Big Men development

[Aenadin]

so now its time to evaluate.. i want to see what you guys think of our big men

and how was SAR as an assistant coach?

i for one am impressed with JT and hawes i know its been said and done before but i just want to say that they have surprised me.. especially JT he was kind of a reach at the 12 but he proved them wrong.. (hawes really raised my eye brow with his growth this year... he has proven those nbadraft speculations of him wrong)

now comes my question..

who thinks JT should be in the ALL rookie team.. 1st or 2nd or should at least be in consideration

cause i have a funny feeling hes going to get screwed again...

 

[Sptsjunkie]

so now its time to evaluate.. i want to see what you guys think of our big men

and how was SAR as an assistant coach?

i for one am impressed with JT and hawes i know its been said and done before but i just want to say that they have surprised me.. especially JT he was kind of a reach at the 12 but he proved them wrong.. (hawes really raised my eye brow with his growth this year... he has proven those nbadraft speculations of him wrong)

now comes my question..

who thinks JT should be in the ALL rookie team.. 1st or 2nd or should at least be in consideration

cause i have a funny feeling hes going to get screwed again...

I am impressed too. I think part of Petrie's drafting genius is finding hard workers. Douby is the exception, but every other pick has gotten a reputation as being a hard worker. Hawes looks like a mini-Divac on O, but needs to improve his D. His big question is if he can put on that weight without losing his speed while putting on weight. JT can be very good on his J and solid post moves but lack the fluidity to be a superstar.

 

[Aenadin]

yes aside from the drafting of douby and tariq abdul wahad Gps record for finding talent is top notch...

between the two of them i can see a combined 30-40 ppg and 17rpg btwn them next year... i just hope they continue their great strides

 

[mac]

If JT manages to work with SAR and learn his old school spin moves and hooks. Oh boy we'd have one versatile pair of big men offense wise.

 

[HighTopKicks]

Both JT & Spencer are still a couple of yrs away from becoming very good players. Both, have to improve their strength & stamina, and really could use the help of a defensive expert.

Spencer's low post offense will get better simply by adding a PG who can get him the ball closer to the rim so he doesn't have to back down bigger defenders. And, a slashing PG who can finish at the rim, will make the pick & roll a staple for both bigs.

JT has a good shooting stroke. As evidenced by his mid range jumper and FT shooting, but he needs to extend out to the corner 3, so he can draw defenders away from the rim. The 2nd thing he need to learn is how to face up and dribble drive to the rim.

My main concern with JT is his inability to grab rebounds then go back up strong. He relies on tipping the ball up to much, and even with a two handed dunk, he does get blocked & stuffed. I fear that without exceptional vertical, he'll need much better positioning & footwork, and may never be an exceptional rebounder even at 6'11".

 

[Merdiesel]

I'm telling you, if we land a young point guard like Rubio, Jennings or Session, These kids could cut their development time in half.

oh, and yes. I am definitely impressed with both of these kids.

 

[kingsnation]

I am very very happy with the development of both Spence and JT. I really think Spencer is going to have a breakout year next year and I can't wait for him to have a real pg running along side of him.

As far as JT, he impressed me beyond words. Ditto for him.

SAR as coach? Nothing exciting, we can do better. (i.e. Chris Webber. )

 

[=LarryLegend=]

I thought it was clear all along JT wasnt a reach.

 

[kennadog]

I thought it was clear all along JT wasnt a reach.

At draft time, just about everyone ("experts" included) was surprised by the Kings pick and thought it was a bit of a reach.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

At draft time, just about everyone ("experts" included) was surprised by the Kings pick and thought it was a bit of a reach.

I remember that, but it was a steal. I knew he would be good for our franchise.

 

[BMiller52]

Both JT & Spencer are still a couple of yrs away from becoming very good players. Both, have to improve their strength & stamina, and really could use the help of a defensive expert.

Spencer's low post offense will get better simply by adding a PG who can get him the ball closer to the rim so he doesn't have to back down bigger defenders. And, a slashing PG who can finish at the rim, will make the pick & roll a staple for both bigs.

JT has a good shooting stroke. As evidenced by his mid range jumper and FT shooting, but he needs to extend out to the corner 3, so he can draw defenders away from the rim. The 2nd thing he need to learn is how to face up and dribble drive to the rim.

