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

[mac]

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 ...

I too understand the sentiment ... I think the benching can be useful, but as many others have said you're also walking a very thin line. Like it or not, Cousins holds all the cards. Even if he didn't play all out every game do you really think coach Malone can afford to keep benching him? Cousins could play at 50% if we wanted to, and there would be nothing Malone or anyone else in the organization could do about it. Why? Because he's shown his talent level, and I'm more than willing to bet that there would be a long line of teams waiting to pick him up cheap if the Kings wanted to get rid of him. And with this in mind, it's clear that it's impossible for coach Malone to truly treat everyone equally. Fortunately for us, Cousins wants to be here, so I doubt he'll sacrifice wins here just to go to another team. One thing I am confident in is that Cousins does not like to lose. He's a very passionate and emotional player, and I would be very worried if the FO doesn't surround him with sufficient talent and we miss the playoffs next season.

 

[Kingster]

The Kings got demolished inside. They were as soft as warmed over vanilla ice cream. That's why they lost the game (Vasquez's no-D was the syrup on top). Gasol and Randolph shot a combined 17-26, a whopping 65% from the floor. And that's why Cousins, Thompson, et al were summarily dismissed from class. Malone isn't going to put up with an effort in one game and a no-show in another. (Apparently, not being on ESPN isn't much of a motivator for this team). The motherly hand wringing over Cousins and how he might react is overblown, as usual. News bulletin: There are no faves on this team. Malone is executing the promise that he made when he was hired: If you don't play D, you're not going to play. Isn't that we should want - a coach that says and does what he means? If you want a tough team, which most do, you've got to have a tough coach, and live with the attendent consequences.

Everybody who brought the Kings back from 20 down should get As. Everybody that caused them to be down 20 should get Fs. It wasn't a subtle game in the effort department.

 

[Chubbs]

I too understand the sentiment ... I think the benching can be useful, but as many others have said you're also walking a very thin line. Like it or not, Cousins holds all the cards. Even if he didn't play all out every game do you really think coach Malone can afford to keep benching him? Cousins could play at 50% if we wanted to, and there would be nothing Malone or anyone else in the organization could do about it. Why? Because he's shown his talent level, and I'm more than willing to bet that there would be a long line of teams waiting to pick him up cheap if the Kings wanted to get rid of him. And with this in mind, it's clear that it's impossible for coach Malone to truly treat everyone equally. Fortunately for us, Cousins wants to be here, so I doubt he'll sacrifice wins here just to go to another team. One thing I am confident in is that Cousins does not like to lose. He's a very passionate and emotional player, and I would be very worried if the FO doesn't surround him with sufficient talent and we miss the playoffs next season.

Next season? That's not realistic. Too many contracts need to expire. Mclemore looks a ways away from being a contributor. Which right now is fine. But benching him for lack of effort when lack of experience is his problem? Not down with that at all. Hard to get experience not playing. And he sure isn't learning anything watching IT and MT race to see who gets to 15 shots first. Ben is a system player (mainly cause he can't dribble, like, at all.). Those guys are playground guys.

And what did MAM do that was so spectacular to stay in? GVs d is notably terrible, but he was producing, so was cuz. MAM (1-6) did not and never will offensively.

Clearly, we don't shoot well. In a game like last night, no jimmer? As I understand it, he can shoot. Certainly better than what we are seeing. No conspiracy theory to go along with this. . I'd just like to see someone put the ball in the hoop, and we've tried everyone else. What's the harm? I'd be shocked if he didn't put forth effort, if that's truly what this is about.

IT 5-17 (2-11 on two point shots), MT 5-13, salmons 4-12. I understand punishing the starters, but you're rewarding that kind of play? And yes, I'm focusing only on shooting numbers. The rest of the numbers don't reach out and grab you either.

 

[The_Jamal]

Next season? That's not realistic. Too many contracts need to expire. Mclemore looks a ways away from being a contributor. Which right now is fine. But benching him for lack of effort when lack of experience is his problem? Not down with that at all. Hard to get experience not playing. And he sure isn't learning anything watching IT and MT race to see who gets to 15 shots first. Ben is a system player (mainly cause he can't dribble, like, at all.). Those guys are playground guys.

And what did MAM do that was so spectacular to stay in? GVs d is notably terrible, but he was producing, so was cuz. MAM (1-6) did not and never will offensively.

Clearly, we don't shoot well. In a game like last night, no jimmer? As I understand it, he can shoot. Certainly better than what we are seeing. No conspiracy theory to go along with this. . I'd just like to see someone put the ball in the hoop, and we've tried everyone else. What's the harm? I'd be shocked if he didn't put forth effort, if that's truly what this is about.

