[Grades] Grades v. Blazers 12/23/2012

[Bricklayer]

Merry Christmas Portland!!

Highlights via Kingsflix:

Boxscore

Stats: 32min 15pts (6-11, 1-3, 2-2) 7reb 7ast 2stl 0blk 2TO
Salmons ( Mostly Nice ) -- a little bit of passing, a little bit of open court defense, but individually ineffective in the first half. And in fact even took a while to get going in the second half -- dare I say at one point I was actually thinking "where is Outlaw?" (what a team!). And yet if you look up you will see John is one of the leading vote getters for guy who made this win happen. How'd that happen? Well, John had 2pts 3reb 2ast at halftime. You could have said he was playing well rounded ball only in that he wasn't doing terribly much of anything. And he didn't even hit his first shot of the 2nd half until halfway through the third quarter. But once he did his whole game opened up, and he would notch 13pts 4rebs and 5ast from that point on out, playing the latter stages of this one like the star he has always known he is. Even played well enough to keep Outlaw on the bench, and if this one had gone to overtime he could have threatened a triple double.

Stats: 23min 10pts (4-7, 0-0, 2-2) 3reb 2ast 1stl 1blk 1TO
Johnson ( Sorta Nice ) -- got the surprise start at PF as TRob must really be out of favor, or maybe the defensive issues are just such a concern that matching him against Aldridge seemed futile. In any case, JJ drew the task, and really aquitted himself pretty well all thigns considered. Had a wild drive and hook on the move for an early score, and did most of hsi scoring at the rim, running the floor, although did hit another long jumper in the third -- improvement or hot streak, that thing defintely looks better. Got called for an offensive foul in the early third when he came flying in for a huge folow dunk and pushed off Hickson's shoulder to get the height. Giving up size of course, but while Aldridge did score against him, there was never any rhythm or real impact to it as Johnson consistently challenged. No glasswork as a PF however as boarding became another one of those little details we were able to gloss over just by passing the ball and hitting all our shots.

Stats: 21min 10pts (5-9, 0-0, 0-2) 6reb 2ast 1stl 0blk 3TO
Thompson ( Slightly Nice ) -- got off to the fast start givinig us exactly the game you expected we'd need him playing without Cuz. Was giving all the solid early offense, the midrange jumpers, the little hooks. Meat and potatoes stuff, and our best early player. Then he got into minor foul trouble, again, and it changed the course of the game for him. Left at the end fo the first quarter with 2 fouls, did not return until after half. And while he immediately hit a tough spinning shot off the glass to start the half, that was pretty much it. Went quiet for the remainder of the quarter, and the backups again came in and made hsi return unnecessary. As it turns out when you shoot 55.6% you don't actually need a big game from JT to anchor you afterall.

Thornton ( ) -- in progress...

Note: 12/27/2012 -- just noticed I never finished these Christmas Eve. If I can scorunge up my notes and flog my memory a bit I'll try to finihs them in brief ratehr than leave them incomplete.

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[Gary]

Outlaw. He played very well like he always does against Portland.

 

[kupman]

No one person keyed this win. No need for individual grades tonight. The Kings as a team get an "A." Ball movement is a beautiful thing.

 

[CruzDude]

The key to the game was the whole starting 5 and their 21 assists, only 9 TO's and continual floor spacing and really good defense. The benches 10 more assists was icing on the cake.

 

[jcwkings]

A kings game was actually fun to watch for once, team basketball is much better than isolation ball we have been playing.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

The key to the game was the whole starting 5 and their 21 assists, only 9 TO's and continual floor spacing and really good defense. The benches 10 more assists was icing on the cake.

So...I pose this question to the rest of the board: What should we do with DeMarcus Cousins??

 

[jcwkings]

So...I pose this question to the rest of the board: What should we do with DeMarcus Cousins??

Wait some and see how he comes back from this suspension, if his immature crap continues, trade him for PROFFESIONAL basketball players that will contribute every night, maybe go after a defensive shot blocking center to put next to JT, try and find some spot up shooters from the 3 spot.

 

[ElRey]

So...I pose this question to the rest of the board: What should we do with DeMarcus Cousins??

Given everything that has happened, this season is a wash. I would be open to trading him if someone offers a top 6 lottery pick or an up and coming player.

 

[pshn80]

So...I pose this question to the rest of the board: What should we do with DeMarcus Cousins??

To your question - nothing. Enjoy tre moment, the good play, the win.

