Not the rat.
I think we have the real deal in Ben. I think we have the next great shooter. He is drawing attention from experts when they see him. The latest was Dominique Wilkins who compared Ben to Ray Allen which seems to be an ever increasing theme started by Ben himself. Ben compares himself to Allen but in no bragging manner but as a statement of fact.
The consensus on this forum is that we should bring him along slowly. I don't agree at all unless we are simply waiting to see what happens with MT which is a worthwhile wait. If MT stays at his present level, I will be surprised and horribly disappointed.
Back to Ben. The skills are obvious. He is lightning quick on offense and can get himself open quite easily. It will take more time with Malone getting used to this mess he inherited to worry about how to use Ben - or should he wait? Ben does not seem to get rattled. A case in point is last game when he got caught out of position on defense (not blaming him here). His reaction was not to hang his head in befuddlement but to go chat with Malone during a time out/free throw/whatever it was. He is solid from the neck on up. He is surprisingly focused on his job and seems to not be overly bothered by screw ups or getting burned except to the extent of trying to figure out how to prevent such an occurrence from happening again.
He can shoot. I'll close the book on any more that could be said here. Does anyone doubt his shooting ability? Straight up, lots of lift, and a quick release into the basket. Sploosh! With his off the ball movement he should find himself open a lot. The team will need to get used to him as I have seen several times where he was open and simply ignored.
On the negative side he has no NBA left hand and this hurts him as an iso player. Will he develop it? I am sure that as the years pass he will improve a little but his primary skill is to catch and shoot especially after leaving a defender breathlessly chasing him. I am usually of the mind to play to play to a guy's positives and there is a lot to play to here. Can't ignore his inability to go left but many players have been able to score and be a big part of an offense with limited iso moves like Allen, Reggie Miller, etc
On defense he is a rookie but he is already learning. He got into a player's chest last game and eventually stole the ball. No foul. I think he'll be a very good defender but he's 20, OK?
If MT bombs out as a player, and I hope he doesn't, I say throw Ben into the fray. I don't think it will hurt him as I have mentioned above and I think the best way for him to learn is to have him on the court. I want him on the court with GV and Cuz. He will provide the kind of reliable outside shooting that Cuz needs so that the entire opposition defense doesn't crash in on him. As it is now, there is no outside threat of significant skill to strike fear into the opposition's defense. PPat was supposed to be a three point threat. I have never seen it and don't see it now. He had one good game but on a day in, day out basis, he is not someone that can draw the defense out to cover him. MT is an enigma. Neither GV or Salmons/Outlaw/Mbah a Moute are a threat.
For the sake of the team we need Ben with the starters. He wouldn't be the only rookie to start and if any rookie has the skills and mental stability to jump right in, it is Ben.
This could be a very bad year for the Kings. It would not be a lost year if some attention was paid to the further maturation of Cuz especially as a passer, Ben as an offensive threat, and GV as a facilitator. GV has to get used to who is on the court. It may take a few more games for Malone to get a total grasp of what he has but I expect changes not only with Ben but elsewhere.
Is it too early for all of this? Maybe but I don't think so. I still wouldn't mind seeing Ben getting major minutes and especially I would like to see if some chemistry could be created between he and Cuz. Cuz used to be an average passer but now he has no one to pass to. Insert Ben and the equation changes. We need Cuz in beast mode but not even Cuz can do it all without an outlet to pass to. Now I'm getting redundant but it all is intertwined.
I hope this doesn't derail the thread from my major focus but I'd like to see Ben, GV, Cuz, JT, and who the hell knows as a starting 5. Mbah A Moute was supposed to be a starter I thought. JT because he has been Boogie's wing man for several years and PPat is offering next to nothing. (PPat might benefit from a more free flowing style that occurs with IT at the helm.)
I cannot discuss Ben in isolation as this is a team.
I think we have the real deal in Ben. I think we have the next great shooter. He is drawing attention from experts when they see him. The latest was Dominique Wilkins who compared Ben to Ray Allen which seems to be an ever increasing theme started by Ben himself. Ben compares himself to Allen but in no bragging manner but as a statement of fact.
The consensus on this forum is that we should bring him along slowly. I don't agree at all unless we are simply waiting to see what happens with MT which is a worthwhile wait. If MT stays at his present level, I will be surprised and horribly disappointed.
Back to Ben. The skills are obvious. He is lightning quick on offense and can get himself open quite easily. It will take more time with Malone getting used to this mess he inherited to worry about how to use Ben - or should he wait? Ben does not seem to get rattled. A case in point is last game when he got caught out of position on defense (not blaming him here). His reaction was not to hang his head in befuddlement but to go chat with Malone during a time out/free throw/whatever it was. He is solid from the neck on up. He is surprisingly focused on his job and seems to not be overly bothered by screw ups or getting burned except to the extent of trying to figure out how to prevent such an occurrence from happening again.
He can shoot. I'll close the book on any more that could be said here. Does anyone doubt his shooting ability? Straight up, lots of lift, and a quick release into the basket. Sploosh! With his off the ball movement he should find himself open a lot. The team will need to get used to him as I have seen several times where he was open and simply ignored.
On the negative side he has no NBA left hand and this hurts him as an iso player. Will he develop it? I am sure that as the years pass he will improve a little but his primary skill is to catch and shoot especially after leaving a defender breathlessly chasing him. I am usually of the mind to play to play to a guy's positives and there is a lot to play to here. Can't ignore his inability to go left but many players have been able to score and be a big part of an offense with limited iso moves like Allen, Reggie Miller, etc
On defense he is a rookie but he is already learning. He got into a player's chest last game and eventually stole the ball. No foul. I think he'll be a very good defender but he's 20, OK?
If MT bombs out as a player, and I hope he doesn't, I say throw Ben into the fray. I don't think it will hurt him as I have mentioned above and I think the best way for him to learn is to have him on the court. I want him on the court with GV and Cuz. He will provide the kind of reliable outside shooting that Cuz needs so that the entire opposition defense doesn't crash in on him. As it is now, there is no outside threat of significant skill to strike fear into the opposition's defense. PPat was supposed to be a three point threat. I have never seen it and don't see it now. He had one good game but on a day in, day out basis, he is not someone that can draw the defense out to cover him. MT is an enigma. Neither GV or Salmons/Outlaw/Mbah a Moute are a threat.
For the sake of the team we need Ben with the starters. He wouldn't be the only rookie to start and if any rookie has the skills and mental stability to jump right in, it is Ben.
This could be a very bad year for the Kings. It would not be a lost year if some attention was paid to the further maturation of Cuz especially as a passer, Ben as an offensive threat, and GV as a facilitator. GV has to get used to who is on the court. It may take a few more games for Malone to get a total grasp of what he has but I expect changes not only with Ben but elsewhere.
Is it too early for all of this? Maybe but I don't think so. I still wouldn't mind seeing Ben getting major minutes and especially I would like to see if some chemistry could be created between he and Cuz. Cuz used to be an average passer but now he has no one to pass to. Insert Ben and the equation changes. We need Cuz in beast mode but not even Cuz can do it all without an outlet to pass to. Now I'm getting redundant but it all is intertwined.
I hope this doesn't derail the thread from my major focus but I'd like to see Ben, GV, Cuz, JT, and who the hell knows as a starting 5. Mbah A Moute was supposed to be a starter I thought. JT because he has been Boogie's wing man for several years and PPat is offering next to nothing. (PPat might benefit from a more free flowing style that occurs with IT at the helm.)
I cannot discuss Ben in isolation as this is a team.
Last edited:
