I have a good feeling

[The Hammer]

I like the young players we have assembled and I'm looking forward to seeing them develop and try to win games. I'm not going to root for any lins this year (ok maybe some near the end) and for once, with perhaps a few minor exceptions, I feel like rooting for all our guys and not secretly hoping for any of them to somehow leave. Even Brad can have a role as a mentor of sorts, and pretty soon his contract will be valuable trade bait as an expiring. I feel we have finally turned a corner with all the recent acquisitions of youth. And Bobby to boot-- the perfect vet presence in the locker room.

I'm happily surprised to be reading so much positive stuff on Greene around the web. Seems like most of our young guys are good characters as well. Just feeling lots of good things to watch this year. Can you say fresh air?

 

[VF21]

We haven't seen them play yet, but I admit I'm feeling better about the coming season than I've felt in quite a while. I think this season may just be a lot of fun...

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

I'll admit that starting anew and overlooked by mass media is a great recipe for change--there's no pressure for our players to perform, and players can play through their mistakes (although Theus's coaching style might make that a bit questionable...). There's a lot to like here individually--Spencer Hawes and Donte Greene both have unique outside shooting talents that few other big men possess, and Greene tops that off with triple threat slashing ability while Hawes combines his with some surprising shotblocking potential (something I didn't really foresee). Combined with Bobby Brown and Jason Thompson to make up the bulk of our young unit, we can field a young and hungry talented team out there. In fact, I've been down on Jason Thompson individually at times, but when I look at him along with the other young players as a whole--and knowing that we got Donte Greene in that same draft--I'm definitely more optimistic. Geoff's clearly trying to build off homegrown talent with few young castaways (Brown, Shelden Williams) and although slow in attaining success, it's going to be nice watching young guys now, watching the horrible contracts shed away over time and going away from the 30+ year older players.

 

[GeraldWallace#3]

Wait wait so

Lin and Wose are two different things right

Lin is when you lose but it's good (draft reasons right)

Wose is when you need a win but you lose

refresh me please the TDOS is almost over

 

[VF21]

Wait wait so

Lin and Wose are two different things right

Lin is when you lose but it's good (draft reasons right)

Wose is when you need a win but you lose

refresh me please the TDOS is almost over

Those terms, while used the past couple of years, don't really apply this year. Yes, we still need to make some roster adjustments - and those will come - but I certainly don't think there are very many of us who are going to be talking about lins and wosses.

I think the OP is talking about being optimistic and looking forward to seeing what the young members of our team can do. THAT's what's important, IMHO.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

I like the young players we have assembled and I'm looking forward to seeing them develop and try to win games. I'm not going to root for any lins this year (ok maybe some near the end) and for once, with perhaps a few minor exceptions, I feel like rooting for all our guys and not secretly hoping for any of them to somehow leave. Even Brad can have a role as a mentor of sorts, and pretty soon his contract will be valuable trade bait as an expiring. I feel we have finally turned a corner with all the recent acquisitions of youth. And Bobby to boot-- the perfect vet presence in the locker room.

I'm happily surprised to be reading so much positive stuff on Greene around the web. Seems like most of our young guys are good characters as well. Just feeling lots of good things to watch this year. Can you say fresh air?

this has been what i've been wanting for a loong time. all the patchwork obviously was not working. i too cannot wait for the season to start and watch our young guys develop.

 

[bench_blob]

I like the young players we have assembled and I'm looking forward to seeing them develop and try to win games. I'm not going to root for any lins this year (ok maybe some near the end) and for once, with perhaps a few minor exceptions, I feel like rooting for all our guys and not secretly hoping for any of them to somehow leave. Even Brad can have a role as a mentor of sorts, and pretty soon his contract will be valuable trade bait as an expiring. I feel we have finally turned a corner with all the recent acquisitions of youth. And Bobby to boot-- the perfect vet presence in the locker room.

I'm happily surprised to be reading so much positive stuff on Greene around the web. Seems like most of our young guys are good characters as well. Just feeling lots of good things to watch this year. Can you say fresh air?

