EVANS is a ROOKIE... step away from the edge

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sactownfan

Guest
#1
#1
Hey i realize as psycho kings fans and basketball experts (lol)we all are highly critical of every little thing and player.... but people are getting way overboard on certain players.... mostly EVANS but it applies to alot of other players too...

Evans- is 20yrs old... now take a sec and think about what YOU were doing at 20! now think about what it must be like to face off against a legend at 20....

look Evans holds the ball to longs sometimes, he makes dumb TO's, he lets the clock run down too long.... blah blah blah.... HES BEEN THROWN INTO THE FIRE!!! and sometimes he will get burned.... and other times he flashes greatness... he is learning.... its not all his fault that things look so terrible during crunch time... you think hes the only one wide eyed out there???

Evans could end up being a hall of fame Point Guard... who know? hes special and being asked to do alot, with alot of pressure... half a year is to early to call him a failure at PG....

the lakers have been playing together for YEARS!!!! and have won championships together!!! they have multiple All-stars!!! Kobe, Pau, Odem, and Artest on the same team? you really expect our kids to go out there and be as good as them at every moment, right now? after being together for not even half a year.... with the 3rd NEW COACH in that many years?

their kids! chill the hell out! take it for what it is.... completive basketball being played with all their heart and all the effort they got... something we haven't seen in years.... its fun to watch! and we are becoming respectable again... lots of mistakes yes, but give them some more time.... and give them a break...

talk to me about how Evans is a PG failure in 2 years.... when hes 23... geez 23 ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
 
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rainmaker

rainmaker

Hall of Famer
#2
#2
Thanks for putting it in perspective. Seems that some here don't see it. I agree with everything you said except one part. Tyreke will be 22 in 2 years. But that actually helps your stance.

In general its funny to me how last week Tyreke was our savior, and this week he should be benched because he cost us games vs Cle and La. He is only 20, and will be downright scary by the time he's 22/23.
 
2

209king

Prospect
#3
#3
Great post man, i agree with everything you said.

Im freaking ecstatic that we got tyreke and hes the reason that I have watched damn near every single kings game this year.

I was losing my faith but now i believe in this organization and in all of these young guys and new coach. Its not time to panic, but rather be thankful that we had an amazing draft and our team is exciting to watch every night.
 
A

Asaf

Starter
#4
#4
rainmaker said:
Thanks for putting it in perspective. Seems that some here don't see it. I agree with everything you said except one part. Tyreke will be 22 in 2 years. But that actually helps your stance.

In general its funny to me how last week Tyreke was our savior, and this week he should be benched because he cost us games vs Cle and La. He is only 20, and will be downright scary by the time he's 22/23.
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I really don't think that those who wanted Tyreke benched meant they wanted him benched for the entire season. Tyreke was having a bad game, and the team was doing really well when he was off the court. In those circumstances, it is understandable that the fans would rather see Tyreke remain on the bench. In fact, I would be worried if most of the fans thought that Tyreke, due to his star status, should be given a license to do whatever he wants even if it means sacrificing the good of the team.

However, I do understand Westphal's stance, who is looking at the long term, and realizing that in the end it is worth suffering a loss here and there, in order for your players to learn the lessons they need to learn in order for this team to be in its best possible form when it really matters - in 2-3 years when it is contending for the NBA title.

Personally, I think that just like some people went overboard with the criticism of Tyreke tonight, a lot of people went overboard with praising him in the last couple of months. Tyreke is a wonderful player and has the potential to become a superstar, but it would not be healthy for him or for the Kings if everything becomes about him. The last thing the Kings need is to be stuck once more in a situation where they are completely dependent on one player. The beauty of this team is in the fact that it plays like a unit, and being overly reliant on one guy will just make the team take a step backwards.
 
rainmaker

rainmaker

Hall of Famer
#5
#5
Asaf said:
I really don't think that those who wanted Tyreke benched meant they wanted him benched for the entire season. Tyreke was having a bad game, and the team was doing really well when he was off the court. In those circumstances, it is understandable that the fans would rather see Tyreke remain on the bench. In fact, I would be worried if most of the fans thought that Tyreke, due to his star status, should be given a license to do whatever he wants even if it means sacrificing the good of the team.

However, I do understand Westphal's stance, who is looking at the long term, and realizing that in the end it is worth suffering a loss here and there, in order for your players to learn the lessons they need to learn in order for this team to be in its best possible form when it really matters - in 2-3 years when it is contending for the NBA title.

Personally, I think that just like some people went overboard with the criticism of Tyreke tonight, a lot of people went overboard with praising him in the last couple of months. Tyreke is a wonderful player and has the potential to become a superstar, but it would not be healthy for him or for the Kings if everything becomes about him. The last thing the Kings need is to be stuck once more in a situation where they are completely dependent on one player. The beauty of this team is in the fact that it plays like a unit, and being overly reliant on one guy will just make the team take a step backwards.
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I understand that, in restrospect. But how was Westphal suppose to know we would give away the lead by putting Tyreke back in the game. Thats has never happenned with Tyreke. for the most part, has been great at the end of games. Thats all Westphal has to go on. Thats my point. If I was coach, and we were up by 7, I would put Tyreke in to crush the Lakers. But it didn't work out this time. I just don't see how Westhphal gets criticized ffor that. He's not a fortune teller. He can't read the future. Did anyone really think if we put Tyreke back in we would lose? of course I mean at the time, not looking back on it.
 
TheFifthMookie

TheFifthMookie

Bench
#7
#7
I totally agree with this.

we went into a double overtime game with the reigning champions with a squad on the floor that consisted of 3 rookies, a 2nd year player, and Beno.

and people expect that squad to be perfect? This was a perfect learning game, just like the cleveland game.

I know I'm super excited to watch these guys nowadays, they're competitive, they want to win, they're still improving. Losses hurt less and Wins mean more when its like this.
 
Jkbiker

Jkbiker

Starter
#8
#8
Thanks to all of the posters in this thread

was uspet to see so many negative posts in the Grades Thread

Ditto to everything in the thread

I love this team, give us Kevin back, go get us a third big man thu trade or free agency, several more draft picks, another year playing together under our new coach. We are back baby

TYREKE dont listen to any of the negative posters, keep doin what your doin, WE LOVE YOU MAN!

GO KINGS YOU ROCK GUYS!!!!
 
Entity

Entity

Hall of Famer
#9
#9
He does need to learn. That Lebron and Kobe defending him in the last seconds is not the same as Brandon Jennings and Kirk Hinrich. Pass the damn ball kid.
 
P

Prince_XY

Starter
#10
#10
sactownfan said:
Hey i realize as psycho kings fans and basketball experts (lol)we all are highly critical of every little thing and player.... but people are getting way overboard on certain players.... mostly EVANS but it applies to alot of other players too...

Evans- is 20yrs old... now take a sec and think about what YOU were doing at 20! now think about what it must be like to face off against a legend at 20....

look Evans holds the ball to longs sometimes, he makes dumb TO's, he lets the clock run down too long.... blah blah blah.... HES BEEN THROWN INTO THE FIRE!!! and sometimes he will get burned.... and other times he flashes greatness... he is learning.... its not all his fault that things look so terrible during crunch time... you think hes the only one wide eyed out there???

Evans could end up being a hall of fame Point Guard... who know? hes special and being asked to do alot, with alot of pressure... half a year is to early to call him a failure at PG....

the lakers have been playing together for YEARS!!!! and have won championships together!!! they have multiple All-stars!!! Kobe, Pau, Odem, and Artest on the same team? you really expect our kids to go out there and be as good as them at every moment, right now? after being together for not even half a year.... with the 3rd NEW COACH in that many years?

their kids! chill the hell out! take it for what it is.... completive basketball being played with all their heart and all the effort they got... something we haven't seen in years.... its fun to watch! and we are becoming respectable again... lots of mistakes yes, but give them some more time.... and give them a break...

talk to me about how Evans is a PG failure in 2 years.... when hes 23... geez 23 ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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Sir, you have the gift of wisdom.

I absolutely agree with all of your post defending Evans on his rare and/but common rookie mistakes.
 
P

Prince_XY

Starter
#11
#11
Entity said:
He does need to learn. That Lebron and Kobe defending him in the last seconds is not the same as Brandon Jennings and Kirk Hinrich. Pass the damn ball kid.
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Pass the damn ball to who?

To someone not better than him?

I can see that if other players were open, or maybe if Kevin Martin was there he needs to pass the ball. But at crunch time, who would you prefer to have that damn ball? :p
 
A

AriesMar27

Guest
#12
#12
Prince_XY said:
Pass the damn ball to who?

To someone not better than him?

I can see that if other players were open, or maybe if Kevin Martin was there he needs to pass the ball. But at crunch time, who would you prefer to have that damn ball? :p
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to beno or casspi... well, anyone thats open i guess. they are young players, they wont be able to learn how to play in clutch situations if they dont take a shot? if evans is allowed to make rookie mistakes then let casspi make those same mistakes. let thompson, wait... he'll just foul out. but greene and casspi need to learn how to shoot under pressure, how do you expect them to learn with evans taking every shot.
 
Sparky6string

Sparky6string

Bench
#13
#13
Sometimes you gotta dance with the one that brought you. He's the best player on our team, so if we're going down I want Tyreke shooting it when we do. I still think that's going to be our best chance overall.
 
VF21

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#14
#14
As one of thsoe who was more than a little frustrated last night, I'd like to clarify something: I am not saying we need to kick Evans to the curb. In the heat of the moment, and the realization that we were actually in a position to WIN that game, I lost track of the obvious about Evans and the rest of our young squad. They're young, they're going to make mistakes and they - and WE - are going to have to suffer some growing pains before we get to where we all want to be.

I love this team. I'm incredibly proud of them for their efforts against the Cavs and the Lakers and if I may have made it sound last night like I didn't, I apologize.

:eek:
 
R

reid1boys

G-League
#16
#16
These were my commenst in the Cavs game thread after our disappointing OT loss:



This was a great game. This YOUNG team is making statements each night. They arent making the finals this year, forget it. But to be where we are right now after the past 2 seasons is a wonderful thing.

The crowds are going ot return to Arco and we all have a team worth getting excited about.

Now if someof you could tone donw your blame game crap.

Blamng Westphal for the loss?? Histerical.

Had Tyreke made that last shot everyone would be on here singing his praises for making such a great move by NOT calling a timeout.

Those comments apply here also. The only thing I was really pissed about, was the NOT calling timeout at the end of regulation THIS time. We had almost 22 seconds of game clock left.We went down and just stood there for 17 secs and then lost the ball. No reason to not cal timeout this time.

Other than that, our weak team from last season has rebounded and is now competing with the best teams in the nba on a nightly basis. We have been in position to win EVERY game we have played in the last 3 or 4 weeks. This team has done this in a matter of 1/3 of the season and some of you are complaining? Are you kidding me. NO team, and I mean NO TEAM goes from worst to first in the nba in one season. Just enjoy this ride fellas. Watching a team grow is part of the fun.

Sit back and enjoy!!!!
 
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sono

sono

Starter
#17
#17
Asaf said:
However, I do understand Westphal's stance, who is looking at the long term, and realizing that in the end it is worth suffering a loss here and there, in order for your players to learn the lessons they need to learn in order for this team to be in its best possible form when it really matters - in 2-3 years when it is contending for the NBA title.
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Ditto.
 
bajaden

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#18
#18
Well, I'll say it again. When the coach calls a play, and the play is run, whether sucessfully or not, the play in on the coach. You can't blame Evans for running the play that was called. Now if you want to be critical of how he ran the play, thats another story alltogether. Yes, he probably waited too long to initiate the play. But, thats how you learn.

Look folks. There's only one way you can learn how to go up aginst a Kobe or a LeBron at crunch time, and thats to go up against Kobe and LeBron at crunch time. And when your a 20 year old rookie, your probably going to fail more than you succeed at first. Westphal is looking at the big picture. Most of us are looking at one game, and some sort of revenge to go along with it when the Lakers are involved.

Let me bore you with a personal story. My father in law at the time taught me to ski. Since he was the first alternate on our olympic downhill ski team when he was 20 years old, you can assume that he knew something about skiing. He taught me to ski on the bunny hill at Mt. Rose. I progressed for the next year to the intermeditate slopes of most ski areas. One day we were skiing at Squaw Valley. I was having a great time battling my way down the intermeditate slope. My father in law Gene came up and said to follow him. He took me up to the top of Queens run. One of those black diamond expert runs. We went to the edge, he looked at me and said, just follow me, and was gone.

I stood there staring down at the steepest slope I had ever seen, with Moguls as high as my head. I gulped and started down. I didn't keep count, but I must have fallen at least 200 times. He was waiting at the bottom for me and laughing. I was angry and asked what the point of that was. He said follow me. We went back to the top of the intermeditate slope that I had been skiing on earlier and said follow me. Suddenly the slope that I had been somewhat struggling on earlier, seemed like a freeway. I Breezed down it like it was nothing. It was no longer challenging.

These failures will only make Evans better. Because you can only get better by going up against the best. Westphal knows this. He knows that Evans is going to be our guy. Our Kobe. Its just going to take time..
 
