CurseOfTheSalmons
Starter
6 players in double figures tonight. great stat.
[Game] Game -6: Sacramento Kings vs. Toronto Raptors, 10/7/14 7PM pst 10PM est
- Thread starter Tetsujin
- Start date
Says Bobby Jackson: "I'm barely six feet tall."
Says Mister Slim: Maybe with three-inch lifts.
Says Mister Slim: Maybe with three-inch lifts.
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
.500 baby! Playoffs here we come!
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
The pre/post game show is pretty cool
Watched at home on my TV. Very enjoyable. Great win. Got to see at lot of guys play minutes. Very encouraging. Much more good stuff than bad stuff. Guys looked like they were enjoying themselves. Coach smiled. Made Kayte, Grant and Jerry look good. Bring on whoever they are playing in China.
randymoss1881
Starter
That's not no mans land that is an improvement and in the west it is a very good improvement. Your not gonna get straight to the playoffs it's step by step.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
If you can be reduced to the 13th man by the likes of Darren Collison and Ramon Sessions, then maybe you were never the heir apparent in the first place.
jcwkings
All-Star
I really think Nik will be the starter day one. His Bball IQ is just at another level compared to McLemore, neither will be a defensive standout but Nik is clearly a better shooter and decision maker. He's also mentally just stronger than Ben, with Ben it feels like he's 2 misses in a row away from feeling completely gutted, Nik has poise and swag to him already as a rookie. Nik fits better next to Cuz and Gay, let B mac come off the bench with less pressure on him.
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
Nik played very solid defense tonight on Derozan. Actually surprising some of the contests he was able to produce. Derozan still made a bunch of shots, as he's one of the best in the world at it. These guys will get hot, regardless of how good defense is. All you can do is keep working and contesting, which Stauskas did a good job of
K
KingMilz
Guest
I don't really see anything that will stop Nik from at worst being an above average team defender and man to man defender, I mean look at Klay Thompson when he came into the L he was not much of a defender. Nik seems like he always puts in effort, has solid athletic ability and size and has high IQ. Effort and IQ are the two main things into being a good defender imo obviously the crazy athletic ability helps but those two are more important.
Being a 4th/5th option as well to start off with will force him into having to play harder in other area's than just scoring as well, there were a couple plays were he completely shut down Derozon and made him look like a rookie.
Being a 4th/5th option as well to start off with will force him into having to play harder in other area's than just scoring as well, there were a couple plays were he completely shut down Derozon and made him look like a rookie.
FaStRmAn
Starter
Well it was an interesting game. it appears that several players are playing themselves off the roster. making it really easy for the coaching staff to make the tough decisions they will be making all too soon. It is looking More and MORE like D-Will is a total bust. He looked terrible in summer league and he has looked bad in both preseason games. He is also getting less and less minutes. I think it is a sign that his days are numbered. I kinda expected that to be the case. But I am really disappointed in the growth and maturity of our young 2 guard BM. And for the most part he has played like a bowel movement. Stauskas is already the leader in the clubhouse for the 2 guard spot. It has not even been CLOSE ! I bet that Malone will name Stauskas the starting 2 before the end of camp. I don't even know if Ben would make a good backup 2. He seems lost and very not smooth in everything he does on the floor. I think they may have missed badly on that one.
One more thing. the announcing crew kept saying how great Omri was playing but other than a few hustle plays, he did not play that well in my opinion. He still is a suspect defender although he is finishing on the breaks much better than his first go around with the team. I liked both Collison and Sessions. I think they both have their strengths and both are playing good enough to run an NBA team the way it should be run. Pass first move and setup the kickout or the cut to the rim.
And Cousins? He is the real deal. They fouled him every time he touched the ball, and he still scored. They called him for tickey tack fouls and he turned away. That crew was looking to T up Cousins and the evidence is that total BS Tech that Cuz got trying to get the guy who had trapped his arm while fouling him again to let go. Dude kept holding on., Cuz took his hand back and was called for a TECH ? That was pathetic.
Fun game to watch. LOVE the way the team is moving the ball and getting everyone involved. They need to work on their defense and their offensive sets. But this team seems to have pieces that match better than before. Hopefully that translates into a competitive team that can win 35-40 games.
One more thing. the announcing crew kept saying how great Omri was playing but other than a few hustle plays, he did not play that well in my opinion. He still is a suspect defender although he is finishing on the breaks much better than his first go around with the team. I liked both Collison and Sessions. I think they both have their strengths and both are playing good enough to run an NBA team the way it should be run. Pass first move and setup the kickout or the cut to the rim.
