Have you lost faith in Westphal? interest in the Sacramento Kings?

#31
wat kinsboi said at the beginning is exactly how i feel. I'm all for watching the process of this team growing up and become successful but i hope they will do it here in sacramento. All the talk of the kings moving is kind of depressing.
 
#32
I don't think people are being very realistic.

At another fan website, someone noted that over 100+ games, Dick Motta holds the record for lowest winning percentage. They brought this up because Paul Westphal is in danger of taking over that spot. If the Kings had beaten Indy, the Lakers and the Mavs, he'd have held on to #2. But by losing, yay, Westphal takes the crown. He'd be 29-71.

What do you think? A .290 winning percentage over 100+ games. That's not a problem?

The Kings have fired coaches for far less. Reggie. Mouse. Adelman. I'm sure there are others.

In what universe is "Worst winning percentage by a coach over 100+ games" considered to be a good thing? Let me know so I don't accidentally move there.

Paul Westphal is 2 losses away from 29-71. That's just not good enough.

The worst part is that the schedule, so far, has been softer-than-average. They'll have a 10 game losing streak this season. Watch. Just watch.

And I'm not sure having the lowest payroll in the league helps. I bet it'd be lower, if not for that pesky rule about a salary floor.

Have I lost hope? Entirely. Is that unambiguous enough? ST holders are getting completely ripped off. Go to craigslist and look at the number of distressed sellers. It's awful.
 
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gunks

Hall of Famer
#33
Eh, unfortunately I'll never lost interest in the Kings. They were who I rooted for as a Kid. Not living in Northern California anymore, I might even continue to be a fan if they move (although I'm hoping they stick in Sacto, dont get me wrong). Band wagonry is lame. I have other basketball teams I like, but Kings vs. Anyone, I'm rooting for the Kings.

When we suck (ie: the last 6 seasons), I tend to not really worry about Ws, and just peruse the individual performances of certain players.

As far as losing faith in Westphal, see sig. It sucks, because I (along with a lot of other people here) got conned into thinking he was a legit coach early last season. But since last year's allstar break our team has been a mess. We're looking at another 17 win season, this team has 30 win talent.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#34
I don't think people are being very realistic.

At another fan website, someone noted that over 100+ games, Dick Motta holds the record for lowest winning percentage. They brought this up because Paul Westphal is in danger of taking over that spot. If the Kings had beaten Indy, the Lakers and the Mavs, he'd have held on to #2. But by losing, yay, Westphal takes the crown. He'd be 29-71.

What do you think? A .290 winning percentage over 100+ games. That's not a problem?

The Kings have fired coaches for far less. Reggie. Mouse. Adelman. I'm sure there are others.

In what universe is "Worst winning percentage by a coach over 100+ games" considered to be a good thing? Let me know so I don't accidentally move there.

Paul Westphal is 2 losses away from 29-71. That's just not good enough.

The worst part is that the schedule, so far, has been softer-than-average. They'll have a 10 game losing streak this season. Watch. Just watch.

And I'm not sure having the lowest payroll in the league helps. I bet it'd be lower, if not for that pesky rule about a salary floor.

Have I lost hope? Entirely. Is that unambiguous enough? ST holders are getting completely ripped off. Go to craigslist and look at the number of distressed sellers. It's awful.
So basically your question is rhetorical? If people haven't lost hope like you have, they're wrong?

Whatever...

Feel free to continue to preach doom and gloom and bemoan being a Kings fan. Do you have any concrete suggestions for how Westphal could/should do his job better? Taking potshots is pretty easy. Anyone can do it. Actually figuring out what the problems are and how they can be corrected is a whole different kettle of fish.

GO KINGS!
 
#35
Have I lost interest? No .. I find myself thinking and reading about this team more than I have for the past few years. So many problems, so much to think about ... I hate the vibe of this team right now though, so while I can see why some have lost interest I cant say that I have. I wish my attitude towards the team was better, but every story to come out in the past three weeks has been very negative. And the team has played like absolute garbage over the past 3 weeks.

Westphal ... I have never been a Westphal guy. I really wanted Tom Thibodeau to get the job here. He was starting to win me over during the first half of last season, but with how last year ended and this year started I cant say I have any kind of faith in him.

Just as our players havent improved since last season ( and in WAY to many cases, they got worse ) Westphal himself hasnt improved his coaching in any area.

His big issue last season? Consistent rotations. Biggest issue this year? same thing. He just doesnt seem to know when to play players, who to play, and how long to play them.

