Should we start Whiteside in D-League?

[bajaden]

Lets see how he does in summer league, training camp and pre-season, and then make the judgement. If he's not going to get more than a few minutes here and there, then I see no reason not to send him down to the D league. I mean thats the purpose of the league. To help young players develop. Its not as though its a life sentence. If he shows real progress then you bring him back up.

If one of our bigs were to go down with an injury, I'd rather have him getting a lot of minutes and be more prepared to step in if needed.

 

[Jechtsphere]

This team doesn't seem too interested in the D-League so I don't expect it. I could see how it would help at the same time learning the nba from our coaches and going against legit NBA competition in practice may be better for him and develop him faster.

Start out giving him a few minute stints and if he's ready for more then he'll get more.

 

[Hallama]

Summer League - Training Camp - Preseason - Reg Season - D League (he needs time) - NBA - D League (to work on specific aspects) - NBA for remainder of season.

He is exactly what the DLeague is for - to develop. I wouldn't be surprised if he struggled a little bit down there against some of the hungrier, more developed physically, and older bigs.

 

[bajaden]

isnt he only 19?

Actually he's 21 years old. He had problem passing entrance exams for college. And now that we know that he suffers from Attention Deficit Sydrome, we know why.

 

[bajaden]

I think hes 21 already, i remember him being older than most other than Wesley. Hes no Thabeet, Hassan stays on the bench and gets 10 minutes a game starting off, WHEN he handles it well on the defensive end, watch Jason's minutes go down eventually.

I know you want to crawl in bed with Whiteside, and believe me, I'm happy to have him. He's a steal at 33. I thought he should have gone somewhere around the early 20's. But contrary to your personal fantasys about him, he's a long way from NBA ready. He's a terrible passer and gets lost on offense at times. Probably has to do with his having Attention Deficit Syndrome. So I think Thompson's job is secure for the moment.

 

[xyrin]

Actually he's 21 years old. He had problem passing entrance exams for college. And now that we know that he suffers from Attention Deficit Sydrome, we know why.

I believe I read somewhere that he doesn't actually have ADHD. So, unless you have proof that he has ADHD, don't keep repeating it.

 

[Löwenherz]

I believe I read somewhere that he doesn't actually have ADHD. So, unless you have proof that he has ADHD, don't keep repeating it.

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/06/25/questions-about-maturity-add-cause-whiteside-to-fall-from-first/

"Yet his agent, Andre Buck, confirmed what a league scout told FanHouse, that questions about the 21-year-old's maturity and his struggles with Attention Deficit Disorder appear to have scared some teams into passing on him.

Buck said Whiteside's ADD was diagnosed during his one season at Marshall, where he began to take medication to help with his focus but stopped doing so midway through the season."

Granted, it's only one source and it's essentially from his agent, but it's the only article I could immediately find on the subject either for the pro or con.

Can you find the article you believe you remember reading to refute it?

 

[NME]

I don't think that sending him on a D-League stint would be some kind of an insult like Hakeem seemed to suggest. I wouldn't support burying him there all year, like others suggested let him spend some time with the big club before and after, but the competition he faces there is higher calibar than what he faced most nights at Marshall. I think he could benefit from some 30+ minute nights against guys who are on the cusp of the league, in addition to the limited minutes he'll get when he's on the active roster.

 

[SacKings7]

I definitely think we should start him in the D-league. Given our current roster, it's not like he's gonna get much playing time this season behind Demarcus, Dalembert, Landry and JT

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

I think its a bad idea to send him to the D-League in general. He needs playing time with Nba talent not scrubs in the D-League. It may be limited minutes, but they will be quality minutes. In general if you play basketball you know that playing better competition makes you better over time, but playing competition your going to dominate makes you complacent and develop bad habits. Its not like he will be practicing with former king Spencer Hawes he will be bumping heads with some pretty good bigs in practice that will make him better in the long run.

Thats basically what Hakeem the Dream said. He doesn't like the idea of sending bigs to the D-league. He said they need to play with NBA guys. Even if its just in practice everyday. They need to play with guys with their talent/size to improve.

 

[Showtime]

I think if Whiteside is given an opportunity to compete for a spot against Cousins and Sammy that it might motivate him even more instead of having the message sent to him immediately that he has no chance with the kings right away. I say let him know he has a shot, and let him have the chance to fight for it.

 

[Uncia03]

I'm actually a huge supporter of sending guys down to the D-League so they can get playing time and hopefully develop their game in a competitive setting.

With that said, I think there are two different types of development.

1.) Professional Development
By this I mean, is the player a professional.
Is the player mature enough to put in the extra time, eat right, live right, and conduct each day to maximize his chances of being a success in the league.

2.) Skill Development
This is the development of the actual basketball skills. Learning how to play in a system, getting better with the off-hand, getting more consistent with the shot, ect.

