Are there people on the team unhappy with Tyreke??

[DocHolliday]

There is a short blurb in a Yahoo article citing "league Sources" that some team members may be unhappy with the way Tyreke dominates the ball.

There's also a note about teams watching Martin which we've already heard about.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-netslosing020310&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

… Tyreke Evans(notes) will be the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, but he hasn’t completely endeared himself to teammates with the way he dominates the ball, league sources say. Make no mistake: Losing 16 of the past 18 games has played a big part with that. There are several teams – including Houston and the Dallas Mavericks – watching the dynamic between Evans and Kevin Martin

I'm not sure if there's anything to the Tyreke thing, if there is I think people need to reevaluate things. Tyreke isn't perfect, and at times he probably does need to share the ball a little more. It seems the last couple of games that he has played he has made more of an effort to do that, and I think there are some positives that have come from that.

But, games like last night where the team starts to fail down the stretch, and Tyreke took over and put on a clinic....well you can't really argue with the guy taking over at times.

 

[LWP777]

They will get over it. As soon as other guys start stepping up and playing good basketball Tyreke will get them more involved. IMO, he doesn't really trust anybody else on the team which is justified because pretty much everybody has been terrible lately (with the exception of maybe Hawes who has had a pretty good strech during the past 5 games or so).

What is he supposed to do? Pass the ball to JT down low so he can fumble it and turn it over? Pass the ball to KMart or Noc on the wing only to watch them miss another jumper? His options are limited right now.

 

[Kingsguy881]

If anything, those grumblings are coming out of Martins camp. Nothing was said until Martin came back, the chemistry was great. Martin is just mad that he is no longer the face of the franchise, but spilled milk dude. He had his chance.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Could be Noc too, he hasn't been shy about saying Sacramento isn't ideal for him. The chemistry was pretty good before Martin's return so that would lead you to suspect Martin, and I suspect that as well, but there are one or two other guys that haven't had much of a role on this team either.

 

[steelevt]

if it's true, i can see where they are coming from. throughout the season many people have stated that he dominates the ball and doesnt always pass it to the open man on fast breaks. but as the season went on, i've see him make an effort, i've actually seen him pass the ball more since kevin's return. the only thing is now everyone is in a slump so his assists aren't improving. i personally dont think its from kevin's camp or only from his because he is still getting his shots, like 15-20 attempts per game. if anything JT, omri and beno's FGA have decreased so it could be them complaining also. of course all the people who hate kevin need to pinpoint someone to blame so that info will just be disregarded. anyways i think he's still growing and his court vision and the ability to trust his teammates more will come as the season progresses. writers just need to create drama to sell papers or get people to read their articles

 

[SacKings384]

You're never going to have a happy locker room when you're losing... Period. When you're also losing your minutes randomly you're going to have a bunch of unhappy players. This is inevitable. Winning will cure it if it ever happens.

 

[Kingsguy881]

Could be Noc too, he hasn't been shy about saying Sacramento isn't ideal for him. The chemistry was pretty good before Martin's return so that would lead you to suspect Martin, and I suspect that as well, but there are one or two other guys that haven't had much of a role on this team either.

Must be why everytime he touches the rock it's getting fired at the rim?

 

[rainmaker]

What the hell does "league sources" even mean? It would take more than that for me to consider for a second that we actually have a problem in the locker room. My guess would be that Wojnarowski is referring to a couple comments Omri made about Tyreke needing to get better at finding guys open on the wings and in transition.

 

[Kingsguy881]

If there are people in the locker room unhappy that Tyreke is getting so much attention it wouldn't surprise me. Hell, there are 'fans' that don't like him, why would the locker room be any different....

 

[netseee]

I wont trust that kind of source

 

[piksi]

who cares ?

everybody else is expandable anyways

and other players have way too many flaws to complain

 

[kennadog]

I don't trust the source at all. Having said that, I think Tyreke is trying. Its just that certain other players have been pretty awful lately. Since its a matter of those certain players bricking wide open shots from everywhere, including point blank, that's on them, not Evans.

