A.V. | Udrih Does Not Deserve to be Starter

[bloom]

What a truly disappointing season it has been for Beno. The guy gets this amazing contract –he didn’t deserve the length and the amount. A guy who hasn’t been dependable in any of his years of a pro, he gets handed this amount and what does he do, exactly what I was afraid of – playing for a contract. I really was hoping that Beno could come back and do the same thing he did last year.

Guaranteed contracts should go down the drain. No player should be allowed to have a guaranteed contract. This way, each player has to give 100% every time they step on the floor.

…I’m really happy that we don’t have Baron Davis’s contract, Arena’s or Elton Brand’s.

Here’s some parts that I took from today’s Bee’s article. Written by Ailene Voisin.

Udrih Does Not Deserve to be Starter

The search is on. Tyreke Evans. Jonny Flynn. Eric Maynor. Tony Douglas. Ty Lawson. Darren Collison. Possibly Ricky Rubio. The list of potential draftees will expand as the NCAA Tournament continues, extending to the European Final Four and the pre-draft workouts in Chicago.

Whatever happens (if Rubio declares or not, or if we get a solid big man) we do need a dependable back-up point guard and if there’s a young guy who’s hungry, it might light a fire under Beno’s butt to work harder….We are not going to get stuck with another unmovable contract.

Beno also needs to spend a lot of time this offseason working with Daniel Shapiro and get himself into shape for next year.

"Definitely, this has been a disappointing year," Udrih acknowledged after Sunday's loss to Philadelphia. "Last year in general, we were just playing harder. As a point guard, you have to have teammates who get open. I feel much better when I penetrate and somebody gets open, and he makes a dunk."

Disappointing for not only you, but everybody. Playing hard also starts at the top, if our point guard isn’t ready– what does that say about Beno? Maybe I’m just reading too much into his quote. I do understand that his teammates are suppose to also try to get open but when they are open – wide open near the bucket then pass to them…

If he penetrates how come we haven’t seen more assists to other players? And his response…

"Sometimes you don't see open people," Udrih said.

no comment…

"When Beno plays well, the Kings play well," coach Kenny Natt said. "He's a catalyst for us. Why it's happening … where he's at … we can't figure that out."

There also is the issue of the coaching change and how his emotionally charged but symbiotic relationship with Reggie Theus has given way to a chillier, most distant marriage with Natt.

This has nothing to do with Reggie Theus vs. Kenny Natt. Beno was playing bad even when Reggie was coaching. Sure Natt was a problem at the beginning but Beno is still getting his minutes again…

To read the whole article http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/1720939.html

 

[sidney]

As a point guard, you have to have teammates who get open

nice blaming Beno

 

[6th]

nice blaming Beno

Hell, why not. It's what he does on the court, so I expect nothing else from him. Beno, get over your cheap a** self and earn your pay..........or at least act like you want to earn it.

 

[Jer]

I've said this from the very beginning about Beno - I'm not that bothered by the fact that he's a terrible point guard (it's not his fault we gave him too much responsibility), but the fact that he constantly tries to push off the blame. I'd have a lot more respect for him if he manned up and unwaveringly said, each time: "I'm not playing how I should be playing and it's nobody's fault but mine. I'm going to re-double my efforts and try and make this organization proud of me."

He doesn't.

 

[kingsnation]

nice blaming Beno

Same ol' Beno.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

lets not make the same mistake with mccants

 

[TheFifthMookie]

Lets stop the trend of spending 'real' amounts of money on middling to lame players. How much worse would the kings actually be if we didn't have beno this year? I doubt it would be much.

 

[6th]

Lets stop the trend of spending 'real' amounts of money on middling to lame players. How much worse would the kings actually be if we didn't have beno this year? I doubt it would be much.

We'd have 14 instead of 15 wins. There were a couple of games that his contribution was big, but then I factored in the ones where he did as much or more harm than good.

 

[TheFifthMookie]

exactly. We're not in contention anymore. We should be signing anyone to a contract unless they're a part of our long term future. We don't need the little boost that teams like the Celtics are looking to get, because we're in an entirely different position.

