Five Questions About the Kings

[Bricklayer]

1) Super Bibby Where Art Thou?

I have unconfirmed reports from the B.O.B.s (brothers of Brick) that Hubie Brown made some remark about Bibby's shooting percentage going up since the trades. If so, it will just reconfirm my long-standing opinion of him as a guy who knows basketball, but has never taken the time to get his facts right about players or the NBA.

In February, Bibby was on a ridiculous tear + playing like a near superstar. But no player seems to have been burdened as much by the trade, and the loss of Brad to boot. He's not a one-on-one PG -- he works best with a big man in the pick and roll -- and in Sacto has always had big man help running the offense as well:

Feb: 40.6min 19.1FGA 26.0pts (.494 FG% .438 3pt% .730 FT%) 5.1rebs 6.3ast 1.7stl 0.4blk 2.6TO
Mar: 40.6min 17.9FGA 19.4pts (.390 FG% .300 3pt% .805 FT%) 3.6rebs 8.0ast 1.5stl 0.3blk 3.1TO
Aprl: 36.0min 19.5FGA 20.5pts (.359 FG% .500 3pt% .778 FT%) 3.0rebs 6.5ast 2.0stl 0.5blk 3.0TO


2) Is the Bloom Off the Skinner Rose?

In the first part of March Brian Skinner stepped in for Brad Miller and provided us with an inspiring burst of inside play, one of the finest stretches of his career no doubt. A double double every night, and was averaging 2-3blks as well. But then came the Golden State game where he sprained both thumbs, and he hasn't been the same since -- numbers are still there at times, but the effectiveness ans impact seem to be way down. Might still be hurting, had the illness as well, but also simply might have been thrown off stride after his long stretch if inspired play -- doesn't take much to bring a player down to Earth sometimes, and Brian Skinner has never been better in this league than he was there for us in a stretch. Might just have been a hot streak.

A secondary question would be how much impact was Brian having in the first place? I love his attitude and approach, but as we have continued to get pounded in the middle game after game after game despite having what statistically looks to be ouor best shotblocker since Keon, it has occured to me that Brian may not have any "spillover effect". A great shotblocker/interior defender doesn't just block 3 shots, he intimidates 10 others and alters the offensive thinking of the entire opposing team. I think Brian may be one of those players who is sort of a "surprise shot blocker", as in he jumps up to suprise guys and gets a good number of blocks, but that's pretty much all he gets. He blocks 3, but the rest of the time the opposing team continues taking and making its normal shots. In fact I would be willing to say that I see teams being far more aware of Tag when he is in the game (note how many times dribblers will dribble through the paint rather than attempt a shot when he is in there) than they are of Brian. Might just be a pure size issue.


3) What's with KTs first quarter shooting?

I did not get to watch the game yesterday, but the game watch displayed a familiar and uncomfrotable pattern: in the first quarter Kenny Thomas once again took more shots than Mike, Cat or Peja. And it seems to happen a LOT. Almost every game in fact. But oddly, he then seems to really back off and may only take 5 or 6 shots the rest of the game. And I don't know which part of that is out of whack. But its as odd and consistent a pattern as Cat suddenly taking half of our shots in the 4th. Is he tirign himself out? Getting reprimanded by the coaches or players? Is it a gameplan to establish him? Whatever it is, odd to see us leading off with our #4 weapon to start every game.

4) How Gone is Corliss?

After another no production in 10 minutes performance yesterday, does Corliss have ANY chance of sticking here beyond this year? Seems like a fish out of water. Gets hot once every 5 games + then scores in bundles. But there are so few minutes for him at his natural SF behind Peja, and he just does not seem to be able to be effective in a short 10 minute stint. Needs a consistent 15-25 to be a strong impact bencher, but the only way to get him those minutes is to play him at PF which is just disastrous for our interior defense.

5) What Have the Pod People Done With Eddie House, and Are They Coming For You Next?

Over Eddie's career his defining trait, the one that actually gave him what value he had around the league, was his ability and willingness to force the action offensively, and when hot, to score points in bunches. And when he first came to the Kings, he looked like Eddie House -- a lesser Bobby replacement who forced the action and showed questionable shot selection. But in the last 3-4 weeks it has become clear that he has been replaced by some sort of simulcrum or alien clone. His shot attempts are down, his shooting percentage is way way up (a career 39.8% shooter shot 54.4% in March and 71.4% so far in April) and now I am off to the gun store to stock up on ammunition for the imminetnt alien invasion.

 

[ReinadelosReys]

1) The guy just looks tired. As much as we need him to carry the load he can't do it or can't do it for long stretches.

2) I guess we have to give him the Sacramento King I'm oft-injured benefit of the doubt....Or just chalk it up to the "bubble" effect.

3) Talk to Philly Fans and that's exactly what they would tell you about KT. Here today, gone tomorrow. Very rare is the game where he'll be good for 4 Qs.

4) Min...or should I say lack there of.

5) He's a streak shooter.

May I add a question:

What are the Sacramento Kings good at? What is their strength?

 

[bozzwell]

That was classic Brick. Encore!

Anyway, I'm not going to bother with 5, other then this: "I for one, welcome our Eddie-House-altering-pod-people overlords.

As for the rest of your posting:

1. Bibby can be either Batman or Robin, but not both. I am kind of peeved at RA not forcing Pedja and Bibby to work more on two man game. We tried everything else - or so it seems. Not in order to make Pedja something that he is not (pivot in Princeton/Big Man) but to help Bibbster (and maybe even Pedja). Everybody else and their wife can run pick-and-roll or screen rolls, why not those two guys? They command most of the attention by opposition as it is, let's mix it in with the crowd.

2. Skinner earned our patience. I never expected him to dominate like he did in some of his earlier games. This is WC basketball after all, there is always good or great Big Man just around the corner waiting to bring you down to Earth.

3. Eh.

4. Tottally agreed. We need Corliss and we need to find minutes for him, because this 10 minute thing ain't doing it. And I am not talking about playing Corliss at 5!

 

[Bricklayer]

2) I guess we have to give him the Sacramento King I'm oft-injured benefit of the doubt....Or just chalk it up to the "bubble" effect.

I forgot to mention this up above -- Brian Skinner has never stayed healthy over long periods of time in the NBA. I haven't followed his career closely enoguh to know how many games have been DNP-CDs as opposed to missed by injuries, but he's a prototypical King in regards to games played:

'98 LAC 21
'99 LAC 33
'00 LAC 39
'01 CLE 65
'02 PHL 77
'03 MIL 56
'04 PHL/SAC 42

 

[uolj]

1) Bibby is tiring out, physically and mentally. He will have a couple of inspired performances in the playoffs because he can, but the toll of the season will make it difficult for him to sustain it.

2) I think you can count on Skinner to give inspired stretches of play like he had to start his Kings career. Normal fluctuations caused by injuries, rotations, etc, will make him less of a factor than his very nice play earlier appeared to indicate he could be. His current play does nothing to diminish what his first few weeks here really showed - that he can provide some of the defensive/rebounding energy the team was lacking without completely disrupting the offense.

3) It seems Thomas is aggressive early. It would be nice if he toned it down a bit, but this scenario is much better than any one in which he is taking too many shots later in the game. The real question (that has been posed elsewhere) is what can be done to get Stojakovic more into the offense flow in the fourth quarter.

4) I don't see where Williamson fits with this team for the exact reasons you mentioned. Unless Stojakovic gets injured or traded, I doubt Corliss will be here next season.

5) I don't see much difference between the shots House is making now versus the ones he was missing before. I think now he is slightly more comfortable passing up a shot for another open man than when he first arrived (naturally), but other than that not much has changed in his style. I don't expect him to shoot 50+% for very much longer this year or next wherever he plays.

 

[quick dog]

In an effort to explain the inconsistent play of the Sacramento Kings there are a few additional questions:

6) Super Peja, Where Art Thou?

7) Is the Bloom Off the Mo Evans Rose?

8) What's with Mobley's First quarter shooting?

9) How Gone is Greg Ostertag?

10) What Have the Pod People Done With Kevin Martin?


"And the Beat Goes On", Sonny and Cher (Circa, The Pleistocene)

 

[kingsfannPDX]

I forgot to mention this up above -- Brian Skinner has never stayed healthy over long periods of time in the NBA. I haven't followed his career closely enoguh to know how many games have been DNP-CDs as opposed to missed by injuries, but he's a prototypical King in regards to games played:

'98 LAC 21
'99 LAC 33
'00 LAC 39
'01 CLE 65
'02 PHL 77
'03 MIL 56
'04 PHL/SAC 42

wow, that's not good. looks alot like c-webb's.

1. bibby is frustrated. with brad being out, the webber trade makes things harder for him. and as everyone else has noted, bibby is tired.

2. i really don't think he's that great of a player. he's solid at times but too inconsistent. he had a spurt of really good inspiring play when he first got here, but has sort of fizzled out since GS. he's not a center, he's only 6'9" and i don't think he likes playing center.

3. KT, not sure. hate to say it but i never liked him in philly, and i uhhh, nevermind.

4. i hope corliss isn't here next year.

5. house seems to be finally understanding his role. maybe playing with bibby has had something to do with it. whatever it is, keep it up.

i apologize if anyone thinks answers 2 through 4 are too negative. i guess petrie's got his hands full this summer.

 

[kingsfannPDX]

In an effort to explain the inconsistent play of the Sacramento Kings there are a few additional questions:

6) Super Peja, Where Art Thou?

7) Is the Bloom Off the Mo Evans Rose?

8) What's with Mobley's First quarter shooting?

9) How Gone is Greg Ostertag?

10) What Have the Pod People Done With Kevin Martin?


"And the Beat Goes On", Sonny and Cher (Circa, The Pleistocene)

6. daydreaming

7. yes

8. it sucks (sometimes will make up in 4th)

9. RETIRED

10. forbid him to play.

 

[KP]

On Corliss, Skinner, and KT...
Back up/starting role player guys are fun to cheer for, and even seem to overproduce, when they need to step up over short periods of time(especially on the Kings). When they have to start/play major minutes every game, and you really need them to produce night in and night out, you find out in a hurry why they have never been real succesful in their careers at doing so. You start to find out that a guy scoring 8 pts a game and grabbing 6 rebs in 15 min really can't really score 16 pts and grab 12 rebs in 30 min on a consistant basis(if he could other teams would have been playing him 30 mins). Kings fans are more guilty of this than most, they just love to propose benching starters and starting benchers, but they are finding out the hard way how good we had it. When Brad gets back it will help... mostly because we will have a quality guy to ride for 35 min(15,10,4-5 most nights) who is an established NBA all-star, and not just a good journeyman NBA player.

On Peja the Superstar...
I think he exists, at least he better or we are in some hot water for the next couple years. If he fizzles out this year in the postseason again we will have trouble getting a guy who can be that "Superstar" for Peja anyway. So I for one am hoping he can step up this postseason and show that he is the best player on this team, and lately he has been showing some signs... hopefully there is more to come.

 

[funsc]

KT and Cat's inconsistency and "shoot first" hurt the Kings. Mike is just too tired, and it's very true that he is at his best when there's a big man to make screens for him, and play pick and roll.

 

[4cwebb]

1. Bibby can be either Batman or Robin, but not both. I am kind of peeved at RA not forcing Pedja and Bibby to work more on two man game. We tried everything else - or so it seems. Not in order to make Pedja something that he is not (pivot in Princeton/Big Man) but to help Bibbster (and maybe even Pedja). Everybody else and their wife can run pick-and-roll or screen rolls, why not those two guys? They command most of the attention by opposition as it is, let's mix it in with the crowd.

I like the idea, but in practice I'm not certain it would help the offense too much. First, Bibby is a slower variety of PG, and getting him matched up against the quicker SGs of the league is not something the Kings offense should purposefully do. Second, Peja can be locked down by anyone crowding his space who is 6'3" or taller (see: Fred Hoiberg), so he's not exactly benefitting from the switch much, either, and his lack of a post game really hurts the options off a play like this.

 

[KingCookie]

1. Somebody sent out a league-wide bulletin that he gets frantic and careless when you trap him, because every team has been doing that to him all game long for a few months now. Thus, he's expending a ton of energy just bringing the ball up, and with only Eddie House as a backup, he's logging a ton of minutes. He'll be back to the same ol' Mike for the playoffs, we can only hope.

