Coaching Candidates for next season (merged)

KingsFanGER said:
Agreed. Now we just need to figure out, how much of his run was actually his own doing and how much was still on Kerr operating from the background.
Click to expand...

Everyone deserves a shot, no? Mike Malone came from the Golden State coaching tree, prior to that, New Orleans. We loved Malone. Maybe Walton would make a good head coach, the thing he has going for him is he hasn't been a head coach before beside on a interim basis.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lwc
funkykingston said:
That article is actually really encouraging in a few ways. It helps underscore that Vlade is really just starting his interviews with whoever he can get in right away, thus Mitchell, Del Negro & Jackson, two of whom have no engagements that I know of and the third who just has to work around his TV schedule.

Thibs and Brooks could also interview at any time but clearly they prefer other openings and are pursuing those first. Understandable. And likely that they accept an offer before ever meeting with Divac. And Van Gundy gets courted every year and has yet to take a coaching job. I think the only one he'd possibly take would be Houston since he still lives there but I could see the T'Wolves job appealing to him too. I doubt he'd have any interest in the Kings job.

But Walton? Messina? Blatt? Udoka? McHale? I'm a LOT happier with the idea of those guys than I am with VDN, Mark Jackson, Sam Mitchell or Mike Brown.

Honestly my view of the coaching search is being colored by my notion that this is the last attempt to win with Cousins in Sacramento. I could see the next coach winning with a team centered around Boogie and I could see the team struggling again, possibly with DMC not getting along with his new coach.

I'm obviously hoping for the first scenario but if the second occurs I think there's zero chance it's the coach that gets pushed out. It would be Cousins getting traded in that case.

McHale, to me at least seems like maybe the best choice for trying to maximize Cousins' talent and moving forward with a team built around DMC. But I don't see him as the right choice necessarily for a young, rebuilding team if it comes to that.

Udoka, Messina, Blatt and Walton all seem like better choices in that scenario.

We'll see. Right now I'm just happy to see some names I like on Vlade's list.
Click to expand...

I think Mike Woodson is getting underrated here. Since becoming a head coach for the Hawks back in 2004-2005 season, his team got better every year going from 13 wins, 26, 30, 37, 47 and 53 before getting canned. Then in his short stint in New York, he coached the team to a 18-6 record in 24 games and the following season followed it up with a 54-28. However, the following year his team regressed drastically and fell to 37-45. In his stint with New York, he has a .580 winning percentage and while in Atlanta .419.
 
lwc said:
Luke Walton appears to be interviewing with us when he wouldn't in New York. That is encouraging.
Click to expand...
Luke Walton isn't interviewing with us. Vlade is just interested in him.

He just denied interviewing with NY, because the rumors were false.
 
kingsboi said:
Everyone deserves a shot, no? Mike Malone came from the Golden State coaching tree, prior to that, New Orleans. We loved Malone. Maybe Walton would make a good head coach, the thing he has going for him is he hasn't been a head coach before beside on a interim basis.
Click to expand...

Yes he deserves a shot. But somehow it's difficult to me to envision Luke Walton, who basically looks the same now as he looked in a Lakers jersey :confused:, standing on the sidelines for the Kings.
 
KingsFanGER said:
Yes he deserves a shot. But somehow it's difficult to me to envision Luke Walton, who basically looks the same now as he looked in a Lakers jersey :confused:, standing on the sidelines for the Kings.
Click to expand...

If he is a good coach, who cares. As long as he helps this team get on track...I still don't think he will be our head coach at the end of the day but that's just my take.
 
kingjatt said:

Darren Wolfson@DWolfsonKSTP
about 5 minutes ago
Told approximately $11M/year is the price being negotiated for the Thibs/Layden combo. Taylor not messing around. #twolves

Thibs appears to be off the market soon. Man minny is going to be a force moving forward.
Click to expand...

