[Game] Game 63:Kings @ Hornets,3/11/15 - 4:00 pdt, 7:00 edt

[twslam07]

You are definitely wrong here, why should Casspi be afraid to take an open shot

Exactly. Why would Casspi be afraid to take a wide open shot? It's because he is not confident in his abilities to make the shot.

Casspi is wise enough to understand that it might be better for him to pass the open shot and try to go right to the hoop for the two points and an opportunity for an and one, look, Casspi is aware of his weaknesses (this year obviously the three-point shot) so he would much rather to pass this shot even if he has open looks, I am really sorry to inform it to you but Casspi was never a "pure shooter" therefore when he passes an open shot it's really not a big deal since you can't really be sure that he will make that open shot

I'm not necessarily arguing this. It's good that he passes up shots he doesn't think he can make. That's called knowing your limitations and it prevents you from beating yourself. However, players who have limitations are easier to beat overall. You just hope these players don't help your opponent beat them.

But again, this all ties into what I'm saying. He doesn't have confidence shooting wide open threes so instead he drives. Defenders know that's how he wants to play now and they have adjusted to him.

You are right in saying he is wise enough to pass up a wide open three in favor of driving to the hoop. The only problem is that he doesn't seem wise enough to know when to not the shoot the ball when he drives. Lately, he has been putting up a lot of bad shots while driving. He needs to make better decisions and pass out of his dribble drive when it's not there.

I agree that many defenders in the league learned how to shut down Casspi, he had great success in the beginning of the season in slashing right to the basket for the easy points but since Casspi is not very athletic or agile like many of the players in the league it's hard for him to compete with the other players and finish his plays, Casspi will probably need to take it under consideration in the off-season where he will probably work about his rhythm from downtown because Casspi can definitely be a threat from outside but also a threat when he goes into the basket.

Agree, if he worked on his shot and got his confidence back, it makes him more difficult to guard because the defender will have to think about two things instead of just one.

No doubt Casspi is a limited player, I recognize it and I believe Casspi is aware of it as well, but when Casspi will get his rhythm from the three-point line back

What makes you so sure? You seem pretty confident in that assumption.

and also assuming he will still preserve the ability of penetrating to the hoop for two points he could be a really big threat for the defense and especially when coming off the bench helping the second unit keeping the momentum when needed

A really big threat? Omri Casspi? If he were to get his 3pt shot back (and that's a big if), he would be a decent bench option. There's no way finding his shot is all of a sudden going to make him a really big threat. You even said yourself that there is no doubt he is a limited player. Limited players rarely are really big threats in this league unless they are just physically imposing beasts who can beat you with sheer size, length, strength, and little basketball skill. A really big threat off the bench is a 6 man of the year type player. Think Jamal Crawford or Manu Ginobli.

let's be honest here, what are the odds that the Kings will be able to significantly strengthen their bench? not so high

What makes you say that? We have McCallum & Stauskas who I would expect to keep progressing/developing on our bench. We'll also have another pick (6th-7th) to help improve our bench. Not to mention we have around $12 mil in cap space to sign some free agents to either start (thus pushing one of our current starters to the bench) or just signing bench players outright.

I'm really not sure why you would say that. I guess it just goes with your narrative.

Casspi can be a legitimate bench player in every NBA team, and I certainly talking about a player who can play significant amount of minutes per night

Legitimate is a strong word, and again, you're focusing on him possibly being a legitimate bench player by using "can." He's six years into the league. He doesn't have much more improvement in him. I think his highest ceiling IF he can become a reliable 3pt shooter again is a backup to a premier SF like Lebron, Durant, George, Gay, etc. 15 minutes would be around the max I would play him IF he could spread the floor. Otherwise, you're playing a player who can easily be shut down offensively without adding value defensively, and nobody wants to do that.

Casspi is also a very great locker room guy and very good for the team chemistry, I reckon Casspi as a bench player has more pros than cons, and he can definitely be a crucial part of the Kings in the next season.

I agree. I think he is a great guy to have in the locker room and that's basically one of the reasons why I would sign him as a third SF who doesn't see regular playing time because he would be able to bring value in that aspect, but if he is able to discover his set shot, I think 10-15 minutes per night for Casspi is more than fair on a contending team.

