don't know Willie. Like most fans my knowledge of any player is cobbled together from interview quotes and journalist/commentator comments. So I could really be off base on this next part, but just based on the comments from his agent and Willie himself I'm guessing that right now he's blaming the Kings for "holding him back" or "not getting to show his game" and/or even just for extending the qualifying offer as the reasons he didn't get more interest in free agency. I've always liked WCS but for him to take the next step I think he needs to have more self awareness and take more personal accountability.
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Hard to say if it really is.
Of his four seasons, Holmes did have one solid season of shooting threes. Oddly it was his second season.
His rookie year he shot 44 threes, making 8 (18%) and his third year he shot 31 threes, making 4 (13%).
But in his second season he shot 77 and made 27 (35%). That was in 57 games, 17 of them as a starter.
The next year (his only in Phoenix after 3 seasons in Philadelphia) he shot zero threes. None. And while he played less minutes per game, that was in almost the same exact number of minutes as his second season with the Sixers (just under 1200 minutes played) so I'm not sure what to make of that.
Definitely a small sample size but likely also a product of coaching philosophy. That Philly team his second year had no Ben Simmons and a very limited Joel Embiid. I mean, Nik Stauskas had the second highest MPG and Ilyasova had the second most PPG so maybe everybody had the green light to shoot in hopes that somebody could get hot on any given night.
But I'm not sure why he didn't take any last season other than Kokoskov didn't want him to, even though the Suns were 23rd in 3PA and dead last in 3P%. The same Kokoskov who is now a lead assistant with the Kings.
It will be interesting to see how Holmes is used next season and if the team lets him shoot from outside.
Of his four seasons, Holmes did have one solid season of shooting threes. Oddly it was his second season.
His rookie year he shot 44 threes, making 8 (18%) and his third year he shot 31 threes, making 4 (13%).
But in his second season he shot 77 and made 27 (35%). That was in 57 games, 17 of them as a starter.
The next year (his only in Phoenix after 3 seasons in Philadelphia) he shot zero threes. None. And while he played less minutes per game, that was in almost the same exact number of minutes as his second season with the Sixers (just under 1200 minutes played) so I'm not sure what to make of that.
Definitely a small sample size but likely also a product of coaching philosophy. That Philly team his second year had no Ben Simmons and a very limited Joel Embiid. I mean, Nik Stauskas had the second highest MPG and Ilyasova had the second most PPG so maybe everybody had the green light to shoot in hopes that somebody could get hot on any given night.
But I'm not sure why he didn't take any last season other than Kokoskov didn't want him to, even though the Suns were 23rd in 3PA and dead last in 3P%. The same Kokoskov who is now a lead assistant with the Kings.
It will be interesting to see how Holmes is used next season and if the team lets him shoot from outside.
I'd like to know what his percentage is around 18 feet. He doesn't need to shoot 3 pointers to create space on the floor for others and be an outside threat. He's similar to Giles in that regard. His free throw percentage is pretty decent, and has been climbing, so there is some reason for optimism.
Holmes took virtually no shots last year or the year before from 20-24 ft. In 2016-2017 in Philly he took 0.8 shots per game in the 20-24 foot range and had a shooting percentage of 44.4% from that distance. (In that particular year, only Paul Pierce with 45% had a higher shooting average while taking 0.8 shots/game).
As a comparison, last year's shooting stats show Bogs shot on average last year 2.4 shots within that distance for a shooting percentage of 36.8%, Bjelica 1.1 attempts with same shooting percentage of 36.8%, H. Barnes 2.5 attempts at 41.2%, Bagley 0.6 attempts at 21.6%, Giles 0.2 attempts at 25%, Fox 1.6 attempts at 29.2%, and Hield 4.1 attempts at 44.8%.
If you just look at those stats it supports the notion that Holmes has the potential to be a pretty good outside shooter. We will see.
As a comparison, last year's shooting stats show Bogs shot on average last year 2.4 shots within that distance for a shooting percentage of 36.8%, Bjelica 1.1 attempts with same shooting percentage of 36.8%, H. Barnes 2.5 attempts at 41.2%, Bagley 0.6 attempts at 21.6%, Giles 0.2 attempts at 25%, Fox 1.6 attempts at 29.2%, and Hield 4.1 attempts at 44.8%.
If you just look at those stats it supports the notion that Holmes has the potential to be a pretty good outside shooter. We will see.
The mid range shot is dead. You don't want anyone, especially iffy shooting big men shooting mid range shots with any kind of regularity. If you look at the shot charts of the best teams, almost none of them shoot mid range shots. We got beat by Utah last year and someone posted up the shot charts of both teams and almost all of Utah's shots were right at the rim or from 3 with very little in the mid range while the Kings shot chart just had an equal amount of shots all over the court. Showed the distinct style difference and how a team like Utah was so much more efficient than us by playing the percentages.