 

[Bricklayer]

So...I pose this question to the rest of the board: What should we do with DeMarcus Cousins??

Well, if we do anything at all beased on beating a bad road team, at home, on the second night of a back to back for them...we need to grow up as much as Cousins.

now if reke could just get the **** back and we could extend this to a little mini win streak then would be a good time to bring Cousins back to have him conscious of not screwing things up.

 

[sdballer]

You can't just trade cuz for a pick or role players as it means this team continues to head nowhere but this time with a potential light at the end of the tunnel. For all his maturity issues, he is the key to us maybe having a bright future. Unfortunately we should just continue to ride this out and focus more on building a better culture through coaching, vets, the right role players.

 

[Kingster]

Thirty-one assists ain't bad. Yes, they do have it in them. They bought into what Smart wanted tonight. Also, it's safe to say the team wasn't witholding
effort because they thought Cousins got dissed. Another good thing. Unselfish basketball is a beautiful thing to watch.

 

[Kingster]

Well, if we do anything at all beased on beating a bad road team, at home, on the second night of a back to back for them...we need to grow up as much as Cousins.

now if reke could just get the **** back and we could extend this to a little mini win streak then would be a good time to bring Cousins back to have him conscious of not screwing things up.

I hope they don't bring Cousins back for a long time. He needs a big shock to his system, not just a couple of games off.

 

[Kingster]

So...I pose this question to the rest of the board: What should we do with DeMarcus Cousins??

We should let him sit and think about it for a long, long time. And if it doesn't work out after that, and you did want to trade him, you wait until the offseason to do it. No fire sale.

 

[HereWeBoogie]

As ive said all along, Thornton needs to be a starter.

Very nice to see some good ball movement and some defensive intensity. Fun game to watch. Wasnt expecting that.

 

[Bricklayer]

I hope they don't bring Cousins back for a long time. He needs a big shock to his system, not just a couple of games off.

That's not going to work. At all. People like to always play the tough guy in hypotheticals, but in reality you aren't going to break Demarcus Cousins. He's never going to say yes sir, no sir. His out of control emotions I don't get, but I know his inner rebel very well indeed. That was me. And before I let you break me I'd take down you, your organization, your family, and the whole frickin' city into the pit with us. The harder you pushed, the harder I would push back. There was no top end I ever discovered or imagined. You did not want to play chicken with me, because I was not swerving. Period. DeMarcus is like that. And I'm the last to condemn it despite its irrationality. Just be much easier to deal with if it were attached to a more mature person.

In any case trying to put such a person on time out won't do you any favors. He may already be one foot out the door, you blatantly disrespect him like that then you are the enemy and he is gone. If he truly is anything like me, he'll try to tear up as much as he can on the way out the door too. There is no win for us in treating him like that. This is a kid who craves approval in the worst way, and we're going to humiliate him? No no. We aren't teaching him any "lessons" other than that we are weak, and the enemy, and he doesn't need us. Its almost funny to think that we have any real power here. Very little but the power to screw ourselves in a very fittingly "royal" fashion.

Now on the flip side, and here is something I assume is there but do not know is there, if we can time it out so that we win a few games, maybe Reke comes back, we get the Portland game...tough to see us beating NY, but whatever. Just not be wallowing when he comes back. Then open the door to him coming back with some sort of act of contrition, made of his own volition, and not some public humiliation, we might get something out of this. Or not. Like I say I can't address nor fully predict the obvious emotional issues he has. But I can predict his pride. I know what it will make him do. And I think I understand how to defuse it if you will. You have to open the door and let him make the decision to walk through it. You try to push him around, he's going to push back. Hard. And we are the 90lb weakling of NBA organizations.

 

[jcassio]

That's not going to work. At all. People like to always play the tough guy in hypotheticals, but in reality you aren't going to break Demarcus Cousins. He's never going to say yes sir, no sir. His out of control emotions I don't get, but I know his inner rebel very well indeed. That was me. And before I let you break me I'd take down you, your organization, your family, and the whole frickin' city into the pit with us. The harder you pushed, the harder I would push back. There was no top end I ever discovered or imagined. You did not want to play chicken with me, because I was not swerving. Period. DeMarcus is like that. And I'm the last to condemn it despite its irrationality. Just be much easier to deal with if it were attached to a more mature person.