IT 5-17 (2-11 on two point shots), MT 5-13, salmons 4-12. I understand punishing the starters, but you're rewarding that kind of play? And yes, I'm focusing only on shooting numbers. The rest of the numbers don't reach out and grab you either.

You're forgetting the fact they brought us within 3 of a 20 point deficit created by the starters. It sure as hell wasn't pretty, but they got it done. I probably would have brought Cousins back in that point of being within 3, but I also understand Malone's reasoning for not doing so. He was rewarding the guys who worked and hustled to make it a competitive game again.

 

[pshn80]

We don't need to over analyze. Malone by his action has told us this was a bad performance and he told us early. And it's not all Landry's failt. First step, get rid of or at least reduce the number of BAD games.

Cousins is capable of taking himself out of play particularly on the defensive end, JT brings it all the time, Luc also but he may not be up to speed, Ben is a loose canon who may not be there when you need him, and V is into it but can get left behind on the defensive end. I think they can all improve and besides that, they have to.

 

[Spike]

“That’s something that we’re having trouble understanding – we’ve all got to be engaged because we’re not that talented,” Kings guard Greivis Vasquez said.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/17/5921429/malone-still-searching-for-team.html#storylink=cpy

I think this team will be overmatched most nights. GV is spot on, and I applaud his ballsy remark. The question is - how are you going to get effort out of the players that either: think they're done with the team, or, are hoping hero-ball will earn them a roster spot on someone else's team next year?
I get that Malone is trying to win games, but I don't think it's consistently possible unless this group plays above their average on a nightly basis. At least the defense was relatively solid in spurts. That's something to build on.

 

[Chubbs]

You're forgetting the fact they brought us within 3 of a 20 point deficit created by the starters. It sure as hell wasn't pretty, but they got it done. I probably would have brought Cousins back in that point of being within 3, but I also understand Malone's reasoning for not doing so. He was rewarding the guys who worked and hustled to make it a competitive game again.

I'm not forgetting. Eh, probably making too much of one of what will be many many losses this seAson.

I'd just like to see the guys on the court we have a future with, not a heavy dose of MT and Salmons.

 

[bajaden]

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.

Its a tough call. If you pull just one player, then its obvious that your singling out that one player. If you pull the entire starting unit, then your sending a message, not just to the starting unit, but to the whole team, without singling out one player. I'm not a mind reader, but I think Malone's message was that we win as a team, we lose as a team, and we take responsibility as a team. Not to pick on Cuz, since he's one of my favorite players to watch, but his defense wasn't as good as the previous game, and he was late getting back a few times when he thought he had been grabbed or fouled. But to be fair, he wasn't the only one making mistakes. I think the final straw was when they turned the ball over and Malone called a timeout. Drew up a play, and then watched them go out and turn the ball over again. At that point, I think he was done talking about taking care of the ball etc., and jerked the starters.

We can all agree or disagree on whether he should have ridden the second unit to the end or not, but I think we have to remember something he's said countless times. He's first and foremost about changing the culture, and that's the single most important thing.

 

[Glenn]

“That’s something that we’re having trouble understanding – we’ve all got to be engaged because we’re not that talented,” Kings guard Greivis Vasquez said.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/17/5921429/malone-still-searching-for-team.html#storylink=cpy

I think this team will be overmatched most nights. GV is spot on, and I applaud his ballsy remark. The question is - how are you going to get effort out of the players that either: think they're done with the team, or, are hoping hero-ball will earn them a roster spot on someone else's team next year?
I get that Malone is trying to win games, but I don't think it's consistently possible unless this group plays above their average on a nightly basis. At least the defense was relatively solid in spurts. That's something to build on.

Perfect.

 

[jsb]

Why does everyone love Mclemore so much? I haven't seen anything from him that says great player and I know he is just a rookie. Whats shocking is his poor dribbling, something that should be basic for a shooting guard. Plus the fact he is not that good of a shooter. Obviously there is room to improve, but if hasn't learned those basic fundamentals by now I don't see him getting that much better.

 

[ppine]

The Grizzlies are a talented team especially when it comes to their bigs in Gasol and Randolph. We should not be surprised that they are a tough team for the Kings to beat.

I am lined up with Coach Malone and I think he is taking a rational approach to finding which players want to compete. Besides the poor shooting which is mostly mental at this point, the Kings seem to have one fatal flaw in that they only compete some of the time. Malone is the right guy to fix it. I still find the Kings' to be entertaining even though they are a crummy team at this point.

