[Grades] Grades v. Pelicans 2/12/2017

9 guys played for us tonight. How many will still be here post trade deadline?

  • 9

    Votes: 25 59.5%
  • 8

    Votes: 3 7.1%
  • 7

    Votes: 12 28.6%
  • 6

    Votes: 1 2.4%
  • 5

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 1 2.4%
  • 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 0

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    42
  • Poll closed .

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#1


Allow me to mention again: last year we allowed this team to average 115.3ppg against us, and we went 0-4 against them. This season we have allowed them to average 96.5ppg against us, and we are 2-0. Funny how that works.

BTW, blurb from the game recap:
Sacramento had zero fastbreak points in becoming only the second team this season to win this season without a fastbreak point.
ignoring the unnecessary repetition of "this season", an explanation perhaps for why this game felt so workmanlike.




Link to Boxscore

Afflalo ( B- ) -- nearly identical to Ben -- 10pts on 7shots, 1reb 2ast stl 1blk -- and just felt solid on both ends. Nothing more certainly. But after Hill hit a few threes to start the game, AA settled in, had a brief stretch in the second half where he began to work his post game, and just solidly competed. Our SG/SF duo did fine and largely matched theirs.

Cousins ( B+ ) -- perhaps not his most inspiring effort as he continues to feel things out, but saavily started the Kings comeback by allowing Buddy Hield to grab him by the particulars and ask for a date, boarded well throughout, hung in there after he got screwed on a Montejunas flop for a T (likely will be reversed) and made plays down the stretch again to help us close out the win.

Koufos ( C+ ) -- came out of the gate leading the team in shots, which wasn't necessarily Warriors-level spectacular. Hit the boards, did the Kosta. In the end it was largely a non-impact game (indeed was one of only two Kings (Malachi) with a negative +/-, but it was only -1. No reason to go lower with this grade...or higher.

McLemore ( B- ) -- there's a little Benness to this grade, as when you get down to it it was the same line as Afflalo in the end (11-2-1-1-1), and he wasn't really playing anybody. but he continued to be efficient from 3ptland, with the moment of excitement being when he hit back to back threes to key our run to start the 3rd. Kinda fell back after that however.

Collison ( B ) -- had a higher grade than this through a strong 3 1/2 quarters, before absolutely horrid play down the stretch threatened to sink us and give the game away. May have just tired as he again had no backup. Did more of his scoring early than late, but finally gave us a little more true PG play with some good setups. Then crunchtime came, the Pels started hopping and trapping him, he blew layups, and...yikes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Barnes ( B+ ) -- an important contributor again, hit a pair of timely threes, helped us wobble through our Collisonless minutes, and most importantly was our best defeender on both Tyreke, and especially Davis late.

Cauley Stein ( B ) -- less impact than he has been having, but flashed some skill while looking very comfortable and aggressive out there, pursued several long rebounds, and tried to give A.D. something to think about on defense, although in the end the smaller Barnes was more effective.

Tolliver ( B- ) -- I was thinking this was suck, then I was thinking then was strong, and in true Tolliver fashion, the whole difference in perspective came when he finally hit a couple of threes. Not terribly effective on the glass or defense.

Richardson ( C- ) -- got a good and+1 drive, where he muscled to the point of almost offensive fouling, but nothing else fell, and got introduced to Tyreke's ghost on the other end, which...well, chalk it up to a learning experience.
 
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#3
I voted for 8 but I think 9 is more likely. I only see a trade if it is a reactionary one. I believe Vlade thinks, as presently constructed, we are a playoff team. Therefore, unless Denver and others get significantly better, Vlade will stand pat.
 
#4
Teams get better without Rudy, I love Rudy but the trend is disturbing, are we better without Rudy?

With Ben being lights out its opening up things for the others, his gravity is keeping defenses honest and creating alot of shots (Barnes 3s, Collison drives, easier for Cuz etc). I think Ben has to be the sure fire starter for now to space things with the starters and Temple goes back to his normal pitbull off the bench role. Ben has forced his way into the starting unit.
 
