How close are we ?

[D13]

Why do you think Beno had a nice breakout year last year. Something he ate? No! Westphal found out what he was good at and ran plays to utilize those things. And Wa La, suddenly he looked like a player again. Having said that, it is a scarey thought that he couldn't do the same thing with Hawes. Anyway, I'm willing to give him another year, barring his inclusion in the trade that brings Bosh to the team. I'm certainly rooting for him to succeed. The team has three years and a lot of money invested in him. So it would be nice to see a return on it.

Speaking of Beno, I ran into him at the grocery store in Folsom recently. Good to see he's still in town and making a home of Sac...

 

[Megalodon]

Yea I like Beno, He is a good player off the bench ... and on the floor with 'reke as well. He was great the second half of the year and overall one of our most consistent players night in and night out.

 

[mcsluggo]

the Sacramento kings are close to knocking on the door of a 30 win season.

woot!!

 

[King-Da-Yah]

Speaking of Beno, I ran into him at the grocery store in Folsom recently. Good to see he's still in town and making a home of Sac...

I saw Donte at the Downtown Mall a couple of years ago, and I nudged my fiancé and said "that guy plays for the kings babe". I got a response of "so?" from her. Figures that I get engaged to a Warriors fan! Should have gotten his John Hancock, now I will be kicking myself if he is the next Rashard Lewis.

How close is this team you ask? I don't know IMHO, the homer in me says a couple of years (3), but I just don't know, the West is just so... well wild. I think that the prgression of Reke ROY, and that of our young guys is the key as many of us have alluded to. But I think that making a splash in FA next year could really help us along. I just don't see us as a lottery team next year, thus the reason I have my fingers crossed for June 24th.

 

[Kingster]

Why do you think Beno had a nice breakout year last year. Something he ate? No! Westphal found out what he was good at and ran plays to utilize those things. And Wa La, suddenly he looked like a player again. Having said that, it is a scarey thought that he couldn't do the same thing with Hawes. Anyway, I'm willing to give him another year, barring his inclusion in the trade that brings Bosh to the team. I'm certainly rooting for him to succeed. The team has three years and a lot of money invested in him. So it would be nice to see a return on it.

Westphal did the opposite with Hawes. He wanted him to fit into his system, not develop a system for him. Maybe toward the end of the year that changed though. Next year is THE year for Hawes.

 

[Prince_XY]

I think one of the assertions was that the Kings would never win a championship with Thompson in the starting lineup. Hmmm! I suspect that depends on who the other four players are. Every player in the starting lineup of a championship team doesn't have to be a star. And they seldom are. But usually 2 out of the 5 are stars, and the other three are solid players that fit well and compliment the two stars. I can easily see Thompson being one of those. He did improve last year, although I'll admit it was a year full of ups an downs. But I was encouraged by his finish of the season. Hopefully it will carry over into next year.

Now Hawes is another story altogether. He did have a couple of nice games at the end of the year. But overall, its hard not to say your disappointed. The bad news is that he's already played three seasons and given us no reason to feel like he's the starting center of the future. Perhaps that was too lofty an expectation all along. Perhaps his future is as a backup center. Which does have value, but a disappointment none the less.

The good news is that he's still young. And to be fair to him, he been on a revolving door of coaches. The system has changed, along with the expectations of him, every year he's been here. This will be the first year where he starts the season with the same system, and coaching staff, as the season before. Lets not forget that Thompson went through 3 coaches in his two years. Now I know its easy to just discard that fact, but it does matter. Figuring out to what degree is the hard part. Systems do matter. Just ask Eddie Jordan. And players are stuck with whatever system the current coach wants to play. Some systems bring out a players strengths, and some do the opposite.

Why do you think Beno had a nice breakout year last year. Something he ate? No! Westphal found out what he was good at and ran plays to utilize those things. And Wa La, suddenly he looked like a player again. Having said that, it is a scarey thought that he couldn't do the same thing with Hawes. Anyway, I'm willing to give him another year, barring his inclusion in the trade that brings Bosh to the team. I'm certainly rooting for him to succeed. The team has three years and a lot of money invested in him. So it would be nice to see a return on it.