 

[Fear the Putin]

Same story, different day.
Aside from the litany of other problems, we still can't stop anyone inside.

 

[Section 101]

You're forgetting the fact they brought us within 3 of a 20 point deficit created by the starters. It sure as hell wasn't pretty, but they got it done. I probably would have brought Cousins back in that point of being within 3, but I also understand Malone's reasoning for not doing so. He was rewarding the guys who worked and hustled to make it a competitive game again.

They were also the reason we were down 13 at the half.

 

[Padrino]

Why does everyone love Mclemore so much? I haven't seen anything from him that says great player and I know he is just a rookie. Whats shocking is his poor dribbling, something that should be basic for a shooting guard. Plus the fact he is not that good of a shooter. Obviously there is room to improve, but if hasn't learned those basic fundamentals by now I don't see him getting that much better.

the love for mclemore is based on the premise that exceptional spot-up shooters always find a place in the nba, provided they have teammates that know how to effectively pass the ball. mclemore has a beautifully athletic jumpshot, reaching apex beyond the defense's ability to put a hand in his face. it's impressive, and once he gets more comfortable in the nba, and once his teammates get more comfortable finding him on the perimeter, he'll run off klay thompson-like scoring streaks from outside...

but mclemore's dribbling is, indeed, shockingly poor. under even the slightest pressure, you can't count on him for more than two dribbles. in fact, he's whiffed on a few dunks already this season simply because he's afraid to put the ball on the floor beyond that second dribble, thus timing his move to the basket too early. he's turned the ball over several times without much in the way of defensive pressure, because he's extremely jittery with the ball in his hands. it's a serious hitch in his game, and it will likely hold him back from true greatness...

i like mclemore just fine, provided the kings acquire a true second option to pair with demarcus cousins. but as of this moment, mclemore doesn't have the skill to become that player, and it's unlikely that he will ever become that player. the fact that the sixers have desperately missed the injured michael carter-williams in their starting unit across the last few games gives you an indication of the difference between a player with true impact potential and a player with mclemore's potential as a third option, at best...

 

[Dreadnought]

I hope Kings start winning some games or else these threads become more and more NSFW by the day.

 

[bajaden]

Why does everyone love Mclemore so much? I haven't seen anything from him that says great player and I know he is just a rookie. Whats shocking is his poor dribbling, something that should be basic for a shooting guard. Plus the fact he is not that good of a shooter. Obviously there is room to improve, but if hasn't learned those basic fundamentals by now I don't see him getting that much better.

Agree on the ballhandling, but not on the shooter part. He is a good shooter. Just because he's in a little slump right now doesn't mean he's a bad shooter. All shooters go through that. Is Thornton a bad shooter when he has a couple of bad games? Reason the ballhandling isn't very good is because he hasn't been playing basketball very long. Under that umbrella, he's actually not that bad in such a short time. If he's working on it, and I'm sure he is, it will get better.

 

[Kingsfan23]

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.

Yeah, but I think Malone was more concerned about sending a message than winning % odds.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Yeah, but I think Malone was more concerned about sending a message than winning % odds.

Probably, but what did Cuz do to deserve that? Maybe I wasn't looking closely enough but I didn't see a lack of effort, just shots not falling.

 

[Kingsfan23]

Why does everyone love Mclemore so much? I haven't seen anything from him that says great player and I know he is just a rookie. Whats shocking is his poor dribbling, something that should be basic for a shooting guard. Plus the fact he is not that good of a shooter. Obviously there is room to improve, but if hasn't learned those basic fundamentals by now I don't see him getting that much better.

As the season progresses we can compare where he is to where most if not all top 12-13 shooting guards were in their rookie careers, but I'd like him to start giving us some confidence in his future

 

[kingsfan101]

At this point, I would like to see Jimmer in the games for some decent minutes.

Yes Ben's a rookie, and needs time on the court, and yes, MT has a long term contract, while Jimmer shall be an FA, if he survives the year with us. However, our outside shooting is horrible, and none of our SGs are doing the other things anyway, that might suggest picking them over Jimmer. While I'm no fan of his, given the play of the other guys, he deserves a chance. Maybe he can spread the floor a bit better, and help out DFC.

