Iced Espresso
Starter
And 3 more years of that horrible contract.
Game -5: Sacramento Kings v. Brooklyn Nets. 10/11/14 10 PM PST 1PM Chinese Time (I Think)
- Thread starter Tetsujin
- Start date
And 3 more years of that horrible contract.
This team already looks twice as good as last years team. Once Stauskas gets comfortable, they're going to be pretty solid.
Lopez played twice as many minutes as Cousins.
Collison outplayed Deron.
Sessions was like IT with ball movement.
Hollins = Bill Russell.
Gay forced a ton of bad shots.
Stauskas was cold.
Evans played center for 20 minutes.
Williams played 20 minutes.
McLemore took the final shot.
...and we lost by 2.
Lopez played twice as many minutes as Cousins.
Collison outplayed Deron.
Sessions was like IT with ball movement.
Hollins = Bill Russell.
Gay forced a ton of bad shots.
Stauskas was cold.
Evans played center for 20 minutes.
Williams played 20 minutes.
McLemore took the final shot.
...and we lost by 2.
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
Totally agree. It's one of the more baffling things in the NBA. We're certainly not one of the teams that should consider it a decent percentage play option....especially with Ben McLemore.
What if he had happened to make that shot? Do we really want him trying more of it? I sure don't
I'm scared with Gay. He really needs to buy more into team concept and take those open 3s. He's a great player, but we've been seeing more of Toronto Rudy than we want to. I'm fine with Gay's shots, he just needs to stop forcing himself into the paint and throwing up some ugly looking thing.
The only players who should consider that shot are Curry, Lillard, James, and KD.. I don't think we have any of those players..
PurpleHaze
All-Star
I completely agree. Maybe if you have LeBron or Kobe, someone of mega superstar assassin level who can get his own shot virtually every time or if not hit the right open man you employ it - otherwise just run offense to your best 5 on 5 strength.
I agree he's not, but it's uneasy seeing him suck so bad in preseason. I just hope we don't see more of this type of play in the regular season. I think the only major problems with this team are the lack of good PFs, defense, and shooting. I think we need a little bit more players who can space out the floor. I wouldn't mind a stretch 4 in our starting lineup...that way our bench won't be terrible with a front court of Landry and Evans. I like JT and I think he's a solid starter, but the Kings just don't have any good options at backup PF or C.
I hope Pete can trade for someone like Gallinari...
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
Well, to be fair, the main problems with the team three games into the preseason are that (a) our best players are only playing fifteen minutes a game and (b) D-Will's dreds seem to be absorbing vital nutrients from his brain. So we need something to complain about.
That's a POV I just do not agree with. I don't get real excited one way or the other about pre-season because it's pre-season. As of Oct. 29, it's doesn't mean diddly or squat.
Pretty bummed that D-Will just doesn't seem to get it. I have much love for his role in keeping Arizona a top flight program in Coach Miller's first two seasons but he just isn't cut out for the league.
Last play, I guess forgivable. Pre-season, reserves on the court, blah blah blah. I don't think it damages any one player's confidence, I think they all understand. But why?
Looking forward to games that count.
Last play, I guess forgivable. Pre-season, reserves on the court, blah blah blah. I don't think it damages any one player's confidence, I think they all understand. But why?
Looking forward to games that count.
K
KingMilz
Guest
So nothing like IT at all than
Both Sessions and Collison have been really impressive so far. Like many here, I don't understand why we keep going to Evans/Landry instead of replacing one of them with Hollins. Either way you lack much of an offensive presence inside (so far Landry has not been the inside presence he used to be), but at least Hollins gives you more size. We need to find a way to reduce Evans' involvement in facilitating the offense. Right now he's being used far too much having to catch the ball and make good passes from the high post and what not.
Cousins has had some very very good stretches. Rudy's play has been disappointing - he still seems to thrive in 1 on 1 situations and not so much playing off of others. He's been attacking the rim a lot more, which is both a positive and negative. Positive because he's not settling for outside shots. Negative because every time he takes it inside it's via lots of dribbling and 1 on 1 offense.