The way I see it Beno had a nice breakout this season because he exerted the needed effort required of him. We all know how lazy he had been last season and that was why he sucked. Too many times he was playing as if the game was just a practice game. And this year it was Hawes who sucked because of complacent attitude and resistance to give-in to what the coach wants him to do - which was very much like the bad Beno. If both played their maximum effort every game we wouldn't even be talking about acquiring a future starting center or getting another shooting guard next to Evans because majority of us believe they are talented players capable of filling those needs.

Why do you think some fans love the mistake-prone Jason Thompson more than Hawes despite of Hawes seemingly looking like more talented than Thompson? I think it is because no matter how mistake prone Thompson is, you can tell he will give you everything he's got every game. The same cannot be said in Hawes and the bad Beno.

 

[upinsmoke]

I think its like asking "How much is that ferrari?"

If you have to ask...

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Westphal did the opposite with Hawes. He wanted him to fit into his system, not develop a system for him. Maybe toward the end of the year that changed though. Next year is THE year for Hawes.

I would think so, beings that he'll be in a contract year with the team option.

 

[Megalodon]

Well with the board slowing down a bit and the draft come and gone, I feel I should ask this one more time...

How close are we ?

We now have a presumed lineup of:

PG - Evans, Udrih
SG - Garcia, Udrih
SF - Greene, Casspi
PF - Landry, Thompson, Whiteside
C - Dalembert, Cousins

I believe they will start Landry and Dalembert is a better fit next him than Cousins.

I am guessing a future lineup of:

PG - Evans, Udrih
SG - -----, Garcia
SF - Greene, Casspi
PF - Whiteside, Thompson
C - Cousins, Thompson

Obviously need to acquire a SG from the draft or FA.


Now just guessing, but what are the chances of all of our young players developing to their potential? Not very likely ... But you figure Tyreke and Cousins will develop, and chances are one of Casspi or Greene will become above average with the other being at least solid. Now I will assume Whiteside will turn into nothing more than a defensive player, maybe even great at it, but lets just assume he will be a guy we throw in to clog the paint and block shots.

PG - Evans, Udrih
SG - FA , Garcia
SF - Casspi, Greene
PF - Whiteside, Thompson
C - Cousins, FA

So now from my very rough SWAG ( Scientific Wild *** Guess ) Stole it off some gun show on the History channel We will be relatively set at PG, SG, SF and C. PF is obviously our weak spot. But who knows how Thompson and Whiteside will develop, but we essentially have a decent scoring option in Thompson and great defensive player in Whiteside.

So IMO, the worst possible likely outcome isn't all that bad. You have two stars in Evans and Cousins and solid players all around. Great defensive team. Sign a lights out shooter for the starting SG spot and a serviceable backup for Cousins.

Thoughts? How has the outcome of the draft and the trade affected your view of the future? It is interesting going back and reading all those posts, and someone even mentioned trading for Dalembert.



FTR I believe all our guys will pan out and become a good team with alot of chemistry and what not, but felt like posting something with a little less optimistic view. Even then the future still looks bright !

 

[sc3252]

I have to say that after giving this some thought I am still conflicted. The pessimist in me says that we won't be contenders for at least a year only getting a 5 or 6th seed this year, while the optimist in me says we are already contenders. Really I don't know which side is right, I can only hope we will win it this year I guess. I will just go middle of the road right now with 55 wins and the 3rd seed this year, and we get to the conference final vs thunder and lose in 7.

 

[KingsFanFromItaly]

I have to say that after giving this some thought I am still conflicted. The pessimist in me says that we won't be contenders for at least a year only getting a 5 or 6th seed this year, while the optimist in me says we are already contenders. Really I don't know which side is right, I can only hope we will win it this year I guess. I will just go middle of the road right now with 55 wins and the 3rd seed this year, and we get to the conference final vs thunder and lose in 7.

