[Grades] Grades v. Spurs 3/4/2015

[Tetsujin]

Because the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, that's why. It's that simple.

People see teams like New Orleans winning games, and fighting for a playoff spot (never mind that their front seven is ****ing loaded and, if anything, their problem is that they have too much talent), and they see Houston contending with only one of their stars healthy (again, never mind that, unlike us, the healthy one is the one who's talent the team is built around, not the injured one), and then they turn back around and look in the mirror, and ask themselves, "Why not us?" And, after they ask "Why not us?" enough times, they start looking around at guys on the roster, and saying,

"It must be him!" It's only a matter of time, at that point, before the conclusion is reached that "him" is the best player on the team.

Well, I mean, it could have been us if our ownership group and front office hadn't contracted rabies and decided to fire the head coach after the best start to a Kings season in a decade.

 

[lawlman91]

This still strikes me in the heart, like thinking about some crush in the 5th grade.

Thanks, Becky.

at least we don't have the guy that's staring at Malone's butt

 

[gunks]

A lot of haters and apologists in this thread.

Cousins needs to get it under control, because when he is composed, he is without a doubt the kind of player you can build a franchise around.

Lately, he hasn't been composed.

 

[VF21]

A lot of haters and apologists in this thread.

Cousins needs to get it under control, because when he is composed, he is without a doubt the kind of player you can build a franchise around.

Lately, he hasn't been composed.

I'm neither a hater nor an apologist. I am, however, a realist - as much as any Kings fan can be.

I love DeMarcus Cousins but agree that he really needs to complete the process of keeping his emotions under control. We saw a lot of advancement in this regard before Malone got fired. I think we'll see similar advancements under George Karl.

That's one of the things it's going to be difficult for me to get past in regards to my anger over how the whole Malone-Corbin-Karl scenario went down. The drama and uncertainty set our franchise player back at a time when he was really showing progress and I totally blame the front office for it.

One more benefit to having Vlade Divac on board is that I'm sure he''ll be able to talk to DMC about how tough it is to be a big man in the NBA and how you just have to learn to get past some of the frustrations.

 

[lawlman91]

I'm neither a hater nor an apologist. I am, however, a realist - as much as any Kings fan can be.

I love DeMarcus Cousins but agree that he really needs to complete the process of keeping his emotions under control. We saw a lot of advancement in this regard before Malone got fired. I think we'll see similar advancements under George Karl.

That's one of the things it's going to be difficult for me to get past in regards to my anger over how the whole Malone-Corbin-Karl scenario went down. The drama and uncertainty set our franchise player back at a time when he was really showing progress and I totally blame the front office for it.

One more benefit to having Vlade Divac on board is that I'm sure he''ll be able to talk to DMC about how tough it is to be a big man in the NBA and how you just have to learn to get past some of the frustrations.

That is what everyone thinks -- or at least what I think everyone thinks.

argh
how do i even meta

 

[Bricklayer]

I should have made that poll public so I could I.D. and eliminate people who are probably seen as traitors to humanity, or at the very least complete wusses.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

I'm neither a hater nor an apologist. I am, however, a realist - as much as any Kings fan can be.

I love DeMarcus Cousins but agree that he really needs to complete the process of keeping his emotions under control. We saw a lot of advancement in this regard before Malone got fired. I think we'll see similar advancements under George Karl.

That's one of the things it's going to be difficult for me to get past in regards to my anger over how the whole Malone-Corbin-Karl scenario went down. The drama and uncertainty set our franchise player back at a time when he was really showing progress and I totally blame the front office for it.

One more benefit to having Vlade Divac on board is that I'm sure he''ll be able to talk to DMC about how tough it is to be a big man in the NBA and how you just have to learn to get past some of the frustrations.

Unfortunately I don't see Vlade really being able to connect in the way Mike Malone did with Cousins. Vlade, though a great, smart and friendly guy, does not have Malone's fire. Cousins seems to have connected with Malone because of that. He may respect Vlade just like he does with Shaq, but letting Malone go so early in the development was a mistake. That is not a question. We just have to hope that Karl is able to make it all work.

 

[VF21]

Unfortunately I don't see Vlade really being able to connect in the way Mike Malone did with Cousins. Vlade, though a great, smart and friendly guy, does not have Malone's fire. Cousins seems to have connected with Malone because of that. He may respect Vlade just like he does with Shaq, but letting Malone go so early in the development was a mistake. That is not a question. We just have to hope that Karl is able to make it all work.

