Come on...I just got myself a Gay jersey for Christmas
From Grant's show...
- Thread starter Merdiesel
- Start date
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
would be nice, but George is a worse big man coach than half this board would be.
I would settle for some league average defense. That's all. Just average. All of a sudden the stupid use of Cuz wouldn't seem like such a huge deal.
enigma99a
Bench
Scoring isn't an issue, it's effort and defense. Yeah we don't have good defenders but the problem is effort. We have some cancers on the team that need to be be shipped
Unfortunately, I think the offense used feeds into the bad defense. Especially matching up in transition.
Okay, this is really bothering me now. Unless these sources were incorrect:
NBC Sports
Yahoo Sports
The last year of George Karl's 4 year deal is for 5 million dollars with a 1.5 million dollar buyout.
If the total value of the contract is 14.5 million and we've already paid 1.25 million for the end of last season and 3.25 million for this season that leaves only two years at 5 million left, only 6.5 million of which is actually guaranteed.
So why is everyone reporting now that we owe George Karl 10 million dollars?
Somebody is doing some pretty crapty journalism here, I'd just like to know who it is.
Padrino
All-Star
i love how melodramatic some of you can be. symptoms of the common cold appear in the players' ranks, and you cry "cancer!" jesus, give this team a coach who's more than half-awake, who will install a sensible defensive system, who will instill a culture of defensive effort, and who will hold his team accountable for that effort. then, from the owner on down, a renewed culture of defensive effort must continually be demanded. everyone needs to communicate that sense of urgency to one another, and it must be further emphasized during training camp, in practice, and at game time. there, problem treated, and we didn't even need to subject this franchise to the traumas of chemotherapy...
as constructed, this roster isn't anywhere near championship caliber; it still needs a considerable amount of work. but in the meantime, it has enough talent to compete for a playoff spot, and it's shown itself more than capable of committing to maximum effort when so motivated. the team just needs an effective leader on the sideline to marshal these players toward respectability. after all, there remain a ton of new faces among these kings. chemistry doesn't happen overnight, and for a growing team struggling to capture its identity, intangibles like chemistry and effort are easily undermined by divisive and uninspiring figures like present-day george karl...
fans can whine all they want about , but team-building in the nba isn't a hollywood production. charming platitudes don't get the job done. the toxic losing culture that hangs over this franchise was never going to dissipate by hiring a coach with karl's baggage. hell, his relationship with the team heading into this season started with the suggestion that nobody on the roster was untradable, including demarcus cousins. i mean, those who didn't see this coming just don't know their history. we knew what we were getting with george karl: an aging, ailing, stubborn head coach who prefers hyperspeed-paced basketball, doesn't commit to coaching defense, and regularly clashes with his players--both on the court and in the media. that certainly never sounded like the answer to me, though plenty were hypnotized by the phrase "hall-of-fame caliber," as if that alone should have been the primary concern when hiring a coach who needed to be of help in transforming the entire culture of an organization as dysfunctional as the kings. we got a guy who's only contributed to that dysfunction. go figure...
This right here
KingsFanSince85
All-Star
Says the a-hole that bitches and whines on a daily basis. It never stops with this guy. He's the last guy that should be telling someone how they should behave.
I think Grant is frequently out of line, particularly when he uses the Kings game broadcasts to grind his own personal axes. (We're a captive audience who just wants to enjoy the game -- not cool!) But on this particular issue I think he has a point. I didn't listen to the show so I wouldn't be surprised if he made the point in an obnoxious way, but there's a seed of truth there I agree with. The moping and complaining do have to stop. I grew tired of Jason Thompson's endless complaining to the refs and Cousins has carried that tradition on with gusto.
I will say, in his defense, it's a bad habit for him that he is aware of and has tried to break in the past. That summer playing with team USA leading into the start of the 2014-2015 season, the progress was significant. The problem is he's a passionate guy and he slips back into it when he's upset -- and he's had a lot to be upset about since early last season. You could take the stern parent stance and say it's not the role of the organization to manage DeMarcus' ego and keep him happy but I would counter that all professional athletes are basically big kids. By the time they garner enough real-world experience to really be called adults their careers are winding down. And we succeed as an organization when DeMarcus succeeds. What have we got to lose here? Appoint somebody to gently remind DeMarcus of his own promise to cut down the technicals and keep his head in the game. Make a playful game out of it like Reggie Evans did. Just provide him some support of some kind. Sportscasters seem to think it's pandering when we make special arrangements to manage DeMarcus' temper, but he's our franchise player dammit! What's shameful about trying to keep him happy?