Minnesota is due, they've been bad even longer than the Kings, by one season but they've accumulated so many nice young pieces that if they don't make a jump next season to the post season, I will be shocked. They will be the next team to reckon with so long as Rubio can stay on the court for the long term, either that or find his replacement.
 
kingsboi said:
Minnesota is due, they've been bad even longer than the Kings, by one season but they've accumulated so many nice young pieces that if they don't make a jump next season to the post season, I will be shocked. They will be the next team to reckon with so long as Rubio can stay on the court for the long term, either that or find his replacement.
Click to expand...
You and some frost bitten owners!
 
Entity said:
Where is the proof that he is a good coach?
Click to expand...

eh... i'm inclined to be pretty generous with luke walton. yes, the warriors he coached through half the season are historically great, but he still led them to a 39-4 record, which kept them on pace to break the '95-'96 bulls' regular season win total. that's no small or easy task for a young lead assistant to accomplish, especially when one considers the stakes. time will tell just how "good" of a coach walton will become in the nba, but a lesser coach likely would have faltered under the pressure when put in his position. i remain impressed that the warriors didn't skip a beat or lose a step under his guidance. that's an achievement all its own, if you ask me...
 
KingsFanGER said:
While I really enjoy our respectful conversations I sometimes wonder, if you actually misread my posts.

1. this isn't about the Warriors
2. there is no team in this league, that actually plays inside out with the Grizzlies injured and the Spurs using Leonard and Parker to start their offense. Granted the Spurs and Grizzlies are the closest you can get to a traditional inside out team today and we all witnessed, how they faired versus the Warriors and will take a very close look at the hopefully upcoming showdown between the Warriors and the Spurs.
3. Hawks run their offense through Teague, Baze, Schröder or Millsap all operating from the outside with Horford as the finisher and with the start of this season as another additional 3pt threat. Horford, who is a very capable big, maybe gets 2 to 3 post plays in an entire game and only when the clock is ticking down. Besides both Millsap and Scott fit the mold of an undersized PF, who can step out to the perimeter on D.
4. You think Patrick Patterson is a traditional PF? Because the way I look at things, he is much closer to Draymond Green than to the strong PF's of the past that ruled the paint. Everything is built around DD, Powell, Joseph and Lowry and JV is more or less an afterthought on offense. He is a rebounder and finisher not the guy they run their offense through.
5. How about the Cavs using Love at the 5 in the PO or Thompson as their starting center?
6. How about Detroit with two interchangable tweener forwards and with a stellar center limited to put backs and lobs, while his guards and forwards run the offense?

Strangely it's obvious to me, that traditional inside out basketball based on big man in the post is more or less dead. I wonder, why so many people on this board are looking at the same league in such a vastly different way.
And like you said, this doesn't mean it must remain dead. Maybe it's possible to revive it. Maybe it's possible to win like that in this league. I would never think I'm smart enough to deny that and this was the main part of my previous post.

If we want to revive it, we need a top notch coach, because it won't be easy to do.
No I don't think it would work like: "lets simply go big and beat the crap out of those small teams".
We need to find a way to deal with zone defense, with defenders fronting, with double teams on Cousins as soon as he catches the ball. We need to find ways to improve Cousins efficiency in the paint, because more often than not, we will trade 2 for 3. And most of all we need to improve our defense, while keeping Cousins out of foul trouble, because he needs to carry us on offense (which for a big man is much harder to accomplish than for a guard, especially if he is constantly put in the pick&roll and needs to contain smaller, faster players going at him with momentum. This is just another disadvantage like we all saw with Mike Malone).
All this with a roster, which might incorporate the weakest guard line in the league, a low IQ SF best at mid range and redundant big man.

This is a tough task for any NBA coach, so better bring someone in, who really has an idea how to be successful and not another guy, who will play the usual "give the ball to Cousins and see what happens" thing.
Maybe I'm alone, but I finally want a real offense and a solid defense. I'm tired of the crap the Kings put on the court.
Click to expand...

To be fair, you didn't say that no teams are winning playing inside out. You said teams are all moving towards "fast paced, perimeter oriented small ball with multiple ballhandlers and shooters" which is a very different statement and clearly not the case.