 

[PoundForPound]

Casspi is too erratic. Sometimes it's great energy from Casspi, but most of the time you'll get the misguided energy and sloppy selfish play. He should stick to becoming a better shooter and thriving as a spot-up kind of guy as opposed to this play-making turnover machine.

 

[TheJewishKing]

A really big threat? Omri Casspi? If he were to get his 3pt shot back (and that's a big if), he would be a decent bench option. There's no way finding his shot is all of a sudden going to make him a really big threat. You even said yourself that there is no doubt he is a limited player. Limited players rarely are really big threats in this league unless they are just physically imposing beasts who can beat you with sheer size, length, strength, and little basketball skill. A really big threat off the bench is a 6 man of the year type player. Think Jamal Crawford or Manu Ginobli.

Don't take my words out of context, what I meant was Casspi can be a big threat in his category of group of players, I am not delusional Casspi is a mediocre player but once he improves and get his three-point shot back in rhythm, and yes I am confident he can do so he will automatically be a big threat, Casspi is not a starter nor a star, I can see it, but he can be a big threat for other mediocre players that will probably defend him, that's all I am basically saying, if Casspi could shoot from the arc in his previous seasons why wouldn't he be able to do so in the next seasons, once a "shooter" always a "shooter".

What makes you say that? We have McCallum & Stauskas who I would expect to keep progressing/developing on our bench. We'll also have another pick (6th-7th) to help improve our bench. Not to mention we have around $12 mil in cap space to sign some free agents to either start (thus pushing one of our current starters to the bench) or just signing bench players outright.

I'm really not sure why you would say that. I guess it just goes with your narrative.

What makes me say that is the fact that the Kings didn't have a strong bench for almost a decade, I personally do not believe in Stauskas and if McCallum is your definition for a strong bench then I have no idea how can you exclude Casspi from being on that bench and receive major amount of minutes, let's be frank here Kings is not exactly the ideal destination for "strong" bench players you know it and I know it, it's not in my narrative, I'm just being realistic, unfortunately not many players are interested in playing for the Kings.

I agree. I think he is a great guy to have in the locker room and that's basically one of the reasons why I would sign him as a third SF who doesn't see regular playing time because he would be able to bring value in that aspect, but if he is able to discover his set shot, I think 10-15 minutes per night for Casspi is more than fair on a contending team.

Casspi is a player who can and should play around 20 minutes for a mediocre NBA team, look at his career average in minutes played and you will see just that, I also believe that in a contender Casspi should play around 15 minutes, but every player on a contender team is crucial from a guy like LeBron James to a guy like Matthew Dellavedova.

 

[Chubbs]

You're probably the biggest Omri Casspi supporter here, TheJewishKing, so I wouldn't you to agree with me. I respect your opinion, but I disagree. Omri is valuable for 10-15 minutes off of the bench providing energy and hustle. He's not a consistent three-point threat and I've been mortified by his selfish play as of late. He's not an integral part of the Kings core or future for that matter. Trade asset? Yes.

No.

He's on a one year deal. Anyone is free to sign him after this season. Just as they were prior to this season. There wasn't exactly a bidding war.

 

[Bricklayer]

Casspi is too erratic. Sometimes it's great energy from Casspi, but most of the time you'll get the misguided energy and sloppy selfish play. He should stick to becoming a better shooter and thriving as a spot-up kind of guy as opposed to this play-making turnover machine.

No, he almost drove himself out of the league as a spot up guy. Just not a great shooter, and while shooting is a skill that can be improved, its not as if everybody in the league/on the planet can shoot 40% from three if they just practice enough.

Casspi's switch up to a rim attacker this year was a wise and helpful move that especially under Malone was threatening to revitalize his career. I think defenses have caught on now however that he's a new sort of one trick pony, and its still hard for him to be efficient. What I'd really like to see him get back to is some of the passing he was showing under Malone, but there I think there is a new difficulty as we've been forced to use him as a backup SG, and while he mgiht be able to handle enough to create as a SF, the SGs are more than quick enough to deal with the tactic.