Cousins has had some very very good stretches. Rudy's play has been disappointing - he still seems to thrive in 1 on 1 situations and not so much playing off of others. He's been attacking the rim a lot more, which is both a positive and negative. Positive because he's not settling for outside shots. Negative because every time he takes it inside it's via lots of dribbling and 1 on 1 offense.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
Oh baby.
Upon seeing this, Paul Westphal expressed his utter confusion, unaware that NBA rules and regulations do not in fact require every play to be a guard rushing blinding towards the hoop from the top of the key.
Livinthedream
All-Star
Exactly. It's not only to see what Ben can do, but to also show him, make or miss, life goes on. Takes some of the butterflies away from the next time on the court in crunch time. Doesn't mean he has to take the final shot of the game, but he needs to feel comfortable in there. That's what preseason is about. Playing out different scenarios in preparation for the season.
TheJewishKing
G-League
Too bad I was sleeping and wasn't able to watch and enjoy the game, game started on 10:00 am here in Israel which is a pretty comfortable hour because usually NBA basketball games are being aired around in midnights and late night hours and some are being aired in towards sunrise here in Israel.
So unfortunately as I already mentioned I was not able to watch the game, but from the highlights and what my brother told me it seemed like there was a pretty decent game and that the Kings never lost track of this game and were in it till the last position of the game.
From what I could read both in here and in other sports websites my boy Casspi was pretty decent even though his stats didn't really reflect it, I've been told he had impact on the game and contributed both on offense and defense, that he spread the floor really well, I am glad he has developed his game and plays more in transition and isn't afraid to attack the basket, that way he atones the fact that his three-pointers which he usually shoots pretty well didn't seem to get in the hoop, I it will change soon and his rhythm will get back to him.
Another thing I was able to pay attention to is that Casspi is willing to make the extra pass, that way even if he has an off-night in terms of shooting the ball he makes up for it by distributing the ball to the open man, which makes the Kings offense look a whole lot better.
The way I see the Nets got nothing on our Kings, especially considering the fact that Cousins played approximately 14 minutes, which means that he didn't contribute as much as could contribute.
So unfortunately as I already mentioned I was not able to watch the game, but from the highlights and what my brother told me it seemed like there was a pretty decent game and that the Kings never lost track of this game and were in it till the last position of the game.
From what I could read both in here and in other sports websites my boy Casspi was pretty decent even though his stats didn't really reflect it, I've been told he had impact on the game and contributed both on offense and defense, that he spread the floor really well, I am glad he has developed his game and plays more in transition and isn't afraid to attack the basket, that way he atones the fact that his three-pointers which he usually shoots pretty well didn't seem to get in the hoop, I it will change soon and his rhythm will get back to him.
Another thing I was able to pay attention to is that Casspi is willing to make the extra pass, that way even if he has an off-night in terms of shooting the ball he makes up for it by distributing the ball to the open man, which makes the Kings offense look a whole lot better.
The way I see the Nets got nothing on our Kings, especially considering the fact that Cousins played approximately 14 minutes, which means that he didn't contribute as much as could contribute.
Sac.Kings
All-Star
Reserves should def be: Sessions - Nik - Casspi - Landry - Hollins. I love Evans, but he is a 3rd big, but can be the 2nd big in certain situations if we are having difficulties rebounding the ball. The line-up listed above is far more balanced and makes sense. Landry is our go-to big with our creator being Sessions and our shooter being Nik, with Casspi also capable of making plays, pushing the ball, and rebounding. I actually quite like our bench this year (if Malone gets over his fascination of playing Evans - Landry).
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
My Kings worksheet through 3 preseason games:
Starting C: DeMarcus Cousins -- but he needs to at some point come out in the first quarter of one of these focused
Backup C: Ryan Hollins -- has looked vey solid, but has been around too long for me to believe he's suddenly good. Still, solid defensive vet.
Reno Bighorns C: Sim Bhullar -- and I'm fine with that. Well qualified. Do more for franchise than 99% of D-Leaguers, and size intrigues.
