HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
Poll needs an All of the Above option
The grade i give this game is: BS
The grade i give this game is: BS
[Grades] Grades v. Lakers 12/09/2014
- Thread starter Bricklayer
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HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
Disrespectful to the Sixers
KingsFanGER
Starter
This game was all about effort. Boozer, Hill, Sacre and Davis outhustled and outsmarted our frontline. Basically there is no excuse for veterans for not controlling the defensive glass and missing FT's.
Lakers did a good job on Gay and DC kept us in the game. Only thing I blame the Coach for is keeping Casspi out of the game. But there has to be a reason for this. Maybe he isn't giving full effort in training right now.
Lakers did a good job on Gay and DC kept us in the game. Only thing I blame the Coach for is keeping Casspi out of the game. But there has to be a reason for this. Maybe he isn't giving full effort in training right now.
Chubbs
Starter
Malone was an idiot last night and the players sucked too.
That's a bad combo.
Abandoning casspi completely? Something must be going on behind the scenes. Williams has A brief moment of not being worthless, and suddenly casspi is out of the rotation completely? Slow up coach.
I know most folks remain focused on Sessions (who only played 9 mins), but landry (23) killed us last night. Why he was out there for so many minutes I do not know. Coach? Can't rebound pass or play defense, and his scoring has dried up as well. That leaves nothing else. Evans is bringing more offense right now. That's scary.
That was a must win. Even on the 4th game in five nights (which I think certainly played a role), gotta win. Not sure how a last second play ends up in Nik's hands. Or how Nik is even on the court. But I can't imagine that play was drawn up like that.
Coach?
That's a bad combo.
Abandoning casspi completely? Something must be going on behind the scenes. Williams has A brief moment of not being worthless, and suddenly casspi is out of the rotation completely? Slow up coach.
I know most folks remain focused on Sessions (who only played 9 mins), but landry (23) killed us last night. Why he was out there for so many minutes I do not know. Coach? Can't rebound pass or play defense, and his scoring has dried up as well. That leaves nothing else. Evans is bringing more offense right now. That's scary.
That was a must win. Even on the 4th game in five nights (which I think certainly played a role), gotta win. Not sure how a last second play ends up in Nik's hands. Or how Nik is even on the court. But I can't imagine that play was drawn up like that.
Coach?
TheJewishKing
G-League
I can't understand why coach Malone won't let Casspi in the game...
KingsFanGER
Starter
To be fair - the Lakers are aging Kobe with a lot of role players. What's concerning is, that their roleplayers outworked ours.
Sac.Kings
All-Star
I continue to have my doubts about Malone. He seems to have a very slow learning curve and apparently enjoys putting really odd lineups in the game, proceeding to be astounded when it doesn't work. He continues to rest the starters too long and puts them in when the game is already approaching out of hand status. I understand he is a nice guy and the players like him, but if he continues like this and being outcoached then we will continue to lose games we should have won. We had no business losing that game last night but we did anyway. Poorly managed game from Malone. When we win his rotations are better and he puts the starters back in at more appropriate times but when we lose like this, his tendencies become a glaring weakness.
Padrino
All-Star
it's true enough that poor free throw shooting, poor rebounding, and costly turnovers damned the kings' chances last night. if the kings are simply average in those three areas, they win that game... against a truly abysmal lakers squad. if kings fans want to focus on one game (and i understand that any match-up against the lakers is going to represent a heightened sense of competition despite just how abysmal they are), then yes, this loss was on the players for poor execution. but i'd rather take the long view, since it could be awhile before big cuz returns: in my opinion, coach did not put his team in a position to win that game, and that's problematic, because the keith smart levels of ineptitude i saw from malone last night will not survive to halftime against stronger opponents...
i'm inclined to give coach malone a lot of leash when he's missing a top-5 nba talent in demarcus cousins, but some of his decisions have been simply indefensible. he's utterly bungled his rotations and he's taken far too long to adjust when momentum shifts against the kings. now, i don't know if he's under directive from vivek and/or PDA for "showcasing" purposes, but giving derrick williams the sudden nod over omri casspi on the second night of a back-to-back when omri has fresh legs is... well, i'm not sure there's a word for such a blunder. omri is a better rim attacker, a better ballhandler, a better rebounder, a better defender, and a better free throw shooter than derrick williams. he outclasses williams at everything except highlight reel dunks. the kings' bench has been even more pathetic than usual since demarcus went down, and malone decides that the inconsistent and erratic williams is the answer rather than the surprisingly steady casspi?
i'll grant that some big time "d-thrill" dunkage is a good way to get the crowd going when you're playing at home, but the kings were on the road against a very beatable opponent. sportscenter highlights were not the priority; playing smart should have been the priority, and no one is about to heap praise onto williams for his basketball IQ. the kings could have used omri's decision-making, they could have used his tenacity on the boards, they could have used his relentless rim attack, and they could have used his 85% from the stripe. more to the point, the kings absolutely needed better free throw shooting and better rebounding last night, and omri's number never got called. so, unless omri casspi has viral meningitis, as well, or unless he's done something to truly earn a spot in the dog house, i think coach owes us an answer as to why one of the few bright spots on the kings' bench isn't getting his number called at a time when they desperately need contributors...
