[Grades] Grades v. Grizzlies 11/17/2013

What do you think about Malone benching Cousins tonight?

  • Uhoh

    Votes: 14 23.3%
  • Dangeorus

    Votes: 11 18.3%
  • Well deserved message

    Votes: 25 41.7%
  • Trying to win

    Votes: 10 16.7%

  • Total voters
    60
  • Poll closed .

rainmaker

Hall of Famer
#31
There's a real risk in benching Cuz like that. I fully understand sending the starting lineup a message, and hey, guess what, it worked. 2nd unit came in and did some serious damage, got us back to within striking distance, 3pt game at one point but as anyone who follows this game knows and would have predicted, it fizzled, they tired and didn't have enough to push through until the end, much less doing it against the Memphis starting lineup.

Then it turned into more of a message sent than having the main objective being to win the game. But beyond that, who's the message sent to exactly? That's the risky part when you attempt to send a message to an entire lineup. Why? Because not everyone played equally as well or as bad as the next guy. Some did better than others. What exactly was the message sent to Cuz? He did pretty well when he actually got the ball. Is it his fault the starting unit is below average defensively? Is it his fault no one in the starting unit can hit a shot to spread the floor and provide more room for him to operate? Is it his fault our offense went away from him?

When you bench an entire unit like this you're punishing everyone equally, even though the performances were far from equal. And it's not as if this is even an average level starting unit who didn't show up. It's markedly below average. So when you bench Cuz like this through the end, you're somewhat penalizing him for playing with a below average unit full of below average talent. And the risk is, does he accept that or not. Malone threw the game to make that point. The point could have easily been sent to that unit and Cuz could have still been subbed in when it was a 3pt game. The other four still would have gotten the same message had it been only Cuz being subbed back in. There's a great risk in sending messages to and treating your franchise player the same way you do Vasquez/MLM/Mbah/JT.

And spare me the Popovich does it crap. He wasn't doing that 9 or 10 games into his coaching career. His success allowed him that freedom along with having Duncan completely buy in and he does it when guys Parker/Manu aren't playing well either. He doesn't bench Duncan when surrounded by Vasquez/MLM/Mbah/JT level talent. But there's plenty of personalities which wouldn't go along with it, Shaq/Kobe/Lebron/KG/Westbrook/Rondo/Love to name a few, and it isn't some mark against them because they wouldn't accept being benched with guys similar to what Cuz is surrounded by. You have to know the personality you're dealing with and Cuz doesn't strike me as the type who'd be ok with his coach throwing a game in order to send a message to his unit, to the point he doesn't even get a chance to re-enter and fight for a win in a 3pt game.
 
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#32
Feel bad for coach. Its going to be a long process. He is already saying the same things
Sad as it is, this is essentially "year 1" of the rebuild with a few nice treats to keep it from being a total crap-fest. We have a supportive ownership group, we have a coach who's committed to doing the right things, we have a franchise player, and we have a few role players who I think can be apart of a playoff core year in and year out.

As with any rebuild, you have to commit to doing stuff the right way.Giving energy on defense. Not getting beat back in transition. Getting into good offensive sets to find good offensive shots. For 7 years, we've been playing the game the "wrong" way. Those habits take longer to break than 10 games. What I liked about Malone sitting the starters is he basically let them know that if they weren't going to perform or hold themselves to a high standard, that he'd find somebody who would.

You could see the effort the comeback crew was giving tonight and that's what sparked the huge comeback. No, they weren't always effective, but their hustle and energy made this a real game again.

I would like to see more Ndiaye. I don't really consider it fair for literally the first extended minutes he's ever played in the NBA to be against Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
 
#34
There's a real risk in benching Cuz like that. I fully understand sending the starting lineup a message, and hey, guess what, it worked. 2nd unit came in and did some serious damage, got us back to within striking distance, 3pt game at one point but as anyone who follows this game knows and would have predicted, it fizzled, they tired and didn't have enough to push through until the end, much less doing it against the Memphis starting lineup.

