Welcome to the land of the Five Man Rotation!
(Note: As is often the case, offensive games lead to grade inflation since its hard to correctly assess and penalize defensive breakdowns).
Peja ( A- ) -- shot looked just awful again to start the game, but did at least go on a little rebounding burst there in the first, grabbing a series of long ones. But most of his points were on layups under the hoop as the jumper looked heaved rather than floated. However things finally turned for him in a BIG way in the third quarter. Appropriate, since that's long been Peja's best quarter. Had hit a single three in the second quarter, and it seemed to take the lid off for him. WAY off, and abruptly he could not miss and exploded for one of the biggest bursts of his career. The jumper was all of a sudden pure as the driven snow and he poured in something like 25 points in the space of about 12 minutes. And a collective sigh of relief was heard all over Kingsland. So how and the heck does that sort of performance earn a "-"? Well, kind of a curious grade. The obvious A+++ third quarter, surrounded by three quarters of not much. The scorecard: a) it was all in one half; b) it was all in one quarter; c) in a career long pattern he disappeared in the 4th (and really pansied up a layup in the final seconds, but got bailed out by Reef on the offensive tip in follow); d) it was still a relatively one-dimensional effort -- rebounding and other aspects of the game were still flatlined. But one thing at a time. The this-season problem (shooting) was fixed in a big way, for a night at least. The career long deficiencies are probably permanent so figure minimally in the grade. So you to go for the overall effect I think. Only gave us the one quarter, only did the open thing. But for that one quarter did that one thing about as well as it can be done, and it was really his explosion that turned the game for us -- we seized control behind his shooting, and then hung on after he quieted back down.
Reef ( A+ ) -- Peja had the monster quarter, but it was Reef playing the superstar for the night, putting up Webber numbers across the board. Suns had absolutely no answer for him inside, and he took Kurt Thomas, a guy who is a rugged interior defender, and just destroyed him in there. One of TWO Kings bigs who flirted with a triple double. Suns had nobody to really stop him inside and was swinging the ball willingly to open players all over the court off the double teams. Again hitting the offensive glass again (in the early season more than 1/2 of his boards have been offensive, which is remarkable (good and bad)). And really earned his "+" in the final minutes. That "+" for me amongst star level players is normally only there for guys who play above their heads as SUPERSTARS for a night. Who are "The Man". Tonight that was Reef down the stretch. Actually choked a pair of FTs in the final 1:20 that could have hurt us, but came back next possession to bail out a Peja missed layup with an offensive tipin. Drew two fouls on the next two possessions, and even made a big defensive play on the Suns final possession. And he and Bonzi terrorized the Amareless Suns on the inside all night long.
Miller ( A- ) -- got off to another excellent start to this one. Scored, passed, even hit a three and more remarkably scored on a postup. Just looked very smooth and in control again. Again stepped back thereafter. But like the Houston game, never went completely away, and continued making plays in all areas through the end of the game. Nabbed a big offensive rebound in the final minute off a Marion fumble. Came up 2 assists short of a triple double, but was amazingly largely overshadowed by the contributions of others. Nonetheless, we really only played 5 guys tonight, and they were all very good (offensively of course). Was going to go with a B+ here off of "feel", but then saw the stats, and how close he came to a triple double, and that just seemed uncharitable.
Wells ( A- ) -- again gave us a great super-garbageman game, filling the toughness and scrap void that has always been our bane. Right now is contributing like an extra big man more than a guard. Solid start, grabbing a board over Suns center Kurt Thomas, playing patty cake off the offensive glass with Reef on one possession, and finding a comfort zone for his normally shaky jumper up at the top of the key. Took a lot of shots, not only all of the inside stuff (including following many of his own misses), but open jumper after open jumper that the Suns gave him around the perimeter. Made a couple of mistakes in the final two minutes, missing a layup that Reef tried to follow (but missed too) and then collapsed inside to help on the driving Nash on the Suns 2nd to last possession, and Stevie of course automatically found Bonzi's man for the wide open three to take the lead. Missed enough shots that maybe this could be a "B+"? Hard to tell, flat out filled the stat sheet and he and Reef killed the Suns inside. Not sure of what to expect of him day to day yet. If this is a "B+" compared to what he will normally give us, he's going to be a stud for us.