beyond that, running a final play last night for nik stauskas was about as poor a decision as you could make in such a situation. the kings needed a three to tie, and the kings have exactly one above average three-point shooter on their roster; ben mclemore is shooting 40% from three this season. running ben off a simple in-bounds curl would have sufficed, in my opinion, but coach had other plans. nik stauskas is shooting 23% from three this season, on top of being a rookie who often looks completely overmatched; he's still a boy amongst men, and defenses are inclined to double-team him into turning the ball over on plays that matter much less than the final shot of a game where you're down by three. as one would expect, stauskas looked like he wanted no part of that last play, and it's not fair of coach to put his team or his rookie SG in that position; the kings unsurprisingly lose the game, and nik comes up the goat, which should do wonders for his already-shaky confidence...
i'm inclined to give coach malone a lot of leash when he's missing a top-5 nba talent in demarcus cousins, but some of his decisions have been simply indefensible. he's utterly bungled his rotations and he's taken far too long to adjust when momentum shifts against the kings. now, i don't know if he's under directive from vivek and/or PDA for "showcasing" purposes, but giving derrick williams the sudden nod over omri casspi on the second night of a back-to-back when omri has fresh legs is... well, i'm not sure there's a word for such a blunder. omri is a better rim attacker, a better ballhandler, a better rebounder, a better defender, and a better free throw shooter than derrick williams. he outclasses williams at everything except highlight reel dunks. the kings' bench has been even more pathetic than usual since demarcus went down, and malone decides that the inconsistent and erratic williams is the answer rather than the surprisingly steady casspi?
i'll grant that some big time "d-thrill" dunkage is a good way to get the crowd going when you're playing at home, but the kings were on the road against a very beatable opponent. sportscenter highlights were not the priority; playing smart should have been the priority, and no one is about to heap praise onto williams for his basketball IQ. the kings could have used omri's decision-making, they could have used his tenacity on the boards, they could have used his relentless rim attack, and they could have used his 85% from the stripe. more to the point, the kings absolutely needed better free throw shooting and better rebounding last night, and omri's number never got called. so, unless omri casspi has viral meningitis, as well, or unless he's done something to truly earn a spot in the dog house, i think coach owes us an answer as to why one of the few bright spots on the kings' bench isn't getting his number called at a time when they desperately need contributors...
beyond that, running a final play last night for nik stauskas was about as poor a decision as you could make in such a situation. the kings needed a three to tie, and the kings have exactly one above average three-point shooter on their roster; ben mclemore is shooting 40% from three this season. running ben off a simple in-bounds curl would have sufficed, in my opinion, but coach had other plans. nik stauskas is shooting 23% from three this season, on top of being a rookie who often looks completely overmatched; he's still a boy amongst men, and defenses are inclined to double-team him into turning the ball over on plays that matter much less than the final shot of a game where you're down by three. as one would expect, stauskas looked like he wanted no part of that last play, and it's not fair of coach to put his team or his rookie SG in that position; the kings unsurprisingly lose the game, and nik comes up the goat, which should do wonders for his already-shaky confidence...
Kingster
Hall of Famer
Is the #1 goal of Malone and Co. now to "develop assets" as opposed to "win games"? The Casspi and McLemore mysteries sure invite that question. Does Kings management believe Cousins is going to be out longer than most of us believe? If Cousins wouldn't start really being Cousins in a Kings uniform until the beginning of February as opposed to the beginning of January, maybe that #1 pick is still salvagable. And maybe D Will is still tradable by the mid-season trade deadline if they just play him a little more.
Otherwise, Malone's rotation strategy appears to be one of panicky desperation. Casspi has a bad game and D Will has a "good" one; D Will plays the next game and Casspi doesn't. Stauskas plays his one good game of the year; he plays the big minutes in the next game and McLemore sits. It's as if Malone's time frame is one game and one game only.
That's all I've got.
Otherwise, Malone's rotation strategy appears to be one of panicky desperation. Casspi has a bad game and D Will has a "good" one; D Will plays the next game and Casspi doesn't. Stauskas plays his one good game of the year; he plays the big minutes in the next game and McLemore sits. It's as if Malone's time frame is one game and one game only.
That's all I've got.
When teams play 4 games in 5 nights they are going to get worn down. A good coach tries to figure out some creative ways to win by some unusual combinations. They don't always work. The Kings still struggle with the psychology of winning. The absence of Cousins reveals all sorts of problems. Team folded at the end. I would not hang this one on the coach at all.
The Kings need to start to recognize double teams better. They need to figure out how to play defense and rebound better in the fourth quarter. Those are things that can be corrected and improved. The Kings have been a crummy basketball team for a long time. It will take awhile to get to the playoff level. I am very happy with their improvement. If they can manage a winning percentage of .500 for the season, that would be a major accomplishment.
