[Grades] Grades v. Sixers 1/10/12
- Thread starter Bricklayer
- Start date
I believe the best way to evaluate the team on the road is to wait until the whole road trip is complete. While I hate making excuses...IMO they're still valid. Maybe wait until the end of January. I wouldn't call any of the younger player a bust yet and it sounds like a lot of people are giving up on them.
2 of the starters are out, and with a team this young and even younger without those two, I give them a pass. The only player I would harshly criticize would be Salmon.
"Up and down we go, like a roller coaster"
2 of the starters are out, and with a team this young and even younger without those two, I give them a pass. The only player I would harshly criticize would be Salmon.
"Up and down we go, like a roller coaster"
This is an area we can greatly improve. Tyreke isn't shockingly quick (change of speed/direction), but heaven help a defense if he gets a head of steam going. Why, after an opponent's made basket aren't we in a rush to inbounds and charge up the floor where Tyreke is at his best? He's a decent halfcourt player, but a great transition guard.
Half the time, the point guard (Tyreke or Jimmer) is left all alone at the other end until a big notices that no one is inbounding. Meanwhile the other team sets up a half-court defense and takes a nap.
Half the time, the point guard (Tyreke or Jimmer) is left all alone at the other end until a big notices that no one is inbounding. Meanwhile the other team sets up a half-court defense and takes a nap.
Whoever said that Collins couldn't coach young players has been proven wrong. Dead wrong. Tell me that he couldn't coach the Kings. Tell me that if we had him for the last three years that this wouldn't be a much better team. The guy has molded the very young Philly team with certainly no superstar (do they even have one All-Star?) into a very good team. They were like a machine out there. They play outstanding defense, have great teamwork, know exactly what they should be doing and not doing, great chemistry. They are easily a top 5 team in this league right now. They could be a top 3 team. Look at Philly's player development. Among other things, they took Hawes and made him a valuable component of their team. Sometimes you've got to tip your hat to the other team. This is one of those times.
The contrast between the Kings and Philly is HUGE. With Philly you see a team that is very fluid. Not one time did I see a Philly player drive into the lane, jump up into the air, do a 180, and then search for a teamate to pass to. That's where the Kings are. That's what you see - a herky-jerkiness to their game in which they expend a lot of energy, but with little to show for it. It's like the young kid who has a ton of quickness and speed, and yet gets killed by grandpa in raquetball because grandpa knows the angles and has a strategy. The Kings players need to look at A LOT of Philly film. Maybe through some film osmosis they can absorb some of the egoless basketball teamwork that you see from Philly. Tyreke, in particular, can take a good look. Tyreke in this game started out well, played within the team framework. Then Tyreke hit a nice 3 point shot. And then it all went to hell. Tyreke got high on Tyreke. Smokin' high. Then he lost all "recognition". He went 1 on 3 on a fast break. He got so high he went 1 on 4 on the following possession. Of course the high was followed by crash and burn. It always does. I'm bringing up Tyreke, not because he was solely to blame for this demolition. It's just that he's a very key player on this team. He's going to have to become more of the egoless assassin that you see from Philly in order for this team to become good.
The contrast between the Kings and Philly is HUGE. With Philly you see a team that is very fluid. Not one time did I see a Philly player drive into the lane, jump up into the air, do a 180, and then search for a teamate to pass to. That's where the Kings are. That's what you see - a herky-jerkiness to their game in which they expend a lot of energy, but with little to show for it. It's like the young kid who has a ton of quickness and speed, and yet gets killed by grandpa in raquetball because grandpa knows the angles and has a strategy. The Kings players need to look at A LOT of Philly film. Maybe through some film osmosis they can absorb some of the egoless basketball teamwork that you see from Philly. Tyreke, in particular, can take a good look. Tyreke in this game started out well, played within the team framework. Then Tyreke hit a nice 3 point shot. And then it all went to hell. Tyreke got high on Tyreke. Smokin' high. Then he lost all "recognition". He went 1 on 3 on a fast break. He got so high he went 1 on 4 on the following possession. Of course the high was followed by crash and burn. It always does. I'm bringing up Tyreke, not because he was solely to blame for this demolition. It's just that he's a very key player on this team. He's going to have to become more of the egoless assassin that you see from Philly in order for this team to become good.
I don't know that anyone has said Collins couldn't coach young players as that is what he spent most of his career coaching. His problem has always been that he can't coach them LONG as guys burn out on the screaming and abuse within a couple of years, and results taper while revolt brews.
And BTW, there is no way they will end the season a Top 3 team, or a Top 5 team for that matter. There are limits to how far you can go with a team with no elite talents. Might hang in the Top 10 though ala an Atlanta type structure if Collins can keep their ear. Defintiely playing really well, although not so well as we made them look.
That isn't going to be our structure going forward at all. In time our structure will be much more Miamiesque than Atlantaesque.
And BTW, there is no way they will end the season a Top 3 team, or a Top 5 team for that matter. There are limits to how far you can go with a team with no elite talents. Might hang in the Top 10 though ala an Atlanta type structure if Collins can keep their ear. Defintiely playing really well, although not so well as we made them look.
That isn't going to be our structure going forward at all. In time our structure will be much more Miamiesque than Atlantaesque.
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This whole team looks lost on both offense and defense. When you cant hit any shots and dont get back on D you are going to get blown out every time.
The bigs on this team other than Cousins suck. They get beat constantly and cant finish at the rim. To many of them are taking 15fters and missing.
Sorry but I.Thomas should get NO playing time unless we are blowing a team out. He is no threat on offense and is a bigger liability than Jimmer on D because he is so short. No clue why they put him in the game.
The bigs on this team other than Cousins suck. They get beat constantly and cant finish at the rim. To many of them are taking 15fters and missing.
Sorry but I.Thomas should get NO playing time unless we are blowing a team out. He is no threat on offense and is a bigger liability than Jimmer on D because he is so short. No clue why they put him in the game.
JT is a good roleplaying big I would like to see more of him and Cousins together but we only have 3 bigs and JJ can't play center. IT needs to work on planting himself and making the bigger guards push him over instead of just being bounced back when they back him down all the way from the 3point line in. He is playing limited minutes anyway make the refs call it one way or another you can't out muscle these guys but you can play smarter.
Last year Cousins Dally and JT played very well at the end of the year. I would like us to call back up whiteside and give him a few blocks and fouls a game in the early game to allow more of JT and Cousins together. JT plays well at the high post in a more structured offense. Last year we said we are the biggest team and we rebound the best in the league that was our Identity late. We need to stake a claim on something and make it our own again.
Last year Cousins Dally and JT played very well at the end of the year. I would like us to call back up whiteside and give him a few blocks and fouls a game in the early game to allow more of JT and Cousins together. JT plays well at the high post in a more structured offense. Last year we said we are the biggest team and we rebound the best in the league that was our Identity late. We need to stake a claim on something and make it our own again.
A couple of years is LONG for the Kings. It looks like Collins should manage that nicely. Wouldn't it have been wonderful if Collins had taken over for a couple of years, taught this team how to play some real basketball, regardless of whether they burn out on him after a while? At least he would leave a legacy of a team that knows how to play the game. As it is, we have a SHORT tenure for our coaches, and they leave with a legacy of ashes.
