Game -1: Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 10/24/14, 7 PM PST 10 PM EST

[FaStRmAn]

I'm going to wait and see the starting roster on opening night before I start to consider panic mode. I just get the sense that guys like D-Will, Carl, etc. are seeing playing time because their heads are on the block. If they do not show an ability to play how we need them to play, I'm blindly hoping they will, in fact, soon be gone in some part of magical trade that brings us something good in return. And yes, I'm fully aware that sounds delusional.

If this is delusional, I am sharing the same delusion.

I am counting on the fact that players who are on the edge are getting playing time to showcase their...uh...talent for possible package deal. I would certainly like to see DWILL and Carl moved before the season starts or shortly thereafter. The trade deadline is a long way away, but in the long run this team needs to be proactive and make moves to IMPROVE the talent level. acquiring a Casspi and letting go of IT is NOT improving the talent level. Smells a lot like the horse (manure) trading of the last 5 years. The talent bleed has to stop. They HAVE to start hitting on their draft picks. The corrupt lottery is not going to go our way. So when they do draft they are going to have to hit on players who will not be busts. If they are unable to obtain talent in free agency they MUST hit on a player in the lottery. Stauskas really needs to be a home run. If not then PDA has to go. If McLemore does not turn out to be a viable starter, that draft pick alone is a devastating blow to the future of this team.

 

[rainmaker]

You don't showcase talent for trades in the preseason. Trades almost never happen right before the season starts or near after. And packaged deals with multiple players going either way? I can't remember the last time that happened in Oct/Nov/Dec.

It also goes against everything our owner, GM and coach has said.

If we wasted the second half of our preseason attempting to showcase garbage like Landry and DWill instead of solidifying our rotation ahead of a season our owner says will be judged on wins/losses, we're got serious issues. If someone wanted those guys, they had all summer to get them. Now with training camp wrapped up, best you can hope for is near the deadline. It doesn't even make sense to suggest how a player does over the course of a few preseason games will change his value on the NBA market, not when you have 82 game regular seasons to judge those same players by.

As an aside, it truly is a sign of a losing culture to constantly have fans, year after year fall back on the excuse of "we're showcasing this player or that player" for a trade. The real issue would be, why would we need to showcase new players we've recently acquired? You don't need to do that if you acquire with a plan.

 

[Prince_XY]

I'm curious as to whether or not Malone is having his hand forced, not only by the roster PDA has given him but more importantly, by PDA and Vivek telling him to play Ben/Carl/DWill over others. Those were three of their four first real acquisitions and it does appear there's a strong sense of them not wanting to admit they were mistakes.

What I can't get over is the complete change in Malone's tone from last year to this. Malone was all about defense, almost all he ever talked about. However with PDA/Vivek constantly talking about the offensive end and position-less basketball, Malone has switched gears.

We really didn't do a damn thing to improve defensively. Moreland was going to be a reach to contribute this year, Hollins has always been decent at best and Collison/Sessions aren't plus-defenders. But adding Carl to the rotation and playing Evans at backup center actually makes us a worse defensive team than last year, on top of our SGs not being able to defend and JT now getting pushed around and becoming a non-factor.

I can't tell where Malone falls into this mess though. If he's the one choosing to play Carl, he's the one choosing to play Evans over Hollins, he's the one choosing to bump Omri with DWill, that's a problem too. Bigger issue of course is the roster he's been handed and this Jordan Crawford crap tells me the issue going directly to our GM's desk. We'd actually have a worse roster than we have now if that fool didn't completely miscalculate his value and end up in China.

If we do not improved significantly on our win/loss record (barring injury to Cousins and Gay), I think it is fair to say the blame should be ALL on Malone.

Basing on our poll "Predict Win Total for 2014/15", more than 70% of Kings fans believe this ROSTER will win at least 36 games. If we do not approach the 36-40 win by mid-season or fall short of that expectation, I would put all the blame on Malone.

He is the coach and he is suppose to make this roster work according to most fans' expectation.

 

[Prince_XY]

You don't showcase talent for trades in the preseason. Trades almost never happen right before the season starts or near after. And packaged deals with multiple players going either way? I can't remember the last time that happened in Oct/Nov/Dec.

It also goes against everything our owner, GM and coach has said.

If we wasted the second half of our preseason attempting to showcase garbage like Landry and DWill instead of solidifying our rotation ahead of a season our owner says will be judged on wins/losses, we're got serious issues. If someone wanted those guys, they had all summer to get them. Now with training camp wrapped up, best you can hope for is near the deadline. It doesn't even make sense to suggest how a player does over the course of a few preseason games will change his value on the NBA market, not when you have 82 game regular seasons to judge those same players by.

I can sense you know where the problem lies. You are just afraid to say it all out because most people here still believes on Malone and the BS talks that Malone is a defensive coach, blah, blah, blah.

Let me say it then for you. Let me be the fall guy on this board.

The problem is - our coach sucks!

We have another Keith Smart for a coach!

 

[Prince_XY]

If this is another 28 win team then D'Alessandro should be fired. When you have a near luxury tax payroll, no young players expected to take a big leap (Stauskas should be good but not a star, Ben looks like a bust, Ray a solid bench player but not more) and a team that doesn't win despite being in "win now" mode then that's on the guy who put the roster together over two years.

Has it been over 2 years already?

 

[bajaden]

You don't showcase talent for trades in the preseason. Trades almost never happen right before the season starts or near after. And packaged deals with multiple players going either way? I can't remember the last time that happened in Oct/Nov/Dec.

It also goes against everything our owner, GM and coach has said.

If we wasted the second half of our preseason attempting to showcase garbage like Landry and DWill instead of solidifying our rotation ahead of a season our owner says will be judged on wins/losses, we're got serious issues. If someone wanted those guys, they had all summer to get them. Now with training camp wrapped up, best you can hope for is near the deadline. It doesn't even make sense to suggest how a player does over the course of a few preseason games will change his value on the NBA market, not when you have 82 game regular seasons to judge those same players by.

As an aside, it truly is a sign of a losing culture to constantly have fans, year after year fall back on the excuse of "we're showcasing this player or that player" for a trade. The real issue would be, why would we need to showcase new players we've recently acquired? You don't need to do that if you acquire with a plan.

Sadly its not that unusual for a talented player to play at 80% of his ability for the first three years of his contract, and then crank it up in his contract year to 100%. However, I'm afraid that players like D. Will are already playing at 100%, so there's nothing left to showcase. What you see is what you get, and I'm sure the rest of the league knows that. When a player is entering his fourth year in the league, and you can't see much if any improvement since he came into the league, I'm afraid his next destination is China. D. Will's main value right now is his expiring contract. McLemore is a different story. Still way too early to close the book on him, frustrating as it may be to watch him at times. We've seen what he's capable of. It's his inconsistency that drives us nuts. If the light bulb every goes on, we could have a hell of a player. Big if!

 

[206Fan]

If we do not improved significantly on our win/loss record (barring injury to Cousins and Gay), I think it is fair to say the blame should be ALL on Malone.

Basing on our poll "Predict Win Total for 2014/15", more than 70% of Kings fans believe this ROSTER will win at least 36 games. If we do not approach the 36-40 win by mid-season or fall short of that expectation, I would put all the blame on Malone.

He is the coach and he is suppose to make this roster work according to most fans' expectation.

If Malone does squat this year, I think we should hire Mark Jackson. He's a good coach who preaches to his team..we need a coach like him. Hopefully Malone can be that coach. Get on Ben's ass for missing shots, don't give him a pat on the back for them. Get on Cuz's ass for committing a foul, don't back him up. Sub Gay out for playing too much ISO, don't let him keep doing it for 6 more consecutive plays. I want to see more players held accountable this season.

 

[bajaden]

Has it been over 2 years already?

This year is his second year. Funky was referring to what his conclusions would be if the team had another 28 win season this year, which would PDA's second year.

 

[206Fan]

Sadly its not that unusual for a talented player to play at 80% of his ability for the first three years of his contract, and then crank it up in his contract year to 100%. However, I'm afraid that players like D. Will are already playing at 100%, so there's nothing left to showcase. What you see is what you get, and I'm sure the rest of the league knows that. When a player is entering his fourth year in the league, and you can't see much if any improvement since he came into the league, I'm afraid his next destination is China. D. Will's main value right now is his expiring contract. McLemore is a different story. Still way too early to close the book on him, frustrating as it may be to watch him at times. We've seen what he's capable of. It's his inconsistency that drives us nuts. If the light bulb every goes on, we could have a hell of a player. Big if!

I think if Ben has a similar second year to Terence Ross, it'll be a success for our team this year. Ben really needs to step it up this year. It's not like Malone was forcing Ben to go out there and create for our offense.. Ben just misses wide open shots. I think eventually, he will start knocking them down. If Ben doesn't improve by December, I'll be happy to ship him out for a better contributor for our team.

 

[dude12]

I can sense you know where the problem lies. You are just afraid to say it all out because most people here still believes on Malone and the BS talks that Malone is a defensive coach, blah, blah, blah.

Let me say it then for you. Let me be the fall guy on this board.

The problem is - our coach sucks!

We have another Keith Smart for a coach!

Over. Re. Act. Ion.

 

[funkykingston]

This year is his second year. Funky was referring to what his conclusions would be if the team had another 28 win season this year, which would PDA's second year.

Exactly. Not to mention that it has been two offseasons meaning two drafts, two signing periods, two trading periods etc. Is it possible that the missing piece of PDA's win now strategy will be traded for at the February deadline? Sure, but I wouldn't bet money on that possibility. I definitely hope there is a better roster at the end of the season than right now, but I'm not seeing a lot of trade bait to make that happen.

 

[randymoss1881]

If Malone does squat this year, I think we should hire Mark Jackson. He's a good coach who preaches to his team..we need a coach like him. Hopefully Malone can be that coach. Get on Ben's ass for missing shots, don't give him a pat on the back for them. Get on Cuz's ass for committing a foul, don't back him up. Sub Gay out for playing too much ISO, don't let him keep doing it for 6 more consecutive plays. I want to see more players held accountable this season.

Mark ****ing jackson I hope you are kidding yes he preaches religion but is a terrible basketball coach terrible.

MAKIE MALONE ISNT THE PROBLEM

MAKIE MALONE ISNT THE PROBLEM

MAKIE MALONE ISNT THE PROBLEM

 

[VF21]

Mark Jackson? Oh hells no.

As far as showcasing goes, I was more thinking about them playing Williams and Landry to determine how far down the bench they're going to sit. The magical trade comment was kind of an afterthought I stuck on there for no discernible reason.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

If Malone does squat this year, I think we should hire Mark Jackson. He's a good coach who preaches to his team..we need a coach like him. Hopefully Malone can be that coach. Get on Ben's ass for missing shots, don't give him a pat on the back for them. Get on Cuz's ass for committing a foul, don't back him up. Sub Gay out for playing too much ISO, don't let him keep doing it for 6 more consecutive plays. I want to see more players held accountable this season.

Mark ****ing jackson I hope you are kidding yes he preaches religion but is a terrible basketball coach terrible.

Uhm... I hope what I'm about to say doesn't offend too many people, but how does someone being very religious even factor into somebody being a coach, on any level?

 

[Prince_XY]

If we wasted the second half of our preseason attempting to showcase garbage like Landry and DWill instead of solidifying our rotation ahead of a season our owner says will be judged on wins/losses, we're got serious issues.

This is also what I don't understand with Malone's approach on this preseason games. Instead of solidifying our rotations and getting the players accustomed to their regular roles he opted to experiment on garbage combinations that obviously wouldn't work. And the defense - it is horrible, as if we don't have a defensive minded coach.

 

[randymoss1881]

Uhm... I hope what I'm about to say doesn't offend too many people, but how does someone being very religious even factor into somebody being a coach, on any level?

He shouldn't be preaching religion on players that separated the locker room. Also he would cut practice an hour short to get on a plane to go to his church. But even without that dudes a terrible terrible coach people need to stop blaming Malone coach Pop would literally loose his mind is he had this team.

 

[Prince_XY]

He shouldn't be preaching religion on players that separated the locker room. Also he would cut practice an hour short to get on a plane to go to his church. But even without that dudes a terrible terrible coach people need to stop blaming Malone coach Pop would literally loose his mind is he had this team.

With a top 3 center in the league (Cousins) and a premier SF in Gay, and now with very good PGs (Collison/Sessions/McCallum) and an improved cast of role players?

I don't think so, unless he is on that point where he is already bored coaching and about to retire soon.

 

[VF21]

Uhm... I hope what I'm about to say doesn't offend too many people, but how does someone being very religious even factor into somebody being a coach, on any level?

It doesn't have anything to do with it. Mark Jackson has things going against him that would arguably prevent him from ever coaching in the NBA again, especially in light of recent events. (And that's all I'm going to say about that.)

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

It doesn't have anything to do with it. Mark Jackson has things going against him that would arguably prevent him from ever coaching in the NBA again, especially in light of recent events. (And that's all I'm going to say about that.)

I didn't say it should... I didn't bring it up.

 

[bloom]

This was the first game that I had the chance to watch. Unfortunately, most of it was bad. We played so much one on one in the first half, got a little better in the second half but it was also a lot of one on one but better than the first half.

Demarcus! So glad that he's on our team.

I like our 3 Point Guards. I hope that Ray gets a chance to play this season.

Since Rudy has been having a off preseason I think we should have just rested him for the first half of the preseason schedule.

Landry, I really like to root for him and I don’t think he’s a bad player (even though he’s struggled a lot) but I don’t see him fitting on this team. Hopefully he’s tradable because I don’t think it’s working out over here.

Anybody else think that coach needs to make a play specifically for Ben? When his feet is set he can knock down a shot. I didn’t see one play for him. He should also be rolling to the basket and getting easy dunks and layups.

Nic, needs to be in the starting rotation. And hopefully when Ben puts it together, those 2 can be a deadly combo. I’d love to see those 2 be on the court at the same time.

I like Ray but I hated the last possession. I just hate the no pass last second possessions. Why can’t we sometimes run a decent play where more than one player is involved?

D-Will, doesn’t do anything for me. He at least played with energy but he doesn’t seem to fit. He’s also a guy that needs to change.

Anybody think the 76ers will go for Joel Embiid for Landry + a pick? I think they could use a vet over there…for those that think I’m serious, I know the 76ers wouldn’t do that, but I do wish.

 

[Chupacabra]

How can we improve the Kings? Do we need to add a legit PF/C? Do we need to add more shooters? Do we need to make a big trade? How can the Kings really improve this season? What does everyone think?

- We need to make quicker and correct decisions with the ball.
- We need Nik to play with the starting unit and contribute.
- more defense at the rim. A powerforward that spies on the basket and attacks shot attempts with reckless abandon.
- Don't use the ridiculous looking lineups that we've seen in the preseason. Landry and Evans in the front court at the same time? NO WAY.

I think Nik looks a lot better with the starters. Don't throw the guy out there with Evans, Landry, Williams, Sessions. As for the extra defense at the rim, Moreland is the only guy that fills that need. Unfortunately for us we need to depend on 2 rookies. Not a good spot for us to be in.

We could still very well meet our 36-40 win expectation without addressing all of what I've listed. The main key will be tightening up that rotation. This roster absolutely wreaks of a future trade.

 

[flamecrow]

Dwill is the new James Johnson

 

[jcwkings]

Landry, Williams and JT are over 18 million in salary. That should be one perrenial all star talent, or 2 quality legit starters in the NBA. That is what is wrong with this team.

 

[Kingster]

And this just makes me question Malone more. Why would he say things like that? To make us all go into full panic mode when they fail? Cause that's what happened.

If our rotation includes Dwill over Casspi, we are dead. I hope Hollins/Casspi were sitting cause they are veterans and it was a meaningless game (despite the consistent nonsense Malone spews, which, honestly, I don't get why anyone listens to any of them anymore). Or minor injuries. Vets have no need to be on the court in games like that, despite what Malone or fans might think. You didn't see Kobe or Boozer out there. Cousins was only risking injury, and it's pretty damn clear we cannot survive without him.