It is true that there are few examples of teams heavily using the inside-out style currently. Is that because it's ineffective in today's game, because there is a great dearth of post players? The reality is that there are a VERY small number of bigs that actually have a refined post game. Jefferson certainly. Cousins does. Randolph to an extent but he's not as fundamentally sound as he is physically imposing. Duncan was the best of them but he's moved away from being a primary option as his career wanes. Of the next generation only Jahlil Okafor (and possibly Embiid if he every gets healthy and keeps developing) is highly effective with his back to the basket. KAT has some skill down low but he's more of a hybrid big man. Kind of like Cousins but Boogie is better in the blocks and KAT has a more advanced face up game than DMC did at the same age.

Anthony Davis has really no semblance of a post game. Outside of that you're really just looking at bigs that came from overseas, many of whom have the skillset but struggle a bit against the size and speed of NBA defenders. Neither does DeAndre Jordan. Drummond is still incredibly rudimentary. Dwight Howard never developed a post game that (and injuries) is why his game has fallen off dramatically even though he's only 30.

Basketball is always going to be a game of moves and counter moves on both the micro (a player and his defender) and the macro (team vs team) and historically all of these things have been seen before. College and international teams have zoned for years. In the U.S. that's (I'm guessing) part of what led to fewer players developing a post game and big guys having more of a face up game. Internationally guys are still learning the post game but they are also becoming more well rounded players because they have to - being able to face up and shoot, being able to pass, especially out of double teams etc.

The loosening of NBA rules has let teams flood the ball side and leave two guys essentially zoning three players on the weakside. We'll never again see a guy like Charles Barkley or Mark Jackson slowly back his defender down into the post from 15 ft out. So yes, post players now must catch the ball in position and make quicker moves, no doubt. And a strong post player will often get fronted with the weakside man cheating way off to double if the ball is thrown in over the top. So there has to be a counter for that and there is. It's good, old fashioned ball movement and outside shooting. It's why I think to win with Cousins you have to surround him with shooters. It's no different than Hakeem with the Rockets except that teams have to be quicker to read and react because the removal of the illegal defense rules means you can't count on automatic spacing.

One last point. What makes the Warriors so great isn't just their shooting, passing and unselfishness on offense. It's their defense. Specifically it's their ability to go small but still defend bigger teams. Their guards (Curry, Thompson, Livingston, Barbosa, Rush) are all big for their position and can switch. Andre Iguodala can guard 1-3 and some small ball 4's. Harrison Barnes is very strong in his lower body and can guard PFs that try to post him up. Bogut is a very good defensive center but they also have the option to let the 2nd best defender in the NBA (according to the last two DPOY votes) switch onto centers and not be overmatched the vast majority of the time. The fact that Draymond Green at under 6'6" can stop NBA bigs from posting him up is a both an amazing capability he has and at the same time an indictment of the post up ability of this era's big men. Is there anyone who thinks Shaq in his prime wouldn't score every time down if the two guys tasked with stopping him were Green and Barnes?

And that's exactly why I think the Kings CAN win with Cousins. With the right supporting cast (and I don't believe Rudy Gay is that at all) he gives a weapon that creates a mistmatch that other teams can't answer for. Boogie needs to be more efficient, he needs to make good decisions on when to attack and when to move the ball and he needs teammates around him that can punish teams for flooding the ball side by hitting outside shots, but I don't think in any way you can't win in the NBA playing inside out.
 
Last edited:
funkykingston said:
To be fair, you didn't say that no teams are winning playing inside out. You said teams are all moving towards "fast paced, perimeter oriented small ball with multiple ballhandlers and shooters" which is a very different statement and clearly not the case.

