D cousins team!

[Bricklayer]

It's unfortunate that you see any Reke criticism thread as subversive.

I understand that he's a golden child for some, but criticism doesn't exactly mean fans (at least the majority) want to dump him for a bag of chips ala salmons.

a golden child? Some of us are just trying to shield the board form the worst of the over the top diarrhea being tossed his way every single day around here. Every day. I've got Lakers fans buddies who are more fair to our player than our own "fans" (can you be a fan of something you hate?). In fact still persist in their plotting to steal him away to replace Kobe in a couple of years. Probably be amused to see the hatchet jobs on him around here and egg them on. But its not going to happen. If I have to get moddy to control it, I will. This is Cousins' thread. It should be treated as such.

 

[Fear the Putin]

You know, I watch every game and every play, and off the top of my head I can recall maybe once he's done that all season. In fact Reke is EASILY the one of our big three who has tried the hardest to fit in this season. From the start when Westphal had him swinging the ball as soon as he touched it, to his rising assit totals under Smart as he began to use his drive to set people up. Those of us actually watching the games and analyizing what's happening, rather than deciding what's happening and then watching the game for confirmation, have seen considerable shifts.

the floater remains a bit of a strawman. Be nice to have. Very few guys who are great to the hoop have them, and vice versa. Its a tough shot, and one you develop on the court growing up when you are not able to get all the way to the hoop.

The jumper issues are well knock. Standstill form looks good. For those who understand who these things work, that means probably nothing more than time and repeitution neeee to make it respectable. Off the dribble the same disciplined form is hard to acheive. Smart is working with him. Its not a short term project.

And no, I am the guy who wrote a scouting report on him after his rookie season, and after his second season, and will after his third as well. I take analysis rather than hyperbole and whining rather seriously you see.

Holy COW!!

For a professional scout, there's a problem if you only recall Reke missing a layup ONCE because he failed to pass.

As for your scouting report, you knock my view as being a scouting a report from two years ago and then go on and admit that he doesn't have a floater and J.


No one is saying he's not trying to fit in.
Reke works hard, but he has a linear approach to improving. Just because he is great at getting to the hoop, doesn't mean he can't develop a floater. Players collapse, at times even attempt to draw a charge, so having that floater is key for improvement.

 

[Section 101]

You know, I watch every game and every play, and off the top of my head I can recall maybe once he's done that all season. In fact Reke is EASILY the one of our big three who has tried the hardest to fit in this season. From the start when Westphal had him swinging the ball as soon as he touched it, to his rising assit totals under Smart as he began to use his drive to set people up. Those of us actually watching the games and analyizing what's happening, rather than deciding what's happening and then watching the game for confirmation, have seen considerable shifts.

He had IT open on the break into's game at half court then proceeded to throw the ball off Thorntons feet. That was just today.

 

[Fear the Putin]

a golden child? Some of us are just trying to shield the board form the worst of the over the top diarrhea being tossed his way every single day around here. Every day. I've got Lakers fans buddies who are more fair to our player than our own "fans" (can you be a fan of something you hate?). In fact still persist in their plotting to steal him away to replace Kobe in a couple of years. Probably be amused to see the hatchet jobs on him around here and egg them on. But its not going to happen. If I have to get moddy to control it, I will. This is Cousins' thread. It should be treated as such.

for crying out loud, how can you discuss whether or not the Kings are Cousins' team without discussing WHY the transfer of power should go from Reke to Cousins.

That "WHY" are the problems some fans see in Tyreke and where they want him to improve in.

 

[rainmaker]

Cousins will most likely be the foundation, as an extremely skilled big. Same as Shaq in Orl/LA, KG in Minn/Bos, Duncan in SA, and so on. Thing is, they didn't win anything alone. They all had an extremely talented guard/wing playing with them. Reke is that guard. They'll be a duo, a tandem.

It really is something to celebrate as they grow together. Instead, it's almost like some here want Cousins to rub s*** in Reke's face and make it an either/or discussion about them. Pitting them against each other doesn't do anyone any good. I've never understood how fans here need to bash one player to elevate another.