Then it turned into more of a message sent than having the main objective being to win the game. But beyond that, who's the message sent to exactly? That's the risky part when you attempt to send a message to an entire lineup. Why? Because not everyone played equally as well or as bad as the next guy. Some did better than others. What exactly was the message sent to Cuz? He did pretty well when he actually got the ball. Is it his fault the starting unit is below average defensively? Is it his fault no one in the starting unit can hit a shot to spread the floor and provide more room for him to operate? Is it his fault our offense went away from him?

When you bench an entire unit like this you're punishing everyone equally, even though the performances were far from equal. And it's not as if this is even an average level starting unit who didn't show up. It's markedly below average. So when you bench Cuz like this through the end, you're somewhat penalizing him for playing with a below average unit full of below average talent. And the risk is, does he accept that or not. Malone threw the game to make that point. The point could have easily been sent to that unit and Cuz could have still been subbed in when it was a 3pt game. The other four still would have gotten the same message had it been only Cuz being subbed back in. There's a great risk in sending messages to and treating your franchise player the same way you do Vasquez/MLM/Mbah/JT.

And spare me the Popovich does it crap. He wasn't doing that 9 or 10 games into his coaching career. His success allowed him that freedom along with having Duncan completely buy in and he does it when guys Parker/Manu aren't playing well either. He doesn't bench Duncan when surrounded by Vasquez/MLM/Mbah/JT level talent. But there's plenty of personalities which wouldn't go along with it, Shaq/Kobe/Lebron/KG/Westbrook/Rondo/Love to name a few, and it isn't some mark against them because they wouldn't accept being benched with guys similar to what Cuz is surrounded by. You have to know the personality you're dealing with and Cuz doesn't strike me as the type who'd be ok with his coach throwing a game in order to send a message to his unit, to the point he doesn't even get a chance to re-enter and fight for a win in a 3pt game.
Cuz wasn't at the level of the other guys, but he certainly wasnt helping much either. Wasn't playing defense like he had been the past few games and taking quite a few wild shots and jumpers offensively. To me, this was more about holding the WHOLE unit responsible for their poor play and having each guy accept some responsibility for the terrible product they put on the court. Accountability is something we've severely lacked since the golden years and we've already seen Malone is going to do what it takes to get that accountability from everyone on the team. Even DeMarcus.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#35
Agreed. Which is why games like tonight are always tough ones to swallow without know what was going on. You hope to see more out of the guys who are going to be a larger part of the future.
But I think a good majority of the fans DID know what was going on, and it was co-signed by Malone's post game presser. What we saw was accountability and consequence.
 

rainmaker

Hall of Famer
#36
If basketball at this level was a simple as benching entire starting units to send messages, and that in doing so the messages are received, we'd see it much more frequently.

Why don't we? As I mentioned above, can't hand out equal punishment for unequal performances. There was also some pretty poor decisions down the stretch by the 2nd unit but they weren't held accountable. And therein lies another problem, you can't send a message to both units by benching them both. Not enough players. As I said, risky, and not something to be blindly applauded without question.

It's great if Cuz is on board, but that's both speculation and hope.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#37
If basketball at this level was a simple as benching entire starting units to send messages, and that in doing so the messages are received, we'd see it much more frequently.

Why don't we? As I mentioned above, can't hand out equal punishment for unequal performances. There was also some pretty poor decisions down the stretch by the 2nd unit but they weren't held accountable. And therein lies another problem, you can't send a message to both units by benching them both. Not enough players. As I said, risky, and not something to be blindly applauded without question.

It's great if Cuz is on board, but that's both speculation and hope.
Nobody is saying it's the perfect solution. I'm saying that it looked and felt like the right thing to do tonight.