Starting PF: open -- inconsistent JT doesn't feel as solid as other vets, Landry has lost his oomph, like Reggie as backup
Backup PF: Reggie Evans -- like Hollins another solid dirty work vet with the right attitude. Can count on his boardwork in a rotation.
5th Big: Eric Moreland -- if Hollins is the backup C, then I like Moreland here. Inexperienced but lively an defensive minded. Also, cheap.
Starting SF: Rudy Gay -- but has been awful so far in preseason, forcing and again raising questions how he works in passing offense. FIBA hangover.
Backup SF: Omri Casspi -- still prone to errors of aggression, but has looked entirely respectable. Good size, competes. Solid backup SF without ??s.
Starting SG: Nik Stauskas -- you can see there will be rookie days like today, not a world beater. But shooter and knows how to play. Will help.
Backup SG: open -- obviously I still am not sold on what I see out of Ben. With so many solid vets, how about another?
Starting PG: Darren Collison -- has a tendency to come and go, but just solid. Moves the scoreboard, minor positive. Another solid vet.
Backup PG: Ramon Sessions -- won't be 6th man of the year but he's good with some dynamism to the hoop. Will help as a 6th/7th man.
5th guard: Ray McCallum -- more speculation than off anything we've seen. Its a mediocre crew, but he has potential, again right attitude.
Misfit Toys
Jason Thompson -- if Game 2 JT showed up every night he could start. But he's a career long tease, and multiple true vets showing consistency makes him stand out.
Carl Landry -- 2 poor games 1 meh game. He can't pair with Reggie as that's stubby. Could/should be another solid vet but just not dynamic at this point.
Derrick Williams -- doing everything possible to play himself out of a job. Lots of guys looking solid, competitive. We might have moved past struggling kids.
Ben McLemore -- slightly improved, but still looks mostly bad, just less awful. Might be able to carry him but the backcourt is meh at best, can hardly afford a weakness.
Starting C: DeMarcus Cousins -- but he needs to at some point come out in the first quarter of one of these focused
Backup C: Ryan Hollins -- has looked vey solid, but has been around too long for me to believe he's suddenly good. Still, solid defensive vet.
Reno Bighorns C: Sim Bhullar -- and I'm fine with that. Well qualified. Do more for franchise than 99% of D-Leaguers, and size intrigues.
Starting PF: open -- inconsistent JT doesn't feel as solid as other vets, Landry has lost his oomph, like Reggie as backup
Backup PF: Reggie Evans -- like Hollins another solid dirty work vet with the right attitude. Can count on his boardwork in a rotation.
5th Big: Eric Moreland -- if Hollins is the backup C, then I like Moreland here. Inexperienced but lively an defensive minded. Also, cheap.
Starting SF: Rudy Gay -- but has been awful so far in preseason, forcing and again raising questions how he works in passing offense. FIBA hangover.
Backup SF: Omri Casspi -- still prone to errors of aggression, but has looked entirely respectable. Good size, competes. Solid backup SF without ??s.
Starting SG: Nik Stauskas -- you can see there will be rookie days like today, not a world beater. But shooter and knows how to play. Will help.
Backup SG: open -- obviously I still am not sold on what I see out of Ben. With so many solid vets, how about another?
Starting PG: Darren Collison -- has a tendency to come and go, but just solid. Moves the scoreboard, minor positive. Another solid vet.
Backup PG: Ramon Sessions -- won't be 6th man of the year but he's good with some dynamism to the hoop. Will help as a 6th/7th man.
5th guard: Ray McCallum -- more speculation than off anything we've seen. Its a mediocre crew, but he has potential, again right attitude.
Misfit Toys
Jason Thompson -- if Game 2 JT showed up every night he could start. But he's a career long tease, and multiple true vets showing consistency makes him stand out.
Carl Landry -- 2 poor games 1 meh game. He can't pair with Reggie as that's stubby. Could/should be another solid vet but just not dynamic at this point.
Derrick Williams -- doing everything possible to play himself out of a job. Lots of guys looking solid, competitive. We might have moved past struggling kids.
