[Grades] Grades v. Hornets 11/21/10

[Prince_XY]

Not so sure about that but I do think that if he were inserted in some of the other games this season, we'd have a couple more wins under our belt.

I'm not sure about that.

There were certain indications that Donte was not ready to play the way he is capable of playing. He reported for duty over-weight at 260 lbs and clearly on his first official game this season he was not the same Donte Greene. So it is more likely that Westphal was right for giving him those DNPs and taught him some more important valuable lesson rather than forcing him to play to get those couple of wins. We are not projected to be in the playoffs anyways. Good move on the part of Westphal in handling the situation.

 

[Sac.1989]

Yep Head showing all the nay sayers why PW starts him. Good coaching move which is clearly paying off defensively

 

[Prince_XY]

Probably somewhere between the stretch of us sucking eggs and Rudy Gay scoring a bajillion points on us.

And if it happened that it was proven that Greene was not ready against Rudy Gay (or Beasley in another game) I am pretty sure some fans would have called for Greene to be traded too or more fans will see Westphal as the ineffective coach. The bottom line is Greene showed some clear indications he was not ready to play serious basketball, then he did not deserve to play. It now seems like Westphal did a very good job for Greene's own sake of development and for the sake of the team too.

 

[Prince_XY]

Dally is educating the FO on the importance of a shotblocker methinks. I hope we resign him. I extra hope Whiteside becomes a good enough player to take the goalie job in a couple seasons. I love having a paint defender on this team. Its a nice feeling. No more layup drills for the opposition.

I totally agree.

He is one of the most consistent guys on doing what he is supposed to be doing - DEFENSE. Those who had second thoughts about him and wanted him to be a trade chip better think harder or wake-up. The rookies Cousins and Whiteside are not ready to replace Dalembert and clearly need somebody to show them how to be a defensive BIG. We will be needing Dalembert until either one of Whiteside or Cousins show indications they are ready to be our defensive anchor.

Greene.... My goodness. I actually (am going to get flak for this) think that his string of DNP-CDs did him a world of good. He was really awful in the summer league and preseason. Now he's back and this is the most aggressive I've ever seen him play. And the rebounding! He's rebounding like an athletic 6'11 player should! Agressive moves to the hoop.

I agree. I really think the credit should go to Westphal too. And hopefully, Greene learned some very important lessons and never goes back to not seriously taking his basketball career. Coming in over-weight and being more aggressive waving towels on the bench rather than inside the game is a big NO.

Landry AKA Flandry (Flan being that soft dessert. Get it?). Dude sucks. He needs to play like a 20/10 allstar just to HOLD EVEN with whoever he is "guarding". When he isnt playing like an allstar we're losing the battle at PF. No D. Blackhole. Terrible defensive rebounder.Has no business being on the starting 5 of ANY team. And yet, Westphal has a huge mancrush on him. ..Sigh.. Now, I understand that he is our second best offensive option after Reke. But he is such a liability on the other side of the court (we're talking Kevin Martin level liability here), that he NEEDS to play next to either JT or Dally at all times. Somebody has to cover for him.

I also agree, but I don't buy that "Westphal mancrush on Landry" theory. I would rather believe the theory that Westphal and the FO had decided on show-casing Landry and making his worth increase for trade purpose. Make him seems like a very important starter player and maybe he will net the Kings a very important player when we trade him later. It should be very obvious by now that the coaching staff and the FO are into something we fans can't see and understand.

Also, Head is a mini-Artest. Really like him in the starting lineup.

You are saying you want him at the starting line-up?

I don't blame you. Head really seems like a very good pick-up to fill-up the roster. And I guess Westphal is right for playing him this much in the first 11-12 games of the season, otherwise he wouldn't know that Head could be a great contributor as a roster filler. Same can be said about having played Jackson many minutes early in the season.

I hope whatever Westphal had done (and continue doing) continue to pay-off for the players development sake and therefore for the team sake as a whole.

