Analysis of SAR and Sampson

[And1]

I found this article by Charlie Rosen. I've only pasted the parts of the article about Kings players. What do you think?


http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/3890608

Charlie Rosen/Special to FOXSports.com

Shareef Abdur-Rahim — Sacramento


Can do: Run the floor on defense-to-offense transitions. Shoot accurately up to 19-feet. Drive right. Climb the offensive glass. Execute a right-to-left crossover dribble, then come back between his legs left-to-right for a drive or a pull-up. Post on left block with turnaround jumper toward baseline and right-handed jump hook toward middle. Spin right-to-left in paint. Utilize a convincing array of head fakes. Gamble for steals with quick hands. Attack entry pass when defending a post player.

Can't do: Play with power. Pass. Play solid, position defense. Make quick decisions with the ball.

Must do: Prove that he's more than merely an outstanding numbers man on sad-sack teams. Demonstrate that he can score without being the beneficiary of undue space and time. Be stronger in the paint than he's ever been. Get the glue off his fingers. Prognosis: This guy is a highly overrated player whose pluses are ostensibly a good fit with the Kings but whose flaws are noticeable and easily exploited. Abdur-Rahim makes the Kings the same kind of overly finesse team that they used to be.


Jamal Sampson — Sacramento



Can do: Run. Jump. Attack offensive boards. Compete. Show quick feet and good hands. Play with NBA-caliber athleticism.

Can't do: Bang. Pass. Handle. Hit free throws. Figure out a way to score and to avoid foul trouble on defense.

Must do: Take advantage of his latest (and quite possibly his last) opportunity. Develop a go-to move in the pivot. Get stronger. Prognosis: A low risk signing for the Kings. Perhaps he'll find a niche backing up both power positions. Bet on him, however, to spend large portions of the season on the injured list with phantom injuries.

 

[VF21]

What do you think?

I think Charlie Rosen is still a jerk. Having said that, I don't think anything he said is out of line... I think he's going to take some heat for the "highly overrated player" comment about SAR, and I certainly hope he's wrong... Only time will tell.

 

[captain bill]

I think Charlie Rosen is still a jerk. Having said that, I don't think anything he said is out of line... I think he's going to take some heat for the "highly overrated player" comment about SAR, and I certainly hope he's wrong... Only time will tell.

I agree. While his comments irk me in some ways, you can't really argue with him about what he said. Except for the part about the injured list with phantom injuries- Sampson will just get sent down to the D league or put on the inactive list (which doesn't require an injury justification). We'll see how things pan out.

 

[Jose]

Ouch:

Doug Christie — Dallas


Can do: Remember when he was young, healthy and unselfish.? When he could drive right and dunk? When he was a playmaker? When he could defend, rebound, run and hit three-point shots?

Can't do: Recapture the past. Hit clutch shots. Play without arrogance.

Must do: The impossible.

Prognosis: The Mavs finally got the defensive-minded, quick, athletic wing man/point guard that they've lacked for long. Too bad Christie is about three years past his prime.

 

[Netguy115]

read his comments about Doug Christie...complete ludicrous...he isn't selfish and never will be, and anyone remember that HUGE 3 he hit against Dallas I think it was 2 years ago...maybe he's not as big of a shot maker and taker and defender as he once was, but he's not as bad as this idiot Fox sports writer makes him out to be

 

[captain bill]

When he shows up in Dallas, that criticism will be accurate. I love Doug, and even 2 years ago that analysis would have been way off, but he's just not a big time player anymore. Hopefully he can find some good minutes off the bench and have one last nice stint before he retires.

 

[funkykingston]

The closest you could get to calling Christie selfish is to point out that he decided to basically end his season in Orlando by having surgery. Of course, my understanding was that Doug was simply playing through pain to help his team, and when the Magic had little use for him he decided to take care of his aching feet.

I can stomach the comments about Doug's physical decline, but what's with the "can't play without arrogance" crap? Christie arrogant? Please. The man is all about the team.

 

[mbkings10]

Well Rosen also wrote in a seperate article that he believes that players like Barkley, David Robinson, Karl Malone among others were overrated. Well there could be a case that SAR is overrated, with him never leading a team into the playoffs, but I think he went a bit out of line on these other players. He basically said Malone is only a hall of famer because of Stockton, that David Robinson was soft, couldn't defend his own man and only scored on foul line jump shots or if his man bought his head fakes. I think he is a nut and hopefully he is wrong about SAR.