And Cousins? He is the real deal. They fouled him every time he touched the ball, and he still scored. They called him for tickey tack fouls and he turned away. That crew was looking to T up Cousins and the evidence is that total BS Tech that Cuz got trying to get the guy who had trapped his arm while fouling him again to let go. Dude kept holding on., Cuz took his hand back and was called for a TECH ? That was pathetic.
Fun game to watch. LOVE the way the team is moving the ball and getting everyone involved. They need to work on their defense and their offensive sets. But this team seems to have pieces that match better than before. Hopefully that translates into a competitive team that can win 35-40 games.
macadocious
Starter
I rarely read these game threads after the fact, but this one was worth it. The first half of the thread can be summed up as
Cassipi can't shoot
Cassipi is awesome
Cassipi can shoot!
Ben Sucks
Ben is Awesome
rinse, repeat.
Cassipi can't shoot
Cassipi is awesome
Cassipi can shoot!
Ben Sucks
Ben is Awesome
rinse, repeat.
TheJewishKing
G-League
I woke up this morning and was glad to see Casspi received a decent amount of playing minutes and produced pretty good performances out there for the Kings.
15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
These are pretty good stats, I hope he will maintain this way of playing and will be consistent throughout the season, Casspi can be a very important asset for the Kings, I think he fits their style very well, and as far as I can recall Casspi also really likes the city and the culture itself.
Casspi is now more mature and wiser as a player and as a man, he had also got stronger and recognizes his strengths better than he used to in the past, I believe he is a more complete player now.
Casspi tends to open the season pretty strong but then to fade as the season is winding down, I hope he will prove us wrong this year.
I am really looking for watching Casspi cooperates again with his friends JT and DMC.
15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
These are pretty good stats, I hope he will maintain this way of playing and will be consistent throughout the season, Casspi can be a very important asset for the Kings, I think he fits their style very well, and as far as I can recall Casspi also really likes the city and the culture itself.
Casspi is now more mature and wiser as a player and as a man, he had also got stronger and recognizes his strengths better than he used to in the past, I believe he is a more complete player now.
Casspi tends to open the season pretty strong but then to fade as the season is winding down, I hope he will prove us wrong this year.
I am really looking for watching Casspi cooperates again with his friends JT and DMC.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
It's just preseason but I can tell you that if this Casspi showed up in his first stint with the team, we probably wouldn't have traded him to Cleveland.
Unfortunately, it took the move to Cleveland (or, really, Houston) for Omri to really figure things out as a player.
If he keeps on playing like he did tonight, then the back-up SF position is locked in.
TheJewishKing
G-League
I am well-aware that this is only a pre-season game, but Casspi could really use good performances in this pre-season campaign in order to stabilize his status in the team, I believe that a decent shape and performances from Casspi in the pre-season might buy him more trust from Kings coach and maybe upgrade his role and minutes on the team.
In my personal view, Casspi is a better player than Derrick Williams, I also believe Casspi is obviously mpre mature and has more experience in this league, he plays with a lot of heart and enthusiasm, I believe you remember that from his two-years tenure here with the Kings.
I was definitely against the trade which sent him to Cleveland, but I didn't like his dismal situation in Sacramento as well, although that in retrospect I think the trade to Cleveland has really steeled Casspi as a player and as a person as well, fact is he came very ready to his previous season with the Houston Rockets were he really impressed throughout most of the season but then unfortunately experienced another downfall in the second half of the season.
I sincerely believe Sac-town is the ideal place for Casspi, let's hope for a very decent season for both Casspi and the Kings.
ninjabiscuit
Bench
Overall I thought our ball movement and defense were better than last year. Those extra passes were awesome to see. Stauskas looks like a really solid draft choice, Casspi looked good, the new guards looked good. I see definite improvement in the product on the floor.
Livinthedream
All-Star
Casspi did look good. His time with a winning team really helped him understand that he wasn't going to be a star, but he could play a role. It appears he's embraced his role.
Ben is inconsistent on the offensive end, as he was last year. But his defense has improved. Unfortunately, if he wants to play big minutes in this league, he has to really good at one thing, and he's not. His best shot this year is to not just be better on D, but really good. Remains to be seen if he can do that.
Nik looked great on offense, but not so much on defense. It doesn't mean he can't get better on D, but it just wasn't there against Derozan tonight or Ross last game. But, Nik already showed he can do one thing really well, which bodes well in his favor to get the majority of the minutes at the SG spot.
Let's not forget that this is preason, Nik out played Ben in Summer league for a couple of games and then Ray Mac and Ben took over. Young players are inconsistent and Nik won't shoot 5-6 every night. I want to see how he plays when his shot isn't falling like it was tonight.
