A Round of Applause

[Bricklayer]

My point is that if the improvement isn't enough to translate to more wins, then it's really nothing to get excited about. All I expected is maybe 8 to 12 more wins than last season. Which is a totally realistic goal. If things keep going the way they have been though that's not even going to happen. They're on pace to win 25-28 games if things don't change real soon and I'm sorry, but that's not improvement, that's treading water. The young excuse is wearing out pretty fast too. Dalembert, Landry, Beno, Garcia, and Head are all over 25. JT and Greene are entering their 3rd NBA seasons. The only players the young excuse really flies for is Cousins and Casspi. I suppose you could pull the young card for Tyreke too but I don't think it really applies when a guy is averaging 20, 5, and 5 going into his second season.

This “rebuild” has been going on for quite a few years now and I think it’s perfectly reasonable for fans to at least expect some tangible improvement in the win column.

No, the rebuild has been going on for roughly two years. THAT was the great mistake by the front office, ironically probably listening to fans just like yourself and wasting years trying to throw various middling vets into the mix as half assed patches instead of rebuilding. The first step of the rebuild did not take place until the Artest trade (trading him away) at trhe earliest. You can go 6 months earlier to the Bibby trade if you really want to get speculative. But I don't think we were truly committed to rebuilding until 6 months after the Artest trade, midway through the 17 win debacle. The Bibby trade was an acknowledgemnet, the Artest trade was almost forced by the nutter. But midseason of 08-09 was the first time we finally cleaned house of all the vets and went into true rebuild mode. That's your time frame. Being a crappy old team and trying to placate fans by shortsighted moves is not a rebuild. It wasn't until we tore it down and started over that we really began to mvoe forward.

And for purposes of this thread, which I trust you are no longer going to attempt to hijack, this vast defensive improvement which looks so promising dates back exactly 2 1/2 games. And it does look promising. We beat the Knicks during the minutes we were dedicated to playing this way, which apparently got us thinking...hmmm...wonder how that would work full game? Beat the Nets with it in our first wobbly attempt to play that way for a full game. And gave the 11-1 Hornets all they wanted with it tonight. If you cannot see the promise in that you either need to sit down and watch and learn if you're legit and just don't know basketball very well, or you need to quit trying so hard to be negative if you know the game but just have an agenda. There is no way to take this bull by the horns and turn this development into a negative without exposing yourself.

 

[Spok22]

Reke is 21. How does he not apply for the "young excuse". Imo I dont think just doing good last year disqualifies him from this.

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

No, the rebuild has ben going on for roughly two years. THAT was the great mistake by the front office, ironically probably listenign to fans just liek yourself and wasting years trying to throw variosu middling vets into the mix as half assed patches instead fo rebuilding. The first step of the rebuild did not take place until the Artest trade (trading him away) at trhe earliest. You can go 6 months earlier to the Bibby trade if you really ant ot get specualtive. But I don't think we were truly committed to rebuilding until 6 months after the Artest trade, miodway through the 17 win debacle. The Bibby trade was an acknowledgemnet, the Aretst trade was almost forced by the nutter. But midseason of 08-09 was the first time we finally cleaned house of all the vets and went into true rebuild mode. That's your time frame. Being a crappy old team and trying to placate fans by shortsighted moods is not a rebuild. It wasn;t uuntil we tore it down and started over that we really began to mvoe forward.

And for purposes of this thread, which I trust you are no longer going to attempt to hijack, this vast defenisve improvement which looks so promising dates back exactly 2 1/2 games. And it does look promising. We beat the Knicks during the minutes we were dedicated to playing this way, which apparently got us thinking...hmmm...wonder how that would work full game? Beat the Nets with it in our first wobbly attempt to play that way for a full game. And gave the 11-1 Hornets all they wanted with it tonight. If you cannot see the promise in that you either need to sit down and watch and learn if you're legit and just don't know basketball very well, or you need to quit trying so hard to be negative if you know the game but just have an agenda. There is no way to take this bull by the horns and turn this development into a negative without exposing yourself.

Hijack the thread? Are you kidding me? Responding to those that respond to me is hijacking the thread? LOL!

I’m not being negative. I’m calling it how I see it. If things look negative, I’m not going to ignore that in some silly attempt to look for the silver lining.

