[Game] Kings vs Pistons 3/14/12

[Padrino]

okay. just so we're clear:

1) tonight the kings scored 112 points on 52% shooting as a team that averages 96 points per game on 42% shooting. not bad at all...

2) tonight the kings gave up 124 points on 58% shooting to a team that averages 89 points per game on 43% shooting. NOT GOOD AT ALL...

smallball has turned an already awful defensive team into the worst defensive team in the league. the kings are now officially dead last in points allowed per game in the entire nba, for the record...

message to the front office: nicolas batum and/or gerald wallace may be available in portland. go get one of 'em. it won't solve the kings' defensive woes, but it would be a start. so get on the horn tonight. fillibuster the portland front office into the earliest hours of the morning, if you have to. just get it done. get something worthwhile done this offseason, at the very least...

 

[swisshh]

I wonder if Cousins asked Monroe what it was like to have guards and forwards who pass him the ball.

Can someone in the press ask Petrie what he thinks of Brandon Knight putting up back to back 10 assists against him?

 

[Gary]

This team is terrible. I got a headache from screaming at them so I left the game early in the 4th and I am glad I did. I would have just booed them the rest of the game.

Anyone want my ticket for the next game? LOL This team is stressing me out with their crappy play. I need to take a few games off.

Everyone on this team should be available to trade. Whatever we have whether it be players out of position or players not getting along is just not working at all.

On paper we have a nice team right? This is why chemistry is as important (in my opinion) as BBIQ and skill level. I think our guys are lacking in the chemistry, and the BBIQ. Too many young guys that are "me first". Someone needs to get in there and kick their butts. And if they complain *ahem Cousins* trade him.

I am sick of spending money on this crap.

 

[eflat]

How about a "No Smallball" letter writing campaign?

 

[kingsnation]

LOL Keith Smart: "We did a few things right."

 

[PurpleHaze]

I wonder if young Kings (as well as maybe a few vets) are showing nerves, distraction, something odd, as trade deadline approaches. Maybe they have some info or suspicion one or more of them is going to be a former King real soon.

 

[Kings Faithful]

message to the front office: nicolas batum and/or gerald wallace may be available in portland. go get one of 'em. it won't solve the kings' defensive woes, but it would be a start. so get on the horn tonight. fillibuster the portland front office into the earliest hours of the morning, if you have to. just get it done. get something worthwhile done this offseason, at the very least...

Alot of SF are floating around the trade rumors right now... Batum, Beasley, Josh Smith, Wallace, Pierce. If we don't wind up with someone I'm gonna blow.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

LOL Keith Smart: "We did a few things right."

For real??? For real for real?!?!? Don't go there 'Coach'!

 

[Bricklayer]

How about a "No Smallball" letter writing campaign?

Well to tell you the truth I actualy wish a few of you in Sacramento would actually speak upon Grant's radio show, or at the arena or whatever. This stuff is ridiculous, MOST of us are convinced of that, but those of us who are remote don't have any effective way of making that known. One crappy general comments email that is probably read and autoreplied by some poor minimum wage college kid. Guess you could join the trolls on the Bee's comments. I know sometimes peeps come through here. But generally sure would be nice to be able to say somethign directly to somebody. I am not demonstrative in areans, but at this point you better beleive I would yell out somethign very distinct to Smart during the game about the smallball, Nellie;s legacy, and our defense. Might even askl me to leave. Which I would cheerfully do after yet another opoent had 100 with 10 minutes still to go.

 

[Gary]

okay. just so we're clear:

1) tonight the kings scored 112 points on 52% shooting as a team that averages 96 points per game on 42% shooting. not bad at all...

2) tonight the kings gave up 124 points on 58% shooting to a team that averages 89 points per game on 43% shooting. NOT GOOD AT ALL...

smallball has turned an already awful defensive team into the worst defensive team in the league. the kings are now officially dead last in points allowed per game in the entire nba, for the record...

message to the front office: nicolas batum and/or gerald wallace may be available in portland. go get one of 'em. it won't solve the kings' defensive woes, but it would be a start. so get on the horn tonight. fillibuster the portland front office into the earliest hours of the morning, if you have to. just get it done. get something worthwhile done this offseason, at the very least...

If we go back to normal sized ball we are the worst offensive team in the league, and if we go small we are the worst defensive team.. Either way it's a losing situation.

