Derrick Williams or lack thereof

[Swaze]

What exactly was the point of trading for Derrick Williams again?

The Kings trade for Derrick Williams on the basis of that he's a real talent being held down in the wrong system and stuck playing behind Kevin Love. They traded for him on the theory that Derrick Williams was still a diamond in the rough and just needed playing time and a change of scenery to show what he can do.

Derrick Williams gets to Sacramento and appears to prove their theory correct by playing really well and igniting the team/crowd with a more exciting brand of basketball. He seems to be fitting into the starting lineup well and even has a career high in scoring while remarkably not taking many shots.

Now here we are a couple weeks later and the Kings have traded for Rudy Gay. Suddenly Derrick Williams is back on the bench and hardly getting any minutes. When he does play he rarely touches the ball in a shooting situation. The offense and defense of the team are now worse. To make matters even worse, Rudy Gay the guy who took his spot in the starting lineup is playing poorly on both ends.

At least when Williams was on Minnesota he was not playing much because the guy in front of him was putting up 26/14 (MVP type numbers) but now the guy in front of him is shooting poorly and playing poor defense.

If you are Derrick Williams you have to be wondering what the hell is going on. If I was him I'd be scratching my head.....you trade for me and say you will give me a shot, I come here and play really well, and then you do the exact same thing the previous team did to me.....only this time without merit or logic.

So I ask again what was the point of trading for Derrick Williams?

 

[TheBadGuy]

What exactly was the point of trading for Derrick Williams again?

The Kings trade for Derrick Williams on the basis of that he's a real talent being held down in the wrong system and stuck playing behind Kevin Love. They traded for him on the theory that Derrick Williams was still a diamond in the rough and just needed playing time and a change of scenery to show what he can do.

Derrick Williams gets to Sacramento and appears to prove their theory correct by playing really well and igniting the team/crowd with a more exciting brand of basketball. He seems to be fitting into the starting lineup well and even has a career high in scoring while remarkably not taking many shots.

Now here we are a couple weeks later and the Kings have traded for Rudy Gay. Suddenly Derrick Williams is back on the bench and hardly getting any minutes. When he does play he rarely touches the ball in a shooting situation. The offense and defense of the team are now worse. To make matters even worse, Rudy Gay the guy who took his spot in the starting lineup is playing poorly on both ends.

At least when Williams was on Minnesota he was not playing much because the guy in front of him was putting up 26/14 (MVP type numbers) but now the guy in front of him is shooting poorly and playing poor defense.

If you are Derrick Williams you have to be wondering what the hell is going on. If I was him I'd be scratching my head.....you trade for me and say you will give me a shot, I come here and play really well, and then you do the exact same thing the previous team did to me.....only this time without merit or logic.

So I ask again what was the point of trading for Derrick Williams?

The Rudy Gay trade was just simply a way to complicate things for the team, in the first place why would they trade for another wing player in Rudy Gay when in fact the team already have traded for Derrick Williams or maybe the team is thinking they would put Derrick as the sixth man of the Kings.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Look at Jason Thompson stat line tonight - seriously! Look at JTs constant whining, throwing fits, acting childish after any play that goes wrong that he's involved in or even remotely involved in. Derrick Williams will be starting at PF quicker than you think. Probably this Friday against Miami. Otherwise, Coach Malone's most recent comments will be ringing rather hollow.

 

[Swaze]

The one problem with Derrick Williams is that he's not very assertive and plays too passive at times. He's also not great at creating his own shot, more of a finisher and pretty good at everything type scorer.

All of the above flaws in his game are all the more reason NOT to expect him to become some kind of "6th man" volume scorer. That's not his game creating (or forcing) shots and he needs to be in the lineup with guys that actually pass the ball. Williams is the perfect 3rd option in the starting lineup in that he can score in a variety of ways without really demanding the ball or taking a ton of shots. He's athletic with good hands and has enough ways to score that on some nights he can put up #1 type scoring numbers if the defense condenses on the true #1 and #2 guys. He's a good guy to have in there as a slasher/finisher for guys like Cousins and Thomas to get the ball to after double teams or penetrations

Knowing all of that it boggles my mind why they would move him to a reserve role where he's forced to become more passive once again and not in the flow of the offense.