The Kings right now are in a pretty unique spot. New owner, new GM, new coaching staff AND the horrors of the past years of the Maloof regime still haunting the hallowed halls of STA. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

There's a feeling back in STA that is very hard to explain but it's hope and support for the team and faith in the coach. That hasn't been around in quite a while. For this team to succeed, everybody on the team has to buy into the philosophy. Malone has said repeatedly that he expects 100% effort. Tonight, he finally had enough and followed up the "If you don't defend and play hard" threat with a consequence, a punishment akin to threatening to send a kid to bed without supper and finally actually doing it. (An example of action/consequence. I am not recommending starving your children.)

The players are going to either realize that they are expected to earn their paychecks or they're going to sit on the bench for long periods of time. Trying and not succeeding is one thing. Not trying is another. It's about effort and willingness to commit to the new philosophy. Do it or don't. Just understand if you're a player that your choice will determine your fate.
 
#38
If basketball at this level was a simple as benching entire starting units to send messages, and that in doing so the messages are received, we'd see it much more frequently.

Why don't we? As I mentioned above, can't hand out equal punishment for unequal performances. There was also some pretty poor decision down the stretch by the 2nd unit but they weren't held accountable. And therein lies another problem, you can't send a message to both units by benching them both. As I said, risky, and not something to be blindly applauded without question.

It's great if Cuz is on board, but that's both speculation and hope.
I personally can't think of a stronger motivator for the starting unit. They suck, play crappy on both ends and get us in a 20 point hole. Bench comes in with huge amounts of energy and they play their hearts out on both ends of the floor. Consequently, they cut 17 points into the lead the starters got us in. If I'm a starter I start thinking "Oh crap, I'm going to lose my starting role if I don't get my act together on the floor"

I though Ndiaye was pretty great to watch. You could tell he was giving everything he had on every play. Trying to get offensive rebounds, close out on shots, set hard screens. In general, just be as active as he could. Now, the actual result of that activity was not great. But I (and I'm sure many other Kings fans) can greatly appreciate the fact that he was doing his damn hardest to stop the best front-court duo in the league.

To me, Cousins has to see he's not exempt from the standards the rest of the team are being held to. If he's not hustling and playing the best he can on both ends, then he has to see consequences of that. Tonight was an example of him not giving his maximum effort. He's naturally going to be more productive with less effort, but that's not an excuse for him to coast. The BK game showed he could play a "star" game without having a good shooting night. The perhaps unfortunate result of him starting to figure things out on both ends of the floor is he now has to live up to that standard on a nightly basis.
 
#39
To me, Cousins has to see he's not exempt from the standards the rest of the team are being held to. If he's not hustling and playing the best he can on both ends, then he has to see consequences of that. Tonight was an example of him not giving his maximum effort. He's naturally going to be more productive with less effort, but that's not an excuse for him to coast. The BK game showed he could play a "star" game without having a good shooting night. The perhaps unfortunate result of him starting to figure things out on both ends of the floor is he now has to live up to that standard on a nightly basis.
Cousins knows that he is going to play. He signed a 60+ million dollar contract. He will get to play
 
#40
If basketball at this level was a simple as benching entire starting units to send messages, and that in doing so the messages are received, we'd see it much more frequently.

Why don't we? As I mentioned above, can't hand out equal punishment for unequal performances. There was also some pretty poor decisions down the stretch by the 2nd unit but they weren't held accountable. And therein lies another problem, you can't send a message to both units by benching them both. Not enough players. As I said, risky, and not something to be blindly applauded without question.

It's great if Cuz is on board, but that's both speculation and hope.
Indeed. I watched each and every Cousins minute a few times as part of my grading. He didn't make any big mistakes the entire time which warranted being benched. Certainly not in comparison to Hamady who ended up finishing the game.
 

rainmaker

Hall of Famer
#41
Nobody is saying it's the perfect solution. I'm saying that it looked and felt like the right thing to do tonight.