It is true that there are few examples of teams heavily using that style currently. Is that because it's ineffective in today's game, because there is a great dearth of post players? The reality is that there are a VERY small number of bigs that actually have a refined post game. Jefferson certainly. Cousins does. Randolph to an extent but he's not as fundamentally sound as he is physically imposing. Duncan was the best of them but he's moved away from being a primary option as his career wanes. Of the next generation only Jahlil Okafor (and possibly Embiid if he every gets healthy and keeps Anthony Davis has really no semblance of a post game. Outside of that you're really just looking at bigs that came from overseas, many of whom have the skillset but struggle a bit against the size and speed of NBA defenders. Neither does DeAndre Jordan. Drummond is still incredibly rudimentary. Dwight Howard never developed a post game that (and injuries) is why his game has fallen off dramatically even though he's only 30.

Basketball is always going to be a game of moves and counter moves on both the micro (a player and his defender) and the macro (team vs team) and historically all of these things have been seen before. College and international teams have zoned for years. In the U.S. that's (I'm guessing) part of what led to fewer players developing a post game and big guys having more of a face up game. Internationally guys are still learning the post game but they are also becoming more well rounded players because they have to - being able to face up and shoot, being able to pass, especially out of double teams etc.

The loosening of NBA rules has let teams flood the ball side and leave two guys essentially zoning three players on the weakside. We'll never again see a guy like Charles Barkley or Mark Jackson slowly back his defender down into the post from 15 ft out. So yes, post players now must catch the ball in position and make quicker moves, no doubt. And a strong post player will often get fronted with the weakside man cheating way off to double if the ball is thrown in over the top. So there has to be a counter for that and there is. It's good, old fashioned ball movement and outside shooting. It's why I think to win with Cousins you have to surround him with shooters. It's no different than Hakeem with the Rockets except that teams have to be quicker to read and react because the removal of the illegal defense rules means you can't count on automatic spacing.

One last point. What makes the Warriors so great isn't just their shooting, passing and unselfishness on offense. It's their defense. Specifically it's their ability to go small but still defend bigger teams. Their guards (Curry, Thompson, Livingston, Barbosa, Rush) are all big for their position and can switch. Andre Iguodala can guard 1-3 and some small ball 4's. Harrison Barnes is very strong in his lower body and can guard PFs that try to post him up. Bogut is a very good defensive center but they also have the option to let the 2nd best defender in the NBA (according to the last two DPOY votes) switch onto centers and not be overmatched the vast majority of the time. The fact that Draymond Green at under 6'6" can stop NBA bigs from posting him up is a both an amazing capability he has and at the same time an indictment of the post up ability of this era's big men. Is there anyone who thinks Shaq in his prime wouldn't score every time down if the two guys tasked with stopping him were Green and Barnes?

And that's exactly why I think the Kings CAN win with Cousins. With the right supporting cast (and I don't believe Rudy Gay is that at all) he gives a weapon that creates a mistmatch that other teams can't answer for. Boogie needs to be more efficient, he needs to make good decisions on when to attack and when to move the ball and he needs teammates around him that can punish teams for flooding the ball side by hitting outside shots, but I don't think in any way you can't win in the NBA playing inside out.
Click to expand...
I agree with almost everything you said, but you have to acknowledge that a big reason why the Warriors are winning is because of their shooting. 1o/16 teams in the playoffs this year are shooting at league average.

The teams that aren't are: Memphis, Boston, Miami, Detroit, Houston, and OKC. Memphis/Houston has no business being in the playoffs this year...
Ok, those teams aren't in the top of the league at 3pt shooting, so what else do they have in common? Each one of those teams have top 10 guards at either position..except for Memphis. (side note: very interesting piece about Memphis' Grit N Grind http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15234297/how-grit-n-grind-defines-grizzlies-better-worse)

Boston: IT/Bradley. Miami: Wade. Detroit: Jackson. Houston: Harden OKC: Westbrook

The Kings can't survive in the NBA without perimeter play, which is why I agree with you. The Kings need to add perimeter players. Cousins needs to punish opposing teams for doubling on him. Too often, we see Cousins force the issue down low while keeping his head down, or the rest our players in stand-still motion watching Cousins.