While Shaq was dominant in Orl, Penny was his sidekick. In LA, it was Kobe. In Mia, Wade. Duncan had/has Ginobili/Parker as his sidekicks. KG had veterans Pierce/Allan in Bos. The bigs,no matter how dominant, needed a talented, matured wing/guard to win. Talented wings/guards need a dominant big to win.

I happen to think Reke will be an All Star level player by 25. Cousins will be before then. Reke doesn't need to add that much to see his overall success shoot up. A better jumper. Better conditioning. I think the lack of a jumper makes everything else appear far worse than it is for Reke. A little consistency from the perimeter will let his overall game completely open up. It will happen, as there is improvement in his form, and I expect it to continue until consistent probably 2-3 years from now. At that point, he'll be a great sidekick to the #1 or #2 center in the league, at that future point.

Do I think Cousins will be the better player down the road. Yes. I think he'll be the top center in the league. I'd wager he'll be in Brazil for the 2016 Olympics as well. But I also think Reke will be a top 10 guard, and possibly top 5 when/if he matures into a lockdown defender which I believe he will. Really, it's something to celebrate. Two enormously talented players, age 22 and 21. Why cause division?

 

[The_Jamal]

for crying out loud, how can you discuss whether or not the Kings are Cousins' team without discussing WHY the transfer of power should go from Reke to Cousins.

That "WHY" are the problems some fans see in Tyreke and where they want him to improve in.

I for one don't believe it should be "anyone"'s team in the first place. As people have mentioned, Papa Vlade was the leader of the Golden Year Kings and every single player on that team would attest to that. These young guys are trying to figure out the NBA life on their own which is a daunting task without help. Reke and Cousins are only a few years older than I, and I can imagine how difficult it would be without guidance to stay focused on basketball. It's not an excuse; our guys are just young human beings.

 

[Bricklayer]

He had IT open on the break into's game at half court then proceeded to throw the ball off Thorntons feet. That was just today.

That was a bad pass, not a selfish play. Don't be ridiculous.

 

[Kingster]

I think they should be a team. Not Cousins team, or Evans, or IT. Just a team. Let each guy do what they do best and they'll be fine. Unfortunatey, they are still doing some of what they don't do best. The emergence of IT is going to change some things.

 

[Fear the Putin]

I for one don't believe it should be "anyone"'s team in the first place. As people have mentioned, Papa Vlade was the leader of the Golden Year Kings and every single player on that team would attest to that. These young guys are trying to figure out the NBA life on their own which is a daunting task without help. Reke and Cousins are only a few years older than I, and I can imagine how difficult it would be without guidance to stay focused on basketball. It's not an excuse; our guys are just young human beings.

I agree and we should start making progress away from the Kings label of being "Tyreke's team" that was enshrined by the Maloofs and picked up by many during his rookie year.

 

[Arkitect]

Cousins will most likely be the foundation, as an extremely skilled big. Same as Shaq in Orl/LA, KG in Minn/Bos, Duncan in SA, and so on. Thing is, they didn't win anything alone. They all had an extremely talented guard/wing playing with them. Reke is that guard. They'll be a duo, a tandem.

It really is something to celebrate as they grow together. Instead, it's almost like some here want Cousins to rub s*** in Reke's face and make it an either/or discussion about them. Pitting them against each other doesn't do anyone any good. I've never understood how fans here need to bash one player to elevate another.

While Shaq was dominant in Orl, Penny was his sidekick. In LA, it was Kobe. In Mia, Wade. Duncan had/has Ginobili/Parker as his sidekicks. KG had veterans Pierce/Allan in Bos. The bigs,no matter how dominant, needed a talented, matured wing/guard to win. Talented wings/guards need a dominant big to win.

I happen to think Reke will be an All Star level player by 25. Cousins will be before then. Reke doesn't need to add that much to see his overall success shoot up. A better jumper. Better conditioning. I think the lack of a jumper makes everything else appear far worse than it is for Reke. A little consistency from the perimeter will let his overall game completely open up. It will happen, as there is improvement in his form, and I expect it to continue until consistent probably 2-3 years from now. At that point, he'll be a great sidekick to the #1 or #2 center in the league, at that future point.