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Bricklayer

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#21
#21
Entity said:
He does need to learn. That Lebron and Kobe defending him in the last seconds is not the same as Brandon Jennings and Kirk Hinrich. Pass the damn ball kid.
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Actually what he needs to learn is how to take Lebron and Kobe in that situation -- that's the superstar. Any irrelevant scrub can pass it there, what Westphal is trying to teach Reke is how to dominate no matter who that guy across from you is. Now that is not saying he shouldn't pass until he's ready. But it is saying that that's not what this training is about. Kobe doesn't run screeching like a little girl if they put Lebron on him. Wade doesn't curl up in a little ball if Kobe switches onto him. And neither should/will Reke. He's a kid and not quite ready for that highest level. But when he is there is nothing and nobody you should be able to put in front of him.
 
est.1999

est.1999

Starter
#22
#22
I agree. Do you guys remember what Lebron was like during crunch time in his first couple years? How bout kobes 3 airballls in a row against Utah? This kid is learning and judging by his learning ability I'm sure he's gonna put this behind him and learn from it sooner rather than later. Coach knows what he's doing. We finally have a guy we can give the ball to at the end of games. Kevins been a disaster in that aspect as of late and although we had an amazing team in the early part of the decade we really didn't have a sure fire go to guy. Superstars win in this league. Superstars win close games in this league. But there's going to be many bumps in the road. I'm excited at what's in store for this team in the next few years!
 
Kingster

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#23
#23
It's amazing that we even have to have this discussion. News alert: Tyreke isn't going to be league MVP this year, and he will not lead the Kings to the championship. I guess the expectation were that Tyreke would dominate Kobe, hugh?:D
 
U

USNAVY15

G-League
#24
#24
I couldn't care less about the wins, if every game we play against top tier teams goes into overtime. Overtime losses to the best teams in the world are acceptable. On the other hand, getting spanked by any other team(bottom feeders) is not. I can live with loosing against 2/10 best players in the world in Kobe and Pau. But this team is being considered a .500 team, not a true .500 team, but they are up there. I appreciate the growth every game, and thankfully each game has kept our players safe from injury. Tyreke has plenty of time to worry about playoffs, and if this prepares him properly, we will be one step closer. I like that paul Westphal isn't allowing his team to digress. Some teams, its one step forward, 2 steps back. With the kings, its one step backwards, 2 steps forward. And that will work.
 
Sptsjunkie

Sptsjunkie

Starter
#25
#25
Bricklayer said:
Actually what he needs to learn is how to take Lebron and Kobe in that situation -- that's the superstar. Any irrelevant scrub can pass it there, what Westphal is trying to teach Reke is how to dominate no matter who that guy across from you is. Now that is not saying he shouldn't pass until he's ready. But it is saying that that's not what this training is about. Kobe doesn't run screeching like a little girl if they put Lebron on him. Wade doesn't curl up in a little ball if Kobe switches onto him. And neither should/will Reke. He's a kid and not quite ready for that highest level. But when he is there is nothing and nobody you should be able to put in front of him.
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Correct. The pass comes when the D throws 2-3 defenders at you and you trust your teammates. The Lakers actually present an extra challenge because with Bynum, Gasol and Odom in the game they have a lot of length inside. They have traditionally given King James fits because he cannot drive and finish as well on them as other teams. Although as James' jumper continues to develop that advantage will dissipate.

I personally like what PW is doing though. He is coaching this team for the future. Reke needs to learn these lessons and passing the ball off now instead of accepting the challenge will only delay these growing pains. Better to learn them in a season where we are not a playoff challenger.
 
VF21

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#28
#28
sactownfan said:
what if Evans had done this to end the game....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cch6iu6SfE&feature=player_profilepage

The only way Evans will learn to beat the best is facing the best... he did that and failed vs Lebron and Kobe his first time facing each of them at crunch time....

I believe in Evans! he will figure it out...
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I think that's what a lot of us, or at least me, keep forgetting. This kid is in his second month in the NBA and he's holding his own against the best the league can throw at him. His future - and ours - is looking better every day.

:)
 
bajaden

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#29
#29
VF21 said:
I think that's what a lot of us, or at least me, keep forgetting. This kid is in his second month in the NBA and he's holding his own against the best the league can throw at him. His future - and ours - is looking better every day.

:)
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I'll keep reminding you. Right after I remind myself...:D
 
S

sactownfan

Guest
#30
#30
VF21 said:
I think that's what a lot of us, or at least me, keep forgetting. This kid is in his second month in the NBA and he's holding his own against the best the league can throw at him. His future - and ours - is looking better every day.

:)
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lol! again i know its getting repetitive, but....

could you just imagine what it must have been like for Tyreke to have the ball in his hands, game on the line, looking into the eyes of KOBE, or LEBRON... im thinking what ever was going through Tyreke's head was probably the reason he was so delayed.... he might have needed to remind himself to breath... hes only watched these NBA moments till now... he'll remember this time and the time against Lebron and it will push him to get to the next level...

like kobe and those air balls.... now that was horrible.... you think Kobe used that experience to get to where he is today?
 
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