 

[Amory]

"Definitely, this has been a disappointing year," Udrih acknowledged after Sunday's loss to Philadelphia. "Last year in general, we were just playing harder. As a point guard, you have to have teammates who get open. I feel much better when I penetrate and somebody gets open, and he makes a dunk."

Ok, I am not the #1 authority of Basketball, but...

1 - He is blaming his teammates not getting open

2 - Is it all about penetrating? Not all PGs just penetrate and then pass. They can pass from anywhere. Or, do I just not understand how to play the point?

 

[sniperfor3]

I dont know, where I would begin. I am a point guard to. I know how dificult, this job could get. I am not defending Beno. Some of you are wright, he needs to man up and accept the responsibility for his actions. But some of you are wrong. He si not a terrible point guard. I dont know how the things work in Sacramento, but he is not a terrible point guard. He knows what his job is, he knows that fans expect something from him, he knows that he needs to do his best on the floor. How do I know, that he knows.
Every basketball player knows his role in the team. If the role is point guard. The main job is to penetrate and pass to open players, involve teammates into game actions, anad most importantly, destroy the opponent team defense.
There are times, when teammates cant score, so you have to score. And if you cant, you scored 7/20, the blame can easily go on you, and not your teamates.

 

[beb0p]

In all fairness, Beno is having the same season he had last. Stat-wise 07-08 and 08-09 are almost identical. It's the expectation that downed him. I don't blame him for not living up to it because it was a pipedream to think he is our answer at PG. I don't blame him for signing that contract because he'd be a fool not to. No, the blame goes to those who looked at this very average player and think, "Wow, we have to give him $30 millions!"

Now, if he'll just quietly accept his backup role next season then all is good. After all, it's not my money he's drawing from.

 

[Mitch Richmond]

Beno IS NOT the answer at PG! He's not even the answer at BACKUP PG! Think about our glory years teams. Bibby, Bobby, J-Will, Tony Delk... I'd take ANY of them over Beno. And not one of them was even close to making as much money (until we maxed out Bibby after he played out of his mind in the playoffs). This is just a terrible signing by Geoff who got completely caught up in the fact that A. The Clippers wanted to sign him and B. Thought this team could actually could contend without Ron. Dumb dumb dumb.

 

[Bricklayer]

It wasn't really that last bit -- Beno is/was fairly young. He had a breakout season for us, and Geoff gambled on it just being the beginning. He wasn't an old vet on a contract push, he was a young player maybe on the rise, and a guy young enough to be part of the young core if he worked out (he's Kevin's age).

 

[rainmaker]

It is absolutely rediculous for Beno to be blaming his teamates for not getting open. When Beno is running the team it seems as if he has less of an idea about what we are doing on offense than anyone else on the floor. It doesn't look like he knows where certain players will be, or should be on the court.

Every game Kevin runs off screens, is open, Beno ignores him, and then drives into traffic and loses the ball or forces a bad shot.

Every game Jt and Hawes are open in the post, Beno ignores them, and then floows it up with another poor decision (bad shot, turnover).

Beno has not improved his playmaking in fast break situations. When was the last time he ran a successful 2 on 1, 3 on 2, or any kind of a fast break. He struggles big time to get this team easy baskets in transition, and it really shouldn't be that hard with Kevin breaking at almost every opportunity.

I really am not mad at Beno for not improving his scoring this season. I didn't expect him to bump his scoring up to 16 or 17pts a game. But I am dissapointed because he seems clueless on how to run an offense, and set up his teamates. He doesn't get his teamates any easy baskets. To not take responsibility for that and shift the blame on to his teamates to me means that he will never be the answer. I don't think he is mentally tough enough to be a starting pg in this league. And his effort might be more inconsistent than anyone else on the team. The only time he shows any emotion on the court is when he is yelling at a teamate for making a mistake, which usually was a bad pass from Beno in the first place.

He has regressed when he has had a great opportunity to improve on last season and solidify himself as a starting pg. He shows no desire to improve, he doesn't learn from his mistakes, and doesn't take any accountability. Not a good combination. AV's point about him not being in good shape and working with shapiro this past offseason is also troubling. He should have arrived at training camp in the best shape of his career. Sounds like he did the opposite and didn't put in much work.