On top of that, they better decide to appreciate playing with Evans, because if they don't, guess who the Kings will trade? Hint: not Evans.

I do agree, that the losing has a lot to do with grumbling. If its frustrating for us to watch, I'm sure its hard for the players. These guys do care. I think they are all a bit confused over what has changed and what exactly is going wrong. But instead of wasting time on finger-pointing, (if that's actually happening) they each need to look at what they need to do individually to help.

 

[bajaden]

I always hate vague inuendo. If you can't name the source then don't print the story. I mean anyone can make up anything with the term league sources. Is everyone happy in the locker room? No, probably not. Losing always brings out the worse in everybody. By the same token, winning almost always makes for a happy locker room.

My guess is that the league source is from another team that wants to make a trade for Martin.

 

[Showtime]

Let's see:

Martin and Salmons weren't happy with Artest hogging it...

Martin wasn't happy with Salmons...

Martin is unhappy with Tyreke...

Result: I'm not happy with a role player acting like he deserves star touches.

 

[6th]

If anything, those grumblings are coming out of Martins camp. Nothing was said until Martin came back, the chemistry was great. Martin is just mad that he is no longer the face of the franchise, but spilled milk dude. He had his chance.

Not true! Kevin has never thought he needed to be the #1 option (or face of the franchise). He does not have a chemistry issue. Now, Nocioni, Beno, Casspi, and anyone else who is not getting the touches they once did, makes a lot more sense.

 

[Kingsguy881]

Not true! Kevin has never thought he needed to be the #1 option (or face of the franchise). He does not have a chemistry issue. Now, Nocioni, Beno, Casspi, and anyone else who is not getting the touches they once did, makes a lot more sense.

How do you know what Kevin thinks? I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but unless you are a close confidante of Kevin's there is no way you can make this statement.


And, I'm sure he enjoyed the attention he got last year when he finally was 'the man' of a 17 win team.


And, I'm sure he feels the fanbase has turned on him ever since that damn rookie came in and stole his thunder.


I'm just speculating with all of this, I hope his ego is not that big.


But there is something going on in his psyche that points to him being defeated by Tyreke coming in and instantly becoming the leader of this team. It's like the house he built was torn down and Rome was built on top of it, in a day....

 

[Gabriel]

Not true! Kevin has never thought he needed to be the #1 option (or face of the franchise). He does not have a chemistry issue. Now, Nocioni, Beno, Casspi, and anyone else who is not getting the touches they once did, makes a lot more sense.

Fans can't read minds or make facts based on assumptions. However, we can see what is clearly happening out there on the court. You have two guys, Kevin Martin and Tyreke, who basically want the ball a lot. You're going to have a clash right there and that will probably effect the chemistry. This causes a chain reaction to the rest of the players who were also getting touches, and now they feel like they've got to prove themselves again. The only way they can do that is by getting touches. In economics I am learning about scarcity. Scarcity is everywhere, and that's what were seeing on the Kings. There are simply not enough touches and possessions for everyone to be happy. Everybody on this team has some adjusting to do if they want to win ball games. There are too many players on this team who want the ball.

 

[kennadog]

Not true! Kevin has never thought he needed to be the #1 option (or face of the franchise). He does not have a chemistry issue. Now, Nocioni, Beno, Casspi, and anyone else who is not getting the touches they once did, makes a lot more sense.

I agree that Kevin has never wanted to be the number 1 option or the face of the franchise. The fans kept trying to thrust those roles onto Kevin and then judging him by those standards.

To me, Beno has seemed okay with his role this year. Nocioni and Casspi are the only ones that have said anything that hints they might not be happy with their minutes/roles. Even then, I think its more just a product of their frustration and losing.

My guess is Nocioni knows this is a rebuilding team and would like to use his remaining years with a team that's a contender. (Tough, Noc. Everyone would like that.)

We should actually be glad the team is frustrated and grumpy with all the loses. Do we want a team happy to lose? On the other hand, its up to them to stick together and support each other as a team or its only going to get worse.