Hope always springs eternal before the first game is played and you get run off the court by the Memphis Grizzlies by 25 points....so what if you are feeling positive, the same generic post could apply to any fan board for any of 30 NBA teams.

But I agree there is genuine reason for optimism.

However, sobering FACT Kings fans = We have NO post players!!!!

With the departure of Ron-Bill, while opening up the court for everyone else...who is going to score down low?? Who is going to command a double team??? Who is going to anchor himself to the block and spread the court for everyone else? Who is going to help space the floor and give room for our wing players to operate???

ANSWER = No one!!!!!

Do you think opposing teams are fearing Jason Thompson or Spencer Hawes or John Salmons as effective low post threats who demand special attention??!!

PLEASE!!! Opponents are going to exploit that weakness game after game. When game gets tight in 4th quarter an effective post player is a MUST. It restores order, controls pace, generates open shots within the half-court...otherwise there is an endless scramble to find balance and unity within your sets.

Until we develop or find a player who can abuse and use inside and at and above the rim, we are a pedestrian mid-level squad at best depsite the other bright spots up and down the roster.

We can win half our games, sneak into the 8 spot, but we are first round toast if we play any of the heavyweights in the West.

 

[kennadog]

I don't need anybody telling me we are probably going to lose a lot. I already know that.

Speaking for myself, I'm not thinking we're a play-off team this year. Actually a mid-level, young team with the potential to rise is exciting compared to what we had, a midlevel, sinking team of grumpy, older players.

That's why I'm more excited this year. Could some of these young players not really turn out so well? Of course. The excitement is to see what will happen. As the team stood the last two years, I knew what to expect and it wasn't good and wasn't going to get better as constitued.

Spencer Hawes is a post player. Do other teams fear him? Not now, but he just turned 20 at the end of April and already has post moves that are very advanced for his age! He just needs time to fill out into a mature body, get stronger and learn the NBA game. He needs playing time, too. He also clearly has a bit of a nasty streak in him. It's way to early say he won't be a very good post player in the NBA. I'm excited to see him develop, hopefully with a lot more playing time this year.

 

[NME]

We can win half our games, sneak into the 8 spot, but we are first round toast if we play any of the heavyweights in the West.

I don't think we'll win that many games, and yet I have a good feeling about the season and where we're going. The good feeling has nothing to do with a false belief that we'll win 55 games and make it to the conference finals, or whether either of the big men we drafted the last two years are currently able to be crunch time go-to options in the post.

 

[bajaden]

Hope always springs eternal before the first game is played and you get run off the court by the Memphis Grizzlies by 25 points....so what if you are feeling positive, the same generic post could apply to any fan board for any of 30 NBA teams.

But I agree there is genuine reason for optimism.

However, sobering FACT Kings fans = We have NO post players!!!!

With the departure of Ron-Bill, while opening up the court for everyone else...who is going to score down low?? Who is going to command a double team??? Who is going to anchor himself to the block and spread the court for everyone else? Who is going to help space the floor and give room for our wing players to operate???

ANSWER = No one!!!!!

Do you think opposing teams are fearing Jason Thompson or Spencer Hawes or John Salmons as effective low post threats who demand special attention??!!

PLEASE!!! Opponents are going to exploit that weakness game after game. When game gets tight in 4th quarter an effective post player is a MUST. It restores order, controls pace, generates open shots within the half-court...otherwise there is an endless scramble to find balance and unity within your sets.

Until we develop or find a player who can abuse and use inside and at and above the rim, we are a pedestrian mid-level squad at best depsite the other bright spots up and down the roster.

We can win half our games, sneak into the 8 spot, but we are first round toast if we play any of the heavyweights in the West.

I'm not sure I understand your post. Your pointing out some obvious flaws in the team, some that I don't readily agree with, but nothing we don't know about. The excitement is over the fact that the Kings have finally commited to rebuilding, and have put together what appears to be a nice young nucleus.

Whether we will have a post player that garners the respect of the league remains to be seen. However Hawes has a nice post game, as does Thompson. In the first half of last year, Greene showed that he could play in the post. Lest you forget, Thompson played center on his team and played mostly in the post, especially last year. Prior to his sudden burst of height he played more on the outside. I can easily see Thompson and Hawes playing the same way that Vlade and Webber played.