I think the hardest task for Vlade will be finding an elite guard. A few guys who come in mind are: Bradley Beal and Evan Fournier. Clarkson could be a dark-horse candidate who explodes in a few years.

I think Blatt would be a very good candidate for this team. He's a defensive minded coach who does integrate parts of the Princeton offense...and actually played at Princeton. There could be a few foreign ties to Vlade as well. The only big question is, will Blatt allow Cousins to undermine him like Lebron did? If Vlade gives Blatt full approval to do whatever he wants with his roster, I think Blatt will succeed.

He's a top 3 candidate for me.
 
funkykingston said:
To be fair, you didn't say that no teams are winning playing inside out. You said teams are all moving towards "fast paced, perimeter oriented small ball with multiple ballhandlers and shooters" which is a very different statement and clearly not the case.

It is true that there are few examples of teams heavily using that style currently. Is that because it's ineffective in today's game, because there is a great dearth of post players? The reality is that there are a VERY small number of bigs that actually have a refined post game. Jefferson certainly. Cousins does. Randolph to an extent but he's not as fundamentally sound as he is physically imposing. Duncan was the best of them but he's moved away from being a primary option as his career wanes. Of the next generation only Jahlil Okafor (and possibly Embiid if he every gets healthy and keeps Anthony Davis has really no semblance of a post game. Outside of that you're really just looking at bigs that came from overseas, many of whom have the skillset but struggle a bit against the size and speed of NBA defenders. Neither does DeAndre Jordan. Drummond is still incredibly rudimentary. Dwight Howard never developed a post game that (and injuries) is why his game has fallen off dramatically even though he's only 30.

Basketball is always going to be a game of moves and counter moves on both the micro (a player and his defender) and the macro (team vs team) and historically all of these things have been seen before. College and international teams have zoned for years. In the U.S. that's (I'm guessing) part of what led to fewer players developing a post game and big guys having more of a face up game. Internationally guys are still learning the post game but they are also becoming more well rounded players because they have to - being able to face up and shoot, being able to pass, especially out of double teams etc.

The loosening of NBA rules has let teams flood the ball side and leave two guys essentially zoning three players on the weakside. We'll never again see a guy like Charles Barkley or Mark Jackson slowly back his defender down into the post from 15 ft out. So yes, post players now must catch the ball in position and make quicker moves, no doubt. And a strong post player will often get fronted with the weakside man cheating way off to double if the ball is thrown in over the top. So there has to be a counter for that and there is. It's good, old fashioned ball movement and outside shooting. It's why I think to win with Cousins you have to surround him with shooters. It's no different than Hakeem with the Rockets except that teams have to be quicker to read and react because the removal of the illegal defense rules means you can't count on automatic spacing.

One last point. What makes the Warriors so great isn't just their shooting, passing and unselfishness on offense. It's their defense. Specifically it's their ability to go small but still defend bigger teams. Their guards (Curry, Thompson, Livingston, Barbosa, Rush) are all big for their position and can switch. Andre Iguodala can guard 1-3 and some small ball 4's. Harrison Barnes is very strong in his lower body and can guard PFs that try to post him up. Bogut is a very good defensive center but they also have the option to let the 2nd best defender in the NBA (according to the last two DPOY votes) switch onto centers and not be overmatched the vast majority of the time. The fact that Draymond Green at under 6'6" can stop NBA bigs from posting him up is a both an amazing capability he has and at the same time an indictment of the post up ability of this era's big men. Is there anyone who thinks Shaq in his prime wouldn't score every time down if the two guys tasked with stopping him were Green and Barnes?

And that's exactly why I think the Kings CAN win with Cousins. With the right supporting cast (and I don't believe Rudy Gay is that at all) he gives a weapon that creates a mistmatch that other teams can't answer for. Boogie needs to be more efficient, he needs to make good decisions on when to attack and when to move the ball and he needs teammates around him that can punish teams for flooding the ball side by hitting outside shots, but I don't think in any way you can't win in the NBA playing inside out.
Click to expand...

