Could We Have Some Defense, Please

[RichieInRocklin]

Time after time last night the guards and wings were able to get to the basket on drives and nobody could/would stop them in the 4th quarter. And WCS was rotting on the bench. Please, Karl, give the Kings a chance to close out some of the games with decent defense!!

 

[Dime Dropper]

WCS should have been in the game for that Kemba Walker basket that put them up 2. Inexcusable BS from Karl.

Pretty obvious he doesn't value defense given the lack of minutes he gets.

 

[gunks]

Pffffft..... get outta here with that marching band nonsense!

We're all about that jazz!

 

[SacKings384]

Fool me once, nice move. Fool me twice, shame on the defender. Fool me 40 times in a single game, shame on the coach. I see so many times where players on the Kings are switching and end up in a total mismatch, and they keep going to it over and over again. The lack of defensive adjustments is SO insanely frustrating.

And I'm not talking about against well oiled offensive machines like the Warriors or Cavs. These are standard pick and rolls. Basic level back screens. And yet the defensive strategies never seem to change.

 

[rainmaker]

What's quite clear to me is this team isn't prepared defensively for opponents anywhere near what it should be. Game planning is awful.

Then we see the sub patterns/linups and it's just more evidence defense matters not to this staff.

BTW, with Rondo essentially taking over our offense and being our coach on the floor, Karl's impact is increasingly minimal, outside defensive game planning and sub patterns. And that leads me to believe we don't need some great x's and o's coach here since Rondo is running the show(could actually negatively impact Rondo), but rather we just need a coach who prioritizes defense and has the personality/energy the team will connect with and fight for.

And Scott Brooks checks those boxes and is a very realistic option.

 

[sdballer]

We're tiptoeing that very dangerous line of not wanting to overreact while also not wanting to throw away another season.

At this point, I'm close to being ready to give karl the hook (provided we have someone else lined up).

 

[Iced Espresso]

We're tiptoeing that very dangerous line of not wanting to overreact while also not wanting to throw away another season.

At this point, I'm close to being ready to give karl the hook (provided we have someone else lined up).

I'm not sure what to do myself. Long term I don't think this small ball/pace philosophy is going to change much. Short term if we hose Karl, likely our season is wasted.

 

[Padrino]

We're tiptoeing that very dangerous line of not wanting to overreact while also not wanting to throw away another season.

At this point, I'm close to being ready to give karl the hook (provided we have someone else lined up).

i feel the same, and it's worth noting that a loss like last night's is the kind of loss that often results in a coach getting canned. sometimes injuries are to blame. sometimes poor player effort is the culprit. sometimes road weariness sets in. and sometimes a team is simply outclassed by a superior opponent. but against the hornets, there were any number of decisions made by the coach that could be very explicitly pointed to as evidence of unsound strategy that resulted in a loss. if this should be a pattern that develops as the season continues, then i think karl's seat heats up without question. vlade divac does not strike me as the kind of gm who would avoid making a tough decision for fear of ridicule. he didn't hire karl, and i don't think he's afraid to fire him, mainstream media's endless criticism of the kings be damned...

this kings team has size. this kings team has length. yet george karl seems unwilling to highlight it. after all, there are two sides to the "pace and space" era of nba basketball. on the offensive end, you value three-point shooting and shots at the rim. and on the defensive end, you do not give up easy three-pointers and easy shots at the rim. but what have we consistently seen from karl's defensive schemes so far this season? the opposition has been raining three's and parading to the basket at will, while the kings are caught in unfavorable match-ups. it's fair enough to point out that the vast majority of the kings' perimeter players are not strong defenders. but the kings do have a very strong defensive trio in cousins/cauley-stein/koufos who are all above-average rim protectors. it's unacceptable that karl and his staff can't figure out a defensive system that denies penetration consistently, and often the solution seems as simple as giving the starting line-up more time on the court together in key moments...

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Pffffft..... get outta here with that marching band nonsense!

We're all about that jazz!

No D for you!

 

[rainmaker]

We're tiptoeing that very dangerous line of not wanting to overreact while also not wanting to throw away another season.

At this point, I'm close to being ready to give karl the hook (provided we have someone else lined up).

It's still early enough to recover as long as we have a replacement(and that most of the West is within a few games of us increases our chances) like Brooks. And I'd be shocked if Brooks wouldn't take the job. I'm not that big a fan of Brooks either, but think he'd mesh with our team and is the type who could grow with us, like Malone would have. And, he's a local guy. He'd take the job. He's actually hung around the team this season.