2. Injuries are part of it, but he really came here wanting to prove to Adelman and Sacramento that he wasn't just some chump tossed in with the trade, and played his arse off. I think he'll be better off when Brad returns and the brunt of the load isn't placed on his back.

3. Well, he replaced C-Webb, right?

4. Corliss just doesn't seem to fit with this offense. I wouldn't be surprised if he is out of here next year. There aren't sufficient minutes behind Peja, and he just can't get his groove going.

5. Eddie House...just keep shooting, baby. Alien or not, I don't care. Ride the wave.

 

[Folsom Al]

1) Super Bibby Where Art Thou?
2) Is the Bloom Off the Skinner Rose?
3) What's with KTs first quarter shooting?
4) How Gone is Corliss?
5) What Have the Pod People Done With Eddie House, and Are They Coming For You Next?

#1 - No doubt the King's offense is going thru some changes and Bibby is at the front of it all. I don't believe he's tired-tired, he is however having to work harder to get his shot which takes its' toll on Mike and he's just throwin' alot of shots up in the air when he drives to the bucket w/o anybody to dish-off to. If and when MIller gets back, Mike's play will improve.

#2 - I don't think so ... Skinner has yet to really show us what he's capable of. Here again, I feel upon Miller's return ... Skinner will come out smelling like a rose. I've noticed that when Skinner comes out to defend (leaving his man and the rim), the weak-side defense is either slow or non-existent. Not Skinner's fault.

#3 - No answer ... seems like he's fallen into the KING'S SYNDROME of POOR 1ST QUARTER STARTS !!! Maybe KT is better coming-in off the bench ...just wondering.

#4 - I think when Corliss scores ... that's a benefit. He's here to do the grunt and dirty work. Bang/Bump/Grind ... hard foul here ... hard foul there ... rebound-rebound-rebound (or at least box-out so the team can rebound better). Whether-or-not he's here next year ... questionable/expendable.

#5 - House contributes ...BOTTOM-LINE. I have yet to see him hurt the team out there. Maybe defensively cause of mis-matches, but that's to be expected ... he's a scrappy player, he makes it hard for his opponent to score by making him work.

 

[KKSloga]

In an effort to explain the inconsistent play of the Sacramento Kings there are a few additional questions:

6) Super Peja, Where Art Thou?

7) Is the Bloom Off the Mo Evans Rose?

8) What's with Mobley's First quarter shooting?

9) How Gone is Greg Ostertag?

10) What Have the Pod People Done With Kevin Martin?


"And the Beat Goes On", Sonny and Cher (Circa, The Pleistocene)

6. 23 pts per and 5 rebounds in last 12 games.
7. Yes because he sometimes wants to shoot to much instead of hustling and playing D
8. Streaky his entire career.
9. Adelmans biggest mistake, not giving Tag more time.
10. Who cares.

 

[mcsluggo]

#4 - I think when Corliss scores ... that's a benefit. He's here to do the grunt and dirty work. Bang/Bump/Grind ... hard foul here ... hard foul there ... rebound-rebound-rebound (or at least box-out so the team can rebound better). Whether-or-not he's here next year ... questionable/expendable.

corliss is a mediocre at best rebounder, and a defensive mismatch in every single game he plays (too slow to guard sf too small to guard pf)...

his ONLY value is as a scorer.

 

[VF21]

10) What Have the Pod People Done With Kevin Martin?

10. Who cares.

I care.

Kevin is a talented young man with a lot of heart and hustle, who has played hard every single time he's been allowed to take the court. He's our first-round draft choice and he needs to be allowed to develop. Even in VERY LIMITED garbage time against Cleveland, he got a steal AND an assist. He has some defensive skills and he should be looked at as part of the future of this team.

 

[NewMonkey]

1. Tired.
2. No. Skinner's minutes have been down over the last two weeks. In his first 10 games, Skinner only played less than 30 minutes twice. Skinner has played less than 30 minutes in four of his six appearances since then. I think his impact is similar, and I've specifically noticed him altering shots. There have been too many situations (like in the Cleveland game) where Rick goes with the insane 2nd half combo of Darius at Center and Corliss at Power Forward. Adelman even stuck Corliss on the 7'3" Ilgauskas for a while. Skinner just isn't playing as much.
3. You're right about KT's shots and I can't explain it either. I think it's due to Rick repeatedly saying the team needs to get off to good starts and Kenny taking it upon himself to (try) make it happen.
4. Corliss stays as a bench player if Peja goes. Or maybe Corliss goes with Peja for a star (Paul Pierce). I don't necessarily see Corliss as gone, though I agree on his limitations. Playing Corliss alongside Skinner off the bench would help mask some of his defensive and rebounding problems.
5. Is House going to become the next refugee Kings guard to become a good player elsewhere (see: Damon Jones, Mike James)?