I have seen and heard about the impact Vlade had on young players when he was part of the team. I do not think that can be swept away quite so cavalierly.

There's no way to predict what kind of interaction DMC will have with Vlade and vice-versa, but I'm choosing to be optimistic.

 

[VF21]

I should have made that poll public so I could I.D. and eliminate people who are probably seen as traitors to humanity, or at the very least complete wusses.

I could send you a list of names.

 

[gunks]

I have seen and heard about the impact Vlade had on young players when he was part of the team. I do not think that can be swept away quite so cavalierly.

There's no way to predict what kind of interaction DMC will have with Vlade and vice-versa, but I'm choosing to be optimistic.

+1. Vlade had a reputation as a guy who'd take young players under his wing.

I'm with VF21 on this one. Let's be optimistic.

 

[bajaden]

I'm telling you -
Cousins is getting PISSED at his teammates' lack of skill - especially JT.
In the 3rd quarter, after JT screened off RayMac from guarding Tony Parker for the layup, Cousins and Rudy executed a nice pick-and-roll which led to Cousins rolling to the hoop, losing the ball, recovering it, then passing it to the wide-open JT who was asking for theball.
It clanged off JT's hands and Cousins immediately stopped playing and yelled out "Oh my God!" as in "Oh my god how easy of pass does it have to be for you to make the unguarded dunk, stonehands!"

If better teammates are not brought in to support his desire to win, he is definitely gone before the Kings move into their shiny new arena.

Not to quibble, but Cuz is under contract, so unless we volunteer to trade him, he's not going anywhere before the opening of our new arena. Look, I have no doubt that he's not happy when things like that happen, but you have to separate what happens on the floor, in the heat of the moment, from how he feels post game. In general I don't believe in yelling at teammates for mistakes, unless its the same mistake over and over again. I do believe in yelling at teammates for lack of effort. There's no excuse for not giving effort. We all make mistakes. If I'm JT, and I miss a pass and Cuz yells at me, I might remind him of some of the bad passes he's made for turnovers. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

 

[bajaden]

I saw that. I'm tired of JT on this team. I'm sick of him. He has NO TALENT. He has hands of STONE.Cannot finish. Decent enough to be a third string off the bench, MAYBE a second unit backup. We have so much garbage on this roster it's ridiculous.

This team, overall, as a unit, has a HORRIBLE basketball IQ and it's nobody's fault but the players. You can't teach that stuff! It's the truth and I would love for someone to debate me on this.

UTTER GARBAGE (MUST GET RID OF ASAP) "Just leave"
Jason Thompson - STFU, GTFO
Omri Casspi - Clumsy and very limited talent
Derrick Williams (don't care how he's been playing lately)
Nik Stauskas - Don't see him being a keeper not in this league
David Stockton - Dunno sorry kid

BENCH QUALITY (EXTREMELY REPLACEABLE) "Don't hesitate if the right deal comes along"
Ray McCallum - Cannot run an offense to save his life
Reggie Evans - Hands of stone, clumsy, liability on both ends with our roster
Carl Landry - Way past prime, shell of former self
Ben McLemore - Inconsistent, disappears when a solid defender is on him
Darren Collison - The definition of average

VITAL PIECES (PREFER TO KEEP) "We might make this work, maybe"
DeMarcus Cousins - Stop your whining and play!
Rudy Gay - Consistency! Reaction, Decision making must improve.
Andre Miller - Love his veteran presence, knows how to run an offense, if only he had a jumpshot.​

You lost me the moment you called players garbage. How about I call you garbage? Does that sound good to you. Fear not, I don't call people garbage. As much as I would love to debate you, at my age, when as Clint Eastwood pointed out in a movie, "Tomorrow is promised to no one", I try and choose who I'm going to waste my time on. And as I have an abundance of very intelligent friends to discuss basketball with, I choose not to waste my time on you. However, I'd like to point out when you said the players don't have any BBIQ (doubt you even know what that is), and its no one fault but their own, and you followed by saying, you can't teach that stuff. Well, you don't teach people to be stupid, and that's your implication. Also, if the players don't have any BBIQ, a statement I don't agree with, but for the sake of argument, how can that be their fault. You can't know what you don't know. Knowing how to do something, doesn't always convert into doing it well.