 

[Prince_XY]

I like that Donte is getting mins again, and that D. Jackson and Wright were DNP's but Casspi??? he should at least get a few mins... I mean he was good enough to start a ways back im sure he could have given a solid effort in maybe 5-10mins?

I hope he be taught the same lesson as Greene. His lackluster effort in defense had been alarming. He cannot continue to be another Martin or Beno for team's sake.

 

[UK_King]

Nice on the defensive end; made for a tactical game really enjoyed watching it!

Shame we didn't get the win; but missing your FT's and turning the ball over will do that to ya.

Donte - Great
Head - Good
Reke - Why is missing so many open layups; bit strange considering that is forte.
Cousins - If you haven't got a shot, pass it back out.... if cousins is where we want the ball we need to get it there earlier! I hate seeing cousins having to make a turn around jumper with 4 or 5 seconds left on the shot clock.

 

[pshn80]

Reply to thread: team play impressed me the most.

 

[pshn80]

If Beno and Landry are the worst players getting minutes then we should start winning pretty quick.

 

[King-Da-Yah]

Landry is a glaring weak link defensively, and very selfish on offense. I remain disgusted.

I actually do think he should start though. As terrible as he is at everything else, we need his offense in the starting lineup. I do however think he should be limited to bench minutes, something between 24-26mpg, with the rest of his minutes given to JT. Despite the team's newfound D, opponents have still gone on runs against us, and its usually by exploiting the matchup at PF (Humphries when we played the Nets, West killing it in the 4th tonight). If he gave half the effort on defensive rebounding that he gives on offensive rebounding then he'd be a lot better in my eyes. Dude averages 2.7 defensive rebounds a game in 30 minutes. JT averages 2.8 in 14 minutes. Teams get a lot of second chances when Landry is on the floor (see: Nets game 3rd quarter), assuming they dont just outright steamroll him with their PF.

Also, a pattern I have noticed with Landry is that he has really great 1st quarters, and then falls off. Which causes Westphal to ride him even when he's jacking up ill advised 3 pointers, getting blocked inside, getting destroyed by scrubs, allowing guards to snatch rebounds from him, et cetra. I'd actually like him if he played a more limited role for us off the bench. But then JT would start next to Dally, and a JT/Dally frontline is just as bad on offense as the Landry/Cousins lineup is on D.

Landry/Dally starting and JT/Cousins off the bench seems like it could work out quite well for us, maybe Westphal will try it eventually.

As annoyed as I am at how JT plays at times you are right Gunks, we needed JT. Landry just does not look like the same defender that we saw last year. Sure the sample size was smaller, but I feel like he was putting in more effort on D. Landry/Dally and JT/Cousins makes so much sense. I could even argue for this pair being superior to Dally/Landry once Cousins gets more confidence in that J of his.

What on earth are we going to do with Whiteside? I would like to at least see him get his feet wet with the big boys. Remember when we thought Jackson would be cut when we first traded Brockman? What do you guys think, D-League for Whiteside?

 

[CruzDude]

I thought Beno stepped up a whole notch for this game. He was more aggressive and "in-your-face" to their PG's than anytime I can remember. Defense is contagious and we saw it big time in this game. Now to be patient and wait for the offense to catch up..............

 

[Superman]

this season:

ftw

 

[pshn80]

I thought Beno stepped up a whole notch for this game. He was more aggressive and "in-your-face" to their PG's than anytime I can remember. Defense is contagious and we saw it big time in this game. Now to be patient and wait for the offense to catch up..............

I had that same feeling about Beno's defensive play last night. Gee, he doesn't look bad at all ..... hustling and in his man's face. You might be right, contagious.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

Beno does seem to have an extra defensive gear. Won us a few games last year in the fourth quarter. And he obviously knows he's lost the starting position because teams are exploiting him early.

 

[cstorm]

Keon plays the piano?

 

[Prog]

It's now clear that Donte handled the doghouse much better than Casspi:

Waive those towels Omri!

 

[Bricklayer]

It's now clear that Donte handled the doghouse much better than Casspi:

Waive those towels Omri!