 

[Pqster]

I have not seen the King's enough to answer all the questions intelligently so I won't embarrase myself.

as far as #3 KT- This frustrates me too I have seen KT get off for big number in the 1st, but his scoring disappears 2nd and 3rd

Couple of reasons I believe, he has to get going early or he struggles the whole game, always been like that, what confuses me is that his scoring is the only thing that disappears, still boards and plays D, the whole game! its not like his shot suffers cause he's concentrating on other things he don't even shoot. I'm not sure if he feels he needs to get others involved you will notice that all the great scorrers have no concience! That is an inate skill. Notice if he misses one or 2 he will stop shooting, So he will never be a first option because of what I stated previously. Somewhere some how being a role player became a bad word, or a role player somehow equalls a guy who comes off the bench, the league is full of starting role players. ONLY ONE DREAM TEAM.

 

[teamdimechampionship]

K.T. gets a lot of shots because thats what the D gives us. They trap Mike hard on the pick and roll and let Kenny hoist em up. Once he misses a couple I think Mike starts to look other places. The only problem is Mike is best when he's just taking what the D gives. He doesn't like to force things but he'll learn. This is all new to him. He's too smart and talented not to adapt to his new role. I just hope its not next year!

 

[KKSloga]

10) What Have the Pod People Done With Kevin Martin?



I care.

Kevin is a talented young man with a lot of heart and hustle, who has played hard every single time he's been allowed to take the court. He's our first-round draft choice and he needs to be allowed to develop. Even in VERY LIMITED garbage time against Cleveland, he got a steal AND an assist. He has some defensive skills and he should be looked at as part of the future of this team.

Yes he is talented but he is not part of the immediate concern for the Kings this season.

 

[Padrino]

i think everybody is asking the wrong questions. the bloom aint off anybody's rose. the honeymoon for the new guys may be over, but they arent playing any better or any worse than is within the scope of reasonable expectation. mike bibby may be tired, and this may be a valid excuse, but its all on his shoulders to bring this team back to its old form. at this point, if mike is frustrated and struggling, the team will be frustrated, and the team will struggle. he needs to be the leader, again. he needs his swagger back. the offense may not be clicking like we wish it would, but the kings are still putting up 100+ points a game with ease. they struggled offensively against the wolves, and still put 100 on the board. the problem isnt defense, either. we all know the kings are a poor defensive team, and we dont expect them to become defensive stalwarts overnight. the problem lies where it always has every year at right about this time: in the head. the kings have an awful habit of lapsing mentally down the stretch of the regular season. its a trend that i've noticed since after their glory season in 01-02. the reason for all of the wild inconsistency is because the kings simply do not believe they are winners. they do not believe they can win w/o brad miller and w/o bobby jackson, which is of course ludicrous because they have won w/o them in the past.

i am obviously not in each kings' head, and i cannot site sources to back up my inference, but i do notice that, in interviews, i hear several kings pointing to brad miller's and bobby jackson's return, saying things will get better once they come back. the guys getting PT right now do not believe they can win. they are stuggling, they are frustrated, and they are "retreating and whining" as the article a coupla days ago said. their collective mentality is all wrong, and that is why they cannot play two good games in a row. whatever confidence they draw from a single win is obviously not good enough, cuz they either look great, or look awful. the kings have no shot of getting out of the first round if their collective confidence level doesnt improve. adelman wants to see some fire in his starters. i do, too. they dont look like winners when ya look at their eyes on the court. the swagger is gone. it has been replaced by a somber, brooding, stooped-shouldered, lazy-eyed gaze. the only thing stopping the kings from winning is themselves. when they regain their fire and intensity, they will win again, and they will win a lot. the fire was doused in detroit, but it reappeared in cleveland. then it was MIA against minnesota. we'll see if it is there tonight, and if it is, we'll see if its there to stay.

in bibby we trust.....

