[Grades] Grades v. Lakers 04/13/11

Brick, you have to include this image

05bnp1.jpg

Of course.
 
During the final timeout of regulation, Tyreke's body language wasn't great, and I saw Pooh go out to reassure him before the final play. One can assume it has to do with the play being for Marcus, but it may not be fair to do so. Can't really say Tyreke was purposely trying to prove something in OT (whether to the team, the fans, or maybe just himself), but it would make sense.

He has gone from being option 1, 2 and 3 (remember all the last play isos last year) to maybe option 3 at times. It will take time to adjust both his game and his mindset.
 
During the final timeout of regulation, Tyreke's body language wasn't great, and I saw Pooh go out to reassure him before the final play. One can assume it has to do with the play being for Marcus, but it may not be fair to do so. Can't really say Tyreke was purposely trying to prove something in OT (whether to the team, the fans, or maybe just himself), but it would make sense.

He has gone from being option 1, 2 and 3 (remember all the last play isos last year) to maybe option 3 at times. It will take time to adjust both his game and his mindset.

I'm not sure how much of it was intentional or not. But myself, as well as others, had to have had thoughts about whether or not Reke is somewhat jealous of Thornton stealing the spotlight and his thunder, while watching OT last night. It was either intentional, and Reke wanted to be the hero instead of Thornton, or he put together a string of some of the dumbest decisions he's made on the court, at arguably the most inopportune time.

I do think having Thornton here will be great for Rekes development this offseason. He's no longer the clear #1 option at the end of a game, and depending on how much Cousins improves this summer, Reke could drop to the 3rd option if he doesn't find a way to make better decisions and play more efficiently. The othe factor he is Thorntons mentality. He's a warrior, and wants to win. I doubt he'll quietly stand to the side if reke is making poor decisions at the end of games next year. Neither will Cousins.
 
Tyreke definitely f****** up in OT last night. I'm not sure though where the majority of the blame goes. Yes, he forced shots he simply shouldn't have. I was screaming at my tv to get it to Thornton. But, they did run Thornton off a few screens, and Kobe had him completely locked up. Have to find a way to get him open.

And this is where I question Westy. Was Tyreke breaking off plays to go one on one, or was he just running the plays Westy called? Was Westy calling plays to get Thornton open, and Kobe just played great lockdown defense, or did Tyreke break off from the play too early? Did Westy take Thornton out of the game by not calling structured plays which will get him the ball, did Kobe take Thornton out of the game with great lockdown defense, or did Tyreke take Thornton out of the game by just going into his solo act?

A coach has to take responsibility for not getting Thornton shots after he absolutely exploded in the 4th, and was the main reason we made it to OT. As a pg, Tyreke needs to take responsibility for Thornton not getting shots in OT. But I saw a fair amount of selfish plays from Tyreke last night, not including OT. The 3 on 1 break stands out the most with Thornton wide open on his right, and Reke forced i and picked up a charge. I really don't know what was going through Tyreke;s head last night, but there were a number of occasions where he simply made the wrong decision, and it was both selfish and blatant.

After the three on one (or maybe two) fast break with Tyreke having the ball and he did his usual force and hog the ball and miss the layup routine, I did see Westphal talking to him just after that. Westpahl had a "what the ****" expression on his face when he was talking to him. Tyreke definitely does not want to deal with Clint's admonition: "A man's got to know his limitations."
 
I'm not sure how much of it was intentional or not. But myself, as well as others, had to have had thoughts about whether or not Reke is somewhat jealous of Thornton stealing the spotlight and his thunder, while watching OT last night. It was either intentional, and Reke wanted to be the hero instead of Thornton, or he put together a string of some of the dumbest decisions he's made on the court, at arguably the most inopportune time.

I do think having Thornton here will be great for Rekes development this offseason. He's no longer the clear #1 option at the end of a game, and depending on how much Cousins improves this summer, Reke could drop to the 3rd option if he doesn't find a way to make better decisions and play more efficiently. The othe factor he is Thorntons mentality. He's a warrior, and wants to win. I doubt he'll quietly stand to the side if reke is making poor decisions at the end of games next year. Neither will Cousins.

I had the same thought. If Tyreke needs any added motivation to greatly improving his shooting during the offseason, he just got it with the Thornton trade...
 
Guys please explain something to me. Derozan had no J in his rookie year same as Tyreke. Year two Derozan comes and averages 8 more points or so with a much improved field goal range jumpshot. I mean if he can do it, why can't Tyreke? I don't know whether to question Tyreke's work ethic when it comes to improving the jumper or he just has bad trainers in the summer time. Something has to give here. no?
 
Guys please explain something to me. Derozan had no J in his rookie year same as Tyreke. Year two Derozan comes and averages 8 more points or so with a much improved field goal range jumpshot. I mean if he can do it, why can't Tyreke? I don't know whether to question Tyreke's work ethic when it comes to improving the jumper or he just has bad trainers in the summer time. Something has to give here. no?

I think he needs to get away from Lamont Peterson and his brothers. He should train with Grover in Chicago. He's the best. Also really needs to study the game, get in the film room with an open mind.
 
I think he needs to get away from Lamont Peterson and his brothers. He should train with Grover in Chicago. He's the best. Also really needs to study the game, get in the film room with an open mind.

I agree about studying film. To me, it doesn't seem like he puts much effort in doing that and finding his flaws. I may be wrong but he's the same player as last year so we will have to see how this offseason goes. Hopefully we can talk about an improvement in some sort of faset of his game.
 