 

[twslam07]

Don't take my words out of context, what I meant was Casspi can be a big threat in his category of group of players,

So, again, he is the best of the worst? He's not an above average bench player right now. I'm not sure why you're trying to paint that picture.

I am not delusional Casspi is a mediocre player but once he improves and get his three-point shot back in rhythm, and yes I am confident he can do so he will automatically be a big threat

Right now, he is not a mediocre player. Right now, he hurts our team (along with the rest of our bench). A guy who is very easy to defend and doesn't help us defensively is not a "mediocre" player. That's a player you look to replace in your everyday rotation.

Casspi is not a starter nor a star, I can see it,

Yeah no kidding. You say this statement like you're giving me ground or compromising when actually it's just a fact.

but he can be a big threat for other mediocre players that will probably defend him, that's all I am basically saying

Right now, he cannot be a big threat when going up against mediocre players. He can be a big threat when going up against poor players. If his shot comes back then yeah he can come play with the "big boys" in the bench rotation and be a decent player (still wouldn't be a big threat like a Crawford or Ginobli), but until then, a contending team shouldn't be giving him consistent minutes.

if Casspi could shoot from the arc in his previous seasons why wouldn't he be able to do so in the next seasons, once a "shooter" always a "shooter".

I'm not saying he can get back to how he has shot in the past. I'm just dealing with what we know, and what we know is he is struggling from downtown this year. You can't just assume he's going to get his shot back magically. You have to see progress towards the end of the year. If Casspi doesn't make progress towards the end of the year, they shouldn't sign him next year with the expectation that he would be our backup SF. That's just not a good basketball decision. Now if he shows progress that he'll be able to knock down the three consistently as the season comes to a close, then I could see the reasoning to singing him as a backup SF.

Once a shooter always a shooter? I don't think you understand how shooting works. Things like that take practice. If NBA players no longer took and jump shots in practice, I guarantee you that statement wouldn't hold. Sometimes you just got to put in the work to be the shooter you want to be.

What makes me say that is the fact that the Kings didn't have a strong bench for almost a decade

That's unfair to say. It should be more along the lines of we didn't have a strong team for almost a decade. The starting lienups were crap so of course the bench is going to be poor. Our starting unit (Collison, McLemore, Gay, Thompson, Cousins) played very well this year, so what's the next step? Improve your bench so they can maintain leads or keep your team in the running while you're starters are out.

It's naive to think that since our bench has been bad for a decade that it won't get better. Portland was bad for awhile and worked on improving their starting lineup. They ended up with Lillard, Matthews, Batum, Aldrdige, & Lopez as their starting unit, but their bench was very weak and prevented the team from reaching it's potential. What did they do next? They went out and got Afflalo and Kamn. Both of these guys would be our best bench players by far.

I personally do not believe in Stauskas

That's fine. A lot of fans get impatient with rookies. I mean look at what everyone was saying about Ben last year and look where he is now? Rookies take time to adjust to the league. If you were able to watch Stauskas in college, I'm sure you would feel differently about him. He has way too much skill not to be a player in this league, and he's a good athlete as well. I've been pleasantly surprised with how his lateral quickness when defending players. I don't think he will be a liability on defense when it's all said and done.

And even in these last 5 or so games, Stauskas has been starting to gain his confidence back and show what he's all about. I'm very excited to see what kind of player he is at the beginning of next year. I think we will all be pleasantly surprised.

and if McCallum is your definition for a strong bench then I have no idea how can you exclude Casspi from being on that bench and receive major amount of minutes,

First of all, I never said McCallum was a strong bench option. I gave you reasons why I think the bench will be better next season. Both McCallum & Stauskas are still developing (that means they are still getting better), so any improvement they make will only help strengthen the bench. They don't have to be Jamal Crawford next year, but I would rather have a better McCallum and a better Stauskas next year, wouldn't you?

If our bench stays the same, then yeah we will be forced to play Casspi again. There's nobody really better than him on our bench right now, but again, just because you're the best of the worst doesn't mean we should keep that player around and give them significant minutes.

let's be frank here Kings is not exactly the ideal destination for "strong" bench players you know it and I know it, it's not in my narrative, I'm just being realistic, unfortunately not many players are interested in playing for the Kings.

