[Game] Kings @ Knicks, 02/15/12 4:30PM PT
- Thread starter PurpleHaze
- Start date
the collective basketball iq of this team has to be one of the lowest in NBA history. As good as Tyreke can be when hes in the open floor, he knows one speed and has minimal court vision once he gets driving, he also settles for fadeaway jumpers, when he has no jumper to speak of. Our 7 foot center throws up tilt a whirl scoop layups instead of using his 270 pound frame to go up strong, JJ Hickson has to be the dumbest basketball player i have ever seen and has hands like Kwame Brown to boot. Tyreke looks scared defending Jeremy god damn Lin, wtf?
These problem are hidden on some nights when Reke/Cousins are playing well. They carry the team. But even on those nights, aside from OKC, we rarely have more than 1-2 other guys stepping up. Magnified on nights like tonight.
I however wouldn't be surprised if we make a game of this. Still though, it's usually the play of a few guys which somewhat hide the incredible deficiencies on this roster.
I however wouldn't be surprised if we make a game of this. Still though, it's usually the play of a few guys which somewhat hide the incredible deficiencies on this roster.
Knicks are shooting better because they are taking better shots. When Lin went out and they stopped moving the ball, they began missing again because the shots were harder shots. Everything the Kings take is highly contested except two kickout threes to Thornton and Jimmer, and then some easy transition dunks.
You could say the same thing about Amare and Lin because they played big minutes and it's a shorter season. Just face it, Cousins is in foul trouble and Tyreke's playing like crap. Our coach is better than Westphal but he's still not that great, and our roster is horrendously mismatched and has one of the lowest collective bball IQ's in the NBA. Outlaw shouldn't be here, Salmons shouldn't be here, JJ shouldn't be here, Chuck is injured but maybe shouldn't be here, Garcia is eh, Donte is eh, Jimmer and IT are rookies, damn near the only 2 players we have who you can count on to do anything are Cousins and Thornton. When Cousins gets in foul trouble and MT23 doesn't light it up we are screwed.
That's pure BS. Evans doesn't look spent. He's driving and attacking, but is mentally checked out on defense and is driving and attacking the wrong way. Team isn't working the offense all the way through. Team isn't paying attention off the ball. This is all about smarts. The Knicks played last night as well. Their giving up easy transition baskets can be blamed on fatigue. It's about five percent fatigue as a factor in this game.
Here's your x-factor, one that may be familiar to peeps who have played sports:
he's tired and has no legs. Results? You settle for the jumper, you have a tendency to wnat to rush things and take the first opportunity ratehr than work. You can feel the lead legs on defense, that you don't have the quickness, and you fight through it in spurts, with conscious effort rather than the constancy when you are feeling good and energetic. Your jumpers are short and off the front of the rim. Adn your tird and the other team is brimming with confidecne, and the crowd is crazy for this guy, and you don't fight through it.
All of which can happen to a player. But it was my worst fear in this one, mentioned it pregame. Because we lack bench. If Evans and Cousins, showing all the signs of fatigue himself (lack of boards, lazy reach in fouls, no lift inside) are tired for us nobody picks up their slack. They either find a way to suck it up at halftime or we are toast, and it may not be pretty.
he's tired and has no legs. Results? You settle for the jumper, you have a tendency to wnat to rush things and take the first opportunity ratehr than work. You can feel the lead legs on defense, that you don't have the quickness, and you fight through it in spurts, with conscious effort rather than the constancy when you are feeling good and energetic. Your jumpers are short and off the front of the rim. Adn your tird and the other team is brimming with confidecne, and the crowd is crazy for this guy, and you don't fight through it.
All of which can happen to a player. But it was my worst fear in this one, mentioned it pregame. Because we lack bench. If Evans and Cousins, showing all the signs of fatigue himself (lack of boards, lazy reach in fouls, no lift inside) are tired for us nobody picks up their slack. They either find a way to suck it up at halftime or we are toast, and it may not be pretty.
thats not an excuse, these guys are pro athletes and should bring a consistent level of performance EVERY night no matter what. its not even a matter of looking tired. Tyreke looks scared and confused out there when the game isn't going 100 miles per hour, he has to be one of the worst half court players in the nba. No movement off the ball. The problem with this team is that nobody has a role that they are given to do every single night. Look at the Knicks, Tyson Chandler- pick and roll finisher, defensive safety valve, he brings that every single night. Landry Fields- hustler, defender, shooter, brings it every night. now us
tyreke- penetrator, creator?.... sometimes looks to get teammates involved sometimes settles for fadeaway jumpshots, just depends on how hes feeling that night i guess.
JJ Hickson- hustler?.... looks lost out there (because he probably is) shoots fadeaway jumpshots from 20 ft out, bobbles balls left and right
list goes on, point is no one on this team has a defined role that they perform every single night, where with other teams you can tell just by matchups how a game will play out(because you know generally what most players will bring every night) our games are a toss up and conundrum to predict because you never know who will show up, and what facet of their game will be on for that night, just frustrating
tyreke- penetrator, creator?.... sometimes looks to get teammates involved sometimes settles for fadeaway jumpshots, just depends on how hes feeling that night i guess.
JJ Hickson- hustler?.... looks lost out there (because he probably is) shoots fadeaway jumpshots from 20 ft out, bobbles balls left and right
list goes on, point is no one on this team has a defined role that they perform every single night, where with other teams you can tell just by matchups how a game will play out(because you know generally what most players will bring every night) our games are a toss up and conundrum to predict because you never know who will show up, and what facet of their game will be on for that night, just frustrating
I have no idea what Amare and Lin have to do with it. Amongst other things btw they have plaed far fewer minutes this seson an were sleeping in their own beds, used to the NY routine etc. last night. But regardless, Reke and Cousins being tired isn't an abstract theory, its right there on the court to be seen. WHY one player is tired, and another not etc. isn't relevant. They just are.
Also we are the youngest team in the league, fatigue should never be a factor. By what Bricklayer is saying, this team will never win a back to back because they are too tired to show up, even though they are pro's who get paid millions to do just that. Back to Back is not an excuse, the best teams know how to be pro's and show up every single night, no matter how tired they are. Cousins has been the most consistent player on this team, but other than that i also commend salmons, he has consitently been bad for the whole season. While he as been bad, at least hes consistent with his badness. What i hate is players that show up big one night, and play like a ghost of themselves the next night. It just give us false hopes that they will be stars, stars show up every night.
Yeah I'm not convinced either. Part of being a pro is taking care of your body and doing what you can to keep yourself fresh, even on the road. If you're too exhausted you can tell the coach and he can play someone who is fresh and not tired. Being tired is no excuse for getting a 7 footer on you with 15 seconds on the clock, dribbling out to the 3 point line, and then pounding the ball for the next 8 seconds before you chuck up a midrange J. If a guy like that is on you, 1 of your bigs is probably on one of their smalls and you have a mismatch. Or you can drive by him. That's just a bad decision. He had other options like passing the ball that were not predicated on his energy level. He plays like Penny Hardaway 1 game and then for the next 3 looks like a ghost or something. If he's supposed to be this superstar he needs to be consistently good, make better decisions, have great conditioning, etc. Otherwise you are just a talented player with potential but you're not actually doing anything.
Jeremy Lin's worst game of this surprising stretch was a back-to-back against Minnesota - even though Knicks prevailed. In that game he was bothered a lot by Ricky Rubio staying in front of him with longer arms trying to constantly deny him favored right hand attack. Kings have had no answer for Lin or anybody on the Knicks tonight - not even close. I may fall asleep before this one ends and garbage time begins - if it hasn't already.