That's not a good image.

 

[hrdboild]

I was one of the people who was critical of Luther Head and Darnell Jackson getting heavy rotation minutes early in the season because I didn't like that Thompson and Donte, two of our better defensive players, were getting squeezed completely out of the rotation (or played out of position in Thompson's case). Also at that point Head was shooting poorly and making bad decisions with the ball. Since he's moved to the starting lineup, however, he's played smart and under control and is leading by example on defense. If he keeps it up he's earned his spot. I don't miss Jackson though. Thompson is more than capable of giving us what Jackson was off the bench.

I don't like that Casspi is out of the rotation completely any more than I liked Donte riding the bench, but at least now you can say that the players we have on the floor are actually playing good basketball which wasn't the case before. Beno is better as a scorer off the bench, Donte is better as a do-it-all starter, if Luther Head continues to play tough on-the-ball defense he's a good fit next to Tyreke. A three guard rotation of Head, Tyreke, Beno moves Garcia over to SF though and that squeezes Casspi out. If Garcia can get some of his minutes at SG there should be 10 minutes or so for Casspi per game, but I think that will eventually work itself out. A little time in the doghouse seems to have done Donte some good anyway.

 

[Superman]

That's not a good image.

That's a bad image. I was gonna say something about it, but figured I was making too much out of nothing (like I tend to do). But yeah, that kind of reinforcing what we were talking about with regard to Omri's attitude in preseason.

 

[SuperPowerMultiPly]

Oh please, talk about making too much out of nothing, he got up, and then he sat down, just like Udrih next to him for example, enough with trying to find negative stuff all the time:








He said today in an interview that he's a professional and he accept the coach's decision and all he's gonna do is work harder and next time he'll get the chance he'll just play hard like always in order to win.

 

[Superman]

Is that or is it not a team huddle that he's totally not involved in? At least Beno is right there where the team is. Omri is totally uninvolved, and is the only one. I'm not trying to make a big deal out of it, but it's a team huddle, and he's not a part of it.

 

[SuperPowerMultiPly]

It's not a team "huddle", it's a 20sec timeout, Casspi got up, joined the group, and then sat down, there are other players sitting down, but they are behind the group so we can't see them, you can see Udrih's leg at the 3rd image.

 

[rainmaker]

It's not a team "huddle", it's a 20sec timeout, Casspi got up, joined the group, and then sat down, there are other players sitting down, but they are behind the group so we can't see them, you can see Udrih's leg at the 3rd image.

Those pics are only one example though. I pointed out in the last 2 game threads, that when we made a run, and guys on the bench were up and waving towels, chearing guys on, Omri wanted no part of it. He's not greeting guys when they come to the bench for a timeout.

I've seen it on a few occasions in the last 2 games. That's why I said Donte handled his benching better, because he was the #1 chearleader, and running out on the floor to greet the guys when they come to the bench for a timout.

 

[mr. moustache]

It's not a team "huddle", it's a 20sec timeout, Casspi got up, joined the group, and then sat down, there are other players sitting down, but they are behind the group so we can't see them, you can see Udrih's leg at the 3rd image.

Outside trying to protect their per game stats, I have no clue why PW can't find 10-20m for both Greene and Casspi. Somewhat unfortunately, this team has really good depth. Mediocrish depth, but depth nonetheless. I'd rather see that talent consolidated 8 deep.

 

[Asaf]

Those pics are only one example though. I pointed out in the last 2 game threads, that when we made a run, and guys on the bench were up and waving towels, chearing guys on, Omri wanted no part of it. He's not greeting guys when they come to the bench for a timeout.

I've seen it on a few occasions in the last 2 games. That's why I said Donte handled his benching better, because he was the #1 chearleader, and running out on the floor to greet the guys when they come to the bench for a timout.