But wait another month and head into the new year, too late.

If we were near Thanksgiving and I saw Karl looking for other options than a Rondo/DC pairing, or he was looking to play WCS more, or was working away from constantly turning to small ball lineups, I'd be much more willing to take a wait and see approach. But we're seeing the same issues, same mistakes, same patterns we saw the first week of Oct.

I just can't be convinced talent is the issue this year. This team is clearly more talented than its record and play shows. We're underachieving.

 

[notoriousBEN3]

We were a good defensive team under Malone last year with a fraction of the talent we have now. I keep wondering how justified it is to throw all of the blame on Karl, but it's just tough to see it another way considering what we watched under Malone last season. This team is capable of defending, this much i'm confident in, and i don't think the fact that we're not defending is entirely due to lack of heart and hustle. It has more to do with personnel on the court and preparedness. But i agree with the other posts....if we fire him, is this season essentially over? Tough spot to be in right now.

 

[gunks]

The season appears to be over if we keep him.

 

[dude12]

I like or at least acknowledge some of the things that Karl has done. I may not agree with all of it but I will give the benefit of the doubt to the coach......
Cuz adding 3 point shot- I think it's done in the right dosage
Rondo going off- give Karl credit for allowing the guy to succeed
Benching Ben- was absolutely needed at the time and now Ben is playing better
Offense- we don't have a problem scoring

But these things make me wish for a different head coach
Defensive philosophy- switching on defense....never seen a team willingly want to switch and get thei guards posted up by bigs

3 guard lineups- it would be one thing to have Rondo or Collison with some combination of Ben or Marco or Anderson but the 2 PG lineup with Marco hasn't been effective all year long....not one game. And Karl will usually play Casspi or Gay at the 4 during this lineup. It gets killed defensively and on the boards and isn't that effective on offense.

Situational subbing- I recall two times where he could have subbed in a WCS after a timeout in a critical, game on the line possession for the other team. The last time was the inexcusable lineup using Gay at the 5 and Kemba Walker gets an easy layup. In the Toronto game, IIRC, WCS was subbed in on the last possession and it took Rondo to move WCS from in the paint to cover the inbounds pass and WCS tipped it away.

I'm torn between seeing a new head coach who values defense such as Malone or Thibs or keeping Karl because of the positive things that are happening with Rondo and hoping that Karl and the staff figures it out. Something tells me that Karl is stubborn enough to not change.

And furthermore, I can't believe that Vlade is terribly happy with how this team is being run regarding the lack of relying on 2 bigs in at the same time.

 

[HndsmCelt]

No doubt there is a huge problem with defensive coaching. Can Karl adjust and perhaps bring in someone who can get the focus back on the defensive end? I hope so. I was NOT one of the folks that was big on Karl in the first place,in fact I was sort of OK with letting Corbin end the season then looking around (Tibbs anyone?) but here we are and we simply cannot keep rotating coaches so UNLESS we are looking at a rock solid guy to replace Karl (again Tibbs anyone?) we have to hope he can see the obvious and will respond acordingly.

 

[Merdiesel]

The defensive effort against Kemba walker in the closing seconds of the 4th was disgraceful.

I don't give a **** how nice Rudy's ally oop was, you gave up a game changing uncontested layup at the end of the game. Completely inexcusable.

 

[Ugolino]

How about a healthy center?

 

[VF21]

No doubt there is a huge problem with defensive coaching. Can Karl adjust and perhaps bring in someone who can get the focus back on the defensive end? I hope so. I was NOT one of the folks that was big on Karl in the first place,in fact I was sort of OK with letting Corbin end the season then looking around (Tibbs anyone?) but here we are and we simply cannot keep rotating coaches so UNLESS we are looking at a rock solid guy to replace Karl (again Tibbs anyone?) we have to hope he can see the obvious and will respond acordingly.

After listening to Doug Christie analyze our defensive weaknesses, I can't help but wonder how he'd do in the role.

 

[HndsmCelt]

After listening to Doug Christie analyze our defensive weaknesses, I can't help but wonder how he'd do in the role.

I like this 100 times!..... wait we are talking about a defensive coach, as a NEW HC right?

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I like this 100 times!..... wait we are talking about a defensive coach, as a NEW HC right?