I would really love to see this happen, but I think that we are not so good right now. It would be an amazing season if we are able to make it to the playoff, even with the 8th spot. I don't think we are better than the Lakers, Nuggets, Blazers, Spurs, etc. They have more experience and they have been playing together for a lot. But I believe we absolutely have the talent to be better then them in the future (at least 2 or 3 years).

If we were in the East, I would say yes, maybe if everything goes well we can make it to the 4th or 5th spot. But I don't see it happen in the West. It will take time for our guys to develop this year, to build chemistry together and also to get confidence. But, i believe this is year 1 of a new era. Starting from now, we all know that we really have a chance to become a contender, and that's a path we should enjoy form the first step.

 

[sc3252]

I would really love to see this happen, but I think that we are not so good right now. It would be an amazing season if we are able to make it to the playoff, even with the 8th spot. I don't think we are better than the Lakers, Nuggets, Blazers, Spurs, etc. They have more experience and they have been playing together for a lot. But I believe we absolutely have the talent to be better then them in the future (at least 2 or 3 years).

If we were in the East, I would say yes, maybe if everything goes well we can make it to the 4th or 5th spot. But I don't see it happen in the West. It will take time for our guys to develop this year, to build chemistry together and also to get confidence. But, i believe this is year 1 of a new era. Starting from now, we all know that we really have a chance to become a contender, and that's a path we should enjoy form the first step.

Sorry, total homer mode right now. Its summer

Edit: Every summer I think we are the best team until the 10th game into the season .

 

[KingsFanFromItaly]

Sorry, total homer mode right now. Its summer

Edit: Every summer I think we are the best team until the 10th game into the season .

Eheh, same thing for me. That's why it's so hard to keep a neutral point of view. I hope this time you can think we are the best team at least until th 30th game, it would be a great improvement!

 

[SacTownKid]

Wow, 5th or 6th seed might be waaaay too high as far as expectations go. This is still a young team and while the future is looking really bright right now, nobody knows how far off that particular future is. I would certainly be disappointed with anything less than a 30 win season.

 

[Chupacabra]

I think the Kings are a top seed in the playoffs in 2 years. We will be a top team just from defense and rebounding. Add all of our talent to that and you have a contender.

 

[Sac.1989]

id say we will suprise a few this season and if healths on our side we could be close to the playoffs most likely just missing out in the best case scenario.

Aint goona be no more dam layups baby, or at least our interior D will lift as well as rebounding

 

[Dime Dropper]

I have to say that after giving this some thought I am still conflicted. The pessimist in me says that we won't be contenders for at least a year only getting a 5 or 6th seed this year, while the optimist in me says we are already contenders. Really I don't know which side is right, I can only hope we will win it this year I guess. I will just go middle of the road right now with 55 wins and the 3rd seed this year, and we get to the conference final vs thunder and lose in 7.

Sorry to tell you, but the "pessimist" in you is still way too optimistic! I like the enthusiasm, but you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you believe worst case scenario is getting a 5th or 6th seed this year. Barring major collapse of a couple teams in the West, as well as us playing out of our skins for the full 82, we will not be going to the POs. The team, right now, isn't good enough. We should see significant improvement from last year which is cause enough to celebrate. But don't expect to be making the playoffs. Ideally we'd up our win column by 10+ wins which would be great improvement in itself. The following year, maybe scrapping for that 8th spot. Then, the next year, we'd hopefully be in the POs for the first time with out new young guys. I think expecting anymore any sooner isn't realistic. We may not even get there in the 2-3 years that I mentioned above, although you have to think it's a legit possibility with the talent we have barring a serious stunt in our growth.

I love the excitement around here, it's refreshing. But stay realistic folks! Inflated expectations will do nothing for the confidence of a young team.

 

[mac]

Sorry to tell you, but the "pessimist" in you is still way too optimistic! I like the enthusiasm, but you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you believe worst case scenario is getting a 5th or 6th seed this year. Barring major collapse of a couple teams in the West, as well as us playing out of our skins for the full 82, we will not be going to the POs. The team, right now, isn't good enough. We should see significant improvement from last year which is cause enough to celebrate. But don't expect to be making the playoffs. Ideally we'd up our win column by 10+ wins which would be great improvement in itself. The following year, maybe scrapping for that 8th spot. Then, the next year, we'd hopefully be in the POs for the first time with out new young guys. I think expecting anymore any sooner isn't realistic. We may not even get there in the 2-3 years that I mentioned above, although you have to think it's a legit possibility with the talent we have barring a serious stunt in our growth.

