Simply put: in the land of the blind, the man with one eye is king.
[Grades] Grades v. Heat 12/20/2013
- Thread starter Bricklayer
- Start date
Simply put: in the land of the blind, the man with one eye is king.
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
Moute is one of the best defenders in the league. Possibly the most versatile, with his ability to guard positions 1-4. Regardless of what you get back, if you lose him, you're simply not nearly as good on defense.
He's that good at it. That's why I cringed when the trade happened. We finally had a defensive stopper, who could compete on that end of the floor with nearly all the top players in the league
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
although you are correct about Luc's defense, he was not part of the trade i was referring to in the post you quoted
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
I didn't think it mattered. When 'trade' comes up for this season, I combine the two trades that happened very close to each other.
We lost the best defender we've had since Doug Christie. Moute is even more versatile than Doug was on defense
You may be in the minority, but you're definitely not alone: Ms. Dennings is quite high on my list.
John Galt
Starter
I picked "unfamiliarity" just because how could they possibly be any kind of well oiled machine - they have all barely met.
I know there are myriad problems, but I think it will be a night and day difference when the group of guys has a month to get ready with a clear rotation. My hope is that by the end of the season, the team has started to turn a corner and plays great in April.
I know there are myriad problems, but I think it will be a night and day difference when the group of guys has a month to get ready with a clear rotation. My hope is that by the end of the season, the team has started to turn a corner and plays great in April.
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
but he only played a few games here.....
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
I just watched a replay of LBJ's dunk and something caught my eye. what the hell was IT doing? if you watch the second camera angle (00:13), he damn near screened Derrick Williams and got poor Ben dunked on LOL.
Siranthony
Starter
Good news is it appears there will be a couple of good PG's in the draft. Number one pick here we come.
Yes, that was quite bad. The idea was correct, show and stop the penetration but the execution was about as bad as it gets. And from that clip Derrick looks to be way out of position, like he is waiting I'm the middle of the court while Lebron is head down the side.
gunks
Hall of Famer
Yes but tons better than what's left. But remember Tyreke was a good defender also.
Moute was very good defender for the few games he was here. Nothing to go overboard about. For that you need a body of work.
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
Cuz last 3 games: 28.3PPG 10.6RPG
rainmaker
Hall of Famer
Yeah, but we could easily have 3-4 new players by late Feb. With the amount of turnover this roster will see through next summer I think we're all going to have to just put up with a lack of consistency/familiarity for the time being to a certain extent. Doesn't mean Gay/Cuz can improve their two-man game and improve their chemistry or that we can't improve our defense and rotations, but this roster will continue to fluctuate.
Kingsfan23
All-Star
I knew we were going to lose to the heat by 15 before the game started, only the circumstances and who was going to be blamed were the variables.
This year I just want to see individual improvement and moulding a core for the future. I feel bad for Malone. You can tell he takes the losing personal and feels his job might be at stake. The reality is losses don't hurt where we are situated and Mike should understand the fans for the most part don't hold him accountable yet
This year I just want to see individual improvement and moulding a core for the future. I feel bad for Malone. You can tell he takes the losing personal and feels his job might be at stake. The reality is losses don't hurt where we are situated and Mike should understand the fans for the most part don't hold him accountable yet
No. Vivek and PDA have both made it abundantly clear that it's not about wins and losses this year. They are not going to fire a coach when the entire team is in flux. You're putting the cart way in front of the horse, IMHO.
Sluggah
All-Star
Road Warrior.
Kingsfan23
All-Star
I'm talking about how he feels.. I would hope he understands he has some latitude but his press conferences after these losses lately sound like he might Be under pressure of some kind, but maybe he is just an emotional guy who wants success now
K
Kingsguy881
Guest
This is actually the problem. IT barely shows on screens when his man sets them.
He does NOTHING to slow down the player with the ball in this instance, and in others he hardly fights through the screen in order to recover. This creates 2 major problems. If IT's man sets the pick and IT doesn't show to slow the ball down and allow his man to recover, the dribbler can then turn the corner into a WIDE open lane and then either go straight to the rim, draw and kick, or wait till the help man collapses and hit his man for a wide open layup or dunk down the baseline. When IT is slow to recover because he is fighting through the screen like a Hooters girl in a pillow fight, the 'show' defender now has to step even farther away from his man and when IT fights through all the feathers, the screener rolls straight to the hoop with a passing lane so wide you could fit a Cessna.
rainmaker
Hall of Famer
SportsCenter @SportsCenter1h
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Kings shot 58% & lost by 19 vs. Heat. Last team to shoot at least 58% & lose by 19 or more? Suns in '86 vs. Kings.
Needless to say, Malone wasn't pleased with the Kings’ performance and proceeded to rail on his team’s defensive effort.
“We have nobody that is protecting the basket,” Malone said outside the Kings’ locker room after the Heat scored 70 points in the paint. “I question how many guys that we have on this team who will take pride in their defense. I think a lot of guys are worried about their numbers and the offense, but they are not committed to defense. That’s apparent every night you watch us play.
“Every day in practice, every shoot-around, every team meeting and every film session, all we talk about is our defense. Obviously the message isn't getting through. They’re not accepting it or they’re unwilling to accept it, I’m not sure what the problem is; but I have to find five guys (Saturday night) in Orlando that are willing to compete on the defensive end of the floor.”
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/19417/friday-fireworks-for-lebron-and-the-heat
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Kings shot 58% & lost by 19 vs. Heat. Last team to shoot at least 58% & lose by 19 or more? Suns in '86 vs. Kings.
Needless to say, Malone wasn't pleased with the Kings’ performance and proceeded to rail on his team’s defensive effort.
“We have nobody that is protecting the basket,” Malone said outside the Kings’ locker room after the Heat scored 70 points in the paint. “I question how many guys that we have on this team who will take pride in their defense. I think a lot of guys are worried about their numbers and the offense, but they are not committed to defense. That’s apparent every night you watch us play.
“Every day in practice, every shoot-around, every team meeting and every film session, all we talk about is our defense. Obviously the message isn't getting through. They’re not accepting it or they’re unwilling to accept it, I’m not sure what the problem is; but I have to find five guys (Saturday night) in Orlando that are willing to compete on the defensive end of the floor.”
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/19417/friday-fireworks-for-lebron-and-the-heat
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Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Uh huh, and that's why I don't think you can entirely blithely dismiss this one as just a predictable loss to the Heat. It was a bad loss, lost in a bad way. Cousins looked angry. The coach was angry. I suppose as long as they are both on the same page and their anger is directed elsewhere its ok in the end, but I wouldn't want to be on the end of that double barrel. If the anger is at each other or whatever, that's obviously not good. Malone is a rookie coach. He seems charismatic enough. But its brutally hard to get a guy to buy into what you are doing when you have no track record of success behind you and whatever you are preaching this year just seems to be getting worse, not better. Especially somebody who's been down that road with multiple other coaches before.
Cousins has been looking a little desperate out on there on defense the last couple of games. Like either whatever he thinks he's supposed to be doing is not working and he's trying to make it work, or like he's not getting any help/support back there and is trying to do it all/too much back there alone. Something. But it doesn't look like he has any confidence in the system as its being run. he steps up, his man rolls uncontested to the hoop. he drops back, his man shoots an uncontested jumper. A guy drives, he tries to challenge, but you can always see its not a natural reaction, its an oh I had better go challenge this thing. Then the guy kicks, and half the time he's the first/only guy running out at the dude in the corner. It just looks desperate. He's lost faith in something/someone, whether it be the system, his own abilities, his teammates, whatever.
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SacKings2002NBAChampions
Guest
Time to draft Wiggins and never play defense again :O
K
KingMilz
Guest
Hoping these last two games are the ones that turn #M16's season around, he's shot the ball with confidents when he catches it (seems like Cousins is making a effort to make him better with easy looks) and you know what props to have for trying to do something positive like draw a charge on LeBron even if he got banged on I appreciate the effort from him good job today Ben. After getting crushed it did no faze him he came back played hard and I liked seeing that, today he showed me something which I can't remember ever seeing from T-Rob.
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Lennox
Guest
Coach Malone seems to talk a good game. And is not afraid to bash the team after every loss. Why not try to set a solid rotation and give the team time to gel.
There is a lot of talent , but the rotations are changing every second like coach Smart who everyone hated on here.
Where are the plays for the shooters now, last year they seemed to at least have set plays to get some open shots. What was the scoring per game last year compared to this year since the defense seems the same?
There is a lot of talent , but the rotations are changing every second like coach Smart who everyone hated on here.
Where are the plays for the shooters now, last year they seemed to at least have set plays to get some open shots. What was the scoring per game last year compared to this year since the defense seems the same?
Hadlowe
Starter
I'm with you, but I think there are circumstances where Malone might be on the block.
If he loses DMC, he might be gone. Right now, DMC is beasting on offense, but the losses are still piling up. DMC isn't a perfect defender, but I think he is playing Malone's scheme. He doesn't come up out of the paint on the pick and roll, preferring to ice and force a jumper. He is being let down by his perimeter guys who get hung up in screens and collapse the paint when they should stay home on their man.
The Kings rank 14th in opponent points in the paint at 40 points per game. That's not great, but it's not horrible either. The Kings are 23rd overall at opponent fast break points at nearly 15 points per game. It is safe to assume that the vast majority of those points are finishes at the rim as fastbreak threes are still pretty rare in the league. That means that Kings opponents are only scoring in the paint 12 possessions per game. Oh, and despite Cousins and Thompson having foul trouble, the Kings are 9th in the league in opponent points off of free throws.
By way of contrast, the Kings are 29th in the league in opponent 3 point makes per game (slightly over 9) and opponent three point% at 40% per game.
The way I see it is that Cousins is serving as a paint clog right now, playing low ice on pick and roll sets, but his perimeter guys don't trust him, so they collapse leading to kickouts and open threes and midrange jumpers. The team is also giving up too many points in transition, but that's execution and effort to reduce those #s and that will come with time.
The team is getting killed from outside, and that starts and ends with the pick and roll defense. Either Cousins needs to come out to trap on the pick and roll (problematic with his foot speed) or IT needs to chase the ballhandler over the pick and do what he can to deny the pass to the pick and pop. In any case, the rest of our guys need to stay home on their man to make the guard or the roll man beat us.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
Does anyone else believe this quote invites the question: So why is it then the Kings didn't resign defensive players (Douglas/Aldrich), or trade away defensive players (Luc)? It makes me wonder whether there is a disagreement between Malone and the rest of Kings management on player personnel decisions.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
That's one way to look at it. How about the number of points since Luc was traded for Williams or since the trade for Gay occurred?
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