For players who have a well developed professional demeanor, who can be counted on to do the right thing in order to advance their careers, I think sending them to the D-League is a great move. They'd be able to understand that the move is to give them an opportunity to develop their basketball skills against other hungry basketball players.

For players who have not developed a professional demeanor, I think sending them to the D-League is a very bad idea. I'd much rather that player spend time with the team, practice against the team, and hopefully be in a position to be accountable for their actions by the watchful eye of the organization and perhaps fellow teammates.

I think that Whiteside wants to be a great NBA player. But he has had his struggles, and so for him, in this instance, I truly believe he would be much better served staying with the Kings. Hopefully, Westphal can find him 10-15 minutes in the rotation, and he can grow and develop into his potential.

 

[Bricklayer]

I think if Whiteside is given an opportunity to compete for a spot against Cousins and Sammy that it might motivate him even more instead of having the message sent to him immediately that he has no chance with the kings right away. I say let him know he has a shot, and let him have the chance to fight for it.

I don't think anybody, or anybody giving it any thought, is suggestign Hassan just be banished to the D-league from day 1. In fact I think such a thing could be dangerous or us, as he's already disappointed at slipping to the second round, and then if we were just to dump him and forget about him, he could easily feel that he wasn't part of our team/the future.

On the other hand, we go through training camp and get to the end of it, everybody is healthy, things are going as planned, there just will be NO minutes for Hassan behind the Daly/Cousins/Landry/Thompson quartet. SO at that point you let him workout with the team for a few weeks, maybe a month, maybe sometimes he's the 12th man, sometimes Brockman is and Hassan is on the practice squad, but if there are no injuries eventually uou say, well, the kid is not playing, so you talk to him and option him down to the d-league for a month or something. Then you bring him back, let him work wiht the team again. Of course if there are any major injuries, he's always available to be brought back at any time during the year for that, but otherwise you bring him up, keep him involved with the team, then send him back down, get him some more work, then do it again. Then see what happens at the trading deadline, and see what happens in the off season (if anything with the league threatening to shut down -- could be a looong TDOS around here).

 

[jimbodan]

The problem with the D-League is that we really don't have much control over what they do with him down there. I know are loosely affiliated with them (key word being loosely) but we don't have any real control there, we don't pick the coaches, we don't pick their players, we don't pick their system or what sets they run, or how they practice, or anything really. Sure he'd get some minutes down there and that would be good for his conditioning and maybe help his development a little bit, but he wouldn't be getting the coaching and teaching that he'd get if we keep him with the team. He also wouldn't get to practice with our team. Ultimately I think that is way more important then getting some minutes in the d-league against competition roughly the same as what he'd face in the NCAA.

 

[fnordius]

The problem with the D-League is that we really don't have much control over what they do with him down there. I know are loosely affiliated with them (key word being loosely) but we don't have any real control there, we don't pick the coaches, we don't pick their players, we don't pick their system or what sets they run, or how they practice, or anything really.

But we can do any or all of those things if we want to, and if our front office ever notices that the DL exists.

The Lakers went so far as to create a team just for themselves, which would be the warm up act at Staples. It turned out that nobody wanted to show up at 3:30 in the afternoon to watch 6 hour basketball marathons, so that aspect of the plan stunk, but they've had total control over everything about the team.
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/05/22/lakers-d-league-team-l-a-d-fenders-take-one-year-hiatus/

That's a rather extreme example, but I believe that more moderate intervention in DL teams is possible. It's all up to team management.

 

[jimbodan]

But we can do any or all of those things if we want to, and if our front office ever notices that the DL exists.

The Lakers went so far as to create a team just for themselves, which would be the warm up act at Staples. It turned out that nobody wanted to show up at 3:30 in the afternoon to watch 6 hour basketball marathons, so that aspect of the plan stunk, but they've had total control over everything about the team.
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/05/22/lakers-d-league-team-l-a-d-fenders-take-one-year-hiatus/

That's a rather extreme example, but I believe that more moderate intervention in DL teams is possible. It's all up to team management.

This is very true and I agree 100% I wish we would do something like this. I just don't see it happening any time soon especially considering all the cost issues involved.

 

[Widowmaker2k]

You know, this is a pretty unique scenario for us Kings. Suddenly, we have an extra shot blockers. Regarding the OP, I would not let Whiteside start his NBA career in the D-League. If nothing else, just as a gesture saying "We believe in you, kid." That being said, unless his game translates remarkably well to the NBA, it would be good for him to spend some time in Reno.

I'm really high on the pick though, as many have previously stated, he was a mid-first that slipped to 33. It seems like it happens every year, and we got lucky this year and walked away with him. Also, I'm really happy that he's an acquaintance of Hakeem's, it'd be nice if he could learn some post moves or something from him.

P.S. Can't teach this: