[Grades] Grades v. Magic 12/6/2014
- Thread starter Bricklayer
- Start date
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
The effort for 48 minutes has been pathetic. It's like the players come into the game as optimistic about winning as the fans do when Cousins is out
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Depends on what the definition of "far"is.... I've said from the beginning of the season that we needed a competent backup center. By competent, I mean someone that can hold down the starting job for a while if necessary. You can't replace Cuz, but you can do better than Hollins. There were guys out there like Kaman who were available.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I tend to agree with you. The Magic don't have one so called star, or super star player. Harris is probably their best scorer if they need a basket. Vucevic is obviously their best rebounder, and post defender. But to pick out one guy and say he's the Magic's equivalent of Cousins, probably isn't possible. Whether we like it or not, we go where Cousins takes us, and without him, at least in the present, were rudderless.
And chose to go other places than Sacramento. I wish people would remember that as much as we want someone, it doesn't do any good if they don't want us.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Well, we don't know if we had any interest in Kaman, and if we did, whether we even made an offer. I was simply using him as an example. Hollins may have been the best they could come up with. I don't know, but the fact remains, the lack of a good backup center is one of our main problems, exaggerated even more so by Cousins illness. Of course, I don't know what I don't know, so I'm not pointing my finger at anyone, just pointing out the obvious. All I know, is that's a lot of "I don't Knows".
Then how about option# 1? New to starters - McCallum and Casspi, new to bench - Collison and McLemore. This wouldn't be to punish or reward any of them, it would be to see if it would work better.
Be interesting to see how it would work. I'm willing to leave it to Malone and crew.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
what?
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
Except Collison and McLemore haven't really done anything to merit being sent to the bench and McCallum hasn't done much of anything to warrant any playtime whatsoever aside from not being named Ramon Sessions, which recently is becoming a less viable strategy for playing time on its own.
Until we solve some basic problems, I think this option would be a lot like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. DC and Ben are just starting to come into their own - you don't send them to the bench and try and convince them it's not some kind of punishment.
I think we do know that PDA was working the phones 24/7. The Kings were mentioned in a lot of rumors this time around. My best guess is that he had discussions with virtually every single sports agent in the business, and was probably told by a majority of them that they would not be returning his calls. Sacramento fans have to be realistic. As much as we love our team, it is not a prime destination for free agents with any real marketable skills.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
Especially for a team coming off of the season we had and with the big move for most of the summer being "Hey! We got rid of our third best player and replaced him with a journeyman backup!" (or so the media said)
Kingston Jamaica
Bench
I think that was exactly what happened. The bench came out in the 4th and brought the game to a winnable range of 4 points. When the starters came back, they were unable to take it over the hump and showed no fighting spirit to change the picture.
Kingston Jamaica
Bench
I think they are pretty much built on 3-point shooting. Unfortunately only BenMc is a decent perimeter defender among the starters. Thet gives them easy shots most of the night. The two other perimeter defenders, Casspi and McCollum, are not on the court most of the night. IMHO, there needs to be a bit more space for rotation adjustments depending on the type of game the opponent is playing.
Kingston Jamaica
Bench
I think you are expecting too much. I'm not even as high on Collison as most although he fills the PG spot nicely. I want Ben to be part of the Big 3. Maybe he needs to wear a bell so his team mates know where he is.
Yeah, Ellington.
I'm with you in this one. In my opinion, the faster BenMc becomes a key player for the Kings, the better the team will do. The coach has to make BenMc an option for every play. Just make him shoot. It's ot only that he will score in the 20 PPG area every night, but he will also open up the defense.
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
You mentioned committing to Ben and getting him more shots. To go along with this, he needs to play most of the 4th quarter in a game like last nights. Ramon down the stretch is not a recipe for winning. Ben has earned the right to close most games, especially with his defense, over the course of most games this season. A couple quarters of not putting up a stat-line, doesn't change what he's done a consistent basis
Wrong. The only 2 guys who "deserve" to come back in the 4th and replace hot bench players are Cuz and Rudy, because they're you're go to guys down the stretch. Ben has earned a rotation spot this season certainly, but he's not close to being a guy I put back in over someone playing as well as Sessions was, especially when we were sans people who could create their own shot.
K
KingMilz
Guest
On this team Ben most certainly deserves to be in the game late as does Darren Collison the 5th guy is a toss up between JT/Casspi/Reggie/William/Landry depending on match ups/who's hot.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Let me be clear in case your misunderstanding me. I wasn't being critical of the Kings brain trust. I was simply pointing out that we have now, and have had since the season began, a need for a legitimate back up center. With Cousins out, its now more apparent than before, but the problem has been there none the less. I'm sure the Kings are very aware of the problem, and tried to fill that need during the off season. I try not to comment on what I don't know, and I don't know what negotiations occurred between the Kings and other players agents. I will comment of what I see as problem that needs to be fixed, and that's what I was doing. Unless they want to make me the GM, how that problem gets fixed is not up to me.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I just wanted to comment on something that seems to be taken as fact. And that's the idea that no player of any value would want to come and play for the Kings. Are players influenced by the past reputation of a team? Of course they are. No player wants to go and play for an organization that won't fix up the teams locker room, lets the roof leak in the arena, keeps cutting salary, and in general, just won't spend money on anything team related. So the organization matters. And yes, the Kings under the Maloofs developed a terrible reputation. But that reputation has been reversed, and trust me, it doesn't take years for that information to get around the league. The rest of the world knows that the new administration is open for business, and is willing to spend money. For god's sake, just look at our payroll.
That part aside, what most players care about are money, fit, playing time, and winning. You'll notice that I have winning last there. That's because most players don't have the luxury of putting winning first. The Lebron's and Durant's of the world do, and that's because they're either making, or have made, a ton of money already. Dwayne Wade can afford to take a 15% pay cut in order to insure a winning team. The Sessions and Collisons of the world can't. Of course that doesn't mean they don't want to win. But first on their list, is money, and then playing time. Players want to play, and they want to enjoy playing. They want it to be fun. It is a game after all. I played baseball because I loved playing the game. A lot of them are married and have children, so location is important to them. The player is a lot happier if his wife and kids are happy. No one likes taking family problems to work with them, and NBA players are no different.
Sacramento as a town, and the Kings as a team, could/should be a very appealing destination for a lot of players. Yes, the organization needs to sell that, but on the surface, there's a lot to like. We have two marquis players in Cousins and Gay, and we've taken on the appearance of a team on the rise. Were being talked about nationally as such. Our image is changing, and our thinking as fans has to change with it. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as a rest stop between San Francisco and Reno. If you want to be the best, then start thinking like your the best. Quit caring about what others think. It's what you think that's important. As a friend once told me, your either driving the bus, or your a passenger on it. The idea that players in general don't want to come and play for the Kings is nonsense. Of course there are exceptions. There's always going to be those players that lust for the big city lights and the media attention that comes with it.
Why did Gay re-sign with us? Because he felt the team was on the rise, the money was right, it was a good fit, and his family liked Sacramento. Gay isn't the exception, he's the rule. He's far more representative of what players are looking for, than Carmelo Anthony is, or Shaq was when he played, and I'm not knocking them. Whatever floats your boat. I firmly believe that the majority of players would be interested in playing for the Kings, if the price is right, the fit feels right, and they feel they'll get appropriate playing time. Not saying that there won't be stiff competition at times. If your a player and you have to choose between Portland and Sacramento, and the money is the same, your probably leaning toward Portland since they're further along in their development. That's when PD has to make sure they know it rains a hell of lot more in Portland. OK, just kidding, but seriously, its up to the organization to sell a player on coming here. You won't win every battle, but you won't lose because Sacramento isn't an appealing destination. That's simply not an excuse anymore. In my humble opinion!
That part aside, what most players care about are money, fit, playing time, and winning. You'll notice that I have winning last there. That's because most players don't have the luxury of putting winning first. The Lebron's and Durant's of the world do, and that's because they're either making, or have made, a ton of money already. Dwayne Wade can afford to take a 15% pay cut in order to insure a winning team. The Sessions and Collisons of the world can't. Of course that doesn't mean they don't want to win. But first on their list, is money, and then playing time. Players want to play, and they want to enjoy playing. They want it to be fun. It is a game after all. I played baseball because I loved playing the game. A lot of them are married and have children, so location is important to them. The player is a lot happier if his wife and kids are happy. No one likes taking family problems to work with them, and NBA players are no different.
Sacramento as a town, and the Kings as a team, could/should be a very appealing destination for a lot of players. Yes, the organization needs to sell that, but on the surface, there's a lot to like. We have two marquis players in Cousins and Gay, and we've taken on the appearance of a team on the rise. Were being talked about nationally as such. Our image is changing, and our thinking as fans has to change with it. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as a rest stop between San Francisco and Reno. If you want to be the best, then start thinking like your the best. Quit caring about what others think. It's what you think that's important. As a friend once told me, your either driving the bus, or your a passenger on it. The idea that players in general don't want to come and play for the Kings is nonsense. Of course there are exceptions. There's always going to be those players that lust for the big city lights and the media attention that comes with it.
Why did Gay re-sign with us? Because he felt the team was on the rise, the money was right, it was a good fit, and his family liked Sacramento. Gay isn't the exception, he's the rule. He's far more representative of what players are looking for, than Carmelo Anthony is, or Shaq was when he played, and I'm not knocking them. Whatever floats your boat. I firmly believe that the majority of players would be interested in playing for the Kings, if the price is right, the fit feels right, and they feel they'll get appropriate playing time. Not saying that there won't be stiff competition at times. If your a player and you have to choose between Portland and Sacramento, and the money is the same, your probably leaning toward Portland since they're further along in their development. That's when PD has to make sure they know it rains a hell of lot more in Portland. OK, just kidding, but seriously, its up to the organization to sell a player on coming here. You won't win every battle, but you won't lose because Sacramento isn't an appealing destination. That's simply not an excuse anymore. In my humble opinion!
Chubbs
Starter
I think part of the free agent puzzle is also treating them well when you do sign them.
Let's look at the case of Ramon sessions, who signed here for what I would consider less than market value.
If Malone had immediately and permanently benched Ramon Sessions for a former 2nd round draft pick with no experience, that would get around the league quick. You think IT is pissed in PHX, imagine if he was playing behind guys like Ray McCallum and Nik Stauskas. Malone really couldn't do that. I'm confident having faith in Ramon will pay dividends at some point. I'm also confident Ramon is a better player than Ray or Nik and that will show in the long run.
Let's look at the case of Ramon sessions, who signed here for what I would consider less than market value.
If Malone had immediately and permanently benched Ramon Sessions for a former 2nd round draft pick with no experience, that would get around the league quick. You think IT is pissed in PHX, imagine if he was playing behind guys like Ray McCallum and Nik Stauskas. Malone really couldn't do that. I'm confident having faith in Ramon will pay dividends at some point. I'm also confident Ramon is a better player than Ray or Nik and that will show in the long run.
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