This is a complete fallacy. Complete fallacy...

Yes, we are not a big market team, but you're questioning our ability to bring in bench roleplayers? These types of players have little to no leverage. They go where the money is because they want to secure their future as much as possible. If they were one of the more premier players in the league meaning they are in high demand, they have many more options to go with. But the fact that a roleplayer would take (for example) a 2 mil paycut to go play somewhere else is highly unlikely. What if we offered him 4 mil a year? He just took a 50% paycut because of a destination. Would you do that? I don't think so.

Regardless of roleplayers having little to no leverage in free agency, we are a team on the rise, have a HOF coach, and we are moving into the best arena in the world next year. Those are attractive options to free agents whether you would like to admit it or not.

Casspi is a player who can and should play around 20 minutes for a mediocre NBA team, look at his career average in minutes played and you will see just that

I only agree to this if he finds his shot again. Otherwise, no he shouldn't be playing that much. You don't play players that are liabilities on offense and defense unless you're the 76ers.

You're right about his career average in minutes, but he shot the ball well during those years. Case and point.

I also believe that in a contender Casspi should play around 15 minutes, but every player on a contender team is crucial from a guy like LeBron James to a guy like Matthew Dellavedova.

Again, only if he finds his shot again, then I agree with you.

 

[hrdboild]

Peja also went on to only shoot 32% his first year in the league which I would not consider a reliable 3pt shooter...

No, I'm not giving those numbers too much weight. He has shot poorly this season from three. Yes, it is a small sample size, and he could just be struggling right now, but the fact that he hesitates shooting open threes is what alarms me.

As a 37% career 3pt shooter, you think he would be confident in taking that shot and thinking it's a good shot. 37% career shooters don't/shouldn't just completely shut down shooting threes after not making an efficient amount of threes through a small sample size. There's something else going on. Whether it has something to do with his form or if its something mental.

I'm not just looking at the numbers. I'm factoring in how he is behaving when an open 3pt shot presents itself to him.

Again, can you say with confidence that you can rely on Casspi to hit an open 3pt shot at this point in his career? Whether it's his percentage this year (which is small sample size) or the fact that he passes up open threes, I don't think you can say we can consistently rely on him to hit threes this year. If there's a few seconds left in the game, and we are down 3, would we even consider putting Casspi into the game? I sure wouldn't...

I just don't think you can make a case that Omri's falloff this season is anything more than an anomaly. This is how small of a sample size we're talking about: if he makes his next 5 three point shots, his average this season would jump up to his career average of 35%. 5 shots. He's played 6 seasons and taken over 900 three point shots in the NBA and the difference between the unreliable 35% shooter I see and a guy you claim has completely forgotten how to shoot is 5 shots? Come on. The simple matter of it is that 38 shots is 38 shots. Whether you put the mantle of "the 2014-2015" season around it or not, it represents only 4% of his overall production and should be treated accordingly.

I don't disagree with you that Omri has been inconsistent as a three point shooter. 37%, 37%, 31%, 33%, 35%. Those were his shooting numbers before this season. They're a little up and down, and those two years in Cleveland are flat bad, but the average is still somewhere around 35%. Rudy Gay is also a 35% three point shooter for his career. He had one year where he shot 31%, one year where he shot 32%, one when he shot 39%. Similarly inconsistent. He took 138 after the trade last season and made only 31% of them. This season he's shooting 37%. So can we rely on Rudy to hit a three? No more or less than you can rely on any 35% career three point shooter. And we can rely on Omri in the future no more or less than we can rely on Rudy Gay. Like I said, it's not great but it is acceptable for a forward.

But let's forget the numbers for a minute and just talk about what we see. The first month of the season Omri was a regular off the bench and he wasn't just passing up three point shots, he was hardly shooting. Instead he was using the threat of the open three to drive into the paint and dish the ball for a better shot. He was also getting to the line and converting. While Malone was still the coach, Omri wasn't just a valuable bench player, he was one of the most efficient players on the team. He wasn't shooting threes, but I don't think anyone cared at that point because he was obviously helping the team with his hustle and playmaking skills. He was in and out of the rotation under Corbin and I'll admit I didn't watch a lot of those games. Too depressing. Over the last month or so he's been featured in the rotation again and he's taking a lot more shots than he did at any point prior. I'm giving George Karl a pass here because it's unreasonable to expect a coach to come in at the end of the season and teach a new offense while the team is on the road, but what I've seen from everybody offensively is a greater emphasis on putting up shots, not always on patiently playing for the best shot.