Do I think Cousins will be the better player down the road. Yes. I think he'll be the top center in the league. I'd wager he'll be in Brazil for the 2016 Olympics as well. But I also think Reke will be a top 10 guard, and possibly top 5 when/if he matures into a lockdown defender which I believe he will. Really, it's something to celebrate. Two enormously talented players, age 22 and 21. Why cause division?

This is really what it comes down too. Once Cousins really gets it going, we don't need Reke to be much more than he already is. He just needs to add one little piece to his game. Reke will be a star guard in this league, even if he is just a borderline all-star. That is all we need from him. If DeMarcus becomes as good as many of us think he will be, we don't need an all-star guard. It would be nice, be we can compete without that level of guard.

What we do need are the players around them to compliment those two. Adding a real starting SF to the team would be a great first step so we can create mismatches with Reke. We need a defensive shot blocker to take some of the fouls off Cousins so that he can stay in the game longer. Anyone with half a brain knew that the team was poorly setup going into the season. Reke really needs to just lock himself in the gym for the summer and shoot and shoot. Keep the charity games to a minimum and just drill the correct shooting form into his head for several hours every day with proper, consistent supervision.

 

[jcwkings]

Im fine with Tyreke pushing the ball up and down trying to get easy baskets, but in the half court he should NEVER be the focal point at this point. Half court options should always start with Cousins. This team drastically needs outside shooting.

 

[Tetsujin]

Cousins will most likely be the foundation, as an extremely skilled big. Same as Shaq in Orl/LA, KG in Minn/Bos, Duncan in SA, and so on. Thing is, they didn't win anything alone. They all had an extremely talented guard/wing playing with them. Reke is that guard. They'll be a duo, a tandem.

It really is something to celebrate as they grow together. Instead, it's almost like some here want Cousins to rub s*** in Reke's face and make it an either/or discussion about them. Pitting them against each other doesn't do anyone any good. I've never understood how fans here need to bash one player to elevate another.

While Shaq was dominant in Orl, Penny was his sidekick. In LA, it was Kobe. In Mia, Wade. Duncan had/has Ginobili/Parker as his sidekicks. KG had veterans Pierce/Allan in Bos. The bigs,no matter how dominant, needed a talented, matured wing/guard to win. Talented wings/guards need a dominant big to win.

I happen to think Reke will be an All Star level player by 25. Cousins will be before then. Reke doesn't need to add that much to see his overall success shoot up. A better jumper. Better conditioning. I think the lack of a jumper makes everything else appear far worse than it is for Reke. A little consistency from the perimeter will let his overall game completely open up. It will happen, as there is improvement in his form, and I expect it to continue until consistent probably 2-3 years from now. At that point, he'll be a great sidekick to the #1 or #2 center in the league, at that future point.

Do I think Cousins will be the better player down the road. Yes. I think he'll be the top center in the league. I'd wager he'll be in Brazil for the 2016 Olympics as well. But I also think Reke will be a top 10 guard, and possibly top 5 when/if he matures into a lockdown defender which I believe he will. Really, it's something to celebrate. Two enormously talented players, age 22 and 21. Why cause division?

Great, great post.

We as Kings fans seem to have a problem with having more than one good player at a time on our team and have to make up some bizarre conflict to not make it so (Webber vs Peja; Artest vs Martin, etc. etc.) Having talent is not a bad thing guys.

 

[ParniValjak]

Cousins will most likely be the foundation, as an extremely skilled big. Same as Shaq in Orl/LA, KG in Minn/Bos, Duncan in SA, and so on. Thing is, they didn't win anything alone. They all had an extremely talented guard/wing playing with them. Reke is that guard. They'll be a duo, a tandem.

It really is something to celebrate as they grow together. Instead, it's almost like some here want Cousins to rub s*** in Reke's face and make it an either/or discussion about them. Pitting them against each other doesn't do anyone any good. I've never understood how fans here need to bash one player to elevate another.

While Shaq was dominant in Orl, Penny was his sidekick. In LA, it was Kobe. In Mia, Wade. Duncan had/has Ginobili/Parker as his sidekicks. KG had veterans Pierce/Allan in Bos. The bigs,no matter how dominant, needed a talented, matured wing/guard to win. Talented wings/guards need a dominant big to win.

I happen to think Reke will be an All Star level player by 25. Cousins will be before then. Reke doesn't need to add that much to see his overall success shoot up. A better jumper. Better conditioning. I think the lack of a jumper makes everything else appear far worse than it is for Reke. A little consistency from the perimeter will let his overall game completely open up. It will happen, as there is improvement in his form, and I expect it to continue until consistent probably 2-3 years from now. At that point, he'll be a great sidekick to the #1 or #2 center in the league, at that future point.

Do I think Cousins will be the better player down the road. Yes. I think he'll be the top center in the league. I'd wager he'll be in Brazil for the 2016 Olympics as well. But I also think Reke will be a top 10 guard, and possibly top 5 when/if he matures into a lockdown defender which I believe he will. Really, it's something to celebrate. Two enormously talented players, age 22 and 21. Why cause division?

Could not have said it better myself! I am just staggered that there are "fans" out there who are so deluded to think that Cousins without Reke can get it done. It won't happen. It will never happen unless he has a side kicks of Reke's talent.

People need to pull their head in and be patient. There would not be a rebuilding team in the league that would not jump at the opportunity to have Cousins and Evans as their foundation but for some on this board its one or the other.

 

[ParniValjak]

I agree and we should start making progress away from the Kings label of being "Tyreke's team" that was enshrined by the Maloofs and picked up by many during his rookie year.

See this is the problem. You don't move with the time. In Tyreke's rookie season this WAS Tyreke's team because no one else was close to being as good a player. But in the the process, as you would hope we rebuilding team, we got better talent where Tyreke is now not alone on a pedestal. This is not Tyreke's team! This is not Cousins' team! This is not Thornton's team! They ARE a team....or at least we hope that's the case going forward because if its not, it will blow up in our face.

I am extremely confident that Cousins and Evans will be the foundation of this team going forward and once they mature as players and get better support players around them, its a pairing that will give opposition fits on a nightly basis but people with an agenda will discredit one, to promote the other without realising that those pathetic claim won't achieve anything good or productive.

This is not Tyreke's team nor is it DeMarcus' team but it IS a team that is quite rightly being built around them BOTH!

The Tyreke knocking has been ridiculous lately! For every mistake weakness that people bring up with Tyreke, we could do the same for Cousins but I don't see the point. They are still young enough to be college kids but are playing in the NBA on a nightly basis with no veteran support. They have no where to hide and they will take their lumps along the way. They simply have to if they want to get where some of us think they can get to.

 

[sanho]

Yep. And it's gotten to the point where I'm not even going to try and reason with them. It wouldn't do any good anyway. I just don't understand the need to bash our own players, with the possible and eternal exception of John Salmons.

lol, agree... Salmons has a long way to go to get back any shred of respect

 

[pshn80]

ok so the kings were never chris webbers team back then i suppose

I saw them all and I would say not as far as I was concerned. He was great but he absolutely needed the other four. It was a good team.

 

[VF21]

Cousins will most likely be the foundation, as an extremely skilled big. Same as Shaq in Orl/LA, KG in Minn/Bos, Duncan in SA, and so on. Thing is, they didn't win anything alone. They all had an extremely talented guard/wing playing with them. Reke is that guard. They'll be a duo, a tandem.

It really is something to celebrate as they grow together. Instead, it's almost like some here want Cousins to rub s*** in Reke's face and make it an either/or discussion about them. Pitting them against each other doesn't do anyone any good. I've never understood how fans here need to bash one player to elevate another.

While Shaq was dominant in Orl, Penny was his sidekick. In LA, it was Kobe. In Mia, Wade. Duncan had/has Ginobili/Parker as his sidekicks. KG had veterans Pierce/Allan in Bos. The bigs,no matter how dominant, needed a talented, matured wing/guard to win. Talented wings/guards need a dominant big to win.

I happen to think Reke will be an All Star level player by 25. Cousins will be before then. Reke doesn't need to add that much to see his overall success shoot up. A better jumper. Better conditioning. I think the lack of a jumper makes everything else appear far worse than it is for Reke. A little consistency from the perimeter will let his overall game completely open up. It will happen, as there is improvement in his form, and I expect it to continue until consistent probably 2-3 years from now. At that point, he'll be a great sidekick to the #1 or #2 center in the league, at that future point.