The Kings right now are in a pretty unique spot. New owner, new GM, new coaching staff AND the horrors of the past years of the Maloof regime still haunting the hallowed halls of STA. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

There's a feeling back in STA that is very hard to explain but it's hope and support for the team and faith in the coach. That hasn't been around in quite a while. For this team to succeed, everybody on the team has to buy into the philosophy. Malone has said repeatedly that he expects 100% effort. Tonight, he finally had enough and followed up the "If you don't defend and play hard" threat with a consequence, a punishment akin to threatening to send a kid to bed without supper and finally actually doing it. (An example of action/consequence. I am not recommending starving your children.)
That works better in theory than practice. Did Malone bench IT and MT for their defensive mistakes and not giving max effort in the 4th? For not fighting through screens or being positioned correctly? No he didn't, and therein lies the problem. One of the problems. It's tough to send that message when it's not handed out evenly, and it wasn't. At that point, when others in the 2nd unit made mistakes and didn't give 100% on every possession down the stretch, Malone left himself with no choice as he can't teach both units a lesson.

And whether some of us question certain aspects of what happened tonight has nothing to do with supporting the coach. We've all been here, most at least, through some very tough times. There's no one here who doesn't support the team aside from a few Jimmer fanatics. Support doesn't equate to blind support. Questioning isn't anti-support.

And none of this is a defense for benching Cuz. Could have sent the same message and still subbed Cuz back in.

@jamal, you may very well be correct about Cuz not giving a max effort on every possession, but neither did most on every possession. That's basketball. Sure we can hold Cuz to a higher standard, but if the intent is to send messages to your franchise player it's risky. No one can play at 100% effort every night, every possession. No one does, yet you don't just bench franchise players on a night they might be 85% or 90%. He wasn't playing poorly. Look around the league. Franchise players are not made examples of for a reason. You lose their support or they question if your main objective is winning, everything can crumble. On top of that Malone is now asking Cuz to be the centerpiece of both ends of the floor. That takes an adjustment period. Every star conserves energy. If somehow the solution to our roster and our issues is to bench and send messages to Cuz when he's giving 85% or 90% instead of 100% while he's surrounded by below average talent all over the court, that won't work, especially when sacrificing games along the line.

To make sure people are reading me correctly, I'm not saying this was wrong or is wrong, I'm saying it's a risk.
 
#42
This team simply has a major lack of talent problem. We have exactly 2 players who have talent: DMC and BMac. DMC is possibly an All-Star level player but not one of the game's best players...yet. He's putting up nice numbers but he just doesn't have anything around him to make a difference. BMac is super raw and isn't really helping the team right now. Everybody else on the team, and I mean EVERYBODY is not talented as far as NBA players go. 3 of our 5 starters would probably barely see time on NBA teams over .500.

My point is...we can sit here and over analyze to death why we aren't winning games but it's pretty simple. We are outmatched. We really don't do anything well except for maybe play a little bit of team defense at times (which I credit to Coach Malone). He just doesn't have anything to work with. It's going to be a LONG year.

I'm just happy that they are here in Sacramento. Maybe we will get lucky and land one of the studs in the draft and make a trade or two to retool the roster. Next year should be more entertaining at least but I don't think they will be a playoff team then either. The new ownership didn't lie to us. It's going to be a process. It just sucks because we literally wasted the past 7 years "rebuilding" when actually what was being done was just hurting the team and digging a bigger hole to get out of.

Hate to say it, but all we can do it be patient and hope that the team shows a little fire in their game from time to time and that DMC doesn't have a major meltdown.
 
#43
Sad as it is, this is essentially "year 1" of the rebuild with a few nice treats to keep it from being a total crap-fest. We have a supportive ownership group, we have a coach who's committed to doing the right things, we have a franchise player, and we have a few role players who I think can be apart of a playoff core year in and year out.

As with any rebuild, you have to commit to doing stuff the right way.Giving energy on defense. Not getting beat back in transition. Getting into good offensive sets to find good offensive shots. For 7 years, we've been playing the game the "wrong" way. Those habits take longer to break than 10 games. What I liked about Malone sitting the starters is he basically let them know that if they weren't going to perform or hold themselves to a high standard, that he'd find somebody who would.

