Well...you run into a team with 75% of its rotation known as defensive players (Camby, Wallace, Matthews, Felton, Batum, Thomas) I suppose this can happen, but still...we pretty much sucked. Maybe we played last night an spent too much passion on just one game vs. the Lakers...but the Blazers played last night too. Maybe this is an early and troubling sign of the classic young team plays good at home, bad on the road syndrome. Whatever it was..we sucked.
So, who's with me for some Pretty Girls, Holiday Edition?
Salmons ( F ) -- this is one of 2 Fs handed out tonight as Johns was simply overwhelmed from the very beginning of this one. See, there's a little secret here: John Salmons is a guard. Oh, we like to play him at SF and he's swapped between the two spots over his career. But he's a guard. He's 6'6"-6'7" 210lbs. That's a guard. Gerald Wallace is not a guard. Aside from LeBron he's as strong and athletic as any SF in the league, and from the very beginning of this one Salmons was having major probelms containing that power and athleticism, and was racking up fouls at a record pace. With his minutes so chopped up, and constantly having to deal with Wallace, he never had any shot at all at establishing any offense back the other way. Meawhile Gerald, the gift/mistake who juxt keeps on giving for Kings fans, dominated the game on his way to 25pts on 8-11shooting 8rebs and 5ast. John? 2pts 2rebs and 5TOs. And an F.
Missy Peregrym
Hayes ( C+ ) -- had his physical dirtworker moments, in the early going in particular, but most of the moments were on the glass, not defense, and whatever impact he had faded as the game went along. And on the other side of the ledger he found out that leverage/being immovable is great...unless your 5-6 inches taller opponent just turns and shoots right over you. Meanwhile as our offense fell further and further apart, Chuck's lack of it became a luxury we could seemingly ill afford. Scrapped on the defensive glass, but had a number of flubs that I suppose would be his verion of the malaise effecting the whole team. On one defensive possession actually ended up picking his own man (Tyreke) up top letting Felton slash into the lane. On the final defensive possession of the half fouled Aldridge unnecessarily with half a second to go in the half trying to fight for rebounding positon. Threw in another of his seemingly randomly timed one on one fugly exhibitions, which he should probably stop. But the biggest problem was simply that he was too small to stop Aldridge in the post all night long. Without trying to keep alive a moot issue, I will just note that last year Daly dominated his matchup with Aldridge precisely because he was tall/long enough to challenge every Aldridge shot. Tonight our forwards were no longer 6'11"/6'11" as they were at times last year. They were 6'6"/6'6" and the Blazers forwards just played over them.
Laura Ramsey
Cousins ( B ) -- sloppy night, but probably the best thing we had going, and certainly the only guy to threaten at any point to elevate us out of the doldrums. Hence probably gets half a grade more than he might otherwise. Was very active, with both the good and the bad, from the very beginning of the game. Was mixing in some impressive spinning post moves, scrappy rebounding making use of his great hands and was even getting those hands on a number of balls inside on defense. On the other hand took too many jumpers, none of which he hit, had a number of his shots sent back in his face by Camby, and was still committing too many loose unnnecessary fouls and turnovers. Remained one of the few players who did not look tired out there though until late, and drew several charges in the middle 4th as with no shtoblocking that's our idea of interior defense. Was about the only Kings player who was an impact player in this one, buit this was still a very young effort full of young mistakes.
Reka Ebergenyi -- if you're ever in Hungary...
Thornton ( D+ ) -- looked uncomfortable from the start with the Blazers D, and nothing more than just a couple of awkward flip attempts in the early going. No legs on the long bombs even when set up well, and there wasn't much of that reckless physicality to his game. Just used up all hsi mojo in the first game. Struggled to a bit of life in the 4th, but you could feel just how much a force that was. You could practically hear him muttering "I think I can, I think I can" as he chugged along forcing up shots because he knew he had to rather than because they felt good. Just no rhythm to it at all, and yet if we had any hope late in the game it was going to come from sloppy, inefficient Cousins and clearly tired forcing Marcus. Was not nearly enough obviously.
Kristanna Loken
So, who's with me for some Pretty Girls, Holiday Edition?
Salmons ( F ) -- this is one of 2 Fs handed out tonight as Johns was simply overwhelmed from the very beginning of this one. See, there's a little secret here: John Salmons is a guard. Oh, we like to play him at SF and he's swapped between the two spots over his career. But he's a guard. He's 6'6"-6'7" 210lbs. That's a guard. Gerald Wallace is not a guard. Aside from LeBron he's as strong and athletic as any SF in the league, and from the very beginning of this one Salmons was having major probelms containing that power and athleticism, and was racking up fouls at a record pace. With his minutes so chopped up, and constantly having to deal with Wallace, he never had any shot at all at establishing any offense back the other way. Meawhile Gerald, the gift/mistake who juxt keeps on giving for Kings fans, dominated the game on his way to 25pts on 8-11shooting 8rebs and 5ast. John? 2pts 2rebs and 5TOs. And an F.
Missy Peregrym
Hayes ( C+ ) -- had his physical dirtworker moments, in the early going in particular, but most of the moments were on the glass, not defense, and whatever impact he had faded as the game went along. And on the other side of the ledger he found out that leverage/being immovable is great...unless your 5-6 inches taller opponent just turns and shoots right over you. Meanwhile as our offense fell further and further apart, Chuck's lack of it became a luxury we could seemingly ill afford. Scrapped on the defensive glass, but had a number of flubs that I suppose would be his verion of the malaise effecting the whole team. On one defensive possession actually ended up picking his own man (Tyreke) up top letting Felton slash into the lane. On the final defensive possession of the half fouled Aldridge unnecessarily with half a second to go in the half trying to fight for rebounding positon. Threw in another of his seemingly randomly timed one on one fugly exhibitions, which he should probably stop. But the biggest problem was simply that he was too small to stop Aldridge in the post all night long. Without trying to keep alive a moot issue, I will just note that last year Daly dominated his matchup with Aldridge precisely because he was tall/long enough to challenge every Aldridge shot. Tonight our forwards were no longer 6'11"/6'11" as they were at times last year. They were 6'6"/6'6" and the Blazers forwards just played over them.
Laura Ramsey
Cousins ( B ) -- sloppy night, but probably the best thing we had going, and certainly the only guy to threaten at any point to elevate us out of the doldrums. Hence probably gets half a grade more than he might otherwise. Was very active, with both the good and the bad, from the very beginning of the game. Was mixing in some impressive spinning post moves, scrappy rebounding making use of his great hands and was even getting those hands on a number of balls inside on defense. On the other hand took too many jumpers, none of which he hit, had a number of his shots sent back in his face by Camby, and was still committing too many loose unnnecessary fouls and turnovers. Remained one of the few players who did not look tired out there though until late, and drew several charges in the middle 4th as with no shtoblocking that's our idea of interior defense. Was about the only Kings player who was an impact player in this one, buit this was still a very young effort full of young mistakes.
Reka Ebergenyi -- if you're ever in Hungary...
Thornton ( D+ ) -- looked uncomfortable from the start with the Blazers D, and nothing more than just a couple of awkward flip attempts in the early going. No legs on the long bombs even when set up well, and there wasn't much of that reckless physicality to his game. Just used up all hsi mojo in the first game. Struggled to a bit of life in the 4th, but you could feel just how much a force that was. You could practically hear him muttering "I think I can, I think I can" as he chugged along forcing up shots because he knew he had to rather than because they felt good. Just no rhythm to it at all, and yet if we had any hope late in the game it was going to come from sloppy, inefficient Cousins and clearly tired forcing Marcus. Was not nearly enough obviously.
Kristanna Loken
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