Also, don't look now but Omri is averaging 1.5 three attempts over the last 4 games (twice his average on the season) and he's made 50% of them (3 for 6). Is this the start of a new streak or just more statistical noise? I don't know. It's too small of a sample size to say at this point.

 

[twslam07]

I just don't think you can make a case that Omri's falloff this season is anything more than an anomaly. This is how small of a sample size we're talking about: if he makes his next 5 three point shots, his average this season would jump up to his career average of 35%. 5 shots. He's played 6 seasons and taken over 900 three point shots in the NBA and the difference between the unreliable 35% shooter I see and a guy you claim has completely forgotten how to shoot is 5 shots? Come on. The simple matter of it is that 38 shots is 38 shots. Whether you put the mantle of "the 2014-2015" season around it or not, it represents only 4% of his overall production and should be treated accordingly.

I don't disagree with you that Omri has been inconsistent as a three point shooter. 37%, 37%, 31%, 33%, 35%. Those were his shooting numbers before this season. They're a little up and down, and those two years in Cleveland are flat bad, but the average is still somewhere around 35%. Rudy Gay is also a 35% three point shooter for his career. He had one year where he shot 31%, one year where he shot 32%, one when he shot 39%. Similarly inconsistent. He took 138 after the trade last season and made only 31% of them. This season he's shooting 37%. So can we rely on Rudy to hit a three? No more or less than you can rely on any 35% career three point shooter. And we can rely on Omri in the future no more or less than we can rely on Rudy Gay. Like I said, it's not great but it is acceptable for a forward.

But let's forget the numbers for a minute and just talk about what we see. The first month of the season Omri was a regular off the bench and he wasn't just passing up three point shots, he was hardly shooting. Instead he was using the threat of the open three to drive into the paint and dish the ball for a better shot. He was also getting to the line and converting. While Malone was still the coach, Omri wasn't just a valuable bench player, he was one of the most efficient players on the team. He wasn't shooting threes, but I don't think anyone cared at that point because he was obviously helping the team with his hustle and playmaking skills. He was in and out of the rotation under Corbin and I'll admit I didn't watch a lot of those games. Too depressing. Over the last month or so he's been featured in the rotation again and he's taking a lot more shots than he did at any point prior. I'm giving George Karl a pass here because it's unreasonable to expect a coach to come in at the end of the season and teach a new offense while the team is on the road, but what I've seen from everybody offensively is a greater emphasis on putting up shots, not always on patiently playing for the best shot.

Also, don't look now but Omri is averaging 1.5 three attempts over the last 4 games (twice his average on the season) and he's made 50% of them (3 for 6). Is this the start of a new streak or just more statistical noise? I don't know. It's too small of a sample size to say at this point.

Why are you so destined to paint me as this guy who only relies on a 38 shot sample? Can we both agree that's not what is happening?

Is it concerning that he averages 26% from the 3pt line this year? Yes. Would it be much more concerning if he did this over the course of 100 shots? Yes.

But there is one stat you're not seeming to acknowledge...

2009/10 - 3.8
2010/11 - 5.2
2011/12 - 4.5
2012/13 - 5.4
2013/14 - 4.9
2014/15 - 1.5

These numbers represent Casspi's 3PT attempts per 36 over his career. Notice how this number is way down this year? This is what I'm talking about.

You may be right that the amount of shots this year is too small of sample size to conclude that he is a poor 3PT shooter. However, if he wasn't, why would he not take more shots? You may answer because he wanted to attack the basket and get easier shots which is a very viable answer. However, it still doesn't explain the moments when he voluntarily hesistates and passes on wide open threes. A 35% 3PT shooter should be able to catch the ball and confidently shoot a wide open 3 without remorse because that is a good shot for that particular person. Instead, we have someone who passes these shots up. That makes me lean towards thinking that this player is no longer a 35% 3PT shooter.

