[Game] New Orleans Pelicans @ Kings, 1-7-24 3PM PST/6PM EST

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twslam07

twslam07

All-Star
#391
#391
It’s interesting to me that we swapped Huerter for Duarte in the starting lineup when I feel like there was a better option sitting there this entire time (assuming Mike Brown made the switch for defense, toughness, etc. reasons)…Keon Ellis.

Sure he’s on the lighter side but he’s got decent length at SG (6’8.5” wingspan and 8’6” standing reach), is our most impactful defender at times, and is hitting the 3 ball at a solid clip (.381 3P% on 7.2 3PA per36). He’s also got the handles and passing to be an adequate secondary ball handler to keep the ball moving.

I’m sure Davion is back in the rotation as a way to try and boost his value but Brown could have allowed Davion to come back into the rotation by cutting Duarte’s minutes. Not Keon’s. It could have been something like…

PG - Fox (34) / Mitchell (14)
SG - Ellis (20) / Monk (28)
SF - Murray (28) / Huerter (20)
PF - Barnes (26) / Lyles (18) / Murray (4)
C - Sabonis (34) / Len (10) / Lyles (4)


If I was the coach, I’d probably still have Huerter as the starter with Ellis off the bench. Huerter’s size and new found rebounding get overlooked a bit out here, and you can just feel how much better the spacing is when he’s out there (even if he’s not hitting his shots). I have found myself noticing the open looks that Duarte gets when a team rotates and we don’t really see Huerter get that space. Teams keep track of where Huerter is (even on bad shooting nights) which opens it up more for Fox & Sabonis.

At this point, I’d probably go with a rotation of…

PG - Fox (34) / Ellis (14)
SG - Huerter (22) / Monk (28)
SF - Murray (32) / Huerter (4) / Barnes (12)
PF - Lyles (22) / Barnes (14) / Vezenkov (12)
C - Sabonis (34) / Len (10) / Lyles (4)

Fox = 34 min
Sabonis = 34 min
Murray = 32 min
Monk = 28 min
Huerter = 26 min
Lyles = 26 min
Barnes = 26 min
Ellis = 14 min
Vezenkov = 12 min
Len = 10 min
  • No more McGee, no more Mitchell, no more Duarte.
  • Allow Huerter to at least be a spacing presence for Fox/Sabonis in the starting lineup
  • Insert Lyles into the starting lineup to give us more size, length, defense, & rim protection (while still providing space for Fox/Sabonis).
  • Allow Monk & Barnes to run the show/offense from the bench
  • Give Ellis, Vezenkov, & Len consistent minutes/roles even if they are on the lower side minute-wise
 
chief bromden

chief bromden

Starter
#392
#392
Just another Sunday 3pm wonky stinker game against a team that has their number. All this talk about who goes to the podium is ludicrous and just a cheap outlet for a frustrating loss. Move on to the next and hope Monte keeps working those phones!
 
Jones2006

Jones2006

Bench
#393
#393
The Len/McGee point has been beaten to death but I'll add something I haven't heard - With Lyles out, I think it's even more important to play Len over McGee. Because Sasha is not the physical sort of dude Lyles is or the defender, so you need someone next to Sasha to set those screens, to play physical inside, do more of the dirty work. McGee doesn't do that. If Lyles is in there, at least he can do some of that w/ McGee but you need Len in there to cover for Sasha at the 4' in my opinion.

Kessler Edwards needs a shot too. Heck I'd be open to changing things up and giving him some 2' minutes if needed.
 
J

joemama

Starter
#394
#394
Jones2006 said:
The Len/McGee point has been beaten to death but I'll add something.
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McGee could learn a lot from Len. One specific example is when McGee backtaps the ball he doesn't plan where the ball is going but Len does. How many times he tips it directly to an opposing player is maddening.

I just don't trust McGee with the ball. It give me palpitations every time he makes a pass.
 
Caccia

Caccia

Starter
#396
#396
MizzouKing

MizzouKing

Starter
#397
#397
I wonder if a lot of the performance here is distraction around the trade deadline. An optimistic take might be that they are such a tightly knit band of brothers that impending trades have them all collectively distracted with worry. Another take might be that a high profile TP (turd-like performance) meets individual goals.... players on the chopping block who don't want to leave become less tradeable, while the key players who aren't going anywhere create added pressure on GM to make a big dramatic move.
 