 

[The_Jamal]

Fun Fact:

Travis Outlaw is the last perfect FT shooter in the NBA who qualifies

 

[HereWeBoogie]

Probably, but what did Cuz do to deserve that? Maybe I wasn't looking closely enough but I didn't see a lack of effort, just shots not falling.

i agree with you. i think he just got grouped in with the rest of the lackluster unit. i don't think he should have been punished

 

[mac]

Next season? That's not realistic. Too many contracts need to expire. Mclemore looks a ways away from being a contributor. Which right now is fine. But benching him for lack of effort when lack of experience is his problem? Not down with that at all. Hard to get experience not playing. And he sure isn't learning anything watching IT and MT race to see who gets to 15 shots first. Ben is a system player (mainly cause he can't dribble, like, at all.). Those guys are playground guys.

And what did MAM do that was so spectacular to stay in? GVs d is notably terrible, but he was producing, so was cuz. MAM (1-6) did not and never will offensively.

Clearly, we don't shoot well. In a game like last night, no jimmer? As I understand it, he can shoot. Certainly better than what we are seeing. No conspiracy theory to go along with this. . I'd just like to see someone put the ball in the hoop, and we've tried everyone else. What's the harm? I'd be shocked if he didn't put forth effort, if that's truly what this is about.

IT 5-17 (2-11 on two point shots), MT 5-13, salmons 4-12. I understand punishing the starters, but you're rewarding that kind of play? And yes, I'm focusing only on shooting numbers. The rest of the numbers don't reach out and grab you either.

You really think Cousins is going to be perfectly fine with going 5 seasons in the league without so much as tasting the playoffs? You think fans will still be patient and believe that wins aren't important? Maybe reaching the playoffs is unrealistic, but we should at very least be in a very very close battle for the 8th seed.

 

[randymoss1881]

You really think Cousins is going to be perfectly fine with going 5 seasons in the league without so much as tasting the playoffs? You think fans will still be patient and believe that wins aren't important? Maybe reaching the playoffs is unrealistic, but we should at very least be in a very very close battle for the 8th seed.

Let's do that and miss out on 5 potential stars. It's just stupid. What's so good about landing the 9th spot with 8 players that won't be here in 2 years when you can get a star at the top of the draft.

Some of you think cousins didn't know we wernt gonna be good this year and possibly next then you arnt to bright. He knows what the talent around him is as long as he trusts the coach and gm it doesn't matter.

 

[upinsmoke]

Let's do that and miss out on 5 potential stars. It's just stupid. What's so good about landing the 9th spot with 8 players that won't be here in 2 years when you can get a star at the top of the draft.

Some of you think cousins didn't know we wernt gonna be good this year and possibly next then you arnt to bright. He knows what the talent around him is as long as he trusts the coach and gm it doesn't matter.

I would imagine they told him to continue to work on his craft and let them make smart moves when the opportunities present themselves.

 

[kingsfan101]

You really think Cousins is going to be perfectly fine with going 5 seasons in the league without so much as tasting the playoffs? You think fans will still be patient and believe that wins aren't important? Maybe reaching the playoffs is unrealistic, but we should at very least be in a very very close battle for the 8th seed.

Too early to predict next season. Depends a lot on the moves not only we make, but also, what the rest of the conference makes. However, as things stand, it seems doubtful we can contend for a playoff spot next year either. We are that bad right now.

As to your point, I'm sure DMC shall be pissed. However, we are in the early part of this season, and the few things I hope he gets from this are

1. The team has no chance of making the PO this year. Growth and maturity are more important.
2. The coach has a system in place, which over time, shall deliver results.
3. This year's draft class is loaded. A bad record can actually help him get a wingman, who shall make his life much easier from next year on.
4. Most importantly, management is committed to establishing a winning culture, with him as the center piece.

I don't know how many of the above are true (except the first), and how much he is buying into the whole thing. He's certainly playing very hard, on both ends, and has shown more maturity and leadership. Will it continue, if the team continues playing as poorly as it is, no one knows.

In the short term, we have virtually no way of improving the team. We have virtually no high value tradeable assets (except next year's pick, which we would be foolish to trade. Plus, there might be restrictions due to the complex deal we had for Hickson). Some guys like IT/JT/PPat, etc. might get something, but nothing that shall be significantly better, if at all.

DMC obviously knows all this, and knew when he signed the extension. The hope here is that we shall be improved enough by next year, to at least compete for a PO spot.

 

[mac]

Let's do that and miss out on 5 potential stars. It's just stupid. What's so good about landing the 9th spot with 8 players that won't be here in 2 years when you can get a star at the top of the draft.

Some of you think cousins didn't know we wernt gonna be good this year and possibly next then you arnt to bright. He knows what the talent around him is as long as he trusts the coach and gm it doesn't matter.