Yea, Omri looked kinda like that last season too when he hit the wall and saw his minutes gettin cut back. That's an attitude problem that I don't like, but that's Omri and some players are just like that. Hopefully he grows out of it and starts to understand the value of supporting his teammates even when things aren't going well for him. But I guess some players have entire careers without being "nice". Even DMC refuses to high five his teammates when they shoot free throws. Strange, but that's just the way it is.

In any case, we're only 12 games into the season and already Donte has been in the doghouse, JT has played SF and received a DNP-CD, and now Omri is in the doghouse. Too many unhealthy things going on in such a short time, that can't be good for the Kings. I wouldn't be surprised if GP is on the phone trying to shop someone out because it seems like the current roster can't seem to settle down and function like a normal team (or is it the coach...).

 

[Superman]

It's not a team "huddle", it's a 20sec timeout, Casspi got up, joined the group, and then sat down, there are other players sitting down, but they are behind the group so we can't see them, you can see Udrih's leg at the 3rd image.

Call it what you want, the team is huddled up. Beno is not standing up with everyone else, but he's also not clearly outside of the group like Omri is.

 

[SuperPowerMultiPly]

Those pics are only one example though. I pointed out in the last 2 game threads, that when we made a run, and guys on the bench were up and waving towels, chearing guys on, Omri wanted no part of it. He's not greeting guys when they come to the bench for a timeout.

I've seen it on a few occasions in the last 2 games. That's why I said Donte handled his benching better, because he was the #1 chearleader, and running out on the floor to greet the guys when they come to the bench for a timout.

I agree Donte was a better cheerleader when he was benched, but it's not true that Casspi isn't greeting the other players, i distinguishably remembering him doing so yesterday(I probably can post an image if you don't believe me), in the other hand, yes, he doesn't look like the perfect happy camper right now, but who would be if he'll go from starting+30 minutes/game to not playing at all without an explanation? with that in mind, people should just read what he himself said about it, and stop with the all "attitude" discussion(again).

 

[Asaf]

Call it what you want, the team is huddled up. Beno is not standing up with everyone else, but he's also not clearly outside of the group like Omri is.

Haha, I'm not taking sides in this arguement because I think the truth is somewhere in the middle, but this statement is really a stretch. Beno is just as much out of the group as Omri is in that picture. It's the camera angle that seperates Omri.

 

[SuperPowerMultiPly]

Call it what you want, the team is huddled up. Beno is not standing up with everyone else, but he's also not clearly outside of the group like Omri is.

Omri is sitting on the same seat he sat the entire game, it's not his fault that his seat is further away from the group than Benu's, really, stop nitpicking.

 

[rainmaker]

I agree Donte was a better cheerleader when he was benched, but it's not true that Casspi isn't greeting the other players, i distinguishably remembering him doing so yesterday(I probably can post an image if you don't believe me), in the other hand, yes, he doesn't look like the perfect happy camper right now, but who would be if he'll go from staring+30 minutes/game to not playing at all without an explanation? with that in mind, people should just read what he himself said about it, and stop with the all "attitude" discussion(again).

Actions always speak louder than words. I read what Omri said in the Bee last night. I also have, as I have said, seen him virtually ignore teammates when the 5 on the court come back to the bench, as well as be what looked like the only guy sitting on the bench with arms crossed, when the team was making a run, and all the other guys were up an chearing, in the last 2 games.

I don't expect Omri to be happy, and I don't want to blow this out of proportion. But I will judge him on what my eyes see during games, thank you very much.

 

[SuperPowerMultiPly]

Actions always speak louder than words. I read what Omri said in the Bee last night. I also have, as I have said, seen him virtually ignore teammates when the 5 on the court come back to the bench, as well as be what looked like the only guy sitting on the bench with arms crossed, when the team was making a run, and all the other guys were up an chearing, in the last 2 games.

I don't expect Omri to be happy, and I don't want to blow this out of proportion. But I will judge him on what my eyes see during games, thank you very much.

Buy glasses, who is the first guy to greet the 5 when they come to the bench? this is about a minute before the image with him on the bench, so you can't say it's from the beginning of the game and he's still happy or something like that: