Grades v. Pistons 11/08

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SacTownKid

Hall of Famer
#32
Man its funny how so many people were singing Jason Hart's praises in the pre-season only to give up on him after 3 games. Get real you guys, this is the 3rd GAME!!!!! AGAINST A TEAM THAT IS RED HOT RIGHT NOW!!!!

The Pistons had the chemistry on their side tonight. They have had the same team for 2 years and have their stuff down right now. We don't, that may be because WE'VE PLAYED 3 GAMES TOGETHER!!!!

Sure we should have done better but I saw a lot of positives from this game. Plus maybe the fact that our bench got some time together may assist in the need to get some chemistry of their own.

Give it 15-20 games before you go dumping off every player for expiring deals and draft picks.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#33
I watched the news tonight, which I believe I mentioned in another thread. They interviewed Peja after the game, and he looked shell-shocked and (believe it or not) embarrassed. He actually said there was a lack of effort on both ends of the court and included HIMSELF in the comment.

Could it be that tonight was the wake-up call for dear Peja? Was he schooled so thoroughly by Tayshaun Prince that he cannot deny - even to himself - any longer that he just isn't doing his job?

I have NEVER seen him look quite the way he did tonight.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#34
SacTownKid said:
Man its funny how so many people were singing Jason Hart's praises in the pre-season only to give up on him after 3 games. Get real you guys, this is the 3rd GAME!!!!! AGAINST A TEAM THAT IS RED HOT RIGHT NOW!!!!

The Pistons had the chemistry on their side tonight. They have had the same team for 2 years and have their stuff down right now. We don't, that may be because WE'VE PLAYED 3 GAMES TOGETHER!!!!

Sure we should have done better but I saw a lot of positives from this game. Plus maybe the fact that our bench got some time together may assist in the need to get some chemistry of their own.

Give it 15-20 games before you go dumping off every player for expiring deals and draft picks.
1. It's the 4th game, unless you've just totally erased the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets game, which is somewhat understandable. I think the players were trying to forget it, too.

2. You saw a "lot of positives from this game"? What, pray tell? They didn't kill any fans in their haste to stay away from anything remotely resembling a defense?

Dude, that was about as sucky a performance by an allegedly contending team as I have ever seen, and I've been watching NBA basketball for over 40 years.

And, as icing on the cake, the video department insults the entire city of Detroit? Oh yeah - it just don't get much better than that.

...

...

...

sigh.
 

SacTownKid

Hall of Famer
#35
VF21 said:
1. It's the 4th game, unless you've just totally erased the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets game, which is somewhat understandable. I think the players were trying to forget it, too.

2. You saw a "lot of positives from this game"? What, pray tell? They didn't kill any fans in their haste to stay away from anything remotely resembling a defense?

Dude, that was about as sucky a performance by an allegedly contending team as I have ever seen, and I've been watching NBA basketball for over 40 years.

And, as icing on the cake, the video department insults the entire city of Detroit? Oh yeah - it just don't get much better than that.

...

...

...

sigh.
I was talking about the fact that we came into this game with three games under our belt. Using that as one of the reasons tonight's performance was so poor.

But I think you have an idea there, I think they first game of the season shouldn't count. :D
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#36
SacTownKid said:
I was talking about the fact that we came into this game with three games under our belt. Using that as one of the reasons tonight's performance was so poor.

But I think you have an idea there, I think they first game of the season shouldn't count. :D
Ah, okay. Then I stand corrected.

I should probably just shut down the computer and go to bed. As you can tell from my avatar, I didn't deal with tonight's loss very well...

;)
 

SacTownKid

Hall of Famer
#37
VF21 said:
Ah, okay. Then I stand corrected.

I should probably just shut down the computer and go to bed. As you can tell from my avatar, I didn't deal with tonight's loss very well...

;)
I know what you mean, it is very hard, but I think that the only way these guys even have a chance to get better is to take these kind of lumps along the way.
 
#38
VF21 said:
Could it be that tonight was the wake-up call for dear Peja? Was he schooled so thoroughly by Tayshaun Prince that he cannot deny - even to himself - any longer that he just isn't doing his job?
Yeah.

I'm sure.

That MUST be it.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#39
Aw, come on G3. I have to try and find something to take away from the game... Some little reason that will convince me to put down the rusty razor blade. That was a tough one...
 
#40
VF21 said:
And, as icing on the cake, the video department insults the entire city of Detroit? Oh yeah - it just don't get much better than that.

...

...

...

sigh.
One final blow at Chris... or am I being paranoid?

Don't forget, dear VF, the god awful opening musical number that a little too closely resembled the Stonehenge sequence of This Is Spinal Tap.

I can handle being loyal to a sucky team. That'd be no problem.

But the errant roster moves made to, just a guess here, appease an overrated, lazy, soon-to-be-max, roleplayer? That's a little bit harder to digest. And the constant coddling to the fanbase is starting to feel like the inevitable Ben-Gay smelling hug from your ancient Aunt Ida. There's only so much I can take before my skin literally crawls off my skeleton.