All this won't happen overnight. The team is going to take its lumps while it learns to play together. You, and by you I mean all the fans, can accept the team for what it is and enjoy the process, or, gripe about the loses and continue to point out how bad we are. I personally prefer to watch the grapes ferment and develop into a fine wine, instead of just eating sour grapes.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

Hope always springs eternal before the first game is played and you get run off the court by the Memphis Grizzlies by 25 points....so what if you are feeling positive, the same generic post could apply to any fan board for any of 30 NBA teams.

But I agree there is genuine reason for optimism.

However, sobering FACT Kings fans = We have NO post players!!!!

With the departure of Ron-Bill, while opening up the court for everyone else...who is going to score down low?? Who is going to command a double team??? Who is going to anchor himself to the block and spread the court for everyone else? Who is going to help space the floor and give room for our wing players to operate???

ANSWER = No one!!!!!

Do you think opposing teams are fearing Jason Thompson or Spencer Hawes or John Salmons as effective low post threats who demand special attention??!!

PLEASE!!! Opponents are going to exploit that weakness game after game. When game gets tight in 4th quarter an effective post player is a MUST. It restores order, controls pace, generates open shots within the half-court...otherwise there is an endless scramble to find balance and unity within your sets.

Until we develop or find a player who can abuse and use inside and at and above the rim, we are a pedestrian mid-level squad at best depsite the other bright spots up and down the roster.

We can win half our games, sneak into the 8 spot, but we are first round toast if we play any of the heavyweights in the West.

we have 2 post players in hawes and thompson. if they don't command double teams thats ok. it just means we won't win as many games. that's alright with me cuz it signals a better draft pick and higher chance to win the lotto next season. win, win, win, win situation for us. when your at the bottom, there is nowhere to go but to the top.

 

[One and Done]

I've been looking forward to this season...getting rid of Ron will hurt us, but could be great for developing some sort of chemistry. Really look forward to the development of the young guys, including Kevin.

Bench_blob, you brought up a valid point, one that I'm NOT looking forward to this season. This team, by losing Ron, has absolutely no post threat. Sure, Hawes has a bunch of moves, but will he execute? Will his skinny frame get pushed around? Plus, JT's a rookie, and shouldn't be depended upon as our go-to post player, at least not this season.

Post-play, drawing double teams in the post-to-pass-out-pass-out to the perimeter...that will be a newfound weakness...we'll lose some toughness this season w/o Ron. Also, factor in the usual rebounding/defensive woes...

Negatives aside, I'm looking forward to the upside of young players, more ball movement, hustle, effort and better chemistry. Given a collapse of leadership or injury woes, I'm positive that we'll see these developments this season.

 

[Bricklayer]

We have two big young post players -- we are in far better shape there than we have been in years. Will take a while for them to have the impact a Ron did, but they actually play the positions you would rather have post play out of anyway.

What we don't have is a prayer defensively, yet again. That was one interesting thing about doing those scouting reports. Just almost every single time you get to our guy's defense you start off talking about how much it sucks. Salmons is just about the only major guy you know can defend. Douby (who will not play)...Cisco with the occasional flashy play...can Thompson be effective there at this level? The cubbard is pretty damn bare.


And that's ok at this point in a rebuild. But at some point it will need to be addressed. You can't just keep on picking up guy after guy for his offense. You need some defensive roleplayers at some point to try to balance out all the offense first & only guys.

 

[FakeInjury]

Every game Artest helped the kings win, was fueling his greed for the ball. And each victory Artest contributed to, would spell certain defeat in an upcoming game. I am trying to convey that Artest was detracting from team consistency. He did supply alot of the power that is needed to win on a daily basis. But the cost of tapping his power was sacraficing team cohesion, and chemistry. This year is important because ego will not be part of the puzzle. The Kings are filled with mid-1st round picks, cast-offs, under-acheivers, and B-level veteran bigmen. Basically, not one player on the kings is better or worse than any of his peers, on any given night. Overall Miller is our best Center, and Martin is our best SG. But everyone else is even. Which means things are going to be new and fresh. I would not be suprised to see a new style of play, and new plays for this new team. A+, trade one guy and the whole team is different. I think if Martin passes, and doesn't alienate his players, the kings have a chance to upset some unsuspecting elite level teams.