In any case trying to put such a person on time out won't do you any favors. He may already be one foot out the door, you blatantly disrespect him like that then you are the enemy and he is gone. If he truly is anything like me, he'll try to tear up as much as he can on the way out the door too. There is no win for us in treating him like that. This is a kid who craves approval in the worst way, and we're going to humiliate him? No no. We aren't teaching him any "lessons" other than that we are weak, and the enemy, and he doesn't need us. Its almost funny to think that we have any real power here. Very little but the power to screw ourselves in a very fittingly "royal" fashion.

Now on the flip side, and here is something I assume is there but do not know is there, if we can time it out so that we win a few games, maybe Reke comes back, we get the Portland game...tough to see us beating NY, but whatever. Just not be wallowing when he comes back. Then open the door to him coming back with some sort of act of contrition, made of his own volition, and not some public humiliation, we might get something out of this. Or not. Like I say I can't address nor fully predict the obvious emotional issues he has. But I can predict his pride. I know what it will make him do. And I think I understand how to defuse it if you will. You have to open the door and let him make the decision to walk through it. You try to push him around, he's going to push back. Hard. And we are the 90lb weakling of NBA organizations.

Some people have a deep instinct that imposing discipline fixes all things worth fixing. They are not going to "get" Cousins. However, as a few have said elsewhere, it may take him going from one team to another (and another) before he finds himself. So I'm not sure I'd keep him if he doesn't find himself (with us) by the end of this season.

 

[mac]

I'd argue Ronnie Price won the game for us ...

 

[ESP47]

So one good game and now we don't need Cousins anymore and Thornton should be a starter? What about the rest of the bad games we've played all year? We're probably something like 2-2 with Thorton as a starter and 1-4 without Cousins in the game.

With that said, I'm all for trading Cousins if we can get some real value for him. If we can only bring in a JJ Hickson type player, then I'd rather keep him and just watch him implode here instead.

 

[ESP47]

Another thing, Reke could be an absolute force if he could work with Salmons and learn how to spot up for that free throw line jump shot. Salmons is always able to get down there within 10-12ft and spot up for an open look. Too bad Salmons touch these days is akin to a sex starved cobra. You never see Reke shoot from there. He either shoots a 3, a 16ft jumper or he goes for a layup. If he could stop and pop from the free throw line like Salmons does, he could become a monster.

 

[LWP777]

Another thing, Reke could be an absolute force if he could work with Salmons and learn how to spot up for that free throw line jump shot. Salmons is always able to get down there within 10-12ft and spot up for an open look. Too bad Salmons touch these days is akin to a sex starved cobra. You never see Reke shoot from there. He either shoots a 3, a 16ft jumper or he goes for a layup. If he could stop and pop from the free throw line like Salmons does, he could become a monster.

You're right about this. Salmons makes it look so easy to get that shot. It shouldn't be too difficult for Reke to get it but I wonder if he literally has no confidence in anything outside of a layup. He just doesn't ever seem to make a high percentage of any other type of shot.

 

[UK_King]

We have the right people coming off those curls finally, Jimmer, MT and Salmons.

I don't really want to see reke taking that shot tbh, i want to see him running the pick and roll with cuz, or a big who happens to be available.

But alas Reke isn't healthy, i wonder what is up with his knee. I had tendonitis (not sure if it's that) and i was able to play with strapping but always had pain the day after a game. Grant seemed to suggest on his show that reke is able to participate in shootarounds but is opting not to play in games.

 

[Kingster]

That's not going to work. At all. People like to always play the tough guy in hypotheticals, but in reality you aren't going to break Demarcus Cousins. He's never going to say yes sir, no sir. His out of control emotions I don't get, but I know his inner rebel very well indeed. That was me. And before I let you break me I'd take down you, your organization, your family, and the whole frickin' city into the pit with us. The harder you pushed, the harder I would push back. There was no top end I ever discovered or imagined. You did not want to play chicken with me, because I was not swerving. Period. DeMarcus is like that. And I'm the last to condemn it despite its irrationality. Just be much easier to deal with if it were attached to a more mature person.

In any case trying to put such a person on time out won't do you any favors. He may already be one foot out the door, you blatantly disrespect him like that then you are the enemy and he is gone. If he truly is anything like me, he'll try to tear up as much as he can on the way out the door too. There is no win for us in treating him like that. This is a kid who craves approval in the worst way, and we're going to humiliate him? No no. We aren't teaching him any "lessons" other than that we are weak, and the enemy, and he doesn't need us. Its almost funny to think that we have any real power here. Very little but the power to screw ourselves in a very fittingly "royal" fashion.

