This unit has to play together for at LEAST the trade deadline before you can even begin to make ANY assumptions about chemistry or who can play with whom. There just isn't enough evidence to point one way or the other. The Kings are a bad team right now no matter what lineup PW puts on the floor. They have not played enough on offense or defense to make any assumptions regarding their future. There are some things we do know watching this team from the start of the season:
1) Hawes came into camp and the season dreadfully out of shape! The reason he skipped summer training camp was not some family obligation that he vaguely mentioned, it is because he was out of shape then and didn't want the coaches knowing about his lack of discipline and lazy attitude and him not doing his
JOB, which was to increase his muscle mass in his upper and lower body all off season. I suspect that the Kings got wise to his lax ways the previous year, which is why they got him to commit to going to summer camp even though that is somewhat of a rarity for a third year player to attend a rookie camp. It is a tad unusual, but by no means unheard of. Jason Thompson was there and I believe it really helped him get ahead of the team early in the season. This sort of behavior by Hawes is juvenile and really is not what you want out of a professional employee you are shelling out Millions of dollars to for playing a game. This being his 3rd season makes this behavior and deception to cover his tracks a red flag that the staff is certain to be watching closely. It would appear that Hawes spent
WAY TOO much time with Brad.
2) The Kings as a whole are not in the best shape they can be entering the season. Every year we see the sort of injuries early that indicate that some players were not being physically active during their summer break, They are the kind of nagging little injuries that you get if you dont stretch properly before a big workout. The kind of injuries one might get if you hadn't been active at ALL for a long period of time even if you are in good physical shape and you start going full tilt. I have recently been questioning the training staff of the Kings and wondering why certain athletes are in better shape than others when they ALL are PAYED well to stay in the best shape possible at all times... You know year round!! So why is it that every year we have some players showing up having obviously worked out having improved their physics, while others seem to be in less than stellar shape (not necessarily out of shape but not at that elite world class athlete shape either) coming out of off season? I am pretty sure that the training staff duties do not include baby sitting adults and making sure they are doing the training programs that they are individually created and tailored for each athlete to work on areas that they need to for the off season. Perhaps the Kings need to send these trainers on roadies to check on the progress of the players during the off season or maybe fine players that are not meeting certain health criteria. What I do know is that the Kings have a YOUNG team that seems to have issues every training camp regarding readiness to go hard on day one of training camp for every player without a pulled muscle here or a tweeked muscle there. Part of being on a TEAM is doing your part and giving 100% even in the off season. Heck, this is professional sports. here is no off season! Maybe we need a new training staff or more personal trainers for certain players that are not sticking to the diet/workout plans they know they should be implementing. The facts are, the Kings as a team seem to have more injuries than other veteran teams that seem to know the drill and are on board 100% with the program. Players that cant keep up with the program need to be motivated or moved.
3) And last but certainly not least, why do we not have a bona fide big mans coach in camp for EACH of our young bigs? Those kids are a MAJOR investment by the club and their physical and mental well being. The Kings FUTURE rests in the hands of the 2 YOUNG BIGS in Hawes and JT. The Team should be investing all possible resources necessary to insure that those 2 are getting the year around training, nutrition, and skill development necessary to help these kids maximize their potential. I guarantee you that other teams are helping THEIR franchise players reach their physical and professional goals by providing ALL the assets necessary to assist them in there goals of being the most finely tuned athletes in the WORLD. I personally can not see the same sort of maximization program going on with the Kings. Where are the top NOTCH big man mentors for Spencer and Jason? Who is getting into these Kids ears and giving them the daily advice they NEED to become what the team and the Fans want these Kids to become? Who are these mentors ?? If we HAVE to have these 2 succeed in a big way in order to get the Kings to the next level and really go after the success that ALL NBA Players are seeking from the time they are very young till today, what resources are the Kings providing to help insure that these kids get the support they are looking for.Or if they are NOT looking for how to succeed and take it to the next level, where are the motivational influences in these kids lives that will keep these kids on track to keep reaching for success and moving forward in their professional careers? Is the Kings Organization doing enough to ensure that there are plans and programs in place to make sure that with all the youth we have on this team that there are resources to help give these kids positive direction and guidance??? If you are gonna build through the draft, you gotta start younger and younger now days. Hopefully the Organization has put into place resources for these VERY young adults to make the RIGHT decisions that benefit the team and themselves!!!
Young kids these days are influenced by so many negative influences all around them. They really needs to be mentors to provide positive influences to counteract and correct all the confusion that creates barriers to communication and walls that separate team members instead of bringing them closer together. I hope that the Kings organization is doing all they can to foster these positive influences
in light of the fact that they have chosen to build through a "youth movement". I have noticed that there have been instances in the past that suggest that the Kings have NOT built the groundwork to help these young players they keep bringing in to adapt to the business that is the NBA. I think that last year's handling of Donte Greene is an example for the Kings to take a good hard look at and see what it was last year that caused Donte to get on the wrong page while the rest of the team was moving in a different direction. It caused strife and misunderstanding that only now are clearing up and that has directly influenced Donte and may have contributed to the success of Donte on the court!
Last season's coach didn't have the communication skills to talk with the young skilled intelligent athletes that the team is betting the future of their success on. We cant afford any more misunderstandings like the Greene situation last year. I believe that Paul Westphal is a better communicator and can handle these young kids that want to learn and want to win but need to learn the game AND the business. Young men 18-25 are still what society would consider semi-mature. Add to that the pressure of being millionaires and iconic figures in society an The NBA forces these young men to mature faster and the pressure of the game is a lot for these kids to handle. How your coaching staff handles these young minds and incorporates their talents is a really tough job in today's NBA. Maybe that is why the turnover rate of NBA coaches is SO fast! Day one of an NBA coach is the countdown to the next firing! They dont pay these coaches nearly enough to deal with all of the stuff they have to deal with these days!