 

[Spike]

The excitement is over the fact that the Kings have finally commited to rebuilding, and have put together what appears to be a nice young nucleus.

Well said. Our post presence can't be written off just because of youth. In fact, I'm pretty excited to see how they assert themselves. I too anticipate a lot of high-low post play from our PF/C youth combo. The respect isn't going to be there from other teams on day 1 - and why should it be? As the year progresses, or more accurately, as the years progress, we may see teams having to adjust their gameplan vs. the Kings due to the fact that we can beat them down low on offense as well.

 

[Prince_XY]

I have a good feeling about the new Kings team too - not because I foresee them to win more games than the previous seasons ( which no one should expect from our young players ), but more so because I kind of feel that the selfish, seemingly "me-first", " I-am-the-best-in-the-team " guys ( Bibby and Artest ) had finally been kicked-out. I just hope Salmons and Garcia ( who have tendencies to be selfish too ) will not emerged as such type of players who will do anything to farther their career at the expense of teamwork.

I don't care if the Kings only win 20 this season, as long as they give it their best fighting " as a team ". That would be exciting and fun to watch again as they grow, mature, and be contenders again.

 

[Telemachus]

With the departure of Ron-Bill, while opening up the court for everyone else...who is going to score down low?? Who is going to command a double team??? Who is going to anchor himself to the block and spread the court for everyone else? Who is going to help space the floor and give room for our wing players to operate???

How is this any different from last season? While we all know that Artest was our best post player last year, he RARELY ever played in the post. This is especially true in the 4th quarter when he was more prone to take a 3 or try to drive to the basket.

The Kings best hope is that either Hawes or Thompson prove that they can be effective down low on a regular basis. If they can do that, the double-teams will come (or they will score one-on-one). Until then, we will have to rely on Brad's passing skills out of the high post to cutters in the lane.

 

[bench_blob]

We have two big young post players -- we are in far better shape there than we have been in years. Will take a while for them to have the impact a Ron did, but they actually play the positions you would rather have post play out of anyway.

What we don't have is a prayer defensively, yet again. That was one interesting thing about doing those scouting reports. Just almost every single time you get to our guy's defense you start off talking about how much it sucks. Salmons is just about the only major guy you know can defend. Douby (who will not play)...Cisco with the occasional flashy play...can Thompson be effective there at this level? The cubbard is pretty damn bare.


And that's ok at this point in a rebuild. But at some point it will need to be addressed. You can't just keep on picking up guy after guy for his offense. You need some defensive roleplayers at some point to try to balance out all the offense first & only guys.

Kevin Martin is a good defensive player.

 

[bench_blob]

How is this any different from last season? While we all know that Artest was our best post player last year, he RARELY ever played in the post. This is especially true in the 4th quarter when he was more prone to take a 3 or try to drive to the basket.

The Kings best hope is that either Hawes or Thompson prove that they can be effective down low on a regular basis. If they can do that, the double-teams will come (or they will score one-on-one). Until then, we will have to rely on Brad's passing skills out of the high post to cutters in the lane.

What team were you watching? Coach Theus put Ron-Bill in the post in A LOT of end of game situations.

True, he was a black hole a lot of times, and not a great passer, but he was a guy teams had to respect in the block. Ron-Bill was impossible to move once he establishes his position.

Hawes and Thompson strength level combined may be less than Artest.

I should add too an advantage of an effective post player is an ability to draw fouls. K-Mart does an awesome job of drawing fouls, so does J Salmons, but our bigs don't.

Thompson and Hawes aren't going to be draw any fouls if they end up playing a finesse game, or settle for the jump shot, or fade post move.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

I think 40 wins is a decent goal for this year...if we hit .500, Theus and Petrie should be at least considered for 2nd or 3rd for COY and GMOY.