I think he needs to get away from Lamont Peterson and his brothers. He should train with Grover in Chicago. He's the best. Also really needs to study the game, get in the film room with an open mind.

That's the truth right there. They were fine when he was in high school but now he needs to train with the best of the best.
 
Guys please explain something to me. Derozan had no J in his rookie year same as Tyreke. Year two Derozan comes and averages 8 more points or so with a much improved field goal range jumpshot. I mean if he can do it, why can't Tyreke? I don't know whether to question Tyreke's work ethic when it comes to improving the jumper or he just has bad trainers in the summer time. Something has to give here. no?

I had heard Derrick Rose spoke to him about his work ethic and how he really needs to step it up. I'm down on Tyreke on more than his jumper but I'm not at trade him yet.
 
I had heard Derrick Rose spoke to him about his work ethic and how he really needs to step it up. I'm down on Tyreke on more than his jumper but I'm not at trade him yet.

We all better see significant improvement in his game next year or I think we will all be ready to ship his butt out.
 
A lot of what was said here I was screaming at the TV last night. If you watch enough games you know when Reke is going to hog the ball on a fast break, or jack up a shot. He needs to quit being so selfish. That 4 on 2 break was just horrible.
 
I'm sure we will have no trouble finding teams that want him.

All it takes is for someone to be honest with him about his game a commitment from him to work on his weaknesses and you will have an elite player on your hands. I would hate to see him become an MVP level player for another team after having to endure his growing pains.
 
Tyreke was definitely not afraid to take his jumpshots this year, regardless of whether or not they were any good.
Usually, players display a skill after they have honed it in practice, not the other way around.

Still, I honestly believe he's a team guy (just doesn't get it), and the only thing that will stop his progression is injuries.
Tyreke doesn't even need to become a good shooter, he just needs to be close to average. Derrick Rose is still not a great shooter, but it's enough so that he can get to the basket even more, increasing his ft attempts and assists.
 
Love these break downs Brick, really appreciated.

Evans is a divisive subject around here. Any criticism seems to bring out his more ardent defenders, and the same goes for the other side. I don't get a "chubby" watching him play poorly, in fact quite the opposite. Evans has the talent to be a top 10 player. It's so rare to see a player with his size who possesses his ability to get to the basket. I just have an issue with how he plays the game. I'm not interested in rehashing that argument again. I suppose I just wanted to get across that its possible to be a Evans supporter while still being critical.
 
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Ohhh, Brickie.

I don't quite remember when you started doing these threads, but I have looked forward to them after every game. Even the themes! Your insight and knowledge of the game rivals that of any other basketball pundit. Lord knows how much time and effort you have put in to these threads and for that I, and others, are thankful for.

:)
 
That and I still think he needs to cut a little weight. Tyreke at 215 would be destructive

I don't know if weight is the issue. He still has the quickness and ability to get to the rim with the best of them. His finishing has been down and that jumper has not had much improvement. He also needs to learn to be more of a passing threat on the break and stop trying to be a hero by forcing things. Let the game come to him!
 
I don't know if weight is the issue. He still has the quickness and ability to get to the rim with the best of them. His finishing has been down and that jumper has not had much improvement. He also needs to learn to be more of a passing threat on the break and stop trying to be a hero by forcing things. Let the game come to him!

His play has frustrated me this year as well, and the path to becoming a point guard or lead guard (which I think is still viable at this point in his career) ends with him, but it begins with the coaching. I'm absolutely disappointed and more than a little fed up that the staff has allowed the wanna-be A.I. Iso Superstar charade to continue this long into his development. Last year, with the dearth of offensive options available, I could understand that type of play.

But this season brought more than enough reasons to dial back his usage in the offense and focus on teaching him to run the entire team and not just get his. Instead, Westphal threw all ideas of integration out the door and decided that having everyone take turns on offense was going to be the M.O. Our results for much of the year are telling of how successful that approach is. The basic pick & roll is a rarity in this offense, and in fact, we fake the play and return to the iso far more often than we actually go through with it. This is on the coaching. A team this young should not be allowed to freelance as much as it does. The final minutes of last nights game and the OT are indicative of why Westphal is not going to be good enough to develop this squad to where it should be. He's as bad a decision maker as Tyreke is. Tyreke, DMC and others need a teacher, but Westphal is nothing else but an enigma. Can't have it.
 
This is Bricklayer, Sacramento Kings fan, signing off.

Thank YOU. I'm not a big contributor here, but I visit every day. I just wanted to say that your efforts are valued and appreciated and I'm sad to think this might be the end. I hope there's an epilogue to this sad chapter. :(
 
Ohhh, Brickie.

I don't quite remember when you started doing these threads, but I have looked forward to them after every game. Even the themes! Your insight and knowledge of the game rivals that of any other basketball pundit. Lord knows how much time and effort you have put in to these threads and for that I, and others, are thankful for.

:)
I remember when I first started to come here I used to try to beat Brick at getting the grades up before him. Most of the time he would just end up merging mine with his thread but once he took the night off. That was the only night he probably felt fine with my assessment :D
 
I am still a HUGE Tyreke supporter, be it Sacramento or Anaheim. dudes a beast had a rough sophomore season. not a shocker fans want to write him off so quickly. I hope that is just emotions speaking. we need more talent on this team.

Actually, I think emotions are what have kept Tyreke away from criticism here. He gets way more heat nationally for the very things he did this game that he's done most of the year. It just seems the "love every player no matter what" sentimental emotion couldn't keep upthe "you ****ed up the last game in Sacramento" emotion and fans here finally called him out.
 
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