You could see the effort the comeback crew was giving tonight and that's what sparked the huge comeback. No, they weren't always effective, but their hustle and energy made this a real game again.

I would like to see more Ndiaye. I don't really consider it fair for literally the first extended minutes he's ever played in the NBA to be against Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.

It is just daunting that we are now starting the rebuild even though we have one of the, if not the, longest playoff drought running in the association
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

Doryphore of KingsFans.com
Staff member
#45
This is at least the fourth time, since the end of the Adelman era, that we've been in "year one" of a rebuild. It sometimes seems as though, every time we have a bad draft, or a dumb trade, or a cap-killing bad free agent signing, that some of our more "glass half full" brethren want to just "move on," and act like the last seven years don't count.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#46
This is at least the fourth time, since the end of the Adelman era, that we've been in "year one" of a rebuild. It sometimes seems as though, every time we have a bad draft, or a dumb trade, or a cap-killing bad free agent signing, that some of our more "glass half full" brethren want to just "move on," and act like the last seven years don't count.
In all fairness, this is the first time since the Adelman era that we aren't being hampered by addlebrained moron owners looking for the first exit out of Sacramento for Anaheim or Virginia Beach while doing the absolute bare minimum to keep the team running so as to maintain their family brand. I'd agree with you were this not the first year of a brand new ownership group. For now, I'm willing to "move on" as you say. If we still suck in two years, I'm going to get good use out of my torch and pitchfork.
 
#47
New Era, I like your post above and it contains good counsel for us all. I do think there is a smidgen of talent here although it has been hard to see. That talent is enough, I think, to give us cause for hope, some improved play with the players we have. I think Malone will facilitate that. So let's all go out and watch them and enjoy some signs of improvement.
 
#48
In all fairness, this is the first time since the Adelman era that we aren't being hampered by addlebrained moron owners looking for the first exit out of Sacramento for Anaheim or Virginia Beach while doing the absolute bare minimum to keep the team running so as to maintain their family brand. I'd agree with you were this not the first year of a brand new ownership group. For now, I'm willing to "move on" as you say. If we still suck in two years, I'm going to get good use out of my torch and pitchfork.
In my eyes, that should be the goal. When Thornton, Outlaw, Salmons, Jimmer, Hayes are all off the books should be our destination point for completely turning this team into a playoff contender.
 
#50
In my eyes, that should be the goal. When Thornton, Outlaw, Salmons, Jimmer, Hayes are all off the books should be our destination point for completely turning this team into a playoff contender.
I looked forward to the year after next as well, but then why the Landry contract? As if they were trying to win now. Just a mix of direction
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#51
I looked forward to the year after next as well, but then why the Landry contract? As if they were trying to win now. Just a mix of direction
I've been puzzled by that signing as well. I can only assume it was made as a "culture-change" sort of signing. Carl already knew and thrived in Malone's system and would thus be able to lead the rest of the team by example (MT also played in Malone's system but he's a steaming pile of horse turds so whatever). It's hard to say whether or not that gambit would have been successful since Carl saw hit to suffer an injury in the first week of training camp and has missed everything since. As Malone's making it well known that he values hard work and effort above pretty much all else, I can see how a guy who famously only missed a couple of weeks of action after getting shot in the leg would be someone he would want on his roster.

And honestly, at this point, it's not like he can be any worse than Patrick Patterson or Chuck Hayes have been.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#52
I looked forward to the year after next as well, but then why the Landry contract? As if they were trying to win now. Just a mix of direction
Why not just wait until Landry is actually playing and see what role he has? It might not be much of anything and might actually prove the naysayers correct, but we could also be surprised.
 
#53
Why not just wait until Landry is actually playing and see what role he has? It might not be much of anything and might actually prove the naysayers correct, but we could also be surprised.
Its not really how good he is, hell I think he could come back slightly injured and be better than the existing pfs at this point. He's a vet on a rebuilding team. We aren't looking to add a couple of wins at this point but develop youth and keep financial flexibility. Landry's signing points more to the fact that new ownership thought they could make a playoff run within the time frame.
 
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Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#54
Its not really how good he is, hell I think he could come back slightly injured and be better than the existing pfs at this point. He's a vet on a rebuilding team. We aren't looking to add a couple of wins at this point but develop youth and keep financial flexibility. Landry's signing points more to the fact that new ownership thought they could make a playoff run within the time frame.
You need someone there to teach the youth good habits and be a stabilizing presence (see Aaron Afflalo and the Orlando Magic, Jarret Jack and the Cleveland Cavaliers). We've been complaining for years about the lack of a strong veteran presence on the Kings (Note: simply being a veteran doesn't qualify someone for this role). Could it be that the front office pegged Carl Landry as that guy for this team? I mean we're talking about a constant overachiever who has overcome some of the worst luck in the league (I'm pretty sure some of Carl's teeth are still swimming around in Dirk's elbow) to become one of the top bench players in the league.

I know many of you are extremely sceptical about Carl and his role on this team but shouldn't we at least wait until the dude's played some games for us this time around before we start condemning him as another blown signing?
 
K

KingMilz

Guest
#55
To me if Vasquez does not start performing better over the next 15-20 games I think we should just trade him for something useful and give Ray a go as the back up to see what he has since we are already in tank mode anyway. We signed him to a 3 year deal may as well see what he can bring if Vasquez is not really performing and getting outplayed by a wide margin by our current back up PG Isaiah Thomas.

I'm still not seeing the Vasquez fit (I thought he would before he came), the biggest reason he was traded for was to primarly help ball movement and Cousins and atm other than maybe 1 game he has not really done that and his inability to break the defense down off the dribble or defend is a major liability.

I think the perfect type of starting PG for this team would be something like a Ty Lawson/Jeff Teague type not saying as good as either of these guys but a guy who can create and is unselfish and is capable at both ends who can switch there game from being a assists/break you down type player into a scoring one. If we had this kind of player and IT as the guns blazing back up we would be set for a good amount of time at the PG spot.

I know someone on here suggested the other Teague brother who has not had much of a chance with the Bulls he's in a similar position to his brother as well in that regard and Jeff blew up and all the talk during his college days was how he was further developed than Jeff.
 
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dude12

Hall of Famer
#56
I'd be curious to see how many wins the team might have if Salmons and MT and even PPat shot their normal career %'s. Those 3 have underperformed greatly and played big minutes. As long as those 3 shoot poorly, wins will be hard to come by.
 

dude12

Hall of Famer
#57
To me if Vasquez does not start performing better over the next 15-20 games I think we should just trade him for something useful and give Ray a go as the back up to see what he has since we are already in tank mode anyway. We signed him to a 3 year deal may as well see what he can bring if Vasquez is not really performing and getting outplayed by a wide margin by our current back up PG Isaiah Thomas.

I'm still not seeing the Vasquez fit (I thought he would before he came), the biggest reason he was traded for was to primarly help ball movement and Cousins and atm other than maybe 1 game he has not really done that and his inability to break the defense down off the dribble or defend is a major liability.

I think the perfect type of starting PG for this team would be something like a Ty Lawson/Jeff Teague type not saying as good as either of these guys but a guy who can create and is unselfish and is capable at both ends who can switch there game from being a assists/break you down type player into a scoring one. If we had this kind of player and IT as the guns blazing back up we would be set for a good amount of time at the PG spot.
GV is shooting 49% from the floor averaging 10 points in 27 minutes. His defense is what we thought and to many turnovers but it would help if others could knock down shots. Our production from the 2, 3 and 4 spots has been bad.
 