And while Im not ready to completely commit to the "Fire Westphal" bandwagon. IF he was fired tomorrow, I would only have positive things to say about that decision.
 
#36
No and NO.

Westphal has mish-mash of talented but very unrefined youngsters and vets with major holes in their game. He's trying to make a silk purse.

If you get rid of Westphal you're going to have Kenny Natt all over again. The new guy is going to have no power, the players would view it as acknowledgement that this season is done and they would play accordingly. Remember that joyful Natt stint? It would be a disaster for morale, for attracting future free agents, for the reputation of the Kings around the league.
I disagree. Mario Ellie is far far far more respected around the league than Natt was. Even though Ellie hasnt proven much as a coach, I dont think it is fair to compare him to the worst coach I have ever layed my eyes on.
 
#37
I don't think people are being very realistic.

At another fan website, someone noted that over 100+ games, Dick Motta holds the record for lowest winning percentage. They brought this up because Paul Westphal is in danger of taking over that spot. If the Kings had beaten Indy, the Lakers and the Mavs, he'd have held on to #2. But by losing, yay, Westphal takes the crown. He'd be 29-71.

What do you think? A .290 winning percentage over 100+ games. That's not a problem?

The Kings have fired coaches for far less. Reggie. Mouse. Adelman. I'm sure there are others.

In what universe is "Worst winning percentage by a coach over 100+ games" considered to be a good thing? Let me know so I don't accidentally move there.

Paul Westphal is 2 losses away from 29-71. That's just not good enough.

The worst part is that the schedule, so far, has been softer-than-average. They'll have a 10 game losing streak this season. Watch. Just watch.

And I'm not sure having the lowest payroll in the league helps. I bet it'd be lower, if not for that pesky rule about a salary floor.

Have I lost hope? Entirely. Is that unambiguous enough? ST holders are getting completely ripped off. Go to craigslist and look at the number of distressed sellers. It's awful.
That being the case, thanks for coming on board and posting your thoughts. Hope you work through your depression.
 
#38
Have I lost interest? No .. I find myself thinking and reading about this team more than I have for the past few years. So many problems, so much to think about ... I hate the vibe of this team right now though, so while I can see why some have lost interest I cant say that I have. I wish my attitude towards the team was better, but every story to come out in the past three weeks has been very negative. And the team has played like absolute garbage over the past 3 weeks.

Westphal ... I have never been a Westphal guy. I really wanted Tom Thibodeau to get the job here. He was starting to win me over during the first half of last season, but with how last year ended and this year started I cant say I have any kind of faith in him.

Just as our players havent improved since last season ( and in WAY to many cases, they got worse ) Westphal himself hasnt improved his coaching in any area.

His big issue last season? Consistent rotations. Biggest issue this year? same thing. He just doesnt seem to know when to play players, who to play, and how long to play them.

And while Im not ready to completely commit to the "Fire Westphal" bandwagon. IF he was fired tomorrow, I would only have positive things to say about that decision.
To be fair, our team this season is a lot different than last season's. We lost our starting SF, C, SG, back up PG and back up SG/SF, and gained a bunch of players, 2 of them being rookies. Couple that with last year's ROY campaign, and it's no surprise that our team has appeared to have regressed. If anything i think were starting to see some progress as we begin settling into our new players.
 
#39
im pissed as hell cos i love this team more than anything. that will never change. i just want them to start winning some games any way they can
 
#40
Sorry, I just needed to go back and remember how it used to be. We need some of this fire back at Arco, but it obviously has to start in the hearts of our players first. I want to see, feel, and hear that Arco Thunder so badly. As a Kings fan, my heart aches to experience this again...
 
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#41
Let me answer the OP too, partly to prove that I am at least ephemerally around:
yes and yes

Maybe I'll be a better fan in two weeks during winter break.
 
#42
Yes and yes. Kings are officially the worst team in the NBA now based on the standings.

I will try to get a glimpse now and then on the games, i will watch if Kings are up (ie. Dallas game) but when i see Kings down by more than 6 points (ie. Clippers game, Lakers i didn't even bother to watch) i turn off the TV and go to sleep, there is no way they can come back from that deficit.

I don't know, but are Kings worst or better at this stage of the season last year?
 
#43
Maybe not faith, but interest, at a staggering pace, yes.

How could anyone legitimately be expected to watch these games other than out of some irrational sense of "duty"?

I watched the game for about 3 minutes last night. That was enough to get my "fill".

