25 games into the Season...

I guess it depends on how you measure better. While I think Mussleman clearly wasn't successful, I don't know how to define the differences.
 
Theus has been a suprise. he has shown me alot. I was saying a few weeks back about how he seems to call timeouts at the right time and we adjust and do better after a timeout as opposed to last year when sometimes we were worse after a timeout. Just so happens 82games.com has a stat and gives a list of the most productive teams after a timeout on offense. Our Kings are the 2nd most productive team on the play immediatley following a timeout 2nd only to the Pheonix Suns. Theus has us headed in the right direction. We went backwards last year and he is just now catching up to where we left off before that started. He needs Petrie to mark smart decisions and get him the tools he needs to move faster in this direction.

I am a member of The Kings Reggie Nation.
 
Last year through 25 games: 11-14
This year through 25 games: 11-14

It's really too early to tell.
 
and the teams weve beaten this year have been more impressive than the ones from last year, but then again its still early for all of those teams too
 
Last year through 25 games: 11-14
This year through 25 games: 11-14

It's really too early to tell.

While typing that can you honestly say that you don't see a difference? I know its easy to look at the record but, if you don't see a difference then you and I watching 2 entirely different things.
 
There is no comparison of the two coaches. Comparing the two seasons is like comparing apples and rubber bands.

We are watching a team come together. Last year at this point we were already watching a team starting to come apart.
 
There is no comparison of the two coaches. Comparing the two seasons is like comparing apples and rubber bands.

We are watching a team come together. Last year at this point we were already watching a team starting to come apart.
I'll definitely agree with you on this...Musselhead had no clue of what he was doing, other than the how to open up Microsoft Power Point and make some cool graphs and drawings. He was generally an unexperienced, unrespected, and lifeless lame duck of a coach. Reggie on the other hand, has the respect of his players due to his career...both as a player, who HE played for and learned from, in the way of coaches, and what/who he coached in college the last few years, successfully, as well.
 
...and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Reggie > Musselman :D

Agree? Disagree?


Agree -- how could you not?


However:

Last year through 25 games: 11-14
This year through 25 games: 11-14

It's really too early to tell.

The unfortunate reality needed to be mentioned as well. Again, it is all about perception. 11-14 was lousy last year, because coming into the year we were talking playoffs, and the Maloofs at least were blabbering about championship contention etc. This year? 11-14 is fine.

Perception is key to so much on this board right now, and I think Reggie should really give Muss a big ole tongue kiss if he ever meets him for lowering expectations. Or perhaps more properly by dropping expectations more in line with what they should be.
 
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Agree -- how could you not?


However:



The unfortunate reality needed to be mentioned as well. Again, it is all about perception. 11-14 was lousy last year, because coming into the year we were talking playoffs, and the Maloofs at least were blabbering about championship contention etc. This year? 11-14 is fine.

Perception is key to so much on this board right now, and I think Reggie should really give Muss a big ole tongue kiss if he ever meets him for lowering expectations. Or perhaps more properly by dropping expectations more in line with what they should be.

Your right it is about perception. And most ppl's perception here is that Theus is a better than Muss.... Nothing else was implied. NOBODY said Theus has a better record or said that Theus is the best coach ever. As far as the record goes. Last year we were just about to embark on a 7 game losing streak and losing 9 out of 12. Lets see how things go this year.
 
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I like how Theus himself has admitted to growing in the position and making his own adjustments. He started off firm like Pop and Sloan, pulling guys quickly but has eased up on that tactic. A good thing as he couldn't continue that style and still have the players on board at some point. He has some tough egos to deal with and he seems to be managing them. Some coaches have that "IT" factor and he looks like he has it as opposed to Musselman.
 
I'll definitely agree with you on this...Musselhead had no clue of what he was doing, other than the how to open up Microsoft Power Point and make some cool graphs and drawings.

that is pure conjecture; we have no clue if the graphs and drawings were cool or not.
 
that is pure conjecture; we have no clue if the graphs and drawings were cool or not.

It is a small point but the Maloofs were very impressed with Musselman's presentation and it probably snowed them so much they didn't look at the man himself.
 
No contest between last year's coach and this year's coach. Reggie may have all the tools to be a great NBA coach. But I am concerned about one thing he does in a desperate attempt to win games: he doesn't spread the minutes around. I guess Reggie never watched all those old western movies where the cowboy rides his horse a little too long and hard and ends up on foot. :eek:

Obviously if every win is a must, then Reggie's doing what he has to do. But is that going to get us into the playoffs as canon fodder and then result in a mid-first-round draft pick? Or will we just miss the playoffs, but still hope for a good draft choice? I'm not advocating tanking games. I want us to be competitive and to show improvement as the season progresses, but I think giving Justin Williams, Quincy Douby and Spencer Hawes more playing time helps us further into the future and likely provides for a better draft pick this year.

Now that he's shown that his Kings can win and be competitive with anyone, my hope is that Reggie will begin to show more trust in his younger players and give them enough minutes to develop in 1-2 years (rather than 5-6 years). But I suspect that Reggie's competitive nature (combined with a large ego) will keep him doing what he's been doing: run your best horses until they drop and win the max number of game here and now. Still, I wouldn't trade our coach for anyone else at this point.
 