 

[LPKingsFan]

in bibby we trust.....

No, I think it's more like in Bibby we must

 

[heypartner]

re: #3, I agree with teamdimechampionship. I find that anything happening off the start is most often a team strategy defined by the coach. I find it rather common among several NBA teams to test out the defense in the 1st quarter or, similarly, to establish something early that generally helps the stars on the team.

In the case of PnRs without star PFs, you test the defense to see if they'll trap the guard to make the PF shoot away. Also, even without a PnR, you can have a downpick by KT for Peja with KT fading to the wing off of it. Or you can have the defense overplaying the strongside resulting in a weak side swing pass to KT to have an ISO where the defense might not be moving to prevent his drives. All of these can result in KT getting alot of shots in the 1st (I've seen this at Hou, Philly and Sac, plus I've seen this with other similar PFs) within the team concept. imo, it happens when the defense sets off to make a statement in how they guard the stars like Bibby and Peja, and actually make the Kings go to other options. If KT burns them, even with just a couple baskets, then I've seen defenses adjust to be more honest with the stars, thus the offense starts going through them the rest of the game, and you don't see the KT plays much again. in otherwords, you gotta make the defenses step out to guard guys like Miller and KT. If they don't play them honestly, it makes it harder for Bibby and Peja.

 

[BigWaxer]

[font=&quot]

corliss is a mediocre at best rebounder...

his ONLY value is as a scorer.

I don't at all agree with that. He has a decent defensive/rebounding game. Won 6th man before and that was not for his offense only.

Don't agree with most the posts above either. Adleman has not made a mistake by not playing Tag. He is overweight, out of shape and obviously can only hang during the first 8 min at the start of the game. Its not Adleman's fault the guy is not in shape and hasn't kept himself in good condition.

[/font]

 

[Bricklayer]

[font=&quot]

. He has a decent defensive/rebounding game.
[/font]

Um...not sure at all how to be diplomatic about this, so...you are very wrong about that. Corliss has always been a very limited player in all ways except offense. He's a bad athlete for a SF, and way way too small for an NBA PF. If he gets the right matchup he'll be physical, and he'll give a hard foul. But that's not the same thing as being able to stay with quick SFs on the perimeter or big PFs inside.

 

[BigWaxer]

Um...not sure at all how to be diplomatic about this, so...you are very wrong about that. Corliss has always been a very limited player in all ways except offense. He's a bad athlete for a SF, and way way too small for an NBA PF. If he gets the right matchup he'll be physical, and he'll give a hard foul. But that's not the same thing as being able to stay with quick SFs on the perimeter or big PFs inside.

I agree with everything you said Brick. 100% agree. I didn't say great Defensive skills I said decent.

He does bring toughness inside which was more of what I was trying to say. He brings more inside presence then 9 of the other guys on the team. Well that may not be saying much

 

[BigSong]

1) No se. maybe feelin the pressure of bein #1??
2) No. Kings help defense just is becoming more apparent at how lame it is.
3) yeah your probably right. im a big KT supporter but at this point i think hes a bencher (a valuable bencher dont get me wrong) as far as the Kings are concerned.
4) Ask Petrie...
5) He should get more minutes til the playoffs, or whenever the aliens bring back the real one. seriously though i think hes just adapting well to the team, and hes learning where his best shots can be taken and thats what you want from a bench guard. if he continues this performance i'm thinking bobby is trade bait.

 

[mcsluggo]

[font=&quot]

I don't at all agree with that. He has a decent defensive/rebounding game. Won 6th man before and that was not for his offense only.

[/font]

Corlis is NOT a good defender or rebounder.

He is strong and short and slow. He would be a good defender of other short and slow players, but they are few and far between. He is too slow to defend 11 out of 12 sf players, and too small to effectively defend 4 out of 5 power forwards. (Don't bother checking my math, its pulled straigt out of my ss)

he also REALLY isn't a good rebounder. To put his rebounding in perspective, he has only managed to pull down as many rebounds as Peja's average ONE YEAR in his whole career. This from a guy who makes his living down low.

Corlis' contribution is whatever he can bring on offense.