In short, my trademark optimism is waning. Ever so slightly.
 
#42
Basically, Peja's ineffective plays at both ends doomed the Kings. Before the game begins, I already knew Peja will have tough time scoring against a tough defender like Tayshaun but I didn't expect Peja's weak defense to allow Tayshaun to turn into an offense machine.
 
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#43
There isn't a grade low enough for the way Peja played last night. F- doesn't even begin to cover it. He didn't even look like he belonged in the league last night. I can forgive offensive off-nights, but to only come down with one rebound while repeatedly getting burned by Tayshaun Prince so badly again and again and again and again was just terrible.
 
#44
Eddie_the_Eagle said:
Hart: D

I've been surprised more fans haven't been all over the subpar play of Jason Hart. I've seen all the games on League Pass, and from my seat on the couch, this guy bring absolutely nothing. His lateral quickness is average at best, he can't penetrate and all the GMs in the league know he's a subpar shooter. I guess he plays defense -- allegedly. But he's not athletic. Can he pass or make plays? I haven't seen it.
He was better last year with Charlotte. He played more under control. I guess he showed up here and saw that Bibby always has the green light, so he figured he can drive it at big men and shoot fadeaways too. He can make plays in a more structured offense. Right now, we have no structure at all. We can't defend, rebound or score. This team is headed for the lottery if they don't pick it up. We know the defense and rebounding aren't going to get much better so that brings us to the offense. With 5 scorers in the lineup, it's embarassing that this team isn't even cracking 90. 4th place in the Pacific will be ours unless Peja turns it on and starts scroing 25+ppg.
 
#45
i did not see the game. but by the comments made here, jason hart seems to have played a game which i was afraid he would. when he was with the spurs, he did not show any court-smarts. he was always clueless in the offensive sets, and would mostly force shots either driving headlong without any bail-out plan, or would take low percentage contested shots. so, no, the way he plays right now, is the way he has been playing.
 
#46
Holy crap we go through highs and lows around here.
We lost to a great team that is playing with fire right cause they have something to prove (they don't need LB).
Peja got shut down by a really good defender; it happens. Some of the Peja bashing is getting as bad as the Adelman stuff used to be around here.
At this point, it doesn't matter. I just want to see Reef and Bonzi get integrated, find someone who can play on the bench, and see if we can't get some good passing and motion going. It'll take time.
In the meantime, don't have a heart attack. Save it for April...
 

6th

Homer Fan Since 1985
#48
twocents said:
i did not see the game. but by the comments made here, jason hart seems to have played a game which i was afraid he would. when he was with the spurs, he did not show any court-smarts. he was always clueless in the offensive sets, and would mostly force shots either driving headlong without any bail-out plan, or would take low percentage contested shots. so, no, the way he plays right now, is the way he has been playing.
That just about covers what I saw last night. I was hoping it would be different if I was there in person. :(

Peja flat out sucked.

Effort came from Kevin, Corliss, Mike and pretty much no one else except for in little spurts.

What I kept think about was this..."The Maloofs Organization want us to know how wonderful (as fans) we are with all this 'gold standard' crap. This is the effort we get from the team on their 'HOME OPENER'? Something doesn't add up here. Stop with the talk and give us some action."
 
#49
kperica said:
Peja got shut down by a really good defender; it happens. Some of the Peja bashing is getting as bad as the Adelman stuff used to be around here.
I appreciate your optimism and I'm normally one of Peja's defenders -- I would have been perfectly content if Peja was shut down by Prince. It happens. However, Peja didn't even bother to guard Prince, which killed the Kings. His laziness on defense was appalling -- he didn't close out when Prince was shooting outside and just watched as Prince drained threes. If his shot isn't falling he needs to rebound, he needs to defend, make other things happen. Instead he just stood around.
 
#50
WalMatt23 said:
I'm looking at the box score and Peja had one rebound?! How are you 6'10" and only getting one rebound?! IMHO, F- doesn't reflect how poorly he played tonight...
We were sitting in our seats at the game and we all remarked how Peja got that one rebound early and we were shocked because he actually went up for the ball. I then saw the stat sheets and that was his only rebound the entire game. What a joke. Peja wants a max deal??? He deserves less than Prince's contract....way less and hopefully with another team.
 
#51
kperica said:
Holy crap we go through highs and lows around here.
We lost to a great team that is playing with fire right cause they have something to prove (they don't need LB).
Peja got shut down by a really good defender; it happens. Some of the Peja bashing is getting as bad as the Adelman stuff used to be around here.
At this point, it doesn't matter. I just want to see Reef and Bonzi get integrated, find someone who can play on the bench, and see if we can't get some good passing and motion going. It'll take time.
In the meantime, don't have a heart attack. Save it for April...
Yeah...we probably do need to relax a bit. What a change in attitude since the Phoenix game, huh?