 

[NewArena]

Im excited as well, but i still hate losing regardless, and i dont want to become used to it like i think i am starting to. I really think 40 wins is possible and the fact that were young will make the losing excusable/acceptable. Now we just have to hope Reef makes the sensible decision and retires.

 

[Telemachus]

What team were you watching? Coach Theus put Ron-Bill in the post in A LOT of end of game situations.

True, he was a black hole a lot of times, and not a great passer, but he was a guy teams had to respect in the block. Ron-Bill was impossible to move once he establishes his position.

There is no doubt that Artest had the ball a lot at the end of games, and drew double-teams (they knew he wasn't going to pass). But he used his face-up game much more than his post game IMO. I was always upset with him because he didn't post up enough. Frankly, his face-up game was maybe 3rd best on the team.

Hawes and Thompson strength level combined may be less than Artest.

Who cares? I am much more concerned with what a player does with the ball than by how strong they are. Kevin McHale and Larry Bird weren't the strongest players in the league, but were two of the best post players I have ever seen. I say let the young players show us what they can do before we knock their games.

Thompson and Hawes aren't going to be draw any fouls if they end up playing a finesse game, or settle for the jump shot, or fade post move.

So far Hawes has shown himself to be more of a finesse player, and I agree that he will have to be more aggressive to get to the line. The book is still open on Thompson. He was a good post player in college, and we have yet to see how that translates to the NBA. And while he as the skills to be a finesse player, he didn't seem to shy away from physical play in college.

 

[bajaden]

What team were you watching? Coach Theus put Ron-Bill in the post in A LOT of end of game situations.

True, he was a black hole a lot of times, and not a great passer, but he was a guy teams had to respect in the block. Ron-Bill was impossible to move once he establishes his position.

Hawes and Thompson strength level combined may be less than Artest.

I should add too an advantage of an effective post player is an ability to draw fouls. K-Mart does an awesome job of drawing fouls, so does J Salmons, but our bigs don't.

Thompson and Hawes aren't going to be draw any fouls if they end up playing a finesse game, or settle for the jump shot, or fade post move.

I don't have a problem with anyone making an educated guess about how a team will play, or how a player will fare over a coming season. But, its just a guess, not a fact. Your stating things as though they're facts. How do you know how Thompson is going to play. He hasn't even played in one game yet. It will take a couple of years before we know exactly how good or bad Thompson, Greene and Hawes will be.

What makes you think that Hawes or Thompson is going to play a finesse game. Have you ever seen Thompson play? Or do you just assume that every player we draft is a finesse player? You make the statement that our bigs don't do a good job of drawing fouls. And your basing the judgement on what? THEY HAVEN'T EVEN PLAYED A GAME YET. So just how do you know that they don't do a good job of drawing fouls?

I'm not going to tell you that they will. Do you know why? Because I don't know. And, by the way, neither do you! Can we please deal with what we do know, and post accordingly. And, by the way, K-Mart is not a great, or even good defender. He's a decent defender with the athletic ability to be a lot better. It remains to be seen if he will or not.

 

[gunks]

I have a good feeling just because we actually have a stable of young bigs. Something just a couple seasons ago everyone was pining for since our roster was devoid of a frontcourt player under 28 years old.

Hawes, Thompson, Greene....Each player has a pretty high ceiling. We gotta hit with at least one of them. Heck, even Sheldon might put it together and show he can be a servicable backup.

 

[fnordius]

I'm happy because I'm looking forward to watching the kids play hard and improve, and am hopeful that team chemistry may improve.

Not expecting a winning season, but that doesn't bother me. The dismantling has been progress, and I'm thinking that the progress will continue, even it if's quite gradual. The old go out, the new #10-#12 picks come in to replace them, and we plug along.

 

[JerN820]

I don't need anybody telling me we are probably going to lose a lot. I already know that.

Speaking for myself, I'm not thinking we're a play-off team this year. Actually a mid-level, young team with the potential to rise is exciting compared to what we had, a midlevel, sinking team of grumpy, older players.

That's why I'm more excited this year. Could some of these young players not really turn out so well? Of course. The excitement is to see what will happen. As the team stood the last two years, I knew what to expect and it wasn't good and wasn't going to get better as constitued.

