[Grades] Grades v. Warriors 12/28/2015

[Bricklayer]

12-19

Time to take a stand. As always the season balances on a knife blade, and we just can't seem to get it all together.

We at least gave it a go though, and Omri had a fun run, and a career high. Anybody reasonable had this chalked up as a L before the game began. But it wasn't a bad L, as such things go. We just can't afford many more of them.

Time to take a stand.


Boxscore

Stats: 32min 17pts (6-17, 2-3, 3-4) 8reb 1ast 1stl 1blk 1TO
Summary: hit a couple of early threes and provided some early points, but still not vintage Rudy
Gay ( ) --

Stats:35min 36pts (13-18, 9-12, 1-4) 6reb 1ast 0stl 0blk 4TO
Summary: set a career high in points, and went into full cheat mode in a fun 3pt duel with Steph Curry before half
Casspi ( ) --

Stats: 12min 7pts (3-9, 0-1, 1-3) 4reb 2ast 2stl 0blk 0TO
Summary: disastrous game where he got whistled for a foul 9 seconds after tipoff, kept on picking them up, got himself tossed after his 5th
Cousins ( ) --

Stats: 21min 3pts (1-5, 0-3, 1-2) 3reb 0ast 0stl 0blk 1TO
Summary: *poof* = the default comment anymore. Unplaying himself out of lineup?
McLemore ( ) --

Stats: 18min 4pts (2-6, 0-1, 0-2) 3reb 2ast 1stl 0blk 1TO
Summary: almost as disastrous as Boogie's game, had 3 fouls by mid point of the first quarter, never did have impact or minutes
Rondo ( ) --

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[Bricklayer]

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[theclash4u5]

So last season was seen as a total disaster and yet our record after the same amount of games is eerily similar to it right now....

 

[Blob]

This was absolutely a bad loss because of the way it played out. They had a fighting chance and Boogie eliminated that chance through the stupidity of his actions. It was demoralizing and self-defeating to the guys competing to win. Great players can play with 5 fouls and so if you think he is great you can't minimize his loss. The message sent to his teammates is Boogie cannot be trusted as guy in the fox hole with whom you can go to battle. He is a loose cannon and bad leader and mentally weak and when the going gets tough he blows a cranial gasket over a legit call.

 

[Jeremy Fraser]

Don't hit me with the overly-sarcastic responses. We need to sell Cousins at his peak which is clearly now. He has checked out on the team. Karl is by no means perfect and is certainly a bad coach fit for Cousins, but that does not warrant any pass on his on the court "leadership". The guy has had a "me first" attitude all this year and I started to truly switch my stance around his emotion on the court being somewhat warranted, but really changed my stance on it after seeing how he acted during the Jazz game a few weeks ago in which this happened

"I loved this game and win, but Cousins really put a damper on it for me with how he acted after he fouled out. Completely slapped the off-arm going for a block with 1 minute left and the game locked up.

Game ends and he is still shaking his head looking pissed despite the win and being rightfully called for a foul. Then ignored Peja's existence when he tried to settle him down a bit and give him a high five (which caused a hilariously mad looking Peja).

It was just really awful seeing this after a great all around team game. I've been one to be on his side for his body language and emotions because of his competitiveness, but I don't think I've ever seen any worse display of emotions from him than that."

Ya, firing Malone was the wrong move. Absolutely. And ya, Cousins had an excuse to play worse and show his frustration those next few months. But it's over a year after Malone's firing and he was surrounded with BY FAR the most talented cast he's ever played around with a coach who has proven his worth in the league. Championship worth? No. Infinitely times better than our last decade's worth? Absolutely. Push aside your ego and let Karl do his thing. I know that last sentence will absolutely pain the Cousins#1/KarlWORSTEVER crowd, but I will take my chances with Karl before Cousins.


Cousins is too far gone to buy into this team now. I blame the firing of Malone partly because I completely understand it messed up trust with Cousins, but Vivek/Vlade hired a great coach and surrounded him with as good a cast as you can possibly get being the Sacramento Kings.

Also, don't hit me with the "Cousins 4 thomas skinner hrrr" stuff either. Comparing a supreme talent in his prime to Chris Webber with messed up knees and the Maloofs needing pocket money is taking satire too far. Cousins would get us a ton. No, not Cousins level of skill, but certainly something that'd help us now and in the future.

 

[hrdboild]

I'm curious what you think "taking a stand" means in this context. Cause I know what it would mean for me. Whether we win or lose, I've been equally upset with nearly every game this year because of how the team is playing. By my count there have been only a half dozen or so games this season where we looked like a team. That includes the first three games of the season -- nearly two months ago at this point. Almost everyone on the team has regressed in one way or another. There's the Indian Burial Ground theory. There's quantum decoherence (I did start watching this game in the third quarter right about the time everything went to crap...). Or we could employ Occam's Razor and ask if maybe the underperforming team with stagnant predictable offense, ineffective toothless defense, attitude problems aplenty, and a bad habit of blowing leads in the fourth quarter has the same problem that all teams exhibiting those tendencies have always had.

Cousins is often the scowling, flailing man-child at the center of our dysfunction but it would be a mistake, I think, to equate visibility with culpability. Cousins isn't setting the rotation, calling the plays, setting the defensive gameplan, or overseeing the development of McLemore, Moreland, Curry, and Cauley-Stein. Even at his very best there's only so much he can do individually as a player to help us win. Have we already forgotten that a year ago he was getting praised for his professionalism playing with Team USA? What could have happened in the last year which could cause a complete reversal in his individual maturity? (yes that was meant as a rhetorical question -- the answer should be obvious).

Look, I'm not happy with Cousins either. He has a measure of power in this organization by virtue of his talent that he could use to push for positive change. He could lead by example. He could hire his own private tutor to help develop his game. Or he could just drop the surly demeanor and act like playing basketball for a living isn't a chore. But let me ask this question to the board... If you didn't already know the name George Karl and have some idea of his prominent position on the All-Time wins list, would you look at the performances we've seen this season and say the coach is doing a solid job? If this is a first-time coach we're taking about on a minimum 1 year deal, would you have any qualms about kicking him to the curb? I respect his role in NBA history, but the brand of basketball he's got us playing looks eerily similar to another coach that DeMarcus Cousins had serious personality conflicts with. Even with Moses Malone and John Stockton taking the place of Cousins and Rondo we wouldn't be a. 500 team with this junkball system.

 

[DeMoN]

It is clear to me that team just has no defense pieces. Outside of Cousins. Well, right now at least. WCS was destined to be a defensive aid. He kept Cousin's rested fairly well. We could probably use another defensive wing right now. Or one on the bench at least.

I believe we will end the season with the 8th round seed. Still my prediction.

 

[The_Jamal]

Sorry, there's no excuse for getting tossed in this one. Foul trouble happens, although this clearly was a game he could NOT afford to be in foul trouble with 2 of our 3 bigs out, but it sends such a bad message to the other guys for Cuz to be walking off the floor while his short-handed team tries to be the best team in the league. Someone put it best in the Game Thread: if we're going to lose, lose together.

Go be the best cheerleader on the bench after getting 5 fouls. Be the first guy off the bench to pump your guys up, etc. And then go all out for 6 minutes in the 4th quarter. He made a conscious decision to go at the decision and get tossed, even though Rudy/Rondo were all trying to cool him down. It was a clear momentum swing after this point. Game was 66-64 us at this point! Who knows what happens.

 

[Siranthony]

This was absolutely a bad loss because of the way it played out. They had a fighting chance and Boogie eliminated that chance through the stupidity of his actions. It was demoralizing and self-defeating to the guys competing to win. Great players can play with 5 fouls and so if you think he is great you can't minimize his loss. The message sent to his teammates is Boogie cannot be trusted as guy in the fox hole with whom you can go to battle. He is a loose cannon and bad leader and mentally weak and when the going gets tough he blows a cranial gasket over a legit call.

Ya it didn't look too "EASY" for Cousins tonight. Casspi had a nice night going for him but selfishness and self centeredness from a certain player stomped all over everyone else on the team. It's only the first melt down this year. But a story I've seen too many times.

But we still have a shot at the playoffs if we can get it together. No one else is stepping up. The door is open.

 

[KingMilz]

The great thing about games like these is you see guys who play to win, Casspi, Acy and Seth are the only 3 players that played tonight that play to win always. The rest of the roster is comprised of stat padders, front runners and basically cowards.

Acy just about everytime he's played this year has done more good than bad and he actually defends. If the Bulls want to get rid of Gibson who is a billionaire rich man's Acy I don't care what we have to give up get him give me the Casspis and Gibsons that actually go out to win before anything else.

Casspi's emergence has to make Rudy expendable.

 

[c-webb1s#1]

Anyone know when WCS is supposed to be coming back?

 

[Bricklayer]

Don't hit me with the overly-sarcastic responses. We need to sell Cousins at his peak which is clearly now. He has checked out on the team. Karl is by no means perfect and is certainly a bad coach fit for Cousins, but that does not warrant any pass on his on the court "leadership". The guy has had a "me first" attitude all this year and I started to truly switch my stance around his emotion on the court being somewhat warranted, but really changed my stance on it after seeing how he acted during the Jazz game a few weeks ago in which this happened

"I loved this game and win, but Cousins really put a damper on it for me with how he acted after he fouled out. Completely slapped the off-arm going for a block with 1 minute left and the game locked up.

Game ends and he is still shaking his head looking pissed despite the win and being rightfully called for a foul. Then ignored Peja's existence when he tried to settle him down a bit and give him a high five (which caused a hilariously mad looking Peja).

It was just really awful seeing this after a great all around team game. I've been one to be on his side for his body language and emotions because of his competitiveness, but I don't think I've ever seen any worse display of emotions from him than that."

Ya, firing Malone was the wrong move. Absolutely. And ya, Cousins had an excuse to play worse and show his frustration those next few months. But it's over a year after Malone's firing and he was surrounded with BY FAR the most talented cast he's ever played around with a coach who has proven his worth in the league. Championship worth? No. Infinitely times better than our last decade's worth? Absolutely. Push aside your ego and let Karl do his thing. I know that last sentence will absolutely pain the Cousins#1/KarlWORSTEVER crowd, but I will take my chances with Karl before Cousins.


Cousins is too far gone to buy into this team now. I blame the firing of Malone partly because I completely understand it messed up trust with Cousins, but Vivek/Vlade hired a great coach and surrounded him with as good a cast as you can possibly get being the Sacramento Kings.

Also, don't hit me with the "Cousins 4 thomas skinner hrrr" stuff either. Comparing a supreme talent in his prime to Chris Webber with messed up knees and the Maloofs needing pocket money is taking satire too far. Cousins would get us a ton. No, not Cousins level of skill, but certainly something that'd help us now and in the future.

Oddly almost nobody actually on the team seems to share your sentiment.

I know you are a lot closer to the action then Rondo or Casspi or Acy or Belinelli or just whoever, but still, call me odd, but I think I'll stick to the whispers from inside the team rather than all the body language experts outside it.

I find this especially ironic given it was 24 hours ago when he was virtually the only King to show up to play the Blazers.

 

[Albatros]

so so bored of all this nonsense

 

[swisshh]

Cousins cannot get himself removed from a game like this. He had some dumb fouls in the game.

Running with the Dubs was not a great idea, even if Casspi had a magical game.

 

[Sac.1989]

So what's the plan for this stance? Sign me up. Where's Vlade live? Let's pay him a visit and talk business and changes that need to be made. Wasting this season for the inevitable is pointless.

 

[fansinceday1]

This is the type of game the FO and Karl want.
Im fully on board with shipping cousins out. I want to see him play for a real team with a real coach who will tailor their game to cousins strengths. This franchise is going to get what they deserve when they finally trade him. This FO will get nowhere near what he is worth, and we fans will finally get to see cousins work in a real NBA environment where his talent is properly utilized.

We've seen what happens to this team when cousins is out. Are you all prepared to see the kings really take 5 steps back?
You better be cause its going to happen in spades.

 

[ESP47]

We knew this was going to be a loss going in. Omri just gave us a glimmer of hope for a minute there.

What we can't do is lose to teams like the Blazers....at home....with their best player out. Those right there are the losses that are adding up and are going to make it extremely difficult for this team to get into the playoffs.

 

[LPKingsFan]

So last season was seen as a total disaster and yet our record after the same amount of games is eerily similar to it right now....

The disaster of last season was mostly in the second two thirds. So we aren't quite there yet!

 

[Big Cuz 15]

This is the type of game the FO and Karl want.
Im fully on board with shipping cousins out. I want to see him play for a real team with a real coach who will tailor their game to cousins strengths. This franchise is going to get what they deserve when they finally trade him. This FO will get nowhere near what he is worth, and we fans will finally get to see cousins work in a real NBA environment where his talent is properly utilized.

We've seen what happens to this team when cousins is out. Are you all prepared to see the kings really take 5 steps back?
You better be cause its going to happen in spades.

should ship him to an organization like san antonio. they'll reel off another 5 championships EASY with him and kawhi. they obviously would recognize his strengths and build a winning game plan around it instead of doing this non sense. i haven't watched a full game in a long time.

 

[theclash4u5]

The disaster of last season was mostly in the second two thirds. So we aren't quite there yet!

Still plenty of time to get there

 

[mac]

should ship him to an organization like san antonio. they'll reel off another 5 championships EASY with him and kawhi. they obviously would recognize his strengths and build a winning game plan around it instead of doing this non sense. i haven't watched a full game in a long time.

Sure. But we're not San Antonio. We don't draft like them, we don't have a coach like theirs, and we don't develop players like they do. We should aspire to be, but so does every team in the league. Also helps when you are actually able to draft players you want and give them a few years to develop while still winning. We could build a long-term winning team around Cousins, but it would probably take another 2 years at least after changing coach and making more roster moves. Are you willing to wait that long?

 

[dude12]

George Karl continues to be THE problem. Except for Casspi and Rondo, the remainder of the roster is underperforming. That's a coach problem.

 

[Kingster]

should ship him to an organization like san antonio. they'll reel off another 5 championships EASY with him and kawhi. they obviously would recognize his strengths and build a winning game plan around it instead of doing this non sense. i haven't watched a full game in a long time.

The whole thing is circular. Yes, SA would probably love to have him (not a certainty though) and he probably would do very well in SA because they have a strong organization, a strong coaching staff, and strong and intelligent and mature and good players around him. BUT THE KINGS AIN'T THAT TEAM! And the question is, if you start with Cousins, not add Cousins like the hypothetical SA scenario, will it ever be that team? I have my doubts. Yes, if you ADD him to a fine team, he can be a fine ADDITION. But if you START with him as the centerpiece, you're centerpiece is unstable and cannot be relied upon to lead. That is the Kings current recipe.

 

[New Era]

The whole thing is circular. Yes, SA would probably love to have him (not a certainty though) and he probably would do very well in SA because they have a strong organization, a strong coaching staff, and strong and intelligent and mature and good players around him. BUT THE KINGS AIN'T THAT TEAM! And the question is, if you start with Cousins, not add Cousins like the hypothetical SA scenario, will it ever be that team? I have my doubts. Yes, if you ADD him to a fine team, he can be a fine ADDITION. But if you START with him as the centerpiece, you're centerpiece is unstable and cannot be relied upon to lead. That is the Kings current recipe.

I have my doubts as to whether or not they would actually want him. I know that when they prepare for the NBA draft, they have a small list of players that they will not draft. Almost all of those players have character/personality issues and they feel they would be cancerous to their team and their franchise. Look at their roster. Everybody is a class act and buys into the team and the system. As an organization, they believe that having chemistry like that is the number one priority.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I reject the premise of the centerpiece needing to be relied on to lead, in the first place. You find a centerpiece, you assemble parts around the centerpiece that compliment his skill set, you hire a coach that will coach to those collective skills (as opposed to hiring a coach that will try to force the players into his system, which is what we're doing now), and then you let the "leader" emerge organically.