To be fair I didn't say all teams are moving towards "fast paced, perimeter oriented small ball...". I said the league is trending towards it. ;) Meaning eventually more and more teams will play that way.
Maybe I should back out of my claim and better say, that the league is trending towards fast paced, perimeter oriented basketball not small ball, because you are right, some teams are not necessarily small, while they still play in a way, that is certainly not inside out.

I disagree to a certain point with the statement about the absence of post players. There are some players with solid post games, but they aren't used very much: Monroe, JV for example.
But more interesting would be the question, why there aren't lots of post players. Is it because the basketball education has changed, because the post game is less effective? Chicken or egg?:confused:
I pretty much agree on all the rest. But the removing of the illegal defense rules is absolute key and the biggest reason, why I fear an inside out approach with Cousins is very difficult to pull off. What you describe as" teams have to be quicker to read and react" turns every post up into a risky play. Double teams come that quick, that it's very hard for a big man to react properly as soon as he has commited to his move. It's why the Warriors are so successful when doubling Cousins as soon as he makes his move. And even catching the ball in the post can be very difficult.
Running a pick&roll from the top with a solid ballhandler? Not that difficult, because it's much harder to double team and the defense needs to fight to catch up. A mediocre undersized guard like Seth can be pretty deadly running the pick&roll. A great player like his brother can be nearly impossible to defend.

Beside my doubts, we are certainly in the same boat. I want this team to be successful with Cousins. Best way I can think of is getting 3-4 good defenders around 6'4 to 6'8 on this team, who can hit shots, dribble the ball and are able to defend the perimeter.
Easier said than done.
 
KingsFanGER said:
To be fair I didn't say all teams are moving towards "fast paced, perimeter oriented small ball...". I said the league is trending towards it. ;) Meaning eventually more and more teams will play that way.
Maybe I should back out of my claim and better say, that the league is trending towards fast paced, perimeter oriented basketball not small ball, because you are right, some teams are not necessarily small, while they still play in a way, that is certainly not inside out.
Click to expand...

Teams will always want to play to their strengths. Rudy Gobert is a good athlete for his size but he's not a face up big man, he doesn't have range on his jumpshot and while he runs the floor well, he's not a speed demon. But he's a great defensive anchor for the Jazz defense and a valuable part of their team. Even though the modern game has changed as a result of illegal defense going away and the addition of the hand check rule, you still work with the pieces you have. Okafor came out as a poor defender and mediocre rebounder for his size and still went third in the draft because of his low post scoring. Same thing in the NFL. Fewer and fewer running backs are taken high in the draft to the point where for three straight years no RB went in the first round at all. Then last year the Rams took Todd Gurley 10th overall and he was a pro bowler in his first season. The game changes but when you get talent you find a way to use it. There's no one that will convince me that a great post player is not still a valuable weapon in today's NBA. The goal is to create easy looks and that's usually done by creating and exploiting mismatches and forcing defenses to either give up an easy scorer or use two players to guard one guy leaving someone open. That's the goal of the pick and roll, that's the goal of beating your man off the dribble to attack the basket and that's the goal of posting up a big man. But yes, absolutely in today's NBA teams need to be able to also knock down shots from the perimeter and generate a larger portion of their offense from the three point shot. But in that sense, having a dominant post player is just another way to get an open three pointer.

KingsFanGER said:
I disagree to a certain point with the statement about the absence of post players. There are some players with solid post games, but they aren't used very much: Monroe, JV for example.
Click to expand...

I didn't watch many Bucks games this year but unless something has changed dramatically I've never thought of Monroe having a post game. And that goes all the way back to Georgetown where he was often initiating the offense from the top of the key. He was a good passer, good rebounder and had good range on his jump shot but no post game to speak of. I assume JV means Jonas Valanciunis? He came in with the reputation of being a good post player (again, international players are still being coached to post up) but he struggled early on. Mostly because he really just had the hook shot, teams knew it, creating turnovers going after the ball. He also lacked the strength to get and maintain position in the blocks. He does have great hands and nice touch and has continued to improve on that end to the point where he creates open threes when posting up. He's still not a dominant post player. Valanciunis' big issue is that he's weak defensively - not Enes Canter bad - but definitely still a liability. But I digress.