My main concern with JT is his inability to grab rebounds then go back up strong. He relies on tipping the ball up to much, and even with a two handed dunk, he does get blocked & stuffed. I fear that without exceptional vertical, he'll need much better positioning & footwork, and may never be an exceptional rebounder even at 6'11".

LOL Yes, we really need our 6'11'' PF to start shooting 3 pointers like the next Antoine Walker. I'm sure that's EXACTLY what Geoff had in mind when he made the pick.

 

[Jer]

Hey, it worked for Brian Cook!

 

[GeraldWallace#3]

This is from an interview with Jason from his blog.

What do you think is the best part of your game? What area do you think you need to improve?

I think the best part of my game is my versatility. I haven’t been shooting as many threes as I’ve wanted, but I’ve done that at different levels. In high school I didn’t shoot many until I became comfortable and the same thing happened in college. I think next year I’m going to add that to my repertoire. I’m going to work on my post moves and get even stronger in the paint as well. I’m trying to average at least a double-double next year. I just have certain goals I’ve set for myself.

rest here

http://fullcourtpress.kingsconnect.com/archives/1376

 

[Section 101]

and how was SAR as an assistant coach?

How is anyone who is not at the practices supposed to have any clue?

 

[vikinginferno]

To me JT can become very good on both sides of the ball. I think with his mix of skills, size, and energy, he can be great. Some added strength is needed, but that isn't too large a task. He seems to have gotten a lot calmer with the ball late in the season and that is great to see because early he seemed to get very antsy with it in his hands.

I have a lot of trouble seeing how Spencer is going to become good enough to defend well, but he is developing very well offensively. He already has a pretty good repertoire and can shoot outside very well for a big man. He also needs more strength to be able to have a chance to guard guys like Bynum.

 

[bajaden]

At draft time, just about everyone ("experts" included) was surprised by the Kings pick and thought it was a bit of a reach.

I think Larry is refering to the fact that he, and I, and several others were touting JT as the pick for the Kings at 12. Personally I was surprised when the King's picked him, but I was happy. This year, we again have a player in common. Patty Mills. I really like Mills and I know he can play in the NBA. Whether he'll be a star or not, thats another question.

 

[Kingster]

Jason needs a left hand and right hand consistent jump hook. Hawes needs to continue to get stronger and work on hook shots with a body on him. They both need to get better on defense, especially taking charges. Neither of these guys is going to be Mutombo, so they better start thinking in terms of defensive position and taking charges and using their body and not try to just be a shot blocker. They both have high BB IQ and are very good competitors. They can be great building blocks for the future.

Unless you see what SAR does with these guys on a daily basis, it's difficult to evaluate SAR. If he is good, I hope the next coach keeps him - the stability will help the young bigs in their development.

 

[CruzDude]

Both of our big "kids" are still learning the basics of the NBA game and going against vets almost every game. Their spacing on the floor is pretty bad too much of the time and their instincts to know when and where to switch and when to block the lanes in the paint are just in the learning process. It doesn't come in 1-2 years but if JT "breaks-out" next year and the 2 of them become big time in 2010-11 then with a #1 this year, plus the core (Kevin, Noce, Cisco), the kings should be in the playoffs in 10/11.

Interesting argument tho' about CWebb wanting to come back and whether he would be better or not than SAR working with the "bigs". CWebb is of the big ego (as is Hawes to somewhat lesser degree) whereas SAR is not.

 

[HighTopKicks]

Both of our big "kids" are still learning the basics of the NBA game and going against vets almost every game. Their spacing on the floor is pretty bad too much of the time and their instincts to know when and where to switch and when to block the lanes in the paint are just in the learning process. It doesn't come in 1-2 years but if JT "breaks-out" next year and the 2 of them become big time in 2010-11 then with a #1 this year, plus the core (Kevin, Noce, Cisco), the kings should be in the playoffs in 10/11.

Interesting argument tho' about CWebb wanting to come back and whether he would be better or not than SAR working with the "bigs". CWebb is of the big ego (as is Hawes to somewhat lesser degree) whereas SAR is not.

Webb doesn't want a coaching job, he wants a PR job. Now, Vlade said he might get into coaching. And, with his boys coming to the states to go to college, he might be interested in working with the Kings.