Bibby ( B ) -- started off with a forced drive which was blocked, and a moment of uh-oh. But didn't go that way, a minute later he hit a shot, then another, then another, and the struggles seemed behind him. Was doing ok directing the offense -- it was actually others (Brad, Shareef) doing more of that, but was back into his scoring rhythm, just finding a little space off the dribble and hitting his shots. Had a nice bounce back game to normal Mike form that was just overshadowed by the games of his fellow starters, who feasted on the Suns particular version of "defense". On the other end, Nash and Barbosa were both moving around unimpeded, but that was more the overall non-defense style of the game than Mike being particularly terrible) or more terrible) on that side. Made a bad play in the final two minutes -- had a one on one play called for him against Barbosa and inexplicably turned it over leading to a breakaway layup and +1 for Barbosa.
Thomas ( B- ) -- decent numbers, but still struggling offensively. Shot is off, drew a foul and went to the line and got 3 FTs because of a lane violation, but even the ones that went through were ugly. One of only a few bench guys to get ANY minutes, and not sure how happy he is going to be with 12 on the night. In his 2nd half stint he fed off the starters he was in the game with and contributed. His game was not as good as the numbers I thought, but better than the ones that have come before. And in any case of course swamped by the big games across the starting lineup.
Hart ( C+ ) -- looked better, on offense at least. Was ok on the other end, but still not back to that down in the stance bumping chests intensity he had early in the preseason. But on offense, looked more smooth and directed a coherent attack.
Martin ( B- ) -- not much in his first stint, but did step in between two Suns up top for a steal and breakaway, where he was met at the rim on a great attempted defensive play by Boris Diaw. Later on scored on a slash to the hoop. Modest contributions on a night which was all about the starters.
Cisco ( INC ) -- came in and struggled again, and then had to leave the game limping after he stepped on somebody's foot.
Skinner ( INC ) -- came in the very final seconds for an ultra-brief but still critical role defending the inbounds pass on the Suns final play.
Adelman ( A- ) -- Four major questions tailed the Kings coming into tonight. The three short term ones were Bibby, Peja, and the bench. Two of those have been answered affirmatively. The third -- the bench, was completely negated this game by Rick saying "bench? what bench?" and riding our red-hot starters for an amazing 40+ minutes for ALL of them. But the new 5 man rotation falls squarely into the "whatever works" category for me right now after the starters clicked so well, and with us in desperate need of a victory and offensive flow. Indeed, without that move by Rick, its entirely possible we lose this one, and so I am actually going to give him extra credit on that front. The 4th question, defense, well...we'll see about that as the year goes along. Not tonight certainly. The Suns were shreading us on our end of the court int he first half, shooting 56% (same % for the game), and we were only shooting 40%. But we grabbed 12 first half offensive rebounds, mostly courtesy of Bonzi and Reef, to stay close by just getting off more shots than did the Suns. And then of course Peja blew up to break out of his shooting slump in style and the game was on. Rick did make what I thought was a somewhat questinable move pulling Peja out and for a brief rest at the tail end of his hot streak. But he's disappeared so many times in the past in that same situation that I think blaming Rick for Peja's invisibility late would be a real stretch. Its easy to feel too happy about this one because it was pretty and exciting, and to forget who we were playing, who they were missing etc. in a 1 pt victory. But while it may not be as big a statement game as last season's early Phoenix win, it could end up being just as important for us in getting traction on the season. At this point in the season this was just what the doctor ordered. Not only the victory, but taking advantage of the Phoenix defense to fix our offensive woes. Should be a much more settled group that returns home to face Detroit, where the shots will not come so easy, and Reef and Bonzi will not have such an easy time down inside.