Ben is inconsistent on the offensive end, as he was last year. But his defense has improved. Unfortunately, if he wants to play big minutes in this league, he has to really good at one thing, and he's not. His best shot this year is to not just be better on D, but really good. Remains to be seen if he can do that.
Nik looked great on offense, but not so much on defense. It doesn't mean he can't get better on D, but it just wasn't there against Derozan tonight or Ross last game. But, Nik already showed he can do one thing really well, which bodes well in his favor to get the majority of the minutes at the SG spot.
Let's not forget that this is preason, Nik out played Ben in Summer league for a couple of games and then Ray Mac and Ben took over. Young players are inconsistent and Nik won't shoot 5-6 every night. I want to see how he plays when his shot isn't falling like it was tonight.
Ron
Starter
Hi there!
Omri's fading-away as season unfolds is true, unfortunately.
This had happened in more than one year in Omri's carreer. Last year in Houston he was simply STELLAR in preseason and in the first few games or so. The fans were talking about him as a starter (in a team that's arguably one of 5-6 top teams in the league!)
I've been following Casspi for about a decade, and I have an idea why this happens:
The thing is Casspi is the type of player (and person) who can't pace himself.
He's energetic, passionate and all-out in general, and he thrives on adrenaline and crowd reaction.
He could never be the sharp, calculated ice-man.
He plays hard every minute he's on court, without taking plays off to gather some strength.
He's a race horse, a sprinter - not a marathon runner.
The problem is that the NBA season IS a marathon...
It is wearing down both your body and your mental strength and concentration.
You just can't sprint your way through a marathon. If you're lucky not to suffer injury trying (and Casspi never had a single real mid-season injury to force him to get some rest), then I guess your game just deteriorated and fades...
We are all familiar with the infamous "Rookie wall". I believe Omri faced the veteran version of that wall in each and every season he played so far.
It was worse last year in the Rockets, because Omri started his own season 2 months before most of the team. He played in the Eurobasket for his national team, and went on straight to have some personal training...
That's why he was in such a great form on day 1 (preseason), and that's also why he faded away so quickly later on.
I just hope that the coaching staff takes care of that problem this year, and set the pace FOR HIM.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
Yep. Things probably won't look as easy when the rookie wall inevitably sets in sometime around the All-Star Break. We might be glad to have Ben then.
King Baller
All-Star
For me the biggest take from this game is the Kings are PASSING THE BALL!!!!!
I am reminded of the Walter Huston "We found the gold dance"
I am reminded of the Walter Huston "We found the gold dance"
Don't know what to expect with Casspi. He was basically last years preseason MVP and then sort of regressed during the season. I liked what I saw from him last night though. In the first half he had blinders on but was scoring in the lane with some pretty high percentage shots. In the 2nd half his shot wasn't quite falling as much and he started playing more team basketball. Driving and kicking. Swinging the ball around. Making the extra pass. You can tell his bball IQ is much higher than it was in his first stint here. He was also very active on the boards. All good signs from Casspi.
I don't see Moreland getting much playing time now that Hollins is around. Hollins is a veteran that can pretty much do everything Moreland can, but better at this point. The Kings hopes are going to be that Moreland develops into much more than what a year 9 Hollins can accomplish. Barring injuries or a trade, Moreland probably isn't going to see the floor much at all this year.
On a side note, I really hope this game was a sign of things to come and not an anomaly. The ball movement in this game was the best we've seen in years and years. Was very Spurs like with everyone at 10 shot attempts or less. The cool thing was that 90% of our shot attempts were high percentage shots. Barely any forces or guys trying to do things they aren't capable of. Lots of extra passes and open shots. We also have much higher end role players now. Collison, Stauskas, Sessions, Casspi and Landry are going to be a huge step up from what we had last year. It's only one game but I really hope these guys are fully bought into the idea of team basketball. They could be this years Phoenix and make some noise around that 8th seed.
I don't see Moreland getting much playing time now that Hollins is around. Hollins is a veteran that can pretty much do everything Moreland can, but better at this point. The Kings hopes are going to be that Moreland develops into much more than what a year 9 Hollins can accomplish. Barring injuries or a trade, Moreland probably isn't going to see the floor much at all this year.