EDIT: I don't think any one player would help this team at the moment. We need a total tear down and re-do. Need to tell Evans to shoot 1000 outside shots a game if he wants to start at SG, need to tell cousins to stop dribbling the ball, need to tell Thornton to take a seat and come off the bench next year if Evans plays SG, we need to draft a pass first PG with our top pick, and we need to trade for a SF tomorrow that is a team player who can make others around him better..

Because as it stands now we do NOT have any one member of this team that makes anyone else on this team any better. If anything they make each other worse because on paper this team should be better than what it is.

 

[The Hammer]

At the least, maybe acknowledge JT had 20/10, playing great, and it might make more sense to play him at PF instead of Salmons? Maybe acknowledge our defense is never good when we have 4 guards out there?

Not expecting them to rip a player or coach. Too much fluff from them. Never offer any analysis as to why.

Maybe we were listening to different games cause they were prasing JT all night, even saying it was a shame we lost cause he played great.

However, they've never been known to second guess any coach we've had on rotations/subs/lineups. They always put it on the players. Questioning why JT isn't at the 4 vs. Salmons being there is effectively second guessing the coach. They just don't do that. In fact, I can't think of many home team announcers who do. It's always put on the players.

 

[Kings Faithful]

"It took a lotto protected first and Casspi to get him from the Cavs

Although Stein reported a couple weeks ago they want to dump him so hopefully the price isn't too bad. Kings like to help us out (Quis, Cassell roster spots)"

That was a taken from a celtics forum regarding the Celtics interest in Hickson. Its nice to know that its not just our fans who think we take on other teams garbage for our talent.

 

[rainmaker]

Anyone want my ticket for the next game? LOL T.

I'm interested if they're within yelling distance of Smart.

 

[swisshh]

Well to tell you the truth I actualy wish a few of you in Sacramento would actually speak upon Grant's radio show.

They'd get hung up on or screened out before then.

 

[Padrino]

If we go back to normal sized ball we are the worst offensive team in the league, and if we go small we are the worst defensive team.. Either way it's a losing situation.

EDIT: I don't think any one player would help this team at the moment. We need a total tear down and re-do. Need to tell Evans to shoot 1000 outside shots a game if he wants to start at SG, need to tell cousins to stop dribbling the ball, need to tell Thornton to take a seat and come off the bench next year if Evans plays SG, we need to draft a pass first PG with our top pick, and we need to trade for a SF tomorrow that is a team player who can make others around him better..

Because as it stands now we do NOT have any one member of this team that makes anyone else on this team any better. If anything they make each other worse because on paper this team should be better than what it is.

that's why i suggest the aggressive pursuit of batum or wallace. its not a cure-all, but its a start. a "total tear down and re-do" is simply not an option after seven years of rebuilding. and a starting-quality SF who plays above average defense and doesn't require the ball in their hands to be effective will help stabilize the kings rotation back in the direction of "normal-sized ball." even keith smart couldn't **** up the starting lineup, at that point:

PG thornton/thomas
SG evans
SF batum/wallace
PF thompson
C cousins

and if he did manage to **** it up with something ridiculous like, say, starting wallace at the PF position, i have a feeling that kings' brass would come knockin' on his office door with a simple bargain: start *these* guys at *these* positions, or "leave now and never come back"...

and if no progress is made on any of these fronts, and the kings continue losing due to ineptitude of ownership, management, and coaching, i simply shelve my kings fan badge, way in the back between my antique copy of faust and my oldest journals from high school, and i check back in a few years, after the maloofs are forced to sell and a new regime takes over, from top to bottom...

 

[swisshh]

Thornton at PG? Wtf?

 

[Arkitect]

If we go back to normal sized ball we are the worst offensive team in the league, and if we go small we are the worst defensive team.. Either way it's a losing situation.

EDIT: I don't think any one player would help this team at the moment. We need a total tear down and re-do. Need to tell Evans to shoot 1000 outside shots a game if he wants to start at SG, need to tell cousins to stop dribbling the ball, need to tell Thornton to take a seat and come off the bench next year if Evans plays SG, we need to draft a pass first PG with our top pick, and we need to trade for a SF tomorrow that is a team player who can make others around him better..

Because as it stands now we do NOT have any one member of this team that makes anyone else on this team any better. If anything they make each other worse because on paper this team should be better than what it is.

None of those things help our biggest problem, half-court defense. Well benching MT might, but only if we start a full sized guard and full size SF instead who are both great defenders. We managed to run an average offense 3 seasons ago with less offensive talent than we currently have. An offense that featured Reke as the primary ball handler. A passing PG is like the 5th position of need right now.