KingsFanGER said:
But more interesting would be the question, why there aren't lots of post players. Is it because the basketball education has changed, because the post game is less effective? Chicken or egg?:confused:
Click to expand...

I'm definitely on the side of the post game not being taught. As for why, I "blame" Michael Jordan and Kevin Garnett. Jordan because he was the first to really show that you could be a perennial contender without a big man. That a relentlessly attacking wing player could be the centerpiece of a championship team. KG because - much more so than anyone who came before him - was a seven footer with lots of athleticism who played like a wing with an almost wholly face-up based game. It's weird to think about but Kevin Durant came into the NBA with almost the exact same measurements as Bill Russell. One is a prolific scoring wing player and the other is regarded as one of the best defensive big men to ever play. Now part of that has been the increase of athleticism to the game (in part due to changes in weight training etc) but a big part of it is just not having a coach tell him to get in the blocks. I'm not saying Durant SHOULD be a post player (obviously he's a top 5/top 10 player in the whole league playing how he does) but he came up playing a face up game and wasn't ever coached otherwise. And I understand the appeal to kids. Battling in the post isn't glamorous - it's physically difficult and means getting banged around while not getting as much chance for those highlight reel plays.

Stuff like the rise of AAU ball, And1 mixtapes, YouTube, Sportcenter highlights etc hasn't helped either. And that's not just in terms of post play. Lots of guys play at high level (even the NBA) without using a proper defensive stance, knowing how to box out effectively etc. Not to drift too far into "you kids get off my lawn" territory but there isn't the same focus on the fundamentals and post play requires a LOT of fundamentals. And a LOT of time to develop moves and learn to use them effectively.


KingsFanGER said:
I pretty much agree on all the rest. But the removing of the illegal defense rules is absolute key and the biggest reason, why I fear an inside out approach with Cousins is very difficult to pull off. What you describe as" teams have to be quicker to read and react" turns every post up into a risky play. Double teams come that quick, that it's very hard for a big man to react properly as soon as he has commited to his move. It's why the Warriors are so successful when doubling Cousins as soon as he makes his move. And even catching the ball in the post can be very difficult.
Click to expand...

I don't see a Cousins post up as any more risky than a James Harden drive to the hoop if the team is giving him proper spacing to catch the ball. Yeah, Draymond Green said they had success doubling Cousins once he started making his move, but the other part of that quote was that if they doubled him early he had the passing ability to "carve them up". So in my mind it's just a matter of Cousins learning to be able to learn to pass after he starts his move. It's something Shaq got better at as his career went along. And a team can definitely load up on the ball side and make it difficult for a post entry pass. The solution there is to swing the ball weakside faster than the two defenders over there can rotate and hit threes until they are forced to change their spacing.


KingsFanGER said:
Running a pick&roll from the top with a solid ballhandler? Not that difficult, because it's much harder to double team and the defense needs to fight to catch up. A mediocre undersized guard like Seth can be pretty deadly running the pick&roll. A great player like his brother can be nearly impossible to defend.
Click to expand...

And yet the Warriors ran the pick and roll less often than any NBA team. Part of that is that with the proliferation of the ICE approach that Tom Thibodeau ushered in teams are effectively zoning the ball handler and giving up the pop to the big man. Draymond Green is a good shooter for a PF but if Curry can create his own shot wouldn't you much rather have that? Moves and countermoves.

It's worth noting however that even though the Warriors were dead last in the percentage of possessions ended with a P&R and the ball handler taking the shot (and second to last in the total number of those plays to the Knicks who played at a significantly slower pace) the Warriors were still the most efficient and turning them into points. That team is a juggernaut.