Casspi is pretty selective with his 3PT shots. The only time he takes them is when he is pretty significantly open (and that's after he has a quick convo in his head if he should shoot or no), yet he's only made 1o of 38. Usuaully when players are more selective with their shots, they shoot them at a higher percentage. Take Tony Parker for instance. He shoots 46.6% from three. Compare that to Curry this year at 41.9% and you have an interesting comparison. I don't think anyone in their right mind would say that Parker is a better 3PT shooter than Curry. However, the fact that Parker is much more selective (1.5 3PA/game) versus Curry who is more confident shooting while being contested (8 3PA/game) brings about an interesting truth that if Parker and Curry were to take the same type of 3pt shots, that Curry would likely make more of them.

So getting back to my other point...if Casspi is on the extremely conservative side (meaning these are usually terrific looks that he is getting) why such a low percentage? This can be chalked up to low sample, but I just find it interesting...

As far as considering him reliable or not, let me know throw an analogy your way...

Let's say you're in the middle of a job interview. A job employer looks over your resume (picks up that you stick with companies for awhile, saw you stuck it out in school and earned your PhD, notices that you've been a weekly volunteer for a charity for over 3 years, etc.) and has deemed you as a reliable person/worker. The employer then ends up hiring you. After about a month or two, this employer notices that you're regularly missing deadlines, coming in late to work, not following up with coworkers, etc.

Do you think this employer is going to think well his resume seemed to indicate he was reliable in the past so let's stick with him or is that employee going to get shafted based on him not being a reliable worker? I lean towards the latter.

The same can be said for his 3PT shooting. Looking at his resume, he seems to be an alright 3PT shooter. However, this year he has shown us in person that he is not (whether it be him passing up open shots or him shooting at a 26% clip).

 

[hrdboild]

Why are you so destined to paint me as this guy who only relies on a 38 shot sample? Can we both agree that's not what is happening?

Is it concerning that he averages 26% from the 3pt line this year? Yes. Would it be much more concerning if he did this over the course of 100 shots? Yes.

But there is one stat you're not seeming to acknowledge...

2009/10 - 3.8
2010/11 - 5.2
2011/12 - 4.5
2012/13 - 5.4
2013/14 - 4.9
2014/15 - 1.5

These numbers represent Casspi's 3PT attempts per 36 over his career. Notice how this number is way down this year? This is what I'm talking about.

You may be right that the amount of shots this year is too small of sample size to conclude that he is a poor 3PT shooter. However, if he wasn't, why would he not take more shots? You may answer because he wanted to attack the basket and get easier shots which is a very viable answer. However, it still doesn't explain the moments when he voluntarily hesistates and passes on wide open threes. A 35% 3PT shooter should be able to catch the ball and confidently shoot a wide open 3 without remorse because that is a good shot for that particular person. Instead, we have someone who passes these shots up. That makes me lean towards thinking that this player is no longer a 35% 3PT shooter.

Casspi is pretty selective with his 3PT shots. The only time he takes them is when he is pretty significantly open (and that's after he has a quick convo in his head if he should shoot or no), yet he's only made 1o of 38. Usuaully when players are more selective with their shots, they shoot them at a higher percentage. Take Tony Parker for instance. He shoots 46.6% from three. Compare that to Curry this year at 41.9% and you have an interesting comparison. I don't think anyone in their right mind would say that Parker is a better 3PT shooter than Curry. However, the fact that Parker is much more selective (1.5 3PA/game) versus Curry who is more confident shooting while being contested (8 3PA/game) brings about an interesting truth that if Parker and Curry were to take the same type of 3pt shots, that Curry would likely make more of them.

So getting back to my other point...if Casspi is on the extremely conservative side (meaning these are usually terrific looks that he is getting) why such a low percentage? This can be chalked up to low sample, but I just find it interesting...

As far as considering him reliable or not, let me know throw an analogy your way...