(Note: As is often the case, offensive games lead to grade inflation since its hard to correctly assess and penalize defensive breakdowns).
Peja ( A- ) -- shot looked just awful again to start the game, but did at least go on a little rebounding burst there in the first, grabbing a series of long ones. But most of his points were on layups under the hoop as the jumper looked heaved rather than floated. However things finally turned for him in a BIG way in the third quarter. Appropriate, since that's long been Peja's best quarter. Had hit a single three in the second quarter, and it seemed to take the lid off for him. WAY off, and abruptly he could not miss and exploded for one of the biggest bursts of his career. The jumper was all of a sudden pure as the driven snow and he poured in something like 25 points in the space of about 12 minutes. And a collective sigh of relief was heard all over Kingsland. So how and the heck does that sort of performance earn a "-"? Well, kind of a curious grade. The obvious A+++ third quarter, surrounded by three quarters of not much. The scorecard: a) it was all in one half; b) it was all in one quarter; c) in a career long pattern he disappeared in the 4th (and really pansied up a layup in the final seconds, but got bailed out by Reef on the offensive tip in follow); d) it was still a relatively one-dimensional effort -- rebounding and other aspects of the game were still flatlined. But one thing at a time. The this-season problem (shooting) was fixed in a big way, for a night at least. The career long deficiencies are probably permanent so figure minimally in the grade. So you to go for the overall effect I think. Only gave us the one quarter, only did the open thing. But for that one quarter did that one thing about as well as it can be done, and it was really his explosion that turned the game for us -- we seized control behind his shooting, and then hung on after he quieted back down.
Reef ( A+ ) -- Peja had the monster quarter, but it was Reef playing the superstar for the night, putting up Webber numbers across the board. Suns had absolutely no answer for him inside, and he took Kurt Thomas, a guy who is a rugged interior defender, and just destroyed him in there. One of TWO Kings bigs who flirted with a triple double. Suns had nobody to really stop him inside and was swinging the ball willingly to open players all over the court off the double teams. Again hitting the offensive glass again (in the early season more than 1/2 of his boards have been offensive, which is remarkable (good and bad)). And really earned his "+" in the final minutes. That "+" for me amongst star level players is normally only there for guys who play above their heads as SUPERSTARS for a night. Who are "The Man". Tonight that was Reef down the stretch. Actually choked a pair of FTs in the final 1:20 that could have hurt us, but came back next possession to bail out a Peja missed layup with an offensive tipin. Drew two fouls on the next two possessions, and even made a big defensive play on the Suns final possession. And he and Bonzi terrorized the Amareless Suns on the inside all night long.
Miller ( A- ) -- got off to another excellent start to this one. Scored, passed, even hit a three and more remarkably scored on a postup. Just looked very smooth and in control again. Again stepped back thereafter. But like the Houston game, never went completely away, and continued making plays in all areas through the end of the game. Nabbed a big offensive rebound in the final minute off a Marion fumble. Came up 2 assists short of a triple double, but was amazingly largely overshadowed by the contributions of others. Nonetheless, we really only played 5 guys tonight, and they were all very good (offensively of course). Was going to go with a B+ here off of "feel", but then saw the stats, and how close he came to a triple double, and that just seemed uncharitable.
Wells ( A- ) -- again gave us a great super-garbageman game, filling the toughness and scrap void that has always been our bane. Right now is contributing like an extra big man more than a guard. Solid start, grabbing a board over Suns center Kurt Thomas, playing patty cake off the offensive glass with Reef on one possession, and finding a comfort zone for his normally shaky jumper up at the top of the key. Took a lot of shots, not only all of the inside stuff (including following many of his own misses), but open jumper after open jumper that the Suns gave him around the perimeter. Made a couple of mistakes in the final two minutes, missing a layup that Reef tried to follow (but missed too) and then collapsed inside to help on the driving Nash on the Suns 2nd to last possession, and Stevie of course automatically found Bonzi's man for the wide open three to take the lead. Missed enough shots that maybe this could be a "B+"? Hard to tell, flat out filled the stat sheet and he and Reef killed the Suns inside. Not sure of what to expect of him day to day yet. If this is a "B+" compared to what he will normally give us, he's going to be a stud for us.
