But we also beat good teams WITH Fox and Barnes. This argument of wins or losses with or without Barnes is getting ridiculous and idiotic. You guys are saying the same things over and over and it still doesn’t support arguments one way or another. We’ve beaten good teams WITH and WITHOUT Fox and Barnes. We also lost to bad teams WITH and WITHOUT Fox and Barnes. You can probably say the same thing about holmes, buddy, bagley (insert player you love or hate here _____). It doesn’t prove anything, so can everyone in this asinine argument please stop using this as a point?
Technically we haven't lost to bad teams without both Fox and Barnes (not in recent stretch at least), but perhaps there was that one or two game stretch earlier in the year. Can't recall. Also can't say much about winning/losing without Buddy because he never misses a game lol. But I agree with your point.
While I agree with you somewhat, there is also some nuance to the context of the argument. The point being made now isn't that we are better off without Barnes and Fox; I certainly don't believe that. For me at least, it's about pointing out that this Kings team is more than just Fox/Hali/Barnes. There is a perpetuated notion (by some) that Fox/Barnes/Hali are
two-way studs who can do no wrong while everyone else is what's holding the team back. When the team wins with them, it's because of them, and when the team wins without them, it's supposedly because the games are meaningless and the teams we beat are bad. Likewise for defensive effort. Meanwhile, when we lose to bad teams with them, it is everyone else's fault.
So you are absolutely right that games shouldn't be looked at in isolation, and I absolutely can't stand it when people/media don't seem to grasp the idea that EVERY team and player in the league faces similar trends of up and down play, weak and strong schedules, good luck with opponents being shorthanded or bad luck with dealing with their own injuries. It all averages out. Losing and winning is shared by the entire team.
You know how we generally don't like player fans, whether it's Jimmer or European player X? What I've realised over the years is that in reality all of us are player fans, but perhaps for 3-4 players on the team rather than just one.