Grades v. Kings 12/10
The subtitle for this episode should be: Grades v. Hawks: Does Anybody Really Care?
Artest ( B ) -- had a nice relaxed outing playing this one in more of a supporting role, but played it well. Was thankfully back on the glass for this scrimmage, with 6 before half and leading the KTless team with 8 for the game. Can't go higher with this grade given who Artest is, and just how ridiculously easy this one was, but this was a solid suppoting game anyway.
Reef ( B- ) -- scored on a number of professional looking post moves and seemed like he could have done that more if really called upon, but just didn't. No rebounding or particular energy, none needed.
Miller ( A- ) -- good first half, scored well, and used his superior bulk to just lumber toward the basket with no size or shotblockers on the floor for the Hawks. Also set some people up for assists, set several picks, and generally victimized the undersized underexperienced barely trying Hawks. Could have rebounded better etc. etc., but did more than enough for this sad excuse fo a game, and along wiht Salmons was one of the two guys who most clearly did whatever he wanted out there.
Martin ( B- ) -- in the early going was seriously pondering an icky question: has Kevin given up? Kid was not not only doing nothing, but not even LOOKING to do anything. Just wandering around with no urgency, not helping on the glass, not setting anybody up, not moving well. Didn't wake up until the very end of the half when Brad finally got him a layup, and he came back down immediately with a followup jumper. Followed that up with a decent third scoring here and there and finally got a nice alley oop in the late third where he hung in the air for a little splash of excitement. But an afterthought at best this game and another one where not only no scoring, but not much else either. Was some defensive activity at least, and we certainly didn't need anything from him tongiht. So went with a B- just because the numbers said it could be, whatever the performance.
Bibby ( B- ) -- in the first half it was back to the shooting struggle, and really was not helping much before the break. But in the late third finally started hitting some shots as the game rapidly spun out of reach for the Hawks, and finished up with a nice looking shooting night after the slow start. So overall fine numbers at least, good enough overall, more so so yawn yawn in a snorer of a game.
Salmons ( A- ) -- leading first half scorer, and would have had even more if he could have hit his FTs. Once he entered the game, for whatever reason, seemed to always have a mismatch and exploited them. Also set up teammtes. After returning in the third immediately dropped in a long jumper and made a nice pass to a cutting Brad, And it was he and the big hick who gave the clueless Hawks the most problems tongiht, althoght they had penty of them regardless.
Garcia ( B+ ) -- good first half stint when he played defense and made hustle plays in the way we have rarely seen from him this season. And after his return for garbagetime, kept up in much the same vein. Finsished with 4 blocks shtos, 2steals, 3assists, and a alrgely in control 3-5 shooting night. The caution just being that the Hawks were so pathetic and disorganized that they were practically begging for that type of perfromance against them.
Williamson ( A- ) -- scored very well over the course of this one. One of those throwback nights where you remember he once avbaeraged 17per game one year back there....before Rick Adelman, Chris Webber or Vlade Divac had ever even donned a kings jersey (or suit as it may be). Showed just where the Hawks were -- anybody with an ounce of talent could score effortlessly against that sqaud tongiht. They were hopeless. Adn corliss took advanatge. Much of his dammge was done in garbagetime, little of it was ewffectively challened. But 18pts on 75% shooting in 17 min is some sort of A even in this one.
Price ( B- ) -- short first half stint resulting in nto much, then came in fro garbnagetime, which I watched with one eye for the most part and was merely ok. Not bad. Just ok.
Hart ( B- ) -- got in in the second quarter for a mysterious first half little blurb. And was back for garbagetime to amke some plays. Didn't do bad. Almost went B, forgot that I could have have defended him better than that sad excuse for a professional team we played tongiht, and jsut went back to the default B-.
Potapenko ( INC ) -- Phew! Fell below my arbitray 6min rule for givn a grade rathert than just an incomplete, and thus managed to avoid the indignity of having his only grade on record being an F...or at least a D oif some sort. Got some semi-significant garbagetime this time out and did absolutley nada out there. Finally grabbed A rebound, and it was of such significance he actually got a cheer for it.