What on earth are you talking about? I was talking about us having to be in the hunt for the playoffs NEXT season.

 

[mac]

Too early to predict next season. Depends a lot on the moves not only we make, but also, what the rest of the conference makes. However, as things stand, it seems doubtful we can contend for a playoff spot next year either. We are that bad right now.

As to your point, I'm sure DMC shall be pissed. However, we are in the early part of this season, and the few things I hope he gets from this are

1. The team has no chance of making the PO this year. Growth and maturity are more important.
2. The coach has a system in place, which over time, shall deliver results.
3. This year's draft class is loaded. A bad record can actually help him get a wingman, who shall make his life much easier from next year on.
4. Most importantly, management is committed to establishing a winning culture, with him as the center piece.

I don't know how many of the above are true (except the first), and how much he is buying into the whole thing. He's certainly playing very hard, on both ends, and has shown more maturity and leadership. Will it continue, if the team continues playing as poorly as it is, no one knows.

In the short term, we have virtually no way of improving the team. We have virtually no high value tradeable assets (except next year's pick, which we would be foolish to trade. Plus, there might be restrictions due to the complex deal we had for Hickson). Some guys like IT/JT/PPat, etc. might get something, but nothing that shall be significantly better, if at all.

DMC obviously knows all this, and knew when he signed the extension. The hope here is that we shall be improved enough by next year, to at least compete for a PO spot.

I agree with you. That's why I'm not concerned with this season. But what I'm getting at is you can only hide behind the excuse of "establishing a winning culture takes time" for so long. It shouldn't take us more than one season under Malone with a franchise player to at least be chasing that 8th seed. OKC won 23 games the first season with Scott Brooks. Fair enough, build a winning culture. The very next they won 50 games and got the 8th seed. Given our current roster I can reasonably lower expectations for next season to being in the running for the 8th seed. But if we have a HOF level center, a potential star from the upcoming draft and a more developed Ben McLemore and we still can't even win 40 games or so? Then I think we have a problem.

I'm just sick and tired of excuses, and I'm pretty sure Cousins will be too. Establishing a winning culture should translate to wins. If the personnel don't fit or have problems buying in to that culture, it's up to the GM do make the necessary moves. True, a lot of the problem was caused by the previous management, but I maintain that my expectations are very reasonable. Franchise player set, two strong draft picks made by the current management. 2 years of coaching. Possible 6th man of the year on the team. A bunch of expiring contracts that you can use to net yourself another asset. It SHOULD translate to at least 40 wins.

 

[kingsfan101]

I agree with you. That's why I'm not concerned with this season. But what I'm getting at is you can only hide behind the excuse of "establishing a winning culture takes time" for so long. It shouldn't take us more than one season under Malone with a franchise player to at least be chasing that 8th seed. OKC won 23 games the first season with Scott Brooks. Fair enough, build a winning culture. The very next they won 50 games and got the 8th seed. Given our current roster I can reasonably lower expectations for next season to being in the running for the 8th seed. But if we have a HOF level center, a potential star from the upcoming draft and a more developed Ben McLemore and we still can't even win 40 games or so? Then I think we have a problem.

I'm just sick and tired of excuses, and I'm pretty sure Cousins will be too. Establishing a winning culture should translate to wins. If the personnel don't fit or have problems buying in to that culture, it's up to the GM do make the necessary moves. True, a lot of the problem was caused by the previous management, but I maintain that my expectations are very reasonable. Franchise player set, two strong draft picks made by the current management. 2 years of coaching. Possible 6th man of the year on the team. A bunch of expiring contracts that you can use to net yourself another asset. It SHOULD translate to at least 40 wins.

Agree with the overall argument. However, please do remember that OKC had Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and had drafted Harden that year. Three of these soon established themselves as all stars, two as all-NBA members, and one an MVP candidate. By contrast, DMC is the only viable all-star candidate we have. Whether next year's pick, and/or Ben shall reach those heights, has yet to be seen.

I do agree though, that the players and fans should expect major improvement next year. The ownership should display its commitment by adding competent players, even if it means adding salary (hey, it's not my money). We have one star (who has the potential to be a Durant type perennial MVP candidate). If we are lucky to land another stud in the draft, we need to surround them with smart veteran complementary players who want to win.

Easier said than done though.

 

[Chupacabra]

Its frustrating seeing the kings struggle so badly while other teams are seemingly able to do more with less. The Suns, 7akers and Sixers have all found a way to be competitive and their rosters are HORRIBLE.