First 58 games - Theus: 26-32 Musselman: 26-32

#1
Sam Amick pointed out something interesting in his blog post today, which is that we have the same 26-32 record at this point in the season that we had last season.

I happen to like Theus better than Musselman, but "lower expectations" is his MVP this season.
 
#2
I happen to like Theus better than Musselman, but "lower expectations" is his MVP this season.[/quote]

I like Theus better, too. But the last 24 games are going to be the difference between the two seasons. Didn't we go like 8-16 or something last year? I know we have to play the young guys but I still think we're gonna have a better finish than last year.
 
#3
The other difference between the two is Almost every game the guys have played this year has been winnable with about 5 minutes left. I think we've had 6 negative blowouts. Aside from that, all the games have been pretty much down to the wire, except for maybe 3 or for of the wins. I think against San Antonio, Orlando, Detroit, and Milwaukee.

Either way, Theus is a little more personable than Musselman, and he knows how to use his personnell better, with the exception of Ron Ron.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#4
I surely hope Theus isn't looking at those stats and thinking he has to beat Musselman to prove his worth. I don't want to see the veterans playing extended minutes at this point at the expense of the kids. I've made no secret of my feelings about seeing Anthony Johnson on the court at all. He is not a part of the future of this franchise and I think it's patently unfair to use him over someone like Quincy, whose entire NBA future could depend on whether or not the Kings can actually find a niche for him.

As far as liking someone better than Musselman, I'd like Attila the Hun better than Mr. M.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#5
Sam Amick pointed out something interesting in his blog post today, which is that we have the same 26-32 record at this point in the season that we had last season.

I happen to like Theus better than Musselman, but "lower expectations" is his MVP this season.

The similarities in the two seasons go beyond just that:

Record
Muss: 26-32
Theus: 26-32

Pts For
Muss: 101.3
Theus: 100.8

Pts Against
Muss: 103.1
Theus: 103.1


And oh yes, team tunes out coach near end of season.
 
#6
Can't forget Theus played a majority of those games without Bibby and Ron and Kevin each missed 17 games this season already.

Muss had Bibby all 82 games, Kevin all but 2 games, and Artest missed 12 games all of last season.


My opinion is this team is being better coached and run better. Theus definitely has the chance to be a really good coach in the league. He just needs to get the players to work with.
 
#8
I surely hope Theus isn't looking at those stats and thinking he has to beat Musselman to prove his worth. I don't want to see the veterans playing extended minutes at this point at the expense of the kids. I've made no secret of my feelings about seeing Anthony Johnson on the court at all. He is not a part of the future of this franchise and I think it's patently unfair to use him over someone like Quincy, whose entire NBA future could depend on whether or not the Kings can actually find a niche for him.
I don't think he thinks he feels he absolutely has to beat Muss' win total from last year, tho I'm sure it's crossed his mind.

The bigger issue as pointed out by bricklayer is that a coach (especially a young coach like Theus trying to prove himself) is going to be looking out for himself every bit as much as a player in a contract year looks out for himself. And that means he's going to try to get the best record he can possibly get.

So while you maybe worried about developing the young guys, Theus is worried about building his resume. And why shouldn't he? He could play the kids just like you want him to but what's in it for him if he later gets canned anyways? If he gets canned, he at least wants the best W-L record on his resume.
 
#9
I don't think he thinks he feels he absolutely has to beat Muss' win total from last year, tho I'm sure it's crossed his mind.

The bigger issue as pointed out by bricklayer is that a coach (especially a young coach like Theus trying to prove himself) is going to be looking out for himself every bit as much as a player in a contract year looks out for himself. And that means he's going to try to get the best record he can possibly get.

So while you maybe worried about developing the young guys, Theus is worried about building his resume. And why shouldn't he? He could play the kids just like you want him to but what's in it for him if he later gets canned anyways? If he gets canned, he at least wants the best W-L record on his resume.
You know personally I would hope that Theus's bosses would look at more than a W-L record as to whether he should continue being a coach. If I was a GM, I would prefer a coach at this point in the Kings development that was good at managing egos and developing kids, not winning games. His ability to develop the team we have in the future should be the most important indicator of his financial success as a coach.

I hope that, but with the ineptitude the management of the Kings organization has shown in the last 4 years, I don't really believe that to be the case.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#10
You know personally I would hope that Theus's bosses would look at more than a W-L record as to whether he should continue being a coach. If I was a GM, I would prefer a coach at this point in the Kings development that was good at managing egos and developing kids, not winning games. His ability to develop the team we have in the future should be the most important indicator of his financial success as a coach.
Exactly.

TPTB know it's about more than W-L at this point and I honestly don't see them jumping up and down with joy if we garner a few more wins at the expense of the development of the kids. My fear is that Reggie's ego is taking front stage, instead of the development of players. Hopefully, if that is the case, he'll realize that playing the newer kids will do more for his reputation than a couple of meaningless wins garnered by giving way too many minutes to guys like Anthony Johnson.

Don't get me wrong, though. I have nothing against Anthony Johnson but I think he's as much a part of the future of the Kings as Tyronn Lue was.

I want to see heart and hustle, energy and excitement. It may be March and the Kings may be pretty much already planning what they're going to do after April 15th, but they can still put a product on the floor that's fun to watch. And Reggie owes it to the young players and to the fans he speaks so highly of to do exactly that.
 