 

[vikinginferno]

Webb doesn't want a coaching job, he wants a PR job. Now, Vlade said he might get into coaching. And, with his boys coming to the states to go to college, he might be interested in working with the Kings.

Are his boys any good? I was on his younger son's team when we were maybe 8 and no offense but he was pretty bad. He was pretty tall, but I guess he probably has gotten much better. Our team won the championship that year, I remember it well.

 

[Chrono]

I haven´t been so impressed by JT, i have by Hawes, if someone wants JT and can give us a combination of experience and defense to play alongside Hawes we can display a very good offensive game.

JT simply lacks in all aspects, is not strong enough, nor have enough heart.

 

[kennadog]

JT simply lacks in all aspects, is not strong enough, nor have enough heart.

He can and will get stronger. I can't fathom the basis for your opinion that he doesn't have heart.

 

[Chrono]

He can and will get stronger. I can't fathom the basis for your opinion that he doesn't have heart.

Just because of the way he always get beaten up in loose balls and that kind of things, yeah, i think he can improve also, but i just don´t feel he is up to the task, Hawes on the other hand has exceeded expectations, and that´s got to be congratulated.

Our team is too young and we will have to give up some talent, but if any team offers good players we have to go for it.

 

[kennadog]

Just because of the way he always get beaten up in loose balls and that kind of things, yeah, i think he can improve also, but i just don´t feel he is up to the task, Hawes on the other hand has exceeded expectations, and that´s got to be congratulated.

Thanks for the clarification. I don't see getting beaten up while scrapping and competing indicates a lack of "heart." To me that's just a lack of experience/strength, both of which I expect him to improve upon. Hawes is a year ahead of JT in both those areas.

To me "heart" is about competitiveness and desire and scrapping and fighting for the ball, position, rebounds, etc. is an indicator that JT does, in fact, have desire, competitiveness and a strong will to get better and win.

 

[vikinginferno]

Yeah, one thing that JT definitely does not lack is heart. He may not be the strongest, able to jump the highest, or have the best moves, but he definitely has heart. You can see it in the way he plays, going after loose balls like it is worth a million dollars, his intensity, and how he works with Spencer after practice is over. I don't understand how someone could see a lack of "heart" in JT.

 

[VF21]

Just because of the way he always get beaten up in loose balls and that kind of things, yeah, i think he can improve also, but i just don´t feel he is up to the task, Hawes on the other hand has exceeded expectations, and that´s got to be congratulated.

Our team is too young and we will have to give up some talent, but if any team offers good players we have to go for it.

I think your description of heart is totally off-base. Heart is trying your best, not giving up, sticking in when logic would dictate otherwise, etc. Jason Thompson DOES have those attributes.

"The way he always get (sic) beaten up in loose balls"? Hey, he's out there hustling and he's giving his all. AND he's starting to develop very good chemistry with Spencer Hawes, which is also about heart.

You can criticize his technique, some of his fundamentals and perhaps even his basketball IQ at this point but you cannot question his heart.

 

[Chrono]

Well, all of you seem to have a very high opinion of him, so i´ll try and give him one more season to see what he can do.

Don´t you at least want an experienced guy to back up both of them, so they have someone to rely on?
I just think that maybe JT was expected too much out of him, some wanted him to outshine Hawes just by the first game. I think in building a new team you don´t think only abouut youth, but also about giving experience to each aspect of the game. Having Noc is nice, but he won´t have much frontcourt minutes, i think we need someone to teach these guys, and the one that needs more teaching is JT. Hawes is somewhat polished already.

 

[kennadog]

Webb doesn't want a coaching job, he wants a PR job. Now, Vlade said he might get into coaching. And, with his boys coming to the states to go to college, he might be interested in working with the Kings.

Interesting tidbit from Sam Amick's blog today (about a STH BBQ event):

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/021710.html

A season-ticket holder asked if the Kings would consider having Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Doug Christie coach the team, at which point Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie revealed that Divac has had a standing offer for a coaching position for quite some time.

"(But) right now, his focus, his life is not on basketball, it's on trying to help people in his country," said Petrie of the former Kings center who lives in his native Serbia and is the government adviser on housing for refugees.