 

[KingMilz]

Another player we accidently got who has the capabilities to easily fit into the system whose talented who at this rate we are going to waste.....sound famliar?

I don't want to see him playing as the starting PF either unless it's against a team who also has a small PF, he'sa natural SF and looks better playing SF when he's surrounded by offensive talent like Cousins. He will struggle off the bench and most likely when Carl Landry comes back his role will be non existant and he will fade away like he did in Minny.

Maybe I'm really bias cause I loved what I saw from him when he was starting and he was becoming my favourite Kings player but damn he should be playing 28+ mins a night give him a chance.

 

[TheBadGuy]

If Rudy keeps on throwing bricks, maybe just trade him for a defensive minded player, whether it's a big or a perimeter defender then start Derrick at SF.

 

[D13]

Give him and our coaching time. We have plenty of workin and sortin to do still. He fell in our laps for the price of a second rounder. He is a good attitude guy, and hard worker. Think of him as an investment, and one of our worth-while projects. All good teams develop young talent. Lets not expect an overnight miracle. You can see the potential.

 

[TheBadGuy]

Give him and our coaching time. We have plenty of workin and sortin to do still. He fell in our laps for the price of a second rounder. He is a good attitude guy, and hard worker. Think of him as an investment, and one of our worth-while projects. All good teams develop young talent. Lets not expect an overnight miracle. You can see the potential.

Derrick has already shown flashes of his potential when he was the starting SF. Also about the "All good teams develop young talent", the Kings staff doesn't really do this sometimes.

 

[D13]

Derrick has already shown flashes of his potential when he was the starting SF. Also about the "All good teams develop young talent", the Kings staff doesn't really do this sometimes.

DW has definitely shown flashes (a whole lot more to work with than Thomas Robinson we had stock in).

The good news is this is a new regime. Think I remember them saying that developing young talent would be a priority. We'll see. We aren't hitting playoffs this year anyways. Hopefully big picture is more important than a trading ourselfs in circles. I think Malone prob has everyone on the team freaking out gonna be traded. lol.

 

[cuad]

We all saw this coming too.

I wanted Derrick Williams to start over Rudy Gay. It's lame how Coach Malone throws the whole team under the bus in post game interviews, but at the same time is afraid to bench Rudy Gay. Maybe he's not afraid to try giving JT's starting spot to DWill. Having DWill out there instead of JT should give IT, Gay, and Cousins more space for their 1on1 ball, which will hopefully reduce the amount of turnovers they make.

 

[TheBadGuy]

How about start Rudy at the SG , start Derrick at the SF and let McLemore come off the bench?

 

[NewArena]

We all saw this coming too.

I wanted Derrick Williams to start over Rudy Gay. It's lame how Coach Malone throws the whole team under the bus in post game interviews, but at the same time is afraid to bench Rudy Gay. Maybe he's not afraid to try giving JT's starting spot to DWill. Having DWill out there instead of JT should give IT, Gay, and Cousins more space for their 1on1 ball, which will hopefully reduce the amount of turnovers they make.

Afraid to bench Gay? The guy just got here. Malone has proven that he isn't scared to shake things up, or cut minutes by a significant amount.

Gay hasn't played well in these last couple of games, but I don't understand the overreaction, and getting so down on everything after a loss. I definitely hope we find a way to D. Will more involved, but I don't understand the doom and gloom.

 

[Entity]

I think Gay is hurting. Somewhere in the left shoulder area. I can't remember exactly the time but I remember him hurting it and getting to the line. been favoring it since.

 

[Kingster]

I'm just not seeing the defense from Williams that I'd like to see. And I think Malone sees the same thing. Last night the Kings had a fast break and Williams didn't join the party, even though he would have helped because the fast break resulted in a loose ball instead of a layup and it's possible he could have been there to get the ball. I've see this lack of effort several times now. So far, the key has not been turned to activate his defensive motor.

 

[King Baller]

I think Gay is hurting. Somewhere in the left shoulder area. I can't remember exactly the time but I remember him hurting it and getting to the line. been favoring it since.