There's just GOT to be something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about.
 
#44
I don't know, but are Kings worst or better at this stage of the season last year?
By our 19th game last year, we had 9 wins. This year we have 4.

In '92, we didn't have the fifth win until game 18, so that's close, but no cigar.

I'm afraid this is our worst start since 1990, when the 19th game was the 4th win, but in '90 the 20th game was also a win, so unless we win the next one we'll sink below that level. In '84 and '87 the 20th game was also the 5th win.

In 1958-9, the Royals didn't get their 4th win until the 20th game of the season. Right now, that's the only season that started worse than this one, but if we lose the next game, we'll still tie that year @ 4-16. In '58-9, the Royals also won their 21st game, so if we drop the next 2 games in a row, it'll be the franchise record.
 
#45
By our 19th game last year, we had 9 wins. This year we have 4.

In '92, we didn't have the fifth win until game 18, so that's close, but no cigar.

I'm afraid this is our worst start since 1990, when the 19th game was the 4th win, but in '90 the 20th game was also a win, so unless we win the next one we'll sink below that level. In '84 and '87 the 20th game was also the 5th win.

In 1958-9, the Royals didn't get their 4th win until the 20th game of the season. Right now, that's the only season that started worse than this one, but if we lose the next game, we'll still tie that year @ 4-16. In '58-9, the Royals also won their 21st game, so if we drop the next 2 games in a row, it'll be the franchise record.
Sad. Very sad.
 
#46
I haven't lost faith in Westphal at all despite the fact that I read at lot of the posts here. No way have I lost faith or interest in the Kings. It may or may not be true but Westphal may be the best coach in the NBA for this team now. It admit it is tough watching these burnouts but then again that's what makes the victories and successes so sweet. Bring 'em on! Beat the Lakers!!
So if you haven't lost faith yet... how many losses in a row will it take? 20? 30? 40? Here's a cup of fresh coffee bro... time for you to WAKE UP!
 
#47
By our 19th game last year, we had 9 wins. This year we have 4.

In '92, we didn't have the fifth win until game 18, so that's close, but no cigar.

I'm afraid this is our worst start since 1990, when the 19th game was the 4th win, but in '90 the 20th game was also a win, so unless we win the next one we'll sink below that level. In '84 and '87 the 20th game was also the 5th win.

In 1958-9, the Royals didn't get their 4th win until the 20th game of the season. Right now, that's the only season that started worse than this one, but if we lose the next game, we'll still tie that year @ 4-16. In '58-9, the Royals also won their 21st game, so if we drop the next 2 games in a row, it'll be the franchise record.
Great post! This is exactly why it BLOWS MY MIND that people say they haven't lost faith in the team yet. Like what does it take for you to lose faith then? The teams plane to go down in the mountains? *scratches head*
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#48
Great post! This is exactly why it BLOWS MY MIND that people say they haven't lost faith in the team yet. Like what does it take for you to lose faith then? The teams plane to go down in the mountains? *scratches head*
There is probably a gap between if you are just a casual type fan that just takes results and lets that be your only guide, or if you are a more sophisticated fan looking at underlying team structure. If you're a), well obviously you lose faith. Losing = suck. Suck = lose faith. If you are the latter however there is a disconnect. Losing = suck, yes. But the fac tof hte matter is that objectively, team construction wise, this team was pretty much built right, and SHOULD be better. So that sits in tension with the actual results and you have tendency to wait until the team starts perfrming the way you know it should given how its built.

But yes BTW, the Coach is normally the guy who gets the axe when a disconnect between expected results and actual results pops up. This wasn't supposed to happen. Just about everyone, not only in town but from outside, thoguht we were a team ont he way up and full of promise. And we've fallen flat. If the Maloofs hadn't picked up Westphal's option in the offseaon and thus ended up on hte hook for an extra $3mil or whatever, I wouldn't be surprised if Westphal was already gone.
 

iowamcnabb

Hall of Famer
#49
I most certainly haven't lost interest in the Kings. Easily the most frustrating season Ive encountered in the 13 or so years I've followed the team.

Paul? His lineups etc have most certainly contributed to the poor start but I'll assume he knows more than I do until the season is over.
 
#50
when i see Kings down by more than 6 points (ie. Clippers game, Lakers i didn't even bother to watch) i turn off the TV and go to sleep, there is no way they can come back from that deficit.
If there's one thing they can do, it's come back from being down. They've come back from being down 15+ points at least 5 times this year, and 3 of those they won.
 