 

[Section 101]

Salmons and Reke are the only people on the floor capable of actually playing defense.

LOL, you mean the Reke that got torched by Stuckey all night and got replaced for Garcia.

 

[rainmaker]

Maybe we were listening to different games cause they were prasing JT all night, even saying it was a shame we lost cause he played great.

However, they've never been known to second guess any coach we've had on rotations/subs/lineups. They always put it on the players. Questioning why JT isn't at the 4 vs. Salmons being there is effectively second guessing the coach. They just don't do that. In fact, I can't think of many home team announcers who do. It's always put on the players.

I don't take praising JT as acknowledging why we're so poor defensively, or even attempting to explain why. Saying its a shame we lost because he played well is a different topic all together. You're right in that most broadcast crews won't call out the coach, but I disagree in anything I heard being an explanation for poor defense, which we all know the answer to.

 

[swisshh]

None of those things help our biggest problem, half-court defense. Well benching MT might, but only if we start a full sized guard and full size SF instead who are both great defenders. We managed to run an average offense 3 seasons ago with less offensive talent than we currently have. An offense that featured Reke as the primary ball handler. A passing PG is like the 5th position of need right now.

No, it's not. The team's offense looks good when they pass and you need a PG who will continue that trend and make sure the offense is run to keep that going. The Kings 1st quarter lead was built upon this. When they were playing with with IThomas it was because he was doing this. When that stopped, back came the losses.

 

[PurpleHaze]

They'd get hung up on or screened out before then.

I gave up years ago calling his show. He's way too much an arrogant, rude, know it all - for my taste. Napear went on for months during new arena debate, saying over and over Maloofs were "making money," never pointing out franchise was not turning a profit. Nevermind NBA reports indicated Kings were not one of 5 or so NBA teams making a profit. Then, it was pointed out most recently by one of Kings minority owners in discussing bankuptcy proceedings of another minority share holder that the team was clearly not profitable.

Grant Napear is a local media black hole and Kings official lap dog. Worthless.

 

[Arkitect]

No, it's not. The team's offense looks good when they pass and you need a PG who will continue that trend and make sure the offense is run to keep that going. The Kings 1st quarter lead was built upon this. When they were playing with with IThomas it was because he was doing this. When that stopped, back came the losses.

We have the worst defense in the league by all possible measures. Like historically terrible. You can't win when the opponent shoots 58% FG and 62% from 3. I don't care how many pretty passes you make. We shot 52% and had 21 Assists vs 13 TO. Offense has not been a problem in 2 months.

 

[swisshh]

We have the worst defense in the league by all possible measures. Like historically terrible. You can't win when the opponent shoots 58% FG and 62% from 3. I don't care how many pretty passes you make. We shot 52% and had 21 Assists vs 13 TO. Offense has not been a problem in 2 months.

And you can't be a good defensive team if you don't run a NBA offense and get decent shots. They go together, but generally you need a functioning, professional looking offense. Even if you go out and get Wallace or a shotblocker, what does it matter when your offense constantly puts 3 guys under the basket trying to drive 1 on 5 and the other two scrapping for the board because they're afraid they'll never see a shot again? Or when your guard quickly chucks a three when nobody else is ready? It's transition offense back the other way every time. You need good offensive sets and then you can setup your defense after the shot.

It's not like the Pistons played great D tonight either, but they got their offensive sets run and ran the break correctly, making the most out of whatever defense they managed to eek out.

 

[BMiller52]

I am so sick of the cluelessness which is Grant and Jerry. Do they seriously have no clue why we're playing like this?

Yes, I think we require some Smarter broadcasters to figure out what is the problem.

 

[Padrino]

And you can't be a good defensive team if you don't run a NBA offense and get decent shots. They go together, but generally you need a functioning, professional looking offense. Even if you go out and get Wallace or a shotblocker, what does it matter when your offense constantly puts 3 guys under the basket trying to drive 1 on 5 and the other two scrapping for the board because they're afraid they'll never see a shot again? Or when your guard quickly chucks a three when nobody else is ready? It's transition offense back the other way every time. You need good offensive sets and then you can setup your defense after the shot.