 

[fansinceday1]

The whole thing is circular. Yes, SA would probably love to have him (not a certainty though) and he probably would do very well in SA because they have a strong organization, a strong coaching staff, and strong and intelligent and mature and good players around him. BUT THE KINGS AIN'T THAT TEAM! And the question is, if you start with Cousins, not add Cousins like the hypothetical SA scenario, will it ever be that team? I have my doubts. Yes, if you ADD him to a fine team, he can be a fine ADDITION. But if you START with him as the centerpiece, you're centerpiece is unstable and cannot be relied upon to lead. That is the Kings current recipe.

IMO, the main ingredient is a FO that wants to build around cousins skill set. This FO wants to be the Warriors. Cousins cannot run with a warriors type team. HE CANT. It's that simple. He needs to go cause our FO has made their decision. They want to run. Cousins is not a running 3 pt shooting big.

Cousins was a non factor from the start of last nights game. It's why it's maddening to me that this loss is being blamed on him. His ejection didn't change any momentum. The Kings were already sinking with cousins and rondo in the lineup. They weren't gonna keep up with the Warriors with rondo and cousins in the lineup.

 

[Kingster]

I have my doubts as to whether or not they would actually want him. I know that when they prepare for the NBA draft, they have a small list of players that they will not draft. Almost all of those players have character/personality issues and they feel they would be cancerous to their team and their franchise. Look at their roster. Everybody is a class act and buys into the team and the system. As an organization, they believe that having chemistry like that is the number one priority.

Good points. My gut tells me that the Cousins experiment is coming to an end. Vlade talked a lot to Pop just after taking the Kings job. I would think that he has a great deal of respect for the way SA does things.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I have my doubts as to whether or not they would actually want him. I know that when they prepare for the NBA draft, they have a small list of players that they will not draft. Almost all of those players have character/personality issues and they feel they would be cancerous to their team and their franchise. Look at their roster. Everybody is a class act and buys into the team and the system. As an organization, they believe that having chemistry like that is the number one priority.

It's easy to bloviate about how you would never draft Player X, when you know that there is a zero point zero percent chance that Player X would ever be available at your pick.

 

[Kingster]

I reject the premise of the centerpiece needing to be relied on to lead, in the first place. You find a centerpiece, you assemble parts around the centerpiece that compliment his skill set, you hire a coach that will coach to those collective skills (as opposed to hiring a coach that will try to force the players into his system, which is what we're doing now), and then you let the "leader" emerge organically.

No structure is architecturally sound with an unstable centerpiece.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

The whole thing is circular. Yes, SA would probably love to have him (not a certainty though) and he probably would do very well in SA because they have a strong organization, a strong coaching staff, and strong and intelligent and mature and good players around him. BUT THE KINGS AIN'T THAT TEAM! And the question is, if you start with Cousins, not add Cousins like the hypothetical SA scenario, will it ever be that team? I have my doubts. Yes, if you ADD him to a fine team, he can be a fine ADDITION. But if you START with him as the centerpiece, you're centerpiece is unstable and cannot be relied upon to lead. That is the Kings current recipe.

can't build a skyscraper on a crapty foundation. just sayin

& i'm not talking about demarcus.

it's all the stupidity that has passed through this organization since he was drafted. the ONE and ONLY time there was some stability he thrived. the team looked good. they were knocking out good teams. when you watched those games, you KNEW they had a chance because of the game plan and buy in from players.

jimmer? westfail? trob? super mario goof bros? gerbil? cherry picking nellie disciples? pace? jazz? karl? massive player turn over?

he needs to go to a stable organization. i say we should package him to san antonio to help continue their legacy. if we're lucky we might get some 2nd rounders and trade exceptions for him.