[Grades] Grades v. Wizards 3/14/2015

[Bricklayer]

I think it's more about style of play than who was coaching, really.

Malone had warts. But he also had the team playing a style that historically leads to contending AND meshed well with our franchise big.

Vivek, PDA, and Mullin, being the arrogant tools that they are, ditch Malone in favor of a style that not only doesn't mesh well with our franchise player, but also has historically led to nothing but early playoff exits.

Now we're seeing the results of their asinine decisions.

It's a lot bigger than who is currently coaching.

More than just style, although style was a big part of it -- he is the only person associated with the Kings this entire season who looked at the roster and saw its true capabilities and drawbacks.

But the other factor is a great "x factor" in all NBA coaching. Its why every single person continuing to defend their anti-Malone stance, well, I could say worse, but I'll settle for "is clueless". And that is that he got his team to believe in and play for him. Its an incredible x-factor. A great many coaches can't do it. Malone could. He got guys to buy in. Most importantly of all he got his main guys to buy in. So he played an appropriate style, he knew what was important, and he got his guys to buy into that style. And that's how a middling roster ends up competing with the league's best. Firing Malone to institute their stupid dogma literally took away EVERYTHING that had elevated our roster early. the bones themselves were Cousins and a bunch of not much.

 

[Bricklayer]

I think it should be sub-contracted out to the two posters who know what the people want need.

While a good many women do in fact call that part of their anatomy their "girls", when I say I am doing a "girls" thread that's not what I am referring to.

 

[Spike]

While you prefer to espouse the greatness of a Buick, I still maintain that most would prefer the horsepower of a Mustang.


But, a Buick is sensible.

Besides, I do believe I stole Grace Park from under your nose, tyvm.

 

[The_Jamal]

Why? Why isn't tough nosed defense and attacking the basket sustainable?

I'm really sick of people saying this, when everything in the history of anything says it actually is. It's not like we were shooting lights out. In fact, we were due for improvement in this area, since the odds that we would continue to shoot so poorly from the outside...well, nevermind that point.

It's time for people to defend this position.

Malone's style is about as sustainable as it gets. What it isn't, however, is pretty. If people simply acknowledge that it was an egregious decision, then I suppose we can move on.

I didn't say the style of play was sustainable, I said the results we were getting early on in the year were unsustainable. Wish I saved some of the numbers I had looked up then, but were near the bottom of the league in nearly every offensive category other than a ridiculously high FT rate of something close to .500 and was like 3rd in FT% at that time. IIRC, we were at FTM/FTA was something like 34/39.

Really, our offense was utterly atrocious if the refs swallowed their whistles. It actually was pretty bad even when were getting to the line. But it worked at that time. Add in the fact Collison was playing like an all-star at the beginning of the year, which he isn't and we were in line for some serious regression from the beginning of the year results.

Now, I strongly believe we would have had a great shot at getting to .500 this year and maybe tickling with the idea of competing for the 8th seed. But we were NOT the powerhouse team who ate their way through the Western Conference superpowers in November

 

[Spike]

Why not? Karl again proved we could out-muscle Memphis.

So, we were in the bottom of most offensive categories, and we were winning? Wouldn't it stand to reason that we would, I dunno, regress towards the mean in a positive way and strengthen our run? If we were winning with so horrible an offense, wouldn't the most minute of progress, logically attainable, make something sustainable?

To clarify, we built big leads against good defensive teams. The issue then, as remains now, is a bench that can't hold any type of lead. Maybe now PDA will realize it, having a hall of fame coach, as opposed to when he believed the schlubs were better than we, mere mortals, knew them to be.

 

[The_Jamal]

Why not? Karl again proved we could out-muscle Memphis.

So, we were in the bottom of most offensive categories, and we were winning? Wouldn't it stand to reason that we would, I dunno, regress towards the mean in a positive way and strengthen our run? If we were winning with so horrible an offense, wouldn't the most minute of progress, logically attainable, make something sustainable?

To clarify, we built big leads against good defensive teams. The issue then, as remains now, is a bench that can't hold any type of lead. Maybe now PDA will realize it, having a hall of fame coach, as opposed to when he believed the schlubs were better than we, mere mortals, knew them to be.

No, because I just told you why we were winning. Getting to the line 40 times a game isn't and shooting 77-80% on those attempts basically nullifies what you're actually doing on the court offensively. The defense was excellent, yes, but we were a one trick pony offensively.

And as we've seen throughout this season, those early %'s were close to what we actually are efficiency wise rather than serious outliers

 

[CruzDude]

Last two games were easy to grade. Except for Cuz, "A" for all first half players and "F" for all second half players. Why is that? Are they tired? Too pooped to pop or defend? No energy? But why? Those two game transformations, first half to second half, may just be a first/worst of its kind in history of NBA!! Just hope that Coach is experimenting in 2nd half's without worrying about winning.

 

[randymoss1881]

I didn't say the style of play was sustainable, I said the results we were getting early on in the year were unsustainable. Wish I saved some of the numbers I had looked up then, but were near the bottom of the league in nearly every offensive category other than a ridiculously high FT rate of something close to .500 and was like 3rd in FT% at that time. IIRC, we were at FTM/FTA was something like 34/39.

Really, our offense was utterly atrocious if the refs swallowed their whistles. It actually was pretty bad even when were getting to the line. But it worked at that time. Add in the fact Collison was playing like an all-star at the beginning of the year, which he isn't and we were in line for some serious regression from the beginning of the year results.