It's not like the Pistons played great D tonight either, but they got their offensive sets run and ran the break correctly, making the most out of whatever defense they managed to eek out.

so why doesn't it matter if you acquire a player like wallace, who doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective? if you start a player like wallace at SF, start thomas and evans, and bring thornton off the bench, all of a sudden you have a MUCH more balanced rotation. run the offense through cousins in the high post, pick and pop with thomas and evans, and gerald wallace cuts all over the court, not to mention locks down opposing wing players. jason thompson is then rendered a utility rebounding garbage man. the offense should setup more effectively, and while the defense will still suck on the whole, at least the kings will be able to match up most nights...

 

[Arkitect]

And you can't be a good defensive team if you don't run a NBA offense and get decent shots. They go together, but generally you need a functioning, professional looking offense. Even if you go out and get Wallace or a shotblocker, what does it matter when your offense constantly puts 3 guys under the basket trying to drive 1 on 5 and the other two scrapping for the board because they're afraid they'll never see a shot again? Or when your guard quickly chucks a three when nobody else is ready? It's transition offense back the other way every time. You need good offensive sets and then you can setup your defense after the shot.

The thing is though that we at one time had an average offense 3 seasons ago with Reke as the primary ball handler and a much less talented team. So it is definitely possible that he can be a primary piece in a functional offense. The problem is that every single one of our guards besides Cisco insist on shooting every time they touch the ball. You take out MT, IT, Jimmer, and Salmons and put in full sized defensive role players who get the ball to the stars instead and we improve on both sides of the ball. We need to be built like other teams that have 2 stars. We need to take care of the defensive side of the ball first. Offensive players are a dime a dozen in the NBA. Everyone is willing to play offense. Not everyone is willing to play defense.

 

[IfAt1st]

Like I said before the game:

Doesn't look like too many people are excited for this game.

Laying a ****ing egg against the Warriors will dispirit a fanbase just like that 4th quarter showed the Kings team was dispirited.

If the Kings lay an egg tonight, there is going to be a lynchmob waiting for the whole organization - or worse, there may be just a large silence as the vast majority of the Kings fanbase turns off their light for the season.

Yep - toldya Kings were on the edge of a complete rebellion by the fans.

 

[swisshh]

so why doesn't it matter if you acquire a player like wallace, who doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective? if you start a player like wallace at SF, start thomas and evans, and bring thornton off the bench, all of a sudden you have a MUCH more balanced rotation. run the offense through cousins in the high post, pick and pop with thomas and evans, and gerald wallace cuts all over the court, not to mention locks down opposing wing players. jason thompson is then rendered a utility rebounding garbage man. the offense should setup more effectively, and while the defense will still suck on the whole, at least the kings will be able to match up most nights...

Well, the original rebuttal and point I meant to make was that a passing PG isn't the 5th most important need right now. It's much more important than that, and important to both the offense and defense.

If I had faith Isaiah could be such a player then you could move on to other needs, but IT has gotten pretty shoot first orientated. I really see IT as a backup PG with scoring punch in the long run. What the team needs is someone to infect them with teamplay and it likely have to come from a primary ball handler.

 

[Padrino]

Well, the original rebuttal and point I meant to make was that a passing PG isn't the 5th most important need right now. It's much more important than that, and important to both the offense and defense.

If I had faith Isaiah could be such a player then you could move on to other needs, but IT has gotten pretty shoot first orientated. I really see IT as a backup PG with scoring punch in the long run. What the team needs is someone to infect them with teamplay and it likely have to come from a primary ball handler.

i agree that isaiah is no long term solution at starting PG. but you deal with one need at a time, and in my opinion, there's no pecking order. you seize opportunity to improve this team as it presents itself. and with gerald wallace on the block, and nicolas batum's status up in the air, as well, i blow up portland's phones all night long until i've exhausted every possible, reasonable offer i could muster for either of those players...

 

[Bricklayer]

Well, the original rebuttal and point I meant to make was that a passing PG isn't the 5th most important need right now. It's much more important than that, and important to both the offense and defense.

If I had faith Isaiah could be such a player then you could move on to other needs, but IT has gotten pretty shoot first orientated. I really see IT as a backup PG with scoring punch in the long run. What the team needs is someone to infect them with teamplay and it likely have to come from a primary ball handler.

What the team needs is someow who can guard his shadow.

And yes, someone who is not looking to gun. We've got so many levels of dysfunction going on from impulsive owners with money problems and no depth of understanding, to a front office providing unbalanced rosters, to coaches screwing around with rotations and smallball with no concern for consistency and defense, that a simple player who 1) can guard; and 2) does not fight over everybody else for shots would be a complete breath of fresh air.