What bothers me is that our two newest starters are BY FAR our best players right now. Our "big three"?...they just look unathletic and outmatched, plain and simple.
 
#52
D-Mass said:
Yeah...we probably do need to relax a bit. What a change in attitude since the Phoenix game, huh?

What bothers me is that our two newest starters are BY FAR our best players right now. Our "big three"?...they just look unathletic and outmatched, plain and simple.
Agreed, and that is the problem with the Kings' "big three". None of those three guys has the pure talent, heart and desire (or solid combination of those attributes) to make others on this team stand out. I don't want to get into former players that used to have enough of those to make things work, but the Kings had a player or two like that at one point, and now they don't have them. It'd be nice if (a) the PG could create for others on his own, or (b) the SF could create shots on his own, or (c) the C could draw double teams. Too bad that "(d) none of the above" would be the right answer in a multiple choice exam relating to the "big three".

So those three guys really need a reliable system to work with to be successful, and with the integration of two new players into the system, it's just not clicking now.

Add to that the fact that other than Bonzi, not one of the Kings' starters has the chance to be a truly good defender (Bibby, Brad and Peja are all limited by athleticism issues; Shareef, by size), and the Kings are a team that must succeed on offense to have any success. Since they aren't succeeding on offense (except for against a team who almost purposefully plays no defense), they aren't having much success.
 
#54
D-Mass said:
Yeah...we probably do need to relax a bit. What a change in attitude since the Phoenix game, huh?

What bothers me is that our two newest starters are BY FAR our best players right now. Our "big three"?...they just look unathletic and outmatched, plain and simple.
reef and bonzi have definately given us more than our own origional starters.
 
#55
4cwebb said:
Since they aren't succeeding on offense (except for against a team who almost purposefully plays no defense), they aren't having much success.
I predict close to the middle of the season, SAR will become our go to scorer which will then open things up for the shooters. It'll take some time to build up the trust. .500 ball is proabably all we could expect for a little while.

The "big 3" idea is really just the "familiar 3" and on it's own is failing. No big surprise there...most people saw that coming.
 
#56
sidney said:
The "big 3" idea is really just the "familiar 3" and on it's own is failing. No big surprise there...most people saw that coming.
no big surprise there. i'll agree with that. but it is kinduva big deal, especially considering two of those 3 are grossly overpaid, and one is, in all likelihood, going to be grossly overpaid come this next offseason. if all the kings money is tied up in this "big/familiar 3" come next season, you can write them off for the next decade.
 
#57
Life is like a box of chocolates ... ya never know what you're gonna get !!!

Unfortunately, whoever made this statement, never came to my house ... my Grandma worked at See's candies .... and I'm here to tell ya - I can tell ya what is in "each and every" chocolate treat.
 
#59
Eddie_the_Eagle said:
Hart: D

I've been surprised more fans haven't been all over the subpar play of Jason Hart. I've seen all the games on League Pass, and from my seat on the couch, this guy bring absolutely nothing. His lateral quickness is average at best, he can't penetrate and all the GMs in the league know he's a subpar shooter. I guess he plays defense -- allegedly. But he's not athletic. Can he pass or make plays? I haven't seen it.

He put up 10 points a game last year and had a good assist-to-turnover ratio. But so what? He did it for one year on the Bobcats! He's been a fringe NBA player fighting for a roster spot for most of his career, and that's all he'll ever be.

I mean, Bernie Bickerstaff knew he couldn't beat out Brevin 'freakin' Knight for a roster spot so he wisely dumped him for a second rounder.

Eddie House is looking really good right now. The team might as well give some run to Ronnie Price.

I'll probably get ripped for these comments, but I just don't want Bibby to play 42 minutes a game.
So what if it was on the Bobcats?

Everyone is going crazy over House because he's scoring off the bench for the Suns like he did for us the last 1-2 months of last year. He's flourishing in the Suns system. It's great to see, and I'm happy for him. It was too late for House, and there's an article about him leaving basically, in August on Sacbee, along with his quotes. Point is Hart is a solid PG and will be a good back-up, House is an under-sized SG and ballhandler, and he doesn't play much d. At this point we do need offense off the bench (I also think it's a case of chemistry), but I'd rather get an actual swingman.

Hart said himself the other day, he and the other benchers have to gel and get used to things. Also, I personally think he may be not be completely off from that hip-pointer. I haven't heard anything about it since it was said he wouldn't play in the 2-3 pre-season games.
 
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T

thesanityannex

Guest
#60
Eddie_the_Eagle said:
Hart: D

I mean, Bernie Bickerstaff knew he couldn't beat out Brevin 'freakin' Knight for a roster spot so he wisely dumped him for a second rounder.
Is this quote to mean Brevin "freakin" Knight can't play? Better watch more of your league pass on the couch.
 
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