This, Gay is playing hurt.

I think I will let Malone and crew have more than one practice with the new players before I declare the sky is falling

Merry Christmas!

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

The part that bothers me is that they told Derrick that he would get all the opportunity he could hope for, to show what he can do...they start out by doing just this and showing him with action that they want him to be the man for the 3 position. He's in the starting lineup right away and immediately produces, including very solid defense,.. answering the question that was there about whether he could play the 3 position or not. After those first few games, it was no question that he could play the 3 efficiently on both ends.

So he's playing the best of his career right away for us, looking like he's going to start moving towards his full potential as such a high draft pick, peaking with a career high 31 and very efficient overall game against Dallas, including very solid defense when he ended up on Dirk Nowitski. What happens two games later? He no longer starts and his time on the floor tapers off rapidly.

Also not to be forgotten, is he worked with Ben McClemore within the offense and on the fast break like no other player we've seen this year. Those two were creating some good chemistry. Williams setup Ben at the rim several times, with Derrick leading those breaks with ball handling....again answering another question about whether he could play the 3 position. Simply put, he looked for Ben all over the floor with consistency. He didn't forget about him, like everyone else seems to do.

At the very least, the best flow, rhythm, feel, and confidence of his career has been screwed with. No good

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

I'm just not seeing the defense from Williams that I'd like to see. And I think Malone sees the same thing. Last night the Kings had a fast break and Williams didn't join the party, even though he would have helped because the fast break resulted in a loose ball instead of a layup and it's possible he could have been there to get the ball. I've see this lack of effort several times now. So far, the key has not been turned to activate his defensive motor.

When he was starting and had his rhythm going, he played very solid defense

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

The Rudy Gay trade was just simply a way to complicate things for the team, in the first place why would they trade for another wing player in Rudy Gay when in fact the team already have traded for Derrick Williams or maybe the team is thinking they would put Derrick as the sixth man of the Kings.

He's not a "6th man" type of player. As much as IT is ideal for that, DW is not. He needs to start, if we really expect to get the most out of him

 

[Kingster]

When he was starting and had his rhythm going, he played very solid defense

That may be. But regardless of whether he starts or he doesn't start, there's no excuse for the lack of defensive effort. I've seen way too many times where he is just floating around, waiting to back on defense, rather than getting into the action on defense.

 

[upinsmoke]

Williams should start he has shown he fits in well and our bench could use the firepower Rudy and MT COULD provide. Now about that JT fella.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

Williams should start he has shown he fits in well and our bench could use the firepower Rudy and MT COULD provide. Now about that JT fella.

With "nothing to lose" at this point, why not shake things up? Start Acy at the 4 and bring back Williams into the starting lineup at the 3 where he was rising

 

[hrdboild]

I don't think losing minutes to Rudy Gay has hurt Williams' confidence all that much, but it does seem to have affected his style of play. When he was the starter he was hustling, running hard on fastbreaks, and looking to set up his teammates. Now he's been doing a lot of floating around the perimeter without it amounting to much. It's particularly distressing to see all of these guys pulling up on the fastbreak now and holding the ball. It happened all game against NO -- Ben did it, Derek did it, IT did it. They're just not in sync with each other right now. Whether Williams starts or not, he's not helping the team much the way they're using him right now. When he does shoot the ball he's shooting it with confidence, and then we just don't go back to him again the rest of the game.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

That may be. But regardless of whether he starts or he doesn't start, there's no excuse for the lack of defensive effort. I've seen way too many times where he is just floating around, waiting to back on defense, rather than getting into the action on defense.

There's probably no legitimate excuse for much of anything that someone is capable of when healthy. Unfortunately it doesn't play out that way. Details make a difference in what we get from players. Things like playing time, whether they start or not, where they are positioned on the floor, whether someone wants to call them a "power forward" or a "small forward".

Many of these things that really shouldn't make a difference or be a cause for 'excuse', do indeed make a difference. We've seen it over and over again with many players in different situations

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

Look at Jason Thompson stat line tonight - seriously! Look at JTs constant whining, throwing fits, acting childish after any play that goes wrong that he's involved in or even remotely involved in. Derrick Williams will be starting at PF quicker than you think. Probably this Friday against Miami. Otherwise, Coach Malone's most recent comments will be ringing rather hollow.