Show me some real evidence of players unhappy with Reke. Of course, even if true, you're not likely to get anyone to say that to a reporter for attribution.

 

[kennadog]

Fans can't read minds or make facts based on assumptions. However, we can see what is clearly happening out there on the court. You have two guys, Kevin Martin and Tyreke, who basically want the ball a lot. You're going to have a clash right there and that will probably effect the chemistry. This causes a chain reaction to the rest of the players who were also getting touches, and now they feel like they've got to prove themselves again. The only way they can do that is by getting touches. In economics I am learning about scarcity. Scarcity is everywhere, and that's what were seeing on the Kings. There are simply not enough touches and possessions for everyone to be happy. Everybody on this team has some adjusting to do if they want to win ball games. There are too many players on this team who want the ball.

You can see what's happening on the court, but what conclusion you draw from what you see, is still opinion and not fact.

Every team has at least 12 players. I'd guess at least half of them may be unhappy with their minutes, unless they accept their supporting role. Some players are going to have to put the team ahead of their egos to make any team function well.

 

[rainmaker]

Not true! Kevin has never thought he needed to be the #1 option (or face of the franchise). He does not have a chemistry issue. Now, Nocioni, Beno, Casspi, and anyone else who is not getting the touches they once did, makes a lot more sense.

I have to disagree, respectfully. These guys generally say the right thing publicly. But when I watch Kevins body language, he looks like a different guy than we saw 2-3 years ago. I don't see the passion. I don't see any hustle. He looks disinterested when he isn't getting the ball, or his shots aren't falling. I also find it odd that for the first time in Kevins career, he not talking to the media after games. If you want to be one of the leaders, you have to be willing to face the media after games. No one else is ducking the media on this team.

I don't see Beno ruffling feathers behind the scenes. Noc came out publicly a few weeks ago and said he was extremely disapointed in his play of late, and that he was letting the team down. Omri is really the only guy on the team whom has said something publicly, along the lines of "Tyreke needs to improve on finding his teammates on the wings and in transition". That really isn't an issue to me.

But something is going on behind the scenes. Kevin doesn't look happy out there. He's not putting forth the same effort as the other guys. I don't know why that is, and I won't blow this out of proportion. But the Kevin I am seeing on the court is different than the Kevin I have seen before, and I'm not talking about missed shots.

 

[kennadog]

But something is going on behind the scenes. Kevin doesn't look happy out there. He's not putting forth the same effort as the other guys. I don't know why that is, and I won't blow this out of proportion. But the Kevin I am seeing on the court is different than the Kevin I have seen before, and I'm not talking about missed shots.

Why not? I think its would also be very easy to assume that he's not happy with himself right now. His shooting has pretty terrible since he returned. The crowd didn't need to boo, you could see Martin's disappointment with himslef by his reaction to the blown, wode-open lay-up. As a guy who earned his reputation as a scorer, that's got to be getting him down.

On top of that, he's trying to adjust to players he's hardly played with all season and the team is on a terrible stretch of losing. I'm sure Kevin is likely to feel he's letting the team down by not being able to do the one thing he's best at....scoring.

Kevin was never cut out to be a team leader or first option and I don't think he really wanted it, myself. Because there was no one else for the role, I think he tried to fill it as best he could.

By the way, I have never booed a Kings player or the team and never will. But Kings fans are still pretty tame darn in this regard compared to fans at some arenas.

 

[rainmaker]

Why not? I think its would also be very easy to assume that he's not happy with himself right now. His shooting has pretty terrible since he returned. The crowd didn't need to boo, you could see Martin's disappointment with himslef by his reaction to the blown, wode-open lay-up. As a guy who earned his reputation as a scorer, that's got to be getting him down.

On top of that, he's trying to adjust to players he's hardly played with all season and the team is on a terrible stretch of losing. I'm sure Kevin is likely to feel he's letting the team down by not being able to do the one thing he's best at....scoring.