The only problem with that is that the Kings, for whatever stupid reason, appear to have made up their minds that they're not going to promote Kayte Christensen to the color commentary role that she belongs in, which means that Doug Christie is the best chance of phasing out/breaking up, and eventually getting rid of, the Napear/Reynolds duo.

 

[funkykingston]

No doubt there is a huge problem with defensive coaching. Can Karl adjust and perhaps bring in someone who can get the focus back on the defensive end? I hope so. I was NOT one of the folks that was big on Karl in the first place,in fact I was sort of OK with letting Corbin end the season then looking around (Tibbs anyone?) but here we are and we simply cannot keep rotating coaches so UNLESS we are looking at a rock solid guy to replace Karl (again Tibbs anyone?) we have to hope he can see the obvious and will respond acordingly.

There have been a LOT of Kings fans calling for Thibs as the new head coach. I like his defensive scheme quite a bit but honestly, if people thought Rondo and Carlisle were a disaster I'd hate to see what Rondo and Thibs would look like. He's a meticulous game planner who calls a TON of plays from the sidelines. If there's one player on this team that Karl is very good for, it's Rajon Rondo.

 

[HndsmCelt]

The only problem with that is that the Kings, for whatever stupid reason, appear to have made up their minds that they're not going to promote Kayte Christensen to the color commentary role that she belongs in, which means that Doug Christie is the best chance of phasing out/breaking up, and eventually getting rid of, the Napear/Reynolds duo.

So it's pick your poison... listen to gibberish while we watch defense or hear insightful explanations of why our lack of defense is killing us....

 

[kingsboi]

defense? you know when you're going to see this team play defense? when the HC preaches it as top priority and adjusts line ups in that favor. Until then.....108 PPG.

 

[fansinceday1]

defense? you know when you're going to see this team play defense? when the HC preaches it as top priority and adjusts line ups in that favor. Until then.....108 PPG.

I actually agree with the ranting grant Napier today. He started his show by just laying into Karl.
He has said a couple of times now, yesterday's defensive performance will yield you 0 wins in the NBA. ZERO.

 

[kingsboi]

I actually agree with the ranting grant Napier today. He started his show by just laying into Karl.
He has said a couple of times now, yesterday's defensive performance will yield you 0 wins in the NBA. ZERO.

Not just yesterday's game....the Kings have had only two opponents score under 100 on them up to this point. That is scary.

 

[ArcoKings]

There is no guarantee that a new head coach will "save" the season just like there's no guarantee that George Karl will figure this mess out soon and turn the team around and finish the season with an admirable record. The organization cannot risk another in-season coaching change. With that said I'll take my chances and have GC finish the entire season and let the chips fall where they may. Also, constantly changing the coaches isn't cheap. If GC needs to be removed do it when the season ends.

 

[VF21]

I like this 100 times!..... wait we are talking about a defensive coach, as a NEW HC right?

No, not as a new head coach. As an assistant coach whose primary role is teaching and reinforcing the defensive mindset.

 

[VF21]

There is no guarantee that a new head coach will "save" the season just like there's no guarantee that George Karl will figure this mess out soon and turn the team around and finish the season with an admirable record. The organization cannot risk another in-season coaching change. With that said I'll take my chances and have GC finish the entire season and let the chips fall where they may. Also, constantly changing the coaches isn't cheap. If GC needs to be removed do it when the season ends.

I'm assuming you meant GK, right?

I think that if/when the time comes for Karl and the Kings to part company, that the public announcement will be that it's because of health reasons. It's not like GK would ever be able to get another coaching job after this anyway...

 

[hrdboild]

There have been a LOT of Kings fans calling for Thibs as the new head coach. I like his defensive scheme quite a bit but honestly, if people thought Rondo and Carlisle were a disaster I'd hate to see what Rondo and Thibs would look like. He's a meticulous game planner who calls a TON of plays from the sidelines. If there's one player on this team that Karl is very good for, it's Rajon Rondo.

This is true... but Rondo already played for him when he was assistant coach with the Celtics for three years, including 2008 when they won the championship. I would think they probably have a good enough relationship that they can work it out but I don't have any personal insight on what their relationship is. A quick google search turned this article up which suggests Rondo would be in favor.

 

[dude12]

After listening to Doug Christie analyze our defensive weaknesses, I can't help but wonder how he'd do in the role.

Head coach material if he wanted it

 

[dude12]

No, not as a new head coach. As an assistant coach whose primary role is teaching and reinforcing the defensive mindset.

But the head coach, Karl, would have to play the right pieces.