KingsFanGER said:
Beside my doubts, we are certainly in the same boat. I want this team to be successful with Cousins. Best way I can think of is getting 3-4 good defenders around 6'4 to 6'8 on this team, who can hit shots, dribble the ball and are able to defend the perimeter.
Easier said than done.
Click to expand...

And that's really the bottom line. Unless Cousins is dealt this offseason, the team needs to learn how they can win games with him as their centerpiece. It can be fun to argue about how feasible that is but really all of us want to see the Kings figure it out so they can win games.
 
Interesting that Thibodeau's contract with Minnesota is being negotiated concurrently with Scott Layden. He was horrible in his tenure as Knicks GM. Even Isiah Thomas looks decent in comparison. I suppose a few years with San Antonio will scrub anyone's rep clean at this point.
 
hrdboild said:
Interesting that Thibodeau's contract with Minnesota is being negotiated concurrently with Scott Layden. He was horrible in his tenure as Knicks GM. Even Isiah Thomas looks decent in comparison. I suppose a few years with San Antonio will scrub anyone's rep clean at this point.
Click to expand...

I always think of the "Fi-re Lay-den" chants from Knicks fans during the draft.

Also interesting that the Kings interviewed and chose not to hire Thibs (we picked Westphal--oops) and Layden (we picked PDA) in years' past.
 
Also sounds like Grunfeld is meeting with Scott Brooks right now in California and pushing to close a deal to make him the Wizards coach. Of the "big name" coaches I did think Brooks was the one that the Kings would have a shot at because of the local ties but I guess not.

Still, if Thibs goes to Minnesota, Brooks to Washington and if JVG to Houston while LAL and New York keep their current coaches then at least the Kings will likely have their pick of the coaches that are willing to interview with Vlade.

McHale, Walton and Udoka are three guys that really intrigue me.
 
funkykingston said:
Also sounds like Grunfeld is meeting with Scott Brooks right now in California and pushing to close a deal to make him the Wizards coach. Of the "big name" coaches I did think Brooks was the one that the Kings would have a shot at because of the local ties but I guess not.

Still, if Thibs goes to Minnesota, Brooks to Washington and if JVG to Houston while LAL and New York keep their current coaches then at least the Kings will likely have their pick of the coaches that are willing to interview with Vlade.

McHale, Walton and Udoka are three guys that really intrigue me.
Click to expand...

these are the names that intrigue me, as well. JVG would be first on my list after thibodeau, but i think he'd much rather remain in broadcasting than come to sacramento, and thibs was always a going to be a longshot. so mchale is the name with experience that i'm most attracted to because of his potential fit with boogie, and udoka/walton are the up-and-comers who are as close to a "sure thing" as you're likely to find with a first-time head coach. both were roleplayers/effort guys during their playing days, both have a very high basketball IQ, both have been mentored by great nba minds, both have been paying their dues as assistants (as opposed to making the jump straight into head coaching a la jason kidd and derek fisher), and both are highly regarded around the league. i suppose i could roll with a guy like nate mcmillan, and i could also roll the dice on a name like david blatt, but right now, mchale/udoka/walton are my top-three...
 
Looks like Amick is reporting that there's "mutual interest" with Brian Shaw. Add him to the list.

He sure seemed at one point like that up-incoming coach yall are talking about, but his time in Denver sure was a bust. Anybody know what happened there?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

QWERTYLICIOUS
Enjoy Retirement (from coaching), Coach
Replies
8
Views
134
kingsboi
kingsboi
Y
Mike Bibby lands NCAA coaching gig and the Vancouver Grizzlies legend looks jacked now
Replies
2
Views
194
Tetsujin
Tetsujin
GWD
Open Letter to Coach Christie
Replies
23
Views
2K
Caccia
Caccia
C
  • Locked
Kings rumors: Sacramento on verge of major front office change before play-in tournament
2
Replies
31
Views
896
Jdbraver137
J
sactowndog
Kings Cap entering next year
Replies
3
Views
1K
Tetsujin
Tetsujin