Spencer Hawes is a post player. Do other teams fear him? Not now, but he just turned 20 at the end of April and already has post moves that are very advanced for his age! He just needs time to fill out into a mature body, get stronger and learn the NBA game. He needs playing time, too. He also clearly has a bit of a nasty streak in him. It's way to early say he won't be a very good post player in the NBA. I'm excited to see him develop, hopefully with a lot more playing time this year.

Good points. We probably wont make the playoffs, but at least we have a team where we should see improvement from throughout the season. We have a lot of young, promising players. I know potential doesnt buy wins, but it's better than having a veteran team that we know wont go far.

 

[NewArena]

I agree with most of you, im glad we dont have the same old players coming back every season talking about how they're the "true leaders" of the team and that they guarentee we will make the postseason. I feel that we are on a clean slate as a team and organization overall, and that feels great.

 

[bench_blob]

I don't have a problem with anyone making an educated guess about how a team will play, or how a player will fare over a coming season. But, its just a guess, not a fact. Your stating things as though they're facts. How do you know how Thompson is going to play. He hasn't even played in one game yet. It will take a couple of years before we know exactly how good or bad Thompson, Greene and Hawes will be.

What makes you think that Hawes or Thompson is going to play a finesse game. Have you ever seen Thompson play? Or do you just assume that every player we draft is a finesse player? You make the statement that our bigs don't do a good job of drawing fouls. And your basing the judgement on what? THEY HAVEN'T EVEN PLAYED A GAME YET. So just how do you know that they don't do a good job of drawing fouls?

I'm not going to tell you that they will. Do you know why? Because I don't know. And, by the way, neither do you! Can we please deal with what we do know, and post accordingly. And, by the way, K-Mart is not a great, or even good defender. He's a decent defender with the athletic ability to be a lot better. It remains to be seen if he will or not.

Unlike a lot of the posts, I don't spout off incoherently without basis in reality. I saw J Thom. play in LVSL ALL games, and liked what I saw. He knows how to ball, he has great balance, footwork, energy, and coordination.

But the point is this: Teams can play a rook straight up even if dude is physical inside. Opponents didn't have that luxury against Ron-Bill. Teams had to give help whenever Ron played off the post. As our roster stands now, NO player is derserving of a consistent double team. That equals TROUBLE.

And that's why Coach Reggie Theus was at first opposed to the deal b/c he knows how reliant the team was on Ron-Bill in our half court sets. We can overcome his loss, and in the long run, be better, but no serious or consistent low post is a glaring weakness going into this season. (Along with team defense and rebounding.)

K-Mart needs to improve within the team defensive scheme, but as a one-on-one defender, he is very good. That's not my opinion, that's a fact. Class dismissed.

 

[NME]

But the point is this: Teams can play a rook straight up even if dude is physical inside. Opponents didn't have that luxury against Ron-Bill. Teams had to give help whenever Ron played off the post. As our roster stands now, NO player is derserving of a consistent double team. That equals TROUBLE.

It's only trouble if you're concerned about winning a lot of games this year, which many of us are not. We're rebuilding and expect to take some lumps. I just want to see Hawes and Thompson get experience and develop towards becoming the type of you're talking about.

 

[VF21]

And that's why Coach Reggie Theus was at first opposed to the deal b/c he knows how reliant the team was on Ron-Bill in our half court sets. We can overcome his loss, and in the long run, be better, but no serious or consistent low post is a glaring weakness going into this season. (Along with team defense and rebounding.)

Actually, Theus was most likely opposed to the deal because he was STILL convinced the Kings had to get to the playoffs for him to keep his job. And yet, simply getting to the playoffs - especially with Ron Artest in the mix - was problematic at best and another year of disappointment and erosion of the fan base at the worst. By moving Artest, I think it's clear even to Reggie that the ultimate goal is not just to play past mid-April. It's to build a team that will again be playing in June.

We were NOT going to commit to Artest in the long run so it was much better to make the trade now and move on. Petrie did the right thing and Theus really needs to check his ego and take advantage of the opportunity he now has to work with kids who are eager and hungry and, hopefully, without the excessive baggage Artest brought to the mix.