 

[Bricklayer]

Well Rosen also wrote in a seperate article that he believes that players like Barkley, David Robinson, Karl Malone among others were overrated. Well there could be a case that SAR is overrated, with him never leading a team into the playoffs, but I think he went a bit out of line on these other players. He basically said Malone is only a hall of famer because of Stockton, that David Robinson was soft, couldn't defend his own man and only scored on foul line jump shots or if his man bought his head fakes. I think he is a nut and hopefully he is wrong about SAR.

Actually I agree with him to a certain degree in all of those assessments, minus the sensationalism he needs to sell his articles:

1) the "arrogance" he refers to is quite likely the way Doug treated Orlando. It really did border on disgraceful. As great a leader and lockerroom guy as he was for us, he was borderline unprofessional for the Magic and the rumors are that none of the PLAYERS wanted him back because they felt he just quit on them and abandoned them. The arrogance interpretation would be he felt he was too good for them. Not exactly my interpretation, but when your own teammates feel betrayed by you, and you're Doug Christie that is remarkable. Note too that its well known that Rosen is still essentially such a Phil Jackson worshiper and anything anyone ever associated with the Kings or any other Lakers rival does is going to be interpreted int he wrost possible light. If I was Phil I'd be damn careful never to bend over to pick anything up in front of Rosen.
2) Robinson WAS always considered fairly soft despite the talent and always scored from the midrange/outside rather than working the post. I'm not buying he couldn't guard his own man -- that's just hyperbole. But he never did like to bang, and its why both Hakeem and Shaq beat him in indiivudal matchups. They were power players, he was a finesse player.
3) Of all the super-greats, the "greatest of all time" type players, the one missing the most spark was Malone. Just not quite at that same level as the Magics, Birds, Michaels etc. Never as creative, as dominant late in the game, as multifaceted. Now to say he wouldn't have been a Hall of Famer is asinine, but to say that Stockton moved him up from being a mid-level HOFer to an All-Time great is probably fair.
4) His reads on Reef and Sampson are not too far off from mine, although I think its premature (to sya the least) to write either guy off quite yet.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

The closest you could get to calling Christie selfish is to point out that he decided to basically end his season in Orlando by having surgery. Of course, my understanding was that Doug was simply playing through pain to help his team, and when the Magic had little use for him he decided to take care of his aching feet.

I can stomach the comments about Doug's physical decline, but what's with the "can't play without arrogance" crap? Christie arrogant? Please. The man is all about the team.

I couldnt agree more...this guys comments about Dougie are way out of bounds. And as far as his comments about us getting Rahim, well, unless we somehow get Ben Wallace or Garnett, which neither will happen, Rosen will always think we're finesse. Eh, well...until we win a championship, the naysayers can still be naysayers.

 

[Bricklayer]

Rosen will always think we're finesse.

Um, I'm no Rosen fan, but is there a human being on the planet who DOESN'T think we are finesse? That's a fairly obvious call.

 

[ForlornKing]

While Shareef can't play good 1 on 1 defense, it says he is good at transition defense, which the kings need desperately.

 

[BigSong]

we need defense all over the place, the post, perimeter, halfcourt, transition, you name it.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Um, I'm no Rosen fan, but is there a human being on the planet who DOESN'T think we are finesse? That's a fairly obvious call.

Well, that was kinda my point, but I think he would still say we were finesse even if we brought in Ben freaking Wallace or Artest, someone like that...as long as we have Brad and Peja and guys like that, everyone, including Rosen, would still think we were finesse.

 

[Bricklayer]

While Shareef can't play good 1 on 1 defense, it says he is good at transition defense, which the kings need desperately.

Actually no it doesnt, although I had to do a double take too -- if you reread it what it says is that he's good on defense to OFFENSE transitions. In other words, like Peja he has a tendency to leak out and Reef's fast down the court if you call him a PF.

Reef is just not a defensive player. He's yet another guy for us where defense is just that boring interlude between chances to score. Time to head down on offense? Boom -- enthusiasm is high and he's off and running because wheeeee! I get a chance to score! Time to head back on defense? Its just a chore.