Bibby ( B ) -- started off with a forced drive which was blocked, and a moment of uh-oh. But didn't go that way, a minute later he hit a shot, then another, then another, and the struggles seemed behind him. Was doing ok directing the offense -- it was actually others (Brad, Shareef) doing more of that, but was back into his scoring rhythm, just finding a little space off the dribble and hitting his shots. Had a nice bounce back game to normal Mike form that was just overshadowed by the games of his fellow starters, who feasted on the Suns particular version of "defense". On the other end, Nash and Barbosa were both moving around unimpeded, but that was more the overall non-defense style of the game than Mike being particularly terrible) or more terrible) on that side. Made a bad play in the final two minutes -- had a one on one play called for him against Barbosa and inexplicably turned it over leading to a breakaway layup and +1 for Barbosa.
Thomas ( B- ) -- decent numbers, but still struggling offensively. Shot is off, drew a foul and went to the line and got 3 FTs because of a lane violation, but even the ones that went through were ugly. One of only a few bench guys to get ANY minutes, and not sure how happy he is going to be with 12 on the night. In his 2nd half stint he fed off the starters he was in the game with and contributed. His game was not as good as the numbers I thought, but better than the ones that have come before. And in any case of course swamped by the big games across the starting lineup.
Hart ( C+ ) -- looked better, on offense at least. Was ok on the other end, but still not back to that down in the stance bumping chests intensity he had early in the preseason. But on offense, looked more smooth and directed a coherent attack.
Martin ( B- ) -- not much in his first stint, but did step in between two Suns up top for a steal and breakaway, where he was met at the rim on a great attempted defensive play by Boris Diaw. Later on scored on a slash to the hoop. Modest contributions on a night which was all about the starters.
Cisco ( INC ) -- came in and struggled again, and then had to leave the game limping after he stepped on somebody's foot.
Skinner ( INC ) -- came in the very final seconds for an ultra-brief but still critical role defending the inbounds pass on the Suns final play.
Adelman ( A- ) -- Four major questions tailed the Kings coming into tonight. The three short term ones were Bibby, Peja, and the bench. Two of those have been answered affirmatively. The third -- the bench, was completely negated this game by Rick saying "bench? what bench?" and riding our red-hot starters for an amazing 40+ minutes for ALL of them. But the new 5 man rotation falls squarely into the "whatever works" category for me right now after the starters clicked so well, and with us in desperate need of a victory and offensive flow. Indeed, without that move by Rick, its entirely possible we lose this one, and so I am actually going to give him extra credit on that front. The 4th question, defense, well...we'll see about that as the year goes along. Not tonight certainly. The Suns were shreading us on our end of the court int he first half, shooting 56% (same % for the game), and we were only shooting 40%. But we grabbed 12 first half offensive rebounds, mostly courtesy of Bonzi and Reef, to stay close by just getting off more shots than did the Suns. And then of course Peja blew up to break out of his shooting slump in style and the game was on. Rick did make what I thought was a somewhat questinable move pulling Peja out and for a brief rest at the tail end of his hot streak. But he's disappeared so many times in the past in that same situation that I think blaming Rick for Peja's invisibility late would be a real stretch. Its easy to feel too happy about this one because it was pretty and exciting, and to forget who we were playing, who they were missing etc. in a 1 pt victory. But while it may not be as big a statement game as last season's early Phoenix win, it could end up being just as important for us in getting traction on the season. At this point in the season this was just what the doctor ordered. Not only the victory, but taking advantage of the Phoenix defense to fix our offensive woes. Should be a much more settled group that returns home to face Detroit, where the shots will not come so easy, and Reef and Bonzi will not have such an easy time down inside.
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