[Grades] Grades v. Magic 12/21/2013

[Entity]

Don't I? I happen to think that when and where a point guard gets his assists are more important than how many assists he has, by an order of

.

A point guard who gets most of his assists on drive-and-kicks is fine, if you're a jump-shooting team. I don't like jump-shooting teams and, even if I did, we aren't particularly set up to be such. I like it when teams have a clear hierarchy, and I don't like to see chuckers jump the hierarchy for the sake of their G.M.S.I. tendencies.

When you have a Kevin Love or a Blake Griffin or an Anthony Davis or an over-the-hill Kevin Garnett, then you want a point guard who monopolizes the ball, because those aren't guys who can make their teammates better, so they need a point guard to do it for them. We don't have a guy like that: our guy is more Ewing than Malone, more Shaq than Kemp. A guy like that, you want more of a John Paxon, Derek Harper, Derek Fisher-esque point guard; give him the ball, and get out the way.

i actually understand that. i agree. good job slim.

 

[Kingster]

The point guard's job on offense is to bring the ball up the floor and get the team into the offense, i.e., call out the play, and get the ball into the star player. The only time the offense should run through the point guard is if the point guard is the best player on the team. And, on the Kings, the point guard is not the best player on the team.

If Cousins is off, then the offense should go through Gay.

You have a very limited view of what a point guard should do on the floor. Thanksfully, Malone doesn't have the same view.

 

[Spike]

I wouldn't put that on Malone - I don't think he has a choice right now. Given that he wants to be known (or is rumored to be) a defensive - minded coach, I'm sure he'd rather be much stronger at the point of attack than what he is currently.

 

[Kingster]

I wouldn't put that on Malone - I don't think he has a choice right now. Given that he wants to be known (or is rumored to be) a defensive - minded coach, I'm sure he'd rather be much stronger at the point of attack than what he is currently.

It's Malone's offense. It's his decision on who plays and where. Of course Malone doesn't believe a pg's role is simply to bring up the ball. The play on the floor proves that.

I'm sure he'd love to have Westbrook, but that's not the point, is it?

 

[Kingster]

Regarding Williams, I saw him do the same thing he did a couple of games ago. Ball is shot by the Magic. Williams is out around the 3 pt line. He starts to slowly backpeddle. The ball caroms off the rim and bounces toward the direction of Williams. Williams hesitates. The loose ball goes to the Magic. If Williams would have just bothered to stay put (not even actively go for the offensive rebound), he would have had the ball come right to him. I can't help but believe that Williams' lack of playing time is due in large measure to these kind of gross errors. If he would have been on the Spurs, Popovitch would have come off the bench and had a coronary on that play.

 

[Spike]

It's Malone's offense. It's his decision on who plays and where. Of course Malone doesn't believe a pg's role is simply to bring up the ball. The play on the floor proves that.

I'm sure he'd love to have Westbrook, but that's not the point, is it?

My point is that he doesn't have a choice. There isn't anyone on the team who can effectively get the ball to Cousins and Gay while playing decent defense, so you go with the guy who will look to get his more often than not because it's your only option. That's what the play on the floor tells me.

Are you saying he does have a choice?

 

[Bricklayer]

It's Malone's offense. It's his decision on who plays and where. Of course Malone doesn't believe a pg's role is simply to bring up the ball. The play on the floor proves that.

I'm sure he'd love to have Westbrook, but that's not the point, is it?

I will not make a claim either way with Malone's preferred style, but to claim that he's starting a 5'9" gunner because he gets hearts in his eyes at the mere mention of the cute little Pizza Guy's name would be disingenuous at best given circumstances. Those circumstances being that when we had an option, Malone started the option -- a passer/non gunner -- instead. And that of course at this point we have no option at all, not even for backup minutes.

 

[kupman]

Whatever IT is doing to run the offense I will take it. In the last 10 games we have been avg 104/gm. That is 7th best in the league. There is not much wrong with the offense and IT is a big part of what is right with the offense.

We lose games because our team D stinks. Not one person on the team is playing good D me thinks.

 

[Kingster]

My point is that he doesn't have a choice. There isn't anyone on the team who can effectively get the ball to Cousins and Gay while playing decent defense, so you go with the guy who will look to get his more often than not because it's your only option. That's what the play on the floor tells me.

Are you saying he does have a choice?

That view seems to make Malone a passive observer rather than an active participant. It's as if he doesn't have any influence over someone who "gets his" (That's if you believe that IT just "gets his", which I don't). Is that how you see Malone - a guy who doesn't have much control over what his players do on the court?

 

[Kingster]

I will not make a claim either way with Malone's preferred style, but to claim that he's starting a 5'9" gunner because he gets hearts in his eyes at the mere mention of the cute little Pizza Guy's name would be disingenuous at best given circumstances. Those circumstances being that when we had an option, Malone started the option -- a passer/non gunner -- instead. And that of course at this point we have no option at all, not even for backup minutes.

Again, that's not the point. Stay on point, please. The point is not whether IT is Malone's best option at point guard. The point is: How does Malone want IT to play? Malone has repeatedly said that he wants IT to be aggressive. That doesn't tell me that he wants him to simply bring the ball up the floor and get it to Cousins and Gay. Everything I've heard from Malone indicates that there should be a balance in which IT picks his spots to be aggressive, while at the same time get the ball to others. This idea that the point guard for the Kings should simply bring the ball up the floor is nothing that I've ever remotely heard from Malone.

 

[CruzDude]

When rebuilding, maybe from scratch as now, progress comes as a slow progression over a long period of time, like a full season at least and more like two seasons. Every game McLemore makes a bit of progress. Every couple of games you can see new and better things Cuz is doing. JT is the ultimate journeyman PF good for 10/6 every night, decent defense most of the time and seems to know his role. IT is harder to describe in terms of improvement but this year now he is starting and the jury is out as to which he does better, start or 6th man. Scoring is up and so are assists lately but he still dribbles too much (therefore TO's are up) and is big liability on defense. Damn if does damn if he doesn't. Would be an interesting stat; Opponent PG scoring when IT plays. I won't even go to pick-and-roll defense, the single most glaring weakness the Kings have to overcome. Much of that is the PG communicating to the bigs down low one or two steps earlier.

Otherwise everyone else whose a potential "core" is new, one way or another (Outlaw 'cause he is now getting playing time but not likely to be here beyond this year).

So, small pieces of progress every game, even the occasional blow out losses. Not more wins, that comes next year, but slowly getting to a "core" group who can do that next year. But Malone, PDA and Ranadive seem all to be on the same page. I like that, for a change.

 

[Hadlowe]

Regarding Williams, I saw him do the same thing he did a couple of games ago. Ball is shot by the Magic. Williams is out around the 3 pt line. He starts to slowly backpeddle. The ball caroms off the rim and bounces toward the direction of Williams. Williams hesitates. The loose ball goes to the Magic. If Williams would have just bothered to stay put (not even actively go for the offensive rebound), he would have had the ball come right to him. I can't help but believe that Williams' lack of playing time is due in large measure to these kind of gross errors. If he would have been on the Spurs, Popovitch would have come off the bench and had a coronary on that play.

It really depends on what is called for in that situation. Was Williams' job to cover the break? Did he have guys leaking out?

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

It really depends on what is called for in that situation. Was Williams' job to cover the break? Did he have guys leaking out?

If the ball was shot by the Magic, how can he be drifing back to cover the break? He was already on the defensive end of the floor