#5
I feel bad for disparaging Collison so much, but it's only because I expect him to be that underated, solid guard of the last few years, and not it's coming to life again :) it's huge for the team now and heading forward as he wants to be here and FA might not have a better lead guard than him and Lawson
 
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glassman

Guest
#6
Cousins was (as always) unstoppable when in the 4th he mostly stayed put in the paint!!! Why do we wait till the 4th to stop getting cute with the "guard skills" and planting him on the 3 pt line??? Makes no sense. I really hope Joerger can see the obvious but I can't count on that
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#7
Cousins was (as always) unstoppable when in the 4th he mostly stayed put in the paint!!! Why do we wait till the 4th to stop getting cute with the "guard skills" and planting him on the 3 pt line??? Makes no sense. I really hope Joerger can see the obvious but I can't count on that
one logical reasoning behind this could be the fact that if he bangs in the paint for four quarters, he will be drained by the end of the game. takes a toll on a man with that much size and weight. he probably conserves energy as much as possible so we see a lot of perimeter play and when a bucket is needed, he starts establishing himself in the post.
 
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glassman

Guest
#8
Teams get better without Rudy, I love Rudy but the trend is disturbing, are we better without Rudy?

With Ben being lights out its opening up things for the others, his gravity is keeping defenses honest and creating alot of shots (Barnes 3s, Collison drives, easier for Cuz etc). I think Ben has to be the sure fire starter for now to space things with the starters and Temple goes back to his normal pitbull off the bench role. Ben has forced his way into the starting unit.
I'm ok with this IF and we still have a long waaays to go but if he can stay consistent and not also kill us on defense which has also been much better. So it will be interesting to see
 
#9
one logical reasoning behind this could be the fact that if he bangs in the paint for four quarters, he will be drained by the end of the game. takes a toll on a man with that much size and weight. he probably conserves energy as much as possible so we see a lot of perimeter play and when a bucket is needed, he starts establishing himself in the post.
Didn't Joerger basically as admit as much after one of the games a few days ago when asked how DMC looks so much better on the low block. He basically said that guys like Cuz and Mark Gasol take an absolute beating on the low block so to preserve and protect them a bit, he plays them around the elbow and even further out. One thing has been consistent though, when we need a bucket we post Cousins more often than not.
 
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glassman

Guest
#10
one logical reasoning behind this could be the fact that if he bangs in the paint for four quarters, he will be drained by the end of the game. takes a toll on a man with that much size and weight. he probably conserves energy as much as possible so we see a lot of perimeter play and when a bucket is needed, he starts establishing himself in the post.
Yeah I see that's plausible. But he can mix it up a bit thru out the game. Seriously tho we wait till the very end to get to what works the best... I wasn't Malone's biggest fan either but he did know how to use Cousins the best... down low
 
#11
If the Kings can have 5-6 players in double figures with Cousins and Collison both @20+ pts they should be in games. Lawson's absence is a big loss. Have to give him extra rest.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#12
Yeah I see that's plausible. But he can mix it up a bit thru out the game. Seriously tho we wait till the very end to get to what works the best... I wasn't Malone's biggest fan either but he did know how to use Cousins the best... down low
Joerger has done wonders for Cousins. He does mix it up in the game, just not as much as we would like to see, that is all. He gets a happy trigger finger from three in the first two quarters or so and if he isn't making them, he then moves to the elbow or tries to take his man off the dribble, which is becoming tougher on him because teams are playing him exactly for that.
 
#13
Joerger has done wonders for Cousins. He does mix it up in the game, just not as much as we would like to see, that is all. He gets a happy trigger finger from three in the first two quarters or so and if he isn't making them, he then moves to the elbow or tries to take his man off the dribble, which is becoming tougher on him because teams are playing him exactly for that.
Yeah, scouting reports. Wonder What are the Kings win/loss percentage is when Cousins has 7+ assists... I'm curious.
 