Now on the flip side, and here is something I assume is there but do not know is there, if we can time it out so that we win a few games, maybe Reke comes back, we get the Portland game...tough to see us beating NY, but whatever. Just not be wallowing when he comes back. Then open the door to him coming back with some sort of act of contrition, made of his own volition, and not some public humiliation, we might get something out of this. Or not. Like I say I can't address nor fully predict the obvious emotional issues he has. But I can predict his pride. I know what it will make him do. And I think I understand how to defuse it if you will. You have to open the door and let him make the decision to walk through it. You try to push him around, he's going to push back. Hard. And we are the 90lb weakling of NBA organizations.

It has nothing to do with being a tough guy or showing him who is boss or even teaching him a lesson. It has to do with schocking his psyche in order to break him out of his habitual way of seeing the world, a mentallity that obviously isn't working for him. Giving him a couple of games off isn't going to do that. It's just hum drum, I made a mistake, now back to being the same ol' me. The approach hasn't worked. What's good about having him sit for an extended period is that there is no confrontation. He just sits. And sits. And sits. Initially, he may shout to the world how unfair it all is. But nobody is listening. So he is left to think about it. A lot. And maybe we might luck out and he does see that he needs psychological help. Because right now he doesn't even admit there is a problem. And until he does, then this is a long road to nowhere.

Also, there is more to this puzzle than just Cousins and the Kings organization. There are the other players on the team. We talk about having a winning culture, a strong organization. How in the world can you have that if you allow a young man to be so disruptive to your team? It's oil and water. It's like allowing the totally disruptive child to stay in the classroom and destroy the possibility of the other kids learning anything. It destroys the morale of the team. If you want to ever have the chance to have that winning culture we all yearn for then Cousins is going to have to buy in or opt out. It's either/or.

 

[pshn80]

Voted for Salmons but agree with the comment above that it was truly a team effort.

 

[LWP777]

It has nothing to do with being a tough guy or showing him who is boss or even teaching him a lesson. It has to do with schocking his psyche in order to break him out of his habitual way of seeing the world, a mentallity that obviously isn't working for him. Giving him a couple of games off isn't going to do that. It's just hum drum, I made a mistake, now back to being the same ol' me. The approach hasn't worked. What's good about having him sit for an extended period is that there is no confrontation. He just sits. And sits. And sits. Initially, he may shout to the world how unfair it all is. But nobody is listening. So he is left to think about it. A lot. And maybe we might luck out and he does see that he needs psychological help. Because right now he doesn't even admit there is a problem. And until he does, then this is a long road to nowhere.

Also, there is more to this puzzle than just Cousins and the Kings organization. There are the other players on the team. We talk about having a winning culture, a strong organization. How in the world can you have that if you allow a young man to be so disruptive to your team? It's oil and water. It's like allowing the totally disruptive child to stay in the classroom and destroy the possibility of the other kids learning anything. It destroys the morale of the team. If you want to ever have the chance to have that winning culture we all yearn for then Cousins is going to have to buy in or opt out. It's either/or.

GREAT post. It really got me thinking when you said how allowing a disruptive child to stay in the classroom destroys the potential for learning with the other kids. I remember many times in junior high and high school where there would be a class that had 1 or 2 problem students coupled with a very weak teacher who wasn't strong enough to handle them. What that did was open up the flood gates for a bunch of other kids to start acting like jackasses and before long the entire class was out of control. I really saw this happening with the team when DMC wasn't being held accountable for his actions. The other players weren't listening and weren't putting the effort in. The difference in effort has been night and day since he was sat down for the 2nd half in that Clipper game.

 

[HereWeBoogie]

So one good game and now we don't need Cousins anymore and Thornton should be a starter?

its not just one game, its fact that Thornton plays much better as a starter. and putting Tyreke at the 1 is also going to help the team. so i think it needs to happen.

as for people saying we dont need Cuz..... god help them

 

[LWP777]

its not just one game, its fact that Thornton plays much better as a starter. and putting Tyreke at the 1 is also going to help the team. so i think it needs to happen.

as for people saying we dont need Cuz..... god help them

Why would anybody want a 7 footer who shoots 41% from the floor and disrupts the team on and off the court? Cuz is good in theory but so far he hasn't put that to use on the court.

 

[Gary]

its not just one game, its fact that Thornton plays much better as a starter. and putting Tyreke at the 1 is also going to help the team. so i think it needs to happen.

as for people saying we dont need Cuz..... god help them

I would rather they start IT again than put Evans back at the 1.