In summary -- DeMarcus needs to own this a little more than he has been and recommit to cutting the tech-baiting theatrics out of his game. And the team needs to support him in this and do what they can to keep him on track. Accountability is good, but that doesn't mean we should put him on an island until he figures it out on his own.
Siranthony
Starter
Cousins has the potential to be a superstar. He doesn't bring it every night. He mopes, loses his temper etc etc. Instead of listening to coaches he tries to get them fired. Clean that up and yes he would be.
Bruiser62906
Prospect
I may be late to this party but I'll ask one question.
Have the kings not made the playoffs because Cousins is on this team or, has Cousins not made the playoffs because he plays for the Kings.
Have the kings not made the playoffs because Cousins is on this team or, has Cousins not made the playoffs because he plays for the Kings.
Chicken Chaser
Bench
OT: That's almost the same amount of time it took Voyager 2 to reach Uranus!
http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/278-How-long-does-it-take-to-get-to-Uranus-from-Earth-
Albatros
Starter
He might butt heads with his coaches pretty frequently but I wouldn't say he "tries to get them fired."
Basically the only thing that annoys me with Cuz is the above mentioned moping, I can't abide anyone hanging in the backcourt while the other team gets a layup just because you perceive there to have been a bad call.
Sorry thats selfish basketball and it happens way too often.
K
KingMilz
Guest
Yeah but Dwight while lacking in skill was a physical specimen in Orlando and one of the best ever defensive bigs/rebounders the game has seen, it's not really a good comparison. Cousins even though he's massive and mobile can't physically (he does it more through skill) dominate a game in the same way Dwight did during his prime.
Albatros
Starter
I wasn't really comparing them per say, Dwight is 10 times the athlete cuz is but offensively was and is fairly one dimensional, but SVG was able to make him an absolute stud on both ends of the court with very little thought.
Cuz has 10 times the offensive "talent" of Dwight but we've not seen one coach able to put him in a position to succeed, honestly Cuz's domination of games is usually more about him just taking it upon himself to make a play rather than any interesting set plays that feed into his ability.
Under Karl he's been much more of a high post dribble drive player, almost a small forward and obviously, while he's had some success that really is one of the last places you'd stick someone like Cuz.
I don't hate him taking the odd three honestly but taking him off the block or the high post as a passer is basically just handicapping your own team.
Thanks for all the tweet updates VF.
IfAt1st
Starter
Is Deuce deliberately trying to make himself sound this stupid?
He actually made the "argument" (statement) that "Come on, people! George Karl is not the problem! It can't be 'scheme! scheme! scheme!' - was it 'scheme' when they won 5 in a row?"
Newsflash to Deuce (who apparently missed those games) - YES, Karl's schemes were crap during that 5 game win streak, too!
You are a professional who has a responsibility not to just spew dumb statements about the Kings - you need to know more than the dumb-as-rocks people who point to the W/L record like that's the entire and only story.
Most knowledgeable fans (like us here at KF) were still complaining about the crap schemes even during the magical 5-game win streak.
Jesus, this is EXACTLY what I've been talking about - if these players didn;t like the coaching schemes, why would they want to win? Everyone apparently only looks at the W/L and doesn;t analyze anything.
Winning does not fix everything. Most reasonable human beings can still be analytical even in the face of a winning streak.
P.S. Agggghh!!! Deuce just quoted Zach Lowe's repeated bashing of Vlade, spewing the critique "Uh, he could have just used the stretch provision instead of trading Carl Landry, blah blah blah"
Newsflash - if the stretch provision is used, you are handicapping your team for YEARS afterwards!
Again, you're a working professional covering the Kings - you are supposed to know the nuances of team moves, not just repeat stupid national media's simplistic complaints about the team.
I knew there was a reason why I don;t listen to the morning show.....
He actually made the "argument" (statement) that "Come on, people! George Karl is not the problem! It can't be 'scheme! scheme! scheme!' - was it 'scheme' when they won 5 in a row?"