Do I think Cousins will be the better player down the road. Yes. I think he'll be the top center in the league. I'd wager he'll be in Brazil for the 2016 Olympics as well. But I also think Reke will be a top 10 guard, and possibly top 5 when/if he matures into a lockdown defender which I believe he will. Really, it's something to celebrate. Two enormously talented players, age 22 and 21. Why cause division?

Bravo.

 

[ppine]

DMC has begun to get himself under control emotionally, and leaves it all on the floor. I love to watch him play. Tyreke is erratic and sometimes cruises around saving his energy. One of the big differences in the two is that when teams know what Cuz wants to do, they still can't stop him. Evans fooled some people his first year, but now they pack the defense to stop his drives. All you really have to do is sit on his right hand and invite him to drive to the left with a poor angle. He misses more lay-ups than anyone I have ever seen. Evans is at a cross-roads and so are the Kings. If he can get serious about being able to shoot, and develp a left hand he has a chance to lead this team again. His foul last night reminded me that he may not be that smart. People talk about b-ball IQ. It is one of Evans' weak parts of his game.

The Kings need to figure out how to score on 3 on 2s, and 2 on 1s. They mess those up often.

 

[gunks]

Cousins is a monster. I have no doubt that this will be HIS team in a season or two. That being said, I still have hope Reke can get it together and be an awesome wingman.


DMC is averaging 20/12 in 30mpg this month. Nasty stuff from a sophomore.

 

[Kingster]

Could not have said it better myself! I am just staggered that there are "fans" out there who are so deluded to think that Cousins without Reke can get it done. It won't happen. It will never happen unless he has a side kicks of Reke's talent.

People need to pull their head in and be patient. There would not be a rebuilding team in the league that would not jump at the opportunity to have Cousins and Evans as their foundation but for some on this board its one or the other.

Of course Cousins can get it done without Tyreke. There are plenty of two guards in the NBA that can shoot the ball from the outside, which would complement Cousins' game better than is done currently by Tyreke. Until Tyeke develops his game, he's very replacable on this team. The only reason to say differently is to assume that he's going to get a lot better than he currently is, and this "future Tyreke" will not be replacable. Maybe so. But at this point, it's just a maybe. It's not inevitable. He's got major hurdles to overcome before he can get to the point where he's not replacable.

 

[BMiller52]

Of course Cousins can get it done without Tyreke. There are plenty of two guards in the NBA that can shoot the ball from the outside, which would complement Cousins' game better than is done currently by Tyreke. Until Tyeke develops his game, he's very replacable on this team. The only reason to say differently is to assume that he's going to get a lot better than he currently is, and this "future Tyreke" will not be replacable. Maybe so. But at this point, it's just a maybe. It's not inevitable. He's got major hurdles to overcome before he can get to the point where he's not replacable.

I agree for the most part, to be honest.

 

[cuad]

Reke is that guard.

No he's not because his offensive skill level is no where close to any of the following players:

While Shaq was dominant in Orl, Penny was his sidekick. In LA, it was Kobe. In Mia, Wade. Duncan had/has Ginobili/Parker as his sidekicks. KG had veterans Pierce/Allan in Bos.

 

[Kingsguy881]

Does anybody else agree the kings should officialy be d cuz's team instead of tyreake????im sick and tired of evans poor choice of shot selection,forcing shots not being clutch,not knowing what games hes gona show up what game hes not..not making the extra pass cause he wants to make the basket...i think cuzins is someone we can always count on now and if he new the team was his he would deff step up his game i think cuz should be the last player introduced when we have home games...evans is slowly loosing it what do you people think i mean comon lets be real whens the last time evans hit a clutch jump shot or anytype of shot???id rather kno the kings as cuzins team sorry evans ur just unpredictable....

Eye tink dat Cuzin shud be dee won who leed dis teem to da promis land!!!

 

[Capt. Factorial]

eye tink dat cuzin shud bee dee won hoo leed dis teem two da promis lannd!!!

ftfy.