Admittedly, I haven't seen too many games this year because AT&T SUCKS and UVerse doesn't offer NBA League Pass, but this also has allowed my vision to remain unclouded and just look at the facts. I think people have short memories about last year -- yes, Muss had the DUI and about this time in the season we were on a skid, but the wheels didn't REALLY start coming off the bus until later in the season.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm very hopeful about the future and I've never really come down on the Theus era either way, but this season we've had a mixed bag of positive signs (team playing a more entertaining style, seems to be on the upswing) and ominous signs (a whooooole lot more public griping from the players, Theus calling out players in the media).

Improvement also feels better than an unraveling, and as Bricklayer pointed out, Muss was at least partly a victim of expectations. He was coming off a playoff season and we started the year surprisingly decently. Theus came off a crappy year and the team started horribly (yes, injuries, etc., but still). Just because things seem like they're getting better doesn't mean it's time for passing judgment.
 
Improvement also feels better than an unraveling, and as Bricklayer pointed out, Muss was at least partly a victim of expectations. He was coming off a playoff season and we started the year surprisingly decently. Theus came off a crappy year and the team started horribly (yes, injuries, etc., but still). Just because things seem like they're getting better doesn't mean it's time for passing judgment.
Good points, all. Especially when talking about expectations. No one expected us to win more than 30 games this year, regardless of who the coach is.

But I think it's clear that we have a better team this year than we did last year. We'll see what happens when Bibby and Martin come back, as far as chemistry is concerned.
 
Last year through 25 games: 11-14
This year through 25 games: 11-14

It's really too early to tell.


The team this year is MUCH better than last years team. This years team would kick the crap out of last years team 9 out of 10 times.

I am VERY suprised, and seriously like Theus as a coach. I knew it when I saw a couple NMS games in college. Basketball comes so easy to Theus.
 
This year 11-14*


*Minus Artest 8 gms, minus Bibby 25 gms, minus KMart 8 gms

Last year 11-14 we had those 3 guys in the lineup. No comparison therefore is possible. But without those guys with Theus we are WAY better than last year also with new coach and with those guys.

So its still Apples and rubberbands (quote...unquote VF21) but Theus is getting the guys to play defense and has made various combinations work. He is a WAY better coach for the guys vs. Musselman was but as to team, we haven't had the TEAM together yet for one game. And when 4 of last year's starters have missed as many games as they have so far this year, it is a whole new kettle of fish.

Comparing coaches is easy so far.

Comparing teams is not as there are little or no similarities this year to last. Only the coaching and the new players: Beno (no training camp), Mikki, Hawes, and a week ago Jones.

So we have to ride it out for now and see how Kevin integrates back in or rather how Theus will integrate him back into the rotation. Same for Bibbs. We don't want a replay of the Webber situation 3 years back.
 
No question about it. I thought at the beginning of the season that the most interesting thing about this season would be Theus. It's still the most interesting. He's doing an excellent job.
 
Admittedly, I haven't seen too many games this year because AT&T SUCKS and UVerse doesn't offer NBA League Pass, but this also has allowed my vision to remain unclouded and just look at the facts. I think people have short memories about last year -- yes, Muss had the DUI and about this time in the season we were on a skid, but the wheels didn't REALLY start coming off the bus until later in the season.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm very hopeful about the future and I've never really come down on the Theus era either way, but this season we've had a mixed bag of positive signs (team playing a more entertaining style, seems to be on the upswing) and ominous signs (a whooooole lot more public griping from the players, Theus calling out players in the media).

Improvement also feels better than an unraveling, and as Bricklayer pointed out, Muss was at least partly a victim of expectations. He was coming off a playoff season and we started the year surprisingly decently. Theus came off a crappy year and the team started horribly (yes, injuries, etc., but still). Just because things seem like they're getting better doesn't mean it's time for passing judgment.

AHHHHH. you not being able to see the games gives me understading of you skeptisism. The whole demeanor and flow of the game and the fact that nobody ever looks lost like they did last year is part of my judgement. Theus never looks as if he is clueless and is in control. All of this without starting backcourt. i wonder what Muss would have done without Bibby and Martin. Not the record but, his demeanor. You should really see it. Thats what i go by.
 
I think Muss and Theus wanted to apply the same strategies to the Kings, but Theus is getting the players to do it more. I also think it helps that Muss already gave them a taste for it. Honestly, Rick was a reserved players coach and it was a different atmosphere. To come in talking hard play and aggressiveness after smooth offense is not easy to do. The reverse sure is, but the easy play to hard play transition is not. Reggie benefits from Muss giving them a hopeless year of it already.

I think Mikki Moore being willing to be the rah-rah guy has helped Theus out as well. Chemistry was off last year and the PF issue never went away. Mikki won most of the PF minutes just by being a cheerleader when Kenny is a sourpuss. Neither are good every game, but Mikki tries every game and cheers every game. It is part of the spirit of the team that has been missing since Vlade left.

What I will attribute to Theus is his ability to communicate better, the play of the guards have all benefited from him and he is clever with timeouts. I also get the idea he can admit when he is wrong, which neither of the last two coaches could do.
 
This years team = fun to watch

Last years team = I missed the most games ever since they came to Sacramento

Have we even sold a game out yet this year?
 
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