You (and many others here) seem to approach things as if acknowledging the negatives is somehow denying the positives. One can acknowledge both the positives and the negatives. If the negatives of a given situation outweigh the positives though, one isn’t being negative by acknowledging that, they’re being realistic. People seem to want to conflate realism with pessimism.

I’m not going to ignore the fact that they’re defense has sucked in most of the games this year just because they managed to put together two good defensive efforts. Let me know when they put together a month of games with good defensive efforts and then maybe I’ll change my tune. Until that happens, I’m not breaking out the party hats and champagne every time they defend well in a loss. Key phrase there, in a loss.

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

Reke is 21. How does he not apply for the "young excuse". Imo I dont think just doing good last year disqualifies him from this.

My point is that being young isn't stopping him for being a very good player. Obviously youth is less of an issue for him than it is for many other players his age.

 

[Tetsujin]

My point is that being young isn't stopping him for being a very good player. Obviously youth is less of an issue for him than it is for many other players his age.

His speeding ticket would like to disagree with you.

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

His speeding ticket would like to disagree with you.

Uh, what the heck do his driving habits have to do with his basketball skills?

 

[pshn80]

The best defense in the world doesn't really matter though when you shoot 60% on free throws and turn the ball over 20+ times.

But isn't it nice to get rid of one team deficiency for once. We were one big step closer to doing it right. Come on, can't you see the good side?

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

But isn't it nice to get rid of one team deficiency for once. We were one big step closer to doing it right. Come on, can't you see the good side?

Yes, it was nice. I really enjoyed watching them today (other than the losing part). I just think it's a bit premature to get excited after two good defensive games. I need to see it over a prolonged stretch before I'll be convinced it's not just an aberration.

 

[Lockehead]

Tonights game showed we may have some real competitive defense. Our offense is still sloppy as before, but its great to see Donte and Head playing well on that end of hte floor.

 

[rainmaker]

You (and many others here) seem to approach things as if acknowledging the negatives is somehow denying the positives. One can acknowledge both the positives and the negatives. If the negatives of a given situation outweigh the positives though, one isn’t being negative by acknowledging that, they’re being realistic. People seem to want to conflate realism with pessimism.

.

The funny thing is, you're the one ignoring the negatives, almost to the point of denial, and that's why your expectations for the team are so high, and explains the fact you seem to be in disbelief about how the Kings are playing right now.

Why do you think some of us are so quick to point out the defense which has been played te last 2 games? It's because we're well aware of how crappy our defense has played, and how a few of the players were hruting us there. You can't fully accept the rebuild, and be patient with the rollercoaster ride it will be, unless you acknowledge all our weaknesses. Given your inpatience, I think you're the one ignoring a lot of the negatives, and forming an opinion of this team and what it should be at this point in time, which isn't the reality of the situation.

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

The funny thing is, you're the one ignoring the negatives, almost to the point of denial, and that's why your expectations for the team are so high, and explains the fact you seem to be in disbelief about how the Kings are playing right now.

Why do you think some of us are so quick to point out the defense which has been played te last 2 games? It's because we're well aware of how crappy our defense has played, and how a few of the players were hruting us there. You can't fully accept the rebuild, and be patient with the rollercoaster ride it will be, unless you acknowledge all our weaknesses. Given your inpatience, I think you're the one ignoring a lot of the negatives, and forming an opinion of this team and what it should be at this point in time, which isn't the reality of the situation.

I'm ignoring the negatives and that's why my expectations are so high? Is winning 35 games really high expectations? LOL! What negatives do you think I'm ignoring and how did you arrive at that conclusion? As for not accepting the rebuild, of course I accept it. What choice do I have but to accept it? Accepting the rebuild doesn't mean that I'm not going to be disappointed by another 25-30 win season though, which is what they're on pace for. Anyone who wouldn't be disappointed by that has some pretty weak (or no) expectations for this team. I don't expect miracles but I do expect improvement. And I mean tangible improvement in the form of more wins than last season, not "well they lost 57 games again but at least they defended well in some of those losses" improvement.

 

[bajaden]

Rosebud!!

 

[origkds]

Even though we lost I felt better about this game than winning the last one. Two good defensive games in a row is not a fluke. The Kings walked away with the confidence knowing that they can beat anyone if they continue to play defense. Great game, very encouraging.

 

[Boogie-havoc]

Donte and Luther Head were amazing.. Luther is just an incredible defender, he gave quite a show.