#58
It was stupid to bench Cuz. He wasn't having a great game but he wasn't sucking that bad, and he's the only player on the team who can bring us back from the dead and sustain that play to bring home the win. The problem with riding Outlaw is that he's NEVER going to get you over the finish line. He was red hot, we should have kept getting him shots until he cooled down, which he inevitably did. Cousins should have been in the game long before that happened. I don't really get the decision by Malone, it was a bit stupid in my eyes.
 
#59
I know many of you are extremely sceptical about Carl and his role on this team but shouldn't we at least wait until the dude's played some games for us this time around before we start condemning him as another blown signing?
I think we'd all rather be developing a young big than 4 years of Landry tying up cap space. He's a role player on a team that needs special talent. His role is one that we don't need, scorer off the bench. Unless they think he can start at pf. Which, to me, is a role he 's never been suited for, and is pretty much the polar opposite of who you'd pick opposite cousins. Of course he's an upgrade over what we have, but not as big as some might think. No one, except the FO, looks at this current team and thinks "you know what we need, another undersized pf."

It's real basic at this point. We need guys who are tall. Hamady is tall. I liked him playing. To a point though. There was a timeout where they showed gasol looking over at the kings bench when it had gotten sorta close, and you could tell he was looking to see if cousins was coming back in. He saw he wasn't, and I swear he smirked. (Could all be in my head.)

Hated benching all the starters like that without bringing any of them back. The original benching early 3rd, fine. But the rest of the game? Someone compared the move to something pop would do. Well, Malone is in his 9th game as a head coach at any level. He ain't pop. Really risky. You just don't do that. Lose cuz, lose your job. Really really simple dynamics there. He must bring in cousins again in that game, give him a chance to respond. The others barely deserve the starter label. But cuz is your man. You bring him back in the 4th. He would have been a beast, and we might have won. But I'm seeing quickly that's not what this is about. That whole winning thing. But whether for wins or losses or what, even from a culture standpoint, you bring cuz back. Ben too.

It's like with a little kid. Punishment is fine. But at some point they come out of timeout and you hug them and let them know you still love them. That was missing. And I do realize these are 'adults', but, are they? Cuz has been in extended adolescence most of his time here, and Ben can't even drink yet and looks terrified as a starter playing against grown veteran men. Be real careful with the message here coach Malone.

It's also not like the bench was playing the right way or anything. Just playing hard, until they ran out of energy. But it was street ball, which apparently is all this group can play and be competitive on the offensive end.

A message could have been sent without going to the extreme is my point I guess.
 
#60
It's obvious that the benching wasn't about winning this game, and I think it's about establishing a certain type of structure that is consistently enforced. Malone saw a lack of effort, and benched his starting unit (except for Mbah, so it wasn't the whole unit as others have said?). It must have been a response to whatever was said in the locker room at halftime - team didn't respond and Malone reacted. I think rainmaker makes a good point, because some of the bench players lacked effort (especially on the defensive end...sigh) and they weren't benched. It would have been nice to see Malone give the starting unit a chance to redeem themselves after 10+ minutes on the bench. I believe that people should be given a chance to adjust their behavior in real time - now that unit might let those feelings fester for a couple of days until the next game. Like rainmaker said, it's a risk - we will see how the team responds. I'm sure Malone is interested in that as well. Losing is never good for a team - at least this time the organizational hierarchy is much different. At least we have that!

Salmons needs to be benched permanently. I am so tired of seeing him on the court for our team - he never contributes to team basketball... and rarely to individual basketball - what's the point? Hit an @$#%@#$% open shot Salmons, ugh. Outlaw hustles every single time on the court. Mbah and Outlaw should be our SF rotation until a trade is made or the season is over.

The most interesting thing to me, from that post-game video posted on the first page, is Outlaw commenting about the second unit "playing freely, and not worrying about the shots that others are taking." I'm curious as to how much this affects certain players on the team, and who is irritating who ...o_O