The Kings need to start to recognize double teams better. They need to figure out how to play defense and rebound better in the fourth quarter. Those are things that can be corrected and improved. The Kings have been a crummy basketball team for a long time. It will take awhile to get to the playoff level. I am very happy with their improvement. If they can manage a winning percentage of .500 for the season, that would be a major accomplishment.
When you're playing four games in five nights, and you have two players that you don't put in the game at all, one of whom has been your most consistent reserve through the first twenty games, fatigue becomes less valid as an excuse. Malone could have alleviated much of that fatigue by playing Casspi more, or at all. Even if that meant having to go small; god knows that Landry didn't give us anything.
Isn't it reasonable to assume Malone knew that or one or two of his coaches? Me thinks there is more to this than implied in your post. Certainly everyone on here figured it out and you know how bright and basketHball wise we are.
Livinthedream
All-Star
I think it's apparent that Malone is trying to reward players for playing well with more minutes. However, this also ends up punishing other players who have done nothing wrong and screws with continuity and consistency.
Coach should have a general idea of how long his starters and bench play a game. If your 2nd string PG normally gets 15 minutes a game and he plays well, then he keeps that 15 minutes. You don't give him 30 and punish the starter unless the starter is ineffective that day. Casspi has been punished by this. Evans has been punished by this. And to a lessrr extent, Ben.
Inexplicably, Ray gets no burn no matter what he does.
In Malones attempts to be fair and give everyone a chance, he's actually been hurting the team and being unfair.
I don't think Malone is a horrible coach. I think he's an inexperienced coach going through some growing pains.
Coach should have a general idea of how long his starters and bench play a game. If your 2nd string PG normally gets 15 minutes a game and he plays well, then he keeps that 15 minutes. You don't give him 30 and punish the starter unless the starter is ineffective that day. Casspi has been punished by this. Evans has been punished by this. And to a lessrr extent, Ben.
Inexplicably, Ray gets no burn no matter what he does.
In Malones attempts to be fair and give everyone a chance, he's actually been hurting the team and being unfair.
I don't think Malone is a horrible coach. I think he's an inexperienced coach going through some growing pains.
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
i've seen a ton of Keith Smart in Malone lately. waiting too long to get your best guys in the game, letting the other team take all the momentum and then giving your guys like 3-4 minutes to get the momentum back and win the game on the road (doesn't usually work).
oh and also jumping the gun on rewarding guys for half decent play. Like Derrick Williams
oh and also jumping the gun on rewarding guys for half decent play. Like Derrick Williams
I'm not sure I get your point. I will say, in case it helps clarify things, that it's not in my nature to assume that, just because someone has access to more information than I do, that it means that he must have made the right decision, based on that information.
All I know, as a fan, is that Casspi played great off the bench for twenty games, and then Malone stopped playing him. I don't know why, and I don't have access to Malone, such that I could find out. I stipulate that Malone has access to data that I don't, which would inform his decision to not play Casspi; what I do not stipulate is the assumption that he is inarguably justified in his decision, just based on that. I don't know why I should owe him the benefit of the doubt?
Rockmeister
All-Star
Kings could have won this game. They missed THIRTEEN free throws.
Yeah, that's true, but
... is also true.
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
Kings missed a ton of free throws, yes. But the Lakers missed a TON of shots, yet they were able to win. Had we had the proper lineup out there, the missed free throws wouldn't have really hurt us
kingsboi
Hall of Famer
Besides the fact that the Lakers own the Kings at Staples Center....I lost count how many second chance opportunities the Lakers had, how many free throws the team as a whole missed, Casspi not playing once again at all, how bad Hollins & Sessions are and last but not least...the final play not touching Rudy Gay's hands??? 
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
the final play not touching Rudy Gay's hands???
That wasn't the only issue. The team did not set ONE SINGLE SCREEN. None. they stood around and watched a rookie panic.
Malone made Stauskas the #1 option. Really? he has proven to not exactly be ready for the spotlight. what the hell kind of play call is that?
The Hammer
All-Star
We're at .500, having had nearly the toughest schedule in the league, that's better % than many even around here predicted.
You're the one who's disappointing.
The saddest thing is if you look at the grades and look at the minutes played, you KNOW we could have won if things had been managed better. That part is on Malone. But, even with Malone's mistakes, we could have won if FT shooting hadn't stunk up the court.
Bottom line is this game was totally within our grasp and we (meaning they) let it get away with a plethora of poor decisions from the coach, from the players, etc.
VF21 is not a happy Kings fan right now. And to echo everyone else, WHERE THE HELL WAS CASSPI?
Bottom line is this game was totally within our grasp and we (meaning they) let it get away with a plethora of poor decisions from the coach, from the players, etc.
VF21 is not a happy Kings fan right now. And to echo everyone else, WHERE THE HELL WAS CASSPI?
It might be that they all figure they're not gonna win without Cousins anyway so might as well "develop assets" until he returns. That's just a guess - and a philosophy I do not agree with, BTW.
Very puzzling...
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
all of this!
I don't know either but I guess I do give folks and certainly Malone the benefit of the doubt.
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
no
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