Yah it's not like those two have shown the effort or the skills to win at this point. They are not learning from mistakes they made and they are not adjusting to what the defense shows either of them. Pack the paint for Reke, and put a shot blocker with quick hands on Cousins. Of course not all teams have a good bigman shot blocker, but you will notice that he has issues when he goes against one.
Reke seems to be getting a better jumpshot as of late but he's still sucks at seeing the floor for someone who has the ball as much as he does. He's one of the five reasons in the starting lineup why they have by far the lowest assist rate in the league.
NOTE: I did not blame it all on Reke but he does start so some of the responsibility is on him to get teammates open shots just like the others that start.
Also note: The team does miss quite a lot of easy shots but if there was a stat for taking contested and bad shots the Kings would most likely lead the team in bad shot attempts.
I'm going to disagree a little bit. Some of Cuz's problems fall on him. You can't come into this league, make a splash, and then expect to ride that horse the rest of the way. Once the league figure's out what you like to do, they try to take it away. Ask Tyreke! Cuz has become, for the most part, very predictable in the post. Teams know what he likes to do, and their not going to let him do it. Plus, he's doubled on almost every possession. A compliment in one aspect, but you have to learn how to counter what the other team is doing, and I suggest that Cuz spend the entire offseason working on his post game, and not practicing 3pt shots.
Aside from that, and looking at the big picture, I sort of agree with the article. If I have to choose between putting Outlaw or Robinson in the game, its a no brainer for me. I don't care what tea leaves Smart is reading before the game. Look, if Robinson and Fredette had been drafted by the Spurs, Thunder, or the Grizz etc. then I could understand them not getting much playing time. They'd be playing behind better and more experienced players. Somehow, I don't think thats the case here. Now that may be a general indictment of the team as a whole, but it is what it is, and if the team feels that both those guys are part of the future of the team, and Salmons, Outlaw, Brooks, or whoever aren't, then play the guys that are, enough minutes to see what you have with them.
I suspect that there are a lot of players that aren't happy in the lockerroom. Now you can say too bad, but that kind of feeling will eventually permeate the entire team. Things will only get worse. A coach can sell a bill of goods only so long when you losing, and at some point, he loses the team. I don't think were far away from that point right now.
If I were the coach, I'd tell Cuz, big guy, what I need from you for a while, is go out there and play your heart out on the defensive side of the ball, rebound like a mad man, and only take what the defense gives you on the offensive side of the ball. See how many assists you can get, and quit forcing shots! Also, and your not going to like this part, but everytime I see you react to a call in what I deem a negative way, I'm going to sit you down on the bench. I don't want to, but its on you. I'm simply making the rules, its up to you to keep them. Cousins doesn't need to be handled with kid gloves. Calapari read the riot act to him all the time. Calapari told him to go into the post and stay in the post, and if he came out of the post, he'd be on the bench. And thats exactly what happened. And Cousins has said many times, he has the highest respect for Calapari.
I remember one game, and its the only one, where I was shocked to see Cuz take a jumpshot, and it may have been the only jumpshot he took all year for Kentucky. Immediately after taking the shot, a whistle blew because Calapari called a timeout. He sat Cousins down on the bench and read him the riot act. I never saw Cuz take another jumpshot the rest of the year. My point is, Calapari had a system, and everyone was required to play within that system, and not playing within that system wasn't an option. With a very young team, you need to keep everyone on a short leash, until they prove they're capable of being trusted on a longer one. I don't see any kind of system with Smart. Plays that are called, aren't run because someone decides he has a better idea. Pretty soon, what you have is anarchy instead of a dictatorship.