#14
Observations:
  • Cousins was a miserable winner tonight. Just relentless scowling and griping and on edge of a meltdown. In a lot of ways he cannot stand success. I think there 's an effort on a subconscious level to sabotage. This game did not have to be as hard as it was and turn into an emotionally exhausting experience. But I guess if you say "you are battling your demons" you are going to look to demonize someone (with a whistle) to create the scenario in your head as precursor to recreating it in real life.
  • If Boogie was a true superstar, with awareness that is not consumed by guys calling the fouls, he would have made more of an effort to get ball to Ben after he made those two 3s back to back. Ben has struggled so much and if you are true superstar you know this and you want to get your teammates involved, feeling good. You know you need a SG who can give you 15 PPG to become a more potent offense unit. Cousins nor his teammates did anything to see Ben got the ball to try to continue his run.
  • The end of our season appeared to occur two weeks ago on the disastrous 1-5 home stand. What happened? There are two primary developments that stand out: (1) Collison has emerged as legitimate #2 weapon after Boogie. He's producing at a level that Rudy (as so-called #2) did not in terms of efficiency and crunch time play. DC is making 17 PPG on 53% FGs 47% on 3s and almost 3:1 assist to turnover in 2017. Spectacular! (2) The other development is Ben and Willie have gone from complete non-entities to productive role players. We were never going anywhere if we did not give Boogie help, and these two have rose from the dead when hope seemed lost.
  • As valuable as Temple is for us, I think we may miss Lawson more. It is easier for us to replace Temple than Lawson. Come back soon Ty, we need your Lawsomness!
  • We need to get 5 of the next 6 games (excluding the Warrior game), to run our record to 28-33. We can do it if Lawson comes back, Willie, Ben and Malachi keep giving us good minute, and Boogie quits thinking the world is against him before he's suspended for another game or more. Its really getting beyond ridiculous and this fan is getting tired of his non-stop childish and brooding antics. He shot 16 free throws tonight. He got his fair share. Quit crying like a baby and focus on what you can control.
 
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glassman

Guest
#15
I'm stoked on the Kings just winning games. We have a ton of very correctable issues that hopefully will get figured out SOON... we can make the playoffs ....and if God willing we will figure it out by the time that starts I think maybe we could shock the world (very hopeful).

If we play GS in the first round and they have to see Cousins playing in the post for a seven game series...that's a worst case scenario for them. They have no answer. We might actually be able to ride him to an upset with their limited bigs. It could be like the baron davis don Nelson warriors vs the mavs kind of upset. Ironic enough. Cousins is truly the best big in the game. If the rest of these roll players and just play smart we have a strength that they aren't prepared for.

Any way that my absolutely best case hahahaha in dream world
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#16
I'm stoked on the Kings just winning games. We have a ton of very correctable issues that hopefully will get figured out SOON... we can make the playoffs ....and if God willing we will figure it out by the time that starts I think maybe we could shock the world (very hopeful).

If we play GS in the first round and they have to see Cousins playing in the post for a seven game series...that's a worst case scenario for them. They have no answer. We might actually be able to ride him to an upset with their limited bigs. It could be like the baron davis don Nelson warriors vs the mavs kind of upset. Ironic enough. Cousins is truly the best big in the game. If the rest of these roll players and just play smart we have a strength that they aren't prepared for.

Any way that my absolutely best case hahahaha in dream world
I'm not willing to go that far but I'll just say that the Warriors will probably regret trading Bogut by the end of the series at the very least. Also GT can at least make Curry work and Barnes will hopefully turn it on in the post season and make Durant's life hell.
 
#19
I'm stoked on the Kings just winning games.
... we can make the playoffs ....and if God willing we will figure it out by the time that starts I think maybe we could shock the world (very hopeful).

If we play GS in the first round and they have to see Cousins playing in the post for a seven game series...that's a worst case scenario for them. They have no answer. We might actually be able to ride him to an upset with their limited bigs. It could be like the baron davis don Nelson warriors vs the mavs kind of upset. Ironic enough. Cousins is truly the best big in the game. If the rest of these roll players and just play smart we have a strength that they aren't prepared for.

Any way that my absolutely best case hahahaha in dream world
Sorry mate, but I beat you to it,
And the copyrights are mine! ;)

Look at the hashtag on the bottom of my post, posted over 1 hour ago (10:08pm PT):
Let's look at some things in perspective:

Ben & Willie were all but chased out of here by an angry mob.
Barnes, Afflalo and Tolliver were pitch-forked around as well.
Heck, even Collison got his share...

Yet all of these are at least reasonable contributors now :)
(I won't go knee-jerkingly further with that statement yet. I too fear the mob...;))

We lost or have been missing what would arguably be considered our 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th (!!) best players previous to this stretch: Gay, Temple and Lawson...
(We also missed another veteran and potential glue-guy, who would normally be the first backup for some of these guys: Casspi)

Yet we have beaten every contender on the league not named SAS... :)

We got our superstar franchise player suspended and now perhaps somewhat crippled going forward, because of the T-ejection threat...

Yet we are on a grind-it-out home winning streak, with and without him. :)

Can't you see how SOLID this team is?

I say:
#LetsBeatWarriorsIn1stRound :eek:
Let me extract it for you:
#LetsBeatWarriorsIn1stRound :eek:

:cool:
 
#21
Observations:
  • Cousins was a miserable winner tonight. Just relentless scowling and griping and on edge of a meltdown. In a lot of ways he cannot stand success. I think there 's an effort on a subconscious level to sabotage. This game did not have to be as hard as it was and turn into an emotionally exhausting experience. But I guess if you say "you are battling your demons" you are going to look to demonize someone (with a whistle) to create the scenario in your head as precursor to recreating it in real life.
  • If Boogie was a true superstar, with awareness that is not consumed by guys calling the fouls, he would have made more of an effort to get ball to Ben after he made those two 3s back to back. Ben has struggled so much and if you are true superstar you know this and you want to get your teammates involved, feeling good. You know you need a SG who can give you 15 PPG to become a more potent offense unit. Cousins nor his teammates did anything to see Ben got the ball to try to continue his run.
  • The end of our season appeared to occur two weeks ago on the disastrous 1-5 home stand. What happened? There are two primary developments that stand out: (1) Collison has emerged as legitimate #2 weapon after Boogie. He's producing at a level that Rudy (as so-called #2) did not in terms of efficiency and crunch time play. DC is making 17 PPG on 53% FGs 47% on 3s and almost 3:1 assist to turnover in 2017. Spectacular! (2) The other development is Ben and Willie have gone from complete non-entities to productive role players. We were never going anywhere if we did not give Boogie help, and these two have rose from the dead when hope seemed lost.
  • As valuable as Temple is for us, I think we may miss Lawson more. It is easier for us to replace Temple than Lawson. Come back soon Ty, we need your Lawsomness!
  • We need to get 5 of the next 6 games (excluding the Warrior game), to run our record to 28-33. We can do it if Lawson comes back, Willie, Ben and Malachi keep giving us good minute, and Boogie quits thinking the world is against him before he's suspended for another game or more. Its really getting beyond ridiculous and this fan is getting tired of his non-stop childish and brooding antics. He shot 16 free throws tonight. He got his fair share. Quit crying like a baby and focus on what you can control.
There is no better opportunity to sabotage a game than an opponent playing pitfall harry with your manhood and yet nothing happened.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#22
Observations:
  • Cousins was a miserable winner tonight. Just relentless scowling and griping and on edge of a meltdown. In a lot of ways he cannot stand success. I think there 's an effort on a subconscious level to sabotage. This game did not have to be as hard as it was and turn into an emotionally exhausting experience. But I guess if you say "you are battling your demons" you are going to look to demonize someone (with a whistle) to create the scenario in your head as precursor to recreating it in real life.
  • If Boogie was a true superstar, with awareness that is not consumed by guys calling the fouls, he would have made more of an effort to get ball to Ben after he made those two 3s back to back. Ben has struggled so much and if you are true superstar you know this and you want to get your teammates involved, feeling good. You know you need a SG who can give you 15 PPG to become a more potent offense unit. Cousins nor his teammates did anything to see Ben got the ball to try to continue his run.
Boo. If you're going to point out the bad, which I know you will do with no problem, at least acknowledge the restraint he showed in not flat out killing Buddy Hield. You think LeBron James would have handled that situation as well? I don't. In fact, I cannot think of another player who would have resisted the urge to squash him like a freaking bug. I have seen crotch grabs before, but nothing as patently blatant as that. (And that includes a couple of Reggie Evans classics...)
 
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#24
My favorite thing about tonight and the last few games is Cousins' passing.

We could be looking at a Larry Bird level passer once our team really tunes up.

I want to see Cuz averaging 7 assists over the course of a season.
 
G

glassman

Guest
#24
Sorry mate, but I beat you to it,
And the copyrights are mine! ;)

Look at the hashtag on the bottom of my post, posted over 1 hour ago (10:08pm PT):


Let me extract it for you:
#LetsBeatWarriorsIn1stRound :eek:

:cool:
Lol! Well if u beat me by 1hr bravo. It's a big "If" as far as even making the playoffs. So I was hesitant haha
 
#25
My favorite thing about tonight and the last few games is Cousins' passing.

We could be looking at a Larry Bird level passer once our team really tunes up.

I want to see Cuz averaging 7 assists a game over a season.
 
#27
Good win.

Positiveness of Ben continuing his upswing somewhat.

Beat LA then let's roll into Oakland and put some doubt in these fickle warrior fans minds because we are coming for that postseason seed and we absolutely are a nightmare for them.
 
#28
Good game. I was there. I was yelling at Cousins (from way up high) to "get up!" when he was on his back on the sidelines.

Collison was +15 and Ben was +7. I like pluses. Thumbs up.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#29
My favorite thing about tonight and the last few games is Cousins' passing.

We could be looking at a Larry Bird level passer once our team really tunes up.

I want to see Cuz averaging 7 assists a game over a season.
I was preparing a thread mentioning this fact:

Since Jan 1 Cousins is averaging 6.38 ast/gm. If he did that for a whole season it would be the best passing mark for a center in half a century, and in fact the 3rd best such mark of all time. Only one center has ever averaged more assists than that: Wilt Chamberlain in 1966-67 and 1967-78. The 3rd best assist season by a center was 5.8 ast/gm by Bill Russell in 1966-67, and remember that pace was much much faster back then, and they played mega-minutes. Wilt averaged 46.8 and 44.5min in his two seasons, and Russell averaged 40.7 in his.

The two highest modern marks for centers are two famous seasons well known around here: Joakim Noah's 5.4 ast/gm season in 2013-14, and Vlade Divac's 5.3 ast/gm season in 2003-04. Cousins is currently averaging 4.8 in 53 games. We have 27 games remaining. If he continues averaging 6.38 ast/gm for the remainder of the season he will finish with a season average of 5.33 ast/gm, as good as any center mark we've seen since bell bottoms were in (the first time).
 
#30
Boo. If you're going to point out the bad, which I know you will do with no problem, at least acknowledge the restraint he showed in not flat out killing Bobby Hield. You think LeBron James would have handled that situation as well? I don't. In fact, I cannot think of another player who would have resisted the urge to squash him like a freaking bug. I have seen crotch grabs before, but nothing as patently blatant as that. (And that includes a couple of Reggie Evans classics...)
Even greater was his restraint in not flat out killing Buddy Hield! :p

Told you man ... these Pels are a bad team. You should see some games where Galloway just chucks and chucks to no avail. Davis has got it worse than Cuz this year in terms of team mates who don't do anything.