I love the excitement around here, it's refreshing. But stay realistic folks! Inflated expectations will do nothing for the confidence of a young team.

Then again, look what happened to OKC. I expect that in 2 years time we'll be beating teams like the Mavs and Spurs pretty easily, both because we improve and because they're ... on the decline. I think we can make the playoffs the year after next, and then the fun will begin.

 

[sono]

I have to say that after giving this some thought I am still conflicted. The pessimist in me says that we won't be contenders for at least a year only getting a 5 or 6th seed this year, while the optimist in me says we are already contenders. Really I don't know which side is right, I can only hope we will win it this year I guess. I will just go middle of the road right now with 55 wins and the 3rd seed this year, and we get to the conference final vs thunder and lose in 7.

+1.

 

[Kingstime]

It all depends on how these young guys progress. Tyreke had a history making rookie year without a jump shot, Omri showed great stuff in the beginning but got tired and Donte showed flashes of being able to get it done. These 3 I think are the key to a faster rebuild, especially now that we have our interior defense fixed. If these 3 come back this year and have better seasons and show some mental growth for the game, you never know what the future holds or how quick it comes

One more thing OKC has gotten better alot quicker than anybody would of realized but don't dis count the wildness of their home court. Now apply that to these guys once they get it going, Arco once again goes back up to its top 3 home court advantage in the NBA.

I'm just excited that I can actually proudly say Im a KIngs fans again without getting laughed at, we are on the right track here it's a GREAT feeling.

 

[Megalodon]

I have to say that after giving this some thought I am still conflicted. The pessimist in me says that we won't be contenders for at least a year only getting a 5 or 6th seed this year, while the optimist in me says we are already contenders. Really I don't know which side is right, I can only hope we will win it this year I guess. I will just go middle of the road right now with 55 wins and the 3rd seed this year, and we get to the conference final vs thunder and lose in 7.

I agree with your post ... except for the lose in 7 ! WTH is up with that !


I feel as if we are this year, and an off-season away from busting out into the league and setting the world on FIRE!

 

[Superman]

We're a playoff contender, not a title contender. We have an outside shot at being a playoff team, barring injury or other unforeseen setbacks, but not anywhere near a home team in the playoffs. My personal prediction is 34-38 wins this year, assuming all works out the way we would like, and then we can be looking at a solid improvement the next season to become a 44-48 win team. It takes 50 games to make the playoffs in the West anymore, so we're looking at two years before we're there. We now have a nucleus that we can be excited about, and we're really only one piece away from being a complete team.

 

[hammystyle]

We're a playoff contender, not a title contender. We have an outside shot at being a playoff team, barring injury or other unforeseen setbacks, but not anywhere near a home team in the playoffs. My personal prediction is 34-38 wins this year, assuming all works out the way we would like, and then we can be looking at a solid improvement the next season to become a 44-48 win team. It takes 50 games to make the playoffs in the West anymore, so we're looking at two years before we're there. We now have a nucleus that we can be excited about, and we're really only one piece away from being a complete team.

I think we're more like a 40-45 win team this year, and then a 50+ win team the next year. Our key players are not very experienced, but when I look at the roster, I just don't see a tactical weakness. We have size, defense, and three players who can get their own offense in Cousins, Landry and Tyreke. Shooting maybe? But even there we should have about 3-4 guys who shot it at 37-39% last year in Cisco, Greene, Casspi and Beno.

 

[NME]

Whenever we DO make the playoffs, this is a team that's being built FOR the playoffs. Evans, Landry and Cousins have the type of games that you can still go to when the defenses tighten up and the pace slows down. Not that we have to plod, this roster can still run when there's an opportunity. The good old Princeton/motion offense was fun to watch, but with all those moving parts it didn't take much for a focused playoff defense to bog it down or throw it off kilter.

 

[Superman]

I think we're more like a 40-45 win team this year, and then a 50+ win team the next year. Our key players are not very experienced, but when I look at the roster, I just don't see a tactical weakness. We have size, defense, and three players who can get their own offense in Cousins, Landry and Tyreke. Shooting maybe? But even there we should have about 3-4 guys who shot it at 37-39% last year in Cisco, Greene, Casspi and Beno.

I'll be pleasantly surprised if we're a .500 team at the end of the year. That would put Westphal in immediate COY contention.

 

[Warhawk]

My personal prediction is 34-38 wins this year, assuming all works out the way we would like, and then we can be looking at a solid improvement the next season to become a 44-48 win team. It takes 50 games to make the playoffs in the West anymore, so we're looking at two years before we're there. We now have a nucleus that we can be excited about, and we're really only one piece away from being a complete team.

Agreed. We are not jumping to 45-50 wins this year. Love it if we did, but it isn't happening.

 

[hammystyle]

Agreed. We are not jumping to 45-50 wins this year. Love it if we did, but it isn't happening.

Its not as black and white as jumping from 25 wins to 45. Or at least there's more info you can consider. We were better than the average 25 win team last year. We had the point differential of a 29 win team and we faltered (tanked) down the stretch. So we if we had just been a little more lucky, and tried to win through the stretch maybe we win closer to 30-32 games. So the bump isn't as egregious than just going from 25 to 45.

Then just think. If you knew nothing about what happened to the team last year and just looked at the team on paper. How do you think we would do? What is our weakness? How are teams going to beat us? We will be incosistent and have bad games because our best players are young, but we'll walk into every game against every team with a chance to win. It'll just be up to us to play well.

 

[Superman]

Its not as black and white as jumping from 25 wins to 45. Or at least there's more info you can consider. We were better than the average 25 win team last year. We had the point differential of a 29 win team and we faltered (tanked) down the stretch. So we if we had just been a little more lucky, and tried to win through the stretch maybe we win closer to 30-32 games. So the bump isn't as egregious than just going from 25 to 45.

Then just think. If you knew nothing about what happened to the team last year and just looked at the team on paper. How do you think we would do? What is our weakness? How are teams going to beat us? We will be incosistent and have bad games because our best players are young, but we'll walk into every game against every team with a chance to win. It'll just be up to us to play well.

You have a point about what we did at the end of the season. Tyreke missed a stretch of games in which we were playing pretty good ball, and then fell off. If not for his concussion, we could have been a 30 win team.

But remember that we won a total of 6 games in January and February combined. 6-22, and that's with Reke really getting it in gear, locking down the ROY, and pre-trade/tank. Followed it up with a 4-13 March. We really didn't finish the year strong. I could see this angle if we started out 9-41, and then went .500 for the rest of the season to finish with 25 wins. That ain't what happened, though. It was actually more like the opposite.

 

[Chupacabra]

Agreed. We are not jumping to 45-50 wins this year. Love it if we did, but it isn't happening.

I can ALMOST hop on and agree with this. The thing is, our size is a BRUTAL mismatch for almost every team in the league. Be prepared to see a VERY different looking defense. Ive got to think that if this team is both a good rebounding and defensive team then they can be in the playoffs. When you look at the roster its certainly possible.

 

[The Hammer]

I can ALMOST hop on and agree with this. The thing is, our size is a BRUTAL mismatch for almost every team in the league. Be prepared to see a VERY different looking defense. Ive got to think that if this team is both a good rebounding and defensive team then they can be in the playoffs. When you look at the roster its certainly possible.

I'm with you Chupa. I think it just takes time for people to realize we added two legit seven footers, AND the best big man prospect to come along in the last 15 years. That was our glaring hole, and we've responded to that need like few teams have ever responded to a glaring need so swiftly. The young bigs will take time to develop, but their defense will come along faster, simply because it's based mostly on size and instincts, which they both have. I'm still in shock myself.