Finally signs of a team and identity, let's hope this continues!

What bothers me a bit is Demarcus practicly needs to kill someone to get a pass off the pick&roll, the man is wide open and they keep dismissing him time after time.

And I wish we'de take more advantage of Dalambert size and jumping ability with some ally-hoops while reke or someone else drives, I mean it's easy buckets and can be done 2-3-4 times a game.

Also would like Landry to get inside and be physical instead of settling and becoming a jump-shooter.

All in all tho, I love what i'm seeing - thumbs up for coach W!

 

[KingDog]

I wanted to insert the Monty Python applause but I'm just not smart enough to figure it out. Anyway. Yay!Yippee! Clap Clap Clap Whistle real loud....WooHoo.......

 

[Kingstime]

If Donte and Luther Head bring their type of defense and hustle for most of their time this year than we can have these types of defensive efforts, add their efforts to Sammy D ball swatting and changing shots this could be the first of many great defensive efforts. I still think if we are gonna load up our starting unit with defense the final piece should be JT at the 4, allowing a fire powered ladened 2nd unit to give the first unit a blow.

 

[mr. moustache]

The team deserves the applause for their defensive effort. If a few shots fall, we've got a W against a team that's been playing well. You literally can't ask for more.

That said; it's been two games. I'd be thrilled if this new lineup dramatically changed the Kings, but I'm skeptical. 3 games in a row and I'm intrigued. 5, and I'll start to expect it. I'm sure Bibby put two consecutive defensive games together at some point while he was here.

 

[Superman]

This is fun.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

 

[LilMissDiva]

I was at the game last night. They DEFINITELY deserve a round of applause, the effort was great! They had the crowd in to the game to the bitter end. Totally agree that if they keep up this kind of true grit, they ARE going to get some wins under thier belt.

They were playing a very good team. They hung in there and never gave up. I'm impressed.

 

[LilMissDiva]

The funny thing is, you're the one ignoring the negatives, almost to the point of denial, and that's why your expectations for the team are so high, and explains the fact you seem to be in disbelief about how the Kings are playing right now.

Why do you think some of us are so quick to point out the defense which has been played te last 2 games? It's because we're well aware of how crappy our defense has played, and how a few of the players were hruting us there. You can't fully accept the rebuild, and be patient with the rollercoaster ride it will be, unless you acknowledge all our weaknesses. Given your inpatience, I think you're the one ignoring a lot of the negatives, and forming an opinion of this team and what it should be at this point in time, which isn't the reality of the situation.

Where's the "like" button?

 

[mr. moustache]

...They had the crowd in to the game to the bitter end...

That's the main point there. If they can reward the fans attending the game with enough intensity to keep the game entertaining, everything will be all right.

 

[bajaden]

I wanted to insert the Monty Python applause but I'm just not smart enough to figure it out. Anyway. Yay!Yippee! Clap Clap Clap Whistle real loud....WooHoo.......

This post may have been funnier..Thanks for the laugh...

 

[bajaden]

A bit of intended irony I believe...

 

[Sac.1989]

Defense wins championships, pure and simple. For all our struggles on the offensive end, they can be ironed and will be with time. My biggest concern is consistency and our ability to maintain our defensive pressence which in the long term i hope will define our team.

 

[fnordius]

I'm ignoring the negatives and that's why my expectations are so high? Is winning 35 games really high expectations? LOL! What negatives do you think I'm ignoring and how did you arrive at that conclusion? As for not accepting the rebuild, of course I accept it. What choice do I have but to accept it? Accepting the rebuild doesn't mean that I'm not going to be disappointed by another 25-30 win season though, which is what they're on pace for. Anyone who wouldn't be disappointed by that has some pretty weak (or no) expectations for this team. I don't expect miracles but I do expect improvement. And I mean tangible improvement in the form of more wins than last season, not "well they lost 57 games again but at least they defended well in some of those losses" improvement.

I'm going to propose an alternate stat for you. Percentage of fans who felt like the game was entertaining, and generally worth watching. That's the one that the survival of the franchise in Sac depends on, and I'm sure that it was way up for the last game.

 

[Andre87]

a round of applause indeed... or not...

 

[Spok22]

if anything, i think the back to back games affected their ability to play consistent defense today. not to mention that they were playing against two very legit teams.