 

[Andre87]

I would just love to have Johnny Flynn over him next year...

 

[=LarryLegend=]

I would just love to have Johnny Flynn over him next year...

I wish he wasnt returning to Syracuse.

 

[6th]

It is absolutely rediculous for Beno to be blaming his teamates for not getting open. When Beno is running the team it seems as if he has less of an idea about what we are doing on offense than anyone else on the floor. It doesn't look like he knows where certain players will be, or should be on the court.

Every game Kevin runs off screens, is open, Beno ignores him, and then drives into traffic and loses the ball or forces a bad shot.

Every game Jt and Hawes are open in the post, Beno ignores them, and then floows it up with another poor decision (bad shot, turnover).

Beno has not improved his playmaking in fast break situations. When was the last time he ran a successful 2 on 1, 3 on 2, or any kind of a fast break. He struggles big time to get this team easy baskets in transition, and it really shouldn't be that hard with Kevin breaking at almost every opportunity.

I really am not mad at Beno for not improving his scoring this season. I didn't expect him to bump his scoring up to 16 or 17pts a game. But I am dissapointed because he seems clueless on how to run an offense, and set up his teamates. He doesn't get his teamates any easy baskets. To not take responsibility for that and shift the blame on to his teamates to me means that he will never be the answer. I don't think he is mentally tough enough to be a starting pg in this league. And his effort might be more inconsistent than anyone else on the team. The only time he shows any emotion on the court is when he is yelling at a teamate for making a mistake, which usually was a bad pass from Beno in the first place.

He has regressed when he has had a great opportunity to improve on last season and solidify himself as a starting pg. He shows no desire to improve, he doesn't learn from his mistakes, and doesn't take any accountability. Not a good combination. AV's point about him not being in good shape and working with shapiro this past offseason is also troubling. He should have arrived at training camp in the best shape of his career. Sounds like he did the opposite and didn't put in much work.

Bravo! Absolutely excellent post and mirrors my sentiment to a T. I could never have said this better.

 

[bloom]

This isn’t the first time Beno deflected the blame on someone else. It’s really disappointing to hear him talk about his teammates. Sometimes we have to stop looking at others and realize that we aren’t perfect either – start improving our mistakes. I don’t like hating on players and I don’t hate the guy, I just wish he’d start trying to improve himself instead at pointing his finger at Joe Schmoe sitting in the last seat in Arco Arena.

He needs to sit down, take a long look at this season. Instead of blaming others, he should get into that gym, find a really good summer coach and work – working out and improving his game. I’m sure he can even work out with some of the other guys – push each other and get better.

I want to see the other Beno that we saw….And I hope someone in the top pulls Beno aside and tells him that it’s totally and completely unprofessional to point blame at the other guys – especially in public.

In all fairness, Beno is having the same season he had last. Stat-wise 07-08 and 08-09 are almost identical. It's the expectation that downed him. I don't blame him for not living up to it because it was a pipedream to think he is our answer at PG. I don't blame him for signing that contract because he'd be a fool not to. No, the blame goes to those who looked at this very average player and think, "Wow, we have to give him $30 millions!"

Now, if he'll just quietly accept his backup role next season then all is good. After all, it's not my money he's drawing from.

I respect your opinion but I don’t agree. Stats are deceiving – sometimes they don’t show the whole picture. I could care less about his points per game right now (that’s not my focus). The way he played the game last year is light years different from this year. He had this attitude in games that I liked, he drove, kicked, played with more - more fun, more flare, more something…This year it’s opposite. His stats might be the same but it’s a different player we are looking at. I just want to see the guy go back to that, I expect nothing more of him – just lead the team and bring back that swagger.

I also didn’t look at him to be this star, or a guy who can take us to the promised land. I liked what I saw and thought a 2 or 3 year deal would be good (3rd year would be team’s option). I saw him as a stop plug. Instead what I’ve seen from him this year has been disappointing (which is a understatement) and what’s far worse is his negative looks to his teammates and that occasional yell.

