I think you hit on Casspi's main problem right there. He is a young kid and he has had a huge burden placed on him from day one! It is already hard enough to play consistent minutes as a rookie in the NBA. In fact, MOST rookies get little or NO playing time. So the fact that Casspi is getting ANY playing time shows that the coaching staff thinks he is a very good player that has something to contribute to the team. Westphal has to do a delicate balancing act of getting the young players minutes and yet still win games! Sure he could play Casspi and Greene big minutes, have them either perform ok or below average, and lose games to benefit the team in the long run. But the Organization as a whole has decided that wining is important too. This summer free agents will be looking at the Kings, their record, and their chances to be a good team to join. If they dont get to 25-30 wins this year, it will look like a team that has a long way to go. No Free Agent wants to sign a long contract with a team that isn't headed in the right direction or doesn't have good chemistry and talent. Winning is the best thing the Kings can do right now, because it makes them more attractive to potential free agents this summer.
I think Casspi has gotten more minutes as a rookie than a majority of the players taken in the draft in the lower first round. He started the season strong and played very well. But the burden of carrying an entire nation, along with the burden of playing big minutes in a long season as a rookie have worn him out a little. It is ok for Westphal to balance Casspi's minutes with his production and overall health. Hopefully, Casspi will be able to power through this fatigue and continue to contribute down the stretch. But how many minutes Casspi plays is really up to Casspi. If he plays well, he gets more minutes. If he looks tired and is not playing well, he gets a rest. Either way he is a HUGH piece of the Kings future. He has already proven that with his play so far.
I think Greene is a totally different case. I think that Greene is a bit of a problem for Westphal because he doesn't always do what the coach askes him to do on the court. He tends to jack up 3's early in the shot clock and sometimes even misses his defensive assignments that allows easy scores for the other team. Greene needs to do what the team asks him to do, even if that is rebounding and playing good defense and letting others be the main option for scoring. I get the feeling that every time Donte gets on the court, he is more interested in making the monster dunk or the flurry of 3 point bombs than his is in playing within the offense and helping his team get a team win. He is very confident, and he has a lot of tools that can help the team win games. BUT Basketball is very much a team sport, and if you have 4 guys running the offense and one guy shooting the ball not within the flow of the offense that is a problem. I don't think Greene is a bad player, or that he is selfish. I think he is just young and learning how to play a team oriented brand of basketball. I believe he is going to be a very good player and a mismatch for anyone playing the small forward for years to come. But he needs to do the things the coaching staff is asking him to do and only shoot within the context of the offense.
I really like the way that Westphal has handled the team to this point. A lot of people were complaining about the way PW was not sticking to any particular lineup, and substituting too often, yet those same people want to see the young players get more playing time! PW has done a good job of getting rookies playing time AND still being in contention at the end of games. Remember most NBA rookies do NOT get the kind of minutes that the Kings rookies have gotten. And as for Greene, PW has done his best to reign in Donte and is getting him to play within the flow of the offense. When the Kings run their offense, they get good shots for everyone! When they go to the one on one basketball, the offense starts to bog down and become lethargic. At the end of games, we need a go to guy that can score, make plays, and keep us in games. So far Tyreke Evans has been that guy and he has done a pretty decent job considering he is a 20 year old rookie!! Tyreke hurdled over the rookie wall on his way to the rim !! He causes other teams to totally change their defensive schemes specifically to stop him from just ramming the ball down their throats on dribble penetration. So really only one player should be doing the one on one thing, and the coach has even said that one guy is Tyreke. The other guys on the floor need to move and get open so that 'Reke can get them the ball when the double team comes to try and stop him. I think Westphal is doing a great job considering the players he has to work with. They are young, very very young. I can't wait till this team has more experience and more confidence that will come from the playing time they are getting this year! The older players like Udoka and Nocconi wont be around much longer, but the young core of the Kings will be. The playing time these young players are getting now is going to help them become great NBA players in the near future.