On a side note, I really hope this game was a sign of things to come and not an anomaly. The ball movement in this game was the best we've seen in years and years. Was very Spurs like with everyone at 10 shot attempts or less. The cool thing was that 90% of our shot attempts were high percentage shots. Barely any forces or guys trying to do things they aren't capable of. Lots of extra passes and open shots. We also have much higher end role players now. Collison, Stauskas, Sessions, Casspi and Landry are going to be a huge step up from what we had last year. It's only one game but I really hope these guys are fully bought into the idea of team basketball. They could be this years Phoenix and make some noise around that 8th seed.
Albatros
Starter
At least with Nik you know even if he's 0-8 he's still gonna have the ability to help the team in other ways ben can't (on offense) but there is a bit of pick your poison with those two the way Nik defends. Having said that you certainly can't call Ben a good defender at this point either so.... If it's me I'm giving Nik the majority of minutes (on this tiny sample)
I'm going to give some props to Ben. He's the current whipping boy for every missed shot or turnover or missed defensive assignment. For 2 games he's shot the ball well statistically. He's become much better on the drive....from incapable to now getting to the lane. Defensively, I think he's been solid. I do like him off the bench playing with Collison and another ball handler and when he spots up. Nik is the current love crush for many and dude can shoot the ball, very apparent. Has not been as bad defensively as I thought he would be and in fact had several good moments early. I thought his defense as the game went on was more sketchy than solid.
Bottom line is that if both of these SGs can keep being solid and improving, it's a huge step forward for the team in solidifying the position and a step in approaching the magical .500 record.
Bottom line is that if both of these SGs can keep being solid and improving, it's a huge step forward for the team in solidifying the position and a step in approaching the magical .500 record.
Entity
Hall of Famer
normally id agree. but we need chemistry to develpe right now. thats why this foul trouble 2 straight games for cuz hurts us. You don't want to be figuring it out come november.
N0tmyfault
Bench
I was watching the Giants, game so I was only able to catch bits-and-pieces of this game. But when I was watching, I could not believe the amount of ball movement that I was seeing from this team. It will only get better. I think with Casspi, you at least have a player who gives it his all. He's always in the mix it seems, good or bad. With D-Will, you have a guy that disappears until he gets a big dunk or an inevitable boneheaded play. More so the latter of the two.
TheJewishKing
G-League
No doubt, 82 games per a season are whole lots of games, honestly I just reckon that Casspi has already adjusted and adapted to the very fast pace of this league.
I know it sometimes seems like he is sprinting all the way in the beginning but eventually he is getting tired and has no air to resume and keep running.
Casspi almost undoubtedly started all his NBA seasons in a very strong pace, he looks very impressive,sharp and in a pretty decent shape.
But eventually, something happens and Casspi isn't able to repeat the same capacity he had in the beginning of the season, and unfortunately as the season is winding down he usually finds himself in the end of the bench feeling pretty depressed.
The way I see it, with Casspi it's all about confidence, Casspi needs to feel that his coach believes in him and that his teammates can rely on him, thus far he hasn't been able to achieve the amount of confidence which will be able to goad for the reminder of the season.
With Houston after couple of bad games Houston traded Jordan Hamilton to their team and when Cisco completely healed from his injury it totally made Casspi to be pushed to the end of the rotation.
Same in Cleveland Casspi wasn't able to play as good as Cleveland management expected him to play which means he could not build up his confidence and then again was pushed to the end of the rotation behind Alonzo Gee and a coach who was not willing to give faith in him again, that's a major knockout to your confidence.
Casspi is a six-year veteran, I believe he adjusted to the pace of the NBA long time ago, I do believe he should work on his confidence more.
HighFlyingMonkey
Starter
Visual approximation of Cousins against Toronto yesterday
Glenn
Hall of Famer
Except Godzilla can't dunk. 
I think one of the first things Shaq told Cuz is to use his size as no one is as strong as he is. I believe there was one play where Cuz was triple teamed and at least two if not three guys fouled him yet he was able to get the ball over the rim (barely) and into the basket. Remarkable.
I think one of the first things Shaq told Cuz is to use his size as no one is as strong as he is. I believe there was one play where Cuz was triple teamed and at least two if not three guys fouled him yet he was able to get the ball over the rim (barely) and into the basket. Remarkable.
gunks
Hall of Famer
Cuz is a monster. Only way to defend against him is to try to get him into foul trouble...which is how people "stopped" Shaq back in the day. And if you double Cuz...well..he's also a brilliant passer...
Speaking of passing... The ball movement was great... I hope we keep it up. Our bench is also looking killer... I'm not a fan of the Landry signing, but he'll be a weapon for us when the starters are resting.
Speaking of passing... The ball movement was great... I hope we keep it up. Our bench is also looking killer... I'm not a fan of the Landry signing, but he'll be a weapon for us when the starters are resting.
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