One problem seems clear, the front office swung and missed hard on Dwill, Ben and Landry. This past offseason seemed much better, but if they insist on playing last year's flops and let them keep being awful, it's not going to matter.

The front office has changed out almost the entire team and it appears to be just as bad as ever. And it's not losing IT. We were terrible with him, in case anyone has forgotten. Are we worse than last season? I don't think so. But I see a lot of the same. Just different players playing the same bad basketball, although Cousins looks like he's much improved. How long he can keep up a decent attitude surrounded by guys that flat out can't play, I don't know.

I think I've officially turned on the entire front office. At least on the basketball side of things. Everything else is fine and dandy (off the court), but they seem to have no clue what they're doing other than learning lots of buzz words and spewing them out every chance they get. Corporate nonsense that means nothing. Position-less basketball? We don't have the talent to do that. We just don't. And if they thought they got the right guys for that, they seem to be tragically wrong. If we had lebron, then sure, Lebron can do whatever you want him do. We don't have Lebron. We have cousins. Could we build a system around him and not try to be something we can't be?

I agree with much of your post, but to say that the Kings were terrible with IT misses the mark: they were .500 with Cousins, Gay and IT. I don't see that as terrible; just middle of the road. So if this team stays healthy and wins 35 games, they aren't really better than last year; arguably they would be worse.

The emphasis with PDA has been about fit. The emphasis with Malone has been about a motion offense. So now we get to see if the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and whether the motion offense Malone talks about is going to be manifest on the floor.

If the team doesn't fit like management thinks, and if the motion offense doesn't assist in over-achievement, it all falls on Cousins. The doomsday scenario is that the credibility of management and the coaching staff gets destroyed because players see that what they have done just doesn't work. From everything I've seen and heard, Cousins seems improved. (I'm assuming that Cousins is going to be the guy with a high assist/to, not the Cousins with a low asst/to). But I have a lot of questions of whether Cousins could tough it out and provide real leadership if the rest of the team falls flat. It's the guy that shows up under adversity that's a real leader. Could Cousins do that?

 

[Kingster]

After two years can you say that the roster is significantly more talented and/or plays better as a team? Do you have more hope for the future of the team today than two years ago?

If you haven't significantly improved and you haven't upped the potential of the team then exactly what have you done besides spin your wheels?

I want to see the Kings win and I hope they have a massive turnaround and PDA's moves look genius in hindsight. But right now I'm frustrated with what I see.

No I can't. When PDA arrived I was thinking that it wouldn't surprise me if virtually the entire team was jettisoned within two years. That's a common theme with new management. But the hope was that the new players would be more talented than the jettisoned players. I haven't seen that.

 

[Chupacabra]

No I can't. When PDA arrived I was thinking that it wouldn't surprise me if virtually the entire team was jettisoned within two years. That's a common theme with new management. But the hope was that the new players would be more talented than the jettisoned players. I haven't seen that.

Rudy Gay is much better than any of the jettisoned players. We can't act as though the FO hasn't been busy trying to gather talent.

 

[bajaden]

You want a quick and very cheap fix?

Let us experiment on Terrence Williams again.

He is a 2-way player who plays his role very well.

We already know what he can do and the only drawback is his off-court issues. But to hell with those negatives we are going for an experiment only anyways. Sign him for a few days and see what happens. He is a 2-way player who plays within his role.

While I share your liking of Terrence Williams, I seriously doubt this will happen. What's that old saying, "You can never go back". Terrence Williams falls into that catagory of, "There's more than meets the eye". There has to be a reason why a young player with talent, is totally disregarded by the entire league. I mean, look around. It's not just us, but the entire league shows little or no interest in Williams despite his apparent talents. I don't pretend to know the reason, nor will I offer any conjecture. It's a shame, but thats the reality of the situation.

 

[bajaden]

Uhm... I hope what I'm about to say doesn't offend too many people, but how does someone being very religious even factor into somebody being a coach, on any level?