Muss ( B ) -- Well...we came into this one desperate for a win and ran into the most obliging of opponents tongiht. There is no real word for just how bad the Hawks looked this time out. No Joe Johnson, on the end of a long road trip, and an absolutely dispirited lagging through the motions effort. So bad that even the Kings victory was boring the crowd. But nonetheless, in many ways exactly what we needed. A free victory, one where we could do whatever we wanted, and just get some sense of feeling good about ourselves. For Muss this was the easiest of games -- there is basically no coach on the planet who could have lost this one for us. Maybe even no fan. We could have started Hart, Price, Pot, Cisco and Corliss and likely still won running iso postups for Hart. It was an embarrassment -- and you wonder why the sellout streak is just a facade at this point? Hmm...pay $100 to watch this event in person, or stay home and watch Gigli The Director's Cut in widescreen. Gigli it is. Anyway, two notes: 1) we actually got off to another terrible start to this one where we looked every bit as much garbage as the Hawks. Which is kind of scary, because what would have happened if the Hawks had actually tried or had a clue? If they had jumped out on us early? Is this Kings team as it currently stands going to come back form that? Or dopes it end up having a very embarrassing loss at the end of a long night. Not sure, but whatever is going on before games has to stop. Don't care if we have to spike everybody's waterbottles with uppers, this sleepwalking early can only fly against the Hawks of the world. Top teams = goodnight. Anwyay, on the flipside we actually finally had a pure garbagetime 4th quarter, and Muss finally realized it and played actually garbagetime players rather than starters. What a revelation. A "B" here just because I'm not sure how you ever earn more in this game. Sac State could have won this. Hell, the old defunct KF basketball team could have kept it close and stolen it in the end as the Hawks threw their 57th turnover into our hands for the late breakaway. Better than a loss, and we did what we had to. Just simply impossible to get excited about.
The subtitle for this episode should be: Grades v. Hawks: Does Anybody Really Care?
Artest ( B ) -- had a nice relaxed outing playing this one in more of a supporting role, but played it well. Was thankfully back on the glass for this scrimmage, with 6 before half and leading the KTless team with 8 for the game. Can't go higher with this grade given who Artest is, and just how ridiculously easy this one was, but this was a solid suppoting game anyway.
Reef ( B- ) -- scored on a number of professional looking post moves and seemed like he could have done that more if really called upon, but just didn't. No rebounding or particular energy, none needed.
Miller ( A- ) -- good first half, scored well, and used his superior bulk to just lumber toward the basket with no size or shotblockers on the floor for the Hawks. Also set some people up for assists, set several picks, and generally victimized the undersized underexperienced barely trying Hawks. Could have rebounded better etc. etc., but did more than enough for this sad excuse fo a game, and along wiht Salmons was one of the two guys who most clearly did whatever he wanted out there.
Martin ( B- ) -- in the early going was seriously pondering an icky question: has Kevin given up? Kid was not not only doing nothing, but not even LOOKING to do anything. Just wandering around with no urgency, not helping on the glass, not setting anybody up, not moving well. Didn't wake up until the very end of the half when Brad finally got him a layup, and he came back down immediately with a followup jumper. Followed that up with a decent third scoring here and there and finally got a nice alley oop in the late third where he hung in the air for a little splash of excitement. But an afterthought at best this game and another one where not only no scoring, but not much else either. Was some defensive activity at least, and we certainly didn't need anything from him tongiht. So went with a B- just because the numbers said it could be, whatever the performance.
Bibby ( B- ) -- in the first half it was back to the shooting struggle, and really was not helping much before the break. But in the late third finally started hitting some shots as the game rapidly spun out of reach for the Hawks, and finished up with a nice looking shooting night after the slow start. So overall fine numbers at least, good enough overall, more so so yawn yawn in a snorer of a game.
Salmons ( A- ) -- leading first half scorer, and would have had even more if he could have hit his FTs. Once he entered the game, for whatever reason, seemed to always have a mismatch and exploited them. Also set up teammtes. After returning in the third immediately dropped in a long jumper and made a nice pass to a cutting Brad, And it was he and the big hick who gave the clueless Hawks the most problems tongiht, althoght they had penty of them regardless.
Garcia ( B+ ) -- good first half stint when he played defense and made hustle plays in the way we have rarely seen from him this season. And after his return for garbagetime, kept up in much the same vein. Finsished with 4 blocks shtos, 2steals, 3assists, and a alrgely in control 3-5 shooting night. The caution just being that the Hawks were so pathetic and disorganized that they were practically begging for that type of perfromance against them.
Williamson ( A- ) -- scored very well over the course of this one. One of those throwback nights where you remember he once avbaeraged 17per game one year back there....before Rick Adelman, Chris Webber or Vlade Divac had ever even donned a kings jersey (or suit as it may be). Showed just where the Hawks were -- anybody with an ounce of talent could score effortlessly against that sqaud tongiht. They were hopeless. Adn corliss took advanatge. Much of his dammge was done in garbagetime, little of it was ewffectively challened. But 18pts on 75% shooting in 17 min is some sort of A even in this one.
Price ( B- ) -- short first half stint resulting in nto much, then came in fro garbnagetime, which I watched with one eye for the most part and was merely ok. Not bad. Just ok.
Hart ( B- ) -- got in in the second quarter for a mysterious first half little blurb. And was back for garbagetime to amke some plays. Didn't do bad. Almost went B, forgot that I could have have defended him better than that sad excuse for a professional team we played tongiht, and jsut went back to the default B-.
Potapenko ( INC ) -- Phew! Fell below my arbitray 6min rule for givn a grade rathert than just an incomplete, and thus managed to avoid the indignity of having his only grade on record being an F...or at least a D oif some sort. Got some semi-significant garbagetime this time out and did absolutley nada out there. Finally grabbed A rebound, and it was of such significance he actually got a cheer for it.
Muss ( B ) -- Well...we came into this one desperate for a win and ran into the most obliging of opponents tongiht. There is no real word for just how bad the Hawks looked this time out. No Joe Johnson, on the end of a long road trip, and an absolutely dispirited lagging through the motions effort. So bad that even the Kings victory was boring the crowd. But nonetheless, in many ways exactly what we needed. A free victory, one where we could do whatever we wanted, and just get some sense of feeling good about ourselves. For Muss this was the easiest of games -- there is basically no coach on the planet who could have lost this one for us. Maybe even no fan. We could have started Hart, Price, Pot, Cisco and Corliss and likely still won running iso postups for Hart. It was an embarrassment -- and you wonder why the sellout streak is just a facade at this point? Hmm...pay $100 to watch this event in person, or stay home and watch Gigli The Director's Cut in widescreen. Gigli it is. Anyway, two notes: 1) we actually got off to another terrible start to this one where we looked every bit as much garbage as the Hawks. Which is kind of scary, because what would have happened if the Hawks had actually tried or had a clue? If they had jumped out on us early? Is this Kings team as it currently stands going to come back form that? Or dopes it end up having a very embarrassing loss at the end of a long night. Not sure, but whatever is going on before games has to stop. Don't care if we have to spike everybody's waterbottles with uppers, this sleepwalking early can only fly against the Hawks of the world. Top teams = goodnight. Anwyay, on the flipside we actually finally had a pure garbagetime 4th quarter, and Muss finally realized it and played actually garbagetime players rather than starters. What a revelation. A "B" here just because I'm not sure how you ever earn more in this game. Sac State could have won this. Hell, the old defunct KF basketball team could have kept it close and stolen it in the end as the Hawks threw their 57th turnover into our hands for the late breakaway. Better than a loss, and we did what we had to. Just simply impossible to get excited about.
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