I

ick300

Starter
#398
#398
I can understand the “brothers symptom” but hey they are Professional athletes who are getting millions of dollars salary….
Can’t play heartless ….
I think the only think a fan can forget is soulless display , especially at home
 
E

ESP47

All-Star
#400
#400
I turned it off 3/4 the way through the first quarter. Game wasn't out of hand by then but the writing was already on the wall. They scored at will and were hitting all their outside shots and every single one of our shots was a massive struggle. I couldn't do anything but laugh when I saw the final outcome. As predictable as it gets.

Subbing in Keon, Sasha or Len isn't the difference in these wins and losses. They were down 50 at one point. They're usually down by 20-30 when they lose. A few bench guys playing more minutes isn't going to make a bit of difference when there is such a wide gap between being in and out of the game.
 
Kingster

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#401
#401
Under the category of unexplained phenomena is Murray with one rebound. He had 12 rebounds in each of his prior two games. Sabonis had 10 rebounds, Fox 2, everyone else had one or zero rebounds.

Also under unexplained phenomena is Fox with 3 points on 1-10 shooting. Remember a few games ago where Fox was looking like an excellent shooter? His shooting on the road trip of Portland, Atlanta and Memphis averaged 44% from the field, 46% on 3 point shots. This compares to his recent home stand against Charlotte, Orlando, Toronto and the Pelicans of 36% from the field and 23% on 3 point shots. It was against Portland and Atlanta that he took a whopping 15 and 16 3-point attempts respectively - the zenith of his 3 point outburst. (To put this zeal into perspective, the highest number of 3-pointers that Steph Curry has taken in any game this year has been 17 and 15 respectively). His 3 point effectiveness has plummeted ever since. He took four 3s against NO; made one.

On another note, the lack of length and athleticism on this team has been beaten like a dead horse on this board. Ideally, there should be some coefficient that would be arrived at by Length x Athleticism (LA) for every NBA player. The Kings would have to be in the lower quartile of the NBA for LA measurement.

Lastly, based on multiple interviews with Brown concerning the leadership deficit with the team, as well as my own observations, I think we can safely say at this point there is a deficit on this team in the category of competitive spirit. Getting demolished and not fighting back is the quintessence of the lack of competitive spirit. The reason leadership is required is because there aren't enough players to fight on their own terms. Hence, they need a push or a pull or something to get them to fight even when they are losing by a fairly big margin, even when things aren't going their way. Add that to Monte's list - players with leadership ability and players with competitive spirit.
 
fansinceday1

fansinceday1

Starter
#403
#403
so, according to DLo and KC on 1320, Siacam told Sac he would not resign here in Sac.

And the raptors were asking for the wrong player, and it wasnt Keegan.
 
ShastaKingsFan

ShastaKingsFan

All-Star
#406
#406
ESP47 said:
Subbing in Keon, Sasha or Len isn't the difference in these wins and losses. They were down 50 at one point. They're usually down by 20-30 when they lose. A few bench guys playing more minutes isn't going to make a bit of difference when there is such a wide gap between being in and out of the game.
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Although it could be the difference in close games. Like the Orlando game, where they were fortunate to get by in double OT. I would assume there will be plenty of close games the rest of the way and in the playoffs, so getting a rotation going that makes the most sense for winning hopefully happens before the deadline
 
Caccia

Caccia

Starter
#408
#408
ShastaKingsFan said:
Although it could be the difference in close games. Like the Orlando game, where they were fortunate to get by in double OT. I would assume there will be plenty of close games the rest of the way and in the playoffs, so getting a rotation going that makes the most sense for winning hopefully happens before the deadline
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Just think of all the games where one guy torches the Kings. They successfully frustrated Devin Booker with a box-and-one, but why not have a couple of guys like Edwards ready to go, who can at least slow down the Leonards and Currys of the NBA? Murray is getting better on defense, but still has a ways to go before he becomes Danny Green.
 
ShastaKingsFan

ShastaKingsFan

All-Star
#409
#409
Caccia said:
Just think of all the games where one guy torches the Kings. They successfully frustrated Devin Booker with a box-and-one, but why not have a couple of guys like Edwards ready to go, who can at least slow down the Leonards and Currys of the NBA? Murray is getting better on defense, but still has a ways to go before he becomes Danny Green.
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I completely agree. The rotation and how they use their bench pieces like Edwards and Len needs to improve. I keep saying this, but hopefully it doesn't take till after the deadline for this to happen, because that is a full month of schedule where if you drop a couple games that you might have won with your best rotation, it will likely hurt at the end of the season in a close competitive conference
 
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