Kevin was never cut out to be a team leader or first option and I don't think he really wanted it, myself. Because there was no one else for the role, I think he tried to fill it as best he could.

By the way, I have never booed a Kings player or the team and never will. But Kings fans are still pretty tame darn in this regard compared to fans at some arenas.

I wan't commenting on booing Kevin. I was commenting on the idea that there might be some truth to Kevin not being happy. What I personally find disappointing with Kevin right now has nothing to do with missed shots. Its his effort, and body language. Those are things you can control. I know he's probably down on himself right now, and his confidence isn't high. But as a leader, and one who makes 11M per year, he has to find other ways to contribute out there.

Every player on this league goes through slumps on the offensive end. I understand that. But as a player, you can't let it take you out of the game. He's sulking. He's pouting. AS A RESULT of his shots not falling, he seems like he doesn't care. WHEN his shots aren't falling, he's invisible and not contributing in any ther way. If he doesn't want to be the team leader as you say, than hitting shots isn't as important. He needs to contribute in as many areas as possible, and fill his role. I'm not seeing that.

 

[PejaFanatic]

What the hell does "league sources" even mean? It would take more than that for me to consider for a second that we actually have a problem in the locker room. My guess would be that Wojnarowski is referring to a couple comments Omri made about Tyreke needing to get better at finding guys open on the wings and in transition.

Most likely a player agent or a family member.

 

[swisshh]

It's a legit question.There's been mumblings of whether he is an AI or not. And if he already doesn't trust his teammates then that is quite bad, considering how many endgame situations he's messed up and layups he's blown himself. We remember his heroics and forget the games he's helped us lose. Most of all, if you show a trust in your team then they normally play much better than they do when you don't trust them.

 

[Bricklayer]

My translation:

a) these "league sources" would be the same ones who doubted he could play PG in the first place, and so are sitting there with their little ears perked up for anything to justify that position.

b) it could in fact be Kevin, who really wanted to play with Reke, but I think has found out just what it means to be knocked back to 2nd banana, and is struggling with it.

c) and then their are these various instances I have noted, that woudl of course be seized upon by the perps in a) to make sweeping statements:

1) Omri making remark that "once Tyreke learns to pass more" (to which Tyreke perhaps should have responded "once you learn to hit the damn shot when I pass it you" )
2) Beno referring to himself and Sergio as the PGs and Reke just as a "guard" back in training camp
3) Noc's eternal grumpiness
4) Sergio's campaign for minutes

d) take all that, throw in a Voison hit piece -- were many national writers get their news from, the local paper -- and you take small things that may or may not mean much to individual players and make it into a large thing.

And of all of that, the only one that would even remotely concern me would be Omri. And it would not concern me about Reke so much as it would be another little sign that Omri still has some maturing to do.

 

[Bricklayer]

It's a legit question.There's been mumblings of whether he is an AI or not. And if he already doesn't trust his teammates then that is quite bad, considering how many endgame situations he's messed up and layups he's blown himself. We remember his heroics and forget the games he's helped us lose. Most of all, if you show a trust in your team then they normally play much better than they do when you don't trust them.

you don't get to a) mumble about whether he is A.I. or not, and then b) say "there have been mumblings whether he is A.I. or not"

 

[Spike]

you don't get to a) mumble about whether he is A.I. or not, and then b) say "there have been mumblings whether he is A.I. or not"

What do you mean?

I hear Brickie wears bow ties on Thursdays.

There have been, and currently are, rumors that you wear bow ties on Thursdays. Do you refute this?

 

[NME]

you don't get to a) mumble about whether he is A.I. or not, and then b) say "there have been mumblings whether he is A.I. or not"

The "some say" method of reporting is the foundation of current regular "journalism", so why not sports?

 

[Andriod_KiNg]

I have heard these stories over the year past when a young player comes up.

Guys like Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo, Wade and etc...

So ill take this a good sign that he is starting to get "haters"

 

[SacTownKid]

With that many bodies trying to split minutes at 2 positions I'd be more than surprised if there weren't any issues. Petrie needs to clean house by the deadline.