#11
Exactly.
Hopefully, if that is the case, he'll realize that playing the newer kids will do more for his reputation than a couple of meaningless wins garnered by giving way too many minutes to guys like Anthony Johnson.
I agree that's how it should be looked at, but a guy like Mike Woodson in Atlanta has spent a lot of time giving big minutes to the young kids and he's helped them develop.

Yet the GM has tried to can the guy on multiple occasions. A lot of good that did Mike.

But the bigger issue for Woodson is that a few years from now, I don't know how much better of a shot he's going to have at a new job. Are teams going to remember that he was the guys who gave the Hawks' young guys a chance or just as a coach with lousy record who never had a winning season?

My guess is it's going to be viewed the latter. Is that fair? Hell no, but that's probably reality and that's something Reggie is no doubt fearful of.
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
#12
Can't forget Theus played a majority of those games without Bibby and Ron and Kevin each missed 17 games this season already.

Muss had Bibby all 82 games, Kevin all but 2 games, and Artest missed 12 games all of last season.


My opinion is this team is being better coached and run better. Theus definitely has the chance to be a really good coach in the league. He just needs to get the players to work with.
This is really the point that shows Theus is better in my opinion. The coming and going of players whether it by suspension, injury, or trade has been very disruptive.

Also, if there weren't squabbles in the locker room with a losing team, I'd be more worried than the way it is. They shouldn't either be happy or indifferent. They should care! (Please leave Artest out of my argument as I think he would create a fuss if the team was winning or losing although his latest hissy fit was because Theus said the players weren't trying hard enough. No one tries harder than Artest.)

Stats can be misused to cover the real story of the saga of this season.

AJ is not part of the future and he isn't part of the present. Man, he has lost athleticism.

To stay in the league with a solid career as a coach and not shuffled down the line (like the Sac Kings first coach) to an assistant position, a rookie coach has to win. That's the bottom line.
 
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#13
Theus absolutely shouldn't be worrying about the W-L record, he has very good job security regardless, if only because he isn't hated. Not by the Maloofs, not by fans, and as far as we can tell, he hasn't lost the team. I'd go so far as to speculate that he might be the Maloofs' favorite coach ever. With Muss still collecting checks, that means really great job security by NBA coaching standards.

He has also given us a chance to see more clearly what is wrong with the team. Two years ago, people could (incorrectly) believe that the real problem was with Adelman. Last year, they could easily believe it was with Muss. By now, it's clear that nobody could take this roster very far. All Reggie has to do is to keep losing gracefully, and to keep the players from coming unglued while the FO take their sweet ****ing time about rebuilding. That, alone, is quite a challenge, but I think he'll probably pull it off. It would take quite an explosion to overcome all that good PR.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#16
To stay in the league with a solid career as a coach and not shuffled down the line (like the Sac Kings first coach) to an assistant position, a rookie coach has to win. That's the bottom line.
I have to disagree. A rookie coach whose team is in transition and going absolutely nowhere until they get rid of some additional baggage isn't going to be judged on wins and losses.

Instead, I would strongly suspect and hope he's judged on how well he is able to help Petrie assess which players to keep and which ones to replace.
 

SacTownKid

Hall of Famer
#21
Can't forget Theus played a majority of those games without Bibby and Ron and Kevin each missed 17 games this season already.

Muss had Bibby all 82 games, Kevin all but 2 games, and Artest missed 12 games all of last season.


My opinion is this team is being better coached and run better. Theus definitely has the chance to be a really good coach in the league. He just needs to get the players to work with.

I think this is a very big factor, I know that Muss had his own problems but Theus by far has had one of the most screwed up roster from game to game earlier in the year I think I have ever seen. With the injuries/supensions/etc. it has just been wacky. I think if we were all healthy since the start we'd could maybe be about a .500 or above team. Of course as we all know that won't get you much nowadays. :eek:
 
#22
As I recall Reggie Theus signed a 3 year deal (2 yrs guaranteed) to coach the Kings for about $6 mil. As was pointed out earlier Musselman is still living large on remaining part of his huge contract fiasco. Theus is about 99.5% guaranteed to be head coach of the Kings next season and minus losing total control of his team and sinking into utter oblivion (ala Muss) he'll be around for awhile - maybe a very long time. I have no doubt Maloof family really like the guy a lot on a personal and professional level. They've long admired Reggie and to them he is - THE KING OF KINGS. I see all of this as a transition between cleaning up the Muss mess, some GP misfires, a few Maloof goofs as well - but mostly just dealing with heaps of horrible bad luck. Like karma, things eventually change and Theus is seen as part of the good luck solution, not another bitter problem for the organization. The arena situation remains a BIG issue, but even here the Maloof's have a coach who is extremely portable - he'd go over great in his UNLV hometown of Vegas or Anaheim next to his original LA stomping grounds. To cut to the chase, maybe the only hope for Kings fans lies in the upcoming mayoral race plus who stays or gets fired by the voters on the city council, board of supervisors, etc.
 

Entity

Hall of Famer
#23
Muss also had Corlis Williamson averaging 9pts 3reb a game and SAR averaging 9pts 5reb a game. he don't have that with Mikki Moore. Corlis and SAR are both post up guys. But to be fair Muss also didn't have Brad Miller averaging 15pts and 10reb or Garcia being this productive off the bench.

But no matter how the season comes out things just seem different with the way the players play on the court this year vs. last.

I am guessing we finish the season (24 games) with a record of 14-10 leaving us at 40-42 for the year.