Recent content by ppine

Injuries to the feet can be bad. Ask anyone that has landed on another player's foot.

A class human and great athlete. He had a positive influence on many people. I fondly remember basketball camp in junior high school and Red Auerbach came for two years in a row and told us Bill Russell stories while smoking cigars and making shots from half court on one bounce.

Murray plays under control. He is great off the ball. His style is all business. I like him a lot. If he can become a really good defender he will make a big difference.

Quietly without a lot of fanfare the Kings have gotten a lot better. Maybe like a normal team. If Mike Brown cannot improve the defense, probably no mortal human can. We go through this period of optimism every summer, only to watch another crappy defensive team that cannot compete. This...

Modern NBA style does not worry too much about what position people play or what number they are. It is common for players to be able to play two different positions. Line-ups are starting to change to fit the opposition.

Holmgren plays like he has something to prove. Mentally he is ready to compete and bang with people. You can make all the jokes you want, but he doesn't care. So far he plays with a small motor and that needs to change. Most of the Summer League games make me sleepy. Too many no name...

He seems to take some plays off. He needs to be much more assertive. But the skill level is something new for a guy that long. He seems to get the ball taken away a lot. Needs to work on hand strength, not to mention body strength. Mentally he is pretty ready to play.

Nobody cares. Okay.

There is a new prototype basketball player on the scene. We have not seen a player like him before. He can bring the ball up the court and lead fast breaks at over 7 feet. He already has 6 blocks in a game. He needs to be more assertive, but his skill level is hard to fathom. Watching him...

The game has changed a lot and not for the better. Carrying the ball is now legal. Double dribbling is now legal. Traveling is called rarely. The three ball is making for some boring basketball. Push it down the court, hoist a three. Some teams in particular are just not that fun to watch.

The quality of the Kings players has improved noticeably. The biggest factor that will determine if the Kings can make the number 8 spot, is how quickly Brown can teach this group to play team defense.

The Kings lack of team defense is what will keep that out of the playoffs for the foreseeable future. Watching the Celtics and Warriors play defense was absolutely amazing. Defense wins championships.

And so it begins. The Kings have a new coach, new players, and a new stadium. They fill us full of hope. Then they famously under achieve.

The Kings probably did fine by selecting Murray. They are famous for pissing away draft picks. I will never understand how a franchise that needed help 5 years ago is trading picks away into the future.

The Kings have the number 4 spot. Too bad none of the top draftees want to work out for them.