Ben McLemore -- slightly improved, but still looks mostly bad, just less awful. Might be able to carry him but the backcourt is meh at best, can hardly afford a weakness.
Sac.Kings
All-Star
Brick, I would like Nik to start too, but I think if we have any more trades this season, it will be a significant one and Ben will definitely be included. That's why I think Ben stays in the starting line up, so we can showcase him some more with the hope that he doesn't suck as bad as he did last year. I would like to see JT go too, as we have plenty of backup PFs, but not a starting one. JT + Ben for Hibbert 
Agent23
Starter
Oh baby.
Ball movement. Teehee.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Brick, I would like Nik to start too, but I think if we have any more trades this season, it will be a significant one and Ben will definitely be included. That's why I think Ben stays in the starting line up, so we can showcase him some more with the hope that he doesn't suck as bad as he did last year. I would like to see JT go too, as we have plenty of backup PFs, but not a starting one. JT + Ben for Hibbert
I think we're at play to win time now.
Chubbs
Starter
Why are people worried about a vet like Rudy's play in early preseason games? It's hard to go from the gold medal game to these silly pre season games. I'm not worried.
The team looks top to bottom more talented and the pieces go together a bit better. Still a work in progress, but definitely moving in the right direction. Team play looks so much better minus you know who. It just changes everything. Seems a more veteran team. Ben and dwill, no more minutes just because. Time to earn them. Haven't seen much if anything from either. I see no reason to play dwill anymore. They took a shot, it failed. Casspi brings so much more to the team.
I don't know what Nik will become, but he can play the game. He'll be the starter sooner rather than later.
The team looks top to bottom more talented and the pieces go together a bit better. Still a work in progress, but definitely moving in the right direction. Team play looks so much better minus you know who. It just changes everything. Seems a more veteran team. Ben and dwill, no more minutes just because. Time to earn them. Haven't seen much if anything from either. I see no reason to play dwill anymore. They took a shot, it failed. Casspi brings so much more to the team.
I don't know what Nik will become, but he can play the game. He'll be the starter sooner rather than later.
Rockmeister
All-Star
Any chance of there being a trade before the season?
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Have no idea. But I will say this: I have considered the idea and gone so far as to scour the league looking for a reasonably priced veteran who might legitimately be available due to his situation and who could shoot, make smart plays, and be a good capper for our backcourt/natural 3rd option. I came up with an interesting name:
Age: 31
Contract:
2014/15: $6.8mil
2015/16: $7.1mil
2016/17: $7.4mil
Now quite obviously I have never been known as a Kevin Martin fan. But he was born a 3rd weapon, and a 3rd weapon he would be here. His contract is reasonable, and it runs out just in time for Nik to start getting paid himself. in the intervening years an aging KMart/Stauskas backcourt would suck defensively but would provide absolutely guarnateed shooting as Boogie tries to average those 5 ast a game. There's not much ego to bother with if Nick eventually displaces him. And its a way to lock in an affordable 3rd option for years forward rather than having to pay max for one. It feels like a drab capper to the team, but Martin/Stauskas would let you 100% checkmark off the SG position as filled and done for, and Cousins/Gay/Martin with the vets we have started piling up could/should at least get you in that competitive .500 in the West conversation. You can get there contractwise by sending them Ben and DWill back. They're rebuilding. You would think they would want to shed contracts and take on even dubious youth.
You're probably stuck with the JT/Landry mess up front, but now you add Martin it buys you a Reggie Evans as a starter. You can go:
Cousins/JT/Hollins
Evans/Landry/Moreland
Gay/Casspi
Martin/Stauskas
Colllison/Sessions/McCallum
Which looks real solid to me. Almost none of that clueless confusion of years past. everybody qualified or overqualified for their roles. Still too many shots accounted for and not enough defense, but at least now I have confidence in most of the backcourt (with the possible exception of Sessions) to defer as necessary.
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macadocious
Starter
Rudy Gay is tired. He has admitted to it. Cuz too.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
There's also Tony Allen who remains attractive for obvious reasons even in decline, but unlike Minny Memphis is fully in win now mode and loading up on vets not trying to shed them.
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