Let's say you're in the middle of a job interview. A job employer looks over your resume (picks up that you stick with companies for awhile, saw you stuck it out in school and earned your PhD, notices that you've been a weekly volunteer for a charity for over 3 years, etc.) and has deemed you as a reliable person/worker. The employer then ends up hiring you. After about a month or two, this employer notices that you're regularly missing deadlines, coming in late to work, not following up with coworkers, etc.

Do you think this employer is going to think well his resume seemed to indicate he was reliable in the past so let's stick with him or is that employee going to get shafted based on him not being a reliable worker? I lean towards the latter.

The same can be said for his 3PT shooting. Looking at his resume, he seems to be an alright 3PT shooter. However, this year he has shown us in person that he is not (whether it be him passing up open shots or him shooting at a 26% clip).

Your analogy points out exactly why I disagree. You're trying to tell me that Omri's poor shooting this season is more significant than what he's done in the past. I'll go along with that, to a point. But we don't measure a player's ability to shoot on whether they made their last shot or their last 10 shots because even elite shooters miss 60% of the time. Out of 100 shots, a very good three point shooter will miss 60 (in an NBA game, not the practice floor). That doesn't mean they will miss 4 out of every 10 either. They might make 30 in a row and then miss the next 10. We all understand this, that's what a percentage is -- an average of several consecutive events. We don't have an accurate reading on Omri's shooting ability right now because the survey is essentially incomplete. It's trending down currently. That may eventually turn out to be a small hiccup in an upward slope.

A more appropriate analogy may be that I'm given a task to complete and a deadline and I guarantee that I will make the deadline plus or minus 35%. So if the deadline is 20 days, I will complete the task in no fewer than 14 days and no more than 27 days. Fair enough? And if you look at how I've performed in the past (cause you keep detailed records of this kind of thing ) you see that I've almost never gone more than 35% past a deadline on any project, and usually get them done on time. So let's say you're checking up on me and you notice that it's been 8 days and I still have a lot left to do. Are you going to fire me for failing to make my guarantee? What I'm trying to tell you that you're not getting is that individual seasons are arbitrary lines of demarcation. I'm seeing a player here who has taken 908 shots and he's only made 10 of his last 38. Is that a small concern? Sure. Is it the epic collapse of shooting ability that you're characterizing it is? Absolutely not (imo).

And to address your first point about the dramatic falloff in shot attempts... I would be a lot more concerned if Omri was taking three pointers at the same rate he has in the past and hitting only 26% of them. That to me would indicate some kind of mechanical (vision?) problem because the desire to shoot is still there, just not the results. It would also represent a far more dramatic detriment to the team. But a player who shoots a three once every other game or so and only makes 1 in 4? At least he's not shooting us out of games. For shooters that rely more on rhythm than flawless mechanics, the low number of attempts may actually be the cause for the temporary decline in shooting percentage. I would only be concerned about that stat declining dramatically if I were the kind of person who felt that three point shooting is an essential skill at the SF position and you can't succeed without a reliable three point threat at that position. I don't hold that belief, so it's immaterial to me. He's getting to the line at an increased rate and converting 75% of the time. If he can keep that stat up and normalize his shooting back to his career percentage next season I think he would have actually improved substantially as a player. And that's not an unreasonable expectation either. 5 shots is the difference between 26% and 35% right now. 5 shots!

 

[VF21]

You're probably the biggest Omri Casspi supporter here, TheJewishKing, so I wouldn't you to agree with me. I respect your opinion, but I disagree. Omri is valuable for 10-15 minutes off of the bench providing energy and hustle. He's not a consistent three-point threat and I've been mortified by his selfish play as of late. He's not an integral part of the Kings core or future for that matter. Trade asset? Yes.

You say that and then say he's nothing more than a trade asset? Sorry, but that does not compute. And, for the record, I'm also a pretty big Casspi fan - have been since the day he was drafted.

AGAIN, I'll make the point about role players. If we get him for a reasonable price, why wouldn't we keep him AS A ROLE PLAYER "valuable for 10-15 minutes off of the bench providing energy and hustle"?

 

[gunks]

Dang, an entire page arguing about Casspi?

We have bigger issues, people!

 

[VF21]

Dang, an entire page arguing about Casspi?

We have bigger issues, people!

Yeah, but we've already argued about most of them.