Other than how his beliefs affect how he might coach, it doesn't, and really shouldn't be a point of discussion. We all derive our core values from somewhere. It's results that count, not where you go to church.

 

[Bricklayer]

Other than how his beliefs affect how he might coach, it doesn't, and really shouldn't be a point of discussion. We all derive our core values from somewhere. It's results that count, not where you go to church.

Well of course with Mark Jackson that was precisely the problem, as the dude seemed more than a little conflicted about whether he was coaching basketball or running a ministry. And a rather aggressive prosethlytizing ministry too. Just a divisive figure.

In any case, I'm not actually worried we would turn to Mark Jackson, so let him go off and preach on streetcorners and wear "The End is Near!!!" placards around his neck for all I care.

I am not at all eager to see us fire a coach, and fire a favorite coach of Cuz's, but here is a name that I am pretty sure nobody but me has even considered in years. And I am not considering it as in desiring it, just pondering how our front office would act if they did scapegoat Malone: Jeff Bzdelik. Former head coach of the NUGGETS in mid 2000s (I think likely before PDA arrived however), taught defense. Ran off to college after getting canned, didn't go so great, and coincidence of coincidences this very season he is returning to the NBA as an assistant with Memphis.

 

[bajaden]

This is also what I don't understand with Malone's approach on this preseason games. Instead of solidifying our rotations and getting the players accustomed to their regular roles he opted to experiment on garbage combinations that obviously wouldn't work. And the defense - it is horrible, as if we don't have a defensive minded coach.

I don't have a doubt that he's a defensive minded coach. His past history indicates that. I think where Malone's problems may arise is that he also has to be an offensive minded coach, and how to find the compromise between the two. This is the first time he's been a head coach and not just an assistant coach that has to focus on one aspect of the game. This is where first time head coaches either rise to the occasion, or fail. Personally I didn't have a problem with his jumbled lineups, up to a point. He had a group of new players including draft picks, and he had to find out how the pieces fit together. However, I wish he had decided on his final starting five and rotation players a bit sooner in order to develop some chemistry before the start of the season.

On a personal level, I really like Malone. And to be fair, he's been dealt a lousy hand. I doubt there's a coach in the league that could have done much better last season. This season is different. Despite what some might think, we do have more talent this season, and that should lead to more victory's. If we only win 28 games again, then I think Vivek has to seriously consider replacing Malone. I hope that doesn't happen, because as I said, I like Malone. He appears to be a straight shooter, and for now at least, he has the respect of the team. I don't expect the team to make the playoffs, but I do expect them to make a significant improvement in the win/loss column.

I think this team is still one draft and one free agency period away from being a real competitive threat. And, both of those fall into the lap of PDA. I like Vivek, and contrary to what some believe, I do think he relies on the information given to him by those he hired to know. Logically, I doubt that Vivek traveled the country and watched many, if any of these players play. So if he personally favored drafting Stauskas, then he in all likelyhood, came to that conclusion based on information he received from his scouting staff, PDA, and others that he trusted around him. In other words, he decided who he preferred based on information he received, and didn't make his decision, like the Maloofs, because of PR reasons. The only reason to logically choose Stauskas at that point in the draft, is because you felt he was the best choice based on circumstance, and the needs of the team. It doesn't make that decision the right one, but it does mean it was done in good faith for the right reasons. A decision I happen to agree with, so yes, I'm biased.

My doubts lie with PDA. I think at minimum, he's made the GM position with the Kings interesting again. And I like some of the acquisitions he's made. But I wasn't thrilled about his signing of Landry at the time, and I'm less thrilled now. If we had signed him to a four year contract with an out after two years, I'd be more agreeable. But that's not what happened. The whole thing had the appearance of a new GM, desperate to make a splash, and running out of options. I have no doubt that PDA is a smart guy. Probably has a very high IQ. What he lacks is experience. NBA experience. And unfortunately, or fortunately, he's gaining that experience at our expense. I'm not implying that he's inept, but that he will make mistakes. It's sort of like an assist to turnover ratio. You just hope that the assists far outnumber the turnovers.