Newsflash to Deuce (who apparently missed those games) - YES, Karl's schemes were crap during that 5 game win streak, too!
You are a professional who has a responsibility not to just spew dumb statements about the Kings - you need to know more than the dumb-as-rocks people who point to the W/L record like that's the entire and only story.
Most knowledgeable fans (like us here at KF) were still complaining about the crap schemes even during the magical 5-game win streak.
Jesus, this is EXACTLY what I've been talking about - if these players didn;t like the coaching schemes, why would they want to win? Everyone apparently only looks at the W/L and doesn;t analyze anything.
Winning does not fix everything. Most reasonable human beings can still be analytical even in the face of a winning streak.
P.S. Agggghh!!! Deuce just quoted Zach Lowe's repeated bashing of Vlade, spewing the critique "Uh, he could have just used the stretch provision instead of trading Carl Landry, blah blah blah"
Newsflash - if the stretch provision is used, you are handicapping your team for YEARS afterwards!
Again, you're a working professional covering the Kings - you are supposed to know the nuances of team moves, not just repeat stupid national media's simplistic complaints about the team.
I knew there was a reason why I don;t listen to the morning show.....
Showtime
Starter
He's not a franchise player on a NBA team. SMH
KingsFanSince85
All-Star
Doesn't matter. At all. There's no set of rules governing someone's personality. Just because you or others think that they would behave differently doesn't mean you are right. Everyone is different.
Charles Barkley was a volatile and outspoken superstar. He even spit on a fan once. He won a lot of games and performed well in the playoffs and Olympics. Anybody claiming Cousins can't lead a winning team simply because of his on court attitude is full of it. Pure and simple.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Melo was drafted onto a team that had won only 17 games the year before, and he took them to the playoffs his rookie year with essentially the same roster. He made a difference. Cuz, who I like, has never had that kind of impact, for whatever reason. The argument here seems to be that Cuz needs good players around him to make him better. Where I always thought of a superstar as a player that plays with average players, and makes them better.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Not sure, but I think the chicken came first!
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
You've made this claim several times, but I think you may be misremembering history.
Melo was yet another star talent who walked into a very nice situation set up very nicely for him by a front office that wasn't being run by a bunch of idiot monkeys.
His rookie year team in 2003-04 was better designed than any team Cousins has ever been part of. Textbook balanced.
Here was his starting 5:
Marcus Camby (72gms) -- shotblocking and rebounding
Nene Hilario (77gms) -- post playing PF
Carmelo Anthony (82gms) -- scoring SF
Voshon Leonard (73gms) -- 3&D SG
Andre Miller (82gms) -- pass first PG
and then a bench full of good roleplayers: Chris Anderson, Earl Boykins, Jon Barry, Francisco Elson
worldbeaters? No. But textbpook construction. Every role filled, no holes, multiple young talents steadied by vets from winning situations.
And the year before (2002-03)?
Marcus Camby played 29gms
Nene was a rookie
Andre Miller hadn't arrived yet
Melo wasn't there
16 different players started, only 1 of whom started more than 53 games. Now what does that remind you of? The list:
Juwan Howard (77)
Nene (53)
Junio Harrington (51)
Vincent Yarbrough (39)
Ryan Bowen (31)
Donnel Harvey (27)
Mark Blount (24)
James Posey (24)
Chris Whitney (20)
and 7 more no names, including the famous Nikoloz Tskitishvili who played in 81 games that year for them.
The 2002-03 Nuggets and 2003-04 Nuggets were not REMOTELY the same teams. In 2003-04 the Nugets did for Melo what no Kings front office has even attempted to do for Cuz until this seaosn, 6 years in. Throw Melo in that 2002-03 mess and then you would have an accurate recreation of Cousins' experience in the NBA. Chaos and scrubs. Constantly.
I was about to post the same thing. Everyone really needs to look at the first five years of any other "superstar" of the last 15-20 years. None of them had anything close to the poopshow of player/coach/FO that Cuz has had.
SacKings384
Starter
Lebron, probably. But he is a top three all time player. So that's probably not fair.
I think baja is right. There is just a little something missing in claiming that so far n his career Cuz is a superstar. I root for him making it but he is not there yet. It 's foolish to push the idea that he is because it does him a great disservice. Go Cuz!!!