I think Holmes either needs to develop a 3 point shot or not shoot at all. Same with Giles. From the percentages you posted, the only guy on the team that should be shooting from mid range is Hield. Most of the mid range shots should come from the end of shot clock, can't get a better shot, variety.
I think Holmes either needs to develop a 3 point shot or not shoot at all. Same with Giles. From the percentages you posted, the only guy on the team that should be shooting from mid range is Hield. Most of the mid range shots should come from the end of shot clock, can't get a better shot, variety.
We will be so much better WITHOUT I don't wanna hurt my hand on the rim stein. Mr. 0.6 blocks per game lazy-stein. He was inconsistent at best.
We will be so much better WITHOUT drive recklessly into traffic every time mason. Mr. 21.9% from 3 last season frank.
We will be so much better not paying large salaries to un-team-ball-burks or only good to about 6 feet out Koufos.
Last summer I was one of the few that said we really improved and we did. This year we improved again.
Pg improved because yogi is now 3rd string and Cojo>Mason
Sf improved I like Brewer, but he did only shoot 31% from 3 last year and Ariza went up against starters plying 34 mpg.
Center greatly improved because we have a reliable starting center that fits better than stein because he will spread the floor and open the lane for fox and bags. Holmes and Dedmon are huge upgrades because they play within themselves and don't have delusions of grandeur. I cringed every time willie took a mid-range shot. How the h3ll did he get worse at free throws?
I was really impressed with bagley last year and fox had the greatest single season improvement i can think of in recent memory. I am hoping this is the season Giles shows "that next level" to his game. I think Giles can be a key piece to this team.
We will be so much better WITHOUT drive recklessly into traffic every time mason. Mr. 21.9% from 3 last season frank.
We will be so much better not paying large salaries to un-team-ball-burks or only good to about 6 feet out Koufos.
Last summer I was one of the few that said we really improved and we did. This year we improved again.
Pg improved because yogi is now 3rd string and Cojo>Mason
Sf improved I like Brewer, but he did only shoot 31% from 3 last year and Ariza went up against starters plying 34 mpg.
Center greatly improved because we have a reliable starting center that fits better than stein because he will spread the floor and open the lane for fox and bags. Holmes and Dedmon are huge upgrades because they play within themselves and don't have delusions of grandeur. I cringed every time willie took a mid-range shot. How the h3ll did he get worse at free throws?
I was really impressed with bagley last year and fox had the greatest single season improvement i can think of in recent memory. I am hoping this is the season Giles shows "that next level" to his game. I think Giles can be a key piece to this team.
I don't believe the mid-range shot is dead. It's fashionable to say so, but despite the fad, caused in part by the Warriors' success, it's valuable to have a center who can shoot the 18 footer on a consistent basis, even though he can't hit the 3 pointer. Not only is it valuable in and of itself, it's valuable to open up drives for potential 3 point plays (the old fashioned way), and it's valuable to open the floor for the center's teammates. Both Giles and Holmes will become more valuable to this team if they can hit that 18 footer.
He wouldn't be the first guy to put it together but the odds are against him.
I know people have a dim view thanks to guys we let get away when we were loaded during the glory days like Turk and Wallace but most of the guys we've let go in recent times have failed to thrive elsewhere. The only recent example of a guy finding true success was IT in Boston, which was certainly not an example of a guy giving up all his frustrating tendencies to finally find success elsewhere.
I know people have a dim view thanks to guys we let get away when we were loaded during the glory days like Turk and Wallace but most of the guys we've let go in recent times have failed to thrive elsewhere. The only recent example of a guy finding true success was IT in Boston, which was certainly not an example of a guy giving up all his frustrating tendencies to finally find success elsewhere.
If Willie isn't swinging at the ball on defense, I just wonder what Green is going to say to him?
The irony of irony for me is that WCS said if he wasn't going to be starting, then he'd definitely have to be with a winner. It's very possible the Warriors are not going to be a winning team next year, at least not a playoff team. WCS would then be a bench guy on a losing team. What then, WCS?
Also, the word talent is thrown around without definition. Usually it's associated with physical attributes - speed, jumping, agility, etc. I think the "fit" has far less importance in Divac's decision than competitive desire. When it comes to the "inconsistency" of WCS, it's more of an inconsistency of effort. I do agree, however, that Dedmond's basketball skills are more complementary to the Kings than WCS. The complementary fit of Dedmond is gravy.
The irony of irony for me is that WCS said if he wasn't going to be starting, then he'd definitely have to be with a winner. It's very possible the Warriors are not going to be a winning team next year, at least not a playoff team. WCS would then be a bench guy on a losing team. What then, WCS? Also, the word talent is thrown around without definition. Usually it's associated with physical attributes - speed, jumping, agility, etc. I think the "fit" has far less importance in Divac's decision than competitive desire. When it comes to the "inconsistency" of WCS, it's more of an inconsistency of effort. I do agree, however, that Dedmond's basketball skills are more complementary to the Kings than WCS. The complementary fit of Dedmond is gravy.