Capt. Factorial

ceterum censeo delendum esse Argentum
Staff member
#51
Easily the most frustrating season Ive encountered in the 13 or so years I've followed the team.
I take it you took a sabbatical during the Muss/Natt '08-'09 season? That was harder to stomach than this. Not that the season so far hasn't been a gut-punch.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#52
I take it you took a sabbatical during the Muss/Natt '08-'09 season? That was harder to stomach than this. Not that the season so far hasn't been a gut-punch.
You know, I'm not sure it was for me. that team sucked, it needed to be blown up. the losses were fugly, but in a lot of ways welcome. They brought us Tyreke.

This team is different. Its supposed to be building for the future, supposed to be the one that would get the national attention and bandwagon fans piling on again, and take a huge step toward the future. And now look at it.
 
#53
I havent lost faith in Westphal, nor the Kings. I think weve seen some great improvements in the last 2 games. We didnt come out with the W, but what we saw on the court is a big step up from the previous games.
 
#54
I lost interest in Westfail and the Kings owner/management as soon as he was hired. I have never lost faith in the Kings players. I used to watch Edney, Marciulonis, Olden, Richmond, etc. Always have followed and loved this team. However right now, the management and coaching decisions have made me lose faith in the front office and coaching. Fire Westfail and this team will be alright. Keep him, and the struggles will get exponentially worse. The coaching staff and management puts this team in a position to lose, the players just carry out the flawed gameplans.
 
#56
I have to admit I'm pretty discouraged this year about the team with Tyreke not taking the "next step" and the rest of the roster not fitting together in a way that produces consistent quality play (be that the coaches fault or the fact that we are a team of role players).

Either way, it feels like we are going to end up mucking around with things another season or two and then will have to blow it up again. Overly pessimistic I know.

I do consider myself a loyal fan in that I watch most games, but my interest level has definitely dropped off after realizing the team wasn't what I thought it might be to start out the season.

Have considered dropping League Pass for next year if things don't turn around and just following via the Internet...
 
#57
I was more excited for this current year than any of the previous 5.
That's what makes this awful start so tough to swallow. With the drafting of Cousins, Evans coming off of ROY, Landry being there from the start of the season, Garcia being healthy, Dalembert's defense, and Greene, Casspi, and Thompson having some experience under their belts, it really seemed as if things should be improving, not regressing or stagnating. None of those things seem to have made any difference, though, that's what's so frustrating.
 
#58
That's what makes this awful start so tough to swallow. With the drafting of Cousins, Evans coming off of ROY, Landry being there from the start of the season, Garcia being healthy, Dalembert's defense, and Greene, Casspi, and Thompson having some experience under their belts, it really seemed as if things should be improving, not regressing or stagnating. None of those things seem to have made any difference, though, that's what's so frustrating.
Yeah, I think that's made it a little worse. I was actually kind of excited going into this sesaon. Wasn't expecting playoffs, but I was expecting some good wins, good losses and general signs of progress...
 
#59
What is everyones' opinion on the matter?
i agree, PW should leave. we can do better with out him.
when you look at the games, you can see there is no system, there is no way, no offensivly and not defancivly. this is a coach responsibility to improve those.
 
#60
Yes, and no.

I have however, lost interest in the season. While I realized I was being overly optimistic, I felt that we had an outside chance of fighting for a playoff spot. And now look where we are. Not only are we losing, we are bad. Seems players are disinterested, there is sniping at each other and the coach, the games are a chore to watch, we seem to be missing any structure, lots of standing around, guys performing way below expectations, some of them probably hoping to be traded. In short, everything that can go wrong, seems to be going wrong. It's as if, Murphy had planned the whole thing.

My only interest in the season right now, is to see if any of the kids shall turn it around, the new coach if (or when) we fire PW, or if we shall trade anyone. Frankly, as of now, I shall be reluctant to trade anyone, except possibly Landry. The way team is playing, we are likely to get little value in return. Landry is a proven vet, and whatever our opinions about him, he has earned some rep in Houston, and might generate interest from teams looking for scoring off the bench. Given that he is an ender, and not necessarily in our long term plans, if we can get something for him, it might be worth it. Else, I am scared that we shall give away Omri/Donte/Jason to someone, and they shall blossom there, instead of with us.

As of now, the only thing I wish is that the team starts running some. We are losing, and this might not change much. But at least, it shall be more fun, for both the kids and the fans.