Now, I strongly believe we would have had a great shot at getting to .500 this year and maybe tickling with the idea of competing for the 8th seed. But we were NOT the powerhouse team who ate their way through the Western Conference superpowers in November

Well thats the point being a contender takes steps
1. first step get an identity. Check we were grind it out defense.

Second step have a franchise player. Check we got Boogie

Third step have a solid # 2/3. Check Gay under Malone was a good 2 and Collison is alright definitely not ideal.

Follow these steps and we get to .500 leasing to next year with momentum.

We accomplished a lot of the hard part in rebuilding. Getting a franchise player and a coach wee were getting results.


Also you said our FT rate wasn't sustainable which is 100% correct. But our 3pt shooting was a joke. If we stayed in the top 5 in ft which would happen with Gay/Cousins we would just need to improve our 3pt shooting. Improve our 3pt shooting would cancer out getting to the line that we loose.

 

[fansinceday1]

I really wish people on here would get off Mike Malone's nuts.....seriously I was one of the people who argued no way should the Kings fire Malone but every 2nd or 3rd post on here is how great Malone was off a 15 game sample.

How are we going to compare Mike Malone's time here when the team was fresh/healthy/motivated (cause they thought they could make the playoffs) to what Karl has where we are missing one of our best 3 players on a thin team in terms of talent, the team has nothing to play for (minus a couple players playing for contracts and such) and we don't even know if Karl is even trying to win or if he's simply experimenting seeing what he has.

Again it was 15 games.........I appreciate what Mike did but people are acting he's some sort of coaching Jesus.

Im not getting over it. Sorry. This team is a dumpster fire and it didn't have to be. Could it have eventually turned into a hot mess with malone? Possibly. But we'll never know cause we have dam near the most inept ownership in the NBA.

Im not over 2002 yet. Im certainly not going to get over ownership torpedoing what MIGHT have been a decent season. All I know is i was excited like i hadn't been in dam near 10 years and I was actually looking forward to the next couple of years. Now, not so much.

Those 15 games with malone were better than anything I've seen in almost a decade, so no, I'm not just going to get over the absolute skull f****** ownership is giving us fans.

 

[sdballer]

Im not getting over it. Sorry. This team is a dumpster fire and it didn't have to be. Could it have eventually turned into a hot mess with malone? Possibly. But we'll never know cause we have dam near the most inept ownership in the NBA.
Im not over 2002 yet. Im certainly not going to get over ownership torpedoing what MIGHT have been a decent season. All I know is i was excited like i hadn't been in dam near 10 years and I was actually looking forward to the next couple of years. Now not so much.

Those 15 games with malone was better than anything I've seen in almost a decade, so no, I'm not just going to get over the absolute skull f****** ownership is giving us fans.

I'd have an easier time getting over it if I thought there was a decent chance it was going to get better soon. With this front office's incompetence I have no faith in that.

 

[Kingster]

We'll never know whether the Malone win percentage prior to the Cousins' virus was sustainable or not. It will be one of those "what if" mysteries that will be wistfully pondered while looking up at the stars in a moonless night.

I'm looking to the future now: Karl, pace, and how this team needs to change its personnel in order to have a .500 record or better next year. I'm not struggling upstream against pace. I'm going with the flow. It's pace, pace and more pace. So if that's the river I'm on I want players who can aptly paddle on that river. Players fast of foot and quick-minded and creative enough to make good decisions in the fast-paced flow of the game. Creative players who don't need a playbook to be successful. Players with V-8 motors, not V-4's. Playmaking, speed, creativity, and a non-stop motor can't be coached. You either have it or you don't. This roster just doesn't have those attributes to the degree necessary for success in a fast-paced game. Another transition awaits.

 

[LPKingsFan]

It will be interesting to see this debate unfold.

No it won't. We'll never know how this team would have fared with Malone the rest of the way, and both sides can summon infinite hypotheticals that are ultimately unconvincing, IMHO.

 

[fansinceday1]

We'll never know whether the Malone win percentage prior to the Cousins' virus was sustainable or not. It will be one of those "what if" mysteries that will be wistfully pondered while looking up at the stars in a moonless night.

I'm looking to the future now: Karl, pace, and how this team needs to change its personnel in order to have a .500 record or better next year. I'm not struggling upstream against pace. I'm going with the flow. It's pace, pace and more pace. So if that's the river I'm on I want players who can aptly paddle on that river. Players fast of foot and quick-minded and creative enough to make good decisions in the fast-paced flow of the game. Creative players who don't need a playbook to be successful. Players with V-8 motors, not V-4's. Playmaking, speed, creativity, and a non-stop motor can't be coached. You either have it or you don't. This roster just doesn't have those attributes to the degree necessary for success in a fast-paced game. Another transition awaits.

"Another transition awaits"

That is what has me F en steamed.
To get where the FO wants us we have to blow up this current team. AGAIN! Which means another 2-5 year wait. And with our fools in the FO that still doesn't mean they get anywhere close to getting it right. This is a CF of epic proportions.

 

[Larry89]

Rudy Gay is not a winning player, our bench is awful. We need defenders. Derrick Williams = Guonduong Tigers bench player starting for us. Cuz needs to learn how to set better screens. We need guards badly.

 

[lawlman91]

"Another transition awaits"

That is what has me F en steamed.
To get where the FO wants us we have to blow up this current team. AGAIN! Which means another 2-5 year wait. And with our fools in the FO that still doesn't mean they get anywhere close to getting it right. This is a CF of epic proportions.

"chief irritant"