The problem is that even if we do start DW at the 4, we're still not gonna get the most out of his skillset for the NBA. His advantage is at the 3

 

[HereWeBoogie]

What exactly was the point of trading for Derrick Williams again?

i think a better question would be what was the point of trading for Rudy Gay?

 

[Kingster]

With "nothing to lose" at this point, why not shake things up? Start Acy at the 4 and bring back Williams into the starting lineup at the 3 where he was rising

I'm all in favor of shaking things up if there is some net benefit to it. But if Malone is all about defense right now, I just don't see why he would reward Williams by giving him a starting position or more time. That would incentivize exactly what he doesn't want from the rest of the team - poor defensive effort. To me, you continue to play the guy, but don't give him a lot of pt until he comes off the bench like a tiger starving for meat. Right now, he appears to be a veggie sort of a guy.

 

[bajaden]

26:34 min
35:13 min
32:13 min
30:28 min
23:34 min
22:01 min
25:22 min
27:27 min
11:54 min
24:25 min

This is to dispel the idea that Williams isn't getting enough minutes. Jimmer would die to get those minutes. He's played 23 minutes or more except for one game, and is averaging 25.7 minutes for the ten games he's played for us. I really don't think he's played that badly either. His problem right now is that he's been on the floor at the same time as some ball dominate players, like Gay, Cuz, and at times IT. He's not shooting the ball that badly, he just isn't getting as many shots as before. As to why, well you'd have to ask Malone.

We all need to remember that this is a team in transition. By the end of next season, probably the only player left on the team from the Smart era will be Cousins, and possibly IT. I suspect that some of you people would tear out a new lawn if they didn't see some grass growing two days after planting it. Right now, winning is an accidental by product of what the Kings are doing. So don't expect a lot of it, and enjoy the times we do. But whatever you do, don't over analysis it, because this isn't a normal process were going through. We're blowing up the entire team, and our front door is now a revolving door. Some newcomers will stay, and some will never get out of the doorway. To use Malone's words, they have the hood open looking to see what they have inside. They have the engine in Cousins, but they need to replace some of the old parts that support him. Some of those parts are hard to come by.

 

[Kingsfan23]

If Rudy keeps on throwing bricks, maybe just trade him for a defensive minded player, whether it's a big or a perimeter defender then start Derrick at SF.

We were noted as being the only team willing to take on his contract in the first place so I doubt he could be traded for value

 

[Glenn]

This is to dispel the idea that Williams isn't getting enough minutes. Jimmer would die to get those minutes. He's played 23 minutes or more except for one game, and is averaging 25.7 minutes for the ten games he's played for us. I really don't think he's played that badly either. His problem right now is that he's been on the floor at the same time as some ball dominate players, like Gay, Cuz, and at times IT. He's not shooting the ball that badly, he just isn't getting as many shots as before. As to why, well you'd have to ask Malone.

We all need to remember that this is a team in transition. By the end of next season, probably the only player left on the team from the Smart era will be Cousins, and possibly IT. I suspect that some of you people would tear out a new lawn if they didn't see some grass growing two days after planting it. Right now, winning is an accidental by product of what the Kings are doing. So don't expect a lot of it, and enjoy the times we do. But whatever you do, don't over analysis it, because this isn't a normal process were going through. We're blowing up the entire team, and our front door is now a revolving door. Some newcomers will stay, and some will never get out of the doorway. To use Malone's words, they have the hood open looking to see what they have inside. They have the engine in Cousins, but they need to replace some of the old parts that support him. Some of those parts are hard to come by.

Did you say "don't over analyze it?" Really??

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

This, Gay is playing hurt.

I think I will let Malone and crew have more than one practice with the new players before I declare the sky is falling

Merry Christmas!

You might not be, but sounds like MALONE declared the sky already has fallen last night. Haven't ever had a coach respond like this...I'm going to sit back and get some popcorn, this is just getting 'good'.