 

[SacTownKid]

Stats can be deceiving but in this instance they are quite relevant. He's producing at about the same rate but because the team is so terrible as a WHOLE it makes things look even worse. Reggie implying that Beno should be some 18 ppg, 8 apg guy were just ridiculous. You don't get those guys for the MLE, you get...well, you get BENO UDRIH! It's not just Beno Udrih playing terrible, and while most would seemingly want their PG to be immune to such things he is effected just as much as everyone else with having such a young, inexperienced, and emotionally beaten down team

Now the one thing he really needs to cut out is blaming his teammates for his own bone headed plays. It seems like everytime he makes a stupid play he starts yelling at a teammate. Sure, sometimes it might be the other guys fault but for goodness sake cut it out Beno! Just play.

 

[creative one]

I can deal with a PG who isn't a great shooter (Rondo, Felton, Sessions, even Alston). I can deal with a PG who isn't a great defender (Nash, Bibby). I can even deal with a PG who isn't that great of a passer (Parker). Not everyone can be Chris Paul or Deron Williams.

I can't, however, deal with a PG who isn't a leader and can't man up to his faults. It's not just about the exorbitant amount of money we're paying him given his NBA career to date. It's about us giving him a chance to resurrect his careeer and his insisting on blowing said opportunity. We should've known better than to pump money into a guy when the NBA's United Nations (Spurs) sold him for a second-rounder and the Land of Ten Thousand crappy PGs (T-Wolves) cut him. Last year was fool's gold. This is the real Beno and he blows as a starter.

 

[HighTopKicks]

Stats can be deceiving but in this instance they are quite relevant. He's producing at about the same rate but because the team is so terrible as a WHOLE it makes things look even worse. Reggie implying that Beno should be some 18 ppg, 8 apg guy were just ridiculous. You don't get those guys for the MLE, you get...well, you get BENO UDRIH! It's not just Beno Udrih playing terrible, and while most would seemingly want their PG to be immune to such things he is effected just as much as everyone else with having such a young, inexperienced, and emotionally beaten down team

Now the one thing he really needs to cut out is blaming his teammates for his own bone headed plays. It seems like everytime he makes a stupid play he starts yelling at a teammate. Sure, sometimes it might be the other guys fault but for goodness sake cut it out Beno! Just play.

What's the bread & butter offensive play in the NBA? Answer, the Pick & Roll, Natt should know that from his time in Utah. What's the play that Theus said, Beno was best at? Answer, the Pick & Roll. What's the one play that the Kings don't run with their bigs? Answer, well you should know by now.

Natt, plays people out of position, runs plays their not go at, or doesn't run plays that they are good at. Spencer doesn't play from beyond the arc because he likes it there. Martin doesn't try to beat James off the dribble to end the game on his own. And, Beno doesn't bring up the ball, hand it off, and then run into the corner because the view is better there. And, the Kings didn't stop running the Pick & Roll because Beno got tired of it. Natt benched him, and when he finally put him back in, Natt took his game away.

We're back to a high post center controlled offense. Who needs a PG? Who needs Rubio?

 

[Mitch Richmond]

I can deal with a PG who isn't a great shooter (Rondo, Felton, Sessions, even Alston). I can deal with a PG who isn't a great defender (Nash, Bibby). I can even deal with a PG who isn't that great of a passer (Parker). Not everyone can be Chris Paul or Deron Williams.

I can't, however, deal with a PG who isn't a leader and can't man up to his faults. It's not just about the exorbitant amount of money we're paying him given his NBA career to date. It's about us giving him a chance to resurrect his careeer and his insisting on blowing said opportunity. We should've known better than to pump money into a guy when the NBA's United Nations (Spurs) sold him for a second-rounder and the Land of Ten Thousand crappy PGs (T-Wolves) cut him. Last year was fool's gold. This is the real Beno and he blows as a starter.

pretty much sums up my thoughts exactly

 

[kennadog]

I don't think I've read or heard an interview with Beno when he's not pushing blame off onto someone else. It's never Beno's fault. I really dislike that in any person. He needs to shut up and work as hard as he can on improving his own game and conditioning.

 

[kingsnation]

You know, in all fairness, I think Beno has a world of potential. I think he has the talent and the ability to be a pretty good starter on a NBA team.

The problem is that HE gets in the way. His own mind. Either he doesn't play as hard as he should or he blames someone else for his shortcomings instead of working on them.

 

[rainmaker]

Even if Beno really applied himself this offseason and really worked on his game and conditioning, I wouldn't want him as our starting pg next year. Coming to Sac really was a second chance for him, and thus far he has blown it. He must not have the respect of his teamates either, with his poor play and constantly shifting the blame on to others.

If Beno was just having a bad year, I think he would own up to it. But the way he doesn't take accountability for his mistakes leads me to believe he really feels, and is, outmatched almost every time he steps on the court. He rarely wins his matchup against the opponents pg, and I think he just doesn't have any answers anymore. When a player resorts to blaming his teamates for his own mistakes, chances are he just isn't good enough. I don't think Beno has the talent, and definately doesn't have the desire to be an above average pg in this league.

 

[beb0p]

I respect your opinion but I don’t agree. Stats are deceiving – sometimes they don’t show the whole picture. I could care less about his points per game right now (that’s not my focus). The way he played the game last year is light years different from this year. He had this attitude in games that I liked, he drove, kicked, played with more - more fun, more flare, more something…This year it’s opposite. His stats might be the same but it’s a different player we are looking at. I just want to see the guy go back to that, I expect nothing more of him – just lead the team and bring back that swagger.

Actually this is the same Beno from last year. The combination of a terrible team and being used differently by Natt than Theus exposed him. I admit he seemed more comfortable playing for Theus than Natt, but at the end of the day I don't see much of a difference between this Beno and that Beno: shoot too often, doesn't control the tempo, needs the pick n roll, turns the ball over, gets hurt, capable of having good games against great teams and bad games against bad teams.

And like SacTownKid said, you can't help but chuckled when certain Kings management expected him to score more and get more assists. Uh-eh.

 

[JoMama]

Actually, it's quite simple: Beno sucks.

 

[bloom]

Actually this is the same Beno from last year. The combination of a terrible team and being used differently by Natt than Theus exposed him. I admit he seemed more comfortable playing for Theus than Natt, but at the end of the day I don't see much of a difference between this Beno and that Beno: shoot too often, doesn't control the tempo, needs the pick n roll, turns the ball over, gets hurt, capable of having good games against great teams and bad games against bad teams.

And like SacTownKid said, you can't help but chuckled when certain Kings management expected him to score more and get more assists. Uh-eh.

Sure Beno does have his flaws and I’m not trying to cover them up, but when he’s on point, you see him do everything out there – playing with a different energy. I guess we can agree to disagree, but he played differently to me last year (or maybe I’m just remembering the few months when Ron wasn’t playing).

He seemed to play well last year under Reggie, but this year not so much. He had a hard time adjusting to Natt at the beginning- but that's because Natt was having issues with Beno (and I blame that situation on Natt). But that's changed.

Anyway, we can sit here all day long arguing about Beno, but it still doesn’t change the fact that 1. We’re stuck with him until I have no clue and 2. He has this long contract that just can’t be terminated.

I just don’t want to hear him whine about his teammates when he’s part of the problem. He needs to look into the mirror and accept that he’s not perfect. And he needs to be in the gym - working out with really good trainer this summer. He needs to improve his conditioning and his game.

 

[Vlade4GM]

In all fairness, Beno is having the same season he had last. Stat-wise 07-08 and 08-09 are almost identical. It's the expectation that downed him. I don't blame him for not living up to it because it was a pipedream to think he is our answer at PG. I don't blame him for signing that contract because he'd be a fool not to. No, the blame goes to those who looked at this very average player and think, "Wow, we have to give him $30 millions!"

Now, if he'll just quietly accept his backup role next season then all is good. After all, it's not my money he's drawing from.

You say that like it doesn't greatly affect our cap space.