[Game] Kings vs. Trail Blazers 10/19/2022 7pm Pacific 10pm Eastern
- Thread starter Tetsujin
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I think my two biggest disappointments last night besides officiating and what I assume was just an off night from Sabonis were Barnes all around and to a lesser extent Lyles jacking up some questionable shots. He did make a few of those, but all the same. Can't wait for Keegan to rejoin. Debut. whatever. Should fix a few of these issues. While I am fine with Barnes being replaced by Sasha next year, maybe we need something more immediate. Or maybe he can resolve this. But after last night I don't think I'm eager to bring him back even on a very team friendly deal next year.
Brown had some interesting remarks after the game. The one that stuck out for me was when he said,"We played correctly for 15 out of the 48 minutes." He didn't want to talk about the positives. When asked about the positive things like Heurter's performance he went on about things he didn't like. He's a tough coach and I like that.
I was (rightfully I think) mad about the officiating and hoped Brown would give a piece of his mind but in the end I'm glad he didn't. That's the old Kings thinking, even if it was true last night. I think Brown's early challenge didn't help - it's almost like they threw it back at him for having the gall to use the challenge early. So maybe he was owning that in a way too. But this upcoming stretch is tough and making excuses makes us weak. I just hope the team still works for him by the time we get out of it.
He’ll provide an outlet on that second unit and give some much needed size at that 4/3 spot. But that 6’4 n shorter trio of Davis, Davion, n Monk isn’t going to work long term. They’re all relatively dribble orientated for their role. N I haven’t even touched Holmes yet, who should be begging his agent to send him to Indy.
Not going to overreact to one game, especially with that GOAT ref performance last night.
That being said, we absolutely need to play better defense (might be easier without crap zebras), and if Domas and Barnes played up to their normal standards, we get a W. Those guys need to bring it next game.
Speaking of bringing it... Fox looks like he's putting his money where his mouth is and is on a mission this year.
Clippers are going to be tough, but I'm still hoping we bounce back and get a W next game.
That being said, we absolutely need to play better defense (might be easier without crap zebras), and if Domas and Barnes played up to their normal standards, we get a W. Those guys need to bring it next game.
Speaking of bringing it... Fox looks like he's putting his money where his mouth is and is on a mission this year.
Clippers are going to be tough, but I'm still hoping we bounce back and get a W next game.
I really don't think he's been a competent defensive SF for the past couple of years honestly. I like Barnes as an overall strong player historically, but I really wish we would have moved him last year. I think this team will prove to be better off with KZ/Keegan as a tandum vs. KZ/Barnes or Keegan/Barnes. Unfortunately, Barnes is the type of "pros pro" that coaches love and I'm skeptical that Brown will ever make a move to put Barnes with the second unit. If he's hitting his threes at a 40% clip, that's probably OK overall; however, if he's struggling offensively I may just pull the last remaining hairs out of my head this year.
If Barnes can't defend and Keegan proves to be a plus on that side I don't think Brown won't move him down. But otherwise I agree. The thing is we had no idea we were getting Keegan at the time we'd have moved Barnes. In hindsight a move would have been a good deal especially if it got us one of those late firsts that OKC or Detroit got.
I've been a Barnes detractor for awhile now.
Even when he was "good", he disappeared more often than not when the going got tough. Dude is SAWFT.
Hopefully McNair can bamboozle another GM into trading for him this season, rather than lose him for nothing later. I'm sure Barnes will have his signature streak of 5-6 games of solid play before disappearing again. That'll be the time to hit the phones and try to squeeze something out of a playoff team looking for another piece.
Even when he was "good", he disappeared more often than not when the going got tough. Dude is SAWFT.
Hopefully McNair can bamboozle another GM into trading for him this season, rather than lose him for nothing later. I'm sure Barnes will have his signature streak of 5-6 games of solid play before disappearing again. That'll be the time to hit the phones and try to squeeze something out of a playoff team looking for another piece.
Glad to see the board has rallied around a new scapegoat. I was thinking it would be Fox, now that Buddy is gone, but looks like the board has settled on HB. Pretty typical. There is always a bad guy on this board. And that isn't to say that Barnes might not be the weak link; just seems like it is awfully quick to have assigned a new scapegoat.
Rim protection might be what holds us back this season. Sabonis and Holmes have both put up big rebounding numbers in the past but neither one is a paint enforcer and what I saw last night is that the quick trigger on foul calls prevented us from playing as aggressively on defense as we wanted to. Once the second guessing started about where the line was between a foul and a tight contest we got out of our rhythm and didn't really have a plan B. That's something veteran teams figure out in time.
Fox and Huerter both played great. Mitchell changed his shot and it hasn't been working for him yet. Hopefully he's able to dial it in eventually because we need him on the floor clamping down on the other teams' point guards. Keegan was sorely missed, is he coming back soon?
Fox and Huerter both played great. Mitchell changed his shot and it hasn't been working for him yet. Hopefully he's able to dial it in eventually because we need him on the floor clamping down on the other teams' point guards. Keegan was sorely missed, is he coming back soon?
Personally, I've been bashing Barnes for about 3 years now. 
I wouldn't pin the loss on him though. Definitely blaming the refs. When it's bad enough to get a thunderous "Refs you suck!" chant from the crowd, you know it's more than confirmation bias!
But If I haaaad to choose one of our guys to blame it would be Domas. He was garbage yesterday and is supposed to be one of our top 2. He needs to do way better next game.
I wouldn't pin the loss on him though. Definitely blaming the refs. When it's bad enough to get a thunderous "Refs you suck!" chant from the crowd, you know it's more than confirmation bias!
But If I haaaad to choose one of our guys to blame it would be Domas. He was garbage yesterday and is supposed to be one of our top 2. He needs to do way better next game.
I agree, and the question is now does Brown eventually find himself at the crossroads of going all in on talent or fit? I watched back the preseason games at some point and did see that yes, KZ is miles ahead of Murray defensively so I get it. This is a talent based league though. Hopefully Domas comes back to life and this isn't an issue but if and when it becomes one what Brown does and how he responds could determine whether this franchise is changing direction by this season or not. I'm not sold on this being a team that bases everything they want to do around being a top defensive team in the league. They simply don't have the tools overall although they should be solid for sure. Last nights defensive shortcomings literally came from their offensive hiccups. Something to watch for sure.
You can already see if you watch though. The Kings need that 3rd player to initiate and attack. Barnes is by far the best combo F ball handler with guard skills on the roster. Murray didn't turn the ball over running pick and roll but it also didn't yield much in the way of PPP. Murray spreading next to Barnes is the answer if this team continues to look on the short end literally on the wing. The reality is if Domas/Fox isn't enough talent wise as a combo, you simply can't get away with placing fit role players next to them. You're just recreating a new Harkless scenario although KZ for sure has better on ball stoppage ability than him at this point. The next couple of games will probably tell a lot about Brown and this team as it heads into the season. If they can find some stability with the rotation they ran in preseason then it should lengthen that period of time they have to wait and see. If not, this gets real in a hurry.
Gonna be honest, I don't think this is bad. This is basically the last season the Kings will operate under the cap (Before a Sabonis extension, and then Fox will have his mega extension). There are plenty of really really nice 3/4 types in RFA that would fit this team super well. Having money heading into FA with basically all the core signed long-term is a great spot to be in.
And the sad thing is, probably even more than Fox/Buddy, he's the one that makes the offensive system actually work. In preseason he was probably one of the top reasons why the offense looked as good as it did. Putting Murray in his spot and expecting him to do the same things isn't fair to Murray at this point. Murray does